January 10 2016

It's been crazy, I've been following what my blessing asks me to do and I've found great blessings from it. I've been studying the Atonement and learning more about what the Atonement actually is. This week has been incredible, I have seen how Elder Oviatt is truly supposed to be the District Leader here in Jihlava, because of our past two district meetings, he has been incredibly spiritually led and has helped me to learn some things that I think the Lord has been trying to get me to learn for quite some time now. During District meeting last week, Elder Oviatt said something about the Atonement and how in Preach My Gospel it says that the more we learn about the atonement, the more we'll want to share it's message to the world. I decided to take it and try it, and I have been studying the Atonement for about the past week, and I have been blown away just how merciful the Atonement truly is. Preach My Gospel says, Through the Atonement, we can be Cleansed from Sin. Usually I just think, "duh" of course I know that... But this last time I read that I considered every word. I realized that, "Cleansed from Sin" means... Everything that has to do with sin. That includes the fact that we even sinned at all, is what I realized. Completely clean, so much that our Father in Heaven Promises that he will "remember them no more.". That is just incredible. I understood, before, the Knowledge that the Atonement cleanses us from our sins, but never had I considered the Inteligence behind the statement. If I make a mistake, and I repent, and if I feel bad about it later, the Only person who is hurting me, is me. I have found great desire come into my life over the last week to declare these glad tidings of great joy unto the world this week, and now I've found that my frustration wall is now something different, "How do I get these people to listen?" has been my thought lately. I had a dream the other night that I was home from my mission, and I was so confused because I could only remember the first 2 transfers of my mission, and I just couldn't remember anything else. It was scary. I rememember I was down on my knees in my homeward Church building just crying uncontrolably because I wanted soooo bad to be back here. In my Dream, President McConkie was there at the Church Building, and he told me that I could come back for like 3 weeks, and I was so happy, and I promised that I would work as hard as I possibly could during that time. Then I woke up. I silently think that this dream was a reminder for me to work as hard as I possibly can during this short time of a mission, and I am grateful for that reminder from the Lord. I am continuously blown away just how loving the Lord is, and I am continuously learning new things about people, and sharing the Gospel. Being somebody who was born into the Gospel, It is hard for me to understand what exactly is going through these people's minds when we approach them and speak with them about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and stuff like that. It's just so strange to me when I approach somebody, (this happens like 5 or 6 times each day) and I ask them, "what is important to you in life?" to which they respond, "family". then I ask them, "Do you want to live with your family after death?" to which they respond, "no, not at all, goodbye." and off walks the lady with her baby in a stroller... I just don't get it. How far gone are some people??? Anyway, it's been a good week, still struggling to teach the Gospel but hey, the Prayers that I've had to soften the hearts of the people here in the Czech Republic and in Jíhláva have been answered, Over the last week, Elder Oviatt and I have found and set up appointments to meet with 5 new investigators! Three of them, our appointments are today, one right after emailing actually. We also have one family, who actually live right above my appartment, litterally, we walk up the stairs from our appartment to the people that live right above us, and we're teaching them now. They are young, just a father, mother, and their young baby. We last had a lesson with them on Saturday, wherein we invited them to be baptized if they find out that these things are true, to which he (the father) replied, "yes" we then told them that the 6th of February we believed that they could recieve an answer to their prayers, and could be prepared for baptism by that date, and they don't know how to feel about setting a date I think. but who knows? we'll see what happens and we'll keep praying for them. Tak jo... Miluju vám, a mluvime se přišti tyden! Love you all, Elder Dean