Week Four!

I am shocked at how fast time flies!!! I am already in my fourth week!

So. This past week was fun! First off, I want to say that I went on
an exchange with an Elder from my MTC group. It was crazy. Two
greenies serving together for a day. We had a lesson with a guy named
Michal. He is really similar to an investigator that our MTC teacher
played and we are both convinced that it IS him. I am excited about
that. Both Michals had the same background story and everything!
That would be cool if it was him. :) I asked my MTC teacher in a
letter, so in a couple weeks after he replies, I should know. Michal
always talks about our teacher too, so that is another convincing
piece of evidence.

So last Friday is was really cold. Actually it has been really cold
since I got here. Yesterday it was 10 degrees fahrenheit! But
anyway, last Friday it was so cold that when we got back to our
apartment, I pulled my mini slovník (dictionary) out of my pocket and
it had frost of it!

We had a lesson with a Jana and it was very spiritual. We explained
why the fall of Adam was a good thing. I felt the spirit teaching
though me. I taught a big chuck of it too. My Czech is slowly, but
surely getting better.

The past few weeks, one day a week we have had to travel somewhere.
Last week we went to Brno for specialized training. All the lessons
prepare were very good. We practiced some good things that are
necessary in teaching. Also, we had more in depth interviews with out
mission presidents. I brought up some concerns about my testimony. I
had felt that since I started my mission, my testimony had weakend.
President Irwin then talked to me about patience. I have decided to
study patience now. I feel better and I am thankful we have mission
presidents to help us. I have so much more confidence in my testimony
and I feel like this next week is going to be very good. We have a
bunch of lessons with people and I am excited to share what I know is
true with people!

We also have a trip to Brno again for zone conference this week! We
get to hear from a member of the seventy. Then in March, we get to
hear from an apostle!

Oh, another thing about last week's Brno meeting. My sister Dani will
be excited to hear this; I found a Döner Kebab!!! I got one, and it
was delicious. A Döner Kebab is like a Gyro, but kind of German. :)
Also, another thing I tried last week was something that is
surprisingly good. Aloe Vera Water. It is sweet water with pieces of
Aloe Vera floating around. It is a drink that you either like or
don't like. I like it.

Interesting story; Lately, I have been waking up at like 2 and 5 in
the morning. I don't know why though. And it is almost always at
these exact times! Also, regarding sleep... I had some pretty cool
dreams lately and they are all things that I want to do. I had one
where I was flying commercial jets for an airline, I tried out for
American Idol, I was on a hockey team, and I met President Monson.
Funny thing with the President Monson dream: we were at a big theater
and he was sitting in the balcony in the same row as me. I decided to
show him a magic trick. However, everytime I did it, I messed up. I
probably did it 20 times before I got it right.

Anyway, back to my letter. I enjoy it here and see the Lords hand in
may things. I really enjoy being able to walk up to anyone an bear
testimony to them that God loves them and that there is a way to
return to live with him again. I know that what I am doing is Gods
work and that I am here as a representative of Jesus Christ. I love
the gospel and the organization in the church. This is the church of
JEsus Christ on the earth today. Through Christ we can get through
anything. As we replace fear with faith, God will open up pathways
for us and give us blessings. Take care until next week. I love you
all!

-S Laskou, Starší Bahr.

P.S. Happy Birthday Robbie!

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Ostrava, Week 3 Already!

Well time sure sure does fly. I don't feel like I have been here that
long, but I am already in week 3. I have so many things to talk
about. Most of them will take a couple sentences to say so, here they
are:

First on the list is food prices here are so cheap. It is nice. I
can get almost a weeks worth of food here for 300 Kč (about 15
dollars). That doesn't include going out for food occasionally. :)

I learned recently that in the Czech Republic there are two
interesting things. One; anyone can park their car anywhere as long
as they put their hazard lights on. All down the street are lights
flashing. It is funny. The second thing is that there are 365 Czech
names here. If you are born on a given day, the name that is on that
day is assigned to you unless you want to pay extra money to have a
different name on the list and if you want a name that isn't on the
list, you have to pay even more money. I would say there is still a
bit of communism influence here.

We have a kid on date for baptism here! His name is Simon. We asked
him and he said without hesitation yes. :) That is exciting!

So in a meeting last week with someone, his girlfriend or wife came in
(I don't know their relation) and she couldn't hear us so I started
signing ASL to her and she started signing back, but her sign language
was Czech and she thought mine was Polish. Funny thing is, people
always think we are from Poland, by the way we talk.

This mission in difficult here. People often will stop talking to us
after we mention the name Jesus Christ and sometimes people don't even
talk to us. They will just completely ignore us. Just the other day
I went up to a guy probably in his late 30s and asked if I could help
him carry his groceries in and he responded with "Go help old people
who can't do stuff for themselves." I am happy I am here though.

The snow finally stopped and it is almost melted. I like the snow
though. I hope it snows again. It is really cold too!!!! I am glad
I invested in some scarves before I came out.

Interesting fact I found out yesterday... We are just about 4 miles from Poland!

So next transfer it is likely, due to the past few transfers will be
with an Elder from our MTC group. We might be follow up training each
other! It is crazy since we both know so little Czech. Also, this
Wednesday, us two will be on exchanges together. It is funny, my
trainer said "Don't burn down my area." (Referring to our exchange
this Wednesday). I replied with "It is my area too. I can burn down
half of it." It was funny, but you may just had to have been there
and heard it yourself to make it funny. :)

A few days ago, we had a feast! A member invited us over for Lunch
and fed us a four course meal! We had a dish called Svíčkova. It was
great. Google it and make some. it is SO good. After the soup and
Svíčkova, I thought we were finished but then she brought out a fruit
bowl and caramel cake. I was SO full!

There is a really good drink here called Kofola. It tastes a little
like black licorice, but that isn't the main flavor. It is like Coke
with a hint of licorice. Never mind, I can't explain it without it
sounding gross. Just try it someday. I heard it is in Chicago too,
so I guess you will have to travel there.

So we had specialized training this last week and it was fun and very
insightful. It was in Olemoc. We have some new commitments to keep
too, like bring up scriptures in every contact. I think that is how
to spell it. There are such cool places here. There are towers all
over the Czech Republic that praise saints and people like that but
none have Christ on them. We call the Towers of Apostasy. They are
big and cool looking though. The biggest one is in Olemoc.

One thing I forgot to do earlier this month and I apologise for was
wishing a Happy Birthday to my sister and dad, so Happy Birthday to
you two. :)

Well, I need to go but I am glad to be here and am blessed to be in
this mission. It is difficult but I know with God's help and if I
replace fear with faith, all will be well. I love you all and wish
you a great week.

Starší Bahr.

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Hey Everyone!

I am having fun in Ostrava, Czech Republic.  I do not know what all to write and I got so many emails this week that I only have half the time left, but all is well¨.

 

First, I forgot to mention our fast we had for an elder in our district at the MTC.  He had knee problems and potentially had to stay behind at the MTC till he got better or even be sent home for surgery.  Our district decided to fast and long story short, he was completely fine to come with us!  One statement about that... The church is true.

 

Now on to life in Ostrava.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to spend my first transfer with an amazing elder whose last transfer in this one.  He is Elder Gibson from Idaho.  He is probably the best trainer to have.  He lets me do a lot of talking to people.  I have been able to talk with many people here and though about 96 percent turn me away once I mention the name Jesus Christ, there are a few who listen and it is very nice.  I have been able to get probably 5 phone numbers for return appointments.

 

This week......... I do not know what to say.  It has been good.  It has snowed everyday since we have been here.  We have a nice view of a big kostel (Catholic Church) out our back window and mountains, some city, and some sort of industrial plant out the front.  It is cold here, but I love it.  We are on the 4th floor of an apartment complex and have a balcony.  The elevator is jank.  It occasionally gets stuck but then with some work, it gets free.  I love it.  :)

 

We have had one meeting with an investigator named Geyza.  He has met with missionaries a lot but has not been baptized.  We are working on him.  He will eventually sometime this transfer.  Other than that, our other few meetings have fallen through and people on the street scatter like cockroaches when they see us or somehow sense us coming.

 

I wish I had more time to email and more things to talk about, but I will let pictures explain that and this next week I will write a list of things to talk about like I did in the MTC so I can remember it all.  I will send the pictures in a different email.

 

Take care and replace fear with faith.

 

Starší Bahr

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Ahoj, z Česka Republika!!

Wow, I have had a crazy last few days.  After many hours of travel, I am in the Czech Republic now!!

 

I have so many things to say and so little time, but here it is...

I know I said that I would post pictures today, but I did not have time to unpack my bags and find my cord to my camera.  I will next P Day.  P Day is Monday here.

 

I saw a few people recently.  I saw my good friend Amanda Tomlinson at the temple.  I almost did not recognize her.  It was good though.  I also saw a friend from Salem, Brice Davis.

 

So while at the MTC, I had a few goals.  I was going to run a 4.30 mile and break the record... I played basketball the whole time and never got around to it.  The other goal was to sing for everyone at the MTC.  I did not realize that I had so little time to audition and perform until it was too late... and the song I wanted to sing was already chosen.

 

We got to finally host new missionaries!!!  As I did it, I got SO excited for other missionaries coming in.  It brought back memories to when I arrived there.  I hope they enjoy it!

 

At our feild orientation, I go to be in the play they have.  I was a ward missionary.  It was a fun character I played and the lines were pretty much improv, so it was great.  Also during the field orientation, we got to use iPads and iPods to watch videos and listen to some audio to tell us history and help us learn.  It was interesting using them as a missionary...  A really cool experience I heard about during the field orientation was about how when President Monson was a mission president, his elders we tracting and came across a man by the name of Mr. Pollard.  He invited the missionaries in and started asked if they could pray.  He did and had prayed that the missionaries would go home and stop wasting time.  The elders left after the man said to leave and as they walked away, the junior companion stopped and said that they should go back.  They did and a bit later President Monson heard in sacrament meeting, this story and a testimony by this same man, Mr. Pollard.  The entire family of Mr. Polard was converted.  This reminded me of a quote by a good friend Elder Draper... "Replace fear with faith."  If we forget about our fears of being rejected, we will have the help of the Lord.

 

Now to tell you about my flight.  We flew from Salt Lake City, UT to Chicago.  After an hour layover, we flew across the Atlantic to London, England.  It was a long flight, but I had to wonderful opportunity to speak to a 29 year old man from Chicago going to the Netherlands for a job interview to be an assistant professor.  We spoke about how we receive inspiration from God and how we can ask God for answers.  I said it is through feelings and he said it was our mind choosing the best or most wanted option.  Although he was very intelligent and had logical answers, I testified to him and told him experiences I had relating to this topic.  By the end of our flight, I said how there are some missionaries in Chicago that would love to talk to him and I asked for his contact information.  He disagreed that they would love to talk to him because he has his logic and intelligent opinions, but he gladly gave me his contacts.  I am glad we have the organization in this church where we can give referrals all over the world to other missionaries in their area.  After I got into London, we had a 5 hour layover, then we flew to Prague!!

 

As I landed, I thought to myself "Why am I here?"  I then looked down at my name tag and saw the name of Jesus Christ and new why I was here.  I am happy to be a missionary.

 

When we got to Prague we left the airport.  One companion, the British one, lost his pass port and could not make it through.  We called the airplane and they found it there on his seat.  Then we went to the mission home and met our mission president.  He is the BEST!!!!  We went on a Prague walk with the APs and saw some cool things then went to dinner and got some REALLY GOOD FOOD.  We came back and went to a Bed and Breakfast and went to sleep.  I slept really well.

 

This morning we got up and went back to the mission home for breakfast then we got our companions!!!  My companion and trainer is Elder Gibson.  We are serving in Ostrava.  We registered with the foreign police and left for our city.  There was a little confusion with the foreign police.  I was already registered at an address for some reason.  Not a problem though.  Then we took a train to our city and are now getting settled in.

 

All is well and I am excited to serve.  It is crazy here and definitely different.  As I continue to do well and replace fear with faith, I will grow to love the people and have the best time of my life.  I love you all!!  Talk to you Monday.

 

Starší Bahr

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Preston Bahr with his mission president.

7 Days till Prague!!!

Good Morning Everyone!

 

It is good to wake up and the first thing done, write to everyone and tell people about my experiences I have had.

 

This last week was not AMAZING, but it was good.  Some fun things happened.

 

First off, remember how I recently had to get a root canal?  Then I said how my English companion needed one?...  Well, our Italian companion just got one too.  He was having a bad toothache, so he needed to get one.  It is funny because all three of us had the wonderful opportunity to share the experience together of getting a root canal.  I used to think of us as the "Tall Trio" because we are all so tall, and now we are the Tall Trio with Root Canals!  We are all triplets!  We match!  Well, not exactly, because the Englishman and I got ours on our right front tooth, and the Italian got his on one of his molars.

 

The next cool thing that happened was I saw a friend of mine come in last Wednesday!!!!  Good old Ethan Rank showed up!  Right when I saw him, I ran up from behind him and gave him a good hug!  He was probably thinking, "Who is this guy hugging me?"  When he saw who it was, he got excited and it was nice to see another friend of mine.  I have seen so many people I know here.  Also last Wednesday, a couple people from my mission prep class arrived.  I love my friends.  They are awesome, and it is always good to see friends that I haven't seen for a while!

 

Just a few days ago, I was doing a magic trick for Elder Clyde in my class.  It was the trick where I make a pen disappear in my nose in pretty much one second.  After I did this trick, ironically my nose started to bleed.  It was great.  I have never had that happen.  To be honest, the pen doesn't even go up my nose.  I am confused to see how it made my nose do this..... anyway.  :)  Good times.

 

So this last Sunday we had a speaker from the MTC who works in the department regarding taking care of the other MTCs.  His whole talk was sharing pictures and talking about them real quick.  The first few minutes into it, I thought it was going to be boring and a waste of time.  I decided to go on with a good attitude.  By the end, and actually in the middle, I realized the importance.  One of the main ideas was how significant this mission is and how serious it needs to be taken.  He also was sharing stories about other missionaries going to other MTCs and problems they had and how the Lord haled them.  It made my heart soften even more and I want to serve my God even more diligently and help His children, my brothers and sisters.  It was a good Sunday evening fireside.

 

We learned a cool song in Czech this last week!  It is a nursery rhyme of sorts.  It goes like this (Translation is with it):

 

Mama mi dala korunu

My mom gave me some money

Abych koupil rybu.

So that I could buy a fish.

A já, misto ryby, ryby,

And I, instead of a fish

Koupil jsem velrybu.

I bought a whale.

Co dělá ryba?  Ocasem chybá!

What does a fish do?  Moves by the means of his tail!

Proč?  Proč?

Why?  Why?

Protože je ryba rybou!

Because a fish is a fish!

 

I like this song.  We all song it all the time.

 

The last thing was an experience that I had last night that proves that prayer works.  I was going through the last hours of the evening talking with Elder Robison about choir songs we and sang in our High School choirs.  There was a song I was trying to remember that I couldn't and I really wanted to remember it.  I went to bed and laid there and prayed that I would remember this song.  It was a beautiful song and wanted to remember it.  Right when I said "... please help me remember this song."  The song started playing in my head and it sounded great.  I immediately went on the thank my Heavenly Father.  I know that sincere prayer is the key to receiving help from our Heavenly Father.  We just have to replace fear with faith and open up our hearts to God.

 

Next time I write will be in the Czech Republic!  I wish everyone the best!  Cheers!

 

Starší Preston Bahr

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