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 

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!!!

S laskou,

Sestra Manners 

 

Letter: 28 March 2016

Happy Easter!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week and remember that Christ loves you!

Click here for an Easter Video!

This lady, sestra Cihlarova celebrated her 95th birthday this week!!!!

Today, we went to the museum!

s laskou,

Sestra Manners 

Ice Cream Weather!

Letter: 21 March 2016

The world is coming back to life again after a cold winter! Colours are shining, flowers are blooming and the Czechs are having Easter markets everywhere. 

New socks!

(They are getting ready to whip their women on Easter while the girls are getting ready to pour buckets of water on the men the Monday after!! I love my mission culture!)

Spring is here and the sun is shining and it is wonderful!! We are loving the weather and went to a beautiful little city today! I actually thought of a few spiritual insights from i that I would like to share.

We were walking through this gorgeous town called Cesky Krumlov after a week filled with goodness and hard times. It reminded me of the beauty in the world. Although we have hard times and trials, they all combine together to paint a beautiful painting. Like the city had lots of colors but also shades but together they were krasny! (Pretty!)

Also we walked across this lovely castle and some bridges. On one side the view was rather plain but then we turned around and it was WUNDERBAR!!!!! (that is not Czech). It reminded me that we need to look at both sides of what Heavenly Father has given us. Things can be hard but depending on our attitude, they can either be beautiful or plain. Try to find the miracles and look for the breath taking views in what the Lord has given you.

 

I am so excited for this next weekend because it is Easter!!!! We can celebrate our Saviour and Lord and all that he has done for us. As we have been asking a lot of people this question this past week, I would like to ask you to ask yourself, too! Who is Jesus Christ for you? What does His atonement mean for you?
I know that as you ponder these questions, they can help your testimony to grow.

I love you all and testify that Jesus is the Christ.

S laskou,

Sestra Manners 

Here are some extra photos:

It snowed last week!

The Czech Republic finally has green hymn books!  (The English ones were published in 1985!)

A favourite meal, a bread dumpling which is sliced and served with meat and gravy.

Serving suggestion!

Luckily our teaching appointment did not disturb the gamblers in the room.

What a view!  And the scenery wasn't bad either!  (ha ha)

Our happy gang!

It's spring!!!!

Same view but more sensible.....

Delicious green mush!

Gifts from our investigator (she is Catholic if you could not tell)

Our little church building (next to a bra shop!)

 

Letter: 14 March 2016

Dear all,

I do not think I will ever be able to explain just how much I love my mission. It really is incredible. Every day is a new challenge and I love it. 

Yes, we like to wear matching clothes!

This past weekend, we were in Prague again and we went to district conference. The theme was Jesus Christ and I loved the talks! I felt the spirit so strong and it was a miracle to me that despite it all being Czech, I understood it perfectly! Only last summer was I sitting in the MTC wondering how I would ever be able to speak and understand Czech and now I can do so! Such a miracle! The Lord really works wonders where he needs them.

A view from a bridge with sestra DeMann on our way to play tennis with the Elders today!

Sister McConkie spoke about prayer. She said that our relationship of prayer should be as common as sending a text message. She talked about how missionaries pray around 30 times a day (I nodded my head on that one!) and it reminded me of how important prayer is. I invite you all to look at your relationship with God again and try to see it with a different eye. Do you tell Him all that you can and all that He wants to hear?

I was also reminded of the importance of wholeheartedly having our faith in the Saviour, Jesus Christ. It really truly only is through Him that we can find peace and joy. As we prepare for the Easter season, watch this video and share it with your friends and loved ones. https://www.mormon.org/easter

I know that Christ lives and loves us. He wants to help you. All you have to do is pray.

Our beautiful city square

S laskou,
sestra M


P.S. Some of you have asked about my new apartment so here are some photos!

Living Room 

Living Room (yes, we have a keyboard!)

Kitchen (view of the playground!)

Kitchen

Bedroom (and exercise bike!)

Bedroom

 

Letter: 7 March 2016

I love my mission!! Things are so different here but I am loving them :)

It really did start off strange when I was on a train by myself for what felt like forever but I loved CBud the minute I got here. It has such character and I know that I am needed here. I think I met most of the members before sacrament on Sunday and I love them already. 

I am so excited about our investigators that have so much potential! we are teaching this young woman named Zuzka who really accepts all that we have taught her already and is very spiritual. She has even accepted the commitment to be baptized! The only problem is that she wants to be baptized just like Jesus Christ- in the river Jordan in Israel and by someone that looks a lot like John the Baptist! We are trying to help her understand why baptism the ordinance is important and not the exact place. That is what our next lesson will include which will be this evening so we will see how that goes!

We also had quite the adventure on Tuesday night. Sister Birkeland needed to pick up some things before she left from the chapel and when we got there, we noticed it smelt like smoke and there were clothes in the kitchen and some shoes! She found two people sleeping in the primary room! We quickly left the building and called the elders who came to see what was going on. They went and talked to the people in the building who said they had gotten the keys from a less active  and we asked her to come over and speak with them .she came but said she did not know them and did not know how they had a copy of the keys since she was holding her keys in her hand! They have not been back since though. President Ambroz (branch president) said we will be getting the locks changed soon.

We own the same clothes, completely a coincidence!

We also had a really neat experience this week! We felt prompted to talk to a lady on a bench who looked really sad and was having a bad day so we testified to her, talked to her and even asked if we could hug her. We felt like she needed some cheering up and realizing that we were close to home thought that we could bring her a flower from our apartment to cheer her up. We did not find her when we returned but Sister DeMann (She is a doll by the way! I love being able to see her grow each day) felt like we should call a less active and see if we could stop by and say hello. He has been sick, battling cancer and had not been to church at all that last transfer. We called and he said he was not home but that we could stop by. and the we turned around and he was there in the park! We met with him later that week and talked and invited him to church. He said he could not come because of health but would be willing to meet again next week. But he came to church!!! It was amazing! We included him in our fast and it really did work! We are seeing our prayers answered all the time.

I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives and loves us. I love being bale to testify of Him each and every day.

S laskou,
Sestra Manners