I love these people, and I will absolutely miss them a lot.

hey Dad! it has been a good week. to start off the week we had an appointment set with a part-member family. they were just married, and the husband is not a member. he wants to take the lessons so he can at least know about his wife's church, but he has already come to church so many times that he is pretty much a member already.  he is a "dry Mormon" as they say haha. i am super excited to teach him, and he really likes us, we have similar hobbies. 

sadly, we did not find any new investigators. we talked to a lot of people who invited us back, but they did not show for the appointments. thus is mission life I guess haha. K and R are still kind of wavering right now.  we are in bad need to build a new teaching pool, so that is what we have been working really hard at. 

I got to have the Zone leaders exchange with us this week, so I had one of my good buddies, Elder Schott, come with me. he served with me in Englewood and we always have a lot of fun together, so that was nice. we had interviews with President Welch too. I had my departing interview, however hard that is to believe. He asked me lots of questions about my mission, and some of the people I have met, and some comps I have served with. that was a really neat experience i have to say. He totally said some things in line with my patriarchal blessing and helped answer some questions I had. 

we didn't have anyone who is progressing show up at church, although we did have C, who is a non-member waiting for his 18th birthday so he can get baptized. he is a great guy. 

I have actually been studying those same sections in D&C. those are my favorites. I have really liked section 1 of the D&C this past week. we had a big district meeting with Sister Welch and the Zone Leaders there, and I had based my training around it. it went really well. It talks a lot about why we even try to share the gospel, and the wording that is used is awesome. it's like verses 12-20 or something like that. it talks about sharing the gospel so that God's children might be blessed, and might implies a lot in that. it doesn't mean everyone will accept it, it doesn't mean we will be perfect at it, but it does mean that God loves all of his children enough to give them a chance to hear it and accept it. a mission is a sacred privilege to be able to give others that opportunity. i am very glad i have been able to be part of it! 

that would be so cool for Sarah to go on a mission, and that is crazy she is 18 now. oh man, I want to cut the lawn when I get home! haha I want to see if I can still cut it like I used to. I have no preference for any particular food, if anything my mission has made me very not picky with food, anything is good for me. 

that talk coincides with what President talked to me about in my interview. hahaha--we talked about marriage. He explained how finding is just the same as dating, and that you have to keep doing all the things that bring you a closer connection with God, in order for you to find someone who is also trying to do the same thing. It re-affirmed the goals that i have set for myself to keep progressing, and good things will naturally fall into place. I am thinking that going to the temple at least once per week will be the best thing to help me accomplish that, in fact i know it is. 

I am so grateful for the foundation that my mission has laid for me serving in the church, it is only what i can build on and add to that, that will stand the test of time. you can serve a faithful mission, but you're not done there, you have only laid the footings, and maybe some cement floors. you still have to build that lifetime of service to God. I am very excited for that. 

thank you Dad, for all the updates you send me, and your great example! I love you Dad! have a great week! I will talk to you next week, even though that is kind of a joke to email right before i board a plane! hahaha  

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it was a great week. Honestly, we did not find many people, but we did meet some cool people. I cannot explain the feelings i have for Hoosiers hahaha, but I love them, and I want to help them so much. it is only because of what we have with the gospel. I love these people, and I will absolutely miss them a lot. what comes to mind is the hymn that goes, "bright as the sun, this heavenly ray." it makes me sad my mission is coming to a close, because I won't represent the Savior for very much longer, but at home I will have all the time in the world to bring friends to the gospel, through various means. 

I wrote about the teaching pool to Dad, but we did not get to do any cut and dry service projects. we just do a lot of little things to help serve people each day. we always offer to help people who are out doing yard work and stuff. 

that pic with the cake? that was the best cake ever! it was decorated with fondant, and the Relief Society made it for Sunday after church, because of next Sunday being Fast Sunday. they know i am going home next week, so she decorated it for me. it was enough cake for the whole ward, it was awesome. 

that sounds like fun, Sarah having her birthday, and Mia getting to go to Southern Utah. that is a super cool story from that missionary's talk. that is kinda like Sister Boyd in Batesville, when we had a baptism my second week in the mission hahaha. 

Heavenly Father is very good at directing his children to the gospel, and we just have to trust as his laborers that he has people ready and waiting for us to give them a certain perspective on the restored gospel. the work truly is like a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and it will roll forth simply by Heavenly Father preparing people to receive it. 

I had the great opportunity to do a couple of baptism interviews this week, and man, those people were prepared. it was so cool. one of the guys getting baptized has completely spun a 1-80, it was so cool to see the Lord's hand in preparing him, and the changes he has made. 

oh man, i can't believe it is my last week! I want this week to be the very best, and we will make it the best. we could use a better word for it, but we are calling it "Dank Week." hahahaha we have some good stuff planned to make it great. 

thank you for letting me know of everyone's good wishes Mom, I really appreciate all the support i have been given, I can't thank everyone enough. 

oh heck yeah! you don't know how excited i am to go hunting hahaha! thank you so much for everything--hunting, new clothes, all of it. you guys are the best! 

i still do have that little cooler for traveling with my insulin, so i should be good there.  i will have to throw it in the Welch's fridge the night before i fly home to re-freeze it.

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

talk to you next 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

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 can only change ourselves

hi Dad, it has been a good week. we don't have much to update on the status of 'gators, but there was some cool stuff that happened. S is finally feeling better, so we have a chapel tour with him on Wednesday. we plan to put him on date for baptism at that time. most of the other 'gators are not really meeting with us because of their schedules, or they are "eternigators" that we don't see too often. we had an appointment with one named M yesterday, but that fell through. 

the missionary department came out with a new training that was given to mission presidents, and they shared some statistics with us. out of a room of 300 general authorities, 28 were converts when they were over 30 years old, and 144 of them were baptized in between the ages of 9-25. because of that, they want all the missionaries really focusing on youth and young adults. so this past week we had been visiting the young men in the ward and getting them in on some activities we want to do to invite their friends out. i am really excited for it, i really think it will help us in this area. we have a lot of young men that are strait-up studs.  

other than that, we don't have much to write about. hahah that sounds like you had a "Fun" time with that meeting, that's too bad you had so little time to share your info. that's too bad USU is not playing very well right now, but it's still super cool that Sam is getting playing time on first string. 

the weather here has been really warm, like in the 50-60 degree range--it was in the 60's the other day. it's really strange, this is when Ohio winters are supposed to hit the hardest, just before they end. hopefully the flooding around Logan doesn't get too bad. so is Jake staying in the same place for next year? sounds like i will have a good ward. 

i used to have a really hard time comparing myself to others. i was really thankful for some things that happened to help my comp with this, he struggles with it. i had an interview with Pres. Welch on Friday, we talked about how i had learned a lot about this recently (past 6 months) and i am so grateful to have learned this lesson. we can only change ourselves and make ourselves better, so why spend so much time worrying about what others are doing? we just have to do our best, and the Lord will help with all the rest and make our best enough. i love how a mission gives us time to make our weaknesses into strengths. i don't have to worry about being the same person when i get home as i was when i left--the Lord will make me a changed person if i simply rely on Him and do what He says. we all can experience this. the atonement is a great blessing we have. 

thank you Dad for all you do! i hope you have a fantastic week! love you!

-Elder  Sedlacek

hey Mom! it was a good week. we did not have anyone come to church this week, sadly, and we are doing a lot of finding still hahaha. i wrote to Dad about our new plan to get some more referrals, and about the rest of the 'gators. we did not get to teach a lot of people this week. the one lesson that stands out to me was when we contacted a part member family and met the husband. the wife (a member) was not home, so we just asked to sit down and had a good lesson and chat with him. maybe it will go somewhere soon. i hoped you liked ------ calling you hahaha, he is funny haha. 

thank you for the pics! transfers are next week, so we will know this Saturday what happens. some cool things happened this week. today we drove to Western Hills (to the mission office) to get Elder Payne's tooth fixed at a dentist, and then we stopped in to the mission office and said hello to guess who? Elder Holman! we talked a lot. we are great friends. in talking with him, i did learn a lot about my purpose as a missionary, i mean my personal purpose, it was awesome. i realized a trend in my areas and comps, it was cool. i've been told that a lot of my old companions have really loved serving with me supposedly, so that's good. and humbling! haha

i have really strenghthened my testimony this week, concerning the restoration, since we have been teaching it so much! haha i love the principles that were restored by Joseph Smith. this gospel is such a blessing to the whole world. 

another thing that happened--so yes, less actives do teach missionaries a thing or two, and yes, it does happen by the spirit. we visited a less active while my companion was having a hard day, and the less active member strait-up talked about everything my comp was going through and how to get through it, without even knowing. it was awesome! 

yay! i am excited to live by my good friend Brigham next year! that will be fun to live so close to my siblings and be in Logan hahaha.  that is funny about Dad having to  dance with you hahaha. he hates it just as much as i do hahaha. that is fun you got to go to the temple night, i bet that was nice. it is crazy that Carli is coming home already! it's weird to see all the sisters i came out with going home. 

it's true, we are too hard on ourselves, and not positive enough. we have to expect blessings from the Lord, and expect to become better people. if we only focus on what's wrong, in a not-constructive, "i am going to fix this" sort of way, we will only hurt and tear ourselves down, and prevent ourselves from becoming who God wants us to be. i had to learn this while i have been on my mission, we can't be beating ourselves up, it only makes things worse. every day we step out of the apartment, is a step of faith, and if we don't expect things to happen, they won't. expect the best and God will make things happen, as we do our best and work hard to make those expectations become a reality. 

that's about it for the week! haha i don't think i need anything as of yet, maybe some more pants soon, the Dickies i came out with are wearing out. 

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

Love,

Elder Sedlacek

The two-week shaft!

Mom, i am getting transferred! this is what you call a 2-week shaft, unknown to missionaries before this date! hahahaha when you only spend one transfer in an area it's a shaft, but yeah, i've been here two weeks hahaha. i am going back to the Dayton stake, in another nice area, Springboro Ohio, with a guy who just finished greenie breaking, Elder Payne.

hey Dad, it has been a good week. first off, i am getting transferred, and i am going back to "Ahia," to Springboro. it was super funny, our bishop said to me, "you just got here," and he told one of the members to stay close to me, cause he thought i would finish my mission here. hahahaha guess not! still a chance though, i guess. 

this week we had an investigator, T, who was going to come to church but he bailed on us i guess. he did not show, although he seemed really solid. he has been taught in the past, and seems to have a strong desire to change. we had a really good lesson with him and helped him get back into the "swing" of where he left off, and helped him understand the importance of the Book of Mormon and the priesthood. 

we did not see G at all, he was never home. we did not find anyone new other than T and an old guy who does not seem too interested, but Elder Nelson was fond of him, and sees potential in him. he told us he did not want to commit to any religion, because he is set in his ways. that is why i was doubtful, but i guess we will see if they continue to meet with him after i am gone. we had some good lessons with R. his family has disowned him, and so he struggles. we have been helping him with some of that stuff. he is doing better and getting more motivated to grow his testimony. 

that topic of always having spiritual experiences is something President Porter really instilled in me. everyone in the gospel needs at least one spiritual experience each and every day, and most of the time it's up to us to create those by reading the scriptures and studying. when we do that, we are a lot better off spiritually and will be able to be much more in tune with the Spirit. that will increase our ability to live the Doctrine of Christ to help make us truly repentant.  

President Welch rebuked me in my interview on Friday, for being frustrated with how things were going. he explained to me that it's not about the work when we are frustrated, it's about ourselves not wanting to change. i realized that as he was talking to me. as we focus on others and improving ourselves, and what we can do better, rather than on the things we can't control, we lose ourselves in the work of the Lord and unlock our potential. i thought that was a good thought hahaha. 

that is really good with how you have been feeling healthier, i love the benefits of exercise! that is cool Jake is getting into it too hahaha.  that is super cool the Utah teams played well. for hunting next year, i think deer and maybe elk or something like that. whatever you want to put me in for is good with me, just get me out hunting hahahaha! just kidding, if nothing else duck hunting will be perfect. 

thank you for the affirmation of your answer to your prayers, i try to always ask if i am doing what is pleasing, i always feel at least good about it, you affirmed it though, thanks Dad! thank you for the article too, i will print it out to read, thanks for all you do Dad! i love you Dad! have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a good week. we did not have any of our 'gators show up to church, and neither any of the less actives we have been working with. we have found some new less actives to work with, so that was really good. 

it has been cold, but it's better than having the cold rain, which we get tomorrow, yay! {not!} i have been staying warm, the only part of me that does get cold is my face and my hands and feet. i am discovering more and more that diabetics do have poor circulation hahaha! but those hand warmers do the trick. we still bike i think, even if it's negative temps. there are not many guidelines about it, so we just do it any way. it was -6 the other day, that was fun hahaha. 

we did not see many 'gators unfortunately, we are still having trouble finding new people. we started trying to find off of less actives more, so that might bring us more luck. we are also trying to get the ward more involved and bring in more referrals. 

that is a good idea about those zip ties on my tires. i might have to try that, since i have road tires on hahaha. that is crazy about the Utah weather. it's good for me, hopefully it's not so dry this summer when i come home, so it's nice and wet, what i am used to now hahaha.  

i will miss Marion, it's a fun little town. that is good you are getting back into the swing of things again, back to real life hahaha. sounds like Libby and Mia can ball up better than me, hahaha i am terrible at basketball! is Bryant gonna leave this summer? it also sounds like you had a good lesson at church. 

they almost had me give a talk in church, but i scraped by hahaha, i was scheduled to speak on the 15th. nevertheless, i still studied for my talk, which was on goals and planning. it really applied to my situation, because we can always improve our goal setting. goals and effort combined with vision, is the driving force for us to try our best and receive God's help to make those goals a success. the better our planning, the better our ability to involve God in the work and in our lives. i know that Christ is always there watching out for us and helping us to succeed. when we have faith, anything is possible, because He is always on our side in our righteous actions. thank you for always supporting me, it gives me the drive to keep pushing on, thanks Mom!

R gave me a temple book about the Indianapolis temple. they came out with these limited edition for the dedication, they are way cool and have a lot about Indiana. 

well i have to go now Mom, thanks for everything! i love you so much! have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

Adventures with fire

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

We just have to do our best to be our best

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek da third. 

Staying in West Chester

Emails from July 25, 2016

hey Dad, so this has been a good week. we got a wonderful surprise on Friday.  M**** no longer likes being taught by the Spanish Elders, so we are teaching her and her kids again, and she is just as excited as ever to learn. she was so happy to have us back teaching her, that was awesome. so all of her four kids came to church, as well as her and J**. it was a full Sunday again. 

we really struggled with finding this week, but we are still working hard, so they will come. we moved into the former Sisters' apartment on Friday. that was super stressful cause Elder Erickson was sick with the stomach flu on Thursday, so i had to pack up all the stuff myself. the move still went great nonetheless, and the new apartment is super nice! sisters live in high class! haahaha it kinda sucks we don't have our track to run on anymore, so we can't run like we used to, so i have been doing pretty much football conditioning in the parking lot for my exercise. it is fun haha. 

i had the Liberty Elders give me a blessing when Elder Erickson was sick, to help to keep me from catching it and it worked, so that was super cool. {Note: stomach flu and diabetes is a tough combination to deal with, this is why Elder Sedlacek was so proactive}. there was some cool stuff said in the blessing. the miracle for our investigators is how M**** is still interested, i am so mad still that the Spanish Elders took her in the first place hahah, but when they took her over, it offended her and they really did not teach her. it really made me mad, but all is well now! haha she is happy to have us back to say the least. 

P** talked with her husband who is overseas working with the military, and he does not want to have us teaching her, so we can't stop by anymore. she was really sad, i felt really bad for her, so we have been fasting for her, keep her in your prayers. i did get the message from the office about Mom's surgery, thank you for that! it was good to hear! and i did get the strips, thanks! that is so awesome that her surgery went so well, i liked the note she put in the box. hahaha 

you've been cooking? so you didn't poison them hahaha just kidding, you're a good cook too. hahaha that is good you have been getting fed so many meals, it's like you're a missionary again Dad! hahaha just kidding haha. we have a joke in the mission from a funny video we have and there is a coach always yelling "one more! one more!" in it, that is you Dad. hahahaha that is super cool you have a good directer, hopefully he gives you that growth that you desire, that is awesome. 

i heard the Dodgers are playing the Reds in a few weeks, sounds like they are going to get killed hahaha NOOOO!!! thats too bad. that is so crazy that Antelope island is on fire, i bet there was a lot of smoke every where, that is crazy. i bet the Olympics will be fun to watch. 

it really is the atonement that makes everything that we have possible. the atonement even covers the effects of sin before it was performed. Alma was able to experience the healing power of the atonement before it happened, that is so amazing. the atonement is all-encompassing of the plan of salvation, what a gift that is! i know that because of what the Savior did for us, we are able to accomplish everything. we just got the transfer doctrine {news}, we are both staying, we will baptize! yeah! well, i will talk to you later Dad! i love you so much! have a great week Dad! love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey mom! so this has been a good week. we are both staying in West Chester for another transfer. as you know we moved this week. President Welch has not made a lot of changes, but we will continue to see. i wrote about the investigators in Dad's email, so you can read it there, but suffice it so say we are teaching M**** again and they are all doing well. 

i am glad you are recovering well, that is awesome! It was nice to hear that message. hahah--Dad is your coach! haha. i am glad you are getting your meds under control.  that is also really cool that you have been blessed with those meals, that is really cool. 

yep, i love the Doctrine & Covenants, they are so awesome. we have like five baptisms lined up this transfer! heck yeah, me and Elder Erickson have each only baptized twice and been out pretty much the same time, so we will end our "fast" together hahaha, this will be the first area i have been in more than three months, that is weird. 

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for all you do! i love you so much! you're awesome! have a great week! i will talk to you later! love you Mom!

-Elder Sedlacek

This work really is all about love

Monday, July 18th Emails

hey Dad! so this was another good week. we had P** and another investigator at church yesterday--actually we had five at church--it was awesome!  one of them, T**, we met just a few weeks ago. Elder Erickson taught him when we went on exchanges and it was a huge surprise to walk in to the chapel and see him just sitting there waiting for stuff to start! hahaha P** came with her only son, a 5 year old ball of energy hahaha, he was really riled up the whole meeting, so i was trying so hard to get him to be quiet so P** could listen to the meeting. he is the funniest kid. then a few other 'gators came to church that we have been trying our best to work with; the sisters worked with them a lot. they are Micronesian and it is hard to get a meeting with them, so it was a huge miracle to see them at church. we had A** come to the baptism on Saturday for the Liberty Elders and she loved it, even brought a friend, but sadly he must have anti'd her.  she called us the next day during ward council and said that she just got done being baptized, so she wasn't going to come and her search was over. so that sucked, she was golden, but agency is the king. 

J** quit coffee this week, and so she was super loopy the whole week. she was sick yesterday and did not come to church, so hopefully she feels better soon. that is pretty much the updates for the week with the 'gators. we met with President and Sister Welch this week for our first interviews, that was fun hahaha. i know that i am called to them for sure, President Welch is awesome, and then with my interview with Sister Welch, she shared a scripture with me that for whatever reason hit me like a train, so i was choking up as i read it aloud. then i was so frazzled when we ended the interview i accidently almost hugged her! hahaha i was kicking my self. they are new, but they are awesome. 

yep i write all my experiences down as best as i can, hahaha or try to.  when Dad is bored haha! that is a lot you got done while Mom and the girls were at camp. that is awesome, did you enjoy it haha? that is good you got the time off to be able to help Mom after her surgery. that will be good for her. i completely forgot about Sarah & Libby's birthdays! hahaha all stuff besides the work and mission life are a blur to me. i don't even have the energy to focus on other stuff hahaha. 

well, President Porter is a very nice guy for saying those things about me, i do my very best, sometimes i don't think it is as good as he says, but i guess it is. this work really is all about love, i still remember what you said before i left, that even if the people throw rocks at you or something like that, you can and have to love them back for it. hahaha sometimes it is harder than others, but you really have to focus on how they are all children of our Heavenly Father and no matter what He loves them, so we need to love them too. 

i bet that was fun to see that rodeo. Elder Berret, one of the Liberty Elders, used to be one of my zone leaders. we are good buddies. he is from Oregon and works on a cattle ranch up there, so that is cool you got to see that. i like that quote you shared, and the second part too. it really is hope and faith that are the driving forces to the gospel. when we teach people to increase their faith, it increases their hope for better things to come. in order to have faith in better things to come--that lasts--you must have hope for those things. i haven't really ever put those things together like that, that is very interesting, thanks Dad! so is Mom's surgery happening soon or right now? well i have to go now, thanks for emailing me Dad! have a great week! I love you Dad! i hope you get all caught up with work! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! so this week's updates with the 'gators i wrote in Dad's email. so you can read them there later after your surgery. hahaha people are still giving me grief back home for how young i look? hahaha oh well, i did look really young haha and i was slim but strong! now i am 10 pounds heavier and  i like to think i am still strong hahaha. you can still see a good portion of my six pack, but it went away for a while. hahaha 

those three questions about my week can all pertain to one day when we had interviews with President and Sister Welch. i wrote about Sister Welch's interview with me in Dad's email. but when i read those scriptures i could feel the love from Heavenly Father like he was hugging me, that sounds really feminine, but it's not. hahaha it was a cool experience. the most challenging thing was losing A**. 

thanks for getting that all sorted out with my pump supplies! i do need more strips, but if you can't send them in time to get here by Friday, you will have to wait. we are moving on Friday to the new apartment, but you can send them to the Liberty Elders' apartment and we will get them for sure. the Liberty Elders' apartment is in West Chester, not far from us, so do either or if you can get them here before Thursday at the latest. 

that is crazy that Libby is 12! holy cow!  that must have been fun to go to girls' camp with all the girls hahaha. i am glad you were okay when you fell, that is good. i like those scriptures, those are really good. there is a surprising amount of deep doctrine in the Book of Mormon, a lot of people don't see it that way, but there is some really cool stuff in there. i love the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants, i study them both every day along with Preach My Gospel and the Bible for teaching. 

that is really cool with your blessing, the Lord definitely needs you to have a healthy knee for a purpose. look up DC 138:55-56 it is talking about the prophets specifically, but all of God's children as well. that is a cool verse about our purposes in this life, i will have to teach y'all the Doctrine of Christ lessons we teach when i get home. well, i hope your surgery goes well, I love you Mom! recover well, have fun resting and I will talk to you later, have a great week! love ya!

-Elder Sedlacek

We all have our own struggles; mine happens to be diabetes.

hey Dad, so this was a great week! this area is really starting to turn around. we found yet another super solid person this week, A**. we tried to contact her several weeks ago, and have tried multiple times since, but there was never any answer. we both felt inspired to see A**, but we were each thinking of different A**s. we went to both, and this A** answered the door, and then commited to come to church right then and there. she came and the talks were meant for her. it was perfect! she even wants us to come back tomorrow. 

J came to church this week as well, but P** was not able to make it so hopefully she will come next week. our teaching pool is really starting to grow; we are finding people on both sides of the ward and really gaining some traction. we hit 9 member-present lessons this week and also met leadership standards again! it has been a great week. 

i am so glad you got to go hear President & Sister Porter talk and meet them, they are so awesome! i will have to listen to their talks today! thanks so much for recording them! 

that is cool that RB and NR got to speak together, i bet that was fun. sounds like you had two awesome sacrament meetings, that is sweet! i am so glad to be serving right now too! 

that is fun you got to go camping with Brig, i bet that was really fun. did you go fishing with the kayaks? i will have to get one when i get home. hahaha i bet you catch a mess of fish with those things. that would be so cool to help clean the temple, i will have to do that when i get home as well, that would be a way cool experience.  i heard about that ark in Ohio, i will have to see where that is so maybe i can go to see it, that is cool. 

it is true, we all have our own struggles; mine happens to be diabetes. the Lord will bless those who serve him with a willing heart and mind with health and strength, i know that i have definitely been blessed as i have been serving my mission, to have lots of help controlling my diabetes. the Savior is truly there to help the whole way, He will never leave our side. 

thanks so much for all you do for me Dad, thanks for being such an awesome Dad! i love you so much, i hope you have a great week! i will talk to you later! 

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! this was a really good week, i wrote about the investigators in Dad's email as usual, but i did not tell him that we had an awesome chapel tour with J on Saturday, and she was an emotional wreck because of losing her birth certificate. we did the tour anyway, and when we got to the baptism font, the Spirit was super strong, and she decided to put herself on date before we could ask her.  she chose Aug 20th! heck yeah! also, she is going to the church's version of AA for help to stop smoking, so that will be awesome to see her be baptized. i figured i would save that story for your email. :) 

so yeah, we had a really good week. we worked really hard and accomplished a lot. yesterday i had a tender mercy. we got a ride from another member to Sister H's last night (she fed us dinner) and the member's wife was sitting in the front seat. we had given them a Doctrine of Christ lesson a week and a half earlier, and she complimented my approach to teaching, she said it was spiritual and very motivating, because she feels rebuked most of the time when missionaries teach hahaha, so that was part of my blessing being fulfilled right there. for the first time in a while, i really knew that the Lord is very pleased with my service. i may not always be the most eloquent missionary, or the one who baptizes like crazy, but i am not sent here to be that kind of missionary.  the Lord qualifies who he calls and as long as i am being myself and following the Spirit, the Lord will be able to make me an instrument in His hands. 

i have not gotten my pump supplies yet, but i did get the insulin, thanks mom!  so the Porters said i look 17 now huh? hahaha good! i am so glad you got to meet the Porters, they are so awesome! and that is cool you got to meet Elder Holman's parents. he always tells me how much he misses me hahaha. i learned a lot from him. 

Elder Erickson is a great companion, he teaches well, and loves to talk to people and we get along really well, he helps me a lot with things that i am not necessarily good at, and i help him with things he struggles with, so we mesh pretty well. i am most grateful for my loving Heavenly Father who really does listen to me and who really does care when i pray. that is when i feel the Spirit the most and the strongest, and i know that when we pray we truly are having a conversation with our Heavenly Father. i know that He will be watching out for you as you go through your knee surgery. He loves you enough to help you with your stuff and to bless you with a million kids and a little grand baby. i know the surgery will go well, Heavenly Father blessed you with that surgeon and the time to do it, He will surely help it go well. 

that is crazy that Libby is in young women's now and that the twins are 16, the time is flying by! crazy! 

what you said about faith is true, you have to step out on the edge where miracles happen. you can call down miracles with faith. faith is the substance of it all. as we increase our faith, our capacity increases to do good and to work miracles. faith is so important in the lives of God's children, it is the first step to changing our selves and in following the Savior. i know that with faith in the Savior we can accomplish everything we set our minds to. rely on your faith to help the surgery and your healing go well, and you will be blessed from doing so, i promise you that.

well, that is all for my week, how are you?!

Mom: I am great! I am really happy that you had such a great week!

oh, and our music ban has been lifted. we can now listen to anything that invites the Spirit rather than just lds.org stuff, so feel free to send me some Josh Groban, and if you could send me the Nashville Tribute Band song, "i was born," that would be great!

Mom: So President Welch is making some changes huh? What else has he changed?

he has not really changed anything else yet, so we will have to see. Elder E and i have our first interview with him on Friday, and i am excited.

well, i have to go now Mom. thanks so much for all you do for me! i love you so much! you're the best! have a great week, i will keep you in my prayers! good luck with the surgery and i hope the recovery goes well! i will talk to you later! 

love you!

-Elder Sedlacek