Hello All

Hey there everyone! I have absolutely no time, so I am going to make this short, semi-sweet and to the point.

• This week was pretty crazy. We had to spend a lot more time in the office than I wanted to, because trainings were this week (and next week) and so we had to do orders to get ready for that. That honestly occupied most of our day, almost every day this week. Except for Tuesday.
• Tuesday I had an exchange with Elder Andiarena. It was very fun to be out of the office and have so much time to just talk to people and teach. I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the fact that I will get to have more exchanges this transfer and do the same thing.
• We had some good experiences with finding as a whole group this week. It is really fun to see "the power" as Elder Petersen calls it, that we bring to an area when all 10 of us start talking to people.  From Elder Brockbank: “We did a chalk display as a district by the Dejvicka metro stop (a busy roundabout in the city that is quite insane but has a lot of people walking around it.) We drew the Plan of Salvation on the ground with chalk and were talking to people about the purpose of life.”
•  Today we went to a member's house and did service. We filled those little bins full of dirt. They were empty when we showed up. The rest of the district was there too.  Our district: Sister Heap, Sister Boza, and Sister Brown. Elder Geier, Elder Andiarena, and Elder Tingey. Elder Petersen and Elder Smith. And Elder Brockbank and I. Elder Brockbank is quiet in groups usually, but not a super quiet person when it is a small group. He is stinking hilarious and I enjoy serving with him.

• That's mostly it actually. We didn't get to meet with a lot of our investigators, because they and we were both really busy. We are hoping to plan out our week a little better this week, so that we can meet with more people and have sit-down lessons.
• And thanks for the awesome package! I had fun opening it last night. Lots of great candy, and some new Christmas music (we opened that up last night), Oakland temple card, a Czech Book of Mormon from my ward Primary, which was super awesome, and very gratefully received (I will look for someone super prepared for that one), glow in the dark zombies, and other fun things. The candy will be very much enjoyed. It is already being enjoyed, actually.

The picture is with Elder Collins and Elder Paxton, two Elders in Olomouc.  

They were down for visa work that day.  

(Jennifer Jones traveled to the Czech Republic with her returned missionary son (Elder) Derek Kuhlmann and she kindly delivered packages for missionaries to the mission office!)

My spiritual thought for the week is on the blessing that comes from knowing that God is our Heavenly Father. Our mission president has been talking a lot about this recently, and as I think about it, it makes sense why. Many people here do not believe in God. They are either fully atheist, or they believe that something exists, but don't know what exactly it is. I have found, especially in this past few weeks, that the knowledge that I have a Father in heaven, who loves me and wants the best for me, has given me great strength and hope. So I invite you all to take some time to ponder and then write down what it means to you that you have a Heavenly Father, who cares personally and individually for your well-being. Thanks for the support and prayers!

-Elder Pickett