Hello Everybody
Wow! What a week! It's been incredible watching how the Lord really makes things happen in the work, and how he uses circumstances to teach and prepare people, including ourselves. Let's get started.
Last week we committed two people to baptism. Simona, one of the Gypsie family members (They're all related somehow) was talking to her sister, a recent convert. Her sister talked about her baptismal experience and how her life is completely different now. Simona wanted it as well, so at our next meeting we introduced the plan of salvation and talked about accessing the atonement through baptism. She'll be working towards a baptism in March. Then, Liba, an investigator from last transfer, finally had time to meet. We've given her book of mormon chapters for a while and she eats them up, but after finally teaching her about the restoration and the plan of salvation, she is starting to see and understand the majesty of the restored gospel and has even greater desires to get baptized. She, too, is working towards march. Karolina has had a date for the last two weeks, and we'll be helping them towards a wedding and a baptism, her boyfriend is thinking about baptism, his sister is intrigued by us and what we believe and is starting to participate as well.
But, not all is fun and games. For starters, Martin isn't going to be making his date. He was sick on sunday and had to postpone our meeting for today. We're not necessarily happy, but we know this will be for the best. He has an opportunity now to reach for baptism and find a very solid testimony out of it.
I think that this might be one of the big lessons I learned this week: When hard times come, smile: You will be much stronger afterwards. Faith is not just a principle of religion, it's the foundation of life. When my dad lost work, we had faith he'd find it again and it wasn't a worry. When my investigators slip and fall, I have faith that they will keep moving forward and reach even greater heights. For all of us, when we have that faith, even when we fall, we get up again and go forward.
Another lesson from this week: Faith and Happiness are both decisions we make .I've been rather unhappy the last few weeks. Things have been great, on paper this has been the most prosperous transfer of my mission for many reasons. But I've not been very happy. This week I was tired of not being happy, and I learned that happiness is not bought with time or money or events or achievements. Happiness comes from within. When we get up and reach for higher things, when we remember who we are and why that's important, our relationship with our Heavenly Father as His children, and then choose to be happy, guess what? We will be!
IT's the same with faith. Faith can be developed through experience, trial and error experiment, as a gift of prayer (which, ironically, requires faith), or it can be a choice. Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Twelve gave a talk about this in October 2008 conference. Go read it, it's good.
Transfers are coming up next week. I'm staying here for sure, but it will be interesting to see who comes to fill Elder Hatch's big shoes. I'm not sure how things will work out in the end here, but I know that next transfer is going to be one of those growing periods. Even still, it's going to be excitingly beautiful, and I'm looking forward to it.
Random grab bag: My biggest fear this week - learning to drive a stick. I have about 5 minutes of manual transmission driving time, and it consisted of backing up in a parking lot, stalling, going to first gear, stopping at a parking lot intersection, stalling, starting, stalling, starting, and switching places with Elder Hatch. My new companion will apparently not know how to drive a stick. Pray for me, but especially for our clutch. It's going to be pretty good.
I made the best pizza ever the other day. I mentioned it last week, but a picture is worth a thousand words. See enclosed pizza-pic. Also, see enclosed pictures of the branch president's kids (The boy speaks czech! He's only a three year old! It's INCREDIBLE!), a photo composition that I would enter into the PTA contest at school if I was, you know, actually IN school, and an original Mini Cooper from back in the day. Also a picture of two americans and a thai member who was baptized last summer and went home last week. I met her playing frisbee in Ostrava in my greenie transfer and she then got baptized here in Olomouc. Never taught her, but she's pretty neat. Nifty.
Otherwise, I'm happy, healthy, and things are going rather well. Looking forward to this week, to lessons, new baptismal dates, and otherwise watching things as they progress and roll forward. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, I'm watching it transform lives, and I hope you all have a great time in the mean time.
Housekeeping: If you've sent me mail to my olomouc address, I've not gotten it yet. If it's been in the mail for more than a week, shoot a message to my parents and have them let me know and I'll see if something's going on here. Last random note: Looks like we survived a week with having 4 missionaries in the same apartment. Looks like the landlord didn't notice, thank goodness. We're still recovering from the mess. Once it's all cleaned up, I'll be sure to send home a movie of what our aparement looks like.
Have a great week! Next week's installment of the Adventures of Starší Anderson: District Conference, Transfers, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Love,
Elder Brent Anderson
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