I am lucky to serve a mission!

It is bug season again....this is just one of the "weird" bugs in Indiana/Ohio.

Enjoying a feast of chicken wings.

Emails from March 27, 2017

hey Dad! it was a good week. we found a bunch of people to teach this week, it was awesome. we started off the week with one of the LAs we've been working with. we lifted weights with him on Monday, then he took us out teaching after p-day ended, to a gal we found the week previous sitting on her porch outside. she invited us back, and we taught the restoration to her. it made sense to her and she had no questions. the next time we went back she had to run to work or something, but her Mom said how excited she was about meeting with us, and that she was too, plus her two other daughters (teenagers) also want to come to church. we gave her the meeting times, and she is taking work off next Sunday to bring herself and her three daughters. we spent some time finding them rides, and so they will now be coming to our ward Family Home Evening that we have every Tuesday. that was so cool! 

we met another young couple that we taught the restoration to, they seemed interested, but they don't have much religious background--not even praying, so it is all new to them. we have another appointment set with them. there was one more lady, who is quite humble, and loves the Savior enough to make a poster of him to hang in her living room. she is quite busy visiting her son who does not live with her, so we have to go back soon and try to catch her. we took a high council member out teaching with us, to see J and we had an awesome lesson with him. the high councilor was quite bold, but J actually loves that, so it went really well. 

J*** is now reading the Book of Mormon, and we have an appointment with him in a few days with the ward mission leader, so hopefully it has gone well for him. sadly, everyone was busy for church except for a few less-actives we have been working with. 

the weather here has been amazing the past few days, it has been nice, and we have not had as many monsoons as last year so it has been good. people are already cutting grass here, it's as green as it will ever get in Utah already hahaha. i like that thought from your sacrament meeting. we see it a lot in missionary work, if you focus too much on you and how well you teach, find, etc. (i mean in an unproductive way) you will miss out on a lot of promptings and you'll miss a lot of daily miracles. 

that is good you have got the floors installed, that's awesome. i bet it feels nice to have it done. 

I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. often times when i read i get distracted so easily. i am sure it's the adversary trying to distract me, but even then, it still brings the Spirit in such a way that really helps me to refocus on what really matters. it takes time for me to put all the stories together, but i am starting to understand more and more every time i read. it really is written for our day and age. in the world today there is a lot of bad things, but the gospel of Jesus Christ and the gift of the scriptures teach us how to better ourselves, so we can avoid the problems that exist in this day and age. i am so grateful for the gospel and the Book of Mormon, as well as the Savior and his atonement. i am lucky to serve a mission! thank you Dad for all you do! have a great week Dad! love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! it was a good week! i am doing really good. i wrote in Dad's email about the awesome finding experiences we had last week. i am super excited about it, and to see what happens with all of them. one thing i have really come to recognize this week is just how much i love teaching the gospel to people. it always brings the spirit so that at least i can feel it. the spirit that is available to us as missionaries is such an awesome feeling. i have really learned about how i feel and recognize the spirit. for a long time, i was just expecting to know when i was feeling it super easily all the time, but that is not the case, i have had to learn over time how i feel it and to recognize it. it was frustrating at first. 

i read a talk that was talking about spiritual growth and it talks about how it takes time, so you won't hardly recognize it in yourself until you look back to who you once were. i find that super cool. i love the growth that occurs on the mission. probably the most challenging thing was having people cancel appointments we had been setting all week, but hey, that's missionary work i guess haha. 

it is fun to have diabetics in the ward here. it was weird, cause the sister was telling me all the carbs in the food she made, just like you used to do hahaha. oh man, that is crazy you got that letter about my travel plans.  and FYI, it is the 9th of August. we would spend the night in the home, and then you could pick me up from the mission home on the morning of the 9th, according to President Welch. and this is the last week of the transfer again, crazy enough. 

sounds like Dad did a great job of doing the floors, that is awesome.  that is super interesting about that thought. it is true, because where our innermost thoughts and feelings are, that is what we will talk about without even noticing it. i have been studying the Christlike attributes lately, and virtue, patience and charity all have a good connection to our thoughts. i love studying those gifts cause you simply ask for them, and do your best to receive and use them, and they come. the Lord is willing to give us any gift that will help us accomplish the tasks he has planned for us. i am so grateful for the Lord and his love for each of us. i am grateful to be serving a mission so that i can come to know him and Heavenly Father better. thank you for all your support!

i am sending a box home, there is a surprise in it for the family, you will have to take video or pics or something and send it to me so i can know how you all like it and how it turns out hahahah. just read the note i put in the box.

well, i have to go now, thanks for all you do! i love you guys so much. enjoy the surprise! talk to you next week!

-Elder Sedlacek