May 22 2017

This week has been super cool. Elder Wutzke is a total genius. He did speech and debate before his mission, and he is one of the best. Due to him still being in his second transfer, he is still learning the basics in czech. Technicaly he is still in training, but he is learning quickly. He doesn't like sauce on food, and the other day we were having a lesson at our recent Convert's house, and she gave us chicken wraps. tortillas, chicken strips, sliced vegetables, and sauce. I ate mine happily, and we finished our lesson about temples. When we left their house, I was feeling great. Then Elder Wutzke said to me, "You know what?" "what?" I replied. "Did you see me gaging?" he asked me. "Uh... no." I said, "were you choking?!" "no" he said, "I litterally couldn't eat that, it was sooooo gross." I thought about that for a second, and he explained that he hates sauces on foods like that. I just started laughing, then I told him, "I liked it." and he made a sick face. we walked for a few minutes and then he said, "I'm actually really surprized that I actually ate that." I just couldn't keep from laughing... there I was during that lesson, enjoying what I percieved as a good meal, and I have litterally no idea that 6 inches from me was my companion who was litterally having one of the most intense internal battles of his mission life ever, between him and a chicken wrap... As I imagined this scene, I just started laughing, and we decided that we would go to a local convenient store so that Elder Wutzke could buy something to get the taste out of his mouth. As we were walking, we spied a blind man accross the street. we immediately recognized him as a less active who we had been planning on visiting. This guy is a less active, blind, one armed, melchizedek priesthood holder, who will talk your ear off. we approached him, I was doing most of the talking because Elder Wutzke was still feeling a little queezy, and I reached up, touched this guy's hand to show him that we wanted to shake his hand, we shook hands, he started talking to us and we started setting up with him. During this whole 30 second conversation, Elder Wutzke came up alongside me, although he was still remaining mostly quiet. This Brother, felt a bush next to us with his blind-stick, and he spit in the bush, or tried to. He ended up spitting just 2-3 inches from Elder Wutzke's hand, still showering little droplets all over Elder Wutzke's left arm. This guy, of course, was totally clueless of what he had just done, thinking that maybe Elder Wutzke was standing on the other side of me or something, but he just continued his conversation as if nothing happened. I remember when he spit, I just looked at Elder wutzke's face, and then I considered what he had already just gone though just 5 minutes earlier, and I had to turn away because I just about burst out laughing right there, and when I turned back, Elder Wutzke was standing there with the biggest smile on his face trying to not laugh either. Meanwhile this Less-Active just kept on talking, and if he could see he would have seen us just standing there almost curling over from laughter, but we were silent, trying soooo hard not to laugh, and he just kep talking to us as if nothing happened. We set up with him, and walked away. When we walked away for a couple steps, we couldn't handle it anymore, and we just burst out laughing. Super funny. This last transfer of my mission is going to be really fun, I can tell that the Lord is going to help us to do great things, and He's helping me to prepare for my return home. ----------------- This last week though, in terms of missionary work, has been super hard and super stressfull. As the Elders Quorum Prezident, I have the responsibility to assign lessons for Priesthood every sunday. I also have been trying to get Home teaching organized, and I was asked to give a talk, and we've been planning a huge activity here in Olomouc for all the YSA(young single adults) in the area. On TOP of this, I needed to plan district meeting, as well as work on our normal missionary work. I was swamped this last week with stuff to do, and I was stressed. I actually have been quite frustrated due to it, and easily irritated. But, as it always does, things work out, and the Lord helps us to do what we otherwise cannot do on our own. When the rubber met the road, I gave a successful talk about Service, We taught Priesthood Quorum about Looking Unto Christ, and we planned more of our activity, and we prepared some district things which needed to be taken care of. It was so much work, but it worked out great, and everything came together when it needed to. No doubt an answer to my prayers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as I was preparing for these things. I wanted to deligate some things to Elder Wutzke, however due to him being new in the Olomouc Branch, it would have been dificult for him to do what we were planning, but he helped me as much as he could. I have been so busy with missionary work that I have found it hard to find time for personal scriptures study. Of course I study things for lessons, for talks, for district meetings, however that much needed personal scripture study time has been so often taken from me this week, and I feel a deep sense of spiritual huger that I will strive to find time to feed this week. I love you all, and I've been seeing how the Lord has been blessing all of you at home. I have seen how many of my friends, and my family have been blessed of the Lord, and are doing very well. I am so grateful for the Opportunity to serve a mission. It is the best experience of my life, and I know that It is preparing me for future things, to be a more prepared future husband and father. I want to continue to strive to draw closer to the Savior for the rest of my life. He is there, and He did restore the Gospel through Joseph Smith Jr., The prophet of the Restoration. God has been there with me every step of the way. He has allowed me to go though hard times, and to experience rejection, and to suffer both body and spirit, moreso than I could have ever imagined, although mostly spiritually. It is an honor to have this opportunity to come to know the Savior in such a way as to walk with Him, at least a few steps, on that road to Golgotha. I have felt the power of the Atonement in my life, I know that it is real. I still struggle to understand how Jesus Christ can forgive us of our sins, but I understand that He does. I am so grateful to know that I am a child of God. The word "child" in this sense teaches me, that I am like a child in Heavenly Father's eyes. He picks up so many pieces that I can never pick up on my own. He simply asks for my willingness, and my obedience. He knows that I am so often subject to the follies of mortality, but His love does not cease when I make a mistake. Our Branch President has asked me to teach next week about Elder Razband's talk last conference. He talked about sheep. I encourage you all to go read that talk, and then think about yourself as that sheep. I will do so too. I love you all! and I'll talk to you again next week!