Christmas in Marion, Indiana

hey Dad, it has been a crazy but good week. for the first half of the week, we had heard several days ahead of time when we would move, so we did the usual stuff and saw all the 'gators from Noblesville, all while having meetings with the Indy mission APs and their office elders. It was fun. guess what? Elder Hemuli, who graduated with me, the one who'll be playing Stanford football, is an Indy AP, so we got a pic together. that was super cool. we showed them around the area book, talked about the ward and had our ward mission leader involved in those meetings, so the change should go smoothly for them. sad thing is, they are getting rid of the barn we lived in, and won't be staying in it.

we moved here to Marion on Thursday and i don't even know where to begin to describe the area hahaha. it's the country, but it looks like inner city. it was once a booming industry town, that was left to who couldn't move out when the industry went south. the people here are friendly though, and have the famous Hoosier "gift of gab." They can talk your ear off hahahaha. 

we are on bikes full time, but luckily we live close to the church in a small house, a single floor up the street from the church. we don't know too many of the 'gators yet. it was kinda hard to have only one full day on Saturday, and that was Christmas Eve, so we did not get to talk to a whole lot of people. stay tuned to the next emails for info on the teaching pool i guess. i guess a lot of the ward is less active, so we will need to be helping a lot of those, as well as finding as many 'gators as we can get hold of. 

thanks for the advice on goals, i will definitely need a plan for the next few months of my mission, and for home after. i am  not looking forward to the adjustment hahaha. goals help us to achieve what the Lord would have us achieve, and it allows Him to fully reach out and help us get there. 

that is a crazy storm! i am glad you had a white Christmas, but that is too bad you did not get to make it to church, i am sorry.  my meeting wasn't a whole lot better though hahaha. that is good you got to help out the neighbors with their snow, that is a very worthwhile thing to do. i loved doing that when i was home. it sounds like you will  get a good rest of your holiday break, hopefully it is very enjoyable for you. 

so this bowl game between Utah and Indiana should be fun to hear about haha! that is so cool, Hoosiers against my home town team. the Hoosiers are good, too hahaha. should be a good game, but Utah will crush them hahaha! 

that is a very interesting thought about Mary and Joseph, thanks for sharing that. as i read the chapters in the Bible surrounding Christ's birth, it hit me that when Christ was in the temple teaching the old guys, when he was just a boy, and how in D&C 93:13 it talks about how he received grace for grace, to his fullness, or his glory and knowledge--he must have had some exponential growth and had to have really understood his purpose at an early age to be able to do that! that is so amazing. as children of our Heavenly Father we struggle to understand the purpose of life and how we get there, and gaining that knowledge of the plan and everything else, but Christ made it all possible. even though we struggle and we are not perfect, we can always turn to Him and he can help us learn and grow from our experiences to become better. 

i am so thankful to be able to declare the glad tidings of his birth around the Christmas holiday, thank you for teaching me what is right and being patient with me. i love you Dad, have a great day! and week, happy New Year's too i guess hahaha! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! it has been a crazy week. i wrote about all that happened in Dad's email. i wish i knew more about the area, but that will come in time. in Noblesville we did get to say goodbye the day before we left, and see a few of the members who had helped us a lot, so that was nice. 

the move was crazy cause they kept pushing the time back.  we moved at 5:00pm on Thursday and made it up here about 7:00, so that was a fun day. then we headed off early Friday to the Christmas conference. that was really good. they divided the mission in half and had games during the first part, then the Gilberts catered a lunch for us, and then we had a good devotional as we studied the nativity. that was really good. it was another good Christmas on the mission, and sadly my last. i so wish i had another! 

after we got done Skyping yesterday, we headed up with the ward mission leader from Noblesville to his family who lives in our ward here. we had a good lunch complete with fresh venison! yeah!!!!!!! then we came home and elder Nelson skyped with his family at the church, and then we came back to the house and did our puzzles and stuff. it was fun. 

that is crazy that you got so much snow, i can't even imagine that much snow here. that must have been fun to go to grandma and grandpa Ds, grandma makes good bread hahaha. i don't have any huge miracles to share, but just that we got here to Marion safely in the move, and having a bit of divine help with my diabetes hahaha! Marion is a fun place, that is for sure. it is actually the poorest area i have been in since inner-city Cincinnati, so that is a big change. the poorer areas always test me a bit, they make me kind of anxious, but not because it scares me or anything, it's just taxing, it's hard for me to describe why. 

my fave thing this week was the funny people in this ward. all the typical Hoosier things going on, with the accent and all haha. i love it! 

that sounds like a good tradition you have started with the Mary and Joseph dinner. i look forward to it. that is such an interesting thought you talked about. Mary and Joseph truly had to have been humble. they were totally willing to follow the commands of Heavenly Father and to do what they could to raise Jesus in the dignity that his life and the gift he gave to us so deserves. 

i know that Christ lives and that He did make everything possible, and He did it for all of us. i think about how much i lack, and what i have done, and what i could do better, and the reassuring knowledge of Christ and how He can help me become better always gives me peace and joy. because of Him i can become a better person. thank you for raising me on the gospel sod, i am so lucky to be your son. {I asked him if he was trying to make me cry?! ;)} thanks Mom for all you do! that's it for the week! haha

well, i got to go now, thanks Mom for all you do! i love you all so much! have a happy New Year's Day! not sure what we will do on that day yet. have a great week and i will talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We are pretty much double agents, working for two missions

He got the bratselies {Swiss cookies} we sent him. A family tradition!

hey Dad, it has been a good, but weird week. we have not moved yet.... although they had the huge meeting to reorganize the boundaries at church yesterday with the whole Indy North stake, so we basically attended the Indy mission's stake conference. their whole zone was there, and of course they all ignored us hahahaha. we even saw their mission president up on the stand, it was crazy cause he wasn't ours hahaha. we are officially out of the mission as of 3:00 pm yesterday, but apparently the Indy office missionaries don't know a thing. they called us to set up a meeting so we can go over the area book, and our APs don't know a thing, they do think we will go on an exchange with the other mission though, and (hahaha) it gets even better, because for possibly two more weeks WE ARE PRETTY MUCH DOUBLE AGENTS working for two missions right now hahahahaha! if they move us soon, we will go to Marion Indiana, but who knows when that will happen. if it does, we will be re-opening an area, but i really don't want to. my comp kinda likes to control everything and he will milk that. 

no gators came to church yesterday, but it was a really noisy meeting. SD is finally reading the Book of Mormon! heck yes! and same with B. we have been reading with them, and apparently it worked at least a little bit. all the other investigators are doing the about the same as before. we did get T, our less active we've been working with, to come to church yesterday. that was nice, because it's been a couple weeks since he last came.

this ward is awesome, they are giving us Christmas gifts all the time. Bro A gave me a little Christus statue, it's so cool. that sounds like you are having an interesting week too! that is so cool you found the family history stuff, everyone always asks me if i'm straight from the Czech Republic. a few thought i was hahaha. 

sounds like the new Star Wars movie is really good, i am excited to see it haha. that sounds like you had some good church meetings. i wish ours weren't so noisy, but it was historic, and we helped carry chairs back at the end of the meeting. i broke a personal record--4 under each arm hahaha. 

i really like that thought, that really helped me feel the Spirit, thanks for sharing that Dad! it's true, no matter how far we wander, or how lost we think we are, the Savior is right there, we just have to choose to see Him, and then reach out for his lifting hand to pull us back to safety. we are never truly lost, ever. it's a pleasure to be able to share that message with the people of Indiana, even though they are the most stubborn people haha! they have a strong faith and it's nice to see that, even in people of other faiths. 

that's awesome about the Colts. i was surprised last week to see the standings, with your Cowgirls in the lead. the other teams must feel pretty sympathetic to them this year, letting them win. 

i have no idea when i will Skype, if i am still here in Noblesville, it will be in the afternoon or around 1:00 perhaps. i will have a member shoot you a text or see if i can still call to set it up. i will do my best to let you know as soon as possible. well thanks for emailing me Dad! you're the best! i love reading your emails. talk to you on Sunday! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Madre, so it has been a good week. i wrote all about the craziness of the meeting to announce the new boundaries yesterday, and about the investigators. so yep, we are pretty much waiting for the Indy mission to make their move. we don't know any more than our APs, or their office elders apparently, and it's kind of annoying. i like to know when we will be gone or if we stay for Christmas. i would love to leave after Christmas, not before. if we do move this week, we will go to Marion and re-open the area, together, which i really don't want to do, especially the week before Christmas. it's frustrating not to know what's going on sometimes, but i would feel bad if i just sat back and let it happen, cause it would feel like i am not doing anything. 

Brother Gilbert is awesome! he is a really good guy in the Connersville branch. that is awesome you were able to find that way to #LighttheWorld. that is a really good service, good job on making all that bread, i bet it was really good. that must be fun to have everyone home for Christmas haha.

the weather here has sucked haha, we had some freezing rain the other day, which makes biking impossible. it has been in the teens for the high most of the week. this morning biking over to the library, my boogers froze in my nose hahahaha! it's about 7 degrees and a bit of wind chill to spice it up. makes for a nice balmy, Indiana day. IT'S SO COLD! hahahahaha humidity really sucks hahahaha. i say Utah weather has a sting, but the Midwest cold has a bite from a rabid bull dog. it cuts right through hahaha. that is crazy weather you have had though, i am excited to have lots of snow, it won't snow more than two inches here.  but yes, i am staying warm most of the time. i have plenty of clothing to stay warm. 

my testimony grew through a song that was playing in the car the other day before we gave it up hahaha, i was kind of reflecting on how things are going and the tune of the song we had playing helped me to feel the peace and comfort of knowing that Heavenly Father is still in control, and these changes are for my benefit and the peoples' benefit. it really made me feel the spirit, it was cool. my favorite thing was probably the dinner appointment we had yesterday. we went to a family of all boys--three boys and they were crazy fun. they had us help them feed all their animals. the boys had us help them and their parents were mad when they found out they had us helped, but we told them we did it by choice hahahaha, so that was fun. i think that tender mercy was the song as well, it was at exactly the perfect time that day and your packages really cheered me up on Thursday, things weren't going well on Thursday morning, thank you so much by the way! the peanut brittle is really good! and same with the bratselies. oh, we sang that song (Baby, What You Goin' to Be?) in Batesville, when we were in the ward choir.  that's a really good song. thank you for sharing that! the Savior really does make everything okay. thanks for emailing Mom!

well got to go now Mom, thanks for emailing! i love you guys so much! i am excited to see you on Christmas! talk to you Sunday! love ya!

Elder Sedlacek

We are refugees

Emails from December 12, 2016

hey Dad! it has been a good week. i am glad you got the cards and stuff, and yes, there will be a boundary change for this stake. all i know right now is that i am leaving this area very soon. it turned out the Assistants were wrong about leaving last week so we did not leave yet, but sometime near the end of the week.  so you could possibly send the package this week, cause if you send it to the mission home, it might take a long time to get it. 

as  for how the week went, it went pretty well. we did a lot of less-active hunting and it was successful. we found a few new ones to stop by, so that is good. they were all friendly and hadn't seen missionaries around in a while so they enjoyed the visits. SD did not make it to church this week, and we don't know why yet, but we will hopefully see him tonight. B has been meeting us at the library lately. he finally revealed to us need, so now we can teach him more effectively. we have been reading the Book of Mormon with everyone so they can get motivated to get into it themselves. K is still doing about the same, same as the W family, except the cold temps keep them from coming to church for health reasons. she may have been healed, but still struggles in the cold air. pretty much everyone is doing about the same. it is kinda tough, i just wish they would read the Book of Mormon and be able to feel its influence. it is such an amazing book of scripture.

that is super awesome all that stuff happened and went well. and even better you are going to the gym! hahaha, are you gonna bulk up and be a buff Grandpa and squish me? hahaha i can't wait to go back to the gym hahaha. sounds like work is kinda  hectic, that is good though you get to stay busy, that keeps you from being bored, right?  

that must have been a good meeting at stake conference, here stake conference is like a whole zone meeting hahaha, so it's fun to see members i know and all my mission buddies. i saw Elder Hurst at the stake conference, one of the guys from the MTC. 

i really like that thought you shared, it's interesting Elder Causse said Christ's birth was secondary to his atonement. that was his whole purpose for this life, to save us all. he had one thing on his mind, serve the Father's children. we had a lesson surrounding this topic with Kristy this week, about always seeking after Christ. if we are not intent on coming closer to Him, all the harder our lives will become. we need the gift that enables us to become better--the atonement--as we utilize it more fully in our lives our happiness and joy will increase, as well as our knowledge and relationship with Christ and Heavenly Father. i know that Jesus is the Christ and that Joseph Smith is his prophet and revelator called to these latter days to usher in the restoration of the gospel and to bring us the Book of Mormon. as i have read the Book of Mormon to finish by Christmas, starting from Nov 8th, it truly has increased my testimony of its divinity of the book and my love for Christ and Joseph Smith. i am so grateful for this gospel and that we can live for eternity as a family. thank you Dad for the example you put forth, for serving a mission, pushing through college and for every day that you get up to go to work for us. it makes it possible for me to serve a mission and to gain a testimony of the gospel. i love you Dad! have a great week! you're the best!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, so you heard about the changes. sorry to scare you a bit hahaha! i am glad you enjoyed the cards, thanks for distributing them for me!  so i guess just send my packages hahaha. we will see where i go. we almost thought it was a joke, since we were supposedly moving this week and nothing happened. we finally texted the APs and they were like, "it should be announced today and the changes will me made this Sunday" and so they said we will probably leave near the end of the week. we are refugees! haha we need to jump ship. can you send me a pic of the new mission logo? we have not got it yet. 

the best thing that happened this week was when we got a super sweet member refferal from a guy in the Indy mission for a person in our boundaries, so  she should be taught soon by whoever is in this ward. the ward will probably change its boundaries too, because they are reorganizing a new stake. i definitely saw small miracles throughout each day, but not any big ones to mention, just another week with an awesome ward. 

one tender mercy, a lady in our ward heard i have eczema and left a bottle of Ceravie lotion on the stairs in front of our apartment the other day, with some candy haha, that was super nice. she says it's the best for dry skin, and so far it's worked great. the Indiana weather has been in the 20s all week and snowing, but since it's Indiana it's gone within 24 hours regardless of how cold it is, and you don't get more than two inches hahaha, so that was nice. 

sister Murdock sounds like sister Welch. sister Welch used to walk a bit in the mornings and she set up a few appointments for us when i was in West Chester hahaha, they are both great missionaries. 

well, i know that this gospel is true. self change is a neccesary part of Christ's true church. we believe in continuing revelation, so God will always reach out to his children--that's a fact of life. i know that the Lord is at the helm of the Old Ship Zion and always will be. all things are done in wisdom and order, of God, who knows what needs to happen. as we approach this Christmas season we must always retain in remembrance the gift that Christ has given to us. i love this gospel so much, i am so grateful for the power of the priesthood and the temple in our lives. i love you all so much! 

well, got to go now Mom, thanks so much for all you do! i love you all so much! i hope you have a great day! talk to you later. you're the best!

-elder Sedlacek

You don't have to be the sharpest pencil in the drawer....

hey Dad, it has been a good week. our numbers and stuff don't indicate it so much, but that is not the important thing to remember, because we had a lot of good things going on this week. sadly, SD's son, who has health challenges, had a rough go of it on Saturday so SD did not make it to stake conference in Muncie, so he is no longer on date for December 17th. that's okay though, i think it was kinda tight for him anyway. there is not really anyone on our list who is super progressing other than him. we taught him the Word of Wisdom yesterday, and he has no problems with it, so that should go well. we will see how his church attendance plays out. he is still struggling with reading, but i think it's because of his reading skills, so we tried to get him on the app so he could listen instead. B is doing well, and he still wants to meet with us. he even wants to meet at the library now that it's getting cold cause he lives with someone else. the W family are doing alright. pretty much everyone struggles with reading though, which sucks, it's like "just read it, it will help you!" K is doing about the same as everyone else. it is frustrating when people don't want to progress. 

stake conference was super awesome, they changed the stake presidency and some really good thoughts were shared. afterwards, Bro. A., a super awesome member who helps us a lot, had us give him a blessing. he had me be the voice, that was an honor,  because he is a such an awesome guy. we also got to help out C, who is blind, he is very inspiring as well. 

right now it's getting cold to be on bikes as you can imagine hahaha! Saturday was a nice day, but man, i froze to death coming through an Indiana-sized canyon (haha--it's actually a valley between two knolls). so the "new" snowblower is getting tired huh? that is too bad, it has served well though, or allowed us to serve well. that is crazy that the Utes are going to play Indiana while i am here, what are the odds? the Utes will whoop them! they better! haha! 

sounds like you had a good church meeting. good news with the family history then, that's good you are finding things that need to be done. that lesson topic must have been inspired, that is awesome. thank you for sharing that. one of the thoughts given by the past 2nd counselor in the stake presidency talked about how you don't have to be the sharpest pencil in the drawer to serve the Lord, you just have to be in the drawer so He can take you out and sharpen you. i thought that was so cool, the Lord will do any means necessary to help us become an instrument in His hands. maybe that is why i have had some more interesting comps to work with, so he can sharpen me, cause man, i must have been a flat head hahaha! I know that selfless service is what allows us to become who God wants us to be. by doing so we come to know Christ and His infinite goodness and His plan for us, and we find eternal joy. thank you for founding me on the foundation of the gospel, so i too can use the framework therein to become like the Savior. thank you for all you do Dad! you're the best! love you Dad! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been a good week, i wrote about all the 'gators as usual in Dad's part. it was a good week, we had some good things happen. we got to give a few blessings, so that was awesome. we helped move a non-member lady, and that was good. she really needed help, she could not have done it herself. she is not interested right now, but she may be interested in the future, so that was some good fellowship too, because we had a member helping. 

we had to bike this week, so that was tough with it being really cold hahaha, but we made it through. one tender mercy was just feeling an increase of the Spirit, because my prayers have been much more sincere lately, and that always helps us. the hardest thing that happened was trying to improve our companion unity. i guess we both like to be in control, but we made some big progress this week. my favorite person was Brother A, and getting to help him with the blessing yesterday, that was so cool. 

now for a funny story: we met a super funny guy yesterday as we were coming out of the nursing home where C lives. this guy came out while we were waiting for our ride, and he was smoking a joint. he asked us about our name tags, and then he started telling us how he used to be the sun in the sky before he was born, and God told him to come here. not too weird yet, right? then he says he took all his rays and shot himself into what makes up a human body. then he was said, "hey do you guys smoke marijauna or tobacco?" and we were like "no," and he continued on, telling us how God told him to indulge in it. it was a crazy story and that was not even all of it! hahaha i almost lost it!

that must have been fun to have Briggy around for the weekend for sure, he is a cute one. it also sounds like you had some good service this week, with helping others, that is so awesome. i love getting to do service, it makes for such an increase in the Spirit. that is super cool about those golfers coming back, i remember them, it seems like yesterday! that must have been fun to hear from them again, it sounds like a good meeting.  we too had a great meeting with our stake conference in Muncie. there was such a great spirit there as they called a new presidency. that was fun to be part of. 

some mission news: we used to have 2 zones per stake, now they combined them, so there is one per stake. the zones are huge now. i will just testify of key holders--you know i don't like change (you even warned me remember? hahaha) but i know that President Welch is the key holder for this mission. i am so grateful for priesthood keys, and the ability to hold the priesthood. it's such a blessing in our lives. i know the power that lies within devoted service to the Lord, and i am so grateful for my opportunity to serve him. thanks for helping me to serve! 

alright, that's about it for the week. got to go now. thanks, Mom, for all you do! i love you guys so much! have a great week! talk to you later! 20 days 'til Christmas!

-Elder Sedlacek

An attitude of gratitude is imperative to our level of happiness

Elder Sed goes to church in the Indianapolis mission.

Elders Sedlacek and Nelson with their Trump ties.

hey Dad! its been a good week, a little better than last, so that's good. i had an awesome Thanksgiving, we got to play in the ward turkey bowl--Elders/a few high priests against the young men. we were actually winning up until the second half, then it turned sour, the old guys got tired haha and so i was blocking for some super strong youth leaders. the guy was huge! hahaha we lost by a TD. it was so fun though and i actually woke up sore the next day hahaha! i am getting out of shape! then we had a really good meal at the S family's home, and that was fun. his wife is Phillipino and was constantly saying, "Guys, really, eat a lot, eat as much as you can" so we got absolutely stuffed hahaha. we also had SD show up to church yesterday, and me and my DL had an exchange Friday night so we did a chapel tour with him (SD) and put him on date for Dec 17th! he is going to work towards it, so we will see how it goes. he really enjoyed church and the ward jumped all over it--they fellowship so well, they pretty much took over before and after sacrament, which was exactly how it should be done. we were left to set up chairs haha.

as for everyone else in our teaching pool, they are doing about the same. we got to help the W family set up thier christmas tree, that was fun. as for the new church initiative, that was super awesome. we had a special powerpoint given to us to introduce it, it's amazing. we have already been showing it to members and we had a super powerful lesson with the M family yesterday, the ones whose lawn mower blew up, over lunch, and it actually almost made me tear up hahaha. the Savior truly spent his whole life serving others, why can't we do the same? think of the gravity of that, he spent his whole life,  his whole 30+ years, serving other people than himself. the love that comes from that kind of service is unimagineable. i am super excited to have this new program, i challenge each of you to participate, it's on mormon.org and there is a Christmas advent calendar for every day, with a short video clip. i know it will change your Christmas ideals.

it sounds like you had a good Thankgiving too, i bet it was super good. do you like Planet Fitness? have you heard of the lunk alarm? hahahaha. that will be super nice to have, that's awesome, are you getting some weights in?

that is super awesome about Mia's talk. i like that notion of the Fullers soap, it applies so well to me right now. we are both staying another transfer, and so i was like, "man...what else is there to do around here?" and the answer is to rely more on God. i may have exhausted some of our lists, but there are still people out there to contact. every time we struggle through a planning session it's so i can learn to be more depentent on God, and become a better person. i know that God can direct our every path, but it's harder said than done. you have to have so much faith, which is what's going to give me the blessings in my patriarchal blessing. thank you for teaching me right Dad, i love you Dad! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! its been a good week, i had a great Thanksgiving and a lot of fun. we did have SD finally make it to church this week, and on exchanges my DL and I put him on date! i wrote about that experience to Dad. chapel tours are so effective haha. the best part of the week was probably having SD show up to church, and the most challenging was having no one accept a return appointment, but that's okay, it's not the right time for them apparently.

yesterday at the M home, they showed us the missionary parody of that Adele song i know nothing about, and that was so funny, but it made total sense for me and my situation right now. they had no "success" up until the end, but they still remained positive and happy about doing the work, then when they got into the house (that part is hilarious) they are so grateful for someone to teach. this work takes work and nothing's gonna work until you have joy in the work! hahaha. even though those people won't let us back, we have to look for the blessings anyway, that is something i have gotten a little loose on doing, thank you for the extra reminder Mom!​

i am most grateful for the scriptures and an awesome family (especially parents haha) and the spiritual growth that has occurred in me because of the Savior sculpting me into what he wants me to become. that is crazy about Mia being 15 now! holy cow! it sounds like you had a good holiday too, that is awesome.

how did i know Libby would get a phone before I get back! that is funny. is my old one still around? i still want those pics on it.  oh that sucks that Sarah was sick, at least you had a good time at home though. that sounds like Mia did a great job on her talk, wow Mia has really grown up a lot it sounds like, that is awesome, and crazy!

that thought you had, for me, is very similar to a quote on the white board in my Batesville apartment, that has literally shaped my mission, no doubt in my mind it was there for a reason. it says "don't spoil what you have now, by desiring what you do not" and it's so true, the attitude of gratitude is something that is imperative to our level of happiness. i am so grateful for all of you guys and being able to serve a mission, it's hard and not the most fun at times, but it will be ever worth it for the amount of blessings you and i receive! thank you for standing firm and teaching me what is right, thank you for all you do Mom! love you Mom!

as for Christmas gifts, i cannot think of anything specifically except for maybe some Old Spice body spray, the Fiji scent, it smells so good, and a bunch of jerky hahaha.

a funny story for the week: we got locked out of our apartment and the windows are high up, so Elder Nelson had me climb up and stand on his shoulders and i wedged open a window to break in hahaha, it was funny.

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for all that you do for me! i hope you have a good day at work! i love you! talk to yah next week! 

i am staying in Noblesville with Elder Nelson!  

-Elder Sedlacek

Here in Hoosier land it is cold, then hot, then freeze-your-skin-off-cold!

About to enjoy some white tail deer meat.

All bundled up for those 21 degree, 90% humidity days.

hey Dad, it has been a pretty decent week this week. we did not see a whole lot of success, but we did find someone new. on Tuesday, we had a referral come in for a Bible, so we had a member drive us out since it was in the middle of nowhere hahaha. but the lady, P, wanted a Bible to give to her friend. we gave it to her and chatted for a bit, and we got onto a gospel topic and then bam, she said something that triggered an impression to share a certain scripture with her, so we shared a scripture  from the Book of Mormon, and she loved it. that was super cool! she owns a business and said she would call us for another appointment. that is not ideal as you know, but we will see what happens i guess.

as for the other investigators, we did see B, he had finally read a little bit, but still didn't make it to church. SD we saw last night and he had not read, so we had a commitment lesson with him. we will see what happens. if he reads, then we will continue with him. the W family just about came to church but the mom was feeling ill. they are also struggling to read, so we have read a bit with them lately also. there is a less active family, the B family, and they have been getting back in contact with us, and  they will be coming to church. they did not make it yesterday because of car trouble. satan is the worst! hahaha.

there was not a lot new this week, unfortunately. everyone is struggling to keep their commitments, and we are doing all we can to find. it is just not working out like we hoped. we were planning the other night, and i was thinking silently, "what am i doing wrong, Heavenly Father?" and i felt an assuring feeling for a moment and then bam! a media referral came in. so it IS working for us to ask literally everyone we see for referrals. eventually the work will take off, we just have to hold faithful.

we have noticed the Book of Mormon supply is behind too hahaha, they are in very short supply for us haha. i bet that was super fun to help with all those service projects Dad, i wish we had more service projects to do ourselves.

yep, it has been cold and windy the past few days, but today is warm enough for just a sweater. that is the way it goes here in Hoosier land, cold then hot, then freeze-your-skin-off cold! haha

sounds like you had a busy Sunday, we always have PEC or ward council each week at 7:30 am. sounds like you gave a pretty good lesson today too, that was what we talked about as well. that stinks the teams lost, come on! hahaha i guess your Cowgirls do know how to play football after all! did they wear their tough makeup? hahaha just kidding Dad hahaha!

thank you for that thought Dad. i really like that, we are all out there searching with lights and looking under rocks--it's the latter days, it won't be easy. but that is what makes us stronger, if we can search hard enough and long enough, and follow the Spirit, we will find those needing rescue. we may find some along the path that don't want to be helped, but eventually they will and they will remember the times that God has reached out to them, and they will gain a testimony of God's love for them. all things testify of Christ, we just have to have the faith to look for those and find them. i too, can testify that Jesus is the Christ and this is His gospel, He is in charge.

thank you for raising me right Dad! it was great to hear from you again, i hope you enjoy your fave pie on Thanksgiving, have a great day! love you Dad! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, so it has been a good week. it's always a good week hahaha. i did get the package from you, thank you so much! i am good on all other supplies, and i thought of stuff for the Christmas package. can you see if you can get me more of those Dickies slacks i wear? mine are gonna wear out soon, i can't believe they lasted this long anyway hahaha. they have to be the 30/30 slim strait, or they will not fit. the other regular 30/30 are too big, i tried them hahaha.

i got an A1c taken the other day, i should get the results soon. oh, and there is a senior Sister in my district who takes pics of us, look on her Facebook for pics of me. the week went ok, but we did not hit our 20 lessons, which was sad. we did all we could though, i am just tired of things not working out. we have exhausted our area book, and so it's tough to find people with nothing to go off of. i wrote about the 'gators to Dad, and that pretty much sums up all that happened.

a funny story--we did meet this super old guy, he had a DUI cause he rides a scooter, we call them "Deweys" cause they are driven by people who got their licenses taken away from too many DUIs. he was the typical Hoosier, he had all the signature hick sayings and we could hardly understand him. it was super funny to me. i love Hoosiers, they are crazy funny. 

those service projects must be fun, we are in need of doing service but no one lets us help. i am actually emailing Elder P lately, he sounds like he is still adjusting? but maybe not, because training takes some time to get used to. a greenie breaker will help him out. 

i do remember the trees at our old house! that is funny they got rid of the fence and stuff.  congrats on the writing Mom, i bet it is fun to write all that stuff. that is what you love hahaha. we got special permission to watch the Cokeville Miracle with the W family, and man, that movie had me tearing up at the end! me and Elder Nelson are such babies with that stuff hahaha.

God loves all his beloved children. he is saddened by how the world is going right now, but he trusts each of us to make the right decisions and to follow through with his teachings and the gospel. i am so thankful to be a part of this glorious work. it is hard, and we are not seeing all the success we desire right now, but the Lord will bless us for our efforts and make small things become great! thank you for all you do Mom, it means so much! i love you Mom!

well got to go now, thanks for everything! i love you all so much! have a great Thanksgiving, i will see if they can send pics for yah! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

Adventures with fire

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we did not really find many new people to teach, but we were able to have some good experiences. there is not a whole lot new with the investigators, which is the sad part. T** has been busy, but we finally got back in contact with him last night, so that was good. his work has taken over his schedule. A has been avoiding us for sure. i'm not sure what happened, but we will try to see if we can get in contact with him again. it's always tough when that happens. T couldn't meet this week, but hopefully she will be able to in the next few days. as for T***, the less-active member we've been working with, we had some pretty powerful lessons with him this week. i think he is right on the fence about coming to church though, because he struggles to get there. we are re-going over the missionary lessons with him and we taught the plan of salvation and the impression came to me to relate it to boot camp hahaha, so we had a good lesson in that way, like earth life is like boot camp, where we get to try our hand at what kind of soldier we will be in God's army. it gave me some new insights on the plan. we were able to meet with SD, but as with all the 'gators right now, he is struggling to come to church. he did read out of the Book of Mormon though, so there is some progress there. The part-member family we're working with did make it to church, so that was super awesome. we had some good lessons with the mom, and we just need to help her with a few concerns. we were also able to get back in contact with another family that wants to start coming back to church, so we will be teaching their kids soon. 

i really like what you said about starting off your day and week just trying to listen to the Spirit, that is something that President Welch is having us focus on, by reading the Book of Mormon again by the end of the year. it has really helped me to feel the Spirit more. it truly is the Spirit that helps us with everything, not just gaining knowledge, but with every aspect of our lives. that is so true about feeling it, rather than hearing it, a lot more often. i find myself receiving very subtle promptings and i barely recognize it, but when i don't listen to them, it always comes back to me, and it is usually for the most obscure thing, like, "hey, maybe you should grab this right now and take it with you," and then bam! i need that thing later. the Spirit is such a great help and we really can become a tool in the Lord's hands when we listen to it promptly. 

that is super cool that Seth is leaving on his mission, he will do great. i am excited to get into family history when i get home, that will be awesome. that is super cool that all the Utah teams played well. and that is great for the Utes' win. hahah there is a member in our ward that just loves me and Elder Nelson, he is a young guy who graduated from USU and he heard that we are both going there and was like "yes!" he did mechanical engineering as well. that general conference thought is a good one, thanks for sharing. i find that it is the most testimony strengthening thing to share the gospel. i always, without fail, come out happier from a lesson then when i went in, the Spirit comes to testify in such a way that brings so much joy to my life. the gospel is meant to bring us a greater sense of joy. that is why the members out here love to have missionaries over, so that they too can feel of the spirit of missionary work. there is no greater call than to share the gospel. i know that as all of you try to be the example to those around you, that you too can see the joy of missionary work. not just missionaries can feel it, but you do have to share it to feel it. do your best to share your testimony through thought, word and deed, and pray for missionary experiences with the intent to act and they will come. thanks for all you do Dad, I love you too. have a great week, talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a pretty good week. i wrote all about the 'gators in Dad's email as usual. i could use the test strips soon, but not sure about anything else. 

we had a really good Zone conference this week, and i had some good questions get answers, and a new thing that i am working on right now. President Welch no longer wants anyone to get up early to do extra exercise anymore, so that was tough news for me hahaha. and we can't do any working out before bed anymore, either. i guess a lot of people were doing that (me included, as you can probably guess) so that was something that hit home, because that is what i love to do, as you know. i know that was for a reason, because i have noticed that instead of the extra exercise before bed, i can now spend more time doing better things, like writing a little more in my journal hahaha. that really strengthened my testimony that the Lord WILL show us our next steps, even if we don't want to take them, but i have already seen the blessings for being obedient. 

we got to meet with a bunch of people this week who have been tough to meet with, so that was super cool. although we did not find as many people as we would have liked, i know the Lord sees our efforts. it seems some days like we work so hard for nothing, but i know that there are people out there who may not accept the gospel now, but they will later. all we can do is give them a chance. i love being able to contact as many people as i can, it helps me to feel the spirit of missionary work burn a little brighter. 

that is awesome that Seth is leaving on his mission, he will do really well. that is crazy that Trump won, i was half hoping he would, because he can at least make a business decision hahaha. that is a good campground, that will be fun to be there for girls' camp. BTW, are we going camping or anything when i get back? just curious hahaha. 

that is good that your knee is doing so much better, that is awesome. funny you talk about TVs burning up, and raking leaves. so a little back story on the pictures I sent: the lady that is on the Mormon Message, "Refiners Fire" is in the ward here. we help her and her teenage son with some service sometimes, they live in the middle of nowhere hahaha. we were helping them rake some leaves on Saturday and her son was mowing them up with the riding mower. he had just finished the last pile when i looked over at the mower, and it was sitting at just the right angle to me so i could see flames under the hood, so i yelled and he jumped off, and then the mower burst into flames! it was crazy! we called a fire truck and they came out and put it out, but hey, we got lots of footage hahaha. i am putting the video on the Google drive so you can watch it on your account. luckily, they were already planning on buying a new one. 

some members took us to dinner this week at a restaurant that happened to have a magician in the house. he tied a gorilla balloon for me and did some really cool tricks. yep, what Skyler talked about has to become second nature, and it is imperitive that you do ask for phones to be shut off before teaching hahaha. the Spirit is the real teacher, missionaries are just there to create an environment that the Spirit can come into and teach everyone present. not just the investigator should be learning, the Spirit has also taught me so much! i know for a fact that as we listen to the promptings of the Spirit we will be able to be an instrament in the Lord's hands. that is the greatest gift i have been given in serving a mission, it is a wonderful opportunity. thanks so much for all the support and prayers you send my way!

oh Mom, i figured out i want some more blades for my razor for Christmas, it's the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide flexball.

well, got to go now Mom, i hope work is going well. enjoy the pics i sent! i love you Mom! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We have to convert ourselves before we can convert others.

Showing me that he bought new pants and hemmed them himself :)

hey Dad, it has been a good week. it was slow, but we got to work hard, which was good. for the investigators, A was bumming out on us so we were not able to meet with him. he was avoiding us, so we wonder what happened. then T has been doing the same thing--sleeping every other time we did not have something set up. we were able to receive some referrals though, so that was super cool. sadly, none of our 'gators made it to church. B is doing about the same, and also S. as for the other new people, we were not able to meet with them either. it was a slow week! 

we have been making an extra emphasis on asking for referrals, and it helps to receive media referrals, which is what we got, so that was super cool. last night a member family gave us a referral for one of thei kids' teachers to teach him in their home. we will do that on Sunday hopefully. we got Elder Nelson's bike, so we have been biking like crazy for the past few days and that has been nice. other than that we have not had much happen. 

sounds like work is going well, it is nice to be busy, i wish we were a little busier hahaha. sounds like you have graduated to full on Grandpa-Dad, haha! well done, just kidding, i bet that was fun to hand out the hot chocolate, you better be careful or Bonnie will put you out of business if  you get too big hahaha. YEAH! the Cubs won! that is super awesome, i was happy to hear that haha. that is too bad the Aggies lost, good that BYU beat Cinci hahaha, although i don't care either way for that, probably lean towards Cinci haha. 

i loved having the time change, it was super nice to have the extra hour of sleep, that was awesome! we had a good fast and testimony meeting too. there was a guy who walked in and was wearing a white "veterans for trump" t-shirt with an "i voted" sticker and an American flag pin with his suit slacks--it was so funny, i almost lost it. that guy is notorious for yelling at children in sacrament meeting hahaha. 

i did not see the worldwide training, we don't get to be part of it. that is interesting you share that scripture, cause i have created a lesson plan that i give to members, which consists of that scripture and a quote about helping others and whatever the Spirit directs in between. it is really a nice scripture, because it is so true--we can apply that to anything in teaching the gospel, we have to rely on the Holy Ghost to direct our thoughts and actions. it can help us in any part of our lives to do better. i know how much of a blessing the Spirit is in my life. i am so grateful to be on a mission to help others feel that guidance as well. thank you so much for all you do to help me keep serving. thanks for emailing me Dad, and i hope you have a great week! i love you Dad!

-Elder Sedlacek

p.s. my ward mission leader gave me some white tail venison, and man, it tastes like beef compared to muley, it is so good.

hey Mom,  i did get my insulin, thanks! it has been a good week, but a slower one. we did not get anyone to church despite our best efforts, and we were not able to find anyone. it was as if the adversary was working super hard to just kill all of our efforts. we worked super hard and did not have a whole lot of awesome success. i feel bad for my comp, he is how i used to be and does not quite understand what is a successful mission, so i hope i can help him with that. it was hard to feel like that, but we just have to do our very best. i wrote about the rest of it in Dad's email. 

to answer your questions: what built my faith was getting some more referrals--that in itself is an answer to my prayers, that was awesome.  my fave person was probably a guy named T. we got him to come back to church, so that was good. the most frustrating thing was having appointments cancel so many times, that was terrible, and it makes planning stressful. the best thing was the member referral we got from our dinner appointment last night. 

i bet Halloween was super fun, hahaha you are gonna have to compete with Bonnie! sounds like a success haha. that sounds like you have some good movies coming out too, keep the list, because i will want to see them. i did not get to see the training, that is cool though, it is true we have to convert ourselves before we can convert others. we cannot convert them beyond our own conversion. i always feel the need to strengthen my testimony, it can never be strong enough if you know what i mean. it can be so hard to try and bear testimony to someone, and you know things that they are not ready for, so as you keep it simple enough, because you just want to help them understand the blessings they can have in their lives. 

that is too bad you did not get as much of a fast as you wanted, i did not get to fast either, because i woke up low [low blood sugar], so that was kinda crummy. i had a lot to fast for too, but the Lord knows our hearts and our desires, so it does not matter, as long as we do our best. that is good about your knee, i bet you feel so much better. i love getting to exercise (as you know) it helps with everything. that's why i do pull-ups every night before bed, it relieves a lot of stress hahaha. i am doing 300 each night by the way hahaha. i am not sure about voting day on Tuesday, we will see, the lines outside of the judicial center in town have already been crazy enough with early voting. hahaha Brig sounds like a really funny kid, that's my nephew! hahaha 

Mom: Do you still try to fast one meal? I sent you a picture of Brig at church after the time change. He didn't like it too well. :)

yeah, i do fast when i am not low. Brig is a funny kid, i bet he did not like the time change! haha

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for emailing me. it was great to hear from you, thanks for the pics of Briggy, especially the one with the costumes, i am lucky i did not laugh out loud at that one because we are in the library! well have a great week Mom, love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

We just have to do our best to be our best

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we were finally able to find some new people to teach. we found a single mother named T, and she is very nice, but has a difficult situation that might make it hard for her to come to church. she is a good lady though. we also found another lady who has gone through a lot in her life. Her name is A. she just told us about all the terrible things that happened to her, and that was tough to hear. it was kinda hard to get her to let us answer her questions, because she kept interupting right when we were about to make the point. so that was kind of a hard lesson to teach hahaha. we found one other person, a guy named A,  and he is super awesome! at first he did not show a lot of interest, but we were able to make it back to teach him about the restoration, and that went really well. he is a  cool guy. we will soon see where all of these people end up i guess haha.

T is doing well, although i think he has lost a bit of steam, because he did not come to church and has slowed on his reading. he is still reading, but not as much as before. we have been trying to focus on helping him to keep the determination going. he also said he will marry his girlfriend so he can get baptized, so that was some super good news. D has been kinda hard to contact lately, so we will be trying more this week to contact him. we are not sure what is going on. B is doing well too, he has been busy with a trip out of town, so that is why we did not see him much lately, but we got back in contact with him and had a pretty good lesson. we are still trying to get him to commit to church, but his Dad's situation makes that difficult unfortunately. we also had some pretty powerful lessons with T*** as well, the last lesson we were really trying to help him understand how much God really does love him and how important his choices are. the spirit was pretty strong, and so hopefully we will be able to open him up more. we are helping him to recognize the spirit more in his life. 

the other day some lady in a gold mustang stopped us and called us over to her car. she explained that she was catholic and that her uncle just passed away. she was asking us to pray for her family, because her uncle was a Mormon in Utah. fast forward to yesterday morning, she called us and told us that she wanted us to come over for dinner. this was just out of the blue, so went over and while i was washing up in the bathroom, my comp told them our first names (uh oh! haha) because they insisted, so they started calling us by our first names (never ever do that--i have learned a long while ago) and to make things weirder, i walked around the corner and out popped a catholic priest (this just sounds iffy doesn't it? haha) he was nice luckily, no arguments or bashing or anything came up, but they did ask questions cause they have family members who are on missions. after we ate, and were just weirded out by being called by our first names, we left and that was that. sadly, they were not too interested in investigating the church, but they did offer us help if we ever need it. so that was really nice. who knows? maybe something will come of it. that sums up the week.

that is good your work is going well Dad. that is crazy about the world series! i would have expected Cleveland to get killed, not so i guess hahha. that is also too bad the Utes lost, and the Aggies too, the teams need to play better hahaha. that is funny about my trek Ma. they are pretty cool, i loved going on trek with them hahaha. that is a good thought from general conference.  it is so true, we will be able to make it. i was just thinking about this this morning, we just have to do our best to be our best. we are learning how to become like God, this life is a learning experience. we have to learn to progress in order to be able to have all the blessings of the celestial kingdom if we are going to abide there--which we will if we follow the Savior's instructions and rely on his infinite mercy. we can learn so much from the gospel and the temple. everything we have is to help to teach us how to become more like the Savior. i am still figuring out exactly how the spirit speaks to me completely, but i am so grateful for the guidance from the Spirit that comes from our loving Heavenly Father. i am so grateful for this gospel and i know how many blessings it will bring to each of our lives. thank you for the support you all give me, it means so much! i hope you have a great week Dad, and a happy Halloween. i love you Dad! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a good week. to answer your questions, i did get the pump supplies a day early, so that was awesome. thanks Mom! i do need insulin soon, i have a vial and a half left. i did not get a flu shot, so we will see what happens hahaha.

today we just have our regular p-day, and then we have to go in as soon as it's over. then we have some stuff to do that President Welch wants done. sadly, no one showed to church this week, although we had several who had committed. (satan works extra hard when you are trying to build up a teaching pool haha). that was frustrating. Elder Nelson is a boss, he is a great guy and we get along pretty well. he loves to work hard, so that is nice.

the best part of my week was sacrament; the Spirit was super strong and i was reading the Book of Mormon during it and it just really made a difference. it was really nice to just sit and feel the Spirit for a while. the hardest part was probably a few days this week where we just spent finding, and no one was letting us come back or was letting us in, so it felt like getting nothing done. we just have to remember that the Lord does not control people into accepting the gospel. we all have agency and if they accept it or not, that does not determine our success. those days were full of hard work, so they were good days anyway.

a miracle was having one person let us come back on a day when literally no one was wanting to listen, so that was one of the "4th floor last door" experiences. that was A, who i wrote about in Dad's email. i had an impression on one of those days that really just reminded me that the Lord was proud of us that day.

i bet that was super fun to help with the street Halloween party, i loved doing that. hahaha Bonnie and Stewart  are the best!! i bet that was a fun party. the DI has everything, i miss that. Goodwill is just not the same hahaha. that is awesome that you found a new exercise bike! i hope it helps you more than mine did--i think we each paid half or something, i just remember it was cheap too hahaha. i still do want that bike, yes, thank you for saving it! i will use it when i get home for sure. speaking of, i am almost back to my pre-mission weight, so that is good. i gained a bunch in Englewood hahaha. that is good to hear your knee is doing better and better, soon you will be all healed up. hahaha i am glad you like some of my quotes, once in a while i will come up with something good like that hahaha! well that is about it for the updates of the week, how is your Halloween?

Mom: Halloween is good. We are going to have the fire bowl and some hot chocolate in the driveway tonight for trick-or-treaters. That should be fun.

so you are turning into real grandparents, huh? haha you're going to be like Bonnie & Stewart.

is it cold there yet? we are still getting the usual Indiana weather, it changes almost daily!

Mom: Yeah, it is starting to get colder around here. The fire bowl will feel pretty good tonight I think!

well, i have to go now Mom, it has been good talking with you! thank you Mom for everything you do! it means so much! i hope you have a great week! love you Mom! you're the best!

-Elder Sedlacek da third. 

If the adversary wants to lead us carefully down to hell, we have to be even more careful not to let him.

hey Dad, it has been a good week. Elder Nelson is from Orem, Utah. He graduated the same year I did. he is obedient and has a strong testimony, and there is a lot i can learn from him. he is also a lot like Jake hahaha, so that is fun. D**** did not make it to church, although we had two lessons with him. he was sick Sunday, so he did not feel up to coming. T** has read all the way to 1 Nephi 18 already! i was like "holy smokes!" he is super solid and has  a very sincere desire to learn more about Christ and to strengthen his testimony. he told us he would do anything to strengthen it! i thought, "jump in the water man!" hahaha he was not at church 'cause he had to work, but he will be there next week. 

as for the rest of the week, we are making subtle progress with everyone else. B**** has been busy so we did not get to teach him this week, but we had a lesson with his father. SD was busy all but one day, so we saw him, and he might make it out to the trunk or treat on Wednesday (those are huge out here among the wards and branches). we also had a super grace lesson in a members' home, with dinner, and our "eternagator" K, although the dad of that family is super loud and loves to joke around, so i am kinda interested in how she took that. she loved his wife though. we found a whole bunch of potentials other than that, and none of them kept the return appointments, so yeah. we are still building that teaching pool. 

i did give a funny dinner lesson to some members last night. i included zombies since they have a bunch of teenage girls that like that weird syfy stuff, so yes, i made an analogy that was actually really good. the dad was pleased. hahaha that sounds like you had a fun weekend, that is too bad the hunting was skimpy. that is really cool that Nicole and Jeff did a half together, so they did get back into running after all. hahah 

i heard about that game, everyone at church was going crazy! haha the pretty much Indianapolis team against "ahi-a" haha. that is super cool the teams won. that is good Brother A is getting back to his routines, i like that guy. 

that is so true about stumbling blocks. we have to be very careful about the things we get caught up in. if the adversary wants to lead us carefully down to hell, we have to be even more careful not to let him. we have to have the view of the bigger picture, so we don't just focus on the power pole, and we have to be optimistic with things, so we can realize the gifts God has given to us. if we always have our eye on the Savior and we study and pray every day and just focus on feeling the presence of the Holy Ghost, we will be able to over come all things, i know that is true. i am so excited for this transfer, thank you for all your advice and your example Dad! have a great week! love you Dad! i will talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a good week. we worked really hard this week and it was great. i wrote about 'gators in Dad's email. Elder Nelson is from Orem and has been out for 9 months. he is a lot like Jake and has the same personality, which is really cool. he is a hard worker, he makes me look average hahaha. just kidding, we work hard together. we get along well, and he likes nerf guns so we shoot them around the apartment all the time for fun haha. 

i did get the package, thank you so much Mom! that was awesome! i love the new music, especially the Christmas stuff, that will be nice after Thanksgiving. for a miracle this week, we had a member offer at the last minute to feed our 'gators with us, so we invited one of them and it went really well. the most challenging thing was planning, because we don't have a lot to plan for right now, so it makes things interesting. it just gives us more time to find though, so that is good. the best thing that happened was meeting with our investigator T**. he is so awesome. that last question about experiences that have changed my life is tough, there has been so much to choose from. it would probably be any of the times that i have received promptings and have followed through with them, that is always an amazing experience. but probably when i gave my first blessing, that is an experience i won't share over email though--you have to wait :)  

that is super cool you had a good dinner for Dad's b-day, that sounds awesome. i hope you like the Camp Chef, are you enjoying the bacon press? hahaha. we got another pumpkin so we might carve it today, or maybe next week. you and Dad are foreigners to baby stuff now! that's funny you had trouble figuring out Brig's stroller and stuff haha.  i bet Nicole and Jeff's half was a fun race to watch. 

so Brigham had a huge blowout at church, huh? nice one Brigham! that is super funny, that is my nephew right there. that is a super cool story from Brother H, he is a great guy too. how many people did Dad baptize? just wondering. that must have been such a cool miracle for them. there are so many people who are prepared for the gospel, and we as young guys get to experience them coming into the fold of God, it is amazing. 

i got a tragic call from the West Chester Sisters informing me that Bishop M has passed away from a tragic brain tumor, leaving his young family behind. i know that families can be together forever. there are many people who don't have the blessing of that knowledge. people are needing the gospel so they can heal those spiritual sicknesses. i feel so blessed to share it--it is tough job, but it is so rewarding. i also heard from the Sisters that all the converts are doing well, and TH is now the ward clerk, and J and M and her kids are doing well, and growing. the gospel changes lives. it was such a great experience to be in West Chester at that time when i could witness all those things. thank you for keeping me out here Mom, and doing what you do to support me, you're the best Mom!

i just got word we have to read the Book of Mormon by January 1st, that will be a fun challenge.

i got the letter from the Young Women. that was super nice of them, can you tell them thank you for me? i almost forgot to say that haha

well i have to go now Mom, i hope you have a wonderful week. keep working hard with your knee. i love you Mom, have a great day and keep the M family in your prayers! love you! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We corralled some cows while wearing our missionary clothes. It probably looked really funny, but it was fun.

hey Dad, it was a pretty decent week. i am glad you enjoyed the birthday card hahaha! it made me laugh.  so for transfer news, i am staying here and my new comp will be Elder Nelson--a different one. he is a good guy; i served around him in Englewood when he was trained in Dayton. so that is good news. 

we did find two new people at the end of the week, one a super awesome referral that wanted a Book of Mormon, and another a guy who just up and walked into the church yesterday! so we set a return appointment with him. we will see what he is like. that was a super awesome miracle to see both of those, i have tried so hard and Heavenly Father helped by putting them in our path. 

as for the teaching pool, B**** has started reading the Book of Mormon, so that is super cool. we did not get to meet with him this week though, so we will try in a few days when he is not busy. we had another appointment with the S family. that was super cool, they are a part-member family and hopefully they start progressing soon. the other new person we found two weeks ago, S*****, we got back in contact with him, and set an appointment, so there is still some ground to be broken there. i think that is mostly it for the investigators, other than another part-member family. the guy's wife is the non-member and they are starting to look more seriously into her joining the church. 

that is super cool you got to take Libby out duck hunting again. too bad you did not get anything though. hahaha you know what they say, anything you can't kill becomes smarter. hahaha  

we have been getting a lot of the recent converts to study the conference talks lately. i just wish i could get them more easily, it costs a lot to print them off at the library. it does help us to learn a lot from their words when we study them over and over again. you can always find something new. dang it sounds like the Utes are playing a lot better lately, that is super cool. and the Aggies having a bye, we will take it hahaha. i heard the results of the Colts game--hey it at least makes souvenirs cheaper for me hahaha. 

i like that thought, it really helps to benefit all of us to take a step back and focus on the bigger picture, so that we can gain a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. it really helps to cement the gospel in our lives, and we can build everything else off of that. taking a step back is something i have to remind myself to do frequently, but i have noticed when i do i am in tune with the spirit a lot more, and my faith and testimony grow a lot faster. thank you for that thought Dad. thank you again for all you do! i hope you have a wonderful birthday Dad! enjoy it! i love you Dad, have a great day and week! talk to you later!

Elder Sedlacek III

hey Mom,  it has been a good week. for transfer news, i am staying and receiving an Elder Nelson, who i have served around. a different one this time--there are many Elder Nelsons in my mission! hahaha 

we did find two new investigators this week, it was a miracle. i wrote about it in Dad's email. it was super awesome to have! 

thanks so much for sending that stuff mom, you're the best! for the sweater colors, just a grey one and maybe a nice brown. whatever would look nice with black pants and stuff. have you been able to find the little plastic strips that go in shirt collars? if not that is okay. 

sounds like you have quite the job at the school hahaha, i bet it is fun to deal with those crazy kids hahaha. that is super cool about your knee, it sounds like you will be a new mom when i come home hahaha. i bet it will be as good as new when i get home! it will be fun to be able to hike the red rocks in the spring too, that is super cool. sounds like the ward is getting a lot of knee work done! 

that is also super cool that SG and AM are going on missions! that is awesome, they will both do great! that is funny you mention charity. i have really noticed an increased amount lately for those we teach, probably to prep me to lead the area. i was studying in 2 Corinthians this morning, and i came across a verse that said faith is motivated by love. everything that we have in the gospel, is motivated by love. the whole plan of salvation is a plan of love, the most basic doctrines of the gospel are centered on a love for the Savior and that love gives us the motivation to build our faith in Him and to be obedient to Him. i am truly grateful to be a missionary. to just be able to focus on what really matters and to help others to do the same is amazing. 

i am so grateful for this gospel, but that statement means so much more than what it meant when i started my mission. this gospel has blessed my life so much and i am so grateful for it, i know it is all true. 

now for a story, our ward mission leader owns some cows. he took us up to see his cows briefly while we were out teaching and we ended up corralling them while in our missionary clothes. it probably looked really funny, but it was fun. i may look into working on  a farm while i attend USU BABY! you can bet your bottom dollar i will go there! hahaha

thanks Mom for all you do! i love you Mom! talk to you later!

Elder Sedlacek