Don't Worry, it's just a light frost (she highlighted her hair back to blonde!)

This week has been great, alot of snow, but I'm not hurtin' so all is well. :) Glad you got my letter! I will be sending another one hopefully tomorrow, if we have some spare time in the evening. 

 

we went to a cute museum and I was amazed that they let us touch pretty much everything... (like things dating back to the 14th century etc.). Dont worry I didnt go crazy running my hands over everything. It was just very different than my elementary school field-trip "don't even breath on it too long" mentality lol the history is soooo amazing here!

 

 

And I can give a more in-depth account of this mighty crazy week we had. Our amazing investigator who will be baptized in February is in the hospital for a cancerous tumour, so please pray for him. He is really awesome, and so spiritually prepared, it blows us away how much he just grasps everything!  And in the midst of this big trial, he is relying on prayer and scripture study and wants so badly to come to church. It is so inspiring to see how he has progressed spiritually!! We had a fireside in Jicin and President McConkie spoke. He spoke about the growth of the church from Joseph Smith to the beginnings of the church here in the CZ, including all the history and empowering stories of early members here who met secretly during the time of communism. We had the opportunity to meet one of these women this past week, she is in a nursing home and while she can't come to church, her faith is ever-bright. She is 94 years old and learned about the church (like many members here) through yoga! She is a dear women and so spiritually strong although her body is growing very weak. As we were sharing a scripture with her, she got up and began to move to the other side of the room (she has very bad vision mind you) and began pouring us glasses of water (perliva= bubbly...not my favorite, but I have gotten used to it). I just about cried. What a huge heart and strong will. Its amazing! So many of the members here I think are as strong as those early poineers. President put it so well in his fireside when he said, "the fundamental element/principle of our religion is having a personal, convincing experience with God." 

 

Just as we believe and know that Joseph Smith truly saw God, the Father, and the Son when he prayed humbly for an answer to his burning question. We know that each of us, in this life meant for our learning and growth, can likewise (though obviously not necessarily in the same fashion) receive answers to our personal prayers. What a beautiful thing! I know it is true! Though this week has been hard (surprisingly enough, not everyone agrees with this spiritual rationale) but I am growing my spiritual encounters with God in my own "grove". As we all do. When we face trials, let-downs, make mistakes we are carving our own sculpture of faith, made specially by our Loving Father's hands, and more beautiful than we ourselves could imagine. And when we have the final unveiling and see the masterpiece that we unknowingly have become, I know our eyes will be filled-to-the brim with tears of joy. :) 

 

I love you all! I love this gospel! I love my Savior and I pray for you!!!!!!!!!! <3

A Boleslavian Birthday Blast

So this week we were studying humility.... interesting how when you study Christlike attributes they seem to just pop-up everywhere! It's as if I need to learn them or something... strange. This week was awesome and we are kinda not believing that we have been here 7 weeks already??! Craziness. But you know, time flies like an arrow...and fruit flies like a banana.

(Insert Courtney's note: What??? She's so odd, but I love her.)

Bet you weren't expecting that random pun, you're welcome. :)

Yesterday we felt like we should stop by a man who hasn't come to church in a while, we shared a scripture with him and he began crying... not gonna lie, kinda throws me off making grown-men shed tears. He quickly explained (in mostly polish seeing as that is where he is from) that he had just prayed for some help and then immediately we showed up and shared just the right verse. God truly loves His children, alls I gotta say. It feels amazing to be an answer to a prayer, it is humbling though because you realize you have to be striving to do that all the time and it makes you wonder how many opportunities you miss. The language is coming along, not quite fluent, but not fumbling for words anymore, so yippee! My birthday was awesome!!! We had a breakfast that morning in Jicin, we ended up missing the bus.... -_-. If there is anything I have learned, it is that buses are unforgiving (but God is, so that's good). We had all the food with us and we are hauling it up to the main station, and I make eye-contact with the driver, wave my arm in pure desperation and he just proceeds to pull-out anyways.... I may not have had a whole heck of alot of love in my heart at that moment.... But we caught the next one, and the members were sooo sweet and sang happy birthday to me and gave me flowers and chocolate. They are sooooooo amazing!! We then just had a normal missionary day with lessons and contacting but it was AWESOME nonetheless.:) I am so grateful to be here and have these amazing experiences and learn so deeply the importance of faith in a person's life. I am speaking in church this week, so pray for me! And thank you for the prayers that are already being sent on my behalf, I love you all!!!!

We had a ton of miracles this week, we have another investigator on baptismal date and our other one is rocking along and excited to be obeying the word of wisdom and change his life, he is basically teaching us the lessons. It is CRAZY. He is so prepared and fully gets the gospel. It is so amazing to be apart of. But Satan tries really hard about this time so keep "S" in your prayers and "F" too.

A Whole Mlada Miracles!

(Insert Courtney's note: My husband asked me today how long I thought Carley spent coming up with witty titles and subject liines for her e-mails...I told him I'm fairly confident it doesn't take her long, but she is probably doing soft brainstorming all week during her quiet moments. She's so funny and puns come so naturally to that girl)

 

Hello!

Wow, I think I may have had the best week of my mission so far, it has been an AMAZING week. We had so much success, we set some pretty lofty goals, but then with the help of the Lord, we achieved and surpassed them :) It's just remarkable how God helps us to accomplish things, and when we learn to rely on Him, we discover that we are much stronger than anything we can do alone. That concept of "submitting our will to His" and "according to His will", can sometimes stir the pride within us to say, "Excuse me? I don't need nobody and aint nobody going to tell me my business." (My inner pride hasn't shaken the southern accent yet). (Um...that sounded more like a Detroit accent, not Southern, oh well, we'll cut her slack)

 

But really, I have a terrible tendency to reject help from people because I want to prove that I can do it all by myself. But ERRR! wrong answer. It has been a hard lesson for me to learn, and while I admit it takes me more go's than most people, great news! it's finally sinking into this hard-head. Mom and Dad, you have suffered the blunt of this, my apologies. But yes, this week I just let it go, relied on my companion, let myself look like an idiot talking to strangers and having the czech words avalanche out of my mouth, not letting rude comments phase my spirit, but chalking it up as what God wants me to learn...etc. But! Great news, it was not for nought. We were soooooo blessed this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We just can't believe it, ourselves. A man we met on Thursday, came to church with us, and wants to be baptized. Ya. We were blown away, but why? The gospel of Jesus Christ is 100% true, and we know it. But jejda!(wow in czech) And we just ADORE the people here, I was soooo meant to come to Mlada Boleslav, its an amazing feeling to have that confirmation that this was what you were meant to do. I just am on the verge of hysterical, joyous tears just about all the time. And I know this week will be even better (I don't know how, but I am confident...plus, its my birthday).

If you are unsure about anything, just PRAY. It works, I promise, and the scriptures promise it too. Take your problems and worries to the Lord, He is there for you always. I am so blessed for this knowledge, for this opportunity to be here in the CZ and meet these amazing people, have these amazing experiences, and have this amazing knowledge of God's love for me and all of us. I love you all, and I am so grateful for the support you have been for me!