Monday, December 28, 2015

6 month Anniversary on Dec 24th! Week 1 in Liberec

So transfers are here! I am now in Liberec! It was a train ride to Prague and then a bus ride this morning! MY new companion is Elder Vickers from the Dallas area. Another Texan! He did grow up in Utah though. It is his second transfer here so i am follow up training him. I am also the district leader here in Liberec. Lots of things to do all of a sudden. However we had quite the week for Christmas!
Last Tuesday was our p-day and we started the morning playing some squash. We then got to buy our carp and get it all prepared and then traveled to Prague. Our investigator Karolina prayed with us! We had a lesson in Prague. Both trainings last transfer we had an investigator and lesson in Prague! Then Wednesday we had training! IT was one of the greatest days. We stayed with the assistants which was fun right before Elder Prhoazka goes home this week. And we started the morning on the namesti in Prague. We had the chance to look at all the Christmas markets there but they were all closed. So we sang as all the missionaries there and we attracted a crowd really fast but we only sang for 4 minutes. We then had training! President gave us some announcements and talked about the book of Mormon. We also had training on how to do our Christmas visits! We then had a catered lunch. Svickova! and after lunch the Zone leaders did Czech Christmas traditions. We got to try a lot of them and had a really good time. Sister McConkie trained us on how to be a better giver and the things we can do to become. She also told us about how they got called as mission presidents. She had a dream and President had thoughts while swimming. She even told us he still looks good in a speedo! I had fun messing with them about that afterwards. We then had one of the coolest trainings from president McConkie. He talked about Mary and her calling and how she asked questions and then did it. He then gave us a blessing as a mission. It was one of the coolest experiences to feel the spirit in the room and feel his love as he spoke with power and authority.

The next day was Christmas here. We spent the morning visiting members here! We visited about 10 and all ended up being with part member families or recent converts less active. IT was a really cool morning. We then got to go to the Kolkovi and we had a wonderful Christmas there! They had us sing and sing and then we had tons of food and snacks and did more traditions together and had a really fun time! Friday was Christmas and we opened presents in the morning and had service at a salvation army. We did our Christmas concert and then had lucnh with them after. It was super cool. After wards we went back to the church building and gave gifts to the other missionaries and had a fun afternoon singing songs and skyping. It was nice to see you all and it flew by fast!

Saturday we got to sing all day in the center and then we went to a Christmas concert for one of the members of the branch. We came back and got Transfer calls and then we had Sunday. We had to say good bye and we had dinner in Frydek mistek at a nice family before coming back and packing. And so here we are! It has been a busy week and there is lots more in store this week! I hope you all have a great week and a happy new year
S Laskou,

Tyler

Monday, December 21, 2015

Week 16 -- Ostrava, then to Prague for Christmas

Merry Christmas!

We had a busy week this week and it only gets busier. In some ways it still doesn't feel like Christmas and it is hard to imagine that Friday is Christmas. Here in the Czech republic it is Christmas on the 24 and then on the 25 they visit one side of the family and on the 26 the other side. Presents come in the evening on the 24 brought by baby Jesus. More on that a little later!

We had a good week this week, we did some service and put a pipe in the ground through cement. Also helped cut up an automobile and get it taken to the dumpster. We had cleaning Checks for our apartment and the senior couple brought cookies which was pretty nice! My companion had his one year mark on his mission this last week and my 6 month mark will be on Christmas eve! Pretty crazy how time has flown. Thursday we got to go to the namesti for a longer dinner and had a small culture night listening to a concert and eating Czech food! Trdelniks and Bramborvy placek are so good! one of our investigators finally prayed with us this week which was a first! Super cool! We are having a really successful time and have planned really well to stay busy during Christmas. Friday night we got to go to Frydek Mistek and watch a concert that a member was in. It was nice but we were standing the whole time but beautiful music.

Saturday we had our Christmas concert. It took most of the day to get things ready. I cut lots of snow flakes out of paper this week. It was really nice! I was the conductor of our choir... I am sure that was interesting. We have a couple of really talented missionaries who had some good numbers and i played the first noel on the piano. It was a little rough but we made it! Our investigator Karolina gave all of the elders a new tie for Christmas which was pretty sweet!

Sunday we had a normal sacrament meeting. They don't really sing Christmas songs during it. But then after we watched the Christmas devotional for Sunday school and priesthood.

This week is a busy week! We do not have our p-day today. We are just emailing again. The rest of the day is busy with lunch with a member and then 3 lessons before family home evening. Tomorrow will be our p-day and tomorrow night we travel to Prague. Wednesday we have training! We will get to walk around Prague in the morning and see all the Christmas things. Then all of the missionaries will meet and we will sing together for a little while. Have a nice training and some fun and travel back. Thursday is Christmas here! We are visiting everyone in the branch with 15 minute visits and a testimony all morning and at 3:30 A family has invited us over for a traditional Christmas. WE will have traditions and gifts, lots and lots of food. Friday is our Christmas! We have service set up at the salvation army and will sing and things. Then in the afternoon we will probably cook carp since we are planning on buying one ;) And we will get to Skye! Saturday we only sing all day long and then get to go to a Christmas concert that night. As well as we get transfer calls! Because transfers are Monday between Christmas and New years. Sunday we also have a lot on plan as well!

I hope things are going well for all of you and that this Christmas time is a time to remember the savior. He was Born, He is the gift a díky němu we can all have light this Christmas.
S laskou,
Starsi Hanis

Monday, December 14, 2015

Ostrava - week 15

This week was another busy week! It felt like a longer week but time is flying. Our time in this transfer is pretty much over. We only have about two weeks left. We have had some fun this week. For language study as a district this week, we played catch phrase. We have some good new words to learn. It was pretty hilarious! The namesti, or town square, is quite something here. I wrote a little bit about it last week, but it is pretty fun. My companion and I have spent some lunches there just having some Czech specialties. The new find this week was punch! It is this hot fruit punch stuff. It is heavenly! Really nice on a cold day. We also have hot dogs although a little different, and bramborovy plecek (potato things) and turdelkniks. A really yummy desert. Christmas time here couldn't be any better. We have started to contact on Christmas. Mainly what is the most important for people. Everyone almost responds with family which is really cool to hear as the majority of the world would have you think family isn't important. This week we have a Christmas concert here at the building. I may be playing a piano solo and leading the choir.. Not sure who had those ideas.

We had some good service this week and then we were able to go to an "interview" it turned out it was a school teacher who wanted us to talk to her class about what we believed. It was pretty cool! but we were delayed and didn't have much time. But still a cool experience. We had some exchanges with the other elders here in Ostrava this week as well. One cool experience from the week was we had about 20 minutes to contact outside our apartment before we had to run somewhere. We were contacting on the word of wisdom and found a kid who was interested. It was cool to see how we only had 20 minutes but the lord is aware of our time. We had a fun sports night playing badminton this week. I have played more badminton on my mission than any other time. After wards we went with the people that came to the namesti for turdelniks.

Saturday we had 4 first lessons set up all of which fell though but the highlight was President coming Saturday night. We had interviews with him which was a great experience and we had a great discussion. He is a pretty serious but laidback guy and a lot of fun. It is so cool that he speaks Czech and gave an outstanding talk on Sunday and a really great priesthood meeting about testimony. The rest of Sunday was a long contacting block. We had nothing else on plan, it was pretty windy, sprinkling and cold. Not what I would call a dream. However towards the end of the night we stopped a mother. She originally told us she didn't understand us but as we continued to talk she opened up. We eventually set up and she has three daughters! one of them has read the bible 11 times and has tons of questions! It was so cool to see. We will get to go visit them this week!

We have two weeks left in the transfer. This week is pretty busy already. Our Christmas concert is on Saturday. Next week we will email on Monday but have p-day on Tuesday since we are traveling to prague. Wednesday we have training, Thursday is Christmas here and a lot on plan, Friday is our Christmas and Skype and service. Saturday we sing the whole day and get transfer calls. Sunday is our last sunday here and Monday is a transfer. Time is flying. I hope things are going well and that you are being good.

S Laskou
Elder Hanis

Monday, December 7, 2015

Still in Ostrava -- Week 14

Time is flying and this week was no exception.  Last week we finished emailing and took off running for the train station.  We headed to Hradec Kralove for exchanges with the zone leaders. It was a great time. I was with Elder Peterson, and we had a great day of contacting.  We found some really cool people for them. It was the first time that I had been outside of my area. Elder Peterson wouldn't even introduce himself as a missionary so we had a lot of fun. We were teaching everywhere and were really powerful switching off. It was a lot of travel but a really really pretty city and a really energetic day or two.

Wednesday we were invited over to a members house. Us two Texans know how to eat. She is notorious to have a record of how many knedliks(bread dumplings) people have eaten. The first day in the country I could barely get through five. I was at 14 when the sisters started to egg me on saying that the record was only 7 more. Lets just say I ate 23 knedliks and dessert and my comp ate 22. We had a pretty full afternoon after that. And didn't eat for a day. P90x came just in time.

We have a new investigator on baptismal date. We have been teaching her for about 8 weeks but kind of off and on. We finally were able to commit to a date. It has been cool to see how much she has changed already. Our area is really doing well right now which is important as we go into Christmas . People do not want to meet during Christmas so we are working even harder to set hard expectations.

Friday we got to go to Prague as well. I had visa work. It was really fun to be around the people from my MTC group again and see how things are going. I also got to see Elder Prohazka which was really fun. I got a Christmas package from dad and Amber's letter this week! IT was awesome to have my sweatshirt and Christmas decorations. We have had a lot of fun.

Thursday we went to a school and went to an English class for kids our age. The teacher told them we didn't speak Czech. We talked to them for an hour more about home and America and just in English. Afterwards they were next to us at the tram stop and we started talking to them in Czech, They were blown away, and we had a great conversation. It was so cool to see how much more open they were. It was a great experience. We also had a sports day this week that no one showed up too. So we contacted people to play sports with us. It was pretty cool and we got a few people to come play and were able to invite them to the Christmas concert we will have.

Before that though we were changing at the church. The elders were in one room and the sisters in the other. One of our elders that it would be funny to yell out that we had sour patch kids from a package. 3 seconds later one of the sisters burst into the room. It was pretty hilarious to see the look of terror on her face as we were all changing. Later that night also he same elder tried to show us his favorite move from p-90x. When all of a sudden there came such a clatter. His pants ripped from his lower back all the way down! It was pretty funny again.

I also gave a blessing in Czech this Sunday. It was an interesting experience. We were contacting on the namesti when one of the members found us there. He asked us to come visit his friend in the hospital. He was pretty much in hospice and couldn't speak. It was really sad but a really tender experience. It was also the first opportunity to bear my testimony during fast Sunday. I had a really good experience with the language this week as well. I was talking to these two young adults who were kinda making a little fun of what I was doing. When I decided to tell them I wasn't from here. They were shocked and had no idea. It was fun to see them try and make sense of it. We talked about Spanish too. I can no longer speak any! after 5 years of Spanish, nic, But after 5 months of Czech we got it. IT was Really cool to realize how much progress I have made. This week was a good week. We are looking forward to what is in store!


Sunday, November 29, 2015

Tyler's Thanksgiving

Well we made it and lets just say this week did not let down nor stop!

Monday was not a p-day like normal so we worked hard that day and then were up at 2 in the morning to go to Prague. We met with an older woman who decided she was coming to Prague with us! It was pretty weird at first but also cool! We ended up giving her a tour of the Prague building before training! We brought our investigator all the way to Prague!

We had a fantastic training! a lot about how to teach with members, what our Christmas schedule will be, and then the sister training leaders trained about how to use time better. They ended up sending us on exchanges in the middle of training! Gave everyone bus tickets and a new companion and sent us out into Prague. I was with one of the Zone leaders and we had a great thirty minutes. We ended up missing our stop so we just rode the trams for an hour but it was great! After that we had a good lunch and Jesus thought and then picked up packages. My companion had quite a few packages that we had to get home. It was quite an adventure but it was a great day.

Wednesday was a normal day and It was cold this week. We did a really cool chalk drawing of Jesus's life but it didn't last long as it snowed a little bit.

Then Thursday was our p-day! We worked hard all morning until about 3 in the afternoon and went to the namesti and got some cool things and Christmas shopping done and then we all headed to our apartment and had our thanksgiving as missionaries. We had some ribs and 4 pies and a few other things to begin but it was all in preparation for Saturday.

We ended up getting a 15.15 kilo turkey. It was a monster and quite a difficult thing to get home. Then Friday we had district lunch with all out left overs from the night before, About 7 on Friday we started cooking. We were responsible for the turkey,stuffing, and two pies! I had 5 huge loaves of bread and i cut bread for hours trying to dry it out as fast as possible using a oven, microwave and toaster. It was quite an adventure. But we ended up with 4 HUGE pots of stuffing! It was pretty good.

We also had a banana and pumpkin pie using real pumpkin! Now we didn't have any room in our fridge so we used our one bedroom and opened the windows and closed the door as another fridge! At about 1 in the morning on Saturday we woke up and put the turkey in the oven! It barely fit. As we got back in bed we could here it sizzle and were pretty worried about the juice. We finally fell asleep and woke up to quite a bit of juice on the ground. But it all worked out. It cooked till about 8 and then getting to the church was quite an adventure. We barely made it. Both of us with about 40 pounds of stuff in very awkward sizes. But it all worked out. WE played some minute to win it games. It was fun but they didn't think they were as fun as we did! But still was great! We had about 15 pies and tons of food! People were so impressed we had about 35 people as well and 10 non members. IT was a great experience! We are pretty exhausted!

Sunday was also a crazy day! Our branch presidency was reorganized. Our ward mission leader was put in as branch president. He is only about 27. It was a pretty crazy day and the whole district presidency was there as well. We also went to the Zoo today which was pretty fun! This week will be another busy week! Tonight we are going to Hradec Kralove on exchanges and then on Friday I have visa work in Prague. WE had a great time! I hope all is well























Monday, November 23, 2015

Week 12 in Ostrava -- Getting ready for Thanksgiving

We Have quite a crazy week here this week! Today is not actually our P-day. We are allowed to email but the rest is a regular pros day. We have p-day on Thursday this week with 4 hours of pros. We can have a thanksgiving meal together as missionaries and maybe go see some place cool and have some fun on thanksgiving. Our mission president is great! Tomorrow we also have training in Prague!  Another early morning but it will be a great day to be around president. A funny story with that; about two weeks ago on a P- Day we were eating lunch in a mall here and this lady started talking to us! Since then we have gone to lunchwith her twice and given her a book of Mormon. When she found out that we were going to Prague she said she would come with us and now has tickets with us. Slightly humorous. There are not too many missionaries that have brought investigators to Prague! We will give her a building tour there and see how it goes! Saturday this week will be our big thanksgiving branch party! Thanks to dads advice we ordered a 14kg turkey last week! We are excited to get it on Friday! Not sure how we will cook it and if it will even fit but it will be pretty fun! Thanks for all the recipes! I will be doing the stuffing and the turkey! Hopefully things come out okay! Needless to say we already have a busy week on plan. we will also be doing some minute to win it games this week! 

We had a good week this week. Dad had written last week about praying for people to teach and serve. Tuesday we tried that.It was a holiday here as the 25 or 26 anniversary of the velvet revolution! Crazy to hear about. A quick side note; A member here wrote a book called "Beyond enemy lines" talking about being a member of the church during communism! I would love to read it but would encourage ya ll to find it! It was also a really rainy day. No one was outside yet we ended up teaching ten lessons that day! It was so cool to see that prayer answered. We also were able to help someone move a few things. We always offer service and help, but no one here lets us. It was cool to see someone let us as well that same day. 

They recently finished a sport court right by our house. Outdoors with a basketball hoop. we have started going there about three times a week. Every other day we go for a run. This week we had two good runs close to three miles! So we are picking it up! Christmas is coming! The namesti here has markets being built and stores are ready. There isn't really thanksgiving here to break it up. Saturday this week we did a singing display as a district. My companion started to not feel well again... more on that in a second, so it was just the two sisters and i singing. We sang love is spoken here in Czech. I rocked the men's part by myself.... Not sure how great it sounded but we just go and do. Just do it is what we have to do as a missionary. But my companion ended up getting sick at the exact same time and we had to go home again this week. Apparently we ate the same meal and it did not sit well with him. This time he was sick throughout the night as well! It was not good! I got to do three hours of calls though! I called up tons of old potentials some from 2011. I picked out all the families and now have a list of people! Sunday no church again for us but the other elders came and i got to go out for about 2 hours.

Other than that life continues to go on. This week will be pretty hectic but we are excited. I hope you have a great thanksgiving!

​It was cold for the Texans this week!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Week 12 in Ostrava - Homemade Tortillas

Well another week come and gone here in Ostrava! We have had a good week! We taught 6 lessons with a member present this week which was pretty cool and we had some great teaching! Things are going well!

Our investigator with a baptismal date is doing great. After a lesson this week she came contacting with us and bore her testimony on the street, asked people why they didn't believe and told them they could find it! It was a pretty cool week!

Happy Birthday to Carrie and Baba and others that have birthdays right now! Two weeks ago we started ponderizing! This week my verse was about god giving us the spirit of power love and of a sound mind. Some good principles! A couple of questions!

We heard about what happened in Paris but only a little bit? Are the missionaries there all ok? We hear about people every day on the street and people are worried about things here as well. It is truly some signs of the Second coming. Also I need your new address and stake and things!

Hopefully sooner rather than later! This week we struggled finding new investigators but this week will be the week! We had quite a few member visits this week. We are trying to get all the home teaching done or at least all the members visited. we planned 15 minutes lessons. Three of them on Saturday, Each was closer to an hour or so. The members love having us in their home. learning and sharing their experiences in the church. It is quite something to hear their stories of how they found the church here. This week we were supposed to have District conference. IT was in Brno and a lot of people traveled there. We were at the building here in Ostrava and we had a lesson but my companion was not feeling well! We ended up having to go home and he was pretty sick Saturday night. But got everything out of his system and slept till about 12 on Sunday. But we missed both sessions. Sister McConkie said she would tell us what she and President talked about next time we were together. As of yet I have not gotten any mail yet. But this week there is a chance and next week we have training! With my companion being sick I had about 12 hours of studies on Sunday which was quite fun.

I am caught up in the book of Mormon read quite a few ensigns and the Gospel of Luke! I also had some more time to cook so I had some fun. Saturday night I made tortillas for the week and fajitas! Sunday morning I made pancakes and then for lunch made chicken divan! It was pretty fun but have had enough for a few days and am ready to get back to work. I had the opportunity to give my companion a blessing Saturday night as well. It is interesting how the spirit works.

After the blessing there are immediately a few more thoughts that come. I always think man those are so good but the spirit didn't prompt earlier. It is a good lesson to how the spirit works. We will receive what we need right then! Also during my studies this week one verse was really powerful! It was from Jacob 5:42. God is talking about his vineyard and then asks what more he could have done for us and weeps. It is quite a powerful section but then the servant of the vineyard says I will go and take others with me. That is why I am here on a mission, We are finding the people that are ready. I hope things are going well at home and that you are ready for thanksgiving and those things coming up! I love you all Have a great week!











Monday, November 9, 2015

Week 11 in Ostrava - Preparing for Thanksgiving

Following our Halloween party a week ago, we are preparing for a big thanksgiving party! we are trying to get our whole branch here involved and it has been lots of fun! However we lack recipes for most thanksgiving dishes. Especially a turkey, stuffing, Green been casserole, dads jello salad, and pies! We will be grateful for any recipes you send! Hopefully next week we can print them out and have them! Thanks for all of that!

This week has been a really good week! Our one investigator continues to progress and we have pretty much taught everything now. She hangs out with church members and comes to most things. To most it would already seem as if she is a member! We are getting close with a few others and the other old lady we haven't been able to meet with in a while. We are out finding and have had some cool experiences! We seeded our neighborhood this last week and then tracted on Saturday.  Ten steps from our door we tried the first three bells of the panaloch. Third one down the guy says wait five minutes an then let us come up and teach his girlfriend and him. A really young cool couple! He knew about our church and had some funny questions and we ended up teaching the restoration! That was thirty minutes, left and went to the next one ten more steps away. third bell and the guy says no we don't have time my family and i are cleaning! We recently just received a new Mormon message all in Czech! It is basically a quick 3 minute film about meet the Mormons in the Czech republic. We took our DVD player with us and said can we just show you this quick film. He agreed and showed him and left him a plan of salvation pamphlet. It was a super cool experience and that was all the time we had that day. This week we will hope for more miracles. We also tried to find a new place to contact this week! We ended up walking all over the industrial sector which wasn't the greatest place to contact. We did end up by a college and set up a new investigator who we will meet with today. We met some really cool people last week and are excited for what this week has in store as we try and get our teaching pool built before the holidays

My companion bought a guitar last week too so that has been fun! We are looking forward to some good singing displays! We made tortillas last night (thanks Amber) and were really good! my cooking skills continue to improve and we eat really good! Halusky and Svickova are the Czech and Slovak dishes and they are the best though. We make halusky about once a week still haven't learned Svickova. We had two investigators at church this week which was really cool and they had an amazing time. There was also a really good relief society lesson that left them both in awe! super great! We got to go home teaching with one of President McConkies counselors last night. Just a great guy and a spiritual giant. It was a really cool opportunity to learn more. A couple questions. What is going on with the rest of college football? I love hearing about BYU though! Other than that we have had a good week and have a lot to look forward to this week. we are trying to get 100 percent home teaching this month and are really working hard with the members. The book of Mormon reading is going well. But we are so busy we spend most of our mornings reading. Other than that I hop things are going well!
Love Elder Hanis

My favorite place right now!
We found this little guy on our wall...
I love that Park!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Week 10 in Ostrava -- Halloween and Fall

We are in the Fall season here. IT is gorgeous. The weather is cool during the day and cold at night and all of the leaves are changing. I have fallen in love with this one park in Ostrava. IT is beautiful. 

Things are going well and it was quite the week. Tuesday was the first day my companion and I were together and we had quite the day. We taught about 8 lessons on the street (Normally we have 20 lessons in a whole week) and had 5 new investigators. Since then none of them showed up to their next lesson, but still was quite the day. Last week at training I did get Shad's care package- full of medicine and fun things. I am getting a cold so that will come in useful this week. 

This week there were a couple of interesting experiences. We were doing a chalk display at this bridge and I saw a guy I had talked to before. Before I could talk to him he started saying thank you thank you. He proceeded to tell me how when he talked to me three or four weeks ago it was at the exact same time that his son was in a car accident. He showed me a picture and it was really bad, but that his son was perfectly fine. He said it was angels that had helped him and all because he talked to us. I told him that we had a book that if he read it he could see more miracles in his life and gave him a Book of Mormon but it was an interesting experience. 

We also had a Halloween party this week! We didn't know about it till Sunday so it was all on the missionaries. It was Friday and supposed to start at 6... at 6 it looked like it was about to be a disaster. But we ended up having a great time and it was a great event/ We had a lot of non members and a few members as well. WE had alot of classics such as Donuts on a string and bobbing for apples. I may have been the champion of the donut.. IT was quite a fun night and we had great things out of it.  Sunday was fast Sunday and was the longest fast I had done. We fasted until about 8:30 Sunday night. We also taught Our investigator Saturday, about tithing and fasting. She fasted with us to receive an answer. Sunday she was at church and we didn't have a meeting but she ended up hanging out with members all day and we taught one of them later that day and she was there. After, we followed up about fasting and baptism. and she told us how she knows its true and that it is what she has been looking for her whole life. It has been so cool to see. WE met her 3 or 4 weeks ago and has since been to church everyweeek. comes to every activity and loves the church. IT has been great! Such a cool experience and testimony builder about fasting and prayer. There has been a lot to learn and a lot more that this transfer has in store. Czech continues to come a long and i am understanding more and more. It is really fun. The people here are really prideful about their language that it is so hard. It is rather fun to see their shocked faces when we say i have been here for two months. There is no growing in a comfort zone and every day brings something new. IT has been a great week. I hope all is well.  Love, Tyler


Monday, October 26, 2015

Week 9 in Ostrava - and staying there!!!

I am still in Ostrava for the next Transfer. Christmas in Ostrava which makes it feel like Christmas is getting close. We Had a great week and lots of fun. The last week as a district was really cool. For the first time in Four years i will not be swimming on Halloween as well...

Our one baptismal date is really progressing well and it has been lots of fun. Zdenek who went to the temple last week started his mission papers. Training this week was amazing! We left again at 2 in the morning to get to Prague, worked out first and then set out. We had training until about 3 in the afternoon. President started with announcements and we talked about what to do when police come up to us. "I would rather you go home and bake cookies than end up in jail" was his quote from that. Pretty funny guy.

The focus of presidents training was being a successful missionary. It was really inspiring and later he talked about the Book of Mormon. Our success never depends on others. A couple of my favorite quotes were "We have a chance to be honestly engaged in becoming the person the Lord wants you to be", "Due the work see the miracles". Both have important lessons. President McConkie is a big guy, about 6'5 and just a big guy. He told a story about him running a marathon and how he trained for ten months and then his buddy started two weeks before and smoked them. HE related that to definitions of success. These next two months we have a lot going on here. We have district conferences where men will be advanced in the priesthood. We will be at full strength in the mission. The Czech people need blessings now. So he invited us and all other missionaries that have every served to begin reading the Book of Mormon again and finish on Christmas. It is 8 pages a day but it has powerful promises from him behind it. It was a really cool meeting with a special spirit that was almost overwhelming. It came right after the departing testimonies of missionaries leaving this week as we had the spirit in abundance. I was in Alma but i will have to start over. But that invitation extends to you all as well. We are excited to see what lies in store! After training the others in our district were supposed to have interviews before heading back(I had had mine already at the beginning of the transfer) But my companion randomly didn't have it... Friday morning about 10 minutes into companion study he couldn't hold it in any longer. He became AP his last transfer! The two missionaries from Europe are serving together. He was pretty excited and he had known the whole transfer. I am in Ostrava and will be with elder Breyman the other Texan in the mission. HE should arrive tonightsome time. My companion had to leave yesterday so i have been with the other elder here. His companion ended up also going to Prague and training and blinding in. Pretty cool for him. It will be fun to be with a new companion and learn more. Elder Prohazka really taught me lots and i have come to love contacting and being bold. So i am excited to learn more from him before he leaves and apply what he taught. It will be interesting as we have a really young district again. But really cool! Other than that we have an exciting week this week. We hope to really get going with a new companionship and transfer. We should have 18 new missionaries coming as well. The largest group ever. I hope this finds you all well. Have a great week.
Love,

Karolina










Roste is a great guy in the ward who teaches with us alot








Tomas





My companion and I