Week 27: Round 2

I was pretty sure, when transfer calls came, that I would be transferred.  There's no way they would transfer Elder Raymond out of Trenčín, because he's the new branch president.  It has to be me that will be transferred.  When the call came, I would find out the city in which I'd spend the next 9 weeks and with whom I'd be companions.  

When we finally got the call from one of the APs (Assistants to the President), he told me, "This is really exciting.  I'm so stoked for both of you.  Elder Aillery, you... will be staying in Trenčín."  Uh oh.  Is Elder Raymond being transferred again?  He's moved cities every transfer up to this point.  That's quite unusual, not to mention stressful for him.  The AP continued: "And your companion will be... Elder Raymond.  You're both staying inTrenčín."  

Oh.  So you mean I get to sit back and relax while all the rest of the missionaries in the Czech/Slovak mission shuffle around for next transfer?  I'll take it.  

Each transfer, there's always that one guy who does our job for us.  All we did was say "hello" to someone while passing his house (he was in his yard.)  He asked us who we were. 

We said, "Missionaries."  

He asked if we had any reading for him.  Oh, did we have reading for him.  We gave him the Book of Mormon.  

He clarified that we weren't Jehova's Witnesses (that's actually a more common misconception than you might think).  

Of course we set up a return visit for Tuesday.  He even gave us a referral, for which we didn't even need to ask.  Šialené.

1, 2: behind Trenčiansky hrad

3, 4: back in Omšenie to finally pick up our prize (halušky competition)

5: not the healthiest lunch (sorry, Mom)

6: not the healthiest dinner (how am I still alive?)

7: Sister Križanová's family from Maine came for church.  Kids spoke Slovak and English. 

Week 26: Light Reading

Companionship Inventory is a chance to set goals for the week, review your relationship with your companion, resolve conflicts, give compliments and ask for advice.  Seeing as yesterday we had our last comp inventory before our last one, we uncovered all unresolved conflicts, not with the intent of arguing again, but to see how we could have approached those situations more tactfully with the intent of helping.  Here's what we came up with (the examples may or may not be hypothetical):

1.  Identify the problem and whose it is.  Example 1: my comp says "dobrý deň," or "hello," to everyone we walk past, and that can bug me.  Is that his problem?  No, he's not doing anything wrong.  It's my problem because I lack patience or charity towards my comp.  That's something I need to resolve on my own.  Example 2: I'm doing something wrong, and maybe I realize it, maybe not.  My comp sees it, and has the best intentions to help.  

2.  Try to help most effectively.  If this step involves waiting for the right time to bring up the issue, so be it.

3.  After giving advice, respect his right to choose for himself how he will deal with the issue.  

4.  Regardless of whether or not he accepted your counsel, show an increase of love after giving the correcting advice, "lest he esteem thee to be his enemy" (Doctrine & Covenants 121:43).

5.  Lead by example, and if necessary, wait for the right time to again bring up the issue.  

1-5.  Bojnice from last week

6.  Light reading

7.  OG squad, doing visa work (missing Elder McQuivey)

8.  Sestra Alžbeta

9.  This isn't the OG squad, but it's a squad.

10.  Trenčiansky hrad (Trencin castle)

11.  Prezident Václav, the legend

Week 25: Guess Who's Back

We have a picnic this week on Friday, for which we've been giving away flyers.  The flyers were quite expensive.  Anyway, we gave the flyers to our members here in Trenčín after having Sunday School about "small and simple things."  Then they noticed a small and simple error on the flyers.  The word for "preaching" is "kázanie," but instead is written "kazenie," which means "deteriorating" or "destruction."  So to get this straight: we've been giving away flyers, which say we'll have a picnic, at which we'll apparently talk about "the dedication of Slovakia for the destruction of the gospel."  I've never seen Prezident Václav laugh so hard.  He said maybe someone will show up saying, "Yeah!  Destruction of the gospel?  Let's do it!"

We're learning here that missionary work can take a more creative approach.  During a zone call-in, the zone leader said, "Elder Raymond (my comp), what do you like to do?"

"I like to fish," he said.

"Go buy a fishing pole (using personal funds), go fish next to someone, and talk about the gospel."  Hm.  I liked magic in school, even had a nickname: Magic Miles.  Maybe now I can be called... Kúzelnícke Kilometre?  We'll figure something out, but in the meantime, it's been working "magic."  I use magic tricks to explain principles of the gospel.  People who see my magic open up and are more willing to hear us out.  It had been two solid weeks without getting a single contact from anyone, but since starting with magic, I've gotten a couple of numbers in a couple of the most recent days.  Creativity was never a bad idea.  

Pic from a couple weeks ago (Elder De Feo)

The bus to Bojnice was quite packed

You know what's up (Slav Squat)

Something in this picture doesn't belong.

Behold, Bojnice.

If I hadn't been taking the picture, I would have been in it.

Prezident Václav sees a coin trick.

Nice

Week 24: Cudzia polícia (Foreign police)

We went to Sestra Alžbeta's to do some kind of service.  Her idea of "service" is as follows: go over her home, dig a couple of holes in the ground, pump a bit of water, pick apples from her tree which she gives to us, then eat a delicious lunch which she prepared for us.  Sometimes, I wonder who's really serving whom.

Here in Trenčín, there's a statue (now just a head) of a guy named Milan Rastislav Štefánik.  Apparently, he's some sort of hero, but I don't know his story well enough to relate it.  He used to be a complete statue, until the communist times, during which the communists were taking down statues.  Some človek thought it was a good idea to remove and hide the head of Milan (it ended up being a pretty good idea).  Shortly thereafter, the communists destroyed what was left of the statue.  After the communist era, thanks to that človek, we still have his head (see pics).

There's this problem a lot of missionaries are facing.  That is when they're praying in the morning, they fall asleep on their beds and end up "praying" for up to 30 minutes.  I call that "pulling an Enos."

Already I've had 2 areas on my mission, probably getting transferred in 3 weeks (because my comp is branch pres).  I hope I go to Košice next, I've heard it's the best-looking city in Slovakia.  Google it.

1. ZAPA: beton (concrete)

2. Vladimir (člen v Bratislave) (member in Bratislava)

3. Sestra Alžbeta

4. Kofola je takmer najlepšia (Kofola is almost the best)

5-6. President Václav just keeps getting cooler.

7-8. Up @ 3:30 am at the Foreign Police

9-11. Last statue is my guy Milan.

Week 23: Slovenský týždeň

This week is Slovak Week, which means my comp and I won't be speaking English vôbec.  This is probably the most English I'll get all week.  

In other news, I didn't come on my mission, thinking: "One day, I'll vacuum a ceiling."  You'll see in the pics. 

P.S. I neglected to explain the reason for vacuuming the ceiling.  We're not just going crazy, we have a bug problem at night.  

1. Borci

2. Exchange with the ZLs

3. Pretty cool

4, 5. Vacuuming where no man has vacuumed before

6. Leo (cool guy from Ukraine) had a birthday

7-13. You'll always get some cool shots of rivers, clouds, and castles. (Don't hold me to that.)

14, 15. Fešáci ("hunks")

16. Sports with Leo pt. 1...

17. ... pt. 2

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