Revenge of the Office Work

Hello everybody! As may be evidenced by my title, we had to spend a lot of time this week in the office, so that was unfortunate.  We have been able to avoid office work pretty well for the last few weeks. However, we still managed to get out a little bit, and to do some good missionary work. So I will send some updates on our fun and crazy week.

• Today we went to a giant garden outside of Prague, in a little town called Horni Chvatliny, where we did some yard work. It is a little local amusement park type thing where they have little trains for the children. One of our English students does yard work there, so she invited us to come out and help. It was fun, and we got fed and got to ride in a little train made for young children. Which is always a nice bonus.

You can tell it was made for children, can't you?

• This evening we have a presentation about different lands. So we will have presentations about Utah, California, Australia and Ecuador.  The first two from missionaries, the last two from members in the ward. It should be good, and we are hoping for a good turn-out.
• We got to do some fun group finding yesterday and we had a small singing display of four missionaries. I met a gentleman who knows about us from “The Book of Mormon” musical. He actually is legitimately interested in what we believe and how we really feel about different things discussed in the play. So we may end up having a lesson with him sometime. He also speaks perfect English.
• Overall we have had a pretty slow week. We got out for a few hours each day, but all of our investigators and others were busy and couldn't meet. That was disappointing, but we will try again this next week. We are hoping that more people will be available. We got trapped in the rain while tracting. I took a video, but it is too big to send.

Where we took shelter!

•  We will have 12- 13 total missionaries that will arrive in early September, next transfer. 2-3 Czech Elders, 6 Czech Sisters, 2 Slovak elders and 2 sisters. Should be good fun. It has been an interesting two transfers in the office. That is for sure. I really like Elder Terry, and we have already talked about meeting up after our missions at BYU. 
• Fun fact: the Freiburg Temple (In Germany, closest to Prague) is going to be rededicated on September 4th. And they will broadcast the re-dedication ceremony here. So we get to watch it in Czech. It will be really cool! 
• (Responding to a challenge from Scott to continue to find joy in, have fun and embrace what he is doing. ) There is a lot of frustration on missions, but also a lot of opportunity for joy and having a great time. 

My spiritual thought for this week is about patience. Patience is important. Very rarely in life do things work out exactly how we would like when we would like. We come to learn that world does not bow to our every whim and wish. The great thing about this is that it gives us an opportunity to develop patience, and to learn to accept the Lord's timing in all things. His timing is actually what will be best for us in the long run, even when we think that we need something right now. As we develop patience, it is important to not be grudging in our patience and to truly accept the Lord's will and timing. So I invite you all to practice patience this next week.  At home, at school, at play, and at meetings. I know that as you do you will blessed to have the Lord with you and come to better enjoy life, whatever circumstances you may be in. Thanks for all the support and prayers!

-Elder Pickett

Where Has August Gone?

There is a metro stop called Jiřího z Poděbrad, so I artistically took this picture. 

Pretty cool isn't it?

I really need to start coming up with a title unrelated to how fast time is flying by, because I think you are all already aware of that fact. I am very much out of time today, so I will get straight to the weekly highlights:

• This Wednesday and Thursday we had an exchange with our District leader. So I was with our District Leader Elder Geier, in our area, and Elder Trythall and Elder Terry went to their area. We started out our exchange with one of the most incredible contacting blocks of all time. I don't know what it is about exchanges, but it seems like you always get more people who want to talk to you on an exchange than normal. We met a lot of really cool people, and more than one (meaning 2, that phrase just sounds dramatic and fun) gave us their phone numbers so that we could get in contact and plan a specific time to meet up. Elder Geier is a really good teacher and also speaks Czech really well. We had a lot of fun, and found some good potentials.

Computer replacements. The guy in red is our computer specialist from Germany. 

• We are also currently advertising for our event that we will be having in which members from around the world will be presenting about their home countries and cultures. That will be next Saturday and it should be really good. The only problem is that I would much rather talk to people about the gospel then advertise for an event, but it's okay.
• We also had a delicious dinner with our Relief Society President and her daughter on Friday with two other elders. We had delicious hamburgers and french fried from a good place here in Prague, and then a home-made New Zealand dessert that is so extreme it is named after a volcano. Suffice it to say, I did not go home hungry. Quite the opposite actually.

The amazing New Zealand dessert.

• Other than that we have been doing some office work, trying to get lessons set-up around the busyness of peoples' lives (Which is really hard!) and talking to a whole bunch of other people. It's a little bit alarming the people you meet and the things they say when you just talk to everyone that you see on the street. People have quite the variety of opinions.
• From Elder Terry: “Today has been pretty good. We went into a park near our house and chilled for a little and also studied there before coming back here to the office to have lunch and some other things.”

Where is this forest? Why it's not a forest at all, but a park 10 minutes away from our apartment. It is a pretty incredible park. And it is rather enormous.

• Thanks for the Olympics updates. Lots of cool stories of athletes with a few sad ones. Life's tough all around, isn't it.
• To Caroline:  Hahaha, your emails are pretty much the highlight of my emailing every week. You have a pretty excellent way of throwing humor into everyday life and whatnot (hmmm… I wonder how she learned that?!?!). Also, your super late birthday package is on its way. Hope you are not too upset with how late it is. Read the letter before using the other thing, because there are suggested instructions inside.

For my spiritual thought today I would like to echo something shared that is a quote by C.S. Lewis. I probably am not quoting it perfectly, but it says: "Humility is not thinking less of oneself, it is merely thinking of oneself less." I think that quote is brilliant. When we are humble and charitable we do not think that we are worthless or have no needs, we merely recognize that others around us have needs and can benefit from our service. So my commitment to you all is to look around you and find someone who needs any sort of service, be it large or small, and give that service. I will help you to realize the blessings that you have, and all of our blessings are gifts from our Heavenly Father. Thank you for all of the prayers and support!

-Elder Pickett

Elder Terry being his cool self. He wears sunglasses at night. 

Elder Pickett and Elder Anderson (they trained in the MTC together) on the train going to Karlštejn for the anniversary celebration in July. 

Elder Pickett is an unintentional photo bomber! Any small glimpse is golden... 

(this came from Elder Anderson's blog)

Army of Helaman… the missionaries walk up to Priest’s Hill inKarlštejn  .

The Week of Change and Insanity in the Office

That is quite the email title isn't it? This week we got new computers installed, along with new monitors. Four of them. We spent a vast majority of Tuesday and Wednesday in the office helping a church employee from Frankfurt, who actually served in this mission about 10 years ago set up all of the new computers. What I learned was that I don't really know much how to work computers. That is why we call in people who know what they are doing for this kind of stuff. It was fun and new, and not at all something that I expected to do on my mission. Moving past that, we still managed to have some lessons and to talk with people on the street, doing our regular thing. So I will give some highlights of the missionary work of our week:

• Tuesday morning we knew that this guy was coming in from Germany between 11 and 12. So we decided that we were just going to get out first thing in the morning and contact. Let me just tell you, if you ever want to see a full tram or metro, come to Prague and get on the metro going through the center of town at around 8:30 am. It was basically wall to wall people. A little harder to talk to lots of them, but we still managed. Then we walked around for a couple or hours talking to everyone who came across our path. It was a really fun morning to just get right to work and keep going through obstacles and opposition. Just a good morning being a missionary.
• On Wednesday night we had a singing display. It was very interesting. It was actually quite cold out, and I ran into a whole lot of tourists, as well as some Czechs. And got into a contact with a man who knew the Bible very well, and basically just talked to me about it for 45 minutes straight. It was a little hard to get anything in, but I was at least able to bear testimony and to invite him to learn more. He told me that he would be interested to come to church, so we will see what happens with that.
• On Thursday we did group finding drawing a chalk display about the Book of Mormon. It was a good one too, and we saw lots of success and interest from people. We met a really cool YSA who sat down on a bench with us and talked for 15 minutes or so. It was a good block of time. We also had a lesson with one of investigators, and the second counselor in the Bishopric came. He is about 30, and a convert of 5 years. Suffice it to say that he is basically my personal hero. He is super cool. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon, and about how it relates to the Bible and where the connections are between them. It was a really fun lesson, and he is really interested to see what he can get from the Book of Mormon. He is a cool investigator, and we are hoping that we can continue to work with him.
• We had a couple of disappointments this week with first lessons that got cancelled at the last minute, but we are still in contact with the people, so we are hoping that we can keep working with them and that they will still have interest. It is a good sign that they let us know beforehand and didn't just not show-up and not answer the phone at all.
• There have apparently been two Czech medals. One gold in Judo and another something in something else. Didn't understand the name of the sport in Czech when the member said it today (canoe slalom). Good stuff about the Olympics, thanks for the updates. 

I am sure that more than that happened this week, but I cannot really remember it much, so I will just move on to the spiritual thought. This week I have been thinking about how important our desires are. I was reading several talks and scriptures that talk about how we will be rewarded according to the desires of our hearts. I believe that this is because the Lord loves us, and wants to give us those things that we desire, even if we are aiming lower than our actual potential. The problem that we have is that sometimes our desires are selfish and that we don't always want to put in the effort to be perfect. Sometimes we just want to be perfect. So how can we change that and overcome these desires? The great thing about the gospel is that we know that we can change. I believe the best way for us to change is to look at our true potential as children of God. When we keep that in mind it becomes much easier to align our wills with God's, and to put in the effort to continue pressing forward. There are also other good things that can remind us of our potential, including our family name, our talents, our abilities, and our goals. So my challenge to you all this week is to remember. To remember the things that are available to you if you will choose to follow God and apply the gospel and Atonement in your lives. Thanks for the prayers and support!

-Elder Pickett

     Brad’s new niece Sadie Marie Roper born July 31^st (yes… Harry Potter’s birthday!!)

That is some great news about Sadie. I am glad to hear that is she is doing well after her NICU stay and is healthy and all that. I will cross my fingers (or hold my thumbs as the Czechs say) that she can get off of oxygen soon. Glad to hear that everything in her heart is closing up naturally and healthily.

Mom, I am glad that you will have an opportunity to study from the New Testament as you prepare to substitute in seminary. It is a great book of scripture. I am a huge fan of it. Especially the 4 gospels. To answer your question for insight, my top 10 things that were meaningful to me from seminary over the years.

 

1) A habit of scripture reading

2) A spiritual start to my day every day before high school

3) Learning what the heck is even in the Old Testament

4) Familiarizing myself with the parables, miracles, and stories of Christ's ministry

5) Learning how to get up early even when I don't want to (helpful for college and a mission)

6) The chance to get to know members from other wards who I previously didn't know (Daniel Goold, Brandon Pulley, etc.)

7) The dedication and gospel insights that I learned from my teachers, as well as their personal testimonies

8) Increased knowledge of the Doctrine and Covenants, and the ability to say that I read it all the way through

9) Scripture Mastery scriptures that we use as missionaries all the time, and that teach the key doctrines of the gospel quickly and simply

10) Overall an increased testimony and knowledge about the gospel, which led to an increased personal desire to know and act for myself

Halfway Through Already?

Our favorite restaurant for lunch on P-Day. Really good food.

As you may or may not have noticed, the subject of my emails mostly focuses on how fast time moves. This week was so fast that I am struggling to remember anything that happened before Thursday. But I will try.

·  On Monday we met with a new investigator who we met while tracting. He is probably the most in shape 79 year old man that I have ever seen, and he has a very good understanding of the gospel, even without a solid foundational background of any church. He is pretty cool, and he invited us to come back, we just need to find a time that works for him. We also had office meeting, which is the only time that we hear President speak English. Because with us missionaries it is all Czech. We also had FHE, which included a tasty salad and vegetables, made by the Morgans.

·  Tuesday we did several things. We had lunch at a members. He is from Guatemala, and he made us really good, authentic South American, Mexican, and Spanish foods. He is a very good cook and it was very enjoyable. He is also a great member and a great example of missionary work. He invited people to eat with us, but unfortunately, they could not. We also taught English. And we found out that English really doesn't make sense, especially when you try to explain it to Czechs in Czech, using a Czech textbook for learning English. Let's just say that quite a few things get rather mixed up.

·  Wednesday we had a great District Meeting, and we talked about good teachers that we have had, and how we can better listen. It was a good discussion, and we also had really good food after. Thursday we met some cool people, and traveled around the city doing different things, and talking to people as we went. Then at 5 we started our exchange. I was with Elder Trythall. It was a good evening. We taught the law of chastity (both of us for the first time). It went well. We also had a first lesson with a gentleman, and then went home.

Missionary work is tiring. This is Elder Petersen asleep on the floor.

·  Friday morning it was pouring like crazy, but cleared up just in time for us to go outside and contact. We also had a spectacular singing display, as we had two missionaries come in from Liberec who are both great singers, and then three of us Elders from Prague singing at the same time. We had 4 part harmony on a few songs. It was really fun. We also had 2 people not show up for lessons, which is not great, and then played ping-pong and chess for game night. We ended our day with a lesson with a recent convert. It was overall a quick and pretty great week.

·  Responding to a question of “What have you learned from your companion Elder Terry?”   How to be organized and think things out and the importance of being compassionate. 

 We are trying to thaw out our freezer a bit...That is a space heater and a fan to waft the                                                   hot air over.

My spiritual thought for the week is on obedience. Sometimes for us, it seems like obedience is a sacrifice. But that is only because we often forget the bigger picture. The commandments and counsel from God are eternal and are there for our benefit and improvement. When we choose to follow them, we are acknowledging that we do not know everything and that we are listening from advice to someone who does. That is usually  pretty good way to go. When we choose to disobey commandments, we forget the important facts that 1) They are from God, who knows us, and everything perfectly 2) They bring blessings. Always and 3) They help us to keep the Spirit, which leads to even greater knowledge, testimony, and a richness in life. So my challenge for you all is to find something that you can improve on with regards to obedience, and try to do so. I will participate as well. Thank you for all of the prayers and support!

-Elder Pickett

Here is Prague. It is rather pretty.

Here is the Charles Bridge.  I asked Brad why I don't have a picture of him on this famous bridge? We don't go there. It is packed full of 1000000000 tourists all the time.

The End of July is Near

Lunch from the July 24th anniversary celebration

Tomorrow actually is the end of July. It is very near. Which brings up the good question, of how the heck does time go so fast? I really don't know. This week has been quite an adventure and rollercoaster, right from start to finish, so I will just get right into it. 

• On Sunday we had a lesson with someone who we thought was going to be a new investigator, but it turns out he was already a member. He lives in India, but comes to Prague for vacation, and got baptized while he was here. We were very confused by that whole situation, but it worked out well. We also had a first and final lesson with someone. That was a little unfortunate. And a second lesson with a man outside of his front gate. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and he said that we can continue to come back and keep teaching, and that he wants to come to church, so that is good. We also had the crazy thing happen. We talked to a guy who came out while we were tracting, and he politely but firmly rejected us. So we kept going. Five minutes later we noticed him following us down the street, and when we stopped at another house he asked if we had a few minutes to come back and talk with him. So we taught him on his back porch, explaining about who we are and some of the things that we believe. We left him with a Book of Mormon, and while he politely declined our invitation to come back, we know that the Lord is working with him. He is someone who is spiritually hungry and will find the truth. I also had a drunk guy on a tram almost kiss my cheek and actually kiss my shoulder. That was an interesting experience. Wouldn't recommend that one.
• Monday I don't really remember. It was good, I think. We had office meeting and did some work in the office, as well as getting out for a few hours to talk to people. 

Elder Terry by a wonderful sign that we found while tracting

• Pres P speaks virtually only Czech to us. The occasional English if he thinks we aren't getting something, but mostly 100% Czech with us young missionaries. Interviews, phone conversations, trainings, you name it, it is in Czech. (responding to a question about changes with a new Mission President) . One of the first things that he changed over was announcing a mission wide policy of recycling. Which is incredibly Czech. Can't think of a whole lot of drastic changes. He is a lot less of a showman than President McConkie was (President McConkie has quite the dramatic flair) and has changed around the way we do some things here in the office just because of how he is different.  
• Tuesday we had District Meeting with the Mission President and his wife present. They included some good insights about Czechs and how we should talk to them. We also had group finding as a singing display. Until it started raining, at which point we took a tram back to the office. From the tram stop to the office we sprinted the 100 or so meters, and we looked like we went swimming. Dripping from head to toe. Bohemian rain storms are pretty great. 

Elder Terry & Elder Pickett dripping wet from the rain! 

• Wednesday we got out for almost the whole day! We spent from 2 pm to 8 pm proselyting. And all of our appointments fell through so it turned into a 6 hour contacting and tracting block. It was so fun. I haven't had one of those in a long time. We took a tram from one end all the way to the other. It was a long tram ride. It was a pretty excellent day and in the end we got a few lessons, a few return appointments, a met a lot of really cool people.
• Thursday we also got out for most of the day. It was a good one too. It is really refreshing to not have office work and to be able to focus on the real mission part of our work here. We are trying really hard to meet with two of our investigators. We hope that they will finally have time and that we can help them to try out some things and progress on the gospel path.
• Yesterday we had weekly planning. We also met a Russian man who wanted to come and personally thank us for the kindness that members have shown his family and tell us that he will help us if we ever need it, and that he wants to come to church here in Prague with his family. So that was cool. Then during lunch, due to a sudden downpour, we ended up sharing a table with two men who were drinking under an umbrella. We talked with them for a long time about who we were and why we are here. They were a little shocked by our ability to speak Czech, but they were also a little drunk, so that may have had something to do with it...Overall an interesting conversation.
• We do a lot of restaurant eating at places near the office, because they are convenient and well-priced. We eat a lot of Czech food. A lot. Elder Terry and I are doing  great. We get along very well and have a good time.
• Also, that Czech bakery that you all went to in Provo, Elder Terry and I met the owner here a few weeks ago in Prague. His name is Ross, he is really cool.  His family is Czech but he is not, but he knows how to cook authentic style from his family.  (he and 2 siblings opened the bakery in 2014) He took us to the most fancy, expensive restaurant I have ever been to in my whole life and paid for it all. The final bill was close to $250 for the three of us. It was crazy. 

The rest of the Pickett family in Provo, UT at a Czech bakery

• Hope Lindsay has her baby soon! If the baby comes on July 31^st (Harry’s birthday) she should definitely name the baby after someone from Harry Potter. Which reminds me, I have not heard any actual name ideas for this child. Nor thrown in any of my own. I have two Czech ones: Katka. Look at my Czech pronunciation guide to figure out how that sounds. And Šarka, which sounds like shark with an uh at the end. Good stuff.

Those are the highlights of my past week. My spiritual thought for this week is about praying for strength and help. I have truly come to receive a testimony on my mission of the power of prayer. There are sometimes that is hard for me to contact someone on a tram or the metro. It can be stressful, loud, and they might look very uninterested. But I have learned that one of the best ways to deal with that and to talk to them is to pray and ask for strength and the desire to share my testimony with them, and to see them through God's eyes. After that kind of prayer it becomes very easy and natural to begin to talking to people. So I invite you all to think of something that is difficult for you to do, and to pray and ask the Lord for help to overcome that fear tnad to do what you need to. I know that you will blessed as you do so. Thank you for all of the prayers and support!

-Elder Pickett  

Follow up from last week's mystery picture... from Elder Terry:  “The picture with the plaque is because the one at Karlstejn is not permanent; it is kept here in President’s office and then every year we bring it up with us to the hill for the activities/meetings that we have. President asked me to take it back to Prague on Saturday so I was its guardian.”  Good to know they weren’t stealing it… ha ha ha…

Karlštejn

Elder Pickett & Elder Terry

This is a very fitting title for this week. I will briefly summarize our various adventures and then focus on the big one for most of the email.

·  We found a lot of people who told us we could talk more with them this week! That is always fun. We have quite a few potential investigators who seem like they will pan out well. We are really excited to see what happens with them.

·  We also had an excellent lesson with a less active member about enduring to the end, and what that means and how we can do that. We based it off of the scriptures 2 Nephi 31: 19-20, taking all of the phrases described a breaking them down individually. It was really great and he has a very solid understanding of the gospel. He also told us that he plans to go to the open house for the Freiberg Temple in Germany, which is currently finishing its renovations

·  We were also told that we can tykat our mission president this week. Like many languages, Czech has a respectful and familiar address for "you." I am not sure how it works in other languages, but with Czech you use the more formal for people that you have just met (except children) as well as for anyone older than you, unless they specifically ask you not to. Within families everyone uses informal "you" and we as missionaries tykat (use informal) generally to YSAs, children, and some members who prefer it, or who become close to us to the point that they want us to tykat them. Since President Pohorelicky came into the mission, we have been vykating him, and he has been vykating us. But he officially decided this past week that we are going to tykat. It has been really strange and hard to get used to, because vykating is such a natural thing to do for leaders in the church, but it is kind of fun to be like a big family with him.

·  We had to do a lot of work in the office this past week to get ready for our big event on Friday, so we didn't get to go out nearly as much as we would have like. Details on that big event to follow.

·  We had dinner with the Bernards, a couple from Georgia who are living in Prague for a few years for work.  Sister Bernard is sending a picture from dinner. 

Elders Needham, Petersen, Grier, Pickett, Terry, Trythall Prague District Elders

·  This Friday we had a celebration as missionaries of the day when Czechoslovakia was dedicated for missionary work, on July 24th, 1929. John Widstoe, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve along with a few missionaries, the mission president, and a few members made a hike up past a magnificent castle about an hour outside of Prague. In a small, rather secluded grove past the castle they dedicated the country with music, testimonies, and a dedicatory prayer offered by Elder Widstoe. So on Friday, every missionary in the Czech Republic came to the main train station of Prague to take a train out to the castle. It was a quite a sight to see. We had a few people take our pictures, and a lot looking at us wondering who the giant group of young adults in white shirts, ties, or skirts was. It was great. Then we all walked together from the train station up through the little town and up to the castle. That was quite a procession. We saw a few members on the path up and they commented that it looked like the Army of Helaman was marching past.

Then we stopped together at the base of the final assent and walked up singing a few hymns in Czech. It was great. At the top, gathered around a stone marker to commemorate the spot, we had a few musical numbers, heard excellent testimonies, and received a short training form President and Sister Pohorelicti.

Then Elder Needham gave a dedicatory type prayer. We all remained at the top for as long as we wanted and then walked down together in smaller groups. It was a wonderful experience that helped me to remember just how blessed I am to be a missionary, and especially a missionary in this mission. The name of the castle is Karlštejn, hence the title of my email. We also went back this morning to be with member there, who had their own event to commemorate the same thing. We got to hear the Stake Patriarch and our Mission President and one of the counselors in the stake presidency answer some questions and then had lunch all together.

It was fun to see a few members I know from C-Bud, and to meet some new ones. We then went up the the same spot together and had a short program there. It was great. Also, the name of the place where they went to dedicate the country is called (in English) Priest's Hill. We all find that rather fitting. We talked about how Priest's Hill is a natural temple (Elder Widstoe said that). It is a great blessing to be able to go to the temple so I encourage everyone to attend regularly!  (Brad doesn't have an LDS Temple in his mission, the closest is in Freiberg, Germany so he is encouraging those of us who have regular and close access to a temple to GO!)

Karlštejn Castle

Finally, my spiritual thought for the week. My spiritual thought is actually a challenge to do what Elder Terry and I did with our less active member on Tuesday. One of the great thing about the idea of "Enduring to the End" is that it is not at all about doom and gloom, like it may first sound. For me, the true meaning of enduring to the end is gradually becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. So I invite you all to study the phrases that are used in 2 Nephi 31: 19-20 

19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastnessin Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

and choose a principle to personally work on. If you want to, feel free to read the whole chapter and then study that part at the end. I know that as you do, the Spirit can help you individually to find something that you can work on and a way that you can draw closer to God. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

-Elder Pickett

Sestra Hale's family came from Arizona to pick her up and got pictures in the office.

Our District returning to Prague on the train- APs Elders Needham & Petersen 

 Elders Tryhall & Grier

Elder Terry’s Mom received this picture today… we don’t have any explanation.  It must be a “replica plaque”… ha ha….