Skvělý Tyden!

Jan. 16, 2012

Hey Everyone!

So it's been a great week this past week! I've gotten to know Elder Ozmun better and we've been doing our best trying to work hard. It's a lot different being a trainer, but it's really good. A lot more relies on me now, because I've been here longer and Elder Ozmun just got here. Elder Ozmun reminds me a lot of myself when I first got into the country. It'll be good though, trying my best to help him. I really like training a lot already. It will be a great transfer.

So not too much had happened since Wednesday. We did teach this really cool guy who actually lives in Hradec Kralove and studies here in Brno. The better part, he is best friends with this kid I taught in Brno who they baptized a few weeks ago! So awesome! So we will definitely keep meeting with him, and really try to help him see the importance of the gospel.

We also met this other guy while contacting who got really excited when we showed him the Book of Mormon! He asked where he could buy it, so we said we'd give him one next time we meet. He was just a really cool guy and seemed really prepared! We haven't been able to meet with too many investigators lately, but we will definitely try to improve on that.

It's been really cold here lately though, and windy, so thats not awesome, but it's going fine. Things are just great though, and I know this is the best place I could be right now! It's so exciting to be a missionary!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Střídaní!!!

Jan. 11, 2012

So it's transfers again and the big news is out!!! First big news, Elder Salas is staying in Brno!!!!! Woo, I'm really excited about that! We have a lot of good work going on here that I'm excited to stay a part of. Other big news, Elder Salas is a trainer!!! Yes that's right, President Irwin and the Lord decided that one challenging transfer wasn't enough for Elder Salas, and decided to give him another one!

So I went to Prague Tuesday night to have a meeting with all the trainers with President Irwin. It was really good. We slept in Prague and then this morning, we ate breakfast with all the new missionaries and the Irwins! Then we got assigned our new companions. He is great! He is from the Logan area of Utah. He likes soccer, and didn't go to any college yet, he just graduated high school, and is really excited to be here! So I am really excited to be able to work with him, and I really hope I can do the best I can.

So other matters, I was part of a confirmation on Sunday! The zone leaders had another baptism. She is really cool and I was fortunate enough to be a part of that on Sunday. She was really excited about her baptism though, and will make a great member!!!

We had two really great lessons this week too! Elder Odell and I taught our investigator who is about 35 and has a wife and young son. He is really great and so prepared! We asked him if he had any questions and he said, I wonder if God has some sort of plan for us. Perfect question to ask, especially when you plan to teach the Plan of Salvation that day. Such a testimony builder that we really do receive revelation on what to teach people. He also accepted a baptismal date!

We taught our other 19 year old investigator who studies here. He told us he thinks the Book of Mormon is true, and has received answers from it!!! He said he would be baptised!!! The only problem, is he studies here and goes home every weekend, so he hasn't been to church yet. We are still working out how to make that possible. He is just so ready as well, and such a great kid! I really love the work here!!!

So things are going well though, and I'm excited for another great transfer!!! Love you all! Thanks for everything!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

P.S. for my birthday I went to KFC. It was awesome! Thanks for the package too mom! It was really cool how you had the pictures of HAPPY BIRTHDAY with everyone!

Sťastný Nový Rok!!!

Jan 2, 2012

Hey everyone!

So it's been a really good week this week. There wasn't a whole lot going on with everyone being home with their families all week, so we had a lot of things we did as a District. We got a lot done though, it was really cool. We have divided up the whole of the Brno branch amongst the missionaries, so now we're really ready to work effectively.

Saturday, the Zone Leaders had a baptism, so that was really cool to see! The man they baptized had a smoking problem, but finally just gave them up. It was a really cool experience to be there to see that.

So transfers are next Wednesday! They came way too soon this transfer. Hopefully I get to stay in Brno, but I will be happy where ever I go.

With New Years Eve on Saturday we had to be back to our apartments by 6. I could quickly tell why, as shortly after 6 you could hear nothing but the loudest fireworks everywhere. They really go crazy with the fireworks here, and have all the good ones that would never be legal in California. We could have stayed up late, but we didn't because we still had to get up at 6:30 the next day.

We taught a lesson with President Irwin this week though! He is a great teacher. We taught this guy who had known the missionaries and President Irwin, when he was Elder Irwin a year and a half ago. It was a really cool lesson though. With the holidays over, we are going to be teaching a lot more these coming weeks. We already have a few lessons set up for this week. Exciting!

We had a dinner appointment yesterday and Sister Horačkova (the mom) served in the Anaheim California Mission!!!!! That was about 6-7 years ago she said, and she said that she served in Yorba Linda!!!!! I'm not sure which ward though. It was just really cool to hear that.

We did meet a few really cool people while contacting this week though and we're really exciting to meet with them again. This one guy we talked to for a while, and he didn't want to give us his number, he said he would be wasting his time. We kept talking though and we finally found a connection for him to the gospel. It just got to the point where I literally said, "hey, give us your number, we're going to meet with you, and we will answer your questions". He gave us his number. it was just a testimony builder that the gospel really does apply to everyone, we just have to find out which part at first. It's a great week though, It will be a great week again, and I'll be 21 on Saturday!!! Woo!!! I'll be sure to eat some good stuff. Have a great week everyone!!! Love you all!

slaskou

-Starsi Salas

Merry Christmas

December 27, 2011

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks for the phone call, it was great! Loved talking to you all.

So we didn't do too much this week, but we went to Prague with all the missionaries on Thursday which was great! We had a talent show, and a Christmas devotional. It was really good. We also took a group picture, so you should be getting that soon.


So on Christmas Eve, we ate at a members house. It was really cool! We had carp, which wasn't too bad at all. I actually quite enjoyed it. The members we ate at, their son just got his mission call so he's going to be going to England in February. He's really excited!

On Christmas day, we went to church, then had all the missionaries in our district (8 of us) go to the Sisters apartment. There we had dinner, opened presents, and watched movies (with President Irwin's permission of course). We watched How to Train your Dragon and Megamind. It was a really fun day. So not too much else though. Hope you all had a great Christmas, and I'll see you after the next one! Love you all family!
-Starsi Salas

Christmas Time!!!

December 19, 2011

Hey Family!!!

So Christmas is this next Sunday! Way exciting! So we have P-day again on Saturday so I may be emailing again then. Either Saturday or Monday. We'll see. I have 45 minutes to talk (no more). We have a dinner appointment at 4:30 and will probably be prepared for calls at 6:30. We decided that Elder Odell would have his parents call at 6:30, and you can call at 7:30. That is the time here in the Czech Republic. I'm not sure exactly, but that should be about 10:30 there in California. Just enough time to get from church to the house right? So yeah...45 minutes, Czech phone number, think that's everything! Oh and no test calls unfortunately. Just hope for the best! I'm sure it will be fine. Can't wait to hear from all you!

So this week has been a slower week. All our investigators are students here and are home for the holidays. We have a few who are still here, but it's definitely a lot slower. It's going really well still! We didn't have any investigators at church, but that will change after Christmas. Exciting thing though, we had a Christmas concert here in Brno! The branch always puts one on every year. It's always really good (or so I hear). I sang in it as well as several other of the missionaries. We also had a missionary compilation of Deck the Halls. It was pretty funny. Our Hungarian investigator was there at the concert though and she loved it! It was really cool! She loves it! There is a Hungarian member in the branch so they always talk when she is here. Met with this cool new girl too this week and she accepted a baptismal date!

Not too much else though. Just excited to hear from everyone, including my new nephew! Have a great week everyone! Merry Christmas!!!!!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Pokračuji Dal!

December 12, 2011

Hey Again!

So we had quite a few lessons this week. It was a really good week! We were able to teach this one guy who is a father, and we're meeting with him again this week so we're really going to try to get his wife and son to come too! He was a really nice guy and we're really excited to be working with him!

We also met with another investigator who we hadn't been able to meet with in a while and he had a lot of questions about the Plan of Salvation, so we changed plans and taught that. It went pretty good. However he, and many other students in Brno, are going home this week for the holidays, so we won't see a few investigators until January again. That's alright though! They are still all doing great!

So, our Hungarian investigator. She is still awesome! That's really interesting mom that we have ancestors from there! Is that your grandma or dad's that is? Our investigator though is awesome and we had the best lesson ever with her. It was just super spiritual and really good. We taught the plan of salvation and it went really well. She is starting to recognize answers that the church is true. She also was able to come to church on Sunday! That was our first investigator at church this transfer! It was really cool.

Another really cool story. We found this one older lady on the street about 2 weeks ago and she said we could come and share our message in a week at her place. We went and she had people over so she said come next week. So this week we went over there and shared our message with her and her husband. At first, they were kind of telling us that we could share it really quick, but then we talked about the Book of Mormon. Her husband got really excited and took out his Czech and English Bible. He showed us this verse in John 21:25 that talks about the world not being able to contain all the writings of what Jesus Christ did. He then started searching the Book of Mormon. He was comparing the 3 Nephi chapters with the Bible. It was really cool. It's funny to see how these people, who didn't even think we spoke Czech at first, just completely changed and were very open to the message. They told us they'd love us to come back, just to wait until after Christmas. We will be there.

The missionaries are singing in the Christmas concert with the branch this Saturday so we're getting ready for that too. It's been a great week though and it's great to be a missionary. Love you all and hope you have a great week!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Pripraveni Den

Dec 5, 2011

Hey everyone, it's Monday again!

It's been quite the week this week. First thing is that the Francis', the senior couple here in Brno, unfortunately have to leave back for America today. Elder Francis unfortunately has to go back for a surgery, but they are hopeful and will hopefully be able to return soon and finish the last 6 months of their mission. They are great though and really took care of us as missionaries.

We had quite a few lessons this week which was good. We're not on the streets so much now. When we were contacting though, Elder Odell and I have really improved our contacting, so we set up a ton of lessons for this week so we're really excited for that. While we were contacting, we contacted into a member family which was funny. They talked to us for a little bit then saw them again on Sunday. The mom in her testimony on Sunday mentioned us and how we contacted them when it was really cold outside. It was cool to see that people appreciate our work.

Elder Odell and I have this investigator from Hungary who is really cool though! She is studying here in Brno and we have been able to meet with her several times. She really understands the message we are teaching her and it is such a blessing to teach her. She read the first 12 chapters in the Book of Mormon, didn't understand them, and read them again! That was really cool to hear! It is even more of a blessing that she is so reliable, because she doesn't have a phone. She is way awesome though!

Another really cool story is we talked to this guy who grew up here, moved to Australia for a few years, and is back for Christmas for a month. He is taking care of his parents for this month and he will move back here in a year to take care of his parents for a longer period of time. He told us he doesn't have time to meet this month, but we talked for a bit and he was really interested. He told us he really respects us and the coolest thing was when we left, he told us, "the message got through". That was a really neat thing for me to hear. One day he will be lead to hear the message.

Other than that, just a normal week! Ha, there's no such thing as a normal week as a missionary. Love you all and hope all is going well with everything. Hope baby Desmond is doing well!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas