One Last Time

Mon, Sep 5, 2016 9:43 am

Subject: One Last Time

Zdravim, Nazdar, Ahoj, Cau, Hello,

I am reporting from Perfect Prague today! 

It has been very very windy, some light rain, and super dark clouds.

But through it all, Mr. Sun has still managed to peek through and shed some light on us folks in Pretty Prague.

SHOUTOUTS:

The Glendenning wedding looked magical. Thanks for the pics mommy dearest.

Gma woman and Gpa Richard. Thank you thank you thank for all the postcards

over the past year. I love you!

C-BUD CHARMS:

---> Krtek is the Mickey Mouse of the Czech Rep.

---> They are building a huge bridge on the town square to show off the fountain. 

---> Choice of card game this transfer during game night: SCUM.

---> Orion and Studenska are actual Czech Chocolate. Milka reins from Germany.

B.O.M. INSIGHT:

Moroni 10:6 

 6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that  is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

In Preach My Gospel chapter 3, lesson Plan of Salvation, there is a list of chapters in the Book of Mormon that clearly testify of Christ and His reality. For the past week or so I have been reading some of these passages. Today I read In Moroni 10 and fell in love with this verse.

There is no doubt in my mind the every good thing I have in my life proves to me that there is a God and Jesus Christ gave is life so that I could have and experience all of these good gifts of life. I love my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, more than ever. 

 

FREIBERG TEMPLE DEDICATION:

Fun fact: Today there are 151 temples open throughout the world. All of 

the ancient prophets dreamed about this time. The temples are 

stunning proof of God’s love for his children.

We participated in the 3:00 session of the dedication. It took place in the Prague and Brno church  buildings. We were in Prague. There were some members from Mlada Boleslav that I was able to see following the dedication. But more importantly, I got to sit "in the temple" with Czech saints. Having the blessed opportunity to sit at the back of the room and see all the members that I have met and come to love sit in front of me, worthy to be in the temple was glorious, It was a sight and feeling that I won't ever forget. 

Prezident Uchtdorf said something that really hit home. He said that although it may seem that the finishing of the renovation may seem like the end of a project, really it is just the beginning. Not only is the temple rededicated, but we as members are rededicated as well to the promises and carry out this beautiful work of the Lord.

Almost immediately, an overwhelming sensation of peace and direction came over me and I realized that I have been renovated and rededicated over the past 2 years and now I am ready for the real beginning, if you will. I have no need to fear what's ahead of me because I along with the help of God, have been preparing for it. 

It was a unique and spiritual experience that I feel so blessed to have had. 

A BOOK OF SORTS:

I can't remember if I mentioned Pani Urbanova and her 10 year old granddaughter for whom she wished to practice with us English? I think so, hopefully! Anyway, We met with her last Tuesday, and she fell in LOVE with us! We met again on Saturday so I could say goodbye. Pani Urbanova made Goulash a classic Czech dish. Sestra Hill and I had decided that we would start "spoon feeding"them the Gospel. So, on Saturday we asked if we could share a short spiritual thought at the end of each lesson from here on out. Pani Urbanova said absolutely! We simple bore testimony of our God as our Father in Heaven and sang with DiAnka "I Am a Child of God"

After singing, Pani Urbanova says to us, "Do you have some sort of book that I could read that would teach me more about who you are and what you believe? It really interests me." 

*Pause*  *Sestra Hill and I look at each other while simultaneously thinking yes, yes we do Pani Urbanova.* 

Ha ha ha, it was such a sweet sweet moment for me. After we told her we do indeed have a book for her to read, DiAnka piped in and said she wanted one too. These two daughters of God are sooooo good. You can tell because they have such good spirits. I am so looking forward to hearing how it all turns out.  

A WEEK OF LASTS:

I had myself a lot of "lasts" this past week as a misionarka. 

My last Quirrto at KFC.

My last time locking the door to our apartment,

My last time trakting. 

My last train ride to Prague.

And my last email home, signed Sestra Fred

I'd like to leave you with one last testimony that I know God lives. He is in the Heavens. He is real. I know this with every ounce of my being. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. I know He knows me. I know that He hears my every cry, every pain, even every weakness that I have and still He loves me. He protects me. He walks with me. I know that families are eternal. Our relationships matter. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true and living church and the Lord is at the wheel guiding and directing even in this day. I have not been more sure of these things in my entire life. 

I know that I am coming home to the best family in the world FOR ME. I know that I have the best friends in the world FOR ME. I know that your prayers and my prayers on my behalf and others have been heard. God never leaves us in the dark. Sometimes we just have to search a little harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I love my mission. I love my mission more than anything else because I learned how to love my Savior and His Gospel because of it. How blessed I am.

I know that I am dying to get my arms around each and every one of you! Well, lets be honest, mostly all the kiddos. ;) 

DÍKY DÍKY DÍKY MOC mnoho krat for your endless love and support. 

WE ROLLED IN THE MUD TOGETHER! 

I'll see ya'll real soon. 

S svou celou laskou,

Sestra Fredrickson 🌻

Last Train Ride - On our way to the Mission Home for one last time...

Sestra Boza comes to Prague!!! Helping her out with the luggage. :)

Sestra Hill - My Niece in the training lingo of the mission!

We did the Mushroom hunting for our culture night. To finish the event, we went over later to the 

Hrubesovi home to make mushroom soup. It was prettyyy tasty. One of the funnest culture nights I had. 

Priceless - My reaction to the call Sestra Hill received informing her that she would be TRAINING!!!

She AND MY BABY, Sestra Cade are BOTH training this next transfer. I have never been so excited. 

Mushrooms - The hunters of the fungus extraordinaire!

A huge Czech tradition is Mushroom Hunting in the Forest!

We went with a recent convert and her husband. I successfully found ONE. 

KAIZEN

Dobrý Večer!

We woke up to some Thunder and storms this morning.

After a hot humid week it was to us pleasant rainy weather. 

It was a cool 54 F today. :)

SHOUT-OUTS:

Happy wedding day to the future Mr. and Mrs. Brock Glendenning!

I'll be throwing rice from the Czech Rep. :) I hope everything about the big day will fall into place for your good. Love you both! Congrats!

Sestra Melanie Hale, I received your letter. DIKY MOC.

Also, Mom, Dad, Clark, Alice, Gracie, and C-dizzle. I got your letters. 

I may or may not have cried while I read them. Thank you so much. 

They meant alot to me.

C-BUD CHARMS:

---> While tracking, the Czechs don't actually answer their door, they answer through the window.

---> Voda fone is the T-mobile of the CZ.

---> Distance between MB and C-Bud : 204 km; 2 h 33 min. 

---> Best ice cream flavor of the summer: PISTACHIO and Vanilkova. 

B.O.M. INSIGHT:
Helamn 5:6-7

6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written,that they were good.

 7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it hasbeen said and written of them.

I love, love, love these verses. I read this chapter 2 times this past week and shared these verses with a couple of members. I love the importance of our family names. I love how Helaman desired for his sons to have the same reputation, if you will, that their forefathers had. We all have a great responsibility to live up to our family names and not only our family names, but our Saviors name as well. 

I challenge you all, this week, to ponder about what it means to be a (fill in the blank) and also what it means to wear the names of Christ on your heart. How are you representing them? When others see you, do they see light? Do they see good? Are you remembering to remember who you represent? I promise you, that as you take the time to self reflect you will start to see yourself differently as well as your family and Saviors name. 

FIND AND FAST:

Our find and fast turned out SO good. It took place last Tuesday. We literally FOUND the entire day. Altough we didn't find the EXACT MAN we had imagined up, we still found soooo many good men with real potential. The Elders found a former and they found him PRAYING!!! It was so awesome. There are people coming out of the wood works that we feel are ready to make the next step spiritually. We along with Prezident Chrdle are all eagerly excited to see what the Lord has in store for this area and branch. Eeeee soooo many good things are about to unfold here. I can feel it in my bones!

KAIZEN:

One of the great blessings of having a stake are the High Council Men. 

We were graced with the presence of Brother Simon Gordon-Smith. 

He hails from England, has lived all over the world, and is currently living in Plzen.

His wife is Czech. She was the one who actually helped Sister Boza and I prepare for the radio show interview. 

He taught us about the word KAIZEN. It is a Japanese word (DAD) that means continual inprovement. He then gave a sermon about how it applies to us as a small branch. 

We discussed a lot about acheiving goals and what it actually takes to acheive them. 

For example:

I want to get fit. 

Tomorrow I will get up and run a 10k.

The day after I am way to sore to get up and do anything, so I'll wait a week to rest.

VERSES:

I want to get fit.

I'll start by getting up and going for a mile walk tomorrow.

The day after I'll add a little more distance. 

So on and so forth. 

Until I reach the goal of being "fit."

Kaizen is all about PERSITENCY and CONSISTENCY. 

When that is applied, real change and real growth occur.

Man, I wish all of you could have been there for the hour. It was amazing.

I felt so inspired afterward to go out and shoot "arrows" of Kaizen everywhere!

I'll explain more when I get home. :)

I am BEYOND blessed to be serving in such a miraculous country. 

I know that God lives. There is no doubt in my mind that He is our Father in Heaven. 

He loves us. He cares for us. He wants and is willing to bless us. My heart is so full.

I hope you all have a great week as we welcome September. What? 😵

 

Mám vás rada!!! 

Due to the Freiberg, Germany temple dedication this coming Sunday, we had fast and testimony

meeting yesterday. It was my last one. I had hoped for a full house, and that is what we got!

It was the perfect Sunday. 

Naměstí

The Last District Meeting. 

Starsi Dean, Lovell, Sestra Hill and I

Just in case you didn't google it...

Tatarak is raw meat! It actually wasn't terrible... but I don't

think that I would ever eat it again. Mostly I did it for Prez McConkie and

just to say that I tried it. ha!

​They have an american diner just around the corner from the church building. It was so dang good.

​Mark, is from Taiwan and just recently moved to Krumlov. Lucky duck!

He is the sweetest. hahah we love him

Today we went to Krumlov by bus to visit a member. 

We toured inside the Castle. There was some pretty China. :)

​The Chrdlovi. This family though. I love them like they are my own.

We Learn to Walk with God

ČAU!!

What the what. How is it already halfway through August??

The Fall air is starting to creep in on us. It's causing me to crave some fall New York air. Still, we are enjoying the heat of the sun on our skin. With that, I am happy. :)

SHOUTOUTS:

The ward boundaries back home split! AHH! I am so excited for us to be back with the hobble creekers!

And Papa Shaw! Looking forward to seeing you in a couple weeks, Bishop. :)

Gandolfs, Rios and my sweet Lance, you will be missed. :(

C-BUD CHARMS:

---> The czechs mark their trees and treat them as patients, but only in Trebon around the Svet pond. (see picture "A C-Bud Charm.")

---> Domací (home team) Hosté (visitors)

---> Children are trained from a VERY early age to ride bikes. They've got all the gear and everything.

      It's the cutest sight.

---> Elder Lovell, Sestra Hill and I all tried TATARAK for the first time. Google it.

B.O.M. INSIGHT:

2 Nefi 6:2-3

 2 Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, andhaving been consecrated by my brother [CHRIST], unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things.

 3 Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.

I LOVE these verses for a couple of reasons.

1. Jacob was sure in himself as one being called of God. He knew where from where he could draw strength and confidence. 

2. He also drew strength from his brother. As you can see, I inserted Christ's name where Nefi was. To make common ground

    with the people he was teaching he used a great "reference." 

3. Jacob was very earnest and anxious for these people to accept what he had been teaching. They knew it was true. He knew that they knew. I admire him for the way that he wasn't afraid to call them out.

Although we may not always be called to what seems to be an "important" calling, we all have the calling to be God's missionaries. With or without the name tag. I encourage all of you to draw strength from our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, and realize that you have been called of God and have been Consecrated by Christ to make an impact in the life of someone close to you. That could be a stranger or even someone right under your nose. Pray about it. Seek guidance from He who knows all. I can promise you that you will be led and guided to those who are starving for truth in their lives.

DISTRICT UNITY:
As a district we have been talking a lot about what the branch needs.
MEN. During Distirct meeting this past week we counseled together and came up with a game plan. We picked a day to find this MAN who will fit a certain description. On the day we look for him (tomorrow) we will perform a fast. In order to prepare for this fast and make it as spiritual as we can, we brainstormed study topics based on various needs for the area. For example, today we studied Isiah 58. This chapter is all about the true fast. Since last wendesday we have tried different finding techniques and have been very specific with how people look when we go out to find. i.e. White T-shirt, Short Kakis, sandals, etc. It has been a really neat experience so far.

Last night, we were working on our area book and calling formers. At about 7:00 we felt prompted to go out. On a typical Sunday night, there is hardly anyone on the streets.

But there was Honza and his sweet daughter Deanna. He fit the description of the man that we came up (sisters) with after a process of prayer and revelation. Although he didn't set up to meet with us, we felt that Heavenly Father was giving us a little taste of what it will be like for us Tuesday when we set out to find this man.

Here's the awesome part.

At almost the same time yesterday evening, the Elders met someone who fit their description of the man. Our descriptions are almosttt the same, but vary just slightly. So cool! God is in the work! Slowly and surely we are learning to walk with Him in this work.

THE BOZANOTOR:
We visit a Less-Active almost every week named Sestra K. She is THE sweetest lady EVER. She makes costumes for living! Between work and her family, she is constantly going and hardly has a break to do anything for herself. We had a really spiritual lesson with her this past week about talents and gifts that God has given us. At the end of the lesson we felt that we should really push to cook for her. (She cooks A LOT for her family and doesn't necessarily enjoy it.) She pondered about it for a second and then realized that she would have the house to herself on Sunday. The rest is history. Sestra Hill and I attempted to make "The Bozanator". A klasicka dish that Sestra Boza concocted up while on the mission. It wasn't QUITE as good as when Sestra Boza makes it, but it was still edible. There didn't appear to be any left on the plates. ;) The Elders came with us and played cards with Sestra K, while we cooked. It was so comforting to see Sestra K just SITTING and RELAXING.

That's all for now.

More to come next week!

MAM VAS RADA.

Srdecne,

Sestra Fred 🌻

Oliver the Great

​We visited one of our English students, Oliver. He baked us muffins, showed us around his garden. He even gifted us with FRESH tomatoes and cucumber. He is golden.

Farmers Market
We ran to the Farmers Market Saturday morning. I held a rabbit. :)


Surprise Visit... 

This Blondinka made an appearance in C-Bud on Friday with a couple of members from Prague. SO dang good to see this woman. I love you Sestra Clark!

Our Tour Guide ratr Šýr lives in Třebon. He took time to spend the afternoon with us and show us around his beautiful home. We had a blast!


A C-Bud Charm

Around the lake, they mark all the trees with trail signs, which is pretty normal, but what was the charm is the little silver sign up top. They mark the oldest trees with a number and they take care of them as if they are patients in a hospital. 

The "World" Pond

Svet means world. This body of water is considered to be a pond. People will come and say that "They went around the world together" ha. It was refreshing to be near some water.

RYBNÍKA--SVĚT




The Feast. :)

15. SRPNA 2016

Hello hello hello :)

I have a quote for ya'll.

"Get used to fear. It's what pushes you  into faith.

That know in your stomach isn't untying anytime soon -- 

the only option is to accept it as part of the ride and even dare to enjoy it a bit.

Put your arms in the air, feel the rush and scream your guts out all the into 

whatever it is Goad has for you. 

WHEEEE!"

I've had a few knots in my tummy lately, and that quote really helped me.

SHOUTOUTS:

H a p p y B i r t h d a y to my dear papa, TODAY. I hope that they treat you well

up at UAMPS. ;) I love you so much, dad. I am grateful to Gma and Gpa Fred who

raised a good, righteous young man. Big hug comin your way soon!

H a p p y Birthday to Gpa Richard! Last week on the 12th.. maybe 13th! hehe

Anyhow, you had a birthday and I hope that you and Gma celebrated well. :)

BREANA BATE. You are a goner my friend!  ha ha no, I kid. I thought about you

alllll day on the 12th. I hope that you had a magical wedding day. Happy honeymooning!

I hit my "2 year mark" yesterday. whoooo-hooo. :)

C-BUD CHARMS:

---> It has literally rained EVERY Tuesday since I arrived in the Bud. 

---> I ran 10 kilometers to Hluboka today without stopping! 

---> A couple that we have been teaching invited us to attend a Mexican food party that they 

      were putting on. It was a treat to watch the Czechs try to create a burrito. haha! They 

      really don't know how because Mexican food isn't common here. 

B.O.M. INSIGHT:

2 Nefi: 5:16

16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple.But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

This is what I took from this scripture:

We may be in areas, physically, spiritually, mentally, where we don't have "so many precious things" with which we can construct a "temple" exactly like Solomon's  BUT we CAN create something similar like unto it and the design can be just as magnificent. Nefi worked with what he had and he produced yet the best and almost as good, if not just as good as the temple of Solomon.

Just as I was writing this out, the words of Prezident Uchtdorf entered my mind:

START WHERE YOU ARE. 

It's never to late to start, just START and watch something magical unfold.

INSIGHT FROM PREZIDENT POHO:

It’s the month of August. In the Czech language, this name is derived from the word sickle. It is a tool used for harvesting grain. In many places around the world it is time for harvesting. Besides that it should be a time when we are grateful, harvesting time should be a time of personal reflection, evaluation and planning. We can ask questions, what contributes to a successful harvest? What can we do to ensure a better harvest?

One thing that I love about the Czech language is that it is very literal.

KEY WORD: Adam

Alright, do you remember the man that we met on the Bridge with whom we had a spiritual experience? We shared with him our testimonies about the Plan of Salvation because he had 

had close family whom had died? 

Well, we just so happened to meet his WIFE. ha ha

We were on our way home after a meeting and felt prompted to talk to this woman with a stroller.

She was sooo kind and very pleasant. As the conversation unfolded and we asked for names, she said my name is Lucie and this is my son Adam

Almost IMMEDIATELY Sister Hill and I look at each other with a face of confusion and suspicion.

And then almost at the exact same time we asked, "You have a husband by the name of John, don't you?" hahah she giggles and exclaimed yes, yes I do.

She was being a turkey! She knew allll along who we were. ha It was pretty funny. 

John had shared with her what we had shared with him. She is actually a believer.

She agreed to set up with us. We had on plan to visit her and her husband last Friday, 

but they ended up going out of town. Bummer!

We anticipate that God will continue to prepare them and we are sure that we will have

another run in. God doesn't do random. :)

8 AM START TIME:

We tried something new this past week!

Sister Hill and I both felt that we needed some faith building experiences. 

So we brainstormed and we felt that one thing we should change in our schedule is going out every morning at 8 a.m. for an hour to contact. Our hope was to find those elect who are a part of the working class. 

It was a fun and trying mix up to the schedule. Some days we saw great success, others not so much. We found that most of the time people were in a rush to get to work. Clearly. So I think it was Thursday morning we went out focusing on getting the "call back" lesson. Share a short powerful statement about the Gospel and the goal being to get their number and an appointment. Thursday morning we found 2 new potentials trying this method! It was a great faith building experience.

We contine to chug along here in Budejovice!

A new Branch Prezident was called yesterday. It is now Bratr Chrdle. Prior to him, Bratr Ambroz.

Two remarkable men, that I look up to a lot.

That's all for now.

Have a happy week!

Srdečně,

Sestra Fredrickson 🌻

We biked to this Zamek today. Actually, Elder Lovell and I ran it and the other two biked. 

We also had an English student of ours who accompanied us. :) 

OKRSEK

One More Time + Krystyna :)​

It had been a long while since I had seen some red softball dirt. 

There was even someone preparing the field. A treat of a sight! 

​Naturally... we had to treat ourselves at the end of a long, but fun adventure;)

The President and his wife came to join us for our district meeting. They also gave us a short training focusing 

on contacting. It was such a treat!

FOR YOU Mlačy Segro 

Passed a golf club today. Thought of my two big brothers.

For you my Birthday Daddy. :) 

There were a ton of this towers along the path this morning.

Marvelous Members

Hi Family and Friends,

It's good to be here with you through email once again.

Today marks one month until my return. 

Pretty crazy.

SHOUTOUTS:

Breanna Bate... Soon to be... Breanna... Something. haha 

Everything wonderful to you and T.O. on the 12th of August. 

Meggie Spencer.. I know that it has almost been a month and half now.. 

but happy 1 year being home back on the 28th of June! 

Kristen Blake! Thank you for the email! I had goosebumps while I read it. 💙

CBud Charms:

---> Czechs call Milkshakes "Cocktails."

---> Instead of saying BOO to scare someone you say BUFF.

---> Frogs say QUACK.

---> Cows say BOO.

B.O.M. INSIGHT:

Helaman 5:12

Today's insight is dedicated to Sestra Hill, my partner in crime. 

This is her favorite verse in the Kniha Mormonova.

 12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

I love this scripture because it reminds us that IF we are built upon the rock of of Savior, we shall never need to fear falling. I know that as we remain faithful to the covenants, promises, that we make with Heavenly Father and strive to always go about doing good and keeping the commandments our foundation will remain strong to withstand the storms of life.

MEMBERS:

I want to simply share my gratitude that I have for the Czech saints. 

We had a really hard week. We faced a lot of opposition, in a variety of ways. On Wednesday I could hardly keep myself composed. There was a woman who belonged to a different church who told us, "I know how our country views you and your people in your society and I don't want anyone thinking that we associate with you." Worst part was, she said this to us in English. Rejection is a part of missionary work. We get in day and day out. But hearing it in your native tongue leaves a deeper sting.

I had to take a time out and let out all of my emotions on a bench in a park nearby. I sobbed for awhile as Sister Hill just listened.I was tired and done emotionally, physically and spiritually. I couldn't take be rejected one more time.I eventually called Prezident Pohorlicky and talked with him. He then called Bratr Chrdle, a member here, and asked that he would

talk with me and give me a blessing to calm me down.

We went over to Bratr Chrdle's home later that evening. He made us dinner and just talked with us about the work and how we were feeling. I could feel his love for me. I could see that he didn't see me as just another Sister Missionary, but as he see's his own children. He gave me a beautiful blessing and afterwards we discussed some parts of the blessing like I would with my own father. I felt at home there.

Sunday rolls around and Sister Hill and I felt that we needed to do something for the Members. SO we decided to bake bread! Along with the bread, we wrote individual notes to each member of the Chrdlovi family. We made a surprise visit Sunday evening to share the bread and letters. They invited us in to stay awhile. We chatted and got to know them on a more personal level. I learned that Bratr Chrdle served in the Ogden, Utah mission. His first area was KAYSVILLE, UTAH and his last area was LAYTON, UTAH. hahahah I just about died. Sestra Chrdlova also served a mission! She was the first CZECH sister to serve among the CZECHS. I personally gained strength from hearing their mission stories. I had the chance to share my own mission story. We all came to the conclusion that it was meant to be that I started and finished in CBud.

Sunday at church there were members from Liberec, Plzen, and Prague who came to support our little branch. Our little church hall was completely full. As well as our hearts with gratitude.

These Czech Saints are strong beyond measure. I sometimes try to REALLY put myself in their shoes, but I am never able to completely understand how they must feel. As a missionary, you come and go. It isn't your PERMANENT life. These members have a deeply rooted faith in Christ and trusting that good things are always to come. 

One thing that Bratr Chrdle blessed me with was the ability to realize that things are as they are. What I took from that is, just that. Things aren't meant to change over night. There is a process that is meant to take place. Within that process is where the real and lasting growth begins to develop and shine through. 

I love these Czech saints. They have taught me what it really means to have Faith IN Christ and Hope in a better world. They are kind. They are humble. They are Faithful. What an honor it is to serve among some of Heavenly Father's finest children. I know that God loves them, just has He loves ALL of His children around the world.

Much love from the Evropy Side!

S laksou,

Sestra Fred 🌻

Vasyl surprised us all and showed up to C-bud Friday night. 

It was so good to have him in town for the weekend. 

We mayyyyy or may not have gotten ice cream every day last week... ha!

Český Krumlov: Round 2 

Beautiful C-Bud

Sestra Hill and I enjoying a moment on the park bench

Krokety and Pizza