September 27th, 2010

HELLOOOOOOOOOOO RODINOO!

Here I am in the "cyber cafe" again, which means yet another week has come and gone. It's crazy how quickly the time flies already. I've been telling people all along that I still have about a year and a half in Czech Republic, but I just realized yesterday that I really have only have a year and 3 months! How does that happen?! In a mere few minutes 3 months of my life has already passed me by. Two days ago marked the halfway point in the transfer. My comp just got her flight plans today--EEK! Every week I write Prez and tell him that if he really wants to keep her here, I'd be okay with that. Maybe it'll work--you know how persuasive I can be. :)

This past week I've spent my days in Praha--the land of fairy tales and loud tourists. It's interesting--you never realize how quiet Czechs are on a tram/bus until there's someone from America/England on the bus too. Then the contrast is made quite clear. AAAAAND I had the GREATEST surprise only 15 minutes or so upon entering the church building in Praha. BROOKE LARSON was there. The Wookie! I KNOW! (She's the one I lived with in Jerusalem...she writes really well, wrote that book list you read once, Ma). She's been a Sister in Albania for the past year and a half and just returned while I was in the MTC, so I thought perhaps I'd never see her again. But here I am, hauling my buns around the obscurity of the CR, and lo and behold she appears from the dust like a...a...something. It was SO GOOD to see her! She's studying in Praha for a month so she can teach English in Barcelona. Woo! She's still the same old Brooke for sure (she had streaks of purple and blue in her hair), but the mission changed her some. Only in good ways. She just seemed very grounded and centered. Like she'd found her chi, if that were even a real thing. The Albania mission sounds like a trip, that's for sure. People from opposite sides of the country can't even understand one another--she didn't get a real grasp of the language until the very end. Yikes. I love the Czech Prague mission. She told me to give a special SHOUT OUT to Bekah boo in the MTC. She loves you. And I love you. I pray for you to have the gift of tongues every day, just FYI. I'll be writing you soon, whether or not I see a letter from you. :) Keep rocking it, Poop.

Sister Wheeler was training all week in Praha, so I was a makeshift companion with Sister Lier--Sister Wheeler's companion in the MTC. We did ourselves a bit of finding and challenged a total of 5 people to baptism. It was pretty neat. We found another man from Romania (they're everywhere here! If only I could remember!) and taught him the next day. At the end of our lesson, I prayed in some twisted hybrid of Romanian and Czech...he and God were probably the only ones that understood. It was fun being in Prague and seeing the other missionaries, but it's different talking to people that you know you'll never see again and setting up appointments for other missionaries to teach. And I got sick of eating out--seriously, EVERY MEAL. Ugh. Who wants KFC when you're in Europe? I need my veggies. So, in spite of the fact that I attended my first SINGING DISPLAY (= awesome! all the missionaries band together and sing hallelujahs in an overwhelming spectical of heavenly awe...really, people stop and listen), I was ready to come back.

And there were our investigators, waiting for us! We watched the long Joseph Smith movie that they show at temple square with Petr on Saturday. He's so cute--he had a hard time with how sad it was at the end. But he said he supposed it was good that he died because it showed how much it meant to him. He was supposed to spend the weekend in Nova Jicin (his hometown), but he came back early on Saturday to see us and to come to church. He seems to be growing more and more sure of the church all the time--or maybe just more used to it. On Sunday he went outside the building in between classes on what we like to call a 'ponder wander'--like how it always shows people thoughtfully ambling along as their testimonies grow in those old seminary videos...we may or may not watch old seminary videos during lunch here...I may or may not love that--afterwards he told me that's it's difficult for him...he doesn't fit in with all his old friends in Nova Jicin anymore (doesn't want to), but also doesn't quite fit in with the ward because he doesn't know as much and hasn't been baptized yet and there aren't any members in his same situation in life. He's moving to Canada in January, so I think things will improve for him when he can attend a strong singles ward, but it's definitely an adjustment for him. Keep him in your prayers.
Liba's also still Liba. We are going to teach her the Word of Wisdom on Wednesday. Last time we told talked about prophets and obedience and why it's important--she told us she's willing to do whatever they say...but I'm a little nervous because she's told us how much she loves coffee basically every time we visit...we're going to bring some Caro for her as a substitute. I hope it suffices. Aaaaaaaand we're going with her to visit her husband in the hospital! I wonder if he's as crazy as she is! (I hope he doesn't smell quite as bad...I love the woman, really I do, but sometimes I have difficulty breathing while I sit next to her in church. Old person + coffee + poor Czech hygiene is not exactly the most pleasant thing I've ever snorted.
But life here is very grand. I just LOVE being a missionary. The Lord really blesses us--when we want the blessings and show we're willing to act on them. Aren't promptings funny sometimes? Last night was freezing and we were walking home in the rain...we passed this woman and the thought came to me that we should talk to her. But it was raining and Sis Wheeler was booking it ahead of me. Finally, I asked her if we could just turn around and give her a card or something. So we did. But once it was in the lady's hands, she asked if we were a cult. No, I said, we're just a church. She grew all flustered and tried to give it back to me, but of course I didn't take it and it ended up on the ground, where we left it. Go figure.
But I know God leads us, that He labors with us in the vineyard. Isn't it grand?

I'm creating a Snapfish account to upload my pictures because I need more space on my card. That way you can look up all my pictures at once, instead of trying to email them back and forth.
go to snapfish.com
email: ashley.dean@myldsmail.net
password: deaner
You can upload pictures to it too if you want me to see them.

As far as Christmas goes, I would LOVE some music! I bought that Nearer CD for Chris and Corey last Christmas, but I think they left it at our house...if no one's listening to it, you could just send that on over. EFY music is allowed here, says Mr. Prez, but you know that I'm not huge on all of it. I would love the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack. Or Christmas music or something else great. As long as it's instrumental and peaceful or about the Savior or something. Alsoooo....if you want to send a few sheets of scrapbooking paper so I can cover my little BOM, that would be great. They don't have much here. I'll probably need like 3 sheets of the same kind. I'm thinking maybe like an antique map sort of look? I don't know. Get me something classy, Ma. Granola/Adam's would be great. Other than that....they have H&M and Zara and Reserved here, so if you want to just send money, I could definitely find some satisfying things here. :)
There are some really cute manger scenes made of corn husks here Ma...let me know if you'd be interested in one--I'm uploading pictures on to Snapfish.

Aaaaand I think that's all. Tell President H that I haven't forgotten my promise, I'll send him pictures for sure. I love you all--keep up the great missionary work! Danielle, did you get my letter yet?? Also, when are Chris and Corey going to make me an aunt?!?! Everyone else here has nieces and nephews and I just really want to fit in with all the other missionaries. :)

Love love LOOOOOOOVE,

Sestra Dean