I am Pressed For Time...

I am really pressed for time, so Mom I will email you and do my weekly email in one.  Pictures next week.

• We don't have many youth for mutual, but the missionaries run a FHE and Game Night every week. The turnout depends on the week. And then we have sports night about every other week, and usually have a decent turnout for that. We go to a gym and play soccer.
• The biggest news of the week is that we have someone who accepted a baptismal date.  P. has come to church twice already, and he really gets the gospel and what it does for people. He has had some rough experiences in the past, and he wants to find the right path for him. He is super awesome and we love teaching him. From Elder Tingey: “He said that church was amazing and that he came and forgot all of the worldly worries he had and felt peace. He asked us how he could have that feeling always.”
• The schedule changes that have come from the First Presidency are pretty significant for us. It changes how we count numbers and measure our work, it really simplified it and is aimed to help us really focus on only the most important things. It is really cool. The schedule change is really interesting too. We already modified our schedule here in our mission to have more flexibility with things because mission Presidents can adjust it as they need to) and the new schedule is all about that as well. It tries to make our days a little more flexible ( so that we can use the maximum amount of time in the most effective ways possible. It is really good.
• We had a MLC last week in Prague. Then we did zone training and shared the importance of the Holy Ghost in missionary work, and how to make him a more active part of our work. We emphasized taking time to stop and listen to the Spirit. It went well. We talked about numbers and practices and other important things there and also watched the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast, which is where they announced the new changes. It has been interesting to experience.
• Boldness in missionary work can sometimes be a challenge for me, I am not usually a "let's get up in people's faces who we don't know" kind of guy.  I am learning to do it well and enjoy it. Love really is the way to motivate myself to do it.
• We do teach English. Every Tuesday at 6-7. We get a good turnout here in Pilsen, and have 3 classes with a good amount of students.
• Yes Dad, complaining about your “cold” weather would be pretty wimpy. I have decided that if I can't see my breath all day long, it isn't a cold day at all. I think we have had 1 or 2 days like that in the past couple of weeks.

The rest of our District- Sister Andersen, Sister Valentine, 

Elder Terry, Elder Brockbank

• Our District works well together, Sister Andersen and Sister Valentine are great and doing good work together. Elder Brockbank and Elder Terry are working hard, finishing out Elder Terry’s last transfer.  I think Elder Terry is excited about his family coming to pick him up at the end of this transfer.

My spiritual thought relates to the different aspects of what  leadership entails. There is a really good section in the White Missionary Handbook where it talks about the difference between ministering and administering. It says that you have to be a good administrator as a leader and be organized and whatnot, but that the most important work that you will ever do will be in ministering to people. I have really found that to be true. I love giving trainings and planning things for the mission with the other mission leaders, but the most profound impacts I feel like I have had have mostly come from interviews with missionaries on exchanges, and especially from the priesthood blessings I have been asked to give. So in all you are doing in any leadership capacity, remember the people you serve.  Minister to them. Thanks for you continued thoughts, prayers, and encouragement, you rock. Love you lots!

-Elder Pickett

(thanks to Elder Tingey for the pictures!)

People ice skating on the river here

Path to the library where we email 

Answering a Mom question. Sometimes families are able to go pick up their missionaries.  We really want to go to Prague but Brad will finish late November (TOO COLD for us Californians...) Definitely I will want to come back later rather than have you guys come out. That is way too much of a "2 worlds colliding" kind of experience. When I tour around with you guys, I just want to do it as a tourist. Any other way would be too weird for me.  Good thing that is what we want to make happen!