Hey everybody! So, it's been a crazy week. I've learned a lot about being pleased and satisfied. We found four new people, and we're always looking for more. Our area is still in a bit of a turnover stage as we go through, weed out the old investigators and bring in the new. Our baptismal dates are getting moved around, and we found a few neat people this week. A gypsy family, a man who's been searching for "a surety of truth" and an ex theater student who knows that we have granite vaults in cottonwood canyon. Crazy!
Personally, I'm having a blast. Elder Nestman is so much fun to serve with, and I'm loving the fact that he is "easily entreated." Just the other day he remarked to a man we were teaching in front of a huge catholic monument made of gold and marble (yes, I live in europe) about how he loves the pigeons and that they make him laugh. You'd probably have to be there, but he's really funny.
So today we went to Krnov, really close to Ostrava where President Uchtdorf was born. Krnov is world famous because it is there that Kofola is mixed and bottled. It's a really neat process, and fascinating to get up close to a mass manufacturing process that efficient. Czechs do great in producing stuff en masse like that. I was pretty proud of how organized it all was. Plus we got to taste all their different products including some of the stuff that doesn't even exist in stores yet (Imagine lemon + ginger or a drink with tea-tree in it. Oh the possibilities!) And, the best part: I saw all my member friends from ostrava, got to ride a train, and even got a kofola mug in the end. They are highly coveted among missionaries, and I'm looking forward to using it to drink as well as measure out exactly .4 liters since we don't have any proper metric measuring cups (go figure...)
Well, enough randomness. I translated for a businessman from Mesa Arizona on sunday who bore his testimony about the church to the people here. He's helping to set up a branch office for his company and it was a pleasure talking to him about the church, his experiences here, and how missionary work has changed over the years.
I've got to say that I'm understanding why every missionary says they have the best mission in the world, but something they don't understand is that this mission has to be the best in the world. I don't know how another mission could be better. This country, these people, the church here is so incredible! The people deal with so much but have so much faith, and even though the work is sometimes slow, it is so worth it. Why? Because it's true! I'm finding out more for myself how all the truths circumscribed in the term "Gospel" apply across the board and are the only base of theology, philosphy, or reality that have any meaning anymore. My place and purpose in the universe and the inspiration I draw from the knowledge God is becoming the driving force in my work here. The further I move in my service as a missionary, the fewer sources of support there seem to be, until in the end my relationship with the savior is what pushes me forward. I know that my Redeemer lives, and the comfort that I draw from that knowledge is great. I wish that it was that simple to transfer light to those around us. Then again, I guess that's why we are meant to be the city set on a hill, the candle on the stick, that we can show our examples and spread the light far and wide. Go do a good deed, and express the truth you know to those around you through your light. You will find that you will be blessed with a stronger testimony. A testimony is found in the bearing of it, not in the hiding of it, just as a candle needs to be out and in the air to be bright, not under a damper where it grows dim and dies. Therefore, I want you all to get out there and do something good for somebody else! I can't followup with you all, unfortunately, since I don't even know how many people end up reading my thoughts that I send to my family. But, I do know that you can all do a world of good if you will go out there and do something for someone else.
Elder Nestman wants to kill me because we're running late, but you all deserve to hear from your favorite Czech speaking missionary this week. :) And Elder Nestman is reading over my shoulder. "No, I don't want to kill you!" He says. Bahaha, we're having too much fun together to worry about that.
Well, got to go. Love you all, hope your good turn daily goes well, and I really really hope you have just as good a week as I do. That will be hard to manage, since I happen have a genuine kofola mug. Maybe next time I can grab a few more for y'all back home. :)
Thanks,
Elder Brent Anderson
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