Ohio bugs are huge and nasty!

hi dad, it has been a good week. it was a little bit slower week than normal, but it still went pretty well all around. all of our investigators are doing well. as of today, J** will still be baptized on the 3rd, i am so excited for her! her brother-in-law will be doing the baptism, and we will get to participate in the confirmation, so that will be cool. we had stake conference this week, and so we had J** and M**** come to the Saturday night session, plus J** came to the Sunday session. M**** was not able to make it to the Sunday session. T** did not answer his phone, so we don't know if he had to work or not, or whatever. 

J** is just as excited as ever and feels ready to be baptized. M**** had us over for dinner on Saturday, that was super cool.  her mom made the authentic Mexican food; it was really good. her mom can't speak any English, so she was asking us questions and i understood maybe a 1/4 of it hahahaha but when we left i said "gracias," and they looked at me funny so i was like "gringo!" and they all laughed hahaha! 

M**** is still keeping her commitments and is coming close to the decision to be baptized, we are just waiting for it to happen. T** is doing well and is working on his tobacco use, and is reading, so that is awesome. we are about to dunk all of our teaching pool here soon, so we are trying to find new people, and as you know, it is tougher in this area. we are starting to work with a few people, but it seems a lot of them just can't say no to us, so they don't always keep the appointment, which sucks. 

it is super cool that football has started up again. i almost bought a cool Bengals snap back the other day with my birthday money, but decided not to. that sounds like you are getting the job done at work. that is awesome they called you in to help them, you must be gaining a lot of trust. it is amazing how the Lord uses us to do His will. 

oh i miss those nectarines, the ones off our tree are so good! hahaha i bet you have had fun mowing the lawn this summer, just wait til i get back, that lawn will look gorgeous hahaha! people don't manicure lawns out here, they just cut it to keep it looking decent hahaha. that is good the girls did so well on the test, now we will have to get them both a buck or two. you will have to put me in for a tag next fall by the way.  

the Seventy who came to speak to us this past week, talked a lot about consecration. it truly is a very important thing to live by. the mission has taught me so much about consecration. we all have to work on our level of consecration at times, but as we follow the example of the Savior, the perfect example, we will always be able to learn and grow and gain more intelligence in this life, which prepares us for the life to come. the law of consecration is a celestial law, which means we must learn to live by that law in order to achieve celestial glory. i know that as we sincerely do the Lord's will, we will be blessed with more desire to do good, and recieve many blessings. thanks again for all you do Dad, you're the greatest, have an awesome week! love you Dad! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey mom, it has been a good week. last p-day we didn't have much to do, so we napped for a good solid two hours, that was AWESOME! hahaha i felt so much better! hahaha today we have a zone sports day in Hamilton so we will drive up there to play some games. 

our main investigators both came to church. we had stake conference, so Elder Hemula from the Seventy came to speak the mission on Friday, and then spoke at all the stake conference sessions. he did an awesome job. my favorite part of the week was probably having dinner at M****'s house, or having our old mini-missionary come out with us again. he is in the Hamilton ward. my favorite person was probably a really cool 96 year old man who we met yesterday. it was hot as all get out, and he was just sittin' out there. he is blind, and just calls out if he hears anyone coming, so we went to chat with him for a sec, he was super cool! a miracle was probably just getting some members out with us last minute a few times, that was awesome. the biggest challenge was probably the heat and the rain. like i said yesterday was hot as blazes, and we actually had what's called a heat alert, above 90 with very high humidity. i never sweat very much in Utah, but that was because it is dry, here it sticks to you, so you just keep adding to the sweat on your face til it drips.

it sounds like you had a good week with physical therapy and everything, that is good. i hope you also have a good week with work and stuff. i did get the strips, thanks so much for sending them! i got them just in time hahahaha. you could probably just keep the pump supplies there, and keep it for an emergency. could you tell the J family thank you for me! they are awesome! 

oh and could you tell Sister Elton thanks as well, i got the card that they sent, it was very nice! hahaha poor Jake and Jeff, back to classes. that stinks, i am not looking forward to going back to that, that's for sure hahaha. Brig looks so cute hahahaha, i loved those pics you sent! so does he like his new room? it is cool they got into a bigger apartment, mine is bigger than their old apartment, that says a lot hahaha. i can't believe we moved that piano in there in the first place!

that is so true about men's and women's roles, Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he ordained marriage between man and woman. i can definitely say, from living with another man for a whole year, man and man are not meant to be hahahaha. i am so grateful for the opportunity we have to be married in the temple for time and eternity, that is one of the greatest blessings we have been given by Heavenly Father. i am so grateful for that. the roles definitely do compliment each other and are meant to be used together, as a whole unit. 

thanks for emailing me Mom, i  hope work is going well, maybe we will get to email back and forth.

the pics include some fun bugs we found. our apartment a/c was flooded this week. i heard a dripping noise and opened the radiator, and the cavity in the wall was full of water, so now the carpet is all wet around it. the maintenance guys won't do anything to really fix it, it's a mess. but we found the bug on the wall in our closet. Ohio bugs are huge and nasty!

thanks Mom, for all you do! you're the greatest! i hope you have a good week as well! i will talk to you later! oh, transfers are next week btw. love ya!

-Elder Sedlacek

It is completely normal to have a tough week, I have them all the time; I won't tell you when though.

hey dad! this has been a great week. even though J** was not able to make it to church yesterday because of health reasons, we did have T** and M**** and her kids show up, so that was super awesome! M**** is gaining more and more traction in the church. we taught her about the temple and she wants to be sealed but she found out you need a husband to do that, so she was kinda sad not being able to be sealed to her kids as her situation goes right now, but we just told her the Lord will provide a way, we just have to trust him. 

one of my favorite verses--it applies to everything--is Psalms 34, i think  verse 19, it says "O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man that trusteth in him." it is a great verse. as we really rely on the Savior, and taste of his gospel, we will be able to see that the fruits of the gospel will be great blessings to our lives. 

T** has some problems with chew and alcohol, but he committed to work on those things, so we will see how that goes. as far as we know, J** is still on date for the 3rd, but we need to check in with her today on the smoking. it really does help our testimonies to grow as we share the gospel, it is a great principle of missionary work. i love it haha. 

man that is so crazy, i can't believe that Sarah is a senior and Mia almost in high school, and Libby in jr. high, that is crazy! it's cool that the girls are finishing their hunters safety stuff, hopefully they did well. that sounds like a very good talk, amazing how a mission changes your speaking capabilities so drastically, i know i can speak way better than i used to, rather than just reading off my talk, i just speak what the Spirit gives to me along with bulleted points i have prepared. 

i really like that analogy with the fence, that makes total sense to me. we must stay grounded with our faith on the Savior, just like Helaman 5:12, the Savior truly can become our rock if we let him and he is our salvation. the atonement is so amazing to me, i wish i could comprehend it all. that is so cool about the medals the US got. i saw a brief glimpse of part of the ceremony last night when we were walking out of a house we visited, it looked pretty sweet. that is funny, i thought the Dodgers lost, i was so stoked! hahaha but I guess not hahaha. oh well, they will play good some day hahaha. that is not fun to be the bad guy, hahaha, dad hahaha.

thank you for your testimony, i know that a mission really is the place for me right now at this moment. we are all foreordained to do a work that the Lord has for us individually, this is mine, if i will rely on him, i will see success, that is desire D&C 138:56. well thanks so much for all you do for me Dad! i love you so much, have a great week! i will talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been yet another good week. that is ok you didn't send my strips yet, just send them today please hahaha. i wrote about the investigators in Dad's email, so you can read more about them there. 

me and Elder Erickson get along pretty swell haha. he is a funny dude and we compliment each others' strengths and weaknesses, it works out well. we did have a zone conference this week, there should be some pics up on Facebook, Cinci North zone, can you email me those today? please? thank you mom! 

it was a really good zone conference, i really enjoyed it. President talked a lot about our conscious and subconscious minds, and teaching more about repentance. the Spirit let me know I should stop thinking negatively about how well i can do missionary work, because i am doing a fine job. so that was a good tender mercy. 

the most inspirational investigator would probably be M****, though she has so much to deal with, she still just keeps trucking and is very Christ-like to her kids and everyone else. 

it did rain a crap ton this week, so that was fun getting soaked just about every day hahha. yep, we all go through a lot of crap hahaha, but just remember when all is said and done, it will all be worth it. it is completely normal to have a tough week, i have them all the time, i won't tell you when though hahahaha. you will get the knee back in order eventually, it will just take some work. hopefully the twice a week stuff will help with that. just remember the Lord told you specifically to get it done now, so i know it will all work out. 

i shared my fave scripture with Dad, Psalms 34: 19. you just have to keep going, and trusting in the Lord, and then eventually you will be able to say as Paul does in 2 Timothy 4:7. (now don't think i am some scripture wizard because i am not in the least hahaha, i have so much trouble memorizing scripture references, so i have to tab my scriptures so i can follow promptings in lessons hahaha!)

that is so crazy to think that Sarah is a senior this year, and same with Mia and Libby growing up. that is weird. hahaha yes, chubz! i am proud of that kid, he will do great as a missionary! and that is super cool R went too, that is awesome. hahaha i hope Nicole and Jeff had fun down back east, i can imagine the flight was cancelled, the rain out here has been a mess lately, i am sending a video of it today. it is insane compared to Utah. Utah doesn't know what rain is hahaha. well, that is pretty much all i can remember for the week, feel free to ask questions. 

well i have to go now Mom, thanks for emailing me! especially the pics, thank you! and i hope you have a great week! good luck with work! i love you Mom! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We all have our own purposes, and when you figure out why you are where you are, life becomes a whole lot simpler.

A golden camel marked Elder Sedlacek's "hump day"

August 8, 2016 emails

hey Dad, so this has been another great week. first off i have a funny story about J**. so the other day we got a text that two Baptists showed up at her door with tracts, a particular church that hates Mormons, and they tried to bash her. she went off on this guy and totally disproved him to the point of him putting his head down and walking away! hahahaha i know it is bad to tear someone down like that, but he tried to bash our promising investigator, who is so excited to be baptized that she announced it at church to everyone she saw, so it was super funny to hear that, all she says is, "i won" hahaha. 

J** quit smoking and is living the Word of Wisdom as of now, so she can be baptized. she tried to smoke a few days before she quit, and said that as soon as she tried she couldn't even breathe, so she ripped up the cigarettes and threw them on the ground. that was an awesome miracle. i am so excited for her. M**** is doing well, she is still just as committed as ever, she actually took us and her boys out to eat at a restaurant, Mexican food, that was super cool. she still won't commit to a specific date for soon, but wants it to be a few months down the road. so we have been fasting and praying for her to pick a date sooner than later. her boys all want to be baptized, and she has quit using coffee at work, just brings milk and hot chocolate. 

we also found a few new 'gators and had some good lessons with them. one a new couple, they really seemed to like the Restoration lesson, so we are bringing them a Book of Mormon tomorrow, and another young guy, A***, that lesson was so powerful, let me tell you! the spirit was so strong when he read James 1:5 to us that it felt like it was going to knock me on the floor, it was awesome! so we will continue to stop by with both of them and assess their commitment level. that is mostly it for gators, we finally were able to make some contact with a few less actives we have been trying to meet recently. so it was a super good week. 

that is a super cool story from Bro W., that is awesome. it is cool to see the Lord's hand in our lives like that. seems like you had a meeting focused on love, that is good, because love truly is the one of the most important things in the work of salvation. the plan of salvation is completely encompassed in love. it does make a better world to live in that is for sure. that sounds mushy but it is true. that is super cool that mom is doing so well with her recovery, that is awesome. it sounds like fun with the Olympics, and with the Red Sox, hahaha you like both teams i forgot, well that makes it easy. that is cool about the girls and getting into shooting, they must like it. precision shooting, that sounds like my kind of event other than the Olympic lifting hahaha, that is cool too. that's so cool the Philly temple is going up, that is awesome. that is so true about leaders. a leadership calling does not make you a leader. you must live worthily of the priesthood authority you carry and you must love the people you serve and be focused on how to help them learn and grow. a leader is someone who changes patterns for the better and leads by example in a way to motivate and lift, just like the conference talk, lift where you stand. and the scripture that talks about presiding well over a few things and then the Lord will give you the stewardship over many things. i like that thought. thanks Dad, for all you do, i say it all the time, but it means so much to me. you're the best Dad! i love you! have a great day! and another great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! so it was a great week, i wrote all about the 'gators and teaching pool in Dad's as usual, but suffice it to say, it was a spiritual week, so you will have to read through those. hey a package! thanks Mom! that will be awesome, i will look forward to it. 

i love the new apartment, it is nice and spacious and plenty of room to jump rope! hahaha although we usually go outside, but then i do it while Elder E showers hahaha. there are so many people from India here. oh my gosh! you would think i live in the Middle East. they don't believe in Christ as the Savior, so it is super weird to teach them when they let us in. It is a big change from teaching Catholics and Baptists my whole mission, who already believe in Christ.

i wrote about some tender mercies in Dad's email and the miracles that happened. but i guess one specifically for me would be being able to get back into good shape again, my six pack is back, jack! hahah More important, being able to feel the spirit testify through me to touch the hearts of others. i received an impression that part of why i am still in this area is to help J** specifically. 

it sounds like you are making a lot of progress with your leg, that is awesome! hahaha that workout dialog of what you do in PT made me laugh out loud. hahaha that was funny, thanks for that hahaha. now you know how i felt after lifting and why i would eat so much just before i left hahahaha. 

it sounds like a good lesson in YW, i am glad you got the help you needed and that it went so well. isn't it amazing to see how the Lord impresses people and uses their experience to bless the lives of others? when the Savior is giving the sermon on the mount, and he is talking about he salt losing its savor, and then it is cast out because now it is worthless and of no use, we are like the salt. all of our unique personalities and traits that we all have, they are all very vital to the Lord's work. that is what makes up our savor, or flavor hahaha, in other words, we have to be ourselves and the Lord will place us where he needs us and can use our gifts and talents best. he didn't put me on the earth to be the highest baptizing missionary, or the best teacher, but to help motivate and to lift others, to help others be themselves, and to help comfort others. i have thought about this a lot and i really do believe that is what the Lord wants me to do. we all have our own purposes and when you figure out your purpose for why the Lord sends you to where you are, life becomes a whole lot simpler. all we have to do is follow Him. i know that is true. thanks for raising me right Mom and Dad! thanks for all you do for me! you're the best! 

thanks for the pic of your knee! it looks good though, i would not have thought you had gotten surgery a few weeks prior! my blood sugars are doing well, i have had to do a whole bunch of adjusting on my basals at night, but they are doing well now.  i should get another A1C within a few weeks, the mission doc will have to order me one soon.

well, i have to go now, thanks for emailing me Mom! you're the best! i am excited for the package! thanks for that in advance! today we are going to get air! yeah! well i hope you have a great week! i love you Mom! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

We have to do our best, and then the Savior will give us the power to accomplish the tasks at hand

hey Dad, so i had a good week. my new comp's name is Elder Erickson, and he is a boss! he is a great missionary and it is really nice to have a hard working comp. the sisters' area was shut down, so now our district is combined with the Liberty elders and sisters and my comp was made DL, because he has been out one transfer longer than me. so now we have the sisters' old car and we cover the whole ward, it is pretty huge. the area is shaped like a u. we used to cover half, but now we know the full, so i pretty much just got doubled in twice. i have to know the old boundaries and the new ones, so that has been fun. we also got a mini-missionary on Saturday morning, he will be with us til Saturday morning. it has been fun, he is a good kid and just graduated. he is going to start his own mission papers soon. we are still trying to work with Mrs. J. she is being a little hard to work with though, i think she does not like me at all--i think i offended her when i asked her to be baptized a few weeks ago. so yeah haha. i think she is trying to spite me or something--i don't know, all i can do is try my best to love her! her son B is awesome though haha. 

we pretty much spent the week using the car half the time to go meet the sisters' investigators, and then we biked the other half to see ours. we don't have a lot of miles to use on the car, so we still have to bike a lot. i am glad you liked the father's day card, i hope you had a nice father's day. that must have been fun to visit grandpa H. it is way cool you got out the row boat and went fishing! that is fun. hahaha but it's too bad you didn't catch any fish! i am glad that work went pretty well this week. 

what you said about true greatness is so true--we all want that perfection and greatness at something. we won't ever achieve perfection in this life, but we can achieve it in the next life eventually, with the help of the Savior. because of Him we have that opportunity to achieve that greatness we so desire. I know that because of the atonement and the Savior, we can accomplish everything. we have to do our best and then He will give us the power to accomplish the tasks at hand. thanks so much for all the support you give to me Dad! i love you Dad! have a great week and keep up the good work. talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, so this was a good week. i wrote Dad about the investigators. i will tell you about transfers: so my comp's name is Elder Erickson, he is from West Jordan and is an awesome guy. he is 23 and an electrician. he has been out a year, so one transfer longer than me. that makes him DL. we took over the sisters' area because they got moved out. we got their car too, which is nice, although we can't really use it too much with the mileage limit. we still have to bike a ton. so we pretty much got doubled in again, that is twice in a row. hahaha the other half of the ward (the area the sisters had) is like another world! there are tons of Micronesians. they are great people and it is so fun to talk to them haha. i wrote pretty much all the other new stuff that has happened in Dad's email. 

we were able to see a bunch of grace this week. we found a few new investigators, but even Elder E says this is a tough area hahaha. we actually both served in Englewood, so we like to talk about that. he served there a few months before i did, just on the other side of the ward. i like having a bigger district now. one of my old STLs is in Liberty, so that is fun. one of the Liberty elders is one of my old ZLs so that is super fun too. we get along great. last p-day he roped me with his lariat. hahaha

those are funny pics of Brigham's hair haha. he is a cutie!  that must have been an awesome youth conference, it sounds like it went well. so i am guessing you enjoyed the Manti pageant, that must have been fun. did you go to the Palisades camp ground? that is fun one.  that is crazy that the B** brothers have already spoken together, seems like yesterday that Jake and i spoke! hahaha 

Mom, remember to go and record President Porter's talk for me please! that is such a cool story that Jeremy told in his mission talk. in this mission we have been promised we could all baptize in June. we are waiting for our miracle because right now it doesn't look like it will happen, but we are trying our very hardest and trying to exercise our faith. so keep praying for us! we will use that story, thanks so much for that Mom! that is awesome! well, that is mostly it for the week. i am hoping to send a package home this week, so if it comes don't scatter around all the stuff [Mom's note: worrying about his stuff being "scattered" is so Jared haha!] it should have some old planners in it, as well as the fitness watch.

i don't need anything sent with my strips, thanks Mom! i will watch for the package.

oh, Elder Hueman is in my district, so that is fun. i heard from one of the sisters who got doubled in to Englewood after i left that they are baptizing a few people i taught, so that was way nice to hear!

well, i have to go now Mom. thanks for emailing me. i love getting to email every week. thanks so much for all you do Mom! have a great week! i love you! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

Four flat tires in one day

Hey Dad! it has been a good week. i got the text about Brigham from Sister Porter almost immediately. that is so awesome, and i can't wait to meet him! you should get that boy some cammo! hahah 

Our investigators are doing well.  we started teaching the Hispanic family that just came back from vacation. it is a single mom with four crazy little boys, and they are awesome! the little kids love to tease us and stuff. their mom has been to church a few times before and was going to come yesterday, but got stuck in downtown Cincy with her sister, who she was driving around, so that really stunk. But, Miss J and her son B came to church, so that was good to see them there. we are still trying to get a meeting set up with President Porter so he can interview Miss J, but both sides are busy and hard to have available at the same time. 

we did find a new investigator this week who we will be going back to see in the next few days--that will be good. we are having a hard time finding in this area! we talk to everyone, but they are not always interested. however, we did have a miracle this week. the past Elders met this guy at a home down the street from us, and he talked with them a little so they gave him their number on a card. Last Monday he called us just after we got in and said he wants to feed us, so he called again this morning and is having us over on Saturday for a BBQ. that was awesome, we will see how his interest level is and everything, but that was way cool. 

the zone conference was awesome, i will write more about it in mom's email. that is a good idea we could use for Miss J, thanks Dad! we will have to try that. that is a cool thought from your meeting, i bet it was really good. I like that thought from President Eyring, it is so true that as we forget ourselves and get to work, the Lord will change us in ways that we never thought possible. it is not because we are focusing on just ourselves, but when you forget yourself and serve others diligently, you are serving the Lord, and He will send the blessings your way to help you. in turn, you start to change and apply the Doctrine of Christ in your life more, which causes us to change and become more like the Savior. missions are beautiful things, i am so grateful for the time that i have left to serve! this is the time when i will be growing the fastest spiritually, and I want to be able to utilize that time. well, it was great to hear from you Dad, thanks for all you do, it means a lot to have me out here.  I love you Dad, have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! so this was a good week. i am glad the baby came well! i did get both texts from Sister Porter about the baby and my pump. she actually forwarded the text about the pump, so i got your text! hahaha that was weird. 

i told dad about the investigators, so you can read about them in his email. the biking is fun--i like it. i am getting in good shape again between running and biking every day. it is awesome hahaha. 

so the most challenging thing that happened this week was either having the last Zone conference with President Porter (i did tear up hahaha), or having to fix 4 flat tires all in the same day! it was a funny story.  we rode to the library that morning, and when we came out afterwards, my tire was completely flat. i pumped it up and then i told Elder B "the race is on boy!" so we hauled on up the hill to a bike shop a few miles away on the way to our apartment. i bought a new tube and put it in and it all looked good so we started home. halfway there it went flat again! now it was getting late so we just walked the bikes the rest of the way.  then we went back after lunch and the bike shop owner fixed it for free, which was a miracle, but not only that, he tuned my breaks and my wheel hubs for me for free as well! so we started off, and 10 minutes later it is flat again. i am not kidding! we took it back and the owner found a microscopic piece of glass in my tire, then then fixed it again for free. since then, i have not been back! hahaha knock on wood! 

the biggest tender mercy was Zone conference and the impressions i had, it was awesome. we talked a lot about the sacrament and President even got permission to give us the sacrament. it was a neat experience, and i got to help pass it, it was cool. i learned some cool stuff. i will miss President Porter so much, I love that man. you will have to go to his homecoming for me and record it, that would be sick!

Also at Zone conference, i learned the significance of consecrated oil. when an olive is pressed for oil, it is put under immense pressure. the Savior was also put under immense pressure when he suffered at Gethsemane, and he bled through every pore. the oil that "bleeds" from the olive is like the blood the Savior bled for us. the consecrated oil represents the healing power of the atonement and will give power to heal. that was a cool lesson from talking about the sacrament, that was one of the thoughts that i had. 

that is funny Dukie had a vacay at the boarders' while the baby came. hahaha wow, an hour of sleep, you were tired i bet! hahaha almost as tired as me! hahaha just kidding, mom. that is so crazy about the Angel Moroni getting struck by lightning! a cool thought about that--the statue protected everyone just as Moroni will give the call to let everyone know when the Savior comes--he has got our back. 

i also had a cool experience when riding up a really steep hill this week. i was praying and asking for strength to make it, when suddenly i felt like i did have angels around me helping me and cheering me on. it was super cool! you know who those angels are don't you? family and future family, it was super cool. 

So yep, Animas said they will replace my old pump for free, it is the same exact pump, so it wasn't hard to program it. now i just have to send the old one back. they gave it one day shipping so that was cool. well, that is all for the week, how are you doing?

Mom: I am doing great!!! I am heading up to Logan later to help Nicole, Jeff, and Brig settle in at home. I will be there overnight and Tuesday. It'll be fun. 

I am glad you got your pump set up and all is well with it. Don't forget to send back the old one asap....they like those back so they can figure out why it failed and prevent it in the future. They are serious about those things! :) 

We will definitely go to pres porter's homecoming, you can bet on that. 

Elder Sed: sweet! just remember to record it for me so i can listen to it. i am really going to miss that man. for my birthday, i would love the Nike socks, just like the ones i have that go halfway up your calf--size 6-8, or the mediums. i need a new backpack, but i want to wait to see if i get a gift card or something. i would also like a fitness watch that measures steps, distance, calories and things like that, but those are kinda pricey so if I don't get one then that is okay. other than that i don't know what i want. hahaha

oh, i am mailing that old pump today.

Mom: Okay, good! How are your numbers? Did you adjust your basals with all the exercise? 

Elder Sed: yes i did, so i am fine tuning them now. it took some getting used to, but they are doing pretty well now.

well, i have to go now Mom, it was great to hear from you. enjoy seeing the baby! give him a hug for me. i love you guys so much! have a great week. thanks for all you do for me! oh--please send me my test strips this week, i need some more. thanks! 

-Elder Sedlacek

Leaders change patterns

Elder Sedlacek snapped this pic of a double rainbow.

hey Dad, it was a good week. we were able to find some new people to teach this week, and that was super cool. as for all the other investigators, Miss J came to church with her son B, and then no one else made it. it seems like the elders before us hadn't really been finding, so we have had to really put a lot of effort into finding and getting referrals. all the investigators we have that we didn't find our selves are eternigators, so right now we are working the lists and stuff. we biked a lot this week! we went all around to the edges or our area, and it was pretty fun. hahaha the hills here are nothing like the hills in Utah, as far as length and grade, but man! they are rolling, so it is just one after another! hahaha it really gets you a good workout. 

we have been trying to find some Less Actives to work with as well, and we have found a lot of people who don't want to be contacted. it's pretty sad. that is pretty much all that is new for this week--we are just getting the lay of the land figured out--i have the area mapped out pretty well now just by biking most of it. that helped so it is pretty nice. 

you drove to Washington? that is a long drive! holy cow! i bet that was fun though. did you do it in the truck? that is awesome. hopefully, i will get to go back to visit some areas here later on. the scripture you shared is one of the scriptures we have to memorize to get our pins. i like that scripture, you can apply it to so much. the Lord will always be with us, we don't need to get discouraged, things will work out. 

like Jake, i hope i can go with my investigators to the temple as well, but first i need some more baptisms! hahaha i am trying so hard to get some, but it just doesn't always work out that way. i will get some more though. well, i hope your work catch-up day is going well, that was some time worth spent, hopefully you can get caught up fast. don't worry about the sports update, if you don't have time you don't have time hahaha. that is cool thought the hockey playoffs are coming up. that will be fun for you to watch. that is sweet Jake got that kayak. i have always wanted one, that is super cool. that is awesome! i will have to get one as well. 

that is true about members doing the finding, that is the way it should be done. i should not be a good finder, but unfortunately that is the way it is here for now, but we will change it. haha leaders change patterns, and President wants me to lead, so i will do it. it makes the work so much easier. the members are good about coming with us in this ward, we just need to get some referrals coming. well, that is about it for this week. oh yeah--so every morning we run around a track in our complex, i have been able to run 4 miles in around 20 mins every day the past week, it turns out jumping rope makes you quicker as well! hahahaha tell Jeff to beat that! hahaha well, i will talk to you later Dad! i love you Dad! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! so this was a good week. we worked hard and it paid off. we found a few new people to teach and got a lot done. we are getting the lay of the land all figured out and everything, getting lots of biking done! hahaha my metabolism is speeding way up (hahaha) i also need to adjust my basal rates because i keep running low {blood sugars} with all the biking up hills and whatnot. 

the weather has been good. the other day it was kinda cold and we were biking so it gave me a slight cold. i am just getting over it now.  i told Dad, but also every morning we run around the lake at our complex and it is a mile long. i run 4 miles every morning in about 22 mins, it is awesome. i even ran a 5:30 mile the other day, i have decided i might run when i get back. :)  hopefully, the baby comes soon, you will have to let Sister Porter know. that will be good to get some plants in the ground, so you can have a garden this year. 

i will let you know when i need more diabetes stuff, thanks Mom. that is cool all those kids in the ward are graduating. I am glad you got to see the dance stuff and the concert, i bet that was all pretty fun. i am sure that it was fun for Jake to visit his mission. i am glad your week went well! that is about all for my week, we are just working hard and trying to baptize. thanks for your example! 

Mom, by the way, when is my next pump coming? the screen on this one is getting hard to read, the screen is darkening. i'm not sure why.

i have to go now mom, thanks for emailing me, i love you! have a great week! grab life by the horns!

-Elder Sedlacek

There you have it--cutting lawns pre-mission DID help prepare me for my mission.

It's no trick of the eye.....Elder B IS shorter than Elder Sed! 

hey dad! so this was a good week. i told you a lot about the investigators yesterday, and that was really fun to Skype! i have grown since I came out hahaha! i have to be careful when i wear my long sleeve shirts, or i could rip them. they are small around my shoulders now. 

just some fun info about the apartment complex where we live: we have a small pond in the middle and we can fish in it without a license, since it is private property. Elder Bosworth and I and the other Liberty Zone Elders (one is my old zone leader, Elder Barrett. he is a cowboy so he loves that stuff hahaha) will be doing some fishing! Literally a crap ton of geese and ducks live in West Chester, so constantly these geese fly over at perfect shooting height. It drives me up the wall hahahaha. All the roads we bike on are very skinny two-lane roads, and there are no sidewalks so it is fun to hold up traffic when we go anywhere! hahaha 

that is good you got to go the cemetery to visit Grandpa and Grandma's graves. The three-way call for Skype worked out pretty slick. That was a great idea, I am glad ya'll got it worked out. I am glad you got to go to Jeff's graduation. Thanks for the updates Dad, as usual. I bet that was fun to move A & J into their new place. I'm really glad they found a nice place to move into. I got a great workout as well digging out some stumps, one was about half the size of our pine tree stump, it was hard work hahaha. They call me and Elder Bosworth the dynamite duo sometimes (hahaha) because "dynamite comes in small packages" and we work hard! hahaaha. {Note: Elder Sedlacek's new companion is actually shorter than Elder Sedlacek is. This probably won't happen very often!}

That is so very true from Elder Renlund, it all starts with faith. The first step in the Doctrine of Christ,  is that as we increase faith, we increase everything else as well. Faith is the substance of it all, that is the most basic simple step you can work on--increasing your faith. We have to give people commitments to help them increase their faith and prepare for covenants--no commitments, no covenants, no exaltation. It is all simply said, but harder to do. Thanks for all the support you give me Dad! I love following your example, you have taught me well. Thanks for that Dad! Well, it was great being able to hear from you twice in 24 hours. Keep up the hard work, you're the best.  I love you Dad. Have a great week, I will talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, so this was a good week, but a tough week. It is hard being doubled in to a new area right after being doubled out of another (hahahaha) who woulda thought?! 

Elder Bosworth is a great missionary. He is pretty mature, but still loves to joke around some, so that is good. He is great. He is the District Leader. We are in a district with the West Chester Sisters. We cover the ward and split it between the two companionships. Elder B and I cover the west half. The members are very helpful from what I can tell so far. That guy I told you about yesterday, Brother F, is awesome. We mow his lawn every week and he loves us. He told us we made a really good first impression with how I cut his lawn, so there you have it--cutting lawns pre-mission did help with preparing me for my mission hahaha. 

It was pretty hard leaving Englewood. I love a lot of those members so much!  They are so cool. The S family I will have to keep in contact with--they are awesome. That is good Libby is feeling better. I forgot it was Cinco de Mayo and ate a samwich hahahaha. Not that i would have cooked something anyway! hahaha 

That is cool Jake has a summer job and apartment, good for him. I bet that was a fun Saturday up in Logan hahaha. I am glad Jake gets to go visit his mission. That would be way cool to do a trip like that with you guys when I get back. I hope it is fun, that will be awesome. Hopefully little Baby T comes soon! hahaha 

It sounds like you had some good talks in church for Mother's Day. It is cool you got to go to the Care Center, I love the people there. Thanks for telling me the cool story about the Western Red Cedar boat wood, that is cool, thanks Mom. I know that as we use the Doctrine of Christ and the atonement to change us, we can become better and come closer to Christ and be ready to meet him at the last day. I know that as we do what He has asked us, we will be blessed as well.

One thing for my birthday--I could use some more of those Nike socks, size 6-8, the mediums. That would be sick! The ones I have are wearing out soon.

I have to go now Mom, it was great to hear from you! I love you Mom, have a great day! and week! Talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek