Hey All,
This week I don't have a lot of time. We missed one of our trains and got stuck in Uherské Hradíště for an extra hour, so our schedule is all out of whack. We had a zone activity playing volleyball there today, and it was a blast! This past week was a great experience with our mission conference with Elder Perry and Elder Oaks, we had a few small miracles, and we visited a mine last P-Day too. I'll send pictures home next week since I don't have time to get them uploaded today.
In order, and very quickly: The mission conference was fantastic! (Sidenote - thanks for the Letter Kat, I just got it last Thursday) We all got to meet Elder Perry and Elder Oaks (our area president). He is such a funny man! He talked about his experiences with the church, the order of succession in the 12 apostles and first presidency, and about the importance of companionships. Elder Oaks talked about the plan for the area of Europe and how we can maximize ouselves through planning, prayer, and our personal work. Seeing all the missionaries, talking to the members czechly, and the training meeting were all memorable experiences.
On wednesday, we had a really neat contact with a man on the main town square (or naměstí). He was from new york and spoke perfect english, and decided that if we sat next to him, he'd talk about God with us. He walked away with the plan of salvation and some real excitement about the fullness of the gospel. It was really neat, because I could feel the spirit instructing me with what I needed to teach him (Incidentally, it all came out of the bible, and we then introduced the Book of Mormon at the end).
Finally, we went into a mine and the tourguide wanted to talk to us about what we believe. Not much came of it, but he walked away definitely enlightened about who we are and what we believe. I'll post pictures next week, it was pretty neat.
Hope you're all happy and healthy! Stay out of trouble this week and good luck!
Thanks,
Brent
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Week 6 in Ostrava
Hey all,
So, this week has been a lot like the rest. That is to say, it's been a great week! Just in the last couple of days, there were two cleaning ladies who stopped us on the street and wanted to know about those blue books we were carrying. It was unfortunate, because we'd already given away our last book of mormon to a man who was talking about miracles in his life, and we set up to meet with him to talk more about miracles happening today. And to top it all off, a 17 year old stopped us (I'm seeing a pattern this week) and wanted to know about some stuff in the bible. We also touched base with a less active member who is going to help us teach English from now on, since that's her job, and we were asked by several Korean women outside her door to meet with them sometime to talk about the gospel and to do some bible study. It's been a good week.
So, in other news that conference with Elder Perry and Elder Oaks is this week. We have a train at 4 in the morning on thursday to get there, though, so it's going to be a long day. We'll also be having a baptismal service for 3 people this weekend too. One of them is our investigator, Pepik, who's just a stud. Just the other day, I had him teach me tithing (and then I filled in the gaps he didn't know just yet). Something I think is neat is that the words "Blessing" and "Commandment" sound really similar in Czech. Přikázání and Požehnání. It makes it really easy to explain to people that that's why we have commandments - to be blessed, not to be restricted.
So, I didn't get to talk about svíčková last week. Svíčková is very traditional here. They have knedliky (dumplings) that they put on the side, and they smother a piece of meat (usually pork) in a vegetable sauce usually made from carrots. Sometimes they'll put a dollop of sour cream or whipped cream, a berry compote, and even a slice of lemon if they're being fancy. The idea with svíčková is that when you're finished your plate is clean. It's bad manners to leave sauce behind. So, you cut a piece of meat, a piece of knedlik, and soak up the sauce. Eat them both together, and enjoy the really great combination of potato bread, pork, and vegetable sauce. Mmm it's really good. They've also got their own brand of fast food out here. Hot dogs are much longer (about 15 inches or so sometimes) and they'll run the hot dog through the roll instead of cutting the bun and sticking it in. I've not had one yet, but I've seen them in a few places. Smažený Syr is probably the best tasting and the least healthy of the bunch. Literally translated, it's fried cheese. Take a slab of cheese (about the dimensions of a slice of wonder bread), usually eidam, and bread it. Throw it in a fryer. Serve with french fries, or on a bun like a burger. You can also get something called krokety which are just little potato balls that are either baked or fried. Just for the record, we've discovered where we can get full size heads of lettuce, and I've been having apples every day or so. Lots of fresh squeezed juice too. This morning for breakfast I ate one of those lettuce heads like an apple with some yogurt. So, it's not all fat and unhealthy, but there are definitely some interesting food items over here that are worth a try.
In terms of spiritual growth this week, we had a meeting with a seventh day adventist preacher earlier this week. We talked about priesthood authority and church structure, and I wondered how other churches can talk about their organization, understanding it lacks priesthood authority, and believe they have the truth. The only conclusion to a lack of priesthood is that it doesn't matter what church you belong to. I'm so grateful that the Gospel leaves no questions unanswered. Really, none at all. If God is omnipotent, and if we may know the truth of all things by the power of the Holy ghost, then consequently there must be a sound answer to every question possible. Thank goodness for that assurance.
Hope you all have a great week this week! I'll be posting photos next week (pending a package that I should be getting on thursday), and another picture card with over 200 photos is right now on it's way home. Good luck this week!
Brent
Monday, May 11, 2009
Phone call on Mother's Day (From Brent's dad)
Hello to everyone,
We were able to speak to Starší Brent yesterday for about an hour. We were able to call him and have a really great conversation about his current adventures. He sounds great and he is getting his letters from home, albeit a few weeks late. Since he is away from Prague for the moment, his mail has to be delivered by mission staff or missionaries that are going out to his area for conferences or transfers. He still wants to hear from anyone that can write to him. He will reply to any letters as soon as he can. He is having some fabulous experiences and making great memories. He will be sending pictures as soon as his camera cable arrives, it was left home by accident. I will post some of them when they arrive. We are grateful for modern technology that allows us to email him and spread information from Brent through this blog. He misses everyone but loves what he is doing.
All the best to everyone reading this blog,
Starší Brent's dad
We were able to speak to Starší Brent yesterday for about an hour. We were able to call him and have a really great conversation about his current adventures. He sounds great and he is getting his letters from home, albeit a few weeks late. Since he is away from Prague for the moment, his mail has to be delivered by mission staff or missionaries that are going out to his area for conferences or transfers. He still wants to hear from anyone that can write to him. He will reply to any letters as soon as he can. He is having some fabulous experiences and making great memories. He will be sending pictures as soon as his camera cable arrives, it was left home by accident. I will post some of them when they arrive. We are grateful for modern technology that allows us to email him and spread information from Brent through this blog. He misses everyone but loves what he is doing.
All the best to everyone reading this blog,
Starší Brent's dad
Week 5 in Ostrava
Hello Everyone!
Another week has passed here in Ostrava. Crazy! I just barely got here, and I'm already looking ahead at a few short weeks before the end of transfers. We taught a bunch of lessons this week, had some really interesting experiences with people who had "everything" but felt empty and came to us for answers, US getting contacted by people and getting chances to talk with them about what we're doing here, and even a run in with food poisoning. I guess I'll go in order.
So, with teaching lessons, it's been about the same as other weeks. That is to say, it's been fantastic! Ahh, I can't begin to describe how much I just love teaching. It's kind of fun in Czech, since I have to think really hard to simplify what I want to say into what I'm able to say with my grammar and vocabulary. That's kind of a blessing in disguise, really, especially if I can make that a habit in other parts of my life. It's been said that it is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is very complicated and teach it so simply that a child could understand it (Parley P. Pratt). Isn't it great that I get the chance to practice that here without even trying to make that the case? Either way, people are very helpful in helping me practice my Czech over the phone, in lessons, on the street, or anytime I talk to them. Ah, it's great.
Someone who was looking for answers and contacted us was a man named Jirka. We had an appointment with a man on Saturday evening but, despite our attemts to contact him when he didn't show up, we had nothing. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we decided to go out and contact. As we were packing our things, however, we got a text from one of our investigators. This man has it all: a business, a fiance, a high rise apartment, a luxury car, and all the golf clubs and polo shirts to match. That night, however, he came to us looking for answers. He felt he was missing something in his life. We hopped on the next tram, met him in the park and, about an hour later, he had decided to come to church and we were headed to our next appointment, looking forward to his up and coming progress.
Then there are always the people who talk to us about what we're doing here. They're generally nice people. One man, a tourist from Britain, even knew how to get our attention. We were walking towards the Namesti (town square) when we heard someone yell "Elders!" in English and with an accent. We turned, and there he was. Although he wasn't going to be in town for long, it was really funny to me that, even in a place like Ostrava, people know who we are and like to wave, get our attention, or talk to us for a minute. He wasn't a member, but it made me realize how much people notice us out here. I only thought that kind of thing happened in utah, too. Guess I was wrong.
Finally, a bit about the food. I'll start with the food poisoning and bring in some stuff about the food we've got here. This weekend (after that appointment on Saturday) we were about 45 minutes from home. So, we dropped into a cheap place to grab a bite to eat. Elder Auger recommended the Chicken Gyros, a little pita sandwich stuffed with all kinds of meat and lettuce. Mine was great. His was too, however about 8 hour later and for the next day or so Elder Auger was out for the count. We added up how much he slept and it ended up being about 20 hours for the last day and a half, or so. I felt a little queasy, but it didn't turn into anything of consequence and we're both fine and running around again.
So, the food here is really great. They don't have a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit (at least, as far as I've been able to find). Most things go bad after three days, if that's any indicator of how "fresh" they are. The reason being is that people go grocery shopping daily, at most every other day. For weekly purchasing missionaries, that is a problem. Even so, we're always on the lookout for green stuff. In the meat department, pork is "what's for dinner" here, and it's always really good. Kind of like how beef is back home. We make stroganoff sometimes, and usually do sandwiches for lunches. One thing that's missing, though, is cheddar. They have it, but it's ridiculously expensive. I've gotten a good taste of eidam cheese being out here. It's not bad, but I was always a fan of really sharp cheddar back home. The bread here is great. They have every kind and size, shape, and color of bread. They make some with cheese and ham baked into it, some rolled together, and some from potatoes. It all tastes the same, but they all look really neat.
Main meals with members (which happen a lot) consist of soups, sauces, and some kind of meat or potatoe. Today, I'll talk about Halusky. Halusky is like mac and cheese in america. Swap the cheddar powder for Bryndza cheese, the macaroni for little potato dumplings made with a strainer in boiling water for 8 minutes, and add fried bacon, and you've got Halusky. It's really really good, and it feels like a brick when it settles in your stomach. Definitely something that sticks to your ribs after lunch. Next week I'll talk about Svickova, probably the most classic of Czech meals. Oh, before I forget, though, we were at the garden of a member last week (people have these random gardens outside of towns instead of backyards, since everyone lives in little apartments). After weeding for a little while, they bring out this fantastic soup and follow it up with ovocne Knedliky. Oh, they were so good. Potato dumplings about the size of a small tennis ball with whole strawberries inside them. Smother in yarroh cheese, powdered sugar, and melted butter. Eat hot. They are sooo good.
Hope you're all doing well back home. We've got some baptisms coming up next week, so I'll be sure to write about them when they happen. Overall, things are going great here. Hope you're all in good health, happy, and safe back home.
See you soon,
Brent
Another week has passed here in Ostrava. Crazy! I just barely got here, and I'm already looking ahead at a few short weeks before the end of transfers. We taught a bunch of lessons this week, had some really interesting experiences with people who had "everything" but felt empty and came to us for answers, US getting contacted by people and getting chances to talk with them about what we're doing here, and even a run in with food poisoning. I guess I'll go in order.
So, with teaching lessons, it's been about the same as other weeks. That is to say, it's been fantastic! Ahh, I can't begin to describe how much I just love teaching. It's kind of fun in Czech, since I have to think really hard to simplify what I want to say into what I'm able to say with my grammar and vocabulary. That's kind of a blessing in disguise, really, especially if I can make that a habit in other parts of my life. It's been said that it is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is very complicated and teach it so simply that a child could understand it (Parley P. Pratt). Isn't it great that I get the chance to practice that here without even trying to make that the case? Either way, people are very helpful in helping me practice my Czech over the phone, in lessons, on the street, or anytime I talk to them. Ah, it's great.
Someone who was looking for answers and contacted us was a man named Jirka. We had an appointment with a man on Saturday evening but, despite our attemts to contact him when he didn't show up, we had nothing. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we decided to go out and contact. As we were packing our things, however, we got a text from one of our investigators. This man has it all: a business, a fiance, a high rise apartment, a luxury car, and all the golf clubs and polo shirts to match. That night, however, he came to us looking for answers. He felt he was missing something in his life. We hopped on the next tram, met him in the park and, about an hour later, he had decided to come to church and we were headed to our next appointment, looking forward to his up and coming progress.
Then there are always the people who talk to us about what we're doing here. They're generally nice people. One man, a tourist from Britain, even knew how to get our attention. We were walking towards the Namesti (town square) when we heard someone yell "Elders!" in English and with an accent. We turned, and there he was. Although he wasn't going to be in town for long, it was really funny to me that, even in a place like Ostrava, people know who we are and like to wave, get our attention, or talk to us for a minute. He wasn't a member, but it made me realize how much people notice us out here. I only thought that kind of thing happened in utah, too. Guess I was wrong.
Finally, a bit about the food. I'll start with the food poisoning and bring in some stuff about the food we've got here. This weekend (after that appointment on Saturday) we were about 45 minutes from home. So, we dropped into a cheap place to grab a bite to eat. Elder Auger recommended the Chicken Gyros, a little pita sandwich stuffed with all kinds of meat and lettuce. Mine was great. His was too, however about 8 hour later and for the next day or so Elder Auger was out for the count. We added up how much he slept and it ended up being about 20 hours for the last day and a half, or so. I felt a little queasy, but it didn't turn into anything of consequence and we're both fine and running around again.
So, the food here is really great. They don't have a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit (at least, as far as I've been able to find). Most things go bad after three days, if that's any indicator of how "fresh" they are. The reason being is that people go grocery shopping daily, at most every other day. For weekly purchasing missionaries, that is a problem. Even so, we're always on the lookout for green stuff. In the meat department, pork is "what's for dinner" here, and it's always really good. Kind of like how beef is back home. We make stroganoff sometimes, and usually do sandwiches for lunches. One thing that's missing, though, is cheddar. They have it, but it's ridiculously expensive. I've gotten a good taste of eidam cheese being out here. It's not bad, but I was always a fan of really sharp cheddar back home. The bread here is great. They have every kind and size, shape, and color of bread. They make some with cheese and ham baked into it, some rolled together, and some from potatoes. It all tastes the same, but they all look really neat.
Main meals with members (which happen a lot) consist of soups, sauces, and some kind of meat or potatoe. Today, I'll talk about Halusky. Halusky is like mac and cheese in america. Swap the cheddar powder for Bryndza cheese, the macaroni for little potato dumplings made with a strainer in boiling water for 8 minutes, and add fried bacon, and you've got Halusky. It's really really good, and it feels like a brick when it settles in your stomach. Definitely something that sticks to your ribs after lunch. Next week I'll talk about Svickova, probably the most classic of Czech meals. Oh, before I forget, though, we were at the garden of a member last week (people have these random gardens outside of towns instead of backyards, since everyone lives in little apartments). After weeding for a little while, they bring out this fantastic soup and follow it up with ovocne Knedliky. Oh, they were so good. Potato dumplings about the size of a small tennis ball with whole strawberries inside them. Smother in yarroh cheese, powdered sugar, and melted butter. Eat hot. They are sooo good.
Hope you're all doing well back home. We've got some baptisms coming up next week, so I'll be sure to write about them when they happen. Overall, things are going great here. Hope you're all in good health, happy, and safe back home.
See you soon,
Brent
Monday, May 4, 2009
Brent's posts will be on Monday's
Hello everyone,
Brent informed us that his posts will usually be sent to us on Monday's. Things were kind of crazy for him to begin with and forced them to email on Tuesday's. I'll keep you up to date on all of his adventures.
Brent's dad
Brent informed us that his posts will usually be sent to us on Monday's. Things were kind of crazy for him to begin with and forced them to email on Tuesday's. I'll keep you up to date on all of his adventures.
Brent's dad
Week 4 in Ostrava
Hello everyone!
So my P-Day is on Monday and has been, we've just had all kinds of craziness since I got here that pushed eMail to tuesdays (Conferences, Easter Monday, etc.)
This week has been pretty standard, to be honest. Our investigators are going up and down with things, I keep seeing the continuity in the gospel in many different ways, my language skill continues to improve, I'm trying new foods, and all kinds of other neat stuff. We're going to a zoo today that's supposed to be pretty impressive. I'll also be interviewing with President Slováček on Wednesday, which will be great. I doubt your package will be there, but maybe some of the letters and things.
In other news, I went tracting for the first time yesterday. We usually do street contacting since apartment buildings are all locked usually, but we found some houses that hadn't been visited and started talking to people. We spent a good chunk of time with a family and talked to them about why we're here and a little about themselves. They were stone cold atheists, which was surprising to me. Most people here believe that something like god exists, or that there's a purpose to life maybe, but it probably has to do with us just finding happiness, health, and love ourselves. These people really didn't hope, have faith, or believe in anything (ironically, they used some pretty salty vocabulary, most of which was breaking commandment number 3 -- really ironic). They weren't interested in picking up on any faith, either. We went home afterward and, after our weekly call-in report, we sat on our balcony, looked at the stars and the moon and the panelak jungle (soooo many apartment buildings here). We talked about the gospel and different parts of it, and it all just came back to the fact that there is no way that we are just here by chance. There's no way at all, there must be something out there making all this happen. Also, there's no waaaay that we just happen to be the dominant being upon this earth, and that this earth is so incredibly unique. Noooo waaaay. You're being blind and proud by saying otherwise. And, if we're something special, and if there really is something out there that put us here, wouldn't it make sense that that relationship is one of Father and Children? And wouldn't it make sense that he'd want to hear from us through prayer? And wouldn't it make sense that he'd want to see us again? And wouldn't it make sense that he'd provide prophets, scriptures, instructions, guidance, and the example of His own Son to get us back? And wouldn't it make sense that there would have to be answers and completion to it all? It all fits. How anyone could think otherwise is beyond me.
Here's one last anecdote before I fill out a blog post for the week (this one's about the food). We were going to catch a tram the other morning (Public transit is amazing here, by the way). We're pretty noticable since we're the only people with clean cut hair, clean shaven faces, suits, ties, and nametags (and we don't look very czech either). Because of all that, someone noticed us and actually recognized us. Ironically, he yelled out (drunk as a skunk, but understandable) "Satan's better!" He was a ways off and was just walking home. I sat and thought about what he just said for a second. For someone to say that is pretty much the most ridiculous thing possible, because he is conceding that there is a devil, and that there is an opposite; that that opposite is Christ, and that there is a war; that we are here representing Christ, and in some ways, that we're equipped to back it up. The best thing he could throw at us was a quick but feeble jeer, and even that was mingled with alcohol. Really, it was pathetic. When it comes down to it, that's what any opposition we face is from an eternal perspective. Christ already suffered for it - the battle's already won. It's not a matter of "if" but, rather, "be patient." Very interesting to me.
Love and miss you all,
Brent
So my P-Day is on Monday and has been, we've just had all kinds of craziness since I got here that pushed eMail to tuesdays (Conferences, Easter Monday, etc.)
This week has been pretty standard, to be honest. Our investigators are going up and down with things, I keep seeing the continuity in the gospel in many different ways, my language skill continues to improve, I'm trying new foods, and all kinds of other neat stuff. We're going to a zoo today that's supposed to be pretty impressive. I'll also be interviewing with President Slováček on Wednesday, which will be great. I doubt your package will be there, but maybe some of the letters and things.
In other news, I went tracting for the first time yesterday. We usually do street contacting since apartment buildings are all locked usually, but we found some houses that hadn't been visited and started talking to people. We spent a good chunk of time with a family and talked to them about why we're here and a little about themselves. They were stone cold atheists, which was surprising to me. Most people here believe that something like god exists, or that there's a purpose to life maybe, but it probably has to do with us just finding happiness, health, and love ourselves. These people really didn't hope, have faith, or believe in anything (ironically, they used some pretty salty vocabulary, most of which was breaking commandment number 3 -- really ironic). They weren't interested in picking up on any faith, either. We went home afterward and, after our weekly call-in report, we sat on our balcony, looked at the stars and the moon and the panelak jungle (soooo many apartment buildings here). We talked about the gospel and different parts of it, and it all just came back to the fact that there is no way that we are just here by chance. There's no way at all, there must be something out there making all this happen. Also, there's no waaaay that we just happen to be the dominant being upon this earth, and that this earth is so incredibly unique. Noooo waaaay. You're being blind and proud by saying otherwise. And, if we're something special, and if there really is something out there that put us here, wouldn't it make sense that that relationship is one of Father and Children? And wouldn't it make sense that he'd want to hear from us through prayer? And wouldn't it make sense that he'd want to see us again? And wouldn't it make sense that he'd provide prophets, scriptures, instructions, guidance, and the example of His own Son to get us back? And wouldn't it make sense that there would have to be answers and completion to it all? It all fits. How anyone could think otherwise is beyond me.
Here's one last anecdote before I fill out a blog post for the week (this one's about the food). We were going to catch a tram the other morning (Public transit is amazing here, by the way). We're pretty noticable since we're the only people with clean cut hair, clean shaven faces, suits, ties, and nametags (and we don't look very czech either). Because of all that, someone noticed us and actually recognized us. Ironically, he yelled out (drunk as a skunk, but understandable) "Satan's better!" He was a ways off and was just walking home. I sat and thought about what he just said for a second. For someone to say that is pretty much the most ridiculous thing possible, because he is conceding that there is a devil, and that there is an opposite; that that opposite is Christ, and that there is a war; that we are here representing Christ, and in some ways, that we're equipped to back it up. The best thing he could throw at us was a quick but feeble jeer, and even that was mingled with alcohol. Really, it was pathetic. When it comes down to it, that's what any opposition we face is from an eternal perspective. Christ already suffered for it - the battle's already won. It's not a matter of "if" but, rather, "be patient." Very interesting to me.
Love and miss you all,
Brent
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