It Comes to a Close

Dear Family,

I apologize for the delay for this last email, but I have completed my mission, come home, been released from my calling as a missionary and have been trying to acclimate to normal, every day life for the past week.

My last week in the mission field was very special and surreal, because I was able to look back on all the work that I had done throughout the two years that I have been on a mission, to recollect what I have done, to recap on the lives that I've touched, but perhaps most importantly, to reflect on the change that has been wrought on me through the example of Christ and the way that He has changed me through my willing service, as I gave my life into His hands, and how he lovingly but sometimes even forcefully pushed me in the direction that I was to take.  I believe that I, being the unmotivated person that I am, need that kind of drive.  The Lord knows all of us perfectly and I'm glad that He loves me enough that He is willing to do that to me, even though it's hard for me.  He can see all that I can be, even though I can't.

So what happened with transfers: Elder Bailey (one of the zone leaders) got sent to Zlin to follow-up train, Elder Uremovich (our district leader) got sent to Pardubice to be a zone leader, Elder Dietrich (Elder Uremovich's companion) got sent to Ostrava to follow-up train, Elder Gabrielsen got sent to Ostrava to be follow-up trained (by Elder Dietrich, so they're reopening my old area that was closed), Sister Bartholemew got sent to Prague, Sister Smith stayed in Brno and got a greenie and Elder Pearson (whom I follow-up trained in Olomouc way back when) stayed in Brno as a zone leader.  So basically, my area got closed and the district leader's area got blinded.  There were some outstanding necessities and that's why transfers were so crazy this time.

As for me, I had to come into Prague Saturday morning so that I could be to the building by noon, so I ended up leaving Brno at nine in the morning.  I then waited in Prague for a little while, mingling with other elders and sisters and eventually, President kicked us out of the building saying, "Go have a tour of Prague.  Just make sure to be back by six o'clock."  That was really weird.  These entire past two years people have been teaching me and helping me have a structured schedule for every hour and every moment of the day, and here's President at the very end telling us that we could go and do whatever we wanted.  It just felt really weird and we ran out of things to do very quickly.  We mainly just stayed at the building (returning after about a couple hours in the city), talking and playing the violin.  It was just Elder Vivona, Elder Butler and me.  It was actually a little bit of torture to have to waste time, because we had no idea what to do.  Then Sunday was basically the same.  We spent sacrament meeting with the Prague branch, and that was really strange.  It was different from any other sacrament meeting I had been at because literally half of the meeting was English and the other half Czech because there is a significant portion of the branch that isn't Czech-speaking and they have to translate everything.  After that, we were told to go take a stroll of Prague, after having lunch with President.  We went and saw all the touristy spots and made our way back just in time for our interviews.  Then on Monday morning, we got on our planes and made our way home.  The three of us flew to London together, but from there had different connections.  I had one straight to JFK, which is fortunate, but the other two had at least two more flights.  Poor Elder Butler had to go from Prague to London, London to Dallas, Dallas to Salt Lake City, and from Salt Lake City to Casper, Wyoming.  He figured it out that he would be traveling home for more than twenty-four hours, but it would all be on Monday, due to time changes.  Poor guy.  I made it home a little before four o'clock and met up with my family waiting for me there and they took me home.

Later that evening I had a meeting with President Potter who had my homecoming interview and then had a talk with me and the family about this time in my life and how I need to take habits from my mission and apply them to my life.  I'm definitely going to do that.  I've learned too much not to!  Then I was released as a missionary and he asked me to take my tags off.  That was really weird and hard, but I couldn't make a big deal about it, first off because I knew it was coming, but also because my family was there and I didn't want to be silly at such a serious time.

Readjusting to normal life has been okay, but I find myself bored a lot of the time.  I always find something to do, but I get to the end of the day most days and think, "What have I done today?"  I can't come home and look at my planner and see all the things that I've done, because I don't have that many things to do, and the things that I am doing aren't really even note-worthy.  Other than that, life is going okay.  I'm finding it a little difficult to keep some of the habits that I'm supposed to be doing, but I'm managing them, and I think a large part of the readjustment is learning how to incorporate the missionary mentality with the mentality and life of a normal person.  I believe that I've been thoroughly changed by my mission, and I will keep these impressions as long as possible.  I know that the Lord is going to continue putting so many opportunities in my way, and thanks to my mission, I will be capable of handling and facing them when they come.  Perhaps one of the things that I've learned the most on my mission is that you can not conquer the world, because it's just too much, but with the help of the Almighty Creator of Earth and Heaven, we can.  We are lesser than the dusts of the Earth, but He loves us, and He wants us to be even as He is, so all we have to do is humble ourselves and recognize who we are and reach out for His mighty hand when he offers it, and that is always.

I love you all very much and hope you can have the blessings of the Lord with you as you strive to live by His principles and doctrines,

Andy Monk

PS - p314: Elder Dietrich and Elder Gabrielsen

p315: Elder Gabrielsen and me right before going to the bus station

A Turn to the Better

Dear Family,

I heard that there was a hurricane on the East Coast, but Suzie told me that you're all well and fine.  I'm glad of that.  I remembered hearing from people around town telling me that there was a hurricane heading for the Northeast and telling me that it would hit New York.  I didn't know whether to believe them or to not let it bother me.  I decided to leave it in the Lord's hands.  It seems that it's turned out for the best.

So, a little about this last week.  This has been the miracle week of my mission.  It seemed that finally, when at the beginning of the transfer that everything that could go wrong did go wrong, now everything that could go right did go right.  It was a truly amazing week.  First off, we had something that has only happened a few times in my mission: we had at least one lesson every single day of the week and more than half of the week we had at least two (we totaled up at the end of the week at twelve).

So, a kind of crazy story about something that happened this week.  Almost two weeks ago now, we contacted this couple on the street close to the town square  We spoke for just a few minutes but they didn't really seem to have any interest.  They then told us that they were going to catch a bus, and we told them that we were too (and we actually were - we were just contacting on the way) and found out they were going to the same place, so, perhaps against their will, we followed them and continued to speak with them.  The girl was really quiet, but I tried to get her involved as well.  They really didn't seem to have any interest, but kept asking questions because they didn't want to make a scene and tell us to go away, so perhaps they were asking the questions just keep a friendly conversation.  At the end when we parted from each other, we gave them both contact cards and thought that was that, however, a few days later we got a really random text.  It was from an unknown number and all it was was a smiley face ":)".  That really confused us because were off to a meeting and we didn't have time to reply, so we left it for a little later.  When I finally got around to texting back, I sent something to the effect of: "Hi.  How are you?  Who are you?"  I got back that it was "Aneta" and that we had met the previous Friday.  I didn't remember any Aneta and so I just played along and asked if she'd like to meet with us.  She said yes, and so we set something up and we didn't really know what to think.  So, come the meeting, we get to the place (meetings where you don't know who you're meeting with are the worst because you just stand there looking at everyone really strangely/friendly in such a way to say, "are you my friend that I'm waiting for?") and start waiting, but we didn't wait long before this girl starts walking up to us.  Then I recognized her, though I still didn't remember where we'd met.  But recognized her.  We took her over and sat down and had a decent lesson.  She's way quiet, still, but said that she wanted to meet because she was curious in learning more.  Okay, I can deal with that.  So we taught her and gave her a Book of Mormon, and set up for another lesson.  She came to the next meeting too.  That lesson went better, but still way quiet.  Then we invited her to come to family home evening (an activity put on by the senior couple for young adults) and she agreed to come to that.  Elder Gabrielsen reminded me after the first lesson that she was the girl with the guy that we contacted on that road, and it blew my mind.  I really didn't think that anything came of that conversation, but I guess something did!

Also, with Laďa, he's still doing well and going strong to baptism.  He prayed the other day in a lesson with us and in his prayer, said that he's looking forward and is excited for his baptism.  He also came with us to a baptism that happened in Třebíč!  Yes, there was one there.  Laďa really liked it and knows a little more for sure what he's getting himself into, but really he's so set on it that I doubt anything is going to keep him back from it.

Anyway, back to that baptism in Třebíč: Ari Kanitrova got baptized!  She's the Mongolian lady that I taught back then.  She was so happy to see me.  They asked me to play a small musical number at the baptism and I said that it wouldn't be a problem, but the night before, on the way home, I remembered that I had left the violin at the church building, so that meant that we'd have to get up early, go to the building, pick up the violin, come back the way we came to the train station, buy the tickets, and then get on the train.  From our house to the building can be a good forty minute excursion if you catch the trams just right, so we had to get up quite early because our train was at 7:45.  Anyway, we made that just fine and made out train just fine.  We got to Třebíč, and then, when we were down in the valley (the train station is up on the hill above Třebíč) Elder Bracken asked, "Where's the violin?"  I had left the violin on the train.  Elder Gabrielsen and I ran back up the hill (it was a four to six minute run straight up hill) to train station to find that the train had already left.  We had been gone for a good ten minutes, so it didn't surprise me.  We got in contact with some people there and they contacted the train and found the violin and put it on the next train back to Třebíč, but it was going to be after we had to be at the baptism, so we had the baptism without my musical number, but instead we missionaries sang it.  The baptism was beautiful.  I'll add a picture.  Afterward, I went and picked up the violin and went and saw Dana again.  She's doing fine, but she's got a whole new pile of problems.

That was a fun little excursion in Třebíč.  That's only the second convert baptism in Třebíč in five years.  I can gladly say that I am really happy for them.

Yesterday we had a conference here in Brno, so that's why we didn't get to have p-day or emailing, and thus I'm writing today.  We went on a vylet (small trip) to a castle near by named Pernštýn.  It was pretty cool, but, what can I say, it was a pretty typical castle, but probably better than the castle was being with the district just to hang out.  That was what I really liked.

I can't believe that it's already my last p-day and that I'll be seeing you all in a week, but it's true.  I'll just work as hard as I can now, and be glad to see you when I get there.  I'll be satisfied that I have done everything that I could have.  I love you all.  Here are some pictures.

Love, 

Starší Monk

PS - P 0890 is Ari and Elder Bracken

P 0875 is where the baptism was outside of Třebíč

p 0301 is our district, Bara, Lad'a and Kaja

p 0308 is me in the dungeon of Pernštýn

Finally, Something Different!

Dear Family,

This week has been wonderful!  It's a little scary because Elder Bown went home this last week, and that's really brought some realization to me of how fast the end is coming.  So, the trend in our area this transfer has been that we set up tons of meetings, and then no one comes, but this week has been different!  It's great.

So, at the beginning of this transfer, Elder Bown had set up a meeting with some guy that he didn't know, because he was just a potential in the phone (his name's Vladimir), and when we came to the place where we had arranged to meet, this man walked up to us kind of weird and greeted us, and so we took it to be him.  Kinda strange, but whatever.  We took him to a cafe and sat down and spoke with him.  We tried to talk about the Book of Mormon and prayer, but the conversation got kind of taken over by him trying to let us know what he believes too.  It was a really strange meeting, where nothing really happened, so we didn't call him back.  Then a month later, Elder Bown accidentally called him again, and set up with him again.  So we took him somewhere else, so we didn't have the distractions of a cafe, and used the restoration pamphlet so that we could keep some control on the lesson.  It went fairly well, and he thumbed through the pamphlet many times and glanced at things.  Then I asked him what he'd be doing on Sunday (I thought, "why not.").  He put his hand on my shoulder and shook me a little bit, in a good way, and said, "aha, I already know what you're hinting at."  He then told us that he can't promise anything.  Then he continued to try and teach us the things that he believes.  However, Sunday rolls around, and fifteen minutes before church starts, we get a text from him saying, "Hey, I'm going to be a little late, but I'm coming."  That threw us all for a loop.  He walked in about ten minutes after it started and Elder Gabrielsen sat with him and walked him through everything.  He ended up staying for all three hours.  After second hour, he told me that he knew one of the members here, but he didn't remember from where.  He then went up and spoke with him and they remembered that they had worked at the same firm seventeen years ago.  This particular member has been a member his entire life and he was one of the ones that kept the church alive here in the Czech Republic during communism.  Then later, after third hour, he told me that he recognized another member!  They spoke for a while and they couldn't remember from where, but they both agreed that they knew each other.  Then this last week, we had another meeting with him, I wasn't there because I was on an exchange with Elder Dietrich, but Elder Gabrielsen was at the meeting.  There they spoke about baptism and committed him.  He accepted, and then he was quiet.  Elder Uremovich told me that he thought he was having doubts about what he said, so he began to explain more about it to try and ease his mind about it, but he butted in and said, "I already said yes, don't worry about it."  So that was very surprising.  He also came again to church this week.  He said that he didn't know if he'd be in town, but if he was he'd come, and he came!  Once again, he came in just a little late, and we weren't expecting him, so neither of us were waiting for him, but he came in and sat down by himself and loved it once again.  He stayed for all three hours and at the end of the third hour, he told me that he knew the teacher who taught third hour too (this week it was another teacher).  He then told me that when he had come to church last week, he knew so many people that he took it as a sign from God that this is the church he's supposed to be a part of.  That's way cool.  We're going to meet with him twice this next week and really try and get him going strong.

Then also, there's this kid that Elder Gabrielsen spoke with alone while he was on another exchange with Elder Bailey, and he got his number and we finally got a meeting set up with him.  The lesson was actually on the same day that Elder Uremovich and Gabrielsen gave Vladimir his date, and they gave this kid a date too!  His name is Patrik.  He seems really cool.  Elder Gabrielsen is really excited for him and I'm really excited to meet him.  Yesterday, Elder Gabrielsen sent him a text asking if he'd have any time this week.  Then he texted us a little later (at 9:00pm) and said he was sorry that he's texting so late, but he just back from a trip to Austria.  He then asked if we could meet "tomorrow" which is today.  We said yes, and then he started apologizing because he remembered that it was our free day.  I don't know how he knows it's our free day, but that's okay.  We got the meeting set up with him anyway, so I'm finally going to be able to meet him!

Also, this last week, there was a wedding here in Brno.  It was between a member from Bratislava (capital of Slovakia) and a member from Prague.  They're going to be living here so that they can go to school.  I was at the building quite a bit to help prepare the building, and they also asked me to do some music for the wedding, so I was there all day on Saturday.  The wedding was really fun, and some of the traditions afterward were pretty funny.  One of them, they put a horse yoke around each of their necks, and then tied them together with something that looked like dental floss and then gave some symbolic explanation of it all, but I couldn't hear it.  And once they took those off, one member began congratulating them and then took a dish and threw it on the ground.  Then someone behind the couple handed them a dustpan and they had to clean it up.  Then once they were nearly done cleaning, a member from Slovakia (who also just got married a few months ago) ran in and broke another dish and ran out laughing/giggling.  Someone was saying, "You can't do that!" but she just said, "Oh, c'mon, they do that in Slovakia."  And once they were nearly done cleaning that one, a member from Olomouc ran in and broke another one.  It was pretty funny because each "extra" time was not supposed to happen.  Someone explained to me afterward that the more shards there are, the more happiness they're going to have in their marriage and also them cleaning it up together is them learning to work together.

I can't believe how time is flying.  Things are finally turning up and I'm going to try and keep pushing it right up to the end.  I love you all and hope you're doing wonderfultastic!

Much love, and see you all soon,

Starší Monk

Areas Served

Even More of the Same

Dear Family,

It seems that the longer that I'm on the mission, the more that everything becomes the same.  Don't you feel that way sometimes with everyday life?  It's kind of weird.  I remember once before the mission, or at the beginning of the mission, that I heard, "You spend the first year learning the language, and then the second year on how to be a missionary... and then you go home once you have it all figured out."  Yeah, feeling kind of like that right now.  The other day we were at a member's home and we were showing her our pictures, and I realized that it had been a long time since I had looked through my pictures.  When we did, I felt really weird.  You know when you look at someone else's pictures and you don't feel like you really have any attachment to the people you're looking at?  I had a strange degree of the same feeling.  I still knew everyone, but I just felt like they were friends that I hadn't seen in a long time and didn't really have any contact with.  Weird.  I know that's going to change really fast, but that's how it is for the time being.

Anyway, we had kind of a fun experience with an old lady this last week.  Elder Gabrielsen, about two weeks ago, contacted an older lady on a tram when we were going somewhere, and she told him that she had already met with missionaries in the past and she immediately gave him her number, full name and where she lives.  That was strange.  Then she told him that she'd love for us to come over some time.  So I called her and she was very nice, and we arranged to come over for lunch.  So, when we arrived at her home, which is on the complete other side of Brno from where we live, which took about forty minutes to get to by tram, she let us in and we found out that she had her sister-in-law there with her.  They made it sound like they're always together.  Anyway, before we began eating, they said that they like to pray beforehand, so they taught us the prayer that they were going to say, but they said that you don't just say it; it needs to be sung.  So they told us the words, and then they sang the prayer.  It was really funny and cute.  Then they brought out the soup and we at it, then she brought out the goulaš and we ate it, and then she brought out the dessert and we ate it, and we thought that was the end.  Then she brought out some more of the dessert and when we finished it, she brought out another tray/dish of it and told us to eat it all.  My word.  It was a lot.  Anyway, back to them and not the food.  They're both evangelical and they're just the sweetest old ladies.  They told us that they had met with sister missionaries in the past, about five or six years ago, and that whenever they'd come over, they would always have a message to give, and then they'd write down an assignment to read from the Book of Mormon down on a piece of paper for them to read, and then they'd be quizzed on it the next time that they came over.  It was really cute, because at the end, she pointed at Elder Gabrielsen and told him that he has to give her an assignment from the Book of Mormon and that he had to write it down on a piece of paper, just like the sisters did before.  They also wanted to take us on a walk through the woods to see some wild pigs that they have.  She said that they're just small ones, but we just didn't have the time for it.  I think that they wanted to keep us for at least a few hours.  My word, these women just liked to talk and reminisce about when the missionaries would visit them.  We didn't get a message in, so I told them that next time we would have a small message that we would like to give them next time, and they agreed to that.

Also, this last week we had a strange little exchange between the three elders' areas this last week, because we're all having a little bit of a hard time finding new investigators, so we decided to shake it up and get some new enthusiasm among eachother.  I went off with Elder Pearson, the one that I follow-up trained in Olomouc (he's my zone leader now here in Brno), and we had a really great time.  We met this one man in a park next to a cathedral named Martin.  He's going through a lot of hard stuff right now, and he's just really doubtful about what can and can't be, but he really sat and listened to what we had to say, and it was probably the best bench lesson that I've had in a long time.  I could feel my love for this man growing and I just wanted so badly to give him the assurance of the gospel.  We gave him the reason to meet with us, we promised blessings, told him a piece of the message, and told him how, even though we have hard times, we can make it through happily thanks to the gospel.  He made it sound, with his inflections, like it was too good to be true and that he didn't really believe it, but we challenged him to meet with us again and he can begin trying it out for himself.  He accepted it and I'm really excited to see what goes on with him.  He's not going to be in my area, because I was working for the zone leader area at the time, but I should see him around.

Other than that, it's been a lot of the same.  We're still setting up between fifteen to eighteen lessons a week, and if they would all come, they'd almost all be new investigators.  However, only between two to five of them actually come.  It's really disappointing, but we're doing what we can and that's all that the Lord is expecting of us.

I love you all and I'm happy to hear that things are going well.  Rely on the Lord, there's no better way.  Love,
Starší Monk