Last transfer!

 

June 26, 2017

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we had some good things happen. first off, i am getting transferred to Connersville Indiana. which in other words, i am getting the ultimate shaft! hahaha i get to learn a new area for 6 weeks and then in missionary terms, i will "die." hahaha you know, the end!  i am going there with Elder Jasinski, he is a pretty funny guy. from what i have seen i really like him, so it should be a very good last transfer. i am finally getting put into an area where i can bike half the time so that will be nice. 

so we gave the commitment lesson to B, which pretty much drops him from our pool. it assesses the reasons why he started investigating the church, and explains what still stands in the way of his progression and from that point, we can't do much more. the rest is up to him. he is still in contact with members of the ward so it should be good for him. we did not find many new people this week, but we have been working the roster. we  have gained a lot of trust with the ward this week, which leads to great things :) like people to teach who already have friends in the gospel. 

we started working with J again, he has been reading with questions in mind, so we will see how it goes for round two. we focused a lot on the E family this week and that was good, we are kinda discreetly teaching Brother E, but he thinks it's more for the kids. he is starting to share his testimony with the kids on certain principles and that should help him to increase his own faith. 

something cool happened yesterday at church! C has a friend that he said was not a member who he has been trying to get to come to church with him for a few weeks now. he showed up with this friend yesterday! so i was all pumped, like "heck yeah, we got a friend to teach!" thus how things sometimes go, he turned out to be a less active who wasn't on our roster. he joined in basic training a while back, and just stopped going, so we got him to meet a few members in the ward. we went over to say goodbye to C last night before we both leave the area, and ended up having a good lesson with the both of them. C's friend seemed pretty excited to be back, he talked about feeling the spirit at church, and i have to be honest, it was a pretty sweet spirit there yesterday, more than usual. it was really good for both of them. 

haha that sounds pretty awful to have to try to sleep on a plane for 10 hours. you do get used to the conditions pretty quickly, isn't that weird how that works? i am glad the trip went well, i bet that was pretty fun.  So Sarah re-purposed her seminary graduation talk, that's funny. seems like yesterday i was in her boat!  hahaha. 

that is cool about the missionary thought each week, that will really help to increase the spirit of the meetings for sure. that's whats so special about missionary work, that there is such a sweet spirit about it, like none other. it's not super often that the spirit is not with us as missionaries, and you notice when it's not, but we get so used to feeling it that it's almost easy to stop recognizing it as much or appreciating it if you don't focus on it. the spirit we carry is amazing to have with us all the time. people notice and feel it when missionary work is discussed, that's why so many people love the missionaries. 

that is interesting you say that, cause i am putting together a training i have to give on Wednesday. i am trying to tie Christ's atonement and our missionary purpose together. as missionaries we are called to preach of Christ and to teach of his gospel, so that others may come closer to him through repentance and baptism. Christ's purpose was to give all of God's children the possibility of returning to his presence. he suffered all manner of pains and afflictions for us. we simply teach the doctrine of that and how to access it more fully. i am so grateful to be able to be a part of this great work. we have the privilege of standing for Christ as people learn and grow. we get to watch these wonderful conversions take place. thank you, Dad, for all the support you give to me! thanks for emailing and  i will talk to you later! love you Dad! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom, it has been a good week! the weeks are flying by so fast, it's unbelievable. i did get the package, thank you very much! hahaha that is super funny about Dr. Lindsay, i am excited to see him again haha. he will ask me about my love life for sure, like he always used to hahaha. 

i am excited for my new area, and new companion. i know him a little and served around his trainer for a while. he has been out since just before Christmas, and he is a pretty funny guy. it should be a good transfer! i have heard a lot about Connersville from Elder Hammond. it's right above Batesville {my first area}, so i am a little familiar with it. 

probably the best day was Wednesday, we had a good day. it wasn't much different but we had a fun district meeting. the hardest day wasn't really hard, just at the end of the week before transfers it's always a little sad leaving areas and companions i get along well with. so that was sad saying bye to some people. i really like a lot of people in this ward. 

my prayers were answered with a few personal things. i had some trouble with high blood sugars all day Wednesday, cause i had a bad cold, so i was kind of out of it, that's why it was a fun district meeting {hahaha just kidding}, but the next day i ran high all day again, and so i had a blessing given to me. immediately i felt better, and my blood sugar came down very quickly, like impossibly quick. it was really cool. 

we had a really good sacrament meeting this week. we had a talk on missionary work and it was super good. the spirit was there super strong, and i had some questions answered that i have had for some time now, it was really cool and nice to have them answered. 

sounds like you had fun with Dad being gone for a while, i am glad he traveled safely! that also must have been fun to have the cousins and family over, it will be interesting to see if the boys end up at USU, that would be sick! 

i have been studying a scripture about knowledge and faith recently, it's in Proverbs. it talks about with all thy getting, get understanding. can't remember the reference currently hahaha. true understanding comes by experiences we have, and from the effort we put in to learn about the gospel (studying) as a gift from God. he will give us experiences we need to learn the gospel, but as you said, it takes faith and patience as well. i used to get super impatient with learning things and growing from that knowledge, but it takes time for us to turn our head knowledge into heart knowledge. 

i love the mission because, how it says in my blessing when i was set apart, the Lord gives us time to make our weaknesses turn to great strengths. i know that is true--Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for our growth as we seek to become like him. Christ makes it all possible. we have the blessing of being used as his instruments as we do so. if we have desires to serve God, we are called to the work. 

i have loved my mission so much! it is not easy, and you don't always feel that you love it, but i can honestly say that it is such a blessing to serve a mission! i cannot express in words how i feel about it coming close to ending, and it might just drive me crazy hahaha. i know this gospel is true and i know that Christ is our Savior, and my love for him has grown so much! thank you for sending me on a mission!

they also called me as the District Leader for a few areas, so that should be interesting, especially cause it's my first time. i have to train the other missionaries in my district every week on Wednesdays. i was betting on not having to be one, since i went so long, but i have only trained in other district meetings when the DL assigned me to, which was at least once a transfer.

Pictures: i found a lariat on exchanges, but Elder Mitchell kept it, and a frog "mysteriously" showed up at district meeting, according to the Elwood elders hahaha!

well, i have to go now. thank you very much Mom for all you do! i love you guys so much! have a great week! i will talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

It's not endure to the end, it's endure through the end.

Emails from June 19, 2017

hey Dad! it was another good week. we did not find many people this week, but we had some really cool experiences, or at least i did haha. to start off, B is probably going to have to have a "drop" lesson, he has unfortunately not been telling us the whole truth and it's plain to see. he also hasn't really been keeping all the commitments, so it will help him in the long run. these lessons can really help people see what they are feeling is the loving guidance of God, and that they need it. 

we had a mission tour with Elder Timothy Dyches of the Seventy this week, it was super good. they talked a lot about finding, and surprisingly marriage hahaha. afterwards, we had an appointment with a less active member who is striving to overcome some problems. she had her sister visiting with her, and so we taught the restoration. that has been the single most powerful and spirit-filled lesson i have ever taken part of. as i recited the first vision, i literally started choking up, and luckily i got through it all the way without, but it was amazing. she knows the Sister missionaries in Eaton Ohio, where she lives, and never had them come back, but is now meeting with them. it was so cool. then we had another appointment with another less active, and her friends were there. she was busy, so it had to be quick, but at the end she invited all her friends to take part in the lessons. one of them did accept, although we have yet to make contact again for a lesson, just brief chats. 

that is only part of the good things that happened. i had a lot of cool thoughts this week. C and W both are now passing the sacrament, although C was not there yesterday because he ate some bad food, poor guy. 

that is probably really cool to be down in South America and to speak with all the natives and church leaders. it sounds like you have had a really good time doing it, you are lucky hahaha. you are in my friend Jordan's mission, in Montevideo. maybe you will meet his mission president if he comes to the ward you attend. that would be so cool to have a tour of the temple, i bet it was an awesome experience! 

haha you saw a VW bug and rabbit race! that is super funny, i knew a kid who drove a rabbit in high school. 

that is a cool thought about the growth of the church. the Lord is truly gathering those people who are ready to receive the gospel. He knows where they are at, and we have the blessed opportunity to participate in helping the Lord fulfill his promise to us that everyone will have an opportunity to receive the gospel {3 Nephi 16:11}. it is to teach us faith, and to strengthen our understanding of the doctrines that we cherish. as our own testimony grows, the flame of our testimonies grows brighter to share it, which means the work with members is a work to strengthen their faith to give them a greater desire to share what they know. i am so grateful for the blessing of being a part of this work, i know this gospel is Christ's true gospel. thank you for emailing me Dad! i have a letter for your Father's Day gift in the mail, happy late Father's Day! i sent it late since you would be gone. love you Dad! have a great rest of your trip!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been a good week. we did not find many new people, but did have some great things happen. i wrote about some cool miracles in Dad's email. we had a really good mission tour with Elder Dyches of the Seventy. BTW, could you send the pics from FB of it please? they all talked a lot about finding and developing our skills as a missionary. we are coming down to the time when finding people is truly like the scripture in Joshua that talks about fishing in the holes and the rocks. prepared people are everywhere and we have the great job and blessing of finding them and witnessing the changes they will make. 

there is a lady in our ward who recently decided to return to activity, and from the first week a few weeks ago that she came back, to now, is a world of difference. she is wearing the same clothes, but you can see how much happier and brighter her countenance is. the gospel changes lives, and we need to share it. it says something profound in D&C 123: 12-13. it talks about "wasting" our lives for sharing the gospel, it would not be a waste obviously, but we should always have Christ on our lips. 

sadly did not have anyone show up to church, but next week we will for sure. we had a cool experience with Bro. E. he wanted to give up on church last week and has been struggling, so we shared a scripture with him out of the Bible--Romans 8: 11 i think it was. and it totally changed his view of the gospel right quick. when we came back a few days later, the spirit in the home was a lot more peaceful, and he had changed, he was a lot kinder to the children. it was super cool. 

the best part of my week was the lesson we had after the mission tour with a less active member and her non-member sister. as for a goal to finish my mission with--i want to finish my mission stronger than i have been and at a quicker pace than ever, sprinting through the finish! haha. it's not endure to the end, it's endure through the end. run Jack! 

my strips are okay, luckily i have been blessed to accumulate 2 emergency vials, so i have been on one of them the past couple days. i sent dad a card for Father's day, or a letter i should say, it will get there in the next couple few days. i bet it was interesting having him be gone so long hahaha. school crap again, great hahahaha. fun fun fun. thank you for doing that stuff for me! and for the strips too! 

that is so funny about Brig and the way he says y'alls names, i can only imagine what mine will be hahaha. he will probably be scared of me haha, i could see that. we have had some good weather lately. we have had some rain, and then some super hot days. the weather here is super unpredictable this time of year. 

Elder Dyches had President and Sister Welch leave the room for a minute, and we all thought of words to describe each one of them, wrote them on the board, and then had them come back in. President almost immediately said, "You didn't put sarcastic!" he does a really good upset voice even when he's not, so it was really funny. he told us to focus on finding qualities like that in our spouses, so like Sister Welch for Elders and President Welch for the Sisters. 

we also had really good talks and lessons on Fathers at church. the family is ordained of God, we are sent to each of our families for a divine reason. i am so blessed to have Dad as my Dad, and watch and grow from him. he is the next best example to me than the Savior and the prophet. i am so blessed to have both of you! we don't have the kind of family the world is pushing us to have--we have a family that is based upon the principles in Christ's restored gospel, and that is how we keep our families grounded, is upon the principles of righteousness. i could not ask for anything better in my family :) you have both taught me well, and continue to. thank you both for your righteous examples. wow, that's a long email for little old Elder Sedlacek hahaha you get lucky this week! :)

well, thank you for handling all that diabetes stuff for me Mom! i am of course Dr. Lindsay's patient, i am his diabetes prodigy! hahaha you're the best! i love you guys so much! love you Mom! i hope y'all have a great week! 

Elder Sedlacek

You can't take away anyone's agency {although it might be nice sometimes haha}

June 12, 2017 Emails

hey Dad! it was a good week. we did not actually find anyone new to teach this week, it seems that everyone we talked to did not keep the appointments we set, so that was kinda lame hahaha. that's work though haha. you can't take anyone's agency away, although it might be nice sometimes hahaha. we had to push B's date back, because he has been drinking and smoking quite a bit, and he was quite sad about it. he expressed that he still wants to be baptized, and he is going to come up with a new date for himself that will work with his family too. he will make it eventually! 

as for the W family, we have not made contact with them lately. they have been super busy. a bunch of our teaching pool has been dropped or is now avoiding us, so we have had some opposition there and so we have been working on finding--the eternal work of missionary work, finding. our mission is coming out with a new way to seek referrals from members. it is basically just focusing on following the Bishop's council to visit members and increase their faith to have quality gospel conversations with people they meet to prepare or bring them into the gospel for us to teach them. we call it priesthood directed finding, it all starts with the stake presidents and they push it to bishops who push it to members, so in turn we have more people to teach. it is supposed to increase the statistics to new investigators who are baptized to like 1 in 10 or something like that high. it's really cool. i am very excited about it, and we are meeting with the bishop and the sisters on Tuesday to get it rolling. 

C is doing really well, he got to pass the sacrament yesterday and liked it quite a bit, same with W. he is coming out with us on Friday to teach with us. W is probably one of my favorite converts hahaha he is super funny. i don't have much more to update you about, but it was a good week, we got to give a blessing to one of the people we have been teaching, and we had a really good lesson with K last night. we showed one of my favorite Mormon Messages, "spiritually fit," it's super good and since K likes to workout too, it helped him pretty well. 

that is super cool you got to go to Chile, that is a very long flight haha. now we are all visiting each others' missions it seems like, you to Jeff's, Jeff to mine, you to Jake's a while back.  how you spelled the Spanish made me laugh pretty good hahaha, you almost got it all right haha. sounds like you had good church meetings despite the language barrier.  we had ours about forgiveness, it was super good, one lady talked about a girl that was hit by a truck, and killed. the parent immediately forgave the driver. it was cool to think of that and how much more Christ will forgive us. it was a cool experience. that sounds like you have a bunch more traveling to do. that will be fun. 

it really is so important to keep an eternal perspective on things; if we do that, it is so much easier to keep the commandments. the  gift of Christ's atonement is all-encompassing, and it makes it all possible. i have strengthened my testimony of that lately. i know that i am changed through Christ, he can change our hearts and desires, and he will, if we have desire and if we pray to him in faith. i am so glad to have a mission experience that teaches me so much. thank you Dad for your testimony and your example! i love you Dad! i hope you enjoy the rest of your trip! have a great week! talk to you next week!

Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it was a good week! we did not find anyone, and Billy did not make it to church. he had some issues with the Word of Wisdom, and he is working on it, so we are pushing the date back. i wrote a bunch about our teaching pool, but in short it's time to find a new one hahaha, or add to it i should say. although we have some cool potential sprouting up lately. we got 2 referrals the past 4 days, that is pretty unusual. we have yet to contact the first one. he is a super rich guy, lives in a HUGE house. big for the Midwest at least, not always Utah though. i am excited to meet him. 

we have a lady we met last week when we passed her taking a bed off the top of her car, so we got out and helped her. she invited us back, so we have an appointment in a few days. should be exciting. L is still excited, but we need to get his parents into it more, or i won't be baptizing him. he needs support to stay active, or he won't be. 

my favorite part of the week was probably my birthday. it was a good day, just the same as the rest of the week, but we took our sorry selves to Burro Loco, a way good Mexican place that serves the dankest food! it was awesome. then we got ice cream haha. thank you so much for the gifts too, they are aweome! i ate the cake, it was pretty good for my cooking hahaha. Elder Mitchell also made cherry pie for district meeting too, it was really good. 

my favorite person was probably B, i am feeling a lot more love for people lately, it's a great feeling to have that Christ-like love, it boosts you up! we have really liked playing with the magnetic Thinking Putty hahaha, we make faces and have them eat the magnet haha. 

that is good you're staying busy this summer, and all that, it's nice to stay busy. i bet it's weird having Dad gone, i bet he is having a good time though, you will have to do something fun for yourself too hahaha. that is cool you had the people from India speak at stake conference. that would be fun to hear. sounds like you had very good meetings. i wrote about our sacrament meeting in dad's email. it was super good. a lot of people think that we try to "earn" our way into heaven, or "earn" blessings, but that is not the case. we qualify and will be more open to the Lord's blessings as we are obedient. if we are not doing our part, he can't bless us as much as he would like to. obedience shows the signs to God that we love Him, and are seeking to become like Him. the commandments are simple, but not always easy. we have a simple path to follow the Savior to be able to live with God again, and it will get us there. he  will make it "easier" for us to make it there, by lightning our burdens because of the atonement he performed. i know that because of Christ, we can be changed, we can be joyful, and we can become better. we had a great week!

you asked how i'm feeling about coming home? it's just the paradox of leaving behind something i have looked forward to my whole life, and now it's almost over. it's weird. and being able to feel the Spirit so much and then...i also am just excited to be done, since i am sooooo tired. it's constant battling thoughts and feelings. i just ignore it, and Elder Mitchell is a good help for that! what Jeff talked about when Jake was coming home is all true hahaha! it was a good warning. if i think about it too much, it just makes me sad.  

well, i have to go now Mom, i do need test strips this week, i am on my last vial, but good on everything else. well love you mom! i hope you have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

It's amazing to see people pick themselves up and show a desire to do hard things.

Found on the curb

Spend some time waiting on trains most every day

This is how much Elder Sedlacek likes waiting for trains

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we really did not find any one new this week, but that's how it goes sometimes.  B is doing a lot better this week. he started to read a lot more, so he is now past chap 12, which is great. he started devoting an hour a day to reading, and he started to go cold turkey yesterday on living the Word of Wisdom. the fire is starting to really burn for him, it's amazing to see people just start to pick themselves up like that, and to show a desire to do these hard things. commitments are kept, or should be kept, out of love for the Savior. to grow that love, investigators have to read and have an understanding of the atonement and the scriptures. i find it so amazing to see the drive in people to completely change their lives around for and through Jesus Christ. 

we have not been in contact with D lately, he has kinda disappeared. and the other people we found last week did not really keep their appointments, so we have got to find them again hahaha. one guy 'suddenly moved' and they don't have an address, just a street. so that is a little fishy hahahaha! 

we taught L a few lessons, but his parents are struggling to come to church, therefore he did not come, so we have to get that situation straightened out. the progress that B has made has been pretty cool to see this past week, so that puts the cherry on top for me. some people take years for a true conversion to happen, and some others it takes only a matter of months or even weeks. it is so cool to see that everyone is different. i am very blessed to have seen these conversions take place. and it's only upwards from there! 

so you're going international Dad, now you have to learn like 100 languages. you should go to the MTC again hahaha. that's so crazy the girls are graduating, that is just weird. it's been into the 90 degree weather here too, or close to it, and we had to bike half the week 'cause our car is in the shop. Elder H acquired some damage to it by cutting a corner too tight--it pulled off the running board. so we got some nice tans this week by biking hahaha. we turned all red, 'cause white guys don't tan. ;)

thanks a ton for putting me in for a tag! hope i get one, that would be fun. i would love to go with you and Jake, so i need to start getting into archery now too.  i will have to start lifting again. that is cool Ethan and Adam got to speak. we had Fast Sunday this week, and we also had some good lessons. we talked about the life of the Savior in Sunday school, it goes along really well with Elder Holland's video. i really liked how he talks about how it's extremely personal to work our our own salvation. 

i am one for working on things by myself, cause it's all me. but the beautiful thing about the plan of salvation, is even when my best is not good enough, Christ has already paid the price, so i can become better, and come closer to him in a personal way. trials and lessons are not always easy to learn, but i have never looked back at a trial with regret, unless i did not really learn the lesson being taught. it is always worth it to go though hard things. we always have a helping hand, Jesus Christ, and he will carry us when we can't go any more. i love being able to be on a mission to learn that it's me and Christ, and he is my personal trainer. if i follow him, i will do what's right, and what needs to be done. i  know this gospel is true, and i know it is only through the Savior that we are saved. thanks Dad for all you do! have a great week! love you! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it's been a good week. we stayed busy and even got to bike half the week. so it was nice to get some good exercise, but man, i am a lot more tired than last summer hahaha! it was fun to get to bike around Anderson, but let's just say i now know why Anderson has a car, and i am a lot more grateful for it. I will have to tell you why later ;) 

i have learned a lot about love this week, because i have been praying for more and more of it, and prayer does work, just like always hahaha. this work is based upon love for people, and love for the Savior, most of all the Savior. every week brings new challenges that test my spiritual strength in different ways, and sometimes it takes a spiritual thump on the head for me to understand. eventually, i get it hahaha. i love that so much about a mission. you grow so much closer to Jesus, and the gospel is the doctrine to get us closer to Him. 

B is doing awesome, and getting super excited for the baptism. he is telling everyone about it! we also got to help C be ordained to a priest yesterday, that was awesome. it was a great week at church. i cannot complain. 

that is cool about the girls doing well in honors and grades. hahaha, i read that about what Nicole said about Cincy being wild, and it's true. she probably did not even see the worst part if she only went to the zoo! it's an interesting city to say the least hahaha. 

it's been warm and we have had the a/c on for weeks, but luckily we don't have to pay for air out of our own pocket. 

the one thing i know is that when the Lord has a lesson for us to learn, if we are doing the right things, such as serving a mission the right way, we will learn it, but it will not be easy, just as you said. that is really cool about Ethan and Adam, they will both do great. 

i am starting to feel the way that Jeff described the end of his mission hahaha, like he wanted to scream half the time, because of the mixed emotions etc. it was good for me to bike, because it really cleared my head. exercise always makes me a happier person, so that was a great tender mercy. it helped me blow off some steam hahaha. 

another cool thing that happened this week was how we got in contact with a less-active teen. he was baptized a few years ago, the only one in his family. we helped to remind him of his baptism, and he started crying as he did so, and truly felt the spirit. we talked about how only the gospel and Christ can bring us that kind of peace. he wants to come back to church, and even biked the whole 7 miles back to our place with us on his own bike. he is a great kid. it is so cool to see the spirit work in people like that. i love the scripture where it says his sheep hear his voice, and they follow him, and they know his voice. the spirit speaks to each of us differently, and in a way that God knows we can understand. we just need to listen. 

i am so grateful for the knowledge i have of how God knows each of us personally. i love the gospel, i don't have to worry about anything else but where i stand, and do my best to share my own testimony with others, and live in a way that i can take the spirit into their homes. i love it so much. 

that is so cool about Dad and his floor work, hopefully he wins! that is awesome! thank you so much for the birthday packages and stuff in advance! i love you guys so much!

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for emailing me! and for all the birthday wishes and packages! you're the best Mom! i love you guys so much! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

We have our own personal trainer. He's with us every step of the way!

hey Dad! it has been a good week. we had our one dinner cancel, but they gave us a pizza instead hahaha. it was good. we did find a bunch of people this week, so that was really good. C is doing well and still progressing. 

as for the investigators, B is doing well, he puzzles me though. when we go over he shows tons of interest, and he wants to be baptized. he is working for a June date. but when we ask about his reading, he has not delved into it that much, and has trouble coming to church, but he is already stopping smoking and drinking. so there is progress, but i would have expected him to be reading more with the desires he has showed. he is doing well though. he talked about the first time he came to church--he went home after and promptly decided to go cold turkey off alcohol, and he is an alcoholic, so that was super cool. 

we had an awesome lesson with D, and he had a bunch of questions about the plan of salvation as we taught it. they all were about the lesson, it was so cool. he got sick and could not make it to church, so hopefully next week. 

we were walking around Saturday morning, and a guy randomly called us over, and told us to come back. he is a guy who loves to talk, and his neighbor came over to see what we were talking about. his neighbor is not all there any more because of drug abuse. it was really sad to see. we talked about the plan of salvation with them, and the neighbor started noticing the spirit, so we asked him to pray at the end, and he started crying. he started asking for his trials with drugs and stuff to be taken away. it was really humbling, the situation he is in, and how much faith he had to ask to have that stuff taken away. that was really cool. 

we also taught a guy who is on house arrest, but he's really interested, so that might be a trick. he has awhile to go before he is off probation. we will have to see how it goes. 

that is crazy Nicole and Jeff were so close to me. did they go right by Anderson, or through Indianapolis? that is weird hahaha. they should have drove through, we probably would not have seen them, because we work deep in Anderson usually hahaha. that's cool they made all those sight seeing stops, must have been fun. 

a cow elk tag would be fun, thank you for doing all that for me Dad! the 500 sounds like it was a fun race to watch, that's cool. we had a mini 500 in Anderson at the race track, they had such a huge tailgate, i took pics and a video hahaha. we got stuck for half an hour in traffic cause of it hahaha. 

i am definitely learning about being strengthened by the atonement in this area, that's for sure. and having more love. missionary work is all about love, and in order to have desires to help save the souls of man, you have to love them as Christ does. i always have to pray for this kind of love, it's not easy for me to love people. but i am learning, and that's what counts. i feel the power of Christ's atonement strengthening me, and because of his atonement, he knows the perfect way to help me learn lessons, and he also understands the people we teach. it is so cool to be able to have specific experiences that apply so much to people we teach. God is definitely guiding his work, and i know there is no better work on earth. i am so grateful to be a part of it. thank you for the love and support you give me! love you Dad! have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! its has been a good week. sweet, i am glad the new card is coming, my old one is starting to peel really badly. thanks Mom! 

it is crazy how time is flying by, it's super weird. we did get to teach a bunch of lessons, however lately we have been teaching a lot of people who have what's called the gift of gab, they talk A LOT, it's almost impossible to steer the lesson back on track sometimes, so that has made the teaching a little tough, especially for me. it makes is kinda frustrating sometimes, cause it's hard to teach when you ask a question and they just run with it hahaha.

that's been the hard part of the week i guess. we did find a bunch of new people though, so that is good. right now i am working on loving the people more--it's hard for me to love people, so i always have to work on it. it's also tough for me to be in the poorer areas, they make me depressed, so that wreaks havoc on me sometimes. my comp gave me a blessing, and it said how my love has grown so much, but there will be a time when it is tested, i think that is now, so i am working on that for the time being. in order to be a representative of Christ, i have to love people, but sometimes my weaknesses get the better of me, and i just don't like people for a while hahaha. so pray for that for me if you will, please? 

my favorite person was D, we had such a cool lesson with him, it was awesome. that is cool about finding the person from Czech. sounds like you had a fun week, even without work. i hope Sarah's talk went well, that is cool she got to speak at seminary graduation.  hahaha that is super funny about Brig walking around! and the nickname he has for Dad haha. 

i love how this life is a proving ground, it sucks in the moment sometimes, but there are also very good times. we learn so much, and it makes us better. i think i find the same motivation for life, as i do to work out. i want to be my best. Heavenly Father has a plan that gives you the best spiritual work out you can possibly get. it's so tough, you would get fetchin' wrecked if you did not have a personal trainer, Christ. He is with us every step of the way, and he helps us, he spots us, and gives us the strength we need so that we can make it through. He gives us all the supplements we could ask for, in prophets and scriptures. they help us recover, and strengthen those spiritual muscles. in the end, we get the opportunity to be out best selves, but we have to put in the work and do our best. i know how much Heavenly Father loves us, he wants us to succeed, and we will because of our savior Jesus Christ. i am so thankful for that knowledge, and that i get to share it. 

thanks Mom! could you please send some pump batteries with my birthday box? i am needing some more.

alright, i have to go now. thanks for emailing me Mom! love you guys so much! have an awesome week and day! thanks so much for all you do! i love you Mom!

-Elder Sedlacek