Kde slouzim na posledni stridani? Where I serve at the last Toggle?

March 25, 2013

Hey Everyone!!!

Been a good week this week! Good things are happening here and I'm really excited for this transfer!!!

So the news. Everyone knows I've left Slovakia, and now I have come back to the amazing city of Brno!!! This is where I served for 6 months a year ago. It is a really great city and I'm so excited to be back! I am serving with Elder Boyson, my second companion from England! He is from Lancashire, which is near Manchester.He is a big guy, probably 6 foot 3, and built like Ryan Grochmal. He is so great!

So this morning I had 5 hours of trains, and an unexpected bus ride, several changes, and 2, 60 pound suitcases, so it was quite an adventure, especially considering they don't really have elevators in most train stations. Quite an adventure, but I finally made it to Brno! It snowed today too, which hasn't happened for a few weeks now. Things are good though, and I'm so ready to work hard this transfer!  Elder Sewell is also serving here in Brno, so I'll see him too which I'm excited about!

In Banska for my last week, we had a really good week! We met with a Sister and she is really starting to get more on board with everything and work towards baptism! It is really cool to see just how much she sees the gospel bless her life, and really wants it. She and her husband were sad to see me go, but Elder Hammond will take care of them. We have been meeting with some other really cool people there too, and it was sad to leave, but I'm glad I can serve where the Lord needs me.

We have seen some really cool miracles this last transfer though, finding people and teaching them. I would say that the Lord has really watched out for us and blessed us a lot, more than we deserve I feel at times. I am so grateful for all His blessings.

Not too much else to report. Sounds like everyone had a really cool week, so I'm glad to hear that! I just want to wish everyone a great week though! I'm praying for you. Keep praying for us! Love you all!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Uz posledny tyzden v Banskej Bystrici?!? Already last week, in Banska Bystrica?!?

March 18, 2013

Hey Everyone!

Hope things are well back home! Sounds like everyone is doing really well, so I'm glad for that. I'm grateful  for all the emails I got, so thank you so very much for them. This has been a very good week here in Banska! Things are going well. It has once again gotten cold, started snowing a little bit, but spring is just holding out on us! Hopefully soon it will be here.

 

We had a lot of lessons cancel this week, people getting sick, and other things happening, so that was too bad, but we have stayed strong and continued to help others as best as we can to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

So our members wife is doing well. She is continuing to attend church, and just loves it, and is doing really well, but it's still hard to get meetings set up with them, so that continues to halt her progress. We're going to try to make a big push on it this last week though! She is so great though, and is just such a sweet lady. I really love meeting with her a lot.

 

Our other investigator is doing well. He had a match in Bratislava this last weekend though and couldn't meet up or come to church. He continues to be great though! I'm really excited to hopefully see him this week!

 

We were in Zilina this last week for a zone conference. President Irwin had just gotten back from a Mission President training in another country, and had a lot to say. Elder Holland was there and taught them a lot of things. Overall it was just really uplifting. He talked a lot about obedience and other things which we need to be successful. It was really uplifting.

 

Church was good, we had one investigator there, and it was really uplifting! It is always so great to feel the spiritual power which enters into your life from attend church every week. It really just re-sets my entire stamina, and helps me to face the next week with a renewed determination.

 

So as this transfer comes to an end this week, and we'll have transfers next Monday, I have been really reflecting on what I've learned and could share with everyone this week. I feel the greatest lesson I've learned is from a quote in Preach My Gospel in chapter 8 on the last page of the chapter. It says something along the lines of "Take full responsibility for your actions. Never blame circumstances or others for the results of your progress". I feel that as I've faced trails and troubles this transfer, the lesson I've learned is that by choosing to take full responsibility for whatever happens has helped me to get on top of things and to be able to solve them. I'm really grateful for this lesson, and hope everyone can learn it too.

 

So, thanks for everything you have all done for me. Thanks for all the prayers and everything. I'm definitely praying for you out here too! Have a great week, and you'll hear from me next Monday from my new area. Love you all!!!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Happy Birthday!!!

 March 11, 2013

Been a weekend full of birthdays hasn't it!!!

I would like to wish a Happy Birthday to mom, the greatest mom ever!!! Thanks for all you do!

I would also like to wish happy birthday to dad, the greatest dad ever!!! Thank you also for everything you do!

Hope you celebrated well!!!

So this has been a really good week! We're still working hard here in Banska Bystrica. Things are going well, and I am really enjoying the work a lot.

 

We're still working with our member's wife to be baptised and she is doing well. She is really feeling the joy that the gospel brings into her life. It is a real blessing in my life to see her life change by the gospel. It's been hard to meet up this last week, but we've got a few lessons on plan this week, so that should work out well. She is really so great though! She came to church too!

 

We're also continuing to work with another investigator! He has accepted a date to work towards for baptism, and came to church as well! He is one of the most humble people I have ever met in my life. He just listens and applies the gospel so well. It continues to amaze me how people are drawn to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It is really amazing to see!

 

We also taught this new guy who was really cool! He was really open to hear more about the gospel, and it was really cool to be able to teach him.

 

There wasn't too much going on this last week which was exciting though. Things kind of took a slow down for a week, but I'm excited to keep them coming along really well this coming week! I've got the drive to do it, and I'm excited to do it!

 

Things are going well with Elder Hammond too! It's good to be working with him, and I really enjoy it. He's a great guy.

 

Hope everyone has a really great week though, happy birthday once more! Keep praying for us, and I'll be praying for you as always! Have a great one!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Krasny Pondelok! Krasny Monday!

 March 4, 2013

Hey Everyone!!!

Hope all is going well! It's really been such a great week here! Things are at times hard, but they always turn out well when we stay faithful! The area is really taking off!

So we had 2 investigators at church today, which was a really cool miracle! One of them has been having a hard time getting her parents permission to attend church, but she was able to come, and she did come! She really enjoyed it so much, and I'm really glad she has been able to make it. She is a really great investigator, and we are really happy we get to meet with her! Our other investigator was the one members wife, and she is getting along with the members in the branch so well! Really just such a great investigator as well!

Our other investigators are doing fine too. One of them is doing so great! We taught him once, and he's just so humble and so willing to accept what we teach. He is so teachable and we really enjoy teaching him a lot. He's just one of the most elect people I have ever taught! He's really great.

We had some cool experiences with finding new investigators including one where we had someone just call us up to meet. He saw we had free English classes and just got interest. The Lord really does work on these people in so many ways!

We have a few recent converts from the previous transfers going to the temple in Freiburg Germany this week, which is really such a sacrifice for them, but will really be such an amazing experience. We're really excited for them.

I really just feel like things are taking off though. Almost faster than we can handle them! I'm really learning a great lesson that when we're in unity with each other, the Lord can bless us so much more with his spirit. I feel and see the difference in our work, the more in unity we are.

It's just been a real miracle of a week here though! Elder Hammond and I are working really hard! I really love this area, and these people! There's so much to be done here, and I'm glad I'm a part of it.

Thanks everyone for the emails! I really appreciate them from everyone. I wish everyone a great week, and hear from you all next time! Have a good one!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Krsty!! Baptism!!

February 25, 2013

Hey Everyone!

Sounds like it's been a really great week for everyone! First off I want to wish Diego a Happy Birthday! I heard he had his party and it was great, so Happy Birthday little guy!!!

 

It's been a great week here in Banska Bystrica! We've been seeing really cool miracles!

First off, we were in Brno this last week for a zone conference. Elder Lopez of the area presidency came to talk to us. He is from Spain. He talked a lot about his conversion and about how as missionaries, we need to make sure as messengers, we are close to the message we are teaching. It was a really good conference. I really like how he told how the missionaries who taught him weren't very good at Spanish, but he wasn't looking for Spanish teachers, he was looking for people with the spirit of the Lord. It was a really good conference overall. President Irwin gave a great training on the spirit in the work.

 

So, some really cool things we saw this week, we have a few investigators now working towards baptism! One is this guy. He's a really sharp guy, really smart and organized. He is a really great guy and I really like teaching him! He accepted a baptismal date. I can just see how much he would really help the church out here, and how much that would help the people here in Slovakia to find the peach and joy that only the gospel can bring.

 

Also the member who I talked about last week who we brought the Book of Mormon to, we met with him  and his wife, and she is now working towards baptism as well! Next month it should be. She is really getting to know the members well and is fitting in well. The members make a huge difference in this work. She really opened up a lot though and is seeing the joys of the gospel! She came to church too! So great to see!

 

Things are going great! We had a branch party Saturday and had food and games and the members just had a great time, and mixed well with our investigators. We're finding cool people too! We found this other really cool kid who is just so open to the gospel. Such a blessing to us and him that we got to meet.

 

So we're really starting to see a lot of blessings come from our hard work and diligence, which I'm really grateful for. I know the church is true, and the Book of Mormon is the convincing evidence of that. I've seen too many confirmations of my testimony come from the Book of Mormon to not know it's a book from God. It's true in any language. I love this work and know it's God's work. I can't believe I only have so much time left.

 

I wish you all a great week. I love you all, and hope everything goes well. Keep praying for us out here, we need it. Our investigators especially. I'll be praying for you too. Love you!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Zazraky! A Miracle!!!

February 18, 2013

Hey Everyone!!!

It's been a great week this week! We're really trying to work hard and do all we can. Elder Hammond is working hard at his Slovak, and is really seeing improvements in it, which is really great! He is great to be with.

 

We're still having trouble finding people to teach, but we actually did recently get in contact with a few investigators who hadn't been able to meet for a few weeks and met with them. It was really great!

 

We've have been getting the Slovak Book of Mormon to the members and they are really excited about it. One member gave a talk on faith and hope, and how there has been so much faith and hope for the church in Slovakia in these past many years in getting the church recognized and going. She talked about all the troubles in getting the Book of Mormon in Slovak. It was a really, really good talk and I was really grateful she gave it.

 

We had a really cool miracle, when we got a hold of the Book of Mormons on Friday, we called up this member and he said to bring it immediately! So we went over and got to read a chapter in it with him and his wife, who is an investigator. She had been sick and we couldn't meet with her for a while, but it is great we got to. We committed her to church and she didn't seem sure, but then she came on Sunday so it was a really cool miracle to us!

 

There is this other investigatorwe hadn't been able to meet with yet, but we invited him to church as well, and he showed up! It was really cool to see him there too. Such a tender mercy of the Lord. He is a thai Boxer and trains a lot and doesn't have much time, but he made time for church. It was really cool. He is going to France this weekend for a fight, so he's always all over the world. He is a really great guy too.

 

We're just working on doing all we can though, and we see really cool miracles! I'm really grateful for the restoration of the gospel, and the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is the work of God, in any language. I know this is the restored church.

 

Have a great week everyone! Thanks for the emails! Love you all lots!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas

Hey Family!!!!!

February 11, 2013

Hey everyone!

So I guess the great news is now very old news, as I see everyone knows about it. Yes, the Slovak Book of Mormon is in print now. 

 

Seeing as I'm serving in Slovakia, I got one of the first copies in this country. It has been such a great blessing to see the Lord's work going forth, and I know we will find much more success with the book of Mormon in their own language! It's an exciting time!

 

So we had a really great week though. We were in Brno for that conference where we got the book of Mormon. We also heard news that there will be a new area opening in Slovakia, Nitra. There are a few members there, it's near Bratislava, but now the time has been right to open it for missionary work. There will be missionaries there next transfer. It is an exciting time.

 

So, church here. In Banska Bystrica there are about 4-5 active members. We meet in a rented space in a building, so there's a good amount of space for classes and such. We meet for 2 hours and have all 3 parts of church, just in a shortened form. Elder Nye is the unit leader, and he is serving as a senior missionary with his wife here. So we switch off every week for which missionary will preside in Slovak each week. This week was my week. I got to preside in Slovak, and translate Elder Nye's talk in church. It was quite an event. I think I did alright though and I really was glad I had the opportunity.

 

We also go to Zvolen to help them with their church. There is only 1 active member there. We only have 1 hour of church, 30 minutes of sacrament, and Sunday School. It is really great. I love church a lot here.

 

It's been hard to find people this last week, so pray for us to find some new people. I feel like the new Slovak Book of Mormon will catch people's interest though!

 

Elder Hammond is great though too! He is from Cache valley Utah (nothern Utah). He has been in Slovakia about 6 months, and is doing good. His family owns a cattle farm back home. Really great guy, I like serving with him.

So we've just been working hard, and looking for people to teach, and things are good.

 

The investigators are doing well in Plzen as well as in Pardubice. The members are still great in Trencin as well, I hear.

 

Thanks for all the emails. I love you all a lot and thank you so very much! Have a great week!

sLaskou

-Starsi Salas