Dear Family,
So this last week has been pretty cool. It went a lot like last week. Early on in the week, we got a call from Ari (our Mongolian lady) and she told us that she was going to Brno and was going to be staying there for most of the week because the heating at her house is still acting up and she doesn't want to risk getting sick or having other problems. So she went to Brno and didn't come back the entire week, and so we don't really have much else other than Dana and Jirka (the couple that I wrote about last week).
We went through the entire week again without a single lesson again until Saturday, when we called up Dana and asked if we could meet again, like last week, and talk about a branch baptism that was going to happen the next day. She said we could. When we got there, we Jirka wasn't there. We went into the kitchen and started talking with her and we found out some really big things with her. We then began talking about the baptism that would be happening the next day. We had a member lesson with her and Sister Houzarova about three weeks ago and invited Dana and Jirka to her daughters' baptism. Dana accepted immediately and pressured Jirka into coming too (even though I think he already wanted to come). Anyway, we began talking about the baptism and read a few selections out of the Book of Mormon. We read 3 Nephi 11:21-37, and then she asked what the Bible said about baptism. So we read Matthew 3:13-17. We testified about the importance of having the Book of Mormon because it explains simple things like baptism so we know how they're supposed to be done. She really understood that. Then we challenged her to watch the next day to see how the baptism that would happen and the way that Jesus explained would be the same. She agreed.
Now, the baptism was at 6:30 in the morning so that it could be before church. Why they didn't do it on Saturday, I don't know. Anyway, Dana and Jirka stopped and picked us up so we wouldn't have to walk up the hill to the pool. The entire branch was there. The baptism was perfect and I think that Dana and Jirka really liked it. Afterward, we asked them if they were going to be at church meeting so they could see the part where she receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. They said that they didn't know - they had to be home so she could cook lunch for us. Lame. We kind of left it at that, but let them know that it could be the last time that she could be to church with one of us. I had full confidence that she would come.
Church came around, and I was standing out front greeting people, and they walked up. She was a little put off because she wanted to surprise us, but there I was, keeping watch! She called me a spy. At the church meeting, there were so many people. I'd guess, almost twice as many as usual. The spirit was really strong, and Dana felt it. After church when we went over for lunch, we spoke about the baptism, confirmation and the church. Again, we had a really good meeting where we found out that Dana knows she needs to be baptized, wants to be baptized, but she also knows that there are many things in her life right now that aren't in accordance with how she needs to be, in order to be baptized. That was way cool.
Then Ari called us from Brno on Saturday and asked us if we would be in Brno by chance and if we could bring her to church there. Awesome! However, we had to tell her that we wouldn't be there, but some of our friends could take her to church. We gave her number to the zone leaders and they went and picked her up on Sunday monring, and she stayed for the first hour. She called us after the meeting and told us that she had a good time there and that she liked the sister missionaries. Then this last Monday we had a meeting with her and she told us that she feels really good around us. We told her that was the Holy Ghost and that she could feel like that all the time too. We think that a lot of things have really clicked in her mind recently - that prayer is really important, coming to church is a good way of feeling the Spirit, and that she needs to be baptized. She wants to read the entire Book of Mormon first and she wants to be baptized in a pond (preferrably in June or July), so we'll talk to her more about that.
Our area has really taken a step forward in some aspects, and fallen back in others but I guess that's the way that it goes sometimes. We're having a really tough time right now finding new people to teach, but the ones that we do have are doing really well, so from them we have great joy.
As for transfers, I am still here in Trebic, and I will have a new companion. His name is Elder Vomočil. His family is from the Czech Republic, but he's American. He's in the same mission group as Elder Thompson and Mills (the missionaries that follow-up trained me), so he's older than I am! First one in a long time. I'm really excited to serve with him, and he seems really happy to be here in Trebic.
Not much else to say. We'll have P-day again on Monday, so I'll try and get some personal emails out to the rest of you then. I love you all and hope you're all doing wonderfully.
Love,
Starší Monk