It was a tough week, but I know the Lord listens to my prayers because of it.

What's up Mama,

This week for me was pretty good. Wednesday it was fun. We went with another set of missionaries to a pizza buffet for our "official" year mark. It was really good, and cheap too, so we might have to go there when we come back up sometime after my mission. 

Tuesday we had a pretty good lesson with G. He didn't come to church, but we are going to follow up with him on why sometime this week.

Up here on Saturday we actually got a thunder storm. It was nice!!! It was also fun to lay on my bed and watch it from the window, because I can from where my bed is haha. The thunder isn't as good as Utah thunder though. It has been pretty hot still, but it's supposed to just be in the 90s this week. The members have been telling us that it should start to gradually cool down now, which will be nice. I am looking forward to that.

It is crazy that it is August already. I am sure Jared will enjoy getting some money for gas. Gas is soooooooo expensive now, so I am not looking forward to that when I get home. I will definately need a job, that's for sure. I just hope it's not too hard to find one with tons of other missionaries coming home at that same time.

So Jeff likes the home theater sound in the basement then haha. It's way fun to watch movies with the bass turned up high. You should have gone down and joined them haha. Maybe it was a sign. Now for me, I can probably sleep through it. I get so tired I can sleep even when it's super noisy haha. That's a mission for you I guess.

I never did hear from the Bishop's son this week to answer your question.

That is good that you got the letter and gave it to Bishop. Did you open it and proof read it or something? I put your name on it so you could and have my permission haha.

Thanks for emailing me today. It was fun like always. I am glad everything is still going good at home. I want you guys to know that I love my mission. Thanks for all the sacrifice you guys go through to keep me out here. I really do have an awesome family. I am so blessed for that! I love the gospel! Love you guys too! Talk to you next week fam.

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

What's up Dad,

This week sounds like it was a good one for you. It was a good one for me too. It was long though. Not a lot of our investigators are home or answering their phones. We haven't been able to get hold of Claudia or Scott for a long time. Fernando works from sunup to sundown everyday, so we never see him either. We do have a progressing investigator with G. We were able to meet with him this week. In the lesson with him this week, he told us exactly how the spirit works before we had even taught it. He has had lots of experiences where he had felt the spirit, and he told me and Elder C that we are guides from the spirit to him. He compared the spirit to lightning for him personally. It comes and leaves really quick without the gift of the Holy Ghost. He said it's good though that we help direct the spirit "lightning" to him. He is just way cool. He is so prepared, which is awesome. 

We have also been working through the area book and contacting former investigators, but so far nothing has really come of that. We are just trying our best to find every chance we get. 

For personal study, I have been going through the book "Believing Christ," and I love that book. It is soo good at giving me more of an understanding of the atonement. If you haven't read it, you should. Even as a family if you guys want. It's just a really good book. I also read in the Book of Mormon every day of course, and I am in Alma with Alma and Amulek. I just love reading about the great things they did as missionaries. It really makes me want to go out and have those same experiences--except for getting thrown in jail and beaten and watching all my friends get burned! That would suck but they are great missionaries anyway.

Things in Washington have been pretty good though, and it sounds like they have for you guys too. I really don't wish that I had gone to the family reunion but it would have been cool to go anyway. I bet you had fun. That is crazy that there are 1200 descendants from Grandpa Berger. That is a lot of people!

Aww yea! Football is started back up! That is crazy that football season is pretty much here already. It will be cool to see if the Seahawks can win the Super Bowl again, even though I'm still not a fan of them. 49ers and Chargers still for me haha.

Sounds like they might as well make you a primary teacher haha. You're doing that a lot it seems. That is funny that Libby is the leader. That doesn't really seem like her to me, but I guess it could be. I always thought she was a shy little girl haha. Guess not now.

In a couple more weeks it's going to be Zone Conference, and I am excited for that. Those are always good and getting to hear from President Ware is always cool too. He is awesome.

Well, I wish I had some way cool story to share from this week, but it was really just kind of a tough week. But I do know the Lord listens to my prayers because of it. There are times where I feel like not doing anything and just feel like I wanna give up, but I pray in my heart and I have the energy to keep going. It is way cool. The spirit really does help me all the time. I feel its' promptings and I always try to follow them and things work out. I know Jesus Christ lives and the priesthood was restored. There were lots of people this week who challenged that to my face and I was able to bear my testimony to them. They didn't listen, but I hope they felt something. I just love the gospel! Thanks for all that you guys do for me to keep me out here. I pray for you every day! Love you guys!!!!

Have an awesome week!
-Elder Sedlacek