4th of July in Prague

Elders Mueller, Pickett, Beazer, Jensen, Hanis, Trythall, Newman

Hello everyone, this has been quite a week, and we are now down to the last week of this transfer. Should be pretty good, and plenty crazy. I will give some updates.

• On Tuesday we went up to (or maybe down to?) Prague for MLC. We had some great discussions and planned out some good upcoming events, including the schedule for our celebration at Karlštejn.  This is where we go every year to celebrate the dedication of the Czech Republic for the preaching of the gospel by Elder Widstoe in 1929 (if I remember my years right). There is a little monument on a hill there that is called Priest's Hill, and a little area where a small group of missionaries and members gathered on that day. We go up there and sing songs, and have a prayer in remembrance of that every year. All of the missionaries come and it is a great event. The members here do their own event, which will be on the 22nd. I am really looking forward to it.
• After MLC we went to a bbq in the church parking lot, put on by the Scotts, the senior couple in Prague. We had some baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, hamburgers and hot dogs. Nice and American.

 MLC training and July 4^th BBQ hosted by the Scotts!

• We also got a new car, which is always a fun change. We now drive a silver Hyundai iX20. Just in case you want to look up what it looks like.  

• We are going with the Bishop's wife this week to visit K. again. She used to be a nurse, and was the one who gave me medication for my leg when I got bitten by the bug at the beginning of this transfer. Mom, you would be friends with her. And we've met a few cool YSA guys who we should have lessons with this week: L. & M.
• Other than that, our week mostly consisted of talking to people on the street, trying not melt from the heat and then trying not to drown in the sudden downpours. It's kind of fun weather to live in, but it makes missionary work tough when you get stranded under a random overhang for safety. The good thing is that when it's warm your clothing dries quickly, even if you are completely soaked. Sounds like things have been quite warm this summer at home. I am glad it is not so hot here, or we would all be melting.

 It was raining.  A lot.

• Our week of speaking Czech was good. We did really good until yesterday, we kind of broke down. But it was actually a lot more manageable than I was expecting.
• Question from Caroline:  Is it difficult to write in Czech? A lot harder than speaking and understanding? Do you guys ever really write in Czech?  It is very difficult to write in Czech. Lots harder than speaking, because of all the funky markings, and sometimes I don't know how to spell words that I say a lot. We do write though, text messages, my emails to president, and sometimes I like to just write stuff in Czech because I can. I have a little journal where I write about spiritual things, and I like writing in there in Czech, just because.
• I still have no idea what to get Caroline for her birthday,  which is a real problem I am struggling with, because it is getting further and further away from her birthday. We don't have a Tigr store here, otherwise I would just get something random, but I can't really think of/find anything. But I will keep looking.

Oh yeah, ice cream rocks.  Fancy looking ice cream that was less than $2.

• Things are still going great with Elder Beazer. I really like him and we are looking for ways to keep improving. It has been a good transfer, but pretty rough as far as numbers go. That is actually all around here though.
• Missionary work is really struggling, that's actually all over the whole world though. If you look at numbers of converts and the number of church members, it is not too awesome. And the number of full time missionaries isn't doing so hot either based on statistics this last April. We talk about why that is a lot. I had an interview with President this last week and I asked him why more people don't accept the gospel, and how we can help them. He told me that he asks himself the same question every day. So we just keep on keeping on.

For a spiritual thought I wanted to talk a little about humility. My companion and I have been talking about this for a while this last week, and we are looking for specific ways to become more humble in our work. We have talked about that humility doesn't mean a lack of confidence. Even though we sometimes stereotype humble people as timid and unsure, humility is more about knowing where the source of our blessings is, and acknowledging that fact. Our blessings, including the skills, talents, and abilities that we develop come ultimately from God, who created us and supports us throughout our lives. As we acknowledge and turn towards Him, we are able to gain greater access to His power and enjoy His blessings more fully. So I challenge you all to think of a humility goal for the week, and work to apply that. Thanks for all the support and prayers!

Love,

Elder Pickett