Week 66: Nazdravie

Just so all of you know, when you look at the sun, you sneeze.  It doesn't work every time, though; you have to have a sneeze already coming.  However, that's just one opinion.  Apparently.  A lot of missionaries think that when I'm about to sneeze, I run into sunlight to make everyone think it works.  Then when they tell me to do it again, I can't because I don't have a sneeze coming.  They're wrong, I'm right.

Last night, we had call-ins, which is where we "call-in" and report numbers for the week, in my case, to the district leader.  All of the sudden, Elder Brennan sneezed.  

Me: "Wow, how did you do that?  There's no sun."

Brennan: "Yeah, I heard about that.  Sister Stratton told me that if you look at the sun and say 'blue dolphins,' you sneeze.  But that sounds fishy."

Me: "Classic.  People telling half-truths but then adding in a lie so that people don't believe the part that's true."

Brennan: "Like how people say they believe in God but organized religion is unnecessary?"

Me: "Right.  One might say, 'I believe in sneezing, but I don't need to look at the sun to sneeze.'"

People say that a sneeze comes from the inside, which it does.  Just like going to church doesn't in and of itself make you a better person, you need to have a sneeze already coming in order for looking at the sun to work.  On the other hand, only about 1 in 5 is affected by this phenomenon, and there's almost nothing you can do apart from pinching the bridge of your nose to cause a sneeze, so the analogy only goes so far.

Week 65: Practice makes perfect or permanent, depending on whom you ask

Since Elder Newell is gone, I lead our church meetings.  But I still play the piano for our meetings.  It's quite the one-man show.  Katy, if you're reading this, practice your piano.  Dad didn't even tell me to say that.  Maybe he did at one point, but this time I thought of it myself.

Elder Barton is a baller, probably one of my favorite people.  He's fun to have late-night talks with.  Last night, we talked about the impact that weekly calls home can have on us and our families.  In our opinion, it was a very smart and inspired move to allow us to do so.  It makes sense in the context of home-centered, church-supported gospel learning that our church leaders have been emphasizing.  Our families can support us and we can support them.  

What will also be different is that the change in us from the beginning to the end of our missions may not seem as dramatic.  In the old days, we were gone for two years and called home maybe four times.  In comparison, now it feels like we have constant communication with family.  So at least to those members of our families with whom we communicate weekly, the change will not be as sudden.  I'm okay with that.

Week 64: Všetko možné

Alright.  So as far as I know, all missionaries in Europe have or will receive smart phones.  Guess who that includes?  You guessed it.  Me.  It's been quite a while (over a year, in fact) sinced I've held one of these things, and it feels a little unnatural.  However, there is something interesting to be pointed out.  After a year of not having access to one of these devices, and even before that not having the best of habits with technology, it might seem as though I've made considerable progress.  But that's not necessarily the case.  

The more time I spend with it, the more I find that it's quite easy to slip back into old habits, t.j. clicking on the screen with no purpose in mind, open random apps, atď.  Fortunately, we have been given a set of rules on how to use technology appropriately and in harmony with our missionary calling.  

Mastering these guidlines will take work, but it will prepare us to use technology wisely in the "real world."  I only have so long to develop good habits while in Slovakia with the structure and support of the missionary program.  Likewise, our life on earth is relatively short in comparison with all of eternity.  

God has through prophets ancient and modern given us guidelines t.j. commandments, and to the degree we master those true principles, such will we have an advantage in the world to come.  Just as I need a phone to learn how to correctly use it, life on earth requires opposition for our growth.  Opposition alone will not produce growth, but it provides opportunities for us to choose the right.  So... choose the right!

***

Also, if any of you are interested in learning languages, I recommend General Conference.  General Conference is a semi-annual event where speakers selected from the leaders of our church address us.  If you can think of a language, General Conference is likely available in that language.  

In many cases, the translations are done by native speakers (for example, in a country even as small as the Czech Republic).  You have both written and spoken forms, so you can practice both hearing and reading.  

It's very well organized, the messages are most inspirational, and it's all free.  Plus, you get wonderful music from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.  Their rendition of "How Firm a Foundation" this past Sunday Morning Session was outstanding.  

Didn't take any photos this week, so I went back and put together photos I already had of Elder Barton.

Week 63: Bryndzové halušky pt. 2

Yesterday was an exciting day for a couple reasons.  For one, Elder Newell had to pack (going to Brno, Czech Republic) (and that's actually sad news).  Also, it was my first time making bryndzové halušky all by myself.  There are two parts to bryndzové halušky; there's bryndza and halušky.  I made what I thought was pretty good bryndzové halušky.  When Elder Newell tried it, he discovered that I had missed a very important aspect of bryndzové halušky: the bryndza.  We tried throwing the bryndza in the already made halušky, but it turned out really clumpy.  Happy last day in Slovakia, Elder Newell.

***

Imagine someone who doesn't know how to read the train book to find train times to Bratislava.  Thankfully, he has a friend to help him.  If he asks his friend to simply find the times for him every time, his friend might not be so inclined to help.  But if instead he tries to figure out how to read the book and has a question in the process, his friend is probably more than willing to help.  

Likewise, God needs to see that we're making effort to solve our problems, and he is there to help.  But part of the point of problems is to learn by solving them.  And questions along the way are good, that's how we learn.  

Elder Newell's dad

Week 62: That Family

Earlier this transfer:

Elder Newell and I decided to switch things up.  Two years of not switching things up can get old.  We decided for that day, we would try to relate principles of the gospel to a sandwich and use that in as many conversations as possible.  For each new conversation, I would ask myself, "What gospel principle is like a sandwich?"  It was fun to see what we could come up with.  What was funnier was that no one but Elder Newell and I seemed to think it was weird.  

Later that same day, we got to a block of three small paneláks (panelák = apartment complex).  We tract the first one.  Nothing.  In the middle one, there was a girl cleaning the stairs.  She had interest neither in our message nor in free English, but Elder Newell managed to let her know that sendvič in English is sandwich.  You sly dog.  

In that very middle panelák, I ring a zvonček (basically a glorified doorbell), and a little girl answers.  She gets her mom.  Did she have interest?  Maybe, but she was handling four little kids, so she had no time.  But she was really cool, we had on plan to return one day.  

***

Only a few weeks ago:

Elder Newell and I were walking in a suburban area when we came across a man working in his garden outside his panelák.  As we were talking, we brought up some points of doctrine of our church, to which he replied, "I know all of this already."  So it didn't look like there was a chance of meeting, but we continued to talk.  He had two little girls with him, but he actually had six total.  Whoa.  He was impressed by the level of Slovak we had achieved in the short period of time we'd been in Slovakia.  He turned to his daughters: "How come you've been learning English for 8 years and you don't speak as well as they do?"  

"They're older!" said one daughter.

"Oh," I said, "so when I'm 80 I might learn a language in a day."

"Yeah, by that logic," said the dad.  What a cool guy.  We actually exchanged numbers and agreed to come back in a month, no sooner because of a busy schedule.  

***

The past couple days:

Me: "Remember that family?"

Elder Newell: "Which one?"

Me: "That mom with the kids with whom I talked about babysitting while you were on the phone?"

Elder Newell: "Yeah?"

Me: "We should visit, at the very least deliver a brochure."

Elder Newell: "That's what I said a couple days ago."

So we tried.  For the first few days, we just didn't have time.  Finally, we were determined to make our way over.  On the way, we run into the dad of those two little girls, but this time more of his daughters were outside, including his oldest.  The two that we met before came running over and we gave them fistbumps.  The dad was chill, as always.  

The oldest daughter gave us a "dobrý deň".  Hm, she looks familiar, I thought to myself.  Well, we decided to move along because we still needed to visit that family.  We walked to the other side of the panelák.  Wait a second, this is the place!  Well, that other family is still there, so we'll wait until they leave before entering.  So we talked to a few more people to pass the time, but the family just wasn't leaving!  Now they're standing right in front of the door we're trying to enter.  Then they went inside.  Hm...