May 30, 2016--"It was wonderful"

We have a stake here 😊
https://youtu.be/GaOuhnyF7f0

Your might see my companion and me if you watch the whole thing.

This week we finally were able to meet with this very sweet couple, Eva and Olda who we have been waiting since last month to meet with because they were in Slovakia. They were so sweet. They are pretty old, but they have committed to read the Book of Mormon and come to church. They are so kind and the lady has such a strong testimony of Jesus Christ it is amazing and strengthens mine as well! Her husband doesn't believe in anything but has taken on the challenge.

Mira, our investigator, is really making some progress.  The first lesson was a little interesting, and we didn't know if he was meeting with us to prove us wrong or just to really learn if God was there. So we followed up. He said he read a little bit and also prayed. He really just opened up to us about a lot. He said "Howwww? How can I find faith? How do I start? How can I become someone who believes in nothing to someone that just believes in God?" It was amazing to see him having such a desire. I felt humbled and grateful I was raised in an environment where it was no question if God was there or not. We have another lesson set up this week.

We also visited some less-actives. Before the training, I was really feeling overwhelmed with less actives. There are sooo many, and if they all came we could have a ward, as well. I just wondered, "Why they are gone? How did it happen that they don't want to come? When did they decide to leave? Where are they?" We were able to apply what we learned at training with President McConkie's thoughts about Jesus and visited a few less-actives and broke down Luke 24 when the apostles are walking away from Jerusalem. We had 2 out of the 3 that we contacted show up at church on Sunday. It was wonderful.

So, not sure if you remember the service friends.  We are helping them in their yard so they can grow grass. We went back after Conference on a Saturday and we were able to help more and met their son, about 15/16 years old, named

Honza. He helped us work. His mom said that he usually doesn't help work until we got here. Ha ha. Probably what my parents said about me. We have seen him a couple of times around Liberec and though he is usually with his friends he always says, "Ahoj." One morning we did our weekly shopping. (Some Czechs think we are crazy we buy so much food because they like to buy food every day. We were bagging our food, and Honza asked if we wanted help and then helped us carry it all the way home. Wow, that is so cool. Totally being honest--we spend our whole days looking for people to help, who can we serve, who can we can we bless with the light of the Gospel. It was wonderful having this way kind 15 year old boy serving these Mormon Missionary girls. SO kind. I think this family has whole a lot of potential.

Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees.

Sestra Baxter

May 23, 2016 -- "The sneak attack contact hasn't worked yet"

This week has been a pretty successful week. We worked hard--always can work harder. We definitely felt the opposition in missionary work but also had some of the sweetest, most spiritual moments. One being with this really nice Polish man named Petr. We met him a couple weeks back and were able to meet. He works in the Czech Republic and speaks very well. He comes from a Catholic background but is so open open to our message. When we were talking about Christ we wanted to share some verses from Alma 7 with him.  We gave it to him to read. A couple sentences in he realized it was in Polish and laughed so loud, and we laughed so loud with him. From what we could tell, he was so happy we found him a Polish Book of Mormon. We have seen him a couple times around the town, and he always repeats the day we are meeting and the time. He is pretty darn solid already.

Mira has met with the missionaries before. He has a lot of questions, but I think this time he is really ready to take the challenge of trying to do what missionaries tell him to do, so he can know for himself. Our next lesson is today, and we will review the chapters he read and talk about faith together. 

We had a sports night and instead of playing volleyball, we decided to go try to shoot some hoops with the Elders the some nice member boys, Stephan 9 and Patrik 13. While we were playing on the other side of the court there were 2 men and boys looking like some fathers and their sons

"Stephan" is the boy in the green jacket.

playing. Stephan thought it would be a wonderful idea for us to play together. (I think all of us were saying in our heads, "No Stephan. They are playing. It's fine."  Plus, we weren't way talented or anything.) But he called out and asked if they wanted to play. They agreed, and then we played a pretty good game of basketball. After we were done, we invited people for a spiritual thought. Surprisingly they all came in. Starsis Vennard and Collins gave a beautiful simple thought how we are supposed to have joy in our life and family brings lasting joy. One of the men that was playing (as for a description he was very buff and on one arm had this way big tattoo) said "Wow. That is really nice to listen to." Also another little boy added that it was really nice sounding. The man continued on, "I have no wife, no family, no girlfriend. Yeah, sometimes I can feel good playing ball for second, but then I go back to not loving my life." Turns out that everyone that was playing ball on the other court were two single men and a bunch of random neighbor boys. I learned a very big lesson that day. The Czech are really good at playing things off, really acting like they are okay. But I know from multiple experiences that everyone who doesn't have the Gospel needs it. I am so thankful I can be sharing a message of lasting happiness with a people that really need it.

Yesterday was such a interesting Sunday. Mission Sundays are a ton different from normal Sundays.  We first started out tracting. Sometimes, before we go out, we pray for specific things. Before we went tracting, we prayed someone

would be interested in our message and would want to learn more. That prayer was answered about 20 houses in by a boy about 19 years old. I almost feel not missionary-like describing what he was wearing but it was nothing but these tiny little shorts pretty sure they were underwear. He asked us if we spoke Czech or English but for the first couple minutes we could not speak either!! Feeling like a nun for a total of like 8 months or something then to have to talk to this more then half naked boy just doesn't work. We know Heavenly Father blessed us with a fence that was in between us so that was a total blessing. He shared his thoughts. He thought he totally had everything figured out. We shared our thoughts. He tried to tell us that we can't say we know things are true.  So we shared Moroni 10: 4-5 and said that we can. He ended up saying he has some questions about life and committed to read the Book of Mormon. Still a little scary. After that we saw our sports nights friends, the two adults tanning outside, and we talked to them. We decided that the Czechs don't wear a lot of clothes, and it will be a long summer.  Also, yesterday we were looking for this referral. We read the map wrong and went on like a 20 min bus ride to the middle of nowhere walking on a highway back, we talked to some great people. We figured out the referral lives a couple streets away from our house. After we had a plan to contact by the river but needed to get there faster. So we took this steep short cut through the woods.  We came running out and startled this man and started contacting him. He said "No." The sneak attack contact hasn't worked yet but we will keep working on it. 

-- 

Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees.

Sestra Baxter

Coverage about the new Czech Stake.

Article from the Mormon Newsroom about the new Czech Stake here.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org.uk/article/president-dieter-f-uchtdorf-presides-at-the-creation-of-the-first-stake-in-the-czech-republic

If you have time, here is some video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaOuhnyF7f0  You can catch a glimpse of Sestra Baxter near the end of the video, approximately 2:54.


Deseret News article here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865654450/President-Uchtdorf-creates-first-stake-in-Czech-Republic.html?pg=all

Sestra Baxter and Sestra Cryier are in this photo from the conference.  Sestra Baxter is wearing her glasses.

Salt Lake Tribune article here: http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/3917605-155/czech-pleased-mormon-leader-uchtdorf

May 16, 2016 -- "... such a beautiful time for my family and friends of the Czech Republic"

If anyone has been on a mission, I am sure you know, as much as you enjoy getting letters from family, it is very stressful. I am sorry if I don't always get back to you. I am trying.

Okay. Well it is official: the Prague Stake. I get chills every time I hear that. It's so beautiful.  It is one of the happiest times that the Czech Republic has ever

had! Like Elder Collins, an elder serving with me in Liberec said, "I wonder what I did to get to be apart of this?" I feel beyond lucky and blessed to be here at such a special time. I love these people. The Czech have become of my greatest friends and loved family. Seeing people from Jihlava, Trebic, and now Liberec all in one place united along with an Apostle of the Lord was truly humbling. I along with everyone in the room felt the spirit of when the members of the new wards would stand up, raise their right hand, and after they sat down they were a ward. So powerful!  That was only a few minutes but that represents countless hours of working, prayers, and miracles from the Lord. Once again I feel honored I can be here at such a beautiful time for my family and friends of the Czech Republic.

So ya, President Uchtorf though... So wonderful to hear his voice. I was even

wearing my glasses so I could see him. He, wow, it was amazing. Though it wasn't his planned-out conference talks, he talked by the spirit--no notes, and he talked to me. He talked concerning faith. He explained one analogy with the seer stone that Joseph Smith used to translate the plates. A lot of people question and think that is weird. He said if human beings make things that can call people half way around the world, listen to music, do all sorts of things--God which we believe in, the almighty, the all knowing, the same God that parted seas, performed miracles in the Old testament, New testament, Pearl of Great Price, and the Book of Mormon, can help his servant Joseph use a stone to translate the Book of Mormon.

He invited us to follow scriptures of counsel from the Lord: Ask and Ye shall receive. This morning I studied countless times the Lord asks us to ask.

DC 9:7 say Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. 

1 Nephi 15:11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall😊 be made known unto you.

2 Nephi 4:35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee

 Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

Everything in the Gospel may not be very easy to understand but the Lord doesn't want us to be lost in the darkness. He has invited us on multiple occasions to ask. I challenge if you have a question about the gospel or anything in your life to get on your knees, come into the light, and become one with the will of your Heavenly Father.

(Also very important . . . my companion and I were standing in the halls by ourselves and President Uchtorf walked by and said "Hello Sisters." I don't think we could make out word to say back to him. Literally, he is like a celebrity with the spirit. So it like the coolest. We are such fan girls.)



Also... 

This last week was a finding week, a calling week, and a realizing that some

people that are around us are ready to hear the Gospel week.  For example, in English and Bible study class. We met up with one of our English students ˇHonza and had Sister Hanzlová about something he read on our website about serving others. He said he has focused on himself most of his life but would like to see if maybe his life would improve. We together thought of some things that he could maybe try and see if it works. Members are always key! Literally I feel like members are ten times better than the missionaries sometimes. Sister Hanzlova is like unreal. That whole family, like, they came straight from heaven!

We also had one of the men that comes to bible class tag along for conference on Sunday. He is really awesome. He also asked "is it just an American thing that everyone is so close and friendly here or is that just your church?" We explained that is a Christ Church Wide thing. He also thought it was a pretty powerful conference. We have some wonderful lessons coming up next week. So excited to tell you about them. Got to run already. Have a great week!

-- 

Save the Trees and Pray Always

Sestra Baxter

From our apartment window. Also jested. We hike to the top

I am officially "Czech" with the pants. Also the only way to look legit service tracking. CZECH PANTTSSS.

May 9, 2016 -- "So I promised I would write a better letter"

So okay. Here is a better letter:

This week the Czech Republic is changing for the good, and I feel honored I can be here and a part of it. This Saturday all the members of the Czech Republic and missionaries will be meeting in Prague and President Uchtdorf is coming.  Everyone knows it's to organize a stake but I don't know if I am supposed to say, but that's that. Like I can already feel the excitement in everyone here and hope it will really hasten the work here. Also I am here in Liberec. It is very treey and mountainous (Czech mountainous) which is very pleasing to my soul. Another thing that is pleasing to my soul is there are so many people we can talk to.  It's got to be like 12 times the size of Jihlava. I love talking with humans specifically Czechs, and Asians when I see them.  Another thing is I am with Sister Cyrier. She has been out 2 months but is doing a wonderful job getting us around such a big area. She has such a big heart and is sooo kind and has a wonderful sense of humor (I think I have lost mine) so she will be so great.

Last Tuesday we visited like 4 members which I feel like is unheard of--even when I was serving in Washington.  They are so supportive and I think will really help us in the work here. We don't have a lot of investigators but we are working on it.

On Saturday we went service tracting. We met up around 8 with the Starsis, ended up missing our bus, and we weren't able to go tracting where we wanted. But we went to this other place and like asking the 4th person this mother with a little baby said they really needed some help if we wanted to. Before we started working they asked if we wanted lunch or something. So kind. We said "no." We just wanted to work! Sister Cyrier and I evened and raked out where they were going to put in lawn and shoveled up rocks, and the Starsis pulled out trees. I LOVE TO WORK.. Like wow. Like I think I got some of my blisters back on my hands. Sooo happy! After that they still made us lunch and the husband explained how they got up this morning at 6 and worked on their yard. His wife just took a nap for 30 mins and just woke up when we came by. She was done with it, and he was so tired and though they both are religious, this morning they both prayed that they would get the stuff done they needed. Whether that was help or somehow doing it by theirselves. Wow. The Lord just knows how this need to play out. It's soo happy!

Yesterday after I talked to my fav mother and fam, we went tracting. It was for sure one of the most sucessful tracting I have done. We talked with this family

who was really so wonderful. They thought the principles of the gospel weren't totally needed. But they said they would want to meet, and we could come by again. Also, we tracted into the cutest couple. They were soooo kind, invited us into their backyard, and gave us cake and flavored water. They are so ready and both commited to reading the BOM.

-- 

Save the Trees and Pray Always

Sestra Baxter

Hiking to Jested

Hiking to Jested

Hiking to Jested

Germany and Poland in the distance