Salutations from a Sister Missionary: April 2016

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Letter: 25 April 2016

Dear all,

I really am like a little princess serving in a fairy tale. this place is gorgeous! And this week we had our culture night (once a transfer president lets us do something culturally enriching as a district) and we decided to tour cBud. We have some great English students here that love to show us their hometown so this week, we got to take a tour of the city and get to know the history which made me appreciate everything so much more!

We simply walked around the city and he told us different facts about buildings, the history and showed us some secret views. We also got to go up the town's black tower and see some amazing views of the city. I really am serving in such a beautiful city!

Every day is filled with incredible people and opportunities to share my testimony everywhere!

My birthday is coming up pretty soon and I wanted to ask you all for a birthday present! I will be turning twenty so I would like to invite you to try and do 20 acts of service between now and May 4th. What do you think? I will join you and let's see how many little acts of service we can do! They can be as small or as big as you want them to be! I would love to hear about them and try to send pictures if you can!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/you-are-my-hands?lang=eng

S laskou,

Sestra Manners

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Letter: 18 April 2016

Dear all,

I love my mission!!!!

Today we went on a hike with our English student and it reminded me that we are all about progression.

We learn to reach new heights and love life. I try to reach new heights each day and invite you to do the same! Make goals and make steps to reach them by always starting with a prayer.

Click here for a great article about How to pray in a way God can answer

We also had a fun service project and cleaned up a forest wearing our fancy vests :)

Thank you for your prayers and love!

S laskou,

Sestra Manners

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Letter: 11 April 2016

Dear loved ones,

Today we decided to go on a bike ride with one of our English students and it helped me to see that we really can learn so many lessons from everything that we do. It was such a spiritual experience for me!

We rode a total of about 40km and it was up and down hills and through the most gorgeous countryside! It was gorgeous but also really hard! it was uphill and downhill and up again and there was a lot of changing gear, rethinking and pedaling our legs til they could peddle no more. (I was grateful that I am not a pioneer and that our mission is not usually a biking mission). But it was so much more than just a P-Day activity.

I learned that we are never alone. My tire went flat but our handy friend (in life he can be our neighbor or even our Saviour) helped me out. He was prepared when I wasn't. He could do what I couldn't and he saved my bike and helped my trip to still be wonderful. Just like the atonement!

I also learned that we sometimes do not know others circumstances very well and therefore we should not judge. We all had very light aluminum bikes, Elder Pickett did not. He was slow at times (we all were) but never complained. Our friend Pavel only told us afterwards. How many times have we done that in life? Judged someone before knowing their story of even just comparing ourselves to them, both positively and negatively. Only the Saviour (or in this case our handy friend Pavel) knew the full story and there he could help.

I learn so many lessons every single day and P-Days are just alike! Missions are incredible! I also finally got to watch conference (in English on our phone using a headphone while the branch watched it on a projector in Czech so we could all be together) and it was incredible. EVERY SINGLE QUESTION I HAD WAS ANSWERED!!! The speakers truly were inspired of God.

I know that I am a daughter of God and that He loves me. We have so much worth and so much potential. Learn from your bike rides. Cherish them. Love the downhill and the uphill. Learn to love when you have to ask to help and never be afraid to do so.

Jesus is the Christ and lives and loves you. Like Pavel helped me today, He will always help you.

S laskou,

Sestra Manners

Monday, April 4, 2016

Letter: 4 April 2016

Dear all,

There are lots of things that I am learning on my mission every single day. One, that I LOVE MY MISSION. Two, I know that Christ lives. He helps me every day. Three, the Czech people here are incredible. Their faith strengthens mine each day.

This week we saw a lot of miracles happen. One was the fact that I got my other wisdom teeth removed and everything else in our area and work ran smoothly without any effects. I know that Heavenly Father helped!

Another was the fact that we were in Prague for zone training and getting my teeth removed. We were on exchanges for the weekend with our dear sister training leaders who are trying to keep two areas running as we are low on sisters. This means they are living a crazy life. The new sister to Prague, Sis Fred had not met a lot of the people that we had taught and found while I served there. We were crossing the street just after training and there was a girl that walked the other way that looked familiar. It was someone that I had taught and loved!!! We were able to chase her down (without scaring her) and teach her and let sis Fred get to know here (her whole name is sister Fredrickson but that is super long so we all call her sis Fred). It was such a miracle! If we had not been there at that time and place, we would not have seen her! The Lord truly puts people on the right path at the right time!

We also taught some incredible lessons together in Prague and loved being back for the weekend. I just feel so at home in the areas I am serving and am so blessed I get to go back to my birthplace so much! We taught a woman from Slovakia on a tram and the spirit was so strong! we even gave her a book of Mormon and said goodbye with a hug! Another time we were tracting a little and walked past a woman walking her dog. I asked her if we could sing for her there and then and she said, Yes! It warmed her heart and we ended up teaching her the restoration there and then on a street in the city at night with a puppy. Miracles happen everywhere!!!

And then we had fast and testimony meeting since we get to watch conference next weekend when it has been translated into Czech. It was incredible! the members have so much faith and are all mostly recent converts (like our new mission president is a convert to the church!! Isn't that just the coolest?. One of the women in our tiny branch is a dear friend of mine already and she talked a lot about missionary work and turned to Sister D and I during her testimony and thanked us for our work and love. I was really needing to hear that and I know Heavenly Father answers my prayers in all sorts of ways!

The church is true!!! I know it, I live it, I love it!

I also had to opportunity to go to an incredible castle today!! It could seriously be a temple!!!