Monday, April 4th 2011

Helloooooooooooooooooo family!!

Daddio-- I'm so sorry I forgot to ask about your birthday last email. I thought about it all morning and then as soon as we left the library I realized that I hadn't said a word. I thought about you a lot on your birthday and thought of that story of you keeping your suit jacket on as a missionary even when it was blazing outside and tried to be a really ridiculously obedient missionary like you. I'm glad you liked the card--I thought it was something you might laugh at, although it's hard to tell if it would be as funny reading my translations of it. How was your birthday? Did people spoil you? The big 5-3! Woo! An mp3 player sounds awesome--what kind is it? My companion Sister G always says "delightful!" here and it makes me think of you and Michelle every time. I love it. :)

WAAAA! I can't believe that they are really building a temple in MERIDIAN, IDAHO!! I was just talking to some members here yesterday about how the temple is only 20 minutes away from my house in Idaho. There is a big temple trip in a few weeks for youth and new members to do baptisms--they have to go all the way to Germany in order to do it. And they have to rent a bus for it, which means people had to reserve seats on it which means that many people who wanted to go can't (i.e. Rosta...velka skoda), and there you all are in little Meridian, Idaho getting your very own temple probably within walking distance!! We are just so so blessed! I can't wait!

Personally, I think that the higher-functioning class sounds better for Michelle, but it's really hard to tell without seeing it. While the math might be hard, they always have assistants that can help people individually and the higher social standards might be good for her. I really liked her email--I think her grammar is improving! Really! She's so cute. :)

You should send me a copy of your talk when you write it. :)

Miracle of the week: DUSAN!! (pronounced: doo-shawn) Oh my, we're just so excited about him that we three go around everywhere chanting "Dusan Dusan Dusan Dusan!" even when he's not around. About thirty or so, with a shaved head and very big muscles, Dusan does not immediately strike one as a humble, salt-of-the-earth type, but that's EXACTLY what he is! He spent 2 months on the east coast of the US and came back hoping to improve his english even more. He really liked Americans, so somehow he found us online and began coming to our english class about 3 weeks ago. He just ate it all up and loved it. So we talked to him a little bit more, found out he was kind of a believer, but was looking for a path--"maybe that's why I'm here with you," he told us. So we set up a meeting with him right away. The first meeting was only 20 minutes or so, but he said he just felt so good around us, he knew that whatever we had was what he wanted.

Last Thursday he fell down the stairs and hurt his foot. He rushed to the hospital, where the doctors told him for sure it was broken. He was so worried that he pulled out the little card that we'd given him that explains the simple steps of prayer and prayed that it would be so serious. The doctors came out after the x ray and said it was merely sprained and should be okay in a few weeks. His own little miracle!
So now he has plenty of time to read the BOM. We challenged him to read it 10 minutes each day and when we called him yesterday to ask about it he said he's been reading 20-30 minutes each day! And the best part is he's not even weird or anything--he's normal and awesome (and pretty wealthy, I think) and going to be a real kingdom builder!!

Woo! Also: we teach him in English a lot, since he's pretty good at it. When we taught him the Joseph Smith story, Sister G began quoting the first vision, "I saw a pillar of light directly over my head..." Apparently he didn't hear that she was quoting it because his eyes got really wide and he said, "Really? You saw that?!" and we all just doubled up in peals of laughter. SO FUNNY. He's so great. And he has the sweetest girlfriend ever. Her mom is a Jehovah's witness, however, so that could be a little trouble. But don't worry, they will be an eternal family someday.

By the way, Ostrava is crawling with Jehovah's Witnesses. This past week we've been "JW'd" so many times, it's unreal. Some of them are really nice. Some of them are really rude and pushy. Some of them don't talk about anything but 'God's name'. It's pretty interesting. But we had a lesson with one last week and have another on the plan this next week. She's really great, but I can't help but wonder if she's planning to convert us...

Daddio, I've heard so much about that statistic regarding Czech Rep becoming the first entirely atheist country! Some people are really proud of it--they think it means they're more intelligent or independent or something. Others think it's really sad. But I think perhaps agnostic would be a better diagnosis for most of these people--half of the people I meet who say they are atheist, just say that because they know nothing about God and were never raised that way, but privately admit that they've prayed before or that they think something exists. I think the census tends to persuade people to put what most people would put because they're really somewhere in between the categories given.

Also: This month = AWESOME APRIL (to be said in a British accent because of our beloved President Irwin). Yesterday we had a mission fast for miracles and to consecrate ourselves. Each week we have something special planned--this week, on the 181st anniversary of the church, each companionship is going to hand out at least 20 restoration pamphlets and receive 10 A#s (appoints + numbers). I'm so excited--expect to hear of miracles in the upcoming emails!!

Everybody, this work is just the best thing ever! I got a letter from Molls the other day (LOVE you!) who asked if it's really as wonderful as I make it sound. Of course it's really really hard sometimes. Of course there are times when I want to pull out my hair or cry or kick someone "in the stomach or maybe a little bit lower" (as Sister G said last Saturday). But every day I see things that make it so so worth it! And the more I am envolved in this work, the happier I feel. And this happiness is not based upon the things that happen to me, but comes from somewhere deep within. And it burns brighter and brighter each time I share it with someone, regardless of whether or not they accept. And that's what I want for everyone. And that's why I'm here, because that's what Jesus Christ does to people. I love how C.S. Lewis wrote once that after a while we stop doing good things merely to try to get to heaven, but instead we do them because a bit of heaven is already inside of us. That's how this gospel changes people. I just love it.
And I love you!

S laskou,

sestra dean

P.S.
Beks! You're awesome--keep sharing the miracles with us! They get me so pumped up every time!

Jordan Davis AND Jordan McDonnel engaged! Holy--! Do I know any of these lucky ladies?!

Apparently two wonderful women from the branch in Ostrava found a blonde-haired friend of mine on temple square! I'm not exactly sure who it is, since Em is already home, but I'm ACHING to know! Someone please spill. :)

Speaking of Em and Briegle being home--addresses, please?!

bangarang baptism baptism bap-bap-baptism!! (March 28th, 2011)

Oh my, fam-a-ram-damly! It's so good to hear from you! Twice! People just have no idea what it does to a missionary, seeing an in-box full of so many little informational goodies! I love you!

Before I forget, here's an email that I received from Petr Bandik, who is now in Canada:

Hi there.
I know I am supposed to write letters, so will make it quick 8]. I was to church today. So many gr8 people. Stayed to single ward, was invited by some girls to a party to their house today. My landlady supercool, always cooking something for us [am living with one Saudi Arabian and one Korean student]. I went to church with her today, she is also a member. And the best of all. I got a job already. Am starting from monday as a landscaper. Will have 3.000 CAD a month. Am giving thanks to Lord for every minute I can stay here. So have a nice time only and let the Lord send lot of blessings to you. Say my hello to sisters.
Petr B.
PS: am missing all of you much

Sounds like he's doing great, right?

A few notes:
I think that woman you're referring to is Sister Renata Blombergova, an AWESOME member here in Ostrava who makes the MOST DELICIOUS FOOD I'VE EVER EVER HAD. EVER. She promised she'd give me the recipe. She's amazing--loves the missionaries so much and is so willing to help with everything. Incredible story--she was baptized FIVE days after her first spiritual contact with the missionaries (she'd been coming to english for 9 months before that)--man, was she prepared. BUT! Tomorrow, she and another angel-woman-member are flying to AMERICA! They are going to General Conference and visiting as many temples and missionaries as possible. The two of them together are something of a comedy routine, especially when they try to speak English. I'm sure the United States will never be the same again.

Yes, my grammar is slowly morphing in to an awkward hybrid of Czech and English--Czenglish, I suppose. But in a way I don't mind it--speaking Czech feels much more natural. It hit me in the middle of church yesterday that I understood almost everything the teachers were saying. The way I see it, laugh at my grammar all you want--I live the the Czech Rep, baby.

Soooo YESTERDAY WE HAD TWO BAPTISMS!!! WOO! Rosta is the world's most adorable man. Really. After the baptism he bore his testimony (here the word testimony has a slightly different connotation...it's more like the events and things that happen to you that have led you to believe, rather than the things that one believes...interesting..) and I couldn't help but shed a few happy tears. I'd never heard the entire thing before. It was basically this: all his life he's been searching for something, but he didn't know what. He's read hundreds of books with all sorts of different advice and none of them have filled that hole in his life. One day he finally even went into a Catholic church and tried praying, asking God for direction, if He even existed. Shortly after that, he met Sister Laws in the park while I was doing phone calls trying to set up appointments. He says that he looks back on these past few months as the happiest of his 47 years of life. He knows that this is what he was looking for. He told us that he read the Book of Mormon every chance he gets. And he's a completely different person now--our first few meetings he was afraid to read out loud in front of 3 other people, and on Saturday he stood up in front of 20 or 30 and bore his soul. It was utterly beautiful.

Kaja was baptized as well. It was really great to see both of those people we've been working with for the past few months finally make that covenant with the Lord. I LOVE baptisms!

Something funny: Czech people love their dogs. Really. It's unreal. Every morning, at 6:30, when we go running we see the same people walking their dogs. It's kind of become a game between S. Ganby and I to tell people that they have a nice dog (mate hezkeho psa!). As missionaries we talk to people often about the purpose of life and ask people what the purpose of their lives is. Quote from Sister G: (hezky = pretty/nice/handsome/etc) "In Czech Republic people's purpose of life is the dog. Really. So when we tell them 'mate hezkeho psa' they think, 'Oh, I have a hezky purpose of life' and they are really flattered. So we need to tell them that." HA! I don't know if anyone else will think that's funny, but I couldn't help laughing my name tag off. The next day I met someone who told me that her dog gives her purpose in life. Shortly after that, we visited a less-active woman whose life is falling apart because her dog is sick. Really, she told us that she is willing to lose her job in order to take care of it. She stopped coming to church because someone told her it wasn't appropriate to bring the dog inside the chapel with her and she got offended. She visits the vet every day (EVERY DAY!) because of this dog. It costs a lot of money. Her daughter is off throwing her life away and she's worried about the dog. The dog's not even dying, it just has a hurt foot. As much as I love dogs, the more she spoke about it, the more I wanted to throw the dog out the window. Then I made Sister Ganby promise me that if that ever happened, she'd shoot my dog.

Anyways...I just love this life. It really is the best. We will watch conference the week after you, april 9/10. AAAND we will have another baptism in between sessions!! (Not us, the elders, really.) BUT it's this awesome woman we really want Rosta to marry (well, first we want him to baptize her and then marry her). But it will make it the best Conference ever! We'll just watch it on a TV at the church, but I am already SO SO excited for it!

Life is just graaaaaaaaaaaand.

s laskou,

sestra dean

P.S. Not a ton to say about Michal right now....his purpose of life is his job, which is bad. Keep praying for him. Isn't it interesting how we can choose to throw away a real miracle with our stupid decisions? L-AME.

Co ze?! (March 21, 2011)

With Petr Bandik (First Baptism)

Hello my dearies!

Looks like Satan stole your email to me again. Bummer. I hope you are just forgetful and not in some sort of grave danger. But I did get to catch up on everything regarding Sister DeMordaunt and the work in Taiwan. Serious Clark--that is incredible! ELEVEN investigators at church!! It's unreal and yet so inspiring! I always want to go out and do missionary work more than ever after reading your emails. I can't believe that Em and Brie are both coming home this month! Yesterday I was just trying to figure out when it was that Brie was supposed to come home...but for some reason I kept imagining that it was only last September that Molls and Beks and I drove up to Rupert for the big farewell. When Beks wrote that in her letter I couldn't figure it out in my head. It honestly just barely hit me that last september I was already a missionary. Time goes by SO SO SO fast! I can't even believe it! Sometimes I feel like all I ever do is wake up in the morning. I used to make fun of all my comps for being tired all the time (sorry Sister Wheeler)...it hasn't begun affecting me during the day so much, but I'm starting to feel it when 6:30 comes around. Some days I have to make myself sit up ASAP so that I don't drift off again.

A side note: For the record, I do have to say this in case anyone who happens to know E. Ingalls is reading my blog: he's really a good missionary. We didn't have to break him of anything, his mother raised him well, I suppose. Looks like we'll have to find another project for the transfer. We'll just stick to preaching the good word for now. :)

So Kaja might be getting baptized on Saturday...I really hope so. I know he knows this stuff--a lot of people get nervous just before baptism. But if he just goes through with it he'll see that it's so worth it--that the fears and doubts are just the opposition that comes right before we have the opportunity to really make something of ourselves--spis, really let God make something of us.

Rosta is wonderful. We visited him at his home for the first time this past week. Afterwards, when we thanked him for the food, he said, "No--thank YOU! You brought a light into my life. I'm happy now." It's amazing to see someone recognize that difference in his own life so soon. Sometimes it seems that I can see the difference in investigators before they see it in themselves, but not with him. He's wonderful. He told his parents about his baptism last night--can't wait to find out today how it went! He's worried they might not like it, but he's determined to go through with it anyway.

Saw Petr for the last time today--he'll be in Vacouver by Thursday! I forgot to get his address, but I'll get it from him tonight.

I'm trying to think of other things to report...not a ton other than the normal missionary things. We've met some interesting new people this week--I hope I have something to report on them next week! I love what Beks said in her email about miracles and how they happen every day. Every contact is a miracle--it's a miracle that out of thousands and thousands of people we missionaries happen to be in the right spot to talk to the right person. Not every miracle here becomes a baptism, which I did not expect before being a missionary. Lots of times God works miracles in our lives and then we choose not to take advantage of the leg-up. But I love that God still works those miracles anyways... He loves us so much that He will offer us happiness, even if He knows we're too silly to accept it. And he won't just offer it once, He'll offer it over and over again. I don't know how many times I've felt that during a contact that didn't end up with another appointment--that my conversation with that person, however repugnant they may have been, was a part of God's plan to prepare them to accept that message later on, from another missionary. A missionary here that I really look up to used to always say, "The next time he/she talks with the missionaries, they'll set up an appointment for sure", never even questioning the odds of that really happening. It's so true those--OF COURSE God will provide them with more opportunities to hear the truth, whether it's in this life or the next. THAT'S how much He loves us. At the same time, it also puts a lot of responsibility on me--to help prepare them/help the prepared by following the spirit promptly. It's challenging sometimes, but oh so worth it. I love love LOVE being able tell people during a contact that it wasn't on accident that we were both here at this time and that we are talking--that God planned it because He loves you and He wants to have a real relationship with you. Because it's true.

Ahhh--the gospel's true! Tell everyone!

I love you all.

Zdravim,

Sestra Dean

P.S. Gayann, I loved the little note! I'm so grateful for your prayers--they mean everything to me. I think that analogy was original. That is, no one told it to me, but I doubt I'm the only one to ever think of it. It just fits too perfectly, right?

Beks: Bacon. Runny=me, every other week here. Doesn't that song say something about ovaries in it? Gotta love Molls! And holy--how do you stay so well-informed about everyone over there?!

Emily Sorenson: YOU'RE HOME!! AHHH! I can't even believe it! It was just yesterday that we were visiting you and getting advice from you in temple square! And then I was reading about you getting lice in Texas! AHH! I love you, I want to hear all your awkward post-mission stories. :)