"No, I Wouldn't Like That . . . "

(Sister Wheeler--my awesome comp--& Me)


Nazdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

Haha, sorry--I meant to explain that subject line last time but I forgot/ran out of time. "The frog-mouse wars and other petty tussles" is something that I saw written on a poster my very first day in Prague. It was an advertisement for some kind of artist or singer and I think that was the name of an album or collection of work or something. I couldn't help but laugh at it!

Today's subject line features a common response to our efforts to contact people on the street. It doesn't really mean what it would mean in English, but I always laugh at it anyway because of the way it sounds.

This week is Czech week--all Czech all the time! I almost wrote this letter in Czech and told you to google translate it, but I think it would take me far too long to construct so many sentences. It will be a little challenging, but I like myself a good challenge. Things are always getting better with the language. The hardest part for me now is understanding people. This is interesting, because in the MTC I could understand much more than I could say. But the Czech accent is murdering me. (Not really). I love it when we meet people who also speak Czech as a second language--there are a lot of people from Ukraine or Russia here...and a lot of other places--because it's easier for me to understand them. I usually have some sort of headache by the end of Sundays, after hours and hours of listening to only Czech and straining my brain to decipher everything. But it's really good for me--I'm really hoping that this week will help me improve a lot.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we have GREAT NEWS!! BAHSEKFLJawefoijasdflkmavclkdsaf! I'm just so excited about it! So there's a man that we've been teaching. His name is Petr (Peter in English). Sister Wheeler and her former companion found him a while ago. Before he met them he had been completely atheist and was mostly interested in talking to them because he wanted to practice English (he's really good and usually we have our meetings in English, which is handy because he is really hard to understand...you could compare his Czech to a surfer's English), but as they met and talked he became pretty interested in everything. He's really tall and almost hippie-ish--he kind of looks like Fabio and has long blonde hair. He's about 27 and just finished school last year--he studied landscape engineering, but there are no jobs for anyone with such a degree here in the Czech Republic, so he has consented to work in a factory for the time being. I love listening to him speak English because he uses funny phrases--everything to him is 'quite okay'. He probably has the greatest conscience I've ever seen in anyone--he's living by every single commandment we've told him about and says that he's been a lot happier since he's changed, even though his friends tease him about it. He's even said that he would pay tithing if he were to be baptized. Before I ever met him, Sister Wheeler told me about him and how she thought that he was ready to be baptized. As soon as she said this, the date October 16th popped in to my head, which was silly because I didn't even know him and I had no idea whether it was a Saturday or not. Later, when we planned for our meeting with him, she talked about that date and I immediately told her what I had thought (yah! It's really a Saturday! Cool, huh?). So we talked to him about it. He was somewhat apprehensive--he takes the idea of baptism very seriously and is afraid of regressing after his baptism. We talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost with him and how it helps us continue to improve when we are trying our best. We told him that we both felt really strongly about Oct. 16th and that he should pray about it too, which he said he would do. That was my first week.

Fast forward to now. Since then, he's been progressing slowly--we've been having meetings with him and other members who have conversion stories similar to his. He's really enjoyed their stories and he's learning the value of asking specific questions in his prayers in order to receive specific answers. But still nothing compelling. Yesterday we finally asked him if he was scared to receive an answer--scared because, with his conscience, he knew he'd have to act on it if he received an answer, and he's afraid of himself sliding back in to his old ways. He admitted to it. But even then, he was fasting for his first time ever! And he was telling baptised members that they should just buy food on Saturdays and save them for Sundays instead of buying things on Sundays! I mean really, this guy is rock solid. And we're always saying things to him about "when he's baptized" and "on October 16th", etc. He smiles and doesn't deny it, but he's never said, "Yes, I want to plan on October 16th" to us, so we've never counted it as an authentic baptismal date. Bummer. So we fasted for him yesterday (without telling him about it--we mentioned it to him once, and he forbade anyone from suffering in his behalf...he doesn't quite understand the point of it yet, I think).

BUT! We all broke our contraband fast yesterday with the senior couple who lives down the hall from us. Petr knows them really well and ended up staying over for another hour after we left. Later that evening, Bro. Hrncirik (the senior missionary) said that Petr told them that he's planning on getting baptized on Oct. 16. There was a resonating thud as our jaws hit the floor. REALLY!? So, after 20 minutes of debating as to how we could go about this delicately and directly without scaring him, we called him and talked to him, and he confirmed, that yes, it's a goal that he's working towards and he wants to plan on that date. He also said that he was glad that another woman was getting baptized on that same date so that he wouldn't do it alone. Waaaaahhh! We were ecstatic. And kind of freaking out. And when we talked to him, he had five pages or so left in the Book of Mormon and was about to finish it that night. And he said that he wasn't so scared to receive an answer anymore (apparently Bro Hrncirik talked to him about it) and that he was going to ask a specific question in his prayers afterwards! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! Now we're just waiting to hear from him.

Other cool experiences: a few nights ago we received a text that was written at 4:30 in the morning. It said something like, "I don't know if I'm doing this the right way, but I believe in God and I'd really like to learn more about your faith." We had no idea who it was! After a little digging, we discovered that it was someone we had tried talking to in the park a few days before, but whose friend said they were hurrying and couldn't stop. He had looked a little disappointed, but we gave him a pass-a-long card and moved on, not thinking much of it. We give out a TON of pass-a-long cards each day and it very rarely happens that someone that we never even really talked to calls us. But he did! It was a small miracle.

Last night we went on splits with a set of Elders. Elder Bailey (who's been out for four transfers--he and I will fly home together) and I met a woman named Jana, who had a lot of interest. She was really cool--looked to be about 40 or so and had lived in Australia for a year (yes, I told her my dad lived there for a few years). She really listened to us and I was able to bear my testimony to her about a number of things and we read Moroni's promise together. It was really neat. I'm beginning to realize the value of testifying as soon and as much as possible. Because it's guaranteed to invite the spirit. And people (especially here) don't want to change unless they feel the spirit.

Also. There's another investigator that's been meeting with the Elders--Jiri(like George)--who has a baptismal date a few weeks away. Yesterday at church he decided he's taken a liking to me and starting telling me how beautiful I looked and asking me if I had any boyfriends waiting at home--he even kind of tried to hold my hand! When he left he gave both Sister Wheeler and I a hug...I realized then and there that I am already somewhat of an awkward missionary. Eek! But the Elders talked it out with him. I think he'll think twice before he tries to pull another fast one.

Anyway. I think I'm pushing my time limits. The work is great here--I love it. Really, there's nothing I'd rather be doing. Keep it up with the missionary work in the homefront. It's SO important! Seriously! The way we do it, with the contacting and the tracting and such--that's the hard way. I probably think that exact thought to myself a hundred times a day. If only members would share it with their friends, then we could spend our time teaching instead of sifting through all the people who don't want to talk to us to find the few who might. You already have a relationship with people who could be interested--they trust you and can see how it blesses your lives. Don't be afraid to share it! Have people over for dinner and invite the missionaries too! Anything! I'm so proud of the way you've involved yourselves in missionary work. I love you so much! Keep me in the know!

s laskou,


Sestra Dean

(Here I just tell people my name is 'Dean', because it's kind of weird to say, 'I'm Sister Dean'...they're not so familiar with church things. But it always makes me feel like James Bond or something. Yes, missionaries are that cool.)