Leaving for Czech Monday, August 23rd!!

Moje Milujici Rodina,

I will probably be sending a few things home sometime this week. Anything you send needs to be sent SOON however (today or tomorrow probably)--mail doesn't come on Saturday afternoons or Sundays and we leave on MONDAY! YES, MONDAY!! Can you believe this? (Probably not because your last Dear Elder had a departure date of 8/30 on it...) So yes, 6 MORE DAYSSSSSSSSSS. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.

wE RECEIVED OUR FLIGHT PLANS ON fRIDAY (HAHA--HOW FUNNY WOULD IT BE IF i FOREVER LEFT THE CAPS LOCK ON?). Here's the plan: we will arrive at the Salt Lake City airport around 6 or so and our flight leaves at 8 or 8:30. This is when I will be calling you (hopefully). I know it's early, but it'll be more difficult to call at the airport in New York, which is also where I'll have to say goodbye to my beloved Sister Stratton. I'm just planning on calling the home phone because that's the only number I can remember right now--write me soon and let me know if I should use a different one. PLEEEEASE wake up and answer. Please! From NY we fly directly to Prague. A lot of air time, but I think we'll make it. I'm not too worried about it--we talked about our travel plans in district meeting on Sunday and I realized that I feel very safe in the hands of those three 19 year-old boys I'll be traveling with. It's funny how closely 14 hours/day for 8 weeks brings you together. A few things: in the Czech Republic I will probably only get snail mail once a month or so, unless I'm serving in Prague--all mail goes to the mission home and is then delivered at zone conferences. So you can email me every week instead and I will probably have more time to email.

Enough of the boring business stuff and on to the adventures! This week has been an interesting one, that's for sure. I told you last week that Sister Stratton was having a rough time--little did I know that later that day we'd find out that Elder Meiling was too. Apparently he has some blood issues--his trygliceride levels are in the 500s! It's so strange because he appears so normal and healthy. He's been on some medication for it, but we found out last Tuesday that the meds haven't been working. Right after I sat in on a beautiful blessing of comfort given to Sister Stratton, my three elders stormed in to the room where I was studying, somewhat emotional, and gave Elder Meiling a priesthood blessing. In it, the Lord promised Elder Meiling three times that he had work to do in the Czech Republic, but He never guaranteed that he would leave with the rest of us to get there. It was incredible to witness both those blessings back to back. Time and time again I am struck by the notion that the Lord really wants to raise powerful, capable children. He gives these little elders the ability to work miracles, and when that happens they, more often than not, live up to the responsibilities that it entails. It seems that the health issues are all going to work out for Elder Meiling, although we discovered yesterday that he's the only one who doesn't have his visa yet...there's still time for it to come before we leave. Whatever happens, it's all in the Lord's hands. He's taking it all in stride.

For some reason, Sister Stratton and I were nominated by our teachers to be exemplary missionaries and demonstrate to the incoming missionaries tomorrow "How to Begin Teaching" (it's a section in Preach My Gospel). It was really surprising, but it's a principle I'm really coming to appreciate. It's all about learning more about those we teach and creating a spiritual atmosphere right from the beginning. It's so great to teach with Sister Stratton again--it's like coming home after teaching with BOYS (ack) all the time. I hope that we can do well enough to impress upon the new missionaries the ideas. You should read it sometime, if you'd like--apparently the bullet points in the sections are ones that President Packer wrote down in the middle of the night after feeling impressed to, and then presented to the board that was putting together Preach My Gospel. The more I read it, the more I see the benefits of it.

I'm starting to feel really eager to get out into the field. Sometimes I'm slightly nervous--who wants to be the useless new missionary who can't understand anything? I was able to spend a good chunk of time speaking in Czech with my favorite teacher, Brother Rowberry, yesterday while the elders were at a doctor's appointment for Elder Meiling. It was so fun to understand what he was saying and stop him and ask questions about words and grammar and such. He, who happens to be an AMAZING speaker--he really pushes us with the language--told me that he thought the Lord had blessed me with the gift of tongues--that he'd seen it in the field and he saw it in me and that I was going to do well. He doesn't throw compliments away, so this meant a lot to me. But it's hard to not feel nervous at all--I think it's just a normal part of life and adventuring, being nervous. But I'm okay with that. Along with the nervousness comes the wonderful anticipation and the hopes and dreams for those I will meet and teach. It's a package deal, I suppose.

I love you all and I think about you all the time. We prayed for Danielle's soccer tryouts--that's why she made it. :) Kidding. Sort of--I knew she would. Talk to you soooooooooon!

Sestra Dean