Hard, Diligent Work - Pleasant, Rewarding Blessings!

Every night this week, we went to bed tired.  We have been working very hard.  In most cases, we have about 9 or so lessons a week.  This week we taught a total of 17 lessons!  Almost every day we have had full.  17 may not sound like a bunch but with the other things a missionary must do, that is a lot of work.  We also got 5 new people to teach!  We have truly been blessed by our service this week.

 

Here is a quick rundown:

Monday:  Normal preparation day activities were done and we went out on the streets in the evening to find people.

Tuesday:  7 lessons.  We met with two recent converts.  They are doing well.  We then had 5 other lessons.  We taught our English class and showed a church film after.  Many of the people we met with made big leaps in their conversion.

Wednesday:  We had our weekly district meeting and then helped the sister missionaries find some new people to teach.  When we got back we had a lesson with an investigator.  The lesson was a great, spiritual lesson and we showed our desire to help this person and showed our love for them.  He will continue to grow.

Thursday:  This day we met with two less active members and helped them strengthen their testimony.  These two members are great people and we enjoy seeing them at church, they just need to come.  :)

Friday:  We met with an investigator and then with his friends after.  Our investigator had a big roadblock in his progression due to some anti-mormon things on the internet.  We talked with him about it and he is doing much better.  Slowly but surly he is progressing.  Then we had a lesson at the branch president's home.  It was a nice lesson.  The kids were very active, but everyone grew spiritually.  Even the children.  :)

Saturday:  This day we had our weekly planning with took time from the work, but we still got some lessons in and some finding on the streets.  During our finding, we talked to a lady and invited her to church.  Later that evening before we were going to bed, she called us and asked more about church like where, when, and what goes on.

Sunday:  That same lady we met on Saturday came to church.  We had 3 of our investigators at church and one of our English students!  It was a great Sunday too!  Our branch is wonderful.

Oh, It has also been snowing all week!  The sidewalks are icey and slippery, I won't name names, but people keep falling.  :)

 

Anyway, I don't have enough time to explain every detail of everyday, but from my view, we had an outstanding week.  I love this work and hav a testimony of diligent work.  Hard, diligent work brings the best of blessings when we work for God.  Replacing fear with faith and just getting right down to work, taking every minute moves God's work and glory forward which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children; You, me, your parents, friends, co-workers, neighbors, everyone.  Try this week to do all you can to take part in God's work and he will share a taste of eternal joy with you.

 

S Laskou, Elder Bahr

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Dobrý Den Všem!

Last time I wrote was 4 days ago so I do not have too much new to say.  I am happy.  This work is going great.  This week, I feel like not much was done, but then when I look back, I realize how much was done.  Though we may not have had a lot of lessons with people, we have been talking  to many.  We have been a lot on the streets looking for people to teach.  We had a few lessons with Zbyšek and Ludvik this week while our other investigator are trying to find time.  We have also been visiting some less active members.

Just a couple stories.  We were finding people on the streets the other day and we stopped a lady who had ran into us before.  She asked us how God could exist when all the bad things happen in the world.  We explained what we could and then offered the Book of Mormon which can answer that question, help us improve the world situation, and give us peace in times of difficulty.  We continued talking a bit more and invited her to church.  She told us she would come.  Most of the time, people say that and don't show up.  At church though yesterday, in walks in Jaroslava.  She enjoyed church and the members enjoyed her company.  After church, she asked us if she could have a copy of the Book of Mormon. We are meeting with her this week.

Another man we met near our home.  We were just about to turn to our flat when I felt like we should talk to a man that was walking toward us.  So that we could talk to him, we slowed our pace and when he was closer, we talked with him.  At first he said no, but as we continued talking and testifying he felt the spirit.  He had the same concern as Jaroslava whether God exists or not, but the spirit worked through us to help him feel the comfort of this message and the love of God.

This last Sunday was fast Sunday too.  Church was amazing.  Most members got up and bore their personal testimonies of the Book of Mormon and this church.  The spirit was felt by everyone.  It was one of the best testimony meetings I have had.  A few people expressed thanks to us missionaries in very humble ways, but I know that God is the true one to thank.  I know that when we do what God expects, he can help us to bless people around us.  I am thankful that He has called me here as an instrument in His hands to make a difference in the lives of others and to spread the light of Christ with people.  This gospel is true and can make people happy not only now, but forever.

I don't have much more to say.  Pray for missionary opportunities and "Vyměňte Strach s Vírou!" (Replace Fear with Faith).

Elder Bahr

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Šťastný Nový Rok!!!!!

It is a new year!  I hope it started out well for everyone.  Last year was quick.  Here in a couple days will be the day a year ago I arrived in the Czech Republic.  Many good things happened.  I started in Ostrava with my trainer Elder Gibson.  We taught some good people.  Alena Fafejtová was a miracle.  She was so humble and wanting to learn.  She was preparing for baptism then had to move far away to take care of her mother.  I have faith that she is still reading and coming closer to the savior on her own.  I hope before I leave my mission I can see her again.  She is a dear person to me.  I remember I was discouraged about my Czech and she told me not to worry, that soon I would be able to speak well.  She had a lot of faith in me.  I thank her for her faith.  The next transfer I was with Elder Clyde and Elder Stimpson.  That transfer, we worked hard and had fun at the same time.  We were able to teach Andy and Godwin.  They are brothers from Nigeria.  They have such a strong faith in Christ and loved to learn with us.  We started teaching them thanks to a member who called us and said "Hey, I've got a friend that needs the gospel.  Go teach him!"  I am thankful that I met Andy and Godwin.  They are great people and deserve the best blessings from our Lord.  The next transfer I moved to Brno.  It is the 2nd biggest country in the Czech Republic.  There I started with Elder Jones.  We worked a lot on the naměstí through the hot summer.  Most people started to leave for summer break, so we did our best.  The next transfer Elder Štrobl came in from Ostrava.  That transfer was a good one.  We found Ivo Meluzin at the beginning of the transfer and continued to teach him to baptism.  Now he is doing great!  I feel like Ivo is one of my kids.  I have no kids, but I feel proud of him like a parent would when he makes happy choices.  He loves the change this gospel has made in his life.  I pray for the best for "my son" Ivo.  Then I went to Zlín.  It is a small town on the far right side of the Czech Republic.  I started here with Elder Odell.  He helped me enjoy this small city.  We didn't have very many people to teach, but we tried our hardest here.  We found a couple people to teach like Alena Kaňaková.  She was very excited to meet us the first time.  She enjoys having us over.  She once said that she is like our mother while we are here.  She takes good care of us.  She enjoys the gospel and the peace it brings.  This city at that time, I saw was going to soon grow in the gospel.  Now I am here with Elder Stradling.  This work has blossomed here.  We have a great vision for what Zlín will become.  We are teaching outstanding people as you can read in the last few letters.

 

Now that 2012 is over and 2013 has started we need to up our expectations and work hard, replacing fear with faith.  I am excited to see what will happen this new year.  This work is great.  Being a missionary, a personal representative of the Lord is a great privilege.  "The book is blue, the church is true!" as they say.  I love this gospel.  I love these people I get to teach.  I love my Savior and all he has done, does, and will do for me.  We are truly blessed in this day in age to have the restored gospel and a living prophet to speak in behalf of God so that we might know exactly what we must do to live happily and to someday stand before God the Father and hear the wonderful words "Ye shall have eternal life."  I know this work is real and true.  I pray that each and everyone of us may look forward in this new year, move on from our past mistakes and do what we can to strengthen our testimonies, grow our faith, and come closer to God and Christ.

 

Happy New Year! (Šťastný Nový Rok!)

 

Elder Bahr

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Merry Christmas!!!

Wow, Zlín is on fire with missionary work!  We have 4 people preparing for baptism.  Let me tell you about them.

 

Alena is in her 60's.  This last week, we went to go and find some people we first met a month or so ago and we decided to visit this investigator too.  I have talked about her in the past.  She hasn't had time to meet with us, so we haven't, but we are again now.  We knocked on her door and she opened the door and mentioned how it sounded like our knock on the door.  She invited us in and we had a great lesson.  A couple days later, we came back to a scheduled visit and taught her.  We invited her to baptism and she is happy to prepare for it.  She really feels the comfort in the message of Jesus Christ.

 

Dana is one we met last week.  We met her on the streets and told her all the blessings of the gospel.  She replied by saying "What should I do?"  We suggested that she meet with us.  A few days later, we met with her, invited her to baptism, gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read everyday to prepare for baptism.  4 days later, last Monday evening, we called her to see how everything is going, including the reading.  She told us that she already read the Book of Mormon.  If you don't believe what you are reading, read it again.  Now to make things even more unbelievable, two days later we called again and she said she has 6 more pages before she finishes it again.  I know there are people spiritually parched and thirsting for the gospel.

 

Ludwig is a man we met last week as well.  In our lesson, he committed to prepare for baptism too.  He told us that he wants to become a better husband, father, and person in general.  We promised him he can become like that and like our Savior.  He is a great man.  He may invite his family to be taught too!

 

Bědřích is the mentally handicapped man about 45 yeas old.  We have been meeting with him for a couple weeks and he enjoys our visits.  He is full of the light of Christ.  All handicapped people I know, including my brother, have a very spiritual feel about them.  That is the light of Christ that has been given to every person.

 

These people are doing great and desire to come unto Christ.  I love them like family.

 

We had church yesterday and met with the branch president and he is just fired up about missionary work  and wants to help us in any way possible.  He expresses his love and excitement for having us here.  He is the best branch president I know.

 

This last week we had an amazing mission conference.  We went in on Friday to Prague.  Our mission Christmas conference lasted about half the day.  We got to see every missionary in the mission.  He truly have the best.  Our conference started out by having a talent show.  Missionaries shared skits, sang, played musical instruments, etc.  I did magic.  I did a prediction routine.  It was a hit.  :)  After the talent show, we had a nice Christmas dinner!  It was scalloped potatoes, salad, ham, and A&W Root Beer!  It was delicious.  We then proceeded to have a nice Christmas devotional.  Scriptures were read and songs were sang.  The spirit of Christmas was strong.  We then went back to our cities.  It was very nice.

 

My mission is meaning more and more to me every day.  I am grateful for my parents who have raised me to be a good boy, I am thankful for those who helped be grow to who I am today, I am thankful for this decision I have made and that I am in this church and was raised in it so I can come out here and do this!  This work is beautiful and I get to be backstage to God's show, His work and His glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  I am thankful for this Christmas season to remember Christ and His atoning sacrifice and His life he lived and gave for us.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Elder Bahr

 

"Replace Fear with Faith!"  :)

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Christmas Around the Corner!

The Christmas holidays are quickly approaching.  The Naměstí (town square) is already filled with little tents selling all sorts of Christmas things.  Today I noticed a tank of water and decided to look in it.  There were a bunch of Carp.  Czechs eat Carp on the holidays.  I am not sure of the tradition behind it, but I will be excited for it.  We already have a family that invited us over for Christmas dinner.

 

Lastnight we had a Christmas concert in Uherské Hradiště.  My companion and I were invited to sing in it.  The concert was well planned.  We sang some english songs, Czech songs, and a latin song.  The group I was also invited to sing in that is made up of missionaries had a small part in the concert.  "We sang Joy to the World".  At the end everyone was invited to sing along to a Czech song "Narodil se Kristus Pan".  It was a great concert and I am glad I have been blessed with a talent to sing.

 

This week has been fun.  We met a bunch of people on the streets, whom we will meet with soon.  We met a girl named Dana last Tuesday.  We had a first lesson with her this last Thursday.  She already has a date for baptism.  She is excited to meet with us and continue to learn and feel Christ's healing powers in her life that comes with this restored message.  Our other investigatir Zbyšek is starting to receive an answer about the truthfulness of this message.  Bědřích enjoys meeting with us, but has not had time lately.  We will continue to work with him.  Eva the newest member is planning a mission!  She is going to wait till school allows, which will be toward the middle or end of 2014.  She is a little nervous about it, but she is quickly replacing fear with faith.  I am excited for her.  She has a great testimony.

 

Zlín is blossoming with the gospel.  Just yesterday at church we told the branch president, President Večeřa, about the people we were teaching and how they are progressing and he just about lost it with how happy he was.  We are excited to see what we can do and for the approaching miracles.

 

This point in my mission has really opened my eyes on this, the Lord's work and on myself.  This work is the best work one can do.  It helps people and brings eternal joy to everyone that allows it.  Around this time of year, you can experience this joy by sharing this message of Christ with people.  Remember to keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas; it is not about gifts, candy, who makes the best Christmas dinner.  It is a time to be together as a family and remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

Make this Christmas the best one ever and love everyone, spend quality time together, and focus on the purpose of Christmas.  Merry Christmas everyone.

 

Elder Bahr

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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MY MISSION!!!!!!!

To start off, let me explain the heading of the letter this week.  When I was at home before my mission, I did mini missions.  When I did them, I LOVED THEM!!!  There was a certain feel to it.  It was full of excitement, fun, and the spirit.  There is a missionary that I served with on the mission that especially pumped me up for the mission.  His name was Elder Draper.  He is where I got the famous quote "Replace Fear with Faith!"  He showed me how to work hard and just have fun with the mission.  Since I have been here on my full-time mission, I have felt a void.  My mission just felt like "Missionary Work".  I have not been able to figure out what was missing until just recently.  We as missionaries have what is called an exchange.  We spend a day with another missionary, usually a leader.  This last week, I was on an exchange with a zone leader named Elder Medonich while my companion (the district leader) was on an exchange with the other zone leader.  I thank Elder Medonich so much.  Before I started the exchange, I had a goal to find out what was missing in my mission.  As I went through the exchange, I found it!!!  I needed to have fun with my mission!  Elder Medonich is a hard worker and has fun at the same time.  He reminds me of Elder Draper.  He teaches so powerfully and with conviction and heart, and at the same time he acts himself and easily finds joy in everything.  I can not explain how I would like to so I hope you can understand.  He also taught me how to be more personable with people.  It is hard to express your true self while using another language.  He taught me how to be bold.  His idol is Elder Holland of the twelve apostles and he takes on his characteristics.  On this exchange, I learned how to rekindle the feelings I had when I served with Elder Draper as a mini missionary.  I feel the void being filled now.  I am grateful for the inspired leaders that God calls to direct the work and help each other.

 

That is mainly what I wanted to share.  Here are a few more things I did this week.

 

Monday:  Finished preparation day at home writing letters.

Tuesday:  We had a lesson on plan with someone and later in the day we had some on plan, but had to cancel.  That evening, we travelled to Brno to stay with some missionaries so we wouldn§t have to travel so early for the next day.

Wednesday:  We travelled to Prague to practice singing.  President Irwin chose a handful of Elders to participate in a small choir that is to travel around the Czech Republic to visit church branches.  I had so much joy singing.  I love to sing, especially in choirs.  I can not explain how happy I was to do some nice singing.  We stayed the night there.

Thursday:  I got to help the office Elders make the Christmas Mission slideshow while my companion went to a new district leader training.  Then we had some time before our train came and we sang with the Prague missionaries in a singing display.  We sang Christmas songs.  This day and the day before were great because I got to use my talents that I studied in school; singing and film editing.  Then we travelled home.

Friday:  District meeting and then we started our exchange with the zone leaders.

Saturday:  Finished the exchange and started my new look on missionary work!!  I am excited.

Sunday:  Church.

 

I know this church is true.  I am thankful to serve the Lord and the people in the Czech Republic.  I am thankful for my mission.  I love it.  I am thankful for all the wonderful missionaries who serve and especially those in this great country.  This gospel is true and everyone needs it!  Take it to someone this special time of the year!  Have a great week everyone!

 

Elder Bahr

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Work is Hard, Spirits High!

This week we have had investigators drop like flies.  We lost three of our best.  Due to no time, no interest, and boyfriends forbidding it.  That however does not snuff the flame inside me to do God's work.  Though we may have lost some people, we have had some great contacts on the street with people.  We have talked with all kinds of people this week.  Extreme athiests, to firm catholics.  Some people have interest and some do.  Either way I have felt the spirit working though me very strongly to help the people here in the Czech Republic.

One lady, we were walking home from church yesterday and she was old and couldn't make it up the stairs.  We helped her and she kept thanking God for sending us to help her.  I was reminded of some memories back home how I used to help the older people in our ward.  I feel a connection to older people.  This lady was nice and we have a lesson with her tonight.

We had a great lesson with Zbyšek this week.  He is closer to baptism and understands even better the Book of Mormon and why we have it.

Ondra is moving along great.  We really gained trust in this last lesson by following the spirit and teaching to his needs.  We attended a Young Single Adult activity this last week as well.

Not much else I can recall now.  This week just has been good though and I am happy to be here.  When times get hard, replace fear with faith and follow Christ even more and he will lead you to the light and joy.  I know this church is true and has been restored by Joseph Smith.  Christ is at the head of this church and reaches out to all.

Have a good week everyone.  With love from the Czech Republic, Elder Bahr

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