Crazy Transfers Week ( Week 19 in Olomouc, Week 54 in Czech )

Good morning everyone! I bet that monday mornings for you all consist of hitting the alarm and jumping out of bed to check your emails or your facebooks or whatever this is getting broadcast on nowadays (radio? television? times-square news tickers?) and poring over the latest from Elder Brent Anderson, your favorite Starší (Unless, of course, you're a member here, then you love all the missionaries; or, for you parents of other missionaries that happen to stumble across this thing).

It's been a pretty crazy week. The transfer happened as usual on wednesday, except the fact that all training missionaries were delayed by a day. The travel office did the missionary paper work wrong, dating the visas a day late. Instead of flying on Monday, they flew on Tuesday. This threw us all for a loop, right until the volcanoe hit in iceland. Everyone thinks it's crazy here and some people are scared, but there is nothing that has been seen except for a slight bump in the weather for a day. That's it. As far as the delayed missionaries, however, it was a blessing. They flew into Prague no problem, whereas if they hadn't received late visas they would have had cancelled flights, backed up tickets for at least next week, and a lot of headaches. The departing missionaries had no problems either. Funny how it all works out that way when you consider who's work this is over here and how he arranges for everything *just* right. Moral: Even something that looks like a mistake (delayed visas) can be a great blessing.

So, Elder McGowan arrived on Wednesday. He's been in the country for 6 months and only served in prague. He's already trained and been a district leader, so he's gotten a fair bit of experience so far. He's from New Jersey, has two siblings and loves to play sports and eat. He eats so much! Maybe not a ton at once, but he's always eating something. And yet, he maintains a pretty decent figure despite the caloric intake.

I myself am looking at a diet and have cut out all yogurt and sugary drinks from my diet in anticipation for the ever-exciting missionary summer-swim season (That is, swimming in downpours on the streets in my ever-so white and wrinkle-free Stafford shirts).

We're seeing interesting progress among people right now. Some people have randomly returned from nowhere, others have turned into amazing investigators in a very short time. Reading assignments, praying, people turning from not-believers to believers in a short period of time. Case example: In the other elder's area there is a man studying from india. He used to be a textbook atheist. He now believes in God and in the Book of Mormon. 5 weeks, lifetime of thinking changed. Amazing! Otherwise, we're looking at some really neat service opportunites in the near future. We've been serving at a family home outside of Olomouc demolishing the old wood-sed/outhouse combination. Climbing around on old rafters and clawing out rusty nails with sharp tools can be so much fun (Yes, I include that last sentence to just tease my mom - I'm being safe, I promise). Last week we took down a brick wall and we're going to be clearning out another part of it this week so we can install a concrete retaining wall. Pretty nifty what you learn on your mission, eh? Also, my cooking skills have leveled up. I love using parmesan cheese - it makes for good pizzas, good alfredo sauce (from scratch!), and just about anything else. Maybe it's because I've gotten tired of Eidam, but it's my favorite right now.

Also, I've discovered recently the amazingness of paper and using it to keep track of goals. Elder McGowan and I are getting way organized, using spreadsheets and reporting tools, binders and tabs. Almost reminds me of some former life but dealing with missionary stuff instead of things that distract me from missionary stuff...

So, apart from all that, my week has been great. Elder Nestman is now in a completely different part of the country (Sad) and Elder McGowan has finally escaped from Prague to see what the real part of the country is like. I had a talk on sunday about the book of mormon and, after the new missionaries introduced themselves, I got up and started introducing myself as well, saying "Ja su Olomoučak" ("I'm an olomoucian", but with a thicker accent, since I basically call this place home now, even if Ostrava still has my heart :P)

So, I'm rambling. We have zone conference this week, my dad is doing alright from what I hear, and I'm really looking forward to this transfer. One last note: We took over a zone last week. Brno is now under the jurisdiction of the Olomouc Zone, at least for the time being. The district leader there, in terror, switched our ring tone to the imperial death march. Bahaha! It also means we now have 20+ missionaries to take care of, including some senior couples. So much fun, so much to do!

Have a great week, I love you all.

Love,
Brent

PS - Those of you with my Olomouc Address: Go ahead and keep using it, I'm not going anywhere.

What a Transfer! ( Week 18 in Olomouc, Week 53 in Czech )

Wow, it's already been another transfer. Elder Nestman is headed off to Bohemia again and I'll be staying here in Olomouc serving with Elder McGowan. He's a six-monther in the mission right now, and I'm really excited to work with him. He's a spiritual fireball, from what I'm told, and after having served in Prague for 6 months it will be great for him to bring his perspective to the work here in Olomouc. They've turned the mission on it's head, bringing in a member from Liberec to serve as a missionary for at least the next transfer, sticking two jr. companions together, and throwing our zone another 4 of the 7 new czech missionaries. Also, they've abolished the Brno zone, moving Brno into our zone. So, in a nutshell, we've doubled our size and halved our experience. But hey! That's what the spirit is for. Our compliment of missionaries totals now at 20 in our zone plus two senior couples. Overall, exciting. This does mean that my home address hasn't changed (and I promise I'll get some letters off soon!)

So, it's been a crazy transfer. I've had a lot of ups and downs, we've seen a lot of miracles and a lot of struggles. But I think it's lined me up for one of the best transfers of my mission right now. I look at the next nine weeks, and I personally believe that the most important thing I can learn in the next nine weeks will be to come closer to the savior and to share Him and His message with everyone. It's going to be a real blast loving the members that much more and serving people that much more, and I am confident that we'll be seeing some amazing things come out of it in the very near future.

Got to wrap this up and get off to work again, our working day starts early today with a PhD director who works at the town hall. It's going to be neat.

Have a great day, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Elder Brent Anderson

Nadherný Dní ( Week 17 in Olomouc, Week 52 in Czech )

Hey Everbody,

It's been a really interesting week. I don't know if I've done quite this much service on my entire mission for a single week. Up through Wednesday we spent time serving the other elders here in olomouc and trying to figure out why we're seeing a slowdown in progressing people. Wednesday night came around and everything got spun on it's head. We went out to a member family to help them do some service, and it ended up being an evening of dismantling an old shack used to keep split logs dry for firewood. We took down all the shingles and the rafters, and this week we'll be going in to dismantle the brick foundation. It was pretty intense. The whole structure was bigger than some apartments I've seen, but we've gotten it all just about taken care of. Thursday morning we were with President and Sister Slováček doing interviews and working on teaching skills. I really love my mission president a ton, he's one of the most remarkable priesthood leaders I've ever met. If I were able to measure up to his level I'd consider myself pretty successful.

Then, thursday evening rolled in. We had a trip to Ostrava planned for a baptismal interview. We got into Ostrava and found out that the candidate for baptism wasn't going to make his interview time due to an emergency in the family. So, we got to work teaching lessons and finding in the mean time. The candidate for baptism arrived back very late, but we still got the interview done. We spent the night in Ostrava, came back on Friday morning, and got to work again. I think that our experience in Ostrava required a lot more patience than we might have been interested in providing, but I'm grateful that it all worked out in the end. Lessons on Friday, and then Saturday/Sunday Conference! We had a great time watching it with some of the members in English and taking notes to learn and find out better ways to serve. I think my favorite talks were easily Elder Rasband's and Elder Oaks' from priesthood session, but there were good things from the entire conference. What are you planning on doing better because of conference?

I've been thinking a lot about my testimony recently. Out here "in the field" and among so many different types of people, it is very hard to maintain the right perspective sometime. That anchor of faith that we talk about requires a lot of support and strengthening. The world is seriously careening through a rolling sea of disaster right now in so many ways, morally comes to mind the most I think. But, as they declared loud and clear at conference, our homes are the front line in the battle for the souls of men. Do we honestly believe that all the time? I know that when the time comes for me to establish my family, it will be absolutely necessary to found that home on the priesthood and righteousness and obedience between me and my wife. Anything else won't cut it. Really, we have to have that kind of a perspective in our lives and not just coast or let little things get in the way. Wobbly testimonies and obedience will result in a wobbly and crooked path. Now, does the Lord expect us to do it perfectly every step of the way? No, but he does desire us to find the best we can do and to do it well. Amazing how the Gospel is the pattern for becoming our best selves and for drawing the best out of each of us. Anything else does not have a strong enough motive, a strong enough drive to push us to the end. Our vision of Eternity and eternal families saves our families and homes because we know why we need to make it work now, today. I feel so good just thinking about it!

Well, next week is transfers. I'll be sure to drop in a note at least to let you know how things work out, but I'm honestly very anxious for this next week. Who knows what will happen? Even still, it probably doesn't require me to worry. The Lord is in charge of all these things, and I hope that you are all keeping your relationship with Him in the first position. The best moments on my mission have been and will probably be the moments of contact I've had with heaven. If only we had those connections all the time.

Love you all, good luck this week!

Brent

Thoughts on Charity ( Week 16 in Olomouc, Week 51 in Czech )

It's been said by a wizard that a heart is not measured by how much it can love, but by how much it is loved by others. Isn't it neat what happens when we take a look around us and consider what the Lord has done for us despite all the problems we sometimes face in life? Right now, I have to say that I have been happier this week (and, probably sadder) than perhaps ever before in my life. We went on two exchanges and the Lord was willing to changes the weather to meet what we needed to accomplish. I say that knowing that all the Czechs I knew were very confused when it came to the weather last week. The weekend was supposed to be stormy. It was sunny, as was the rest of the week on the whole. Well, I take that back. We made a deal with the Lord every morning when it was foggy and storming that, if he could get what he needed done, we'd like good clear weather by noon when we are finished with studies and lunch. And, like clockwork, every day cleared out like that. Even on saturday when all our english students wanted to go on a trip to a local castle and had to cancel because of the weather forecast, it was clear and sunny because we prayed it that way. You don't have to believe me if you like, but it's true.

It's interesting how the Lord provides us happiness in the details of our lives. This last week looking at children chasing pigeons on the town square by fountains made me happy, or looking up into the sky on our way home from long days and seeing countless billions of stars and constellations and realizing, just like ancient people used stars to chart their courses, the Lord has provided us with our own maps through life, our own constellations that orient us on the path of life. These constellations are prophets, scriptures, and temples. Our course is set by covenants we make with Him, and everything we do in the path of life can be designed and guided and directed by the principles He teaches us every day through these channels, as well as our own personal revelation.

I learned just this morning that life is not so much about doing what is right and wrong, splitting hairs on the way about what is right in these ways, but rather that each of us is on a path and it depends on where we want to go. Most people stay docked and don't venture out into the stormy seas. But, when the end of the day is come, we won't be able to say we haven't gotten what we wanted. The Lord provides us with laws and covenants. When we sin, we are breaking laws. The scriptures often used the word "crime" in place of "sin" to illustrate this principle.

One of the biggest things is that we are given trials that stretch us, and this stretching is what makes us something greater. I can say I am more appreciative, more grateful, a lot softer, and happier than I was a year ago. I can say that I've a much broader and deeper depth of feeling and compassion for people with suffering in their lives. But I also have a much deeper understanding of the purpose of the trials and the blessings we have in life. It all leads us back home, and it is vital for us to maintain faith in the Lord, in His promises, and not just in them, but actually to believe Him and to believe His promises. He says we'll make it. Well, I guess we will! He says we can let go of pain and sorrow. Well, I guess we can. Why not? The Gospel seems to inspire men and women to look for something higher and something greater, and not just to simply meander through life aimlessly until the end of the day when nothing has changed. We are here to become like our Heavenly Father, who's faith and will and power and knowledge are perfect. Why would we personally settle for anything less than that?

Sorry if this letter has waxed a bit philosophical. We've been in a hurry this morning and I'm afraid that this is what has been on my mind the most this week. This last week we've seen a lot of cleansing in our area. Long term investigators falling off, uninterested investigators wandering off, however our finding has been faith filled. We're perfecting contacting couples in the park now that the weather is better. Last week we found 5 people, two couples and another man. Amazing how much the Lord blesses you when you trust him. Now to get these people progressing more than just through one or two meetings. If you're praying for missionaries, pray for real, solid, interested, and commitment keeping people to find the missionaries. That's what we need at the moment. In the mean time, we'll do our best to find them first.

I love you all, hope your week is great, and happy year in the country. Kind of funny to think I haven't seen America for a year as of tomorrow. But, it's all worth it, and I'm rather pleased with how far the Lord has taken me personally along the way. When you think about it, missionaries are trying to lead their brothers and sisters along, but the Lord probably sees us as His investigators, if you put it in those terms. I hope I'm as good of an investigator as I want to have from the Lord.

Elder Brent Anderson

PS - If you are putting anything in the Mail for my olomouc address, please do so in the next 24 hours. We have transfers the week of the 19th and I doubt I will be staying for much longer. Thanks!

No email yet this week :(

We haven't received an email for the post yet this week. Today is Easter Monday in the Czech Republic, so no internet cafe's are open today. As soon as we receive it tomorrow, we will post it.

Starsi Brent's dad