What is new everyone? I hope all is well. I have had an interesting week. It may not seem interesting in the same way to you, since you didn't exactly experience it, but for me it gave me some great insights and helped me realized some important things. I know that as we live according to the gospel and apply it to our own lives, we will learn much and see the importance of this church. So here is my week. :)
30.7.12
P-Day started out great... the turn out will be seen in due time. We did our personal studies and planned a great lesson with the girl I mentioned in previous entries that was met in the Bilá Hora Park. It was going to be a great lesson. I was excited to have it. That morning, we also sent a message to get confirm where we would meet. We went on later in our day and went shopping for our food for the week, did our emailing home, and then did some nice letter writing. It was a nice relaxed P-Day. A couple hours before our nice lesson with that girl we called her because she didn't reply to the message we sent earlier. She answered the phone and the conversation went as follows (translated):
Me: Hey, are you still able to meet? :)
She: I actually am not home right now.
Me: Okay, when can we meet then?
She: Ummm... Never.
Silence (I was speechless)
Me: So, you are not interested?
She: Yes.
Silence
She: Goodbye.
Me: …. bye.
She seemed like she was so ready a couple days ago. This experience broke my heart because I know what kind of happiness this girl was missing out on. I pray that she will run into missionaries later on in life and realized the importance for the gospel. After that, my whole night was ruined. I don't know what caused this experience to be so affecting on me, but it gives me a small perspective of how much our Father in Heaven loves us.
Other than that, today was a quick, normal day. We have a busy day tomorrow and 4 lessons on plan, all within a few hours. Util then. :)
31.7.12
Videli jsme velký zazrak dneska! After what happened yesterday, I woke up with reluctance and you could probably guess why. That experience from yesterday totally extinguished what I had burning inside me. It was, to me, one of those kind of experiences that make you question what went wrong and why I am out here. Because of this, last night I prayed to see a miracle. I expressed to my Heavenly Father that I wanted to see something that would bring my testimony back up to where it was. Today, my testimony shot up more than it was at yesterday. We had a lesson with a young kid named Ivo. He had been contacted on the Naměstí by Starší Štrobl a couple weeks ago. He told us today that he had actually been recently looking some stuff up about Mormons and then Starší Štrobl and him met a couple days later. Anyway, so we started out lesson and had Brother Čadeni (the former branch president) teach with us. We talked about how through the Book of Mormon, things that are done wrong in the past are made right. Ivo, Brother Čhadeni, and us missionaries felt the spirit very strong. After a little discussion about the Book of Mormon we had Brother Čadeni give his testimony on it. His testimony was great. We then watched a video that we got at our last zone conference. The DVD is of a few members here in the Czech Republic giving their testimony then part of a conference talk explaining the importance of the Book of Mormon. We started the video and it went most of the way through when I started to worry if it was too long. (It was only 15 min.) Then it ended and we talked about it. We asked our investigator a couple questions and testified and then he replied, saying "After watching the DVD, I have to read the book!" Then he said "If the Book of Mormon is what you say it is, I will read it from cover to cover at once!"
After he committed himself to read the Book of Mormon, we talked about baptism. Now about 5 minutes before the lesson started, Elder Štrobl and I were deciding whether or not to give him a baptismal date. We talked about it and were thinking September 1st, then we thought, maybe a bit longer may be good... We never made an exact decision but in the lesson we asked him; "When you find out that these things are true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" He said yes. Then we decided to go for a date so we asked him to prepare for the 1st of September. In response he said "That is a long way away... but yeah, definitely." Wait!!! Take a pause. Did you hear that?!?!? He said it was a long time away and it is only a month!!! Can you say PREPARED?! People here are never that easy about it. They always say that even two months away is soon! But he said it is a long time!
This is just great work here. Ivo is so ready and willing to follow Christ! He wants to change his life around and his desire just motivates me to work harder. Ivo just recently texted us and said "I want to change. I have read the prolog and introduction already and even have my book at work! I will do everything to know the Book of Mormon is true and to come to know God."
Just his desire to learn and grow in faith proves to me that God does exist and is our Father in Heaven, who love us. I know that the decision to serve a mission was THE RIGHT CHOICE. I love the gospel and I love the Savior, Jesus Christ. I look forward to all the other miracles I will see on my mission.
2.8.12
Wow, today was kind of a rough day. We started out having a little bit of contacting people on the way to a lesson we had, and it went alright... like normal people nicely declined and I am fine with nice declining. We had our lesson that turned out to be like the lessons usually are. We tried to teach the restoration for the third time. Like last time though, our investigator always turned the conversion around to how much she dislikes her mother. Dislike, to put it nicely. We left her a chapter to read about the Christ-like attribute of charity. After this lesson, we did some more finding. We walked around, trying to go where we felt right in the area we planned the night before to contact. People got more ferocious than earlier in the day. It really frustrates me. So many people don't know what they are saying "No." so bluntly and easily to. Now after we did this and endured it for some time, we had a nice dinner at the Čadeni's. We had chicken steaks and potato wedges. It was very good. We then shared a spiritual thought at the end. We talked about Joseph Smith and the restoration through him. The spiritual thought went well and then we finished off our evening with more contacting.
3.8.12
Today was another rough day. Oh man. First, our lesson canceled on us and we tried to call them, but they just "Red-Buttoned" us. That simply means that they press the end-call button on their phone when we ring them. So, we walked to a park to go contacting in. We talked to people and peoples' replies to us just hurt me. For example we would say "Dobrý Den" (Hello) and they would get mad and show us how unhappy they could get. It makes me frustrated sometimes. I know now, how Nephi feels in 2 Nephi 33:3, when he says;
"But, I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry."
For me, I, Elder Bahr, have said what I have said and see it of being great worth and especially for my people here in the Czech Republic. For I pray for them often and my heart continues to ache for them, because of them; and I pray to my God and know that he will hear my prayer.
People here really don't know what they are saying no to. It makes me so frustrated too. I have all these feelings going through my body when people say no so quickly. I can see a little bit why I am in this mission though. This mission is very difficult. It is in fact the most difficult. People may disagree, but from words I heard from an apostle, this can be labeled as the most difficult. I have had some trials and tests of faith and patience. There are things I need to learn. I have already learned a couple things, but I have much learning to go.
4.8.12
We had a nice amount of service today. We went to the Všiansky, a family in the branch, and did some service for them. We helped put some hay for rabbits from one big bag into a bunch of little bags and we helped take stuff up into their attic. For a few minutes he showed us his shot-putt "field" and had our own Olympics, as he called it. He got first place, my companion got 2nd place, and I got 3rd. It was all good fun. After we did a couple hours of service, they fed us lunch. We think it was duck. A story about this duck can be shared later. After we did that we came home and did some planning for the week for our investigators. We have two people scheduled to be baptized on September 1st! It is going to be great. We went contacting on the naměstí after that. A namestí is the Czech word for town square, which word I like better than the English way. Then we went to our district language study and went home. Today was an average day.
Well, that is all for this week. I am glad to be serving. I have been able to learn patience this last week and that is a great thing to learn. It is a Christ-like attribute too. I am happy for all the blessings that I have received and that my family has received. I am greatful that this mission has changed me thus far and I only await for the rest ahead of me. Everyone take care this week and don't forget to what? ... Replace fear with faith. Oh, I love that quote. Until next week!
-Elder Bahr
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