"No Cau hezky svátek (Ciao, Happy Holiday)" -- October 31, 2016

The Prague Train Station
Ahoj. So I am so sorry I haven't been a diligent email writer this last while. Hey, maybe that just means I am being a newly diligent missionary? Haha. I am not sure, but I still do write my parents every week, and my dad has sent me some screenshots of my blog. I think he updates that every week. So, if you are having a hard time understanding my English and want an edited version with quotation marks and other symbols which I cant find on Czech computer keyboards, you can check it out. I think it is http://sestrabaxter.blogspot.com. I also have no idea what is put up so you will know more about my blog than I do . . .but anyways.

This week hezky svátek všichni! Happy Halloween. This week was better than fantastic. We were in Prague for training with all the Prague and Hradec Kralové zone. President and Sestra Pohořelický trained, which is always the best. I have never been as reassured many times by the spirit that they are exactly what this mission needs. Awesome elders from Slovakia came up to train at it because one of then served in Prague as assistant and it was his last conference. Slovak missionaries are awesome. I secretly wish I will get transferred to Slovakia. The three times I have been there it is always so pretty, and I love the Slovak language. But we will see. But also the Assistants trained.  They are a power team. Also Sister Manners and I trained on the last page of

Sister Manners & Sister Baxter
PMG (Preach My Gospel).  It was pretty clever. Sister Manners is one of the cleverest people I know. I have learned soooo much from her and seriously can't believe in a week this transfer will be over. She has truly become one of my greatest friends. 

Also, we had exchanges in Mlada Boleslav, a cute little Czech town kind of on the outskirts of Prague.  It is the home of Škoda the car company of the Czech Republic. We were with Sestra Cade and Sestra Harrington a 4 transfer missionary and a 1st transfer missionary. But forget about those numbers. They are doing so well no matter how young they are in the mission! I was able to be with the sweet Sestra Cade. Though she feels like training is above her head, she takes everything that is thrown at them and can turn it into happiness. I loved learning from her, seeing how she loves the people so much and Sestra Harrington.

Our next exchange was with Liberec, the day after. Though I didn't go back to my sweet forest home, my little Sestra Huylar and I were united again in her birth place of Pardubice. Sestra Manners and Witzel went up north. Sestra Huylar and I have decided that we were twins when we were born in Heaven, but got split up here on earth.  Then on the mission we found each other, haha. So she is really doing so good but has been going through a difficult time through this transfer. But she has just been learning to rely on the Lord so much. We had a lesson with an investigator that she taught when she was here. I kind of let her take hold of the lesson and everything. She did wonderful. The Spirit didn't leave the lesson the whole way through. Though that investigator still isn't ready to accept the gospel, she showed such hope and faith. After the lesson she said, "I know he will accept the gospel someday, but today is still not the day." She has grown soooo much! Speaking of which, an investigator that Sestra Huylar and I found in Liberec was just baptized this past week. Heavenly Father is in the work!

We also were able to be in our area together this past week what? ahah On our way to campus to visit Desmond we stopped this man named George he is from Ghana as well and this is first week in the Czech Republic going to school.  Not even  1 minute in to the contact literally asked us when and where he can go to church. He said he asked his Czech roommates where he could go to church they said they had no idea... surprise surprise and we invite him exchanged number and he came travel the almost 1 hour it take to get there stayed all three hours took notes in all three meetings and came and ate lunch at the Holtovis house with us. It was the biggest miracle. 

Also things with Desmond are looking much brighter, as well. We have met with him twice this past week and are going to start getting him rides to church with the Novotny family. He just has gotten really busy with school and work things, but still has the desire to be baptized. Also during his lesson we starting talking to his friend named Justice from Ghana and we gave him a Book of Morman. He said he will start reading it and maybe we can meet this week. So happy.

Also for some service this week, we were able to go crack some walnuts for our english student on the outskirts of Pardubice. Whenever I have done service for any Czech, I feel like I get the better half of the deal. Jan, our English student, his mom made the most wonderful Czech food with apple and sauce and cinnamon and this crust it was just two steps up from apple pie. I can't even explain how good it was. Wow, I love to work and to do service. Especially if people will tell stories and historical facts and talk about their lives, it is beautiful. It's like heaven. Jan and his mom are such great people. Sometimes I have the fear that I won't get to know all the wonderful people on this earth because there are just so many to know. But I know God's plan is perfect, and I hope in my heart I will and I know it is helping that I am serving in the Czech Republic. Truly I feel I am meeting all the people Heavenly Father needs me to meet, and they are really changing my life. 





-- 
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mindThou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... because if you will do this you will want to save the trees and pray always.
S Laskou,
Sestra Baxter

"And other stuff" -- October 24, 2016

Some of my letter to Prez and other stuff.

This past week was great. Sometimes I don't feel like a normal missionary
because we are traveling so much, but it is good. I love getting to know these sisters. We were down in Cbud for exchanges. Sister Miller and Sister Hill are super stars. They are so darn sweet and kind. I got to be with sweet Sister Miller. She is so sweet, and you can feel her love. It literally radiates to everyone she is in contact with: members, her companion, the people of Cbud. We visited two members, and she really loved them and they love her and even though she was in her first transfer, she was able to communicate with them just fine. Sister Hill is a wonderful missionary and is training in her 3rd transfer. She is killing it!

Our area has been kind of sad lately because we have been traveling quite a bit, but it is still wonderful. D______ did not come to church. We have like daily contact with him. Even the night before he said, "I need to come to church tomorrow." I think next Sunday we will be knocking at his door. We will see. Also R____ has not been reading. The good news, though, is we got a referral from him--his brother-in-law living in German. He is waiting for his family to get visas to move to German with him. He was with R____ at the kebab shop and wanted more books and pamphlets in Arabic, so that was pretty awesome. We also got the news that L____ can't leave Pardubice. Like never, ever, never, ever. She cannot travel by bus or by car or by train or by bike. Because she had a coma a couple years back, she can never leave. We are heart broken. But we are praying for inspiration, and we will probably go visit her every so often. 



Good news on this investigator Sestra Huylar and I found in Liberec. It was a p-
day and we were getting our 3 hours of proselyting in. It was, sadly, very unsuccessful durning planning the night before. We put down that we wanted to find a YSA girl and during those hours we didn't find anyone. After we had a plan to buy some stamps, and we were discussing on how to skloňovat them, we decided to just ask a Czech, and we turned to Kr____. She is more than nice and tells us the right way to say it. And we started talking about everything. We taught her for awhile till she moved to Dansko. We are emailing back and forth. She has a baptismal date😊😊 Also H_____ that Sestra huylar and I found and the elders started teaching is getting baptized this week. So happy

We are exited for trainings and exchanges next week with Mlada Boleslav and Liberec

S laskou

Old companions

  
Members

  

Someone giving flowers to you when you are singing about God. 

My favorite Taiwanese friend living in Cbud.  He plays the flute for our singing displays


 








"Spiritual eyes to love the people" -- 17 řijna 2016

Tady je Sestra Baxter. I love the mission so much.   One of the best parts is the people. I really feel
as if you are given spiritual eyes to love the people as God does. So here are some updates on some investigators,

L____ from Slovakia: She is still continuing to read in the Book of Mormon and on morman.sk. Something awesome is usually her children E_____ 7 and A___ 9  just sit on the computer or on her phone, and we have invited them to listen but they don't want to and she if fine with it. But Alex was off the computer and prayed and committed to sit and participate in the lessons. We have also been trying to find a way to get them to church because it is an expensive train ride for three people, and Lucia's health right doesn't allow her to be on public transportation because she was in a coma not to long ago. But one of the returned missionaries from our ward named Vasek who served in Africa has a car and offered to take her!! By the way when we taught with him, he is the one that should have been wearing the tag.

R____ from Siberia: He is still running the kebab shop by the train station and lets us drop by anytime we have a second. We have been inviting him to read the Book of Mormon and taking slow steps with him so he really can start to understand who Jesus Christ is. We taught him with Gaberial from Romania on Saturday Risam was asked questions and Gaberial could answer each of them. His faith is so strong and has gotten even stronger.  Since I have been here, now, he has not missed a week at church for 3 weeks. 

D______ from Ghana: Yesterday he chose a new baptismal date for the 26 of November.  He didn't make it to church for the past 2 weeks in a row because he forgot to set an alarm or his phone was off. Now school started, we have to have lessons of the phone because his school schedule is crazy, but he is still working towards baptism and prays and reads every single day. So we still have a lot of faith in him.

F_____ from the Czech Republic:  Well we had a lesson with him last night with Vasek. He is very interested in the Book of Mormon and why we believe it. He said he wanted to read it like a history book. He said he has tried life with God, and he thinks he "doesn't need God" -- to put it in exact words. Sestra Manners and I got pretty teary eyed in that lesson because of his "Czechness." Sometimes my dear Czech brothers and sister make me want to.....scream a little, but I love them so much, so it's fine.   



We also headed down to Bratislava and had exchanges with the other Sister Training Leaders. I remember going there my first transfer in the Country not knowing how to speak Czech... so Slovak
I couldn't speak not even a little. But now I love Slovak. It is so pretty! I am secretly hoping to
extend my mission and serve there for a transfer, but who knows. 


---

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... because if you will do this, you will want to save the trees and pray always.

S Laskou,

Sestra Baxter 


Here are a couple audio files from Sestra Baxter:

File #1
File #2









"So, conference, right?" -- October 10, 2016

Conference was so good, everyone; right? "I declare unto you repentance . . ."

But for real, all of conference was about repenting and joy! The coolest thing about that is they go hand-in-hand. I learn that more everyday. So watch this talk because it's way happy, and she is way bold and awesome:  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/the-great-plan-of-redemption?lang=eng.  Also this one is bomb:  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/repentance-a-joyful-choice?lang=eng . Also:  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/fourth-floor-last-door?lang=eng

Okay maybe everyone should just watch every single one. They all had something I needed to hear. I know it would be the same for you. 

So we also had MLC in Prague, and I was not feeling so hot that morning.  Ha ha. Thankfully, I made it till after MLC, but the rest of the day, I was throwing up. But let me tell you, Prague is the best place to get sick. I could not be more thankful for the kindness that everyone shared. For  example, while I was sick I received from my mission president and his wife and other missionaries: blankets, pillows, tea, cookies, a personal package delivery from my mission president, calls, getting to stay with the Morgans one of the best senior couples on this earth. If I did not know I was loved before, then I know now!! 




We met with some of our awesome investigators, still L____, R____, and F_____. We are still working with them and getting their foundation built very strong. 

But I am grateful that I am healthy now, and pray that I will never be sick again for the rest of my mission because that stops the work from moving forward, and that is sad. So anyways, love you all. Have a great week. Much love I send to you.

---

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... because if you will do this, you will want to save the trees and pray always.

S Laskou,
Sestra Baxter 



 
Get ready . . . 

. . . throw!





"Prague Walk" -- October 3, 2016


We had a wonderful week in Prague, Hradec, Kralove , as well as Pardubice.
Even though we were out of our area for quite a while, it was still as hopping as ever.

Exchanges were so great. We had the Prague Sisters "teach us." After, Sister Manners was like, "That is why Prague is on fire even though it just opened up this transfer." Those three Sister are beautiful inside and out and their dedication to the Lord is inspiring. I am not worried about a single one of them. I had the opportunity to be with Sister Brown. She is amazing, and she can testify! I think that is why Greenies are so powerful. That is what they are taught and know how to do. It invites the spirit in a way I think older missionaries forget. 

When we were in Pardubice. We taught lessons with D_____, L___, F_____, O___.


D______. We are praying that he starts have a "fire desire" about the gospel. That is what we fasted for on Sunday. He didn't make it to church so we are just still working things out with him

L____ is doing awesome. We are learning to control the talking even. But, I think with our short lessons she is starting to realize how important it is to keep it focused on God. 

F____ is an investigator who speaks great English and met with Sister Huylar and Boza when they served here together. We talked about God and His nature. It was so exciting to tell him because he thinks we are an experiment of aliens in the sky. It will take time and experience, but his testimony will for sure grow! 

O____ is from Romania and as soon as we set up with him, we thought of our awesome member G_______ from Romania. We speak to G______ in Czech but to O____ we speak English. So our whole lesson we would translate what we said in English to Czech and then we would ask questions and they would speak in Romanian. Also, the spirit talked to each of us and it was one of the best lesson I've been a part of!

Because Sister Manners served in Prague for 6 month, and we got permission from our mission president, she was so kind to take me on my first Prague
Walk. A Prague Walk is what all the new missionaries do when they get into the country. For me, it was a little different because I don't have a full half year left on my mission. I was able to reflect on how special and blessed I am to be called to a country with such character and love. I start to get so teary eyed every time I think of the grace of God that has been part of my life. Wow. It is the most special experience to let the Lord choose your life. He will make you do things you didn't know you could do, or maybe didn't even want to do. But He is the master mind, and the Superior Creator and He can make you perfect. I have never know in my life with such a surety that God is there and that his Son Jesus Christ made it possible to return back to Him. I know that Jesus lives and that this gospel is perfect. I have never been more in love with my mission at anytime.

-- 
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... because if you will do this you will want to save the trees and pray always.
S Laskou,

Sestra Baxter



Prague Walk

Prague Walk


Prague Walk


Prague Walk