Česká republika - Week 5 Plzeň (some names changed for privacy)

Restaurant after our service project at the river

So this week, we taught Sakul almost every day - every day but Saturday... He seems really interested in the gospel however it's hard for him to understand everything we're teaching and we're going pretty slowly so we'll see if we need to prolong his wait to baptism as we will be teaching about the word of wisdom this week! 

We also taught a man named Retep, which I honestly can't remember if I've written about yet or not. He's super interested in learning about the church but it seems he simply wants to understand our church as another religion, but not really interested in keeping commitments... maybe we can help him see the importance of commitments and help him understand that we're on missions to help convert people but not force anyone into the waters of baptism and to not just teach for the sake of academics.

This last Monday, it was a little crazy in the things I didn't know about or forgot to write about... First off I bought two new summer scarves!!!! I looove scarves, and I didn't have a yellow one so I had to get it! And second off in the time that Starší Raines and Brockbank spend at the Easter market, a lady, who calls herself the Service Sorceress, gave them tons of chocolate and offered them svičková (meat) hahahaha, supposedly it was super funny because they were trying to decline gracefully since they weren't sure about cleanleness since they were on the streets. But she just kept giving them more!!!

Anyway, on Tuesday, our P-Day and the last time I wrote to you, we had lunch as a district at the church building! Sestra Andersen made gulaš and chocolate cake! It was so much fun. I love our district, they're awesome!!!

On Saturday, Sestra Andersen and I did service! We got to pick up trash at a beautiful river here in town with the "Čista Plzeň" people who I'm pretty sure are just all volunteers who keep Plzeň clean! It was fun, we got to clean and we got to see swans and a duck with her tons of baby chicks!

I cooked this week too!  Something from home.  mmmmm... did you see the West African peanut sauce i made! so good! and my comp liked it too, she had some the next day too!

Even though Sestra Andersen knows that her time in the Czech Republic is almost done, she goes on with the work as a wonderful missionary! I like our work and it's fun teaching other people about our gospel.The work is truly exciting! Teaching people about the good news that we have, the gospel, the plan of salvation! It's wonderful! I just wish that everyone would stop and listen... especially all of the people who claim their atheists but really do believe that something is out there... 

Love you all!!! Have a wonderful week!!

P.S. Today we will hopefully find a castle to take pictures with, but unfortunately Satrší Pickett and Anderson won't be joining us because Starší Anderson is sick..

Česká republika - Week 4 Plzeň (some names changed for privacy)

Spring may have lied this morning :)

Happy Easter everyone!!!!!!!

By now, You all know that I love to try all the different foods around me. Last Monday was P-day of course, so we ate some pretty good food! It was super sunny... unlike now haha... and we ate Indian food that was actually spicy! I'm so happy we actually found a place where there's spiciness... Czechs just don't eat anything spicy... I can't even find cayenne here!! 

After that, we went and got ice-cream! During the warmer months they literally seem to have ice cream stands everywhere! I had black currant flavor! So good!!! 

This entire week, up through yesterday we had a stand at the Easter market on the naměsti and we played videos about Christ the entire time. We actually found some investigators from it too! So exciting! 

One man, Sakul has a baptismal date! He is looking to make new friends, so we're trying to invite him to all of our activities. He came to Family Home Evening last night with a huge whip... taller than six feet I'm pretty sure. Here in the Czech Republic they have an Easter tradition where the men get to whip the women on Easter Monday morning with these whips they make out of young branches so that the're flexible and they braid them together and tie ribbons at the top. It's kind of weird but when you watch little children do it to their moms, it's kind of cute.

photo by Elder Pickett

Anyway, on Wednesday we had the sister training leaders (STL's) - Sestry Cade and Hill -  come for exchanges which was so fun! They stayed until Thursday and it was great!On Wednesday, they helped us out at the stand and we did another #KnížePokje chalk display! 

I was with Sestra Cade for the exchange and we also went contacting in Bory Park for about an hour and found tons of really cool people... none who had interest, but we gave them our card so that they could look up the Prince of Peace video we have. So we were basically just spreading Eastery cheer through Christ!

photo from Elder Pickett

 For dinner with the STL's we had a tasty concoction that Sestra Andersen made and peach cobbler with ice cream that she also made!!!

Left to right: Sestra Cade, Sestra Sadler, Sestra Andersen, Sestra Hill

 On Easter Sunday we went to church and Sestra Komancová gave us each some Easter chocolates! Which ended up being our Lunch that day haha! It was sweet! It felt like Easter!!!

Czech, Easter whip from Sakul      &       Chocolates from Sestra Komancová

Photo from Elder Pickett

As is said in my title this week, spring lied. Everything was pretty springy, sunny and rainy, then all of a sudden this morning we got rain and SNOWFLAKES!! So crazy!!!

Spring at the beginning of the week   &     snow towards the end :) Happy Easter everybody!!! I hope it was great! Love you all so much!!!!

Česká republika - Week 3 Plzeň

Found a childhood favorite!!!!!  ORANGINA!

Dobrý den!!! Ahoj!!

Jak se máte?! How are you?!

This week has been a little all over the place! On Monday I had my first Czech koláč! (sweet, Czech bread pastry with filling) It was a little plain tasting so I wasn't all that impressed... but don't worry, they're good... I'll explain later though.

On Wednesday, we went district contacting!! We went to a pretty busy area - or at least busy when the trams and buses drop off tons of people there - and I designed with chalk on the ground our writing of #KnížePokoje (#PrinceofPeace) because of the Easter Initiative ''Learn Principles of Peace from the Prince of Peace''!! And then the contacting began!

From Elder Pickett's weekly update: "We also had a great chalk display using the new Easter campaign, Prince of Peace. Sister Sadler is quite an artist, and chalked out the phrase in Czech in some fancy lettering, and then we all stopped people to talk about it. I got a picture because it is dang impressive. We met a lot of really cool people during that and set up with several of them and will be meeting with them next week. It should be a good week and we are looking forward to some new people to work with."           (😏 That was nice. Thanks Elder Pickett)

We tried to stop so many people but because the trams are right there, most of the time people are in a hurry to catch them. There were a few people though that we were able to stop and talk with about Easter and the importance of Christ in our lives. 

Sestra Andersen and I found two women who were interested in what we had to say! Hopefully it stays that way! We actually invited one of them to Family Home Evening tonight at the church building!!! After contacting, Sestra Andersen and I went to one of our less-actives' house and we taught her more about the Book of Mormon and how she can personalize the scriptures to her and understand that the book is meant for us in this day in age even though it was written forever ago! It was such a good lesson! And, when we left she gave us some rum cake and chocolate cake... she said that rum cake had all of the alcohol burnt out of it so I ate that for my companion who did not like the taste hahaha!

On Thursday, Sestra Andersen and I went with our bishop to the main square/naměstí and now we have a stand there at the Easter/Velikonočně market!!! 

Find lasting peace: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2017-02-1000-the-prince-of-peace-find-lasting-peace-through-jesus-christ?lang=eng

We're showing the new Easter video there along with a couple of others centered on Christ and it's so cute! We have it all the way through Easter and we will be there pretty much all day, so we take shifts with the elders as we smell the amazing food all around and look at the donkeys, ponz, sheep, and goats that have a petting type of a stand right in front of ours! That means families are looking our way! Exciting stuff!!

​On Friday, we did some service! We went to a home for women and their children from bad homes​ and sang Easter songs and brought Easter activities to do like crafts involving eggs and coloring farm and spring animals, the kids were so cute! While we were there they gave us some tea... you get tea everywhere here! Members serve it to you all the time haha... Something I'm getting used to... as long as there's sugar in it, it usually isn't too bad... And they gave us koláčý! (the sweet pastry) Which were so good this time! They were warm and home-made, and had powdered sugar on top! 

St John 14:27 : Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

This weekend we had General Conference and it was amazing! I always love hearing from the prophet and our apostles! They always have such good information that's relevant, and it seemed like so many of the talks were centered on Christ which is just the best!

Love you all!!! Have a wonderful/užasne week!!!!!
More photo's from this past week:

Česká republika - Week 2 Plzeň (some names changed for privacy)

Last Monday! On P-Day we ate Indian food as a district! It was so good! ...

And then we went up this really tall building to a little restaurant called CrossCafe where you can basically see such a pretty view of Plzeň! On Tuesday we had Zone Conference! I got to see Starší Wutke, Andrus, and Gubler again!

We went over the Easter initiative and the Easter video is my favorite thing ever! It gives me goosebumps every time I watch it!!! (https://www.mormon.org/?cid=HP_SU_2-4-2017_dPFD_fMORG_xLIDyL1-C_). It's beautiful.

Starší Wutke and his trainer Starší Newman came to Plzeň afterwards for exchanges and on Wednesday for Lunch we all ate Skip Pie again! Don't worry, I didn't have th kangaroo again... although I kind of wish I had, the one I had was good... but it was a little weird, there were beans as well as meet inside and it was supposed to be spicy, but I felt no hint of spice... Oh well! And Sestra Andersen and I made brownies and snickerdoodles for dessert!

Sestra Andersen's masterpiece 

This week has been interesting. We met Retep who is a cool English teacher who was interested in learning about our beliefs who we contacted through trying to tell people about our English classes.

Czech Study

Scripture in Czech

On Friday, we ate lunch at Sestra Avocnamok's house! She's such a sweet little old lady in our ward and when she feeds us, which is once a transfer (nine weeks), she feeds us a lot. We started off with two or three bowls of liver and noodle soup/broth... It was fine... although the liver was a taste and texture I'm not used to, then she brought out a big plate full of potatoes and chicken for each of us... I was so full but supposedly she usually adds dessert to that, this time she didn't; next transfer though we will have the knedliký (Czech dumpling) challenge which includes a full meal like that one plus basically a million dessert knedliký and seeing who can down the most... This will be a tough challenge with all that sugar! 

On Saturday. (April Fool's Day), Starší Anderson and Pickett's potential investigator passed away, the brother confirmed this and invited the Starsi's to attend the funeral. We were all stunned at this news.

It is Spring now...and everything is blooming.

Later that evening we had sports night which we have every Saturday and it was so much fun! We played Ultimate Frisbee the entire time in Bory park and it was great!

Love you all!!! Have a wonderful week!!!

More photo's from week 2 in Plzeň...

Missionary Apartment

Plzeň