If we don't talk to God, how can we know God?

hey Dad! it has been a good week. we did not find many new people this week, but we are working on it. we have some plans we are rolling out. it should help us to be working a lot more with the members. we are still working with K and R, but D is kinda falling off the map. he still has some interest though. 

we did not get to teach as much as i would have liked, but as you know, finding and teaching is an act of faith. it takes faith of both the missionary and the investigator. it is meant to increase our faith, and to teach us to look to Christ. through being put into so many areas where we have had to build up a whole new teaching pool, it has really increased my faith, and taught me to come to know the Savior. 

I think it is interesting that my patriarchal blessing talks about living the gospel of Jesus Christ, and how much my mission has taught me to build a foundation of faith, which will carry me forward. 

we did get to do some service for one of the ward parties on Friday. we helped set up for the Pioneer Day activity, which took place on Saturday. a bunch of people brought "pioneer food" that consisted pretty much of rabbit and venison stew, heck yeah! it was awesome! hahaha 

thank you very much for that tie you got me! a real Distribution tie hahaha thanks! we did get some rain, although luckily we got inside for dinner right as it was going down, so we did not get wet. thanks for all the sports updates! i am glad the Sox are doing well. 

this week i was on exchanges with an Elder from the district in Winchester, and we talked to a guy about his high boy Ford truck, and it was sweet. then he showed us his F100 and revved it really loud for us, i will send a video of it haha. that is cool they are getting y'all into Just Serve. I actually got to participate in rolling it out when i was in Englewood. they could put a lot more projects on, because it seems there aren't ever any we can help with in our areas. 

i want to finish my mission strong, because i know how much it will help me. i am not about to leave my mission with the ends "untied."  we reference that talk by Elder Choi a lot, especially when it rains haha. i too know that in order to have a solid relationship with our Father in Heaven and the Savior, we need to be looking towards Christ with all diligence. by doing so, we come to know Christ, and how we can follow him. I also like section 1 of the D&C. it talks about the apostasy, and the restoration of prophets and the priesthood, as well as spreading the gospel. it talks about how we spread the gospel so that others may increase their faith, repent, and gain testimonies and relationships with the Savior and Heavenly Father. 

i am so grateful for the restoration of the gospel and for prophets who lead and guide us on how to come unto Christ in this life. we we look towards Christ through doing the simple steps of the gospel, i.e. reading, praying, practicing obedience to God's commandments etc. as we heed the prophet's counsel, we will come to know Christ. i am so grateful for my mission and for my testimony that Christ lives, and that as we found our lives on him, we will have great joy. thank you for your support Dad, and for your great example to me! i love you Dad! have a great week! talk to you later!

Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! it was a good week! i did get the strips and stuff you sent, thank you very much! i really appreciate all you have done in sending me supplies the last two years! as of now, i should be perfectly fine to the end with pump supplies, and i am sporting the pink sites, thanks to the Jensens!  you will have to let them know. 

I have been serving my comp by just doing little things for him, anything huge, just cleaning and stuff like that haha. there was a man we talked to yesterday who mentioned that he is questioning if God is really there and whether he exists or not. it is sad, cause i have seen a lot of people like that. It helps me remember and strengthen my testimony of how God has influenced my life, and how much i see his hand everyday, and how much potential i have to see his hand more and more. I get the great opportunity to share that testimony with others, and hope i can make a difference and help them turn to God. that starts with an invitation to pray to Him. if we don't talk to God, how can we know God? we can't! we have to talk to Him, it's just like anyone else we want to get to know, we talk to them. 

i had a good blessing given to me this past week, and it was awesome some of the things it said. that was just one tender mercy. i also get to go on exchanges tonight with one of my mission buddies who is my zone leader, so that will be fun. oh man, i forgot to email Libby happy birthday! i am glad she had a good birthday. haha that is crazy you had your knee surgery a year ago, and i bet you love your knew knee. i like the picture hahaha.  

I truly was sent to a special people, they have such a faith in God. everyone we talk to mentions how they have a strong faith, and how much they love the Savior, and how much he helps them. those types of people are the humble people it talks about in the scriptures. I just wish they would listen to our message, because they already understand a lot about Christ, and that He does have a hand in our lives, but i know how much better it could be for them with Christ's restored gospel. 

we have so much more potential, and we can become so much greater through the help of our Savior. it is such a blessing to be able to help people to see that, and to build my faith because of people like that. I know how much this gospel will bless our lives, i am so grateful to have served a mission and for the time i have left to serve, and that i can always serve. the road never stops, and the gospel will never end, we can always be at least a little better than we were yesterday, and we can always grow closer to our Savior as we follow his teachings and commandments. thank you mom!

well thanks, Mom, for emailing me! i love you guys so much! have a great day, and tell Sarah i say happy birthday!  talk to you next week!

-Elder Sedlacek

I am so glad I'm not the same person as before I came out, that guy's a jerk.

hey Dad! It was a good week. we found a few new people this week, which was awesome. it rained really hard on Tuesday, hard enough that we did not want to bike in the rain, but we felt we should anyway. that morning I had felt very impressed to see some certain people. as we got out to one of the homes, it started to look like it was going to rain super hard, so they let us in. we got to talking to her and her mother, and shared the restoration with them. it went super well! we then started back to our apartment with it now pouring rain, and that was super fun cause we got so wet! hahaha we had realized if we had not biked, we would not have caught them home. the storm also helped us get in to the house too. 

over the the next few days, we stopped by again. the son, who has been reading almost the entire Bible, but a Jehovah's witness Bible--uh oh! haha--was super interested, so that was super cool. We also had a good lesson with R and K, but unfortunately we had to move K's baptism date back. we were hoping to move it back without discouraging him. my companion had an impression to share a certain Mormon Message, and they really liked it. it illustrated perfectly what we were talking about, and so they had their hearts softened before we gave K the news. He was smiling towards the end of the lesson and he is going to work on getting more ready for the baptism, so it went really well. 

we did have my last Zone conference on Wednesday in Fort Wayne. they had me give my departing testimony, along with a few other missionaries who are also leaving. it was so surreal!! my mission has absolutely flown by and it's crazy that it is about to end. It helped me to deepen my love for the things i have learned, and it was a long drive back to our area afterwards, so I got some good reflection in. it made me sad to be leaving Indiana and Ohio, but the Lord has plans for each of us, and that does not include a lifetime of being a full time missionary. (i can still be a member missionary hahaha). I have grown to really love these people and this area so much, as well as my entire mission, it has been the best experience of my life. 

that sounds like a fun girls' camp you got to help with. it would be a good workout hauling all them young women up the giant tree swing! hahaha. oh man, i can't wait to go hunting in the truck :) I bet it looked beautiful with a trailer on it hahaha. 

that will be interesting to have that training, hopefully you don't get too behind on your regular schedule, that will be fun! that is a cool spiritual thought, thanks for sharing. i was studying D&C 132:24 and the whole section, it was a such an awesome study. it talks all about knowing our Savior better, and that comes through repentance, obedience, and serving our fellowman. the mission has brought me so much closer to the Savior, and that is through serving his children. at times when it was all about me, or how many i could baptize, I did not have the same joy as i now feel doing His work. it makes me so happy to be one of the Lord's representatives, to feel the sweet redeeming love for all of God's children each and every day.  thanks Dad! you're the best! love you Dad! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

Hi Mom! it was a great week! Happy birthday Libby! she is 13?! that is insane! i did get the pump supplies, thank you very much! and i do need strips badly, like i am just about out, if you could send them today or tomorrow, that would be awesome!

i also forgot to mention, i accidentally destroyed my temple tie, and am in need of a new one before we go to the temple as my group goes home. i would severely appreciate if you could send me one, if it's cheap i don't care, i actually prefer that haha. 

i had written about investigators to Dad, we had a pretty good week for finding, and we had received some good revelation in Zone conference to help us start getting more referrals, which is what we really need hahaha. I gave my departing testimony after we sang Homeward Bound as part of the group that is coming home with me. it was so crazy to be on that side of the bench--i never thought it would happen, but it did, i was kinda sad deep down, but i am excited at the same time, it's a weird feeling. 

we had a stake president come and speak to us, and he talked about his mission way back when. he had a very similar first couple months as I did, so that was super cool, and i got a good impression about how my mission has gone, and that was even more cool. i am so grateful for my mission! also for the ability to repent and change ourselves. i am so glad i am not the same person as before i came out, that guy's a jerk hahaha, but the best part about coming home is that i get to attend the temple on a weekly basis now, and do all i can to progress, and i get to do it on my own, with the Savior's help, and apply all the lessons i have learned. 

i talked about the scripture i read and studied this week with Dad, it's D&C 132:24. that whole section was exactly what i needed to read this week, it was so awesome! i remember ending my studies that day, thinking "ah that was so. COOL!" hahaha. 

it sounds like it went really well at girls' camp, that is super cool! sounds like your new knee has helped you become a new Mom! that is great to hear. hahaha i'll bet there's a lot of laundry, but hey just think about how much laundry you used to do with me and Jake and Nicole hahaha. hopefully you get caught up soon! 

as i like to say, life is all about the climb, you come off conqueror, but you're going to have another good hike ahead of you, and then another, until you get to the top, but it is going to be a lot of fun. that is so sad about Trent, i wish i could do something to help. 

also Mom, one more question: could you send me the pic that was posted on Facebook with the birthday stuff from Zone conf? thank you very much for sending the others too!

i shared some videos in your Google Docs. thank you for emailing me! i love you all so much! i am so grateful for the gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ, and that we all can have happy lives no matter what. i love you Mom! have a great week!

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

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

Anderson was pretty crazy this week, which means we were doing what we were supposed to do ;)

Lots of rain adds up to some flooding. 

May 22, 2017

hey Dad! it has been a good week. my new comp is a boss, and is a great example, he truly loves the work and the people, and so i have a few things to learn from him. he is from UPALCO Utah (Utah power and light company) a TINY town outside of Roosevelt. he's definitely a farm kid hahahaha. we get along really well.  C is doing really well! we had stake conference yesterday and both recent converts showed. C helped usher cars, so that was cool to have him out serving. we had a lesson with him on Friday--the new member lessons. he described the feelings of the Spirit he has been having, and it was really cool, he is totally drawn into the Spirit. W is doing really well too, he saw us at Walmart today and was like "SEDLACEK!" from across the produce stuff. it was pretty funny haha. 

we found a few more people this week. there's a part-member family, that we have been waiting for a chance to teach the husband. Tuesday right after transfers, we got a text to go over and teach him that night, it was sick! we taught him, and set a return appointment. then L got permission from his parents to be baptized, so we will be getting that done soon. B found out about a former member in the ward, who cannot return to full fellowship for a long time. i think B got hung up on the problem, but he won't tell us what it is, just that he still wants to be baptized. but he will not come to church until whatever the real situation is, is fixed. we talked to J, and he really likes Elder Mitchell, so we were able to address some concerns he had, so hopefully that helps. 

we met a ton of people, but no one kept the return appointments. it's sad when that happens. it rained pretty hard for a few days there, i thought there would be more flooding than there is. a lot of the farmers' fields are drowned, so they can't plant yet--it will make for a late harvest. some people have managed to get the planting done, so hopefully soon the rain will dry up. we did not get it too bad though. that is crazy that Utah got so much crazy weather hahaha, well that's Utah for ya. 

sounds like the popular teams are doing pretty well hahaha, we need some upsets. i have heard that after the Indy 500 goes down, that all the hicks start driving like mad out in the country. hahaha! i am excited for that :) 

that is so funny about Brigham and the cake, he is a funny little guy. i hope they enjoy the humidity, it's been sticky here lately.  you go to bed feeling sweaty, and wake up feeling sweaty, and come out of the shower feeling sweaty hahahaha. 

hopefully you get someone good to fill your old spot at work, that will be good. ever since Elder Nielson's talk, i have tried so hard to not just refer to the atonement as its own thing. Christ performed the atonement, and he did it out of love for us. he performed the act, so we need to acknowledge that. i have definitely felt the effects of Christ's atonement this week. i was a little worried about running the area, but every time i had something not work out, boom! we had something else to do. i absolutely felt the power that comes when you have to run an area for a few days. i have noticed that i can suddenly do a lot more--i had had a ton more things we can do come to mind with planning and things, and then the blessings that come. we had several miracles happen, it was so cool. 

i love the fact that your experiences help shape your testimony, and sure as can be, your life is tailored to help you become who your Heavenly Father wants you to become, if you choose His plan. i am so grateful for that wonderful aspect of the plan of salvation. we have the ability to choose, and from that springs the opportunity to grow. i know that if we choose Christ's will, we will succeed, and His act of the atonement will make it possible for us to accomplish anything with His help.

thanks Dad for all you do for me! i love you!

Elder Sedlacek 

hey Mom! it was a great week. Elder Mitchell is a lot like me, he even likes engineering and he welds sculptures, so pretty much we have the same hobbies. he used to wrestle heavy weight, but was never fat, so he is super strong hahaha. 

thank you for the prayers, i absolutely had help running the area this week, and now it is going great. one miracle we had was on Tuesday. we had a part member family contact us, to have us teach them. that was cool, because we have been waiting months for the opportunity. the other day, we felt like we should teach Brother E the missionary lessons so he could help his kids. his wife is not wanting any church right now, and then on Sunday we got a text from him telling us that L got  his mom's permission to be baptized. we were like, heck yeah! so we will get him dunked soon. i am excited for this transfer. we will work hard, and i know we'll accomplish a lot. 

the most fun lesson we had was when we taught C the restoration again. he described the Spirit he felt, and it was super cool to hear that. he truly is seeking the Spirit. we also had a really good district meeting. we had a training given on the talk at general conference about hearing the music of the gospel, and not just the dance--look up the Mormon Message based on it. i learned a lot from that video. as we were sharing it with an older couple yesterday over dinner, i had an epiphany per say. that happens a lot when teaching, i will either learn something from what i say, or have experiences like that, where everything about the gospel just suddenly makes so much sense. it's an amazing feeling. everything just made sense to me, i can't explain it over email, but it was cool. 

the most challenging thing was probably the first day with Elder Mitchell. it was kinda awkward. we didn't talk much, cause we didn't know each other, but heck--that always happens at transfers.  a funny story: so Anderson was pretty crazy this week, which means we were doing what we are supposed to do hahaha ;) we just were teaching a guy on the street, and we were just getting to a part about Joseph Smith, and then bam! his pastor shows up and calls him over. we were like "oh crap." luckily nothing happened in the way of any bashing. but then we said the closing prayer, and instantly a little way down the street a car wreck happened, and then the congestion in the road caused another wreck nearby. total chaos! {i got pics hahaha}. then a few hours later, we are walking around, and we heard a bomb go off. it was a crazy day! 

that is cool you got work and stuff all figured out, i bet it's nice to be done for the summer, huh? thank you so much for sending the strips and stuff! that is crazy about Sarah graduating and all the other kids getting so old hahaha. Brig looked really big in those pics! i am missing the total cute phases! that's okay though hahaha. guess what? you will have to take me to the dentist, or i take myself when i get home. i have at least one cavity. people feed us so much sweets, it's not good haha. 

that is so funny about Brig and his cake, he sounds like such a funny little boi. i hope Brig can eat like Jeff used to. sounds like you had a good time at the grill with all them. 

we also had a really good stake conference this week.  Pres. and Sis. Welch spoke, and yes, Sister Welch came up to me and inquired about my diabetes. hahaha! you can be sure she does hound me on that stuff, but in a good way, like you would. she and President spoke about missionary work, and tried to motivate the members (YES!!!)  

i am so grateful for the Spirit teaching us and others the gospel. Heavenly Father has specific ways to speak to each of us, and He does so through the spirit, and if we listen we can hear the still small voice, and/or thoughts prompting us to act. i am so grateful for that. all i can do, if nothing else, is to strive my best to follow the spirit. we are blessed as missionaries to have it with us so much, but if we blink we could miss it. you see the effects from it everywhere. it's so amazing.

well, i have to go now. thank you Mom! you're the best! i hope y'all have a great week! i will talk to you later! go eat some watermelon for me!

-ELDER SEDLACEK

Baptism!

May 15th Emails

hey Dad! it has been another good week. it was really nice to Skype yesterday, it really helps to keep me going and refreshes the missionary spirit. it is nice to be able to do that. we should be able to have another baptism in this area for sure, i would not be surprised. we just need to find those who are ready. 

so with the teaching pool, i told you about B yesterday, and we should have a baptism date pretty soon, but i really want to see some more progression before we make that actually happen. i want to see some more commitment, but i guess we will just have to follow the Spirit. he did not make it to church, cause he had trouble getting a hold of his ride. his phone was out of minutes, and so he was not ready when the ride came. J wrote us a little piece about his beliefs about what we are teaching, and i am afraid he is going about it in a secular way, just wanting to learn about Mormons for the sake of knowing about it. not sure where to go there, we will see how his reading has been going. D is taking a break for a while until after she has her baby, so hopefully she will recover quickly and we will begin teaching again. 

we also had to drop a few people, so you said it right, gotta build back up that teaching pool again (as always *sigh* hahaha). we should be able to find some people with C's help, although he is joining the army soon, so he doesn't plan on sticking around for long. we will have to pound the new member lessons with him, and really build the testimony that he already has. the baptism and the confirmation went really well, very Spirit-filled, at least for me. he seemed to really enjoy it all. 

sounds like you had good Sunday lessons too. we talked about prophets in gospel principles and the teacher used a really cool example for the lesson that gave me a new perspective on the need for a prophet. we did have a good dinner, Mexican food, which is my new most favorite type of food, it was awesome! 

speaking of stuff coming into your stock levels, are they making any new white handbooks or planners lately? there are rumors......just curious. that's too bad the Jazz lost, that sucks. hahaha there are some sports not meant to be watched in my opinion, just played hahaha--like golf. if you can call golf a sport, it's a game hahaha. 

one of the goals i actually set for after i come home, is to go to the temple once a week, i don't want to under-appreciate it ever again. the temple is so nice, you feel so at peace, and there is no better place to go and to learn from the Lord. i am excited to be able to go again in a few months when i leave, can't go any sooner than that unfortunately. i have been putting pictures of temples on my planners for a few months now, i love looking at the beauty of the temples. we are so privileged to have one right in front of our house! we sure are blessed. 

i was thinking about all the funny Indiana sayings after the call yesterday, hahaha i guess my mind blanked cause there are a lot more, guess you will have to wait :). thank you very much for the wonderful example you are to me! i love you Dad! have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it was an awesome week. we had fun leading up to C's baptism and then actually getting to perform my first baptism was awesome, despite the fact i am now the laughing stock of the whole YSA  {Mom's note: basically C didn't bend his knees going down, and Elder Sed lost hold of him and C's head hit the side of the font. Ouch!} and those in the zone. it's all good though. 

it will be fun to have a new companion, something else i need to learn from someone. companions suck at times {hahaha!}, but they teach you so much. i really have loved all my comps. May is flying by, it's crazy to see the time fly by. 

i should be good on pump supplies for a bit, but i will need strips soon, i think. i guess my hardest day was probably Tuesday, it was just a weird day, and nothing was going on, so we were trying to figure out what to do, and then everything kinda fell through anyway. those days are always tough, i just want to be teaching and feeling effective. the best day was probably Friday, and part of Saturday. we had the baptism, and Saturday would have been better, but we had to fill the font, and that took all afternoon, so that got a little boring, because i wanted to be out working. it was a nice break though i guess. but that is the thing--if i take a break, i feel like i am sinning, so breaks are harder than working! hahaha

i will have to think about the birthmark package hahaha. not really sure what to ask for, because i don't want to have to pack anything extra around.  so i will think about it. i will need some new clothes when i get home, so maybe just save it for that, i don't know. 

that's awesome Mia did so well with her solo! she sounds a heck of a lot older than the last time we Skyped! as in, her voice has changed dramatically. oh, the MJH band though. Mr. King was a funny guy. that's good they did well. sounds like you all have fun stuff going on. 

Dad going to girls' camp? he is always surrounded by women, so why not spend a week with 20-30 more? hahaha. poor Dad! hahahahaha. 

that was really nice to see Brig walk around! he is a pretty cute little guy. sounds like you had a good lesson in your class. i love teaching with questions. it's like being bold, but not bold. cause the spirit is who really teaches when you ask thought-provoking questions. i wish it were easier to teach Hoosiers with questions. if you ask too many, they take it and run with it, like Sage when she would get out and just go! hahaha they love to talk about anything and everything! 

the best way to grow your testimony is to share it. that is why sharing the gospel is a commandment. it will grow your knowledge, understanding (understanding comes through study and then experience or the Spirit teaching you) and a stronger testimony. commandments are only given to make us better. i know that is true. just like the commandment to read your scriptures. God has given us his gospel in the form of a book. that book can teach the wise and the unlearned. they are meant to bring us closer to Christ, as we read prophecies about his life, ministry, and the wonderful things he has done for us. when we learn those things, and study them often, the Spirit is able to teach us and to give us divine guidance for our lives. i definitely saw that this week as on one of the days, i did not have much time to study that day, so i did some Book of Mormon reading. fast forward later on through that day, and we met someone who had some questions surrounding exactly the points that i had picked out of my reading that morning. it was a real testimony booster to me about studying and learning from the spirit. it will always prepare us and strengthen us. i am so grateful for the gift of the scriptures. i have really deepened my love for them recently, and i am excited to keep on studying and learning the gospel, even after my mission. 

something else i learned this week: a testimony is truth that we know, combined and coupled with life experiences that turn that into heart knowledge. and the best way to invite the spirit, is to share it. 

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for emailing me! i love you guys so much! have a great week! talk to you next week!

-Elder Sedlacek

P.S. pray for me running the area--it's the first time i have run this one, and i don't know the layout all that well since i haven't done any of the driving here. 

The Book of Mormon really does change anyone

April 24th, 2017 Emails

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we did find one more person to teach, as well as a few people we set up appointments with. the guy we found, L, is the owner of the orange truck that i sent a pic in front of last week. he is a pretty funny guy, and you can tell by the truck hahaha. 

we had such a great church meeting yesterday for all three of them, it was awesome. first we had C show up, as well as I and J, two returning members we have been working with. then the Sisters' recent convert brought her brother in law, who just got out of jail. the whole time he was very emotional and kept saying "he found the right place". it was so cool to see, he was explaining how he was feeling the spirit as we taught gospel principles. then after elders quorum, K totally opened up to him, and just straight up was teaching him better than we could have, it was so cool. K has been in the church for a year now. 

we have been kinda concerned for C, not having a solid fellow-shipper, but we helped him get set up to go help with a youth activity. they are doing archery, and he will help them. then a few members just started talking to him after church, and the dinner appointment we had invited him too, and he biked over, he would not accept a ride. he is super solid, but just has to finish his probation, that's the only stipulation. 

we worked hard all week! we are working some lists right now, and Pres. Welch gave us some new direction for a YSA program they are setting up mission-wide, so we have started working potential Elders lists. 

that will be good to have your old position taken care of, take some off your load ha. the floor looks so good, you did a tremendous job! that would have been fun to help with haha. that is funny about the gym, cool you won all that stuff. today we ran another 5.3 miles, i am starting to really like running haha. 

it sounds like you had a similar sacrament meeting to us, we also had a bunch of talks about the Book of Mormon. the spirit really came and was a lot stronger than usual. we had some really good speakers. I love having the gift of the Book of Mormon, it really does change anyone. one quote i really like out of Preach My Gospel, can't remember who it's by right now, but it says, "the study of doctrines will do more to improve our behavior, than the study of behavior will improve behavior." i really do find that true, and it's so cool to see it work in others' lives. 

i had some really cool thoughts come to me about the purpose of life, and then being anxiously engaged in a good cause, haha see if you can point out the scriptures that came to mind haha. and then a diagram came to mind, that i was feverishly drawing in my planner hahaha, it was cool. that is cool the jazz are still going, hopefully they did well. i have been studying a bunch about gaining knowledge lately. i really like the Book of Enos as well. (partly because he is hunting hahaha). 

missionaries are called to turn people to God, and shine some light, so they too can turn to God with us, and gain knowledge for themselves. if a missionary can do that, we have taught them successfully. the ordinances and covenants will follow, as well as greater light and knowledge. I love pointing people to the temple, it truly is the Lord's university. i know this gospel is true, and i am so grateful for the Savior, and that he helps us become better, as we allow him to. i know we have a living prophet, we can trust his words are God's words, because he speaks for God. i am grateful for his guidance. thanks for emailing me Dad! have a great week, love you! talk with ya later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it's been a good week, as usual haha. the weeks absolutely fly by, it's crazier as time goes.   sounds like you have had some good weather, it is pretty good here, not too muggy yet hahaha. it smells so good outside, and man it is green. the trees are fully covered with leaves. i did get the package, thank you so much! it's a big help. 

it will be crazy to have Jeff, Nicole & Brig within a few hours of me, unless i get exiled hahaha! President does know they are coming. Brig gets to experience Ahia! haha. 

Zone conf was really good as usual, it was in Fort Wayne, so it was a long drive, but it was worth it. plus i got to see parts of the mission i might not see again. 

one cool story, so we were driving around, and there is a less active we have been trying to contact for a minute now, but she is elusive. she has a really cool jeep with all the bells and whistles, so we drove past a Kroger's and she was parked out front, eating some food. so i was like hey! so we turned around and talked for a min, and it turns out her mother was in the hospital in Las Vegas, and she needed a blessing. so we helped her contact the Bishop of the ward the hospital was in. it was cool to see that happen, i normally would not even have noticed it was her Jeep, cause she had taken one of the racks off of it. 

prayers were definitely answered with people fellow-shipping C, that was awesome! i am really excited for him, he is doing really well. that is cool you are getting all your work done, i bet that is nice. the floors look so nice, and all the rugs look really good too, same with the truck ;) haha. it does look a lot better, i am sure that raises the value quite a bit to the house. 

that sounds like a good church meeting. it is so true in missionary work, and in any situation, service to others is an excellent way to gain charity for others. i could probably do more stuff like Elder V, and that is a good reminder. i am grateful for all the comps i have had--we may not all be best friends, and that's fine, but they are all great guys, and have taught me so much. i love being able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands, to teach others, it's such a fulfilling feeling. when we give our hearts to God, he can do remarkable things with us. i think that is the best thing about a mission, seeing your talents, gifts and experiences lifting others, all because Christ knows where to send us at the right time and place, if we listen. i love this gospel so much and i am so grateful for it.  

well i got to go now, thanks for emailing! love ya! have a great day! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We help others become better, and bam! you yourself become better automatically

hey Dad! it's been a great week! we had a great Easter, and the highlight was that we had C at church again. we had a really powerful lesson about the plan of salvation with him, and then we put him on date for May 13th. there is a catch to that though, he has some things he has to get in order to be considered officially on date, but he has accepted it. we are so excited for him! he told us how much he loves the Book of Mormon.  he is already in 2 Nephi and says the questions we don't answer for him, are answered in his reading.

we had an interesting lesson with J the other day. we went in planning on giving a commitment lesson, but as soon as we sat down, he had the Book of Mormon open and was roaring to read with us. we tried to use the chapter he was opened to in our favor for the questions we had for him, and he took it and ran with it, and totally told us for about a half hour how much we mean to him and his conversion. the whole time i was like,"that is nice, but i would rather have him pointed towards the Savior." my goal is to have all my investigators converted to Christ and his gospel, not to the missionaries. it was totally unintentional and so now we have got to fix it, and help him see our purpose, and get him coming to church. hahaha it was really nice what he said to us though at least haha. Jk has sorta lost interest right now. D is doing well, we have been trying to meet with her again, but she is having her baby soon and busy with that. and the young kid, L, he is 10, we are teaching him, and he is getting permission to be baptized by his stepdad and then we will be able to have him get baptized as soon as we finish all the lessons. he is getting really excited though hahaha.

something really good happened to me as well this week, so i have been trying to improve my studies for a few weeks now, and i have been praying a lot about how i could do it. i had an idea come to mind, of something i could do to help me get more out of my studies. it seems like the adversary tries to distract me so much hahaha, and so i get lost in my reading a lot, but that was no longer a problem anymore. i have felt the Spirit so much more in my studies lately, and i have had some really cool insights come to me all week. i have been studying King Benjamin's address, and now those are some of my favorite chapters. i was able to learn so much about the Savior this week.  i absolutely know the Savior better than i did last week, i am so grateful for answers to prayers.

hahaha that is funny about demand for The Living Christ document, i have been studying that as well, i guess a lot of people have hahaha! hopefully you get the stock back in order soon haha.

the floors look really great from the pics Mom sent, good job! hahaha spring air smells so great. we ran 5 miles today, it was so nice to be able to get a great workout, it has been a minute since i have felt this good hahaha the trees were really nice to see all the colors along the trail. hopefully you get the mower out running again. that is funny you got the MLB app, everyone i have talked to that has mentioned sports lately has strait ripped on baseball and how it's so boring to watch. Hoosiers just like basketball! haha

thanks for the General Conference thought, i definitely know that is true. there is no feeling that compares to coming to know the Savior better and feeling the spirit. i have absolutely had the best few months of my mission lately (progression wise) and my testimony has grown so much, and i know that is where true joy and happiness comes from. i am so grateful to share it with others. thanks for the example you set for me Dad. love yah, have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been a great week. it is always so nice to share about the Savior around the times of these holidays. it really strengthens my testimony. i did get my Easter package, thank you so much! i will have you know that my self control went out the window hahaha and i had all the candy finished this morning hahaha. i used to be so good with that! i really enjoyed it, and it was cool cause normally if they send a package it gets kept in the clubhouse till i pick it up, but for some reason, they put it in front of the door, and i would not have been able to get it til today, so that was a cool little miracle. 

we did not really find anyone new this week, except we started teaching one of the children that wants to be baptized, L. C is making such amazing progress, there is a less-active teen living next to him, so he was going to "drag him to  our church", yes he calls it his church too now. he has been telling us how he wants to be baptized a lot lately. 

i got stuck making an Easter dinner, although we were fed all week, so it was fine with me. i made some good green beans, those things are pretty dank if you cook them right hahaha. i eat a lot of veggies and fruit these days, actually that is what i eat--meat, fruit, and veggies, not much else. 

some challenges this week were just having appointments fall through as always, but hey it happens. and we have some people we need to drop. the biggest blessing and miracle i had was about my studies. i wrote about it to Dad, but my studies have been a world of difference better lately. that itself is an answer to prayers.  i love the Book of Mormon so much, it points me to Christ, and helps me learn so much about myself, how i can repent, and grow, as well as feel the spirit. that takes the cake. the past few months i feel like i have grown faster than at any other time on my mission. i truly feel so much joy as i repent, and that i can change. The gospel of Jesus Christ is something that i have grown to love more than anything else other than Christ himself, and Heavenly Father. 

i am legitimately jealous of Bryant and Cooper, it's not that i would do my mission all over again, but that they are going to experience more growth than they can even imagine, and the thing is, it's not even about us, it's about other people. that concept alone has helped me to understand the Savior so much better. we help others become better, and bam! you yourself become better automatically. 

that sounds like you have had a great Easter. i hope Brig loves his basket haha! the floors look so good, that is awesome you got them finished. it sounds like it will look really nice with the furniture. we had a good Easter sacrament too, we had some musical numbers and some good talks to go with it. Cooper will have fun in Chicago, that is a pretty crazy city, that's awesome. i know lots of people from Chicago, its supposedly like Cincy and Indy, those three cities have a reputation out here. that is so cool about Bryant and Guatemala, that is good to hear. it would be way cool to speak with him. that little punk needs to write me hahaha!

thanks for emailing every week Mom! thanks for the packages and all you do! love you lots!

Elder Sedlacek

My diabetes really is a blessing

Giant ice cream sandwich! 

April 10th Emails

hi Dad! it has been a good week. i got over the food poisoning, although it was rough for a few days, but now i am feeling way better! we did not find as many new investigators this week, but we did find a few. C is doing really well, we had a lesson on the Book of Mormon with him, and in 2 days he read the first 8 pages. then he came to church and loved it. he told us about a spiritual prompting he had at work, and the elders quorum lesson was supposedly really good and tied in with his own experience, so he really liked that. J has still been super busy, he was going to come to church and we had someone to bring him, and then last minute he got called into work. the person bringing him still came though, so that was good. Jk is kinda loosing steam a bit, he has not been reading too much, and won't really come to church, 'cause the one he goes to is right across the street, so that is kinda tough. 

we found a new lady, D, she is a young mother who is having a baby soon, and she seemed pretty adamant that she is getting baptized very soon, and liked the message of the restoration. we will be teaching her. we also got word that there are quite a few unbaptized kids wanting to be baptized, so we will be teaching a few children. that should be fun. it looks like a good transfer already. 

yesterday at church we taught the youth with the sister missionaries. teaching in a foursome is kinda weird hahaha. the lesson went really well, it was about missionary work, of course hahaha. we  had a bunch of scriptures and quotes that we shared with them, and then a video about some youth in a hood of Florida and how they are an example to others. 

i like that t-shirt, that's a pretty good one. sounds like you had a good trip, the pics look really good. that stinks you got the snow back. it has been almost tropical here, there is a good amount of humidity already and it's pretty warm and super green now. now back to real life then huh. so North Carolina won? that's cool. how did my bracket do? 

that quote reminds me about a song i have been listening to, all about turning your life to the Savior, and living like him. the thing i love most about the gospel and the scriptures, is that it's all about turning towards Christ. the gospel and everything we have in this life from Heavenly Father is meant to help us better our lives, and to find true joy and lasting happiness. i love reading the Book of Mormon. it helps me to spiritually ground myself each day, and i know it helps me not make so many mistakes all the time hahaha. i am grateful for the gospel and the chance we have to repent of all our mistakes. i gives me such peace and joy to know that i can become a better person each time i repent. thank you for emailing me Padre! love you Dad! have a good week!

hey Mom! i am doing much better, and i did have a lot of help with my diabetes. my numbers never reached over 250 while i was sick. Heavenly Father definitely took care of me. it really dawned on me, the morning i woke up sick, that i woke up a few hours before and drank some juice because  i was low and already feeling sick--but if i had not ran low, i probably would have been much sicker. my diabetes really is a blessing, cause i get to see miracles happen all the time with it, it really has given me so much greater an understanding of Heavenly Father than i would have. 

we did find a few more people, plus a a few children. i wrote about most of it to Dad, but one other guy we found, named T, he is a super funny Hoosier, and says all the Hoosier type stuff--like calling a grocery cart a buggy haha. he is an interesting guy and he already is talking to his friends about the church, and he has only been taught the restoration. 

we had C come to church, and that was really awesome. he enjoyed it thoroughly. i got to give a few blessings this week, that was cool, those are always highlights. i was giving a lady a blessing yesterday, and at the end i felt to express Heavenly Father's love for her and her family once again, and it came really strong, i could actually feel it, way more than usual, it was super cool. He really does love all his children so much. 

it sounds like you had a really good trip, and enjoyed nice weather, that is good. the weather has been great today, we had a really good run this morning with our member that takes us, i beat my time by 30 seconds, it was awesome. not really sure when my next interview is, it should be around the end of April or beginning of May. i really like flying, it feels really cool when the plane takes off. that is too bad you had to come back to snow. seems like it always happens that way, we go on a trip to warm weather, and bam! it snows hahaha. 

that thought is interesting. one thing Elder Holman really taught me, was about doing our best for the Lord. the early apostles may have been struggling, but they may have been doing their absolute best as well. that is why Christ is the perfect judge, he knows our efforts and our hearts, i find great comfort in that. i know that if we are always trying to be better, the Lord will bless us with power and strength to do better. he will change our hearts and lift us up, and make anything possible. i am so grateful for the Easter season and the gift of the atonement Christ has given us, to become better sons and daughters of God. 

thanks Mom for emailing me! love you! have a great week!

Elder Sedlacek

hey Dad! it was a good week. we found someone new to teach this week, a nephew of a member who was baptized a few years ago. her nephew is awesome! we showed up to our appointment with her and he decided to just step in and listen to the lesson. he is in his 20s and i think he is going to be pretty solid. we have already taught him twice, so that is going well. we are just working on getting people to church. we did not have anybody show up this past week which was sad, but there is always next week. 

we taught D again, and as you can infer, she did not make it to church again this week. the ever present struggle to get people to church hahaha. she is getting pretty far into in the Book of Mormon, and really likes it, so i am not too worried about her. she already has a growing testimony of it helping her--she even loves it more then the Bible, which is big news out here! it is practically Bible belt country. we are pretty much trying to just do all the missionary stuff--finding, teaching, getting people to church, and baptized. that pretty much sums it up right now. 

we did have some weird weather this week. it got cold for a few days but it's starting to get really warm again. we have had an extremely mild winter, which i am grateful for, it was bad enough as it is hahaha. we did get to go running again on Thursday when it got really cold, but i stayed pretty warm so it was good. i  actually did not hear about the tornadoes, and they don't happen too much around Cincinnati, though they do happen in sometimes in Indiana.  

that sounds like you're having an interesting time at work hahaha, and the hallway looks really good from the pics Mom sent, awesome job Dad! hahaha i wish i could have stayed awake during our Fast meeting, i literally could not keep my eyes open to save my life, so i fell asleep. i was pretty mad at myself hahaha. i think i have hit the peak of my tiredness, i don't drive much anymore, i just start falling asleep because it lulls me to sleep hahahaha, it's not good! haha. 

it's so true though about loving others. that stuff bugs me really bad, everyone has to be loved and know that they are loved, cause for a lot of people that is what keeps them coming to church. this gospel is based on love. the gospel is just to help us become better, and we are meant to do that together. i think that that is so amazing that Heavenly Father has designed it that way, just cause he wants us to be happy and successful. i also like the thought from Pres Eyring. i have really started learning a lot about the temple lately, not because i am studying about it or anything like that, it has just been coming to me for some reason. i have realized a lot about symbolism and a lot about the priesthood. it is really cool stuff, it just blows my mind hahaha. 

oh man, i am excited for the March Madness bracket. it will be fun to get it, thanks Dad! thank you for all you do, i love you Dad! have a great week and good luck with the living room flooring! :)

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it was a good week. read Dad's email for the teaching updates hahaha. i can't believe it's March either, but i am glad cause it will get warm really soon. out here, the bushes are starting to turn green in the clumps of trees and the trees are budding, it is starting to get really green again. i love it! it has been snowy this week, but every time it melted within a couple hours, instead of two days, so that was nice. we did not really hear much about tornadoes, but a cool fact is that in the Muncie and Anderson area, supposedly an Indian a few hundred years ago blessed the area that tornadoes will never come here, and so far it has stayed true which is pretty cool. i would love to just see one someday. 

we sadly did not have any investigators to church, but we have a pretty cool guy we started teaching this week, so that was awesome. my favorite person was probably him, his name is W. i definitely saw prayers answered with getting over my sickness. it started to get bad again on Wednesday, but turned around pretty quick after that. that was cool. i got my insulin, yes, thank you for sending it. it was funny cause we were studying and a lady came to the door, and in a really sweet grandma voice, said,"i have a box for Jared", and she handed it to me and was like "oh yes, there we go." and it just made me laugh. i don't know the Boyces personally, but i know who they are. i have stayed at the animal house on exchanges, that was pretty fun. it is super huge and really nice, and it's a four pad. it was fun. they have a super nice weight set with all the Olympic stuff, so that was a treat. that is cool you know his sister. some of my mission buddies have lived there, they would go down and play with all the animals and even bring them up to play with them in the apartment hahahaha. i am in the Muncie zone, yes. 

the floors look really nice! that will be fun for Jake, Jeff & Nicole to all to head to Zions, a fun camping trip would be nice right now hahahaha. 

it is amazing when i look back and see all that Christ has done for me and my own trials, as well as the others that i have taught. he really does love us so much. we just have to reach out for him. i have been blessed in so many ways, and when i didn't feel like it, it was because i was being ungrateful and was to focused on me. the Lord will always bless us, but sometimes it takes time for him to get everything else in place, and then it's even more amazing cause it makes it blatantly obvious. i love this gospel and the Savior so much, i have changed so much because of it. 

thanks for everything you do for me Mom!

Transferred again! This time to Anderson, Indiana.

The skinny tie Elder Sedlacek made from a fat one. He's pretty handy.

hey Dad! it has been a great week, so i kinda knew i would leave. it makes me really sad, this is probably one of the hardest areas/companionships for me to leave! it will be a good transfer though. my new comp is my old DL from Noblesville--it's Elder Hammond from Farmington. he is a super awesome guy, and we should have a great transfer. i went on exchanges with him a few months ago. he's the one who took that picture of us holding out our Trump ties. 

we found more people we could potentially baptize in Springboro this week. we went out finding, and found a less active member with a non-member wife who has been coming to church for two years now. she has not been baptized yet, but is considering it. we are both really excited for that. there is another family that has been bringing their adult son to church for a few weeks now. we are still waiting to set up an appointment with him, but he had said in gospel principles that he is getting that feeling that everything taught makes sense and matches what he believes deep down. this area is on the brink of a bunch of conversions, and i am excited for it! the miracles are starting to flow hahaha. 

so to tell you about Anderson Indiana, it used to be a Zone leader area, and it has a really awesome ward according to one of the old ZLs. we will have a full time car last i checked, and we also have a set of sisters, so i am excited. it should be a good area. everyone tells me i will end my mission there, but that's what they said about here hahahaha. 

sounds like you had a good Valentines, that's awesome. it will be crazy to come home to wood floors hahaha, you should be able to get it figured out, if not ask Kelly.  i wish i i could help with that, it would be fun. oh well! hopefully your schedule gets easier soon. that is super cool Hayward got to go to the All Stars, i really like him. Busch is one of my fav drivers. thanks for the sports updates Dad! 

that is so cool to hear about that fam you helped, so they are getting back into more activity. i love that guy, Brother Allred, he is a great guy. that is absolutely true about having the spirit to guide you, because we have no idea about who is ready and who is not ready to listen to us. it does all start with desire, but the cool thing is, that once you start to share the gospel and understand the Doctrine of Christ more in your life, your desire to share it will increase. there is no better way to get motivated to share the gospel then to experience the atonement working in our own lives. living the gospel of Jesus Christ will help us to share it, and become who God wants us to be. that is what i love about a mission, i get to grow my testimony and love of the gospel and become a better person. i know this gospel is true, and that as we all embrace it more and change the little things in our lives (repent) we will have more joy. thanks Dad, for everything! have a great week! love you Dad!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been a really good week, just in time for me to leave. funny how that works huh? haha Brother Gilbert is a man you can trust. i was mad when i got the transfer call, but i had already known i was leaving, i could feel it, so i wasn't surprised.  i usually can tell when i will and when i won't. i love this area so much, and Elder Payne is my favorite companion, so we were both sad the next day. 

yep, i guess Heavenly Father wants me to get used to changes. there will probably be a lot of it in the future i am guessing. i think this will happen often the last few months of my mission. i definitely feel like i had accomplished my purpose in Springboro. i had a pretty good idea what it was. 

that is funny about the pump supplies, cause Byram has been sending me info about the bills. thanks for taking care of it. 

it was a good week, we went on another exchange with our zone leaders so i got to go with Elder Van Alfen, who also came out with me. {same as my new comp Elder Hammond}. that was a good exchange--we found some more people to see and teach so that was awesome. then on Valentines Day, a member took us to a Mexican place that was super good. Elder Payne took the other zone leader to PF Changs, just the two of them, it was funny. 

the most challenging thing was getting the transfer news, although it was bitter sweet. i just love the area. my prayers were answered in just having a good day while i ran the area on exchanges, that was awesome. that is awesome you got to help all those widows with those Valentines. service always makes me feel good. i still remember when you and Dad used to take us to get stuff from the store and take it to the Road Home in Salt Lake. and i also especially remember helping all the widows with snow removal at a young age. 

like i said in Dad's email, it will be so crazy to come home to wood floors. it sounds like it will be a fun project for Dad. i have not got the video yet of Mia answering my challenge. 

i love talking about adversity, and i really like D&C 122 and 123 for adversity, as well as 121. it talks a lot about the Prophet Joseph's adversity. there is a super good promise given at the end of 122, that all the adversity we face is only given to us out of love, so that we can grow. i hate adversity going through it, so i always have to remind myself that it is for me to become a better person. all things testify of Heavenly Father's love for his children, you just have to see it the right way, and focus on the bigger picture. He will not give us anything to hurt us, ever. it may hurt temporarily while we are going through it, but in the end, if we endure well, it will make us stronger. 

so my AP called last night, and he had baptized someone else of Jennifer's family! so he got to see her at the baptism, and she had mentioned how we are her missionaries. she is doing awesome! that was super good to hear!

that is really nice about Bryant too, i really like that kid. he is super funny. that would be so cool if he would come to my mission before i get home, and i could train him. that would be sick!

thanks so much for everything you do Mom! i love you all so much! have a great week! talk to y'all later!

-Elder Sedlacek