Dad, you don't know how much of an example you really are to me.

hey dad, so this was a good week. it went slow but it was good. it was really rejuvenating to talk to you guys, and it was fun. i can definitely say that it was the best christmas i have had yet. i really got to know and feel the true meaning of christmas--it was awesome. that is sad about sister A, but it brings comfort to know that we will see her again. i  would not be suprised if she has checked up on me--hahaha--or if she will. send my condolences to bro A for me. that is cool you guys got to hear from jake and those others in sacrament meeting. i hope all the other missionaries from the ward are doing well--that is cool you got to hear about it. that is a really cool story from your mission, you always seem to know what to say to me because those always help me! thank you for that and for following the spirit. it definitely takes lots of faith in a area like this. you told me to pick a leader i admire and try to emulate them--that is something that i always strive to do, to pick a leader to take examples from and pick the characteristics that i like most. you are one of those people. you don't know how much of an example you really are to me. it always helps to look up to you, thanks for being that example dad! that sounds like such a good meal you had at the grand america! i bet you were stuffed hahaha. elder n is going to be going crazy about the denver-bengals game--he is a huge fan hahaha. for that game, since i like them both equally, i don't care who wins. it would be nice to see cincy get a super bowl while i am here though. i have heard a lot about how good the new star wars movie is. i can't wait to see it with you guys when i get home. that is a really nice thought from bishop davies, was that at work? i also like the one from president monson about loving others. loving everyone is something that does not come easily for me--i always have to constantly strive to love the people i teach. elder holman has realized this and told me that he would bet money i become a leader, but if i learn that trait fast, the faster the leadership will come. i hope you guys have a good time putting together the puzzle and everything, as well as the new year snowman. have a great new year's! i love you dad! have a great day and week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

Hi mom! that is crazy that i only have one more christmas to go. it has flown by so far, can you believe i have been out for nearly five months? the best part of the week was christmas eve, that was so good to teach and talk about christ on his birthday eve, that was probably the best day out on the mission that i have had so far. the most faith-promoting thing that happend to me was on the day after christmas. we were walking up a hill to a  bus stop, and this man from nigeria stopped us and asked us to come into his house and teach him. he is a great guy! i love his accent. we have a return apointment with him this week. 

 

the hardest thing that happened this week was probably not having any of our investigators show up to church. that always sucks. christmas was awesome! so after we skyped, we hung out at the taylor's for a few hours, and then bro b picked us up to go to his farm. we had a really good dinner and egg nog over there. it was fun. while elder holman skyped with his family from the farm, i played around with the grandkids that are in high school. we played like foosball and shot some hoops hahaaha. their farm is pretty cool. 

 

your christmas sounds pretty good as well--i am glad. ben is getting huge! they sent me a christmas card and i saw him and i thought, "holy crap!" that is also crazy about tara having another baby so soon. i hope you all have fun on new year's eve. thanks for the puzzle for me to do--i already put it together. hopefully the snowman will work out hahaha. dang, it is cold in utah! sorry that i leave and the weather goes sour haha--i guess it just can't exist without me--jk! that is cool about getting to hear jake speak sunday, i bet you liked that. i don't remember bro C, but that is way cool, i am glad he is coming out to church. it will be awesome to see if he gets dunked. thanks for finding me a copy of that poem, but it is okay though if you can't find one. it is so important to have a companionship of three! that is what it is all about!

 

Mom: I am really glad that you had such a great Christmas! It sounds like you had a lot of fun and also felt the true spirit. That is all I can ask.

 

Good luck with the new Nigerian investigator! That is awesome news!

 

I am going to pick up your new strips today or tomorrow and send them, along with the card reader. Is there anything else you need? 

 

Elder Sed: if you could include my blue and yellow tie i left in my room by accident, that would be great. maybe a calendar if you want, but if not i can buy one haha. it really was a great christmas, i loved it, i felt the spirit A LOT. thank you for sending that stufff mom! you're awesome!

 

Mom: So what will your New Year's Eve and Day look like? Do you have to be in at a certain time? What do you get to do? 

 

Elder Sed: for new year's, we do have to come in early, and we have to deep clean the apartments, then we stay in until  a certain time on new year's day.

 

well, i have to get going now mom, it was great to hear from you! i love you guys all so much! talk to you later! have a great new year's and build the snowman well for me! love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

I am grateful that I have this opportunity to be out here

 Hey dad, so this last week went pretty slow, but it was good. we had a really good transfer meeting and we got to hear from president porter--he is so awesome! so my new comp's name is elder holman. he is from utah and has been out for 10 months. this area is doing well, except for what happend to a*** this week. i will write about that in mom's email. i will get to skype on christmas at around 10:30 am, although we don't get to call on christmas eve like jake did. they really enforce skyping for 45 mins, so no more than that. well, this week wasn't as tough as i thought it would be, it was still hard taking over though. elder holman was made district leader thankfully. i know i have been put here at this time for a  reason. i just have to trust in God. you must have had a fun day Sunday, it sounds like. those are some cool scriptures you shared with me, it is always nice to get those from you haha. i will definitely keep that in mind. that is cool you finally got to see the s family, how are they doing? tell the allreds merry christmas for me and i definitely felt their prayers. that is way awesome about the utes winning the bowl, but they always screw up for at least a solid quarter in all thier games it seems hahaha! that is great they beat byu though hahaha. hopefully usu can play well in their bowl! have fun at the work lunch--that is probably way good food. so you probably have a few days off this week then? thank you so much for sending the bratzeli cookies! i am sure they will taste good, i can't wait to make some when i get home hahaha. that must be an  awesome talk from pres.monson i will have to go and read it, i really like that quote and i know that to be true, that as i do give all my might to this work i will see miracles and help bless the lives of others. i am grateful that i have this opportunity to be out here serving the lord for another year and a half, i have already seen blessings from it and i am sure you guys have, too. thank you so much for all you do to keep me out here, i know it is a lot, thankyou so much. i hope you guys have an awesome christmas as well, i love you so much and i look forward as well to talk with you guys over skype, it will be fun. i will talk with you in a few days, love you so much, have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey mom! so this week was kinda crazy, my new comp's name is elder holman. we will see how this turns out. we get to skype for 45 mins on christmas, and we will be doing it at about 10:30-ish Ohio time so be ready anywhere from 8-9. sadly, we don't get to call on christmas eve like jake did, so i will talk to you on skype haha. so this week we didn't have anyone show to church, it was really sad. a*** OD'd on heroin and got in a car wreck, so he is probably going to jail. that really blows!! we were able to teach s*** and he seems pretty solid--we have a lesson with him tonight and he is making us dinner. we were also able to talk to w****, and he is having us back today. other than that, not much has changed. 

i was able to get my packages! could you tell ann & jim and gma & gpa h thank you for me?  tell them i will be able to use that, and it will come in handy! (they gave me a card and money). geeze louise, Syd's boy has gotten huge! holy cow! thank you so much for the packages! i can't wait to see what's inside on christmas! 

you are probably getting pretty busy with christmas it sounds like, i am sure all those parties will be fun! and were fun! that must be nice to have everyone home for christmas, i am excited for when i am back home hahaha. that was a way cool story about sister E, it is always nice to hear those stories about the holidays! i am glad i get to be a missionary during christmas too, i only get two of them. they are kinda tough, but it is cool to talk about Christ all day around his birthday! well, that is it for updates of this week, how have you been?

i am sorry i have no pics to send this week, i need to get a card reader so i can send them to you, so maybe next week i will be able to.

okay mom, i have to go now. it was great to talk to you, thank you for all you do for me, i love you all so much! i will talk to you on friday! love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

Five cavities filled--"The people here are feeding us way too many sweets!"

Elder Sedlacek & three other Elders moved this 800 pound stove for a service project.

hey dad! so this week was incredible! we hit 34 lessons, 7 of them were member-present!!!!!!!! the trials from last week really paid off and now we have some new investigators to show from it. but first off, for transfers i am staying and elder Nielsen is leaving, it really stinks. we had so much fun together! i barely know how to access 1/4 of our area, so i really hope i get a good comp to help me, i will need it. i know that through the Lord i can do anything though, so it will work out, he knows what's best. i am glad you enjoyed the pic and video that Bro. B sent.  i wasn't unhappy about singing, i just was trying to concentrate on what the words were hahaha. i really love the mission song and i actually had chills when we sang that time, it was cool. that is cool sierra is already home, that went by fast! at the end of this month, i will have hit five months out, and that is crazy. i am glad you enjoyed our christmas card, we had so much fun making it hahaha. i will look forward to those bratzelis you are sending. haha those are the christmas highlight tradition! haha i have not got my package yet, hopefully it comes soon. stake conference must have been awesome, i miss stuff like that, but of course now i get mission conferences which are even better hahaha. great job at work! that is awesome! i heard about navy's win over army. our ward mission leader is a really cool guy, he is like you and craig and he tells us scores and stuff sometimes when we go over on sundays for correlation. he told me about navy and the coaching situation, and that is crazy about bronco, he is going to be making bank! i heard jacksonville is playing super good this year, it does not surprise me. that is crazy you are getting snow and we are in the 60's! it has been really nice. well, enjoy the snowblower duty hahaha i love that thing haha.that is true about the spirit influencing us to do right, and it is cool to see that in my own life right now. if i even think about doing something wrong, i already feel bad for it. when you have the spirit with you this much, you are always wanting to do what's right, it is awesome. thanks dad for all the updates, as usual i will send more in the general email, i love you so much! have a great day! and week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey mom! so this morning we went to the dentist to get some cavities filled in, i had 5! the people here are giving us way too many sweets! haha. the dentist is a member and did it completely free, he didn't even want our insurance cards or anything. he is awesome, so he numbed up my whole mouth until i could feel my eyes going numb hahaha. 

well, this week was stellar! we hit 34 lessons! that is freaking awesome considering we usually only hit like 23 max. elder Nielsen is leaving and i am staying, i am scared hahaha. i hardly know how to run the area, but i know that through the Savior and with his help i can do anything. 

we got a new investigator this week, named S***, we found him around thanksgiving and came back in contact with him. we got him to come to the ward Christmas dinner and he wants to attend church, although that will be hard because he lives downtown and can't pay for bus fare, so that is a challenge. that guy M******, his son, W, is now wanting to be baptized, so we are going to teach him the lessons. S is an interesting guy. we will see what becomes of him. this week was awesome, we found some new investigators yesterday and blew our goals out of the water! so we will try to stay in contact with those new people. 

since i will be one of the most experienced elders in the zone, the most experience in this zone, not the mission, i might become a leader of some kind. the other elders in our district are leaving so it is me and the cincy sister who just got out of training, so we will see what happens. 

i am looking forward to the christmas package, should i wait until Christmas to open it or no? i am glad you enjoyed the pics that Bro. B sent on Friday, so every week he does that. he feeds all the norwood elders and sisters breakfast and then we usually do service afterwards. that is our mission song, i hope you like it haha. 

i am sorry about your back, that really stinks, maybe you should try putting jake's diodes on it from his leg surgery, that is what elder nielsen does for his back, he has problems too. that is crazy that finals are already here and jeff and nicole's anniversary! i didn't even notice! holy cow, time is going fast and slow, i am surprised it is already been close to 5 months for me and it kinda feels like eternity as well hahaha. it is hard to describe. tell mia and Sarah good luck for me with their concerts and stuff. 

i am sure that stake conference was way good, i love listening to pres. stuart, he is awesome. yep, what sierra says is true, missionaries are just lucky to get to witness the miracles. it would be bad for me to take credit for the ideas and stuff i have and get because they really aren't mine. when it comes to dealing with other people's problems and helping them with that, i am dumb as a box of rocks! but with that revelation and the impressions i can receive, i can help them if i follow it and rely on the spirit, which is half of the mission--you really have to rely on the spirit to show you where to go, what to do, and what to say. it is just like giving a blessing, you just have to try and follow the spirit. 

that is so crazy with all that snow you are getting today! we are still in the 60's. it has been a warm week! it is probably going to get cold again really soon, which i am not fond of, the humid cold is crazy.

i have to go now mom, it was great talking to you, have a great week and be safe in the snow hahaha, love you guys so much! have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We live in a day of miracles, we just have to see them.

 

hey dad! so this week was pretty tough, it seemed like no one wanted to talk to us and there was just a lot of opposition. we hardly got to even extend baptism which was kinda tough, because that is what really gets me fired up and gives me such joy--to ask people to be baptized--because it is fulfilling my purpose as a missionary. but yesterday it all changed! A**** showed up to church! it was awesome! i had been having a hard morning, i was kinda down on myself, thinking stuff like "what am i doing wrong, why can't i just baptize more?" stuff like that haha and then we walk into sacrament and A**** is sitting there! it was a huge testimony builder for me that miracles really do come right after the greatest opposition, it was awesome. we did not get to visit with g***** or a**** this week sadly, that's part of why it was such a huge miracle to see a**** and his family at church. i have some grace to share in the general email to mom, so stay posted haha. but that is way funny about duke haha--that crazy dog. that is good about church, you must teach pretty awesome or something haha you teach often. that is good your shoulder is feeling better, so you got a lot of work done then, huh? good deal. do you get enough help around the yard? hopefully so. you must be getting pretty excited to have a grandbaby huh? haha thanks for all the bowl updates the other elders like it too hahhaha me and elder n KNOW utah will win hahaha!!  the fast meetings here are pretty good most of the time, i usually don't worry too much about investigators in fast meetings just because the spirit will testify to them what they need to hear. i know that to be true. that is an awesome quote thanks! well it was great to hear from you dad! i love reading your emails each week! i want you to know that. Well, talk to you later dad, I love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

hey mom! so this week was slow and tough, i wrote more about it in dad's email. we had interviews with president this week, and that was good. he said he is proud of me and that i am a hard worker, he is so awesome. we also took some recent converts to the temple on Saturday to the Columbus temple, it was way fun. so this morning, some awesome grace happend!  we went to look at macy's downtown to see if they had any clearance suits, no such luck. so then we hopped on the bus to get to the church, but we bought hot dogs before we got on, and the lady that was running the hot dog stand started talking to us, and now she is committed to church on sunday!!!! heck yes! then we got on the bus and this guy starts talking to us. i ask for his name to get his info, and he is like i will have to spell it out for you and so he says "R-I-C-K" i was like are you joking me? hahahaha he was serious too hahaa and so he is now planning to come to the ward Christmas dinner and church on Sunday too! heck yeah! and then boom! we got two media referrals right after! it was sick! so yeah, we are pretty much gonna dunk the world as elder n says haha. 

 

that is a cool story about the hopewell indians, no i have not heard about it yet, maybe i will. i am actually reading about Captain Moroni right now in the Book of Mormon. yes, the strips did arrive a few days ago, thank you for sending them. you will have to send the package soon, hahaha i really don't know if i am getting transferred or not.  idk. we will find out. mia's play must have been fun, then huh? that is cool you got to see the martins, they are awesome. haha i look forward to the day when i can finally do some yard work again everyday, that was so much fun to me haha. you guys really must be sore from working saturday! hahaha we helped r**** senior with his lawn care this week. it was 30 degrees outside, so it really felt like 20 haha but the lawns here still have to be mowed on a regular basis. they are perfectly green--about as green as Utah gets in the summer and that is yellow for here. we cut r****'s lawn and stacked his wood. that dinner for Sarah's dance must have been fun, it sounds like, you probably had fun cooking for all those teens huh? hahaha you probably killt it. did you make them warsh the dishes then? yep, sundays are the best, i really don't know how i get up every morning! i go to bed and like 30 seconds pass by and it is 6:30 a.m. already! hahaha i am pretty sleepy most of the time after about noon hahahaha that is mission life though. that is a great quote you shared, thanks for sharing that. we live the truth of that everyday, i definitely have a testimony of that!

 

Mom: Sorry you had a tough week! I remember that every time Jake had a tough week, miracles would soon follow. I'm glad your strips arrived! I'm pretty sure I put the wrong zip code on the package, so I was worried. I prayed it would make it! I'll be sending your Christmas package this week. Molly left her mark on it, but I'm not going to tell you what haha.

 

yep that is the way that it always happens, miracles are still here, we still live in a day of miracles, we just have to see them. yep, the strips arrived on time and i did not notice if it was a wrong zip or not. thanks for all the packages you send to me, it really means a lot! i would not be able to be out here if it weren't for you! i guess i will find out what mark molly left then huh?

 

i think i am growing...my suit sleeves are shorter and so are my shirts. 

 

Mom: So how are your blood sugars, especially if you are having a growth spurt? I can order more insulin at the end of the month, are you okay on that?

 

it is pretty easy to manage right now, my insulin is really good right now. i won't need much for a while, i will let you know.

well i have to go now, it was great to hear from you, i am excited to skype on christmas, then i can tell you a lot of stories and stuff i can't share over email. well, have a great week mom, good luck with everything, i love you all so much! talk to you Later!

--Elder Sedlacek

 

When you say good evening around here you don't. You say "have a blessed evening." {Lots of pics this week!}

11/30/2015

hi dad! so this week was good, we were able to have an awesome thanksgiving with a family for lunch time. the turkey was way good, and then the father took out all these whips and throwing knives and ninja stars, and asked us if we wanted to have a little fun before dessert. we were like "heck yeah!"  i will send a video of the whip, it was like 10 feet long and really heavy. 

our most promising investigators didn't make it out to church this week, they both had to work. we were able to get a less-active out to church, M. i paid for his bus fare. we always get passes from the church, and he didn't have one, but luckily i had enough change. he is a funny guy, he is black and about your age. he went through a stroke when he was 28 and so he is a little crazy haha. he was saying that he played byu basketball and football while on his mission to new jersey and california, and california was "180 degrees goin' on 200!" so we started messing with him a little bit and we asked him how it was like to play with jimmer fredette, and dwayne wade, and kyle irving and to have larry gelwix as a coach (highland rugby coach) hahaha it was funny. we had a few meals since it was the week of thanksgiving--they were all awesome! we are still trying to contact all those new investigators, that happens a lot here, you make contact for the first or second time and then they disappear. it really makes it hard. i passed off those scriptures that we have to memorize that i told you about to get that pin that you see everyone wearing on the mission Facebook page. the little white one, so hopefully the AP's can get one to me before we have interviews with pres.porter this week. yes, both stadiums are in our area, we went downtown this week and saw them both! they are massive! the reds' is smaller than the bengals' and the reds' dwarfs me! i have some cool pics to send you! sadly, you can't see the fields without a tour. it was fun, though. it is getting colder here, there is a constant slight breeze and the humidity makes 40 degrees feel like 20! it is crazy, but luckily our apartment is so warm we have to have the ac on at night! it is the weirdest thing, they keep the heat on 24/7 and we can't adjust it whatsoever, just the ac. that is crazy about your mission apartment!  well, as always i will send more in the general email, thank you for sending me your mission experiences, they really help me a lot, and the sports updates are always nice to see hahaha i hope all is going well for you! i love you dad! have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey mom! so this week went by crazy fast! i had a really good thanksgiving, we had a few meal appointments this week that i wrote about in dad's email, but we had one last night with bishop B. His brother is on the high council, and then a few of his other kids are in the ward, so like a 1/4 of the ward are all the same family. they all came to the meal and they have a crazy amount of kids hahah!! so it was way fun to watch all the crazy little kids, and they have this huge slide in their house from one level to another and they were just climbing up and down it and throwing stuff down it hahaha. we found a few investigators this week as well, one of them we met on the bus. this guy comes onto the bus and sits down near me, elder n is talking to the driver (a guy named eric who is really cool) and i get an impression to talk to him, so i start talking to him and come to find out he is interested in learning more. elder n told me they have talked to him before but he was never interested, so that was sick! there are also always drunk people on the bus and they always say the funniest stuff. we had a really good zone meeting this week, it was super revelatory and the spirit was so strong, it was nice to have it, i love zone meetings because you get to see all the others in the zone and have a great meeting with them. not really much else went on this week, just the usual stuff, people yelling and shooting, and smoking weed.  what do you want to know about cincy?

oh, we walked through over the rhine this week, which is the sketchiest place in cincy except for price hill, and man i thought i was going to get jumped. that was the most weed i have ever smelled and i didn't even want to take my gps or camera out of my pocket! hahaha

Mom: Well, I am glad you did not get jumped! haha Just tell me whatever you want to about Cincy, I'm interested to know how you like it. 

well, cincy is a pretty cool place, lots of interesting people and the skyscrapers are cool too.  that pic with the map, is all our area, and that's not all of it either, we have the rich part of town, and then all the hood up until downtown where everyone works, so lots of people ride the bus. all the rich people live just north east of us and you travel south east to get into our area and to downtown. i have learned lots of new words like "finna" which means i am going to or fixing to and they say learnt and kilt it, they always add t's to the ends of words like that haha and when you say good evening you don't. you say have a blessed or just have a blessed evening. people are always willing to talk, usually, and they will always tell you they have already been baptized, so i am getting pretty good at evading that excuse hahaha. As far as christmas i still need some sweaters, i can't find any here for some reason, the thermal bottoms would be nice and instead of like a desk toy like i said last week, if you go that route, just do a tech deck finger board hahaha. other than that, i think i am good. just stuff that you think i would like haha.

Mama: Cincy does sound like an interesting place! I am glad you are doing well. Watch for your strips to arrive this week. I am so, so proud of you! Keep up the good work! 

thanks so much for all you do! love you mom! it was great talking to you, have a great week and i will talk to you later

-Elder Sedlacek