Dear Family,
How are all of you? Hope things are going well. Well, I've got a story for you guys. I'm feeling that it's going to be one of the ones that I tell after I get home from the mission. I'm not quite sure if it's done though... I'll let you know later.
Well, it started all the way from last week on Monday night. On P-days, we only get free time until 6:00 and then we have to work again. So, we had three meetings set up and we were going to have a full night of teaching, but throughout our P-day, they all canceled for one reason or another. That's no bother, we just went out and tracted the last half of a panelak (big communist "apartment" building) that we had done a few days before. This one was pretty large - thirteen floors with seven doors on each floor. We had gotten down to the seventh floor before so we decided to start there. So we're going door to door and having no success and so we keep going. Pretty good description of missionary work most of the time :P
Then we got down to the second floor and Elder Thompson and Mills were just being silly. Not out of control silly, but not being particularly focused either. A few days before when we were doing tracting also, Elder Thompson was telling us about how all the time when you're contacting like this, you knock on a door and then one of the elders says something dumb, and then the person comes to their door with two boys who can't control themselves. Well... to be short, Elder Thompson did that at this door. Elder Thompson looked at Elder Mills (it was Elder Mills' turn to do the door) and gives a big ridiculous grin, and Elder Mills loses it. He's not just laughing but holding his gut because he's laughing so much and Elder Thompson is laughing at this point, too. Elder Mills knew he was laughing too much to do the door so he left and went down a little side hall where he couldn't be seen from the door and Elder Thompson followed him because he must have thought that no one was home (it had been about ten to fifteen seconds at this point) but I heard someone inside! So I stayed there and I'm trying not to laugh at this point too. Then the door opens, and I'm the only one there so I start the contact alone. A Mongolian boy comes to the door and spoke with me for a while. He was probably about 20 to 22 years old and didn't speak Czech very well. So here's a good combo - Elder Monk who's been speaking Czech for only two months, and then this guy who doesn't speak very well either. Hmm... anyway, I got his number and he said that we could come and meet him again some other time. Elder Thompson came back acting like he was talking on his phone so he could re-enter without seeming too awkward but he only ended up playing with the guy's dog while I finished up the contact. So that was interesting. We finished up the panlelak and left with a time to come and meet Od (the Asian guy's name) a few days later.
Then when we got out, we looked at our clocks and it was still a little early to go home, but it was also too late to be let into another panelak, so we decided to do some bus contacting. Before we got on the bus Elder Thompson said that we weren't getting off the bus until we got a number from someone even if we pass our stop. So, we get on the bus and split up. I went to the front and sat next to a guy and asked him if I could talk to him for a little bit. He looked at me like I was crazy and then turned so that his back was to me. Real nice... So I'm sitting there really awkwardly, trying to figure out what I should do next. Do I stand up and sit next to someone else and start over, or do I wait until he gets off the bus and then move to talk to someone else? I chose the second one. So I'm waiting to get to the stop and I see my next target. Someone sitting right across from me. This person looked interesting. Kinda weird, but looked nice enough that they'd talk with me. Also, the person kept glancing at me.
So we get to our stop and the guy gets off and I'm about to get up to go talk to this other person, but I hear a tapping on the glass behind me, so I look and it's Elder Thompson telling me to get off the bus. Yipee! we got a number! So I got off and he asked me if I got that guy's number and I said no. Turns out that neither did Elder Thompson or Mills. So they decide to make me get someone's number before we get home. Alrighty! I can do that. So break off from them as we're walking home, and I try to find a place that wouldn't be completely creepy if I contacted them there. I tried one guy, but the timing was wrong and it was where there were no lights, so he obviously thought I was going to try and rob him or something, and said "ne...NE." Oookay dude, don't need to yell at me. So I needed a more tactful place to contact. Why not another bus stop? They're well lit and people are just standing for their bus. Can do. So I get to the next one and there's not a lot of people there. Then someone caught the side of my eye coming around a tabák (tobacco and magazine stand) and I said that I'd contact that person. So I go up and say, "Zdravím" (Greetings) and the guy pulls out his headphones and started talking with me. Turns out that it was the same person who I was going to talk to on the other bus. (Oh my word... every time that I've wanted to write "bus" I've written "buss" and had to delete the extra s.) So I start talking with this guy, and quite seriously, I thought 'he' was a 'she' on the bus, and I still did, except he had a low voice. Still a femmy voice, but low. Kinda weird, but whatever: everyone deserves to hear about the gospel. So I get this guy's number because he was rushing to get on the bus. Awesome, I got a number and we can go home.
Then the next day, I got a text from him (Filip) and at the end he wrote his name "Fifa." Okay... all cool. This guy's awesome because I contacted him and he contacted me back because he wants to talk. But no.... "Fifa" keeps texting me and they get creepier and creepier. At one point he was freaking out because I was writing him back immediately. I hate texting, especially when they want to have a conversation. It's good for just sending little bits of information, but when you're having a conversation, I'd rather just talk. So I try calling "Fifa," but he freaks out and doesn't answer and then he texts me right after and says, "please only text me during the day, you can call me at night." What the heck is that about? Anyway, so I comply and only text. Finally at one point he asks if we can meet and I said, "sure, but I need to be with my friends because I'm here as a missionary as I've told you before and I'm not allowed to be alone." Then he freaks out about how I can't be alone and how he has so many feelings he needs to tell me and it was already getting really creepy at this point.
Then we had Zone Conference on Wednesday and I told President about it. He said that a couple other missionaries before have attracted girls and some even guys. He went on to tell me that I'm an attractive guy and to be careful. Thanks, President. Anyway, Fifa was getting way weird with me saying that he wants to only meet at night when people aren't around because he's ugly and stuff like this. I don't care what you look like, I'm a guy and you're a guy. This was getting way weird. I called him one night and finally just had a conversation with him and told him that I'm not allowed to be alone and that's because it's a rule for us as missionaries. He didn't like that too much, but there's nothing I can do about that, and personally I'm glad of it. We also got a meeting set up for Sunday night, which was yesterday, and all day yesterday I was really nervous that something weird and extremely awkward would happen. However, after the time that I called him on the phone he didn't text me at all. That was a strange relief. Anyway, the time came for us to meet Fifa. So we waited outside the church building for him and he didn't show up. So I called him, and he didn't pick up, so we went home.
I'm not quite sure what's going on right now, but I know that Elder Thompson and Mills are giving me a hard time because I've got a "boyfriend" here in Zlin who's going to investigate because he's interested... perhaps not in the gospel. Thanks, Elders. Anyway, I'm here to talk to everyone about the gospel-- not to discriminate.
'Nough of that. It's finally become clear and pretty around here. Ever since I arrived here in the Czech Republic, we've had gray skies, but this past week has been quite pretty. We'd have one day of blue skies and then one day of raining, and today it's sunny! Yay! I tried doing contacting a little bit differently on the naměstí (town square/city center). I go up to someone sitting on a bench and talk to them. It's gone really well. In one finding block when I was finding alone, I got two people's numbers and they've agreed to listen to what we have to say. One old lady asked me if we have a place that we meet and I told her where it was. Then she asked what time we meet and she said that she'd come sometime. She couldn't come yesterday because her husband's sick right now and she's taking care of him, but she said that she'd like to come sometime in the future. She also said that she could tell that I wasn't from here because I looked different. Many people here think that I'm part Mongolian. Oh well. Closer than people in America who think that I'm Mexican.
Anyway, my time is nearly up. This week's been awesome. We got four new investigators, and we have high hopes for the future. This week was difficult but each week is going to become harder and harder, but they'll be more and more rewarding as well. I love you all and know that if we push through the hard times, we'll see the blue skies at last.
Much love from the Czech Republic,
Starší Monk