Monday, December 30, 2019

Happy New Year! -- December 30, 2019

Ahoj, 

Tuesday is when they celebrate christmas in the Czech Republic. In the morning we went to help at Salvation Army which feeds homeless people a christmas lunch. When we went to help, they said they wouldn't need us for another hour to clean up. We came back an hour later and they said they were delayed but that we could come back in 40 minutes. We had other things to do so unfortunately we couldn't help, but there was a line of homeless people waiting to be fed. It really touched my heart to see a family bring some tinfoil meals to these people. It was fun to watch them get big smiles on their faces and thank the family. Then we came home and did our studies. Afterwards, we went to the De Vries house for dinner. We at wine sausage, potatoe salad, and apple crumble. Then we watched the christ child video with them. They drove us home and we finished decorating our apartment and put ornaments on our tree. 

Wednesday we went to the church and were able to celebrate Christmas with our district from 8-12. We played some card games together and watched the Book of Mormon videos. Then we did studies. Afterwards we went to dinner at Brother čadeks. He is in the bishopric and is an awesome man. He told us his conversion story about how he participated in the yoga camps and was baptized in 1990 the same day as my last mission president, President Pohořelicky. It was good to spend time with him. Then I had the opportunity to call my cute family. I love them so much. 

Thursday we did our studies in the morning and then we took 2 trains to travel to žilina. It was about a 4 hour trip. When we got there, the Elders had prepared spaghetti for dinner at the senior couple's, the Dransfield's, house. It was so fun to see the Dransfields again. They showed us a video from a YSA conference where Olga and President Pilka (stake president) explained how the church started in the Czech Republic. They told us their involvement in yoga camps where they practiced yoga and then had a spiritual discussion after which they had to find a way to tie quotes from government officials into principles from the gospel. It was really interesting to learn more about it. She talked about how all baptisms that happened during the communist regime were done in a river in the middle of the night. Some pictures were shown with members during that time and Brother Čadek who we had dinner with the night before was in them. 

Friday morning we went to the store with the Dransfields to buy some things for lunch. We bought 100 roles and it filled up our entire grocery cart. We got some really funny looks from people and a couple gasps. 😂 Zone conference was absolutely incredible. We introduced the new missionahad a talent show, played hot seat which is a game where someone goes up and you can ask them any question, and had a slideshow of pictures from the year. It was amazing to watch the year be summed up, it really hit me hard and I was fighting back tears. After lunch the training got more spiritual, we sang some hymns and then President Gerhing played his cello. Then we recieved training from the Gehrings about the titles Christ has and about fasting. Then one missionary who is going home bore their testimony. It was an incredible conference. 

Saturday we went and visited a member with 2 little boys and talked about prayer and scripture study. She is an amazing woman and takes care of her boys by herself. She gets only 2-3 hours of sleep at night, yet she always is happy and has a smile on her face. She understands the power of the Atonement and I really look up to her. Afterwards, we had a lesson with a returning member who hasn't been to church in over 5 years. We were able to talk about her life, watch the Christ Child video, and help her see how God has been in her life. Then we came home and did our studies and weekly planning. 

Sunday we had an awesome church about families and gratitude. We set up appointments with 4 members for this next week while at church. Then we came home and did our studies. Afterwards, we went to inspiration night and brought a returning member with us. We came home on the tram and as soon as I got on and sat down, I noticed a guy who was watching us and then he gave us a thumbs up. As I analyzed this man more closely, I could see that he was very drunk. I got a really bad feeling and the spirit whispered to me to put my guard up. Then out of the blue this lady started talking to us and asked about our name tags. That NEVER happens! As we were explaining that we were missionaries, this man comes over and bumps into the lady we were talking to, so she moved and the guy started talking to us. I immediately stood up and grabbed my companion and told the man he could sit down where we were. I pushed sister stilson and told her to go to the front of the tram. She went and the guy sat down where we were. We found more seats at the front of the tram, then 2 seconds later, this guy was behind us again and tapping us on the shoulder. Luckily, we were the next stop so we jumped off and booked it, checking behind us to make sure he didn't get off too. I'm pretty sure he stayed on the tram but to be safe we went home in a round about way. 

This experience really strengthened my testimony.  I know the Lord is watching over and protecting us. The spirit will always warn us when we are in danger and guide us on how to act in scary situations. I also know that Satan is working hard against us because we are in the last days and preparing for the Savior to come. It was absolutely incredible that the woman on the tram asked about our name tags and Jesus. She was so close to getting introduced to the fullness of the gospel. However, Satan put the drunk man in our path. I have the faith that we will run into that woman again and bring her the joyful message of the gospel. 

Today was a busy day. We planned, cleaned, went shopping, and did personal study. Then we did some finding. We ran into one of our English students and 3 members from the ward. Afterwards, we went to meet up with the Elders for lunch. While we were waiting, this guy approached us and asked us for help getting some Czech crowns, the Elders showed up and we took him to an ATM. Afterwards, he invited us to lunch so we sat down and talked about what we believe and it was really cool. He said he might come to church on Sunday and bought our lunch. So that was awesome. Then we went around and visited a big cathedral and the Brno castle called špilberk. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

S laskou, 
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Monday, December 23, 2019

Merry Christmas! -- December 23, 2019

Čau! 

On tuesday Sister Hodgson and I did our studies in the morning. Then we caught a train to Prague. When we arrived, we met the other trainers in the mission home. I got to see my whole MTC district, Sister Labarage, and Elder Beckstrom. I also got to see Sister Ockey who I follow up trained. It was a sweet reunion! President and Sister Gehring gave us a training and then we had dinner together and played some games. It was a lot of fun. Then we crashed for the night at the Sister Training Leaders apartment.

Wednesday we woke up early and went to the mission home for breakfast. We met the 7 new missionaries. Then we had a meeting. We went over a few things and got council from President and Sister Gehring. Then they  matched up our pictures with our new companions on the screen. I am serving with Sister Stilson from Virginia. She is absolutely adorable! We took a train home and then worked on getting her a bus pass. It was a bit of a struggle because their card system was down so you could only pay with cash. We went to the normal ATM we usually take cash out of, but it was broken. So, we tried two others but they both had big transaction fees because they were in the main train station. So, we pulled out cash and got her a bus pass. The Elders helped get the luggage home. When we got home we discovered that they had changed the lock on our door. So we had no way to get into our house. We called the land lady and she said she would get us a new key tomorrow and would send someone to open the door. Eventually someone came and let us in. But, we couldn't leave the house again to go to institute and YSA because we would be locked out and it would be late. So we stayed home. Sister Stilson unpacked and then we did our studies. It was an adventurous first day! 

Thursday we got a key from our land lady. Then we did personal study and went to district council. We had a Christmas district council and talked about the signs of christs birth and likening the scriptures. Then we went and played squash with this man we met and the Elders. It is kind of like racket ball. Afterwards, we came home and finished our studies. Then we went back to the church and had a lesson with Kuba. We talked about the purpose of this life, developing our talents, and the tower of babel because he asked a question about it. Then we came home and made halušky for dinner. 

Friday morning we did weekly planning. Then we went to the Indian Resturaunt and had lunch with the De Vries and shared a thought  about Christmas. Afterwards, we and visited the Giedlovi and shared a thought with them too. Then we came home and did our studies . After dinner, we messed around on the ukulele and sang some christmas songs. 

Saturday we did a study in the morning and then we went and played frisbee and got churros with Simone. Then we came home and did our studies. After that, we went to the ward christmas concert and pulled together a musical number with the Elders. I played jingle bells on the ukulele and we all sang. It was really fun, but we were all super nervous. We had a good turn out to our concert! A lot of our English students and returning members came, so it was great! President Gehring and the AP's came and performed a musical number too. President played the cello and Elder Webb played the piano. It was similar to the piano guys and was incredible! Afterwards, we had refreshments and talked to a lot of people. 

Sunday we had an hour long Christmas church. We had quite a few returning members come which was great! The choir sang and the Stake President was there. I really enjoyed talking to the members. They truly have found a place in my heart. Then we came home and ate lunch. Afterwards, we had some time to do finding. We went around and invited people to take a small act of service from our jar and do it. Then we came home and did our studies. 

Today we just did some christmas shopping. We bought sister stilson a phone and then came up with a kahoot for our christmas training coming up. We also went to the salvation army and asked if we could help out or do service for them. 
This week I was pondering about how I could remember Christ more this Christmas. I decided that studying about his attributes and working to develop them would help me remember him more. I came across the attribute of meekness. I discovered a few things I can do to help me develop more meekness. First, the meek forgive and say they are sorry. Second, they serve others. Third, they practice self control.  Fourth, they are humble and teachable. Fifth, they are bold in testifying. Lastly, the meek have the spirit with them. Christ was the ultimate example of meekness. He went about doing good and sharing kindness. This Christmas I hope we can all try to become more like the Savior. I would like to invite you to chose a christlike attribute to focus on developing. I encourage you to study it, ponder about it, and learn to apply it. As you do so, you will strengthen your relationship with your Savior. Let us bring light to the world this year by becoming more like Christ.  Merry Christmas! 

S laskou, 

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Monday, December 16, 2019

The Last Transfer -- December 16, 2019

Ahoj, 

Well, I have recieved my last transfer call of the mission. It is bitter-sweet. In my very first interview with President Gehring, he told me I would likely train for the remainder of my mission, well, he wasn't kidding. I'm training again a new missionary straight from the MTC. 

Monday we spent some time with the young single adults in the ward. President gave us permission to ride the ferris wheel, so we did that and then went and got churros at the christmas markets. 

Tuesday we had district council and did a testimony meeting. Then we went and heart attacked some member's homes. It was a lot of fun. We had to get creative to get some hearts onto a tall window because you can't get to their front door without a key to enter the apartment building. 😂 Then we did our studies and taught English. We had quite a few students this week. One of the students found out we had transfers and was super sad, but he said he might come to church on Sunday to say goodbye. So that was cool. He told us there was something different about us and that we shine. I have had a few really good gospel conversations with him. 

Wednesday we did our studies. Afterwards, we called less active YSA and invited them to the YSA party. We helped Brother Ferrell wrap some gifts and set up. We had a really good turn out and had about 5 investigators there. We ate hamburgers and played white elephant. The YSA in this ward are absolutely incredible they are all so close. Brother Ferrell surprised us and sent us sisters on a treasure hunt around the church building. We ended up at his car where he had made walnut bars for us! He is the best! 

Thursday we did weekly planning. Then we went and visited the De Vries who just got back from vacation.  It was good to talk to them and share a thought. From there we went and visited the Wojda's. They made us dinner and we shared the Christ Child video. Then we came home and did our studies. 

Friday we went and did service for a lady. We posted on Facebook looking for service opportunities and this lady responded so we went over and helped her organize her house. We went through a lot of stuff. She made us soup for lunch then we came home and did our studies. After that we went to the relief society activity and made baked tea. We baked fruit to put into a jar to use later as tea. We also made bath bombs. Then we went to Simone's for dinner and he cooked us Italian pasta with Italian cheese that his mom sent him. It was yummy! 

Saturday was transfer calls. President called and he told me I was staying in Brno training a new missionary. Sis Lewis is going to Uherské Hradiště with a Slovak sister and Sister Scott is going to Česke Budjovice with Sister Draper who I trained 2 transfers ago. So we were all pretty excited. We did our studies and made some cards for members. Then we went to support Didi at his hockey game and brought a returning member with us. From there we grabbed pizza for lunch and went to the church to teach Kuba the Plan of Salvation. Then we went over the area and my companions started packing while I cleaned. 

Sunday was a busy day. We had a wonderful time at church and the sisters said goodbye to people. Then we went to visit a member in the hospital who just had surgery. After that we went to dinner with a family in the ward. It was delicious. We came home and my companions finished packing and we tried to figure out everyone's travel plans. It was pretty messy, but we got it figured out. 

Today was super crazy getting everyone and their luggage to different train and bus stations. But, we did it! Sister Hodgson who is also training is staying the night and then we will go to Prague together tomorrow for a training, sleep over, and pick our new missionaries up and bring them home on Wednesday. 

I hope this christmas season that we can get out of the tinsel, ribbons, and presents and remember the birth of our Savior. He came into the world on a mission. A mission that made it possible to overcome the fall of Adam and Eve, our sins, and the world. He died and was resurrected and made it possible for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again! How grateful I am for my Savior! I pray that we can keep our thoughts focused on Him this Christmas.

S laskou, 

Sestra Guymon 
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Monday, December 9, 2019

St. Mikulos -- December 9, 2019

Čau! 

Monday we went to Lednice with Kuba, who is a recent convert. Lednice is a beautiful castle with extravagant gardens. It was lightly snowing too, so it was gorgeous! We got some hot chocolate at a cafe and then took a train home. From there we got lunch and ran into a woman from Utah. It was fun to talk to her. Then we went to a pottery class with our English student Petr. We made braclets out of clay and painted the beads. It was fun. 

Tuesday we had district council and did district inventory. Then we went to lunch at the Geidlovi's house and taught a lesson. Afterwards, we went to the church, did our studies, and prepared for English class. Our English student, Petr, finished firing all the pottery we made and brought it, so that was cool to see all of our bowls and cups finished. We had a wild English lesson. We really had to keep our English class under control, they kept arguing about what we should be learning because they are all at different levels in English and some people were getting frustrated. We had to calm everyone down and bring the peace back. Then we went over to Raymond's house for dinner with the Elders and Simone. Raymond cooked us traditional African food and it was super good. 

Wednesday we worked on some paper snowflakes and christmas trees so we can go put them on returning members and members doors. Then we ate lunch and went to the train station. We had a full day of traveling to have exchanges with the sister training leaders. First we traveled from Brno to Bratislava, slovakia. From Bratislava we went to Košice. In total it was about 8 hours of travel. It was so long but we did our best to be effective with our time. We made a lot of friends on the train. Also, Slovak is a strange language. I can understand for the most part because it is similar to Czech, but some words are completely different. 

Thursday we had a great day in Košice on exchanges. We had a busy schedule with all 5 of us. Sister Curtis, Sister Scott and I did personal study and companion study, then we went and did some finding in a park. It was cold and there was a lot of snow so not many people were out. Then we went to lunch at a halušky Resturaunt and ran into some members from Arizona, so that was fun. Then I went with sister Dixon and Sister Lewis and we did language study and looked for places we could do service in Brno on Facebook. Then sister Dixon and I went to a hospital for children who have disabilities. We taught three of them English and the mom sat in. Those kids are really special. They are so sweet. It was funny because there are a lot of words that are different in Slovak. I would say a word in Czech and it would mean something completely different in slovak but would be the same word. It was really fun. Then we went to the store and bought bus tickets back to the church and had our interview for the exchange on the bus. Our mission President was also in košice, so he had interviews with us too. After that we had book club and read in the Book of Mormon. Then we came home and made Tacos for dinner. 

Friday we woke up at saint Mikuloš had put some candies in our shoes. St. Mikuloš is pretty much like Santa claus but there are also devil's that run around and scare the kids. The kids will go on a stage and sing a song and then St. Mikuloš will give them candy. It is a cute holiday. We went to the train station to buy tickets to get home and there were no seats on the train. It was completely full besides first class, so we bought first class tickets for the 5 hour ride from Košice to Bratislava. The only difference in first class is that the seats are a different color and a little bigger and they give you a water bottle. But atleast we didn't have to get kicked out of our seats. Then when we got to Bratislava we got bought tickets to Brno. You can always tell when you cross the boarder into the other country because the language switches. It was music to my ears to hear Czech again. 😂 We did studies and weekly planning on the train. I finished reading the Book of Mormon which was great. Then when we got home, dropped our stuff off and then went bowling with the Elders and Roman. Roman is such a cool kid. He's a member referral and has known the church for about three months, now he is praying about a baptismal date. We also went to a Greek resutraunt to dinner with him and he brought us each some candy for the holiday! :) 

Saturday we went and had lunch with Tes and celebrated her daughter's birthday who just turned 3. We ate spaghetti, cake, and ice cream and sang some primary songs together. Then we hurried home to change into service clothes and go to Trash Hero. We helped pick up a bunch of trash along the railroad tracks and down by the river. I got to meet some cool people. We had over 20 big sacks of trash filled up by the end. Then we came home and did our studies and prepared snowflakes, trees, and hearts to go put on people's doors and mailboxes. 

Sunday was a busy day. We went to church and listened to wonderful sacrament talks, then Bishop taught the relief society. Afterwards, we went to lunch at the Ferrell's house with Kuba and Simone. It was delicious and we watched the Christ Child video and talked about it. From there we went straight to the Geidlovi's. They feel like my second family. We ate gulaš soup for dinner and Lenka taught us how to make cukrovi (christmas cookies). Then we watched the Christ Child video and they drove us home. 

If you haven't had the opportunity to watch the Christ child video, I invite you to do so. I love the end of the video and the wisemen's reaction to Christ. They had been waiting for and watching for the signs of Christ's birth. When the signs came, they traveled a long distance to bring Him gifts. Like these wisemen, what gift can you bring the Savior this Christmas? How will you remember Christ? 

S laskou, 

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Monday, December 2, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving -- December 2, 2019

Ahoj, 

Tuesday we had training in Bratislava. The assistants to the President picked us up and drove us to Slovakia which was nice. Then we had about a 6 hour training. It was really long but we got a lot of good information on member missionary work, finding, and weekly planning. Then we went to the bus station to take a bus home. We had to take out some Euros from an atm because Slovakia has a different currency. Then we bought bus tickets and went to the bus. Well, my companions didn't have their passports so they wouldn't let them on the bus in case boarder control stopped the bus. I already had my residency card, so I was fine. Unfortunately, they refused to let us on the bus and they wouldn't give us a refund. So we lost a bunch of money and sped walked 2 kilometers to the train station. We were able to get train tickets and make it back to Brno. They apparently only check passports on buses. So that was an adventure. Then we went to dinner with Simone and he told us all about his trip to Spain. 

Wednesday we went and cleaned a members house because he is moving back to New Zealand. It was good to do some service. Then we went over to the Geidlovi's for lunch and had a lesson with them. They are an awesome family. Afterwards, we went to the church and did our studies and then went to institute. From there some members picked us up and drove us out to a gourmet hamburger resturaunt. It was so yummy and it was fun to talk with everyone. 

Thursday was Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! We did our studies in the morning and then we went to a papírnictví (paper store) and bought some paper and cut out hearts. Then we went and heart attacked a returning member's mailbox. It was a lot of fun. Then we went to dinner at the Ferrell's house. We had a lot of the Young Single Adults there, recent concerts, returning members, and friends of the church. We had breakfast burritos and pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving dinner. 😂 Then we taught about why we celebrate Thanksgiving and we all went around and shared what we are thankful for. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Friday we went to a cafe and did weekly planning. I got a carmel hot chocolate and it was probably the best hot chocolate I have ever had! Then we came home, ate lunch and did the rest of our studies. Afterwards, we met up with a recent convert, a friend of the church, and a returning member on the náměstí (town square). We went to watch the lights on the Christmas tree turn on. There were so many people there! You could barely move! There was a cool video projected onto the front of a building and then a count down and they lit the tree. Then we slowly made our way through the crowd to a big wooden nativity and then down to some trhy (christmas markets). There was a concert and they were singing both Czech and English christmas songs. Then they had another count down and lit another huge tree. After that we went to dinner at an Italian Resturaunt and it was really yummy. It has been really cool to show people that you can have a fun time without getting drunk. I have also learned that a mission is all about developing a relationship with people and helping them come closer to Christ. I love bringing joy and the spirit into people's lives. 

Saturday we went visited Tes and brought her a pumpkin pie. She has 3 cute kids and we shared the footprints in the sand poem with her. It was fun to get to know her better. Afterwards, we went and got flu shots. Then we came back to the church and played floorball. (It's like hockey). Sister Scott fell and scraped up her knee pretty bad, so we bandaged her up. Then we went and met up with Viktoria who we met at the Halloween party a while ago. We went to the Christmas markets with her, her boyfriend, her friends, and her mom and her friends. By knowing one person, we had the opportunity to meet 8 more people. It was cool to tell them about why we are here and what we do. None of them believe in God, but they are really nice people. 

Sunday was fast and testimony meeting. It was wonderful to partake of the sacrament and be with the members. Then we came home and broke our fast. Afterwards, we went to a traditional Czech performance that some less active member's children were in. It was really cool to watch and to see the traditional Czech clothing. The second half of the performance was about Christ. I thought it was really interesting that in the most atheist country in the world, they would do a performance about Christ's birth. It is Chrismas time though and the first advent. It was good to support these members and they were really happy we came. Then we returned home and did our studies. 

My heart is so full of gratitude for the many blessings the Lord has given me. I wouldn't trade the experiences I have had on the mission for anything. There have been hard times, stress, and trials, but I have learned that we can be happy in all circumstances. By faith and the power of the atonement, we can overcome all things. If you are lacking joy in your life or you are stressed, take a moment and think about your priorities. Is your life centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I promise you that if you will make Jesus Christ the center of your life, you will find greater happiness. 

S laskou, 

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