On Our Way, on the Rollercoaster ( Week 12 in Prague, Week 21 in Czech )

This week has been an absolute rollercoaster. Sunday shows up, and I knew something was up. Svetlana came in the door and said all in one breath, "Hello Elder Anderson, really happy to see you, but I wanted to tell you I can't get baptized." I was floored. I think in missionary work (Hopefully not in life at large) you learn to plan for the worst and hope for the best, like smiling and being genuinely happy all the time while a crane hoists 2 tons of bricks right above your head. If it drops and hits you, you're crushed for a minute, then you get up, dust yourself off, and smile wide again saying, "Well, let's do that again!" She's got some concerns from her parents side of things (even though she's almost 50), she's struggling to forgive herself in a few ways, and apparently there are some doctrines that don't sit well with her that she didn't bring up until the last minute. So, she's not getting baptized....yet! She won't drop everything that easily, especially when the Lord gave it to her so easily compared to some. Last week she had vacation and she had free days every day she needed them this last week for the baptism and all. She even had her interview done! Overall it was a shock, and I had to grab a few shoulders to cry on before we picked up the pieces and got back to work.

The new missionaries came in this week and they are sharp as tacks. Their czech is good, they work hard, but they're pretty nervous and anxious. I guess I was too. Amazing to see what progress the Lord makes with us over time. Then it was off to the Airport to drop Sister Reese off. Do you remember Sister Reese? She was the sister missionary in my group. Time flies, doesn't it? We also took President Irwin to the airport for a conference in Frankfurt and held down the fort. We even found and taught two new people, one of them is very animated when he speaks - "Dees ees my-ah BAAAYYYbbeeeee, David-a guiso!' He's very funny. Another is a russian lady trying to learn english. It's a very different week for sure, and next week will be worse/better. We're bringing together two conferences in september for the mission leadership: one in bratislava for one half and one in prague for the other. It's a four day event and so we've had to arrange travel, food, sleeping arrangements, and a program with President Irwin for the whole week. Next saturday I won't be emailing, so expect it some other time, but we'll be assisting the Toronto Foundation in Uherske Hradiste on three service projects. President basically is using us as counselors right now, so he's keeping us very close and we're doing a lot of work that I didn't expect coming into the office. Even still, we're keeping the missionary work first and enjoying the best work ever.

I've got a new companion. Elder Doxey is training out in Ostrava, and Elder Thompson came in (go figure, but he was just serving with Elder Nestman). Elder Thompson is from my graduating class, but from the polar opposite social group. He had a mohawk, rode a harley, skateboarded, and went to punk rock concerts (Czech out this video: http://mormon.org/me/1N0F-eng it's Elder Thompson but 30 years from now). He's wonderful! We've really hit it off so far, and we'll be able to get amazing things done together. He has a profoundly deep testimony an excellent attitude. Figures that there are three of us from AF '08 in the mission now, the third is Callin Osborn. We marched together in band and I've known him since 9th grade. I knew of Elder Thompson in high school (he was the kid with the flaming red mohawk) but never really got to know him at all. So, it's going to be a pretty exciting transfer.

In a couple of weeks, actually, we'll be having another zone conference (They've asked us to have one per quarter, but so far we've had one every month), this time because Elder Texiera is coming for a visit. That will be nerve wracking! He's asked to interview me and Elder Thompson in particular, and will be running his own program with his wife for the conferences. Yikes! I'll have to brush up on my interviewing skills from Sterling Scholar. :P

I'm sending pictures home now that I've got them on CD, so look forward to a few months worth of photos.

Love,
Elder Brent Anderson

PS - Random Czech fact of the day: There is a famous astronomical clock in the center of Prague that was constructed centuries ago under commission of the King. The clockmaker finished the work and, in answer to his fine craftsmanship, the King ordered that he be blinded so he couldn't make another clock. The clock stands to this day, still functions perfectly, and is one of a kind in the world.