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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

Lots of rain adds up to some flooding. 

May 22, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-ELDER SEDLACEK

Marriage is like rubbing two stones together to knock off the rough parts. Same story on a mission--it's life training!

Not sure what this is! 

Broke yet another gripper. 

Mountain biking for p-day! 

May 1st Emails

hey Dad! it's been another good week. can't believe it's already May though. C came to church yesterday, he is still working on his probation, so hopefully he gets that done really soon. we found a bunch of new people this week, which was good. we pretty much dropped J, and a few other people who are just not ready right now. 

yesterday especially was a great finding day, despite the hurricane force rain hahaha. it came in waves ;) we met a really cool guy named J. as we were walking up to his door, it was dumping, and i was like "yes! he will invite us in" (cause he did not have much of a porch). then second thoughts of doubt, like "nah, he won't," but he did! we taught him the restoration and it went really well. we also met a guy who is coming out of being homeless, and wants to meet with us mostly cause he has a huge crush on a younger woman in the ward hahaha. 

we met a guy named O, and man, he came to the door for the first lesson, and he looked just like Hancock! if you don't know who that is, look up a pic on Google. it was pretty awesome. he has some good promise as well, because he is trying to turn his life around. C is doing well, but it is worrying me because he doesn't have a solid fellow-shipper. i fasted for a good fellow-shipper to come along, but not really many people are reaching out. i want to take the focus off of us so badly. 

sounds like you had  a good week between the gym and the floors haha. that is good you're getting some exercise. i got my share today, ran 5 miles, and then went mountain biking an hour later, it was great! i caught some really good air a few times haha. it's not real "mountains" of course, but the hills make some good whoops and stuff. it has rained a lot here too, it's back to the monsoon-type crap ;). that is super cool about the Jazz winning round 1! that is so funny that Brig likes chocolate milk so much, he sounds like a funny little guy. 

that is so cool that Adam got his call, you will have to tell him congrats for me. speaking ASL would be pretty cool! that is so true about the comfort in the growth zone. i have seen that especially true over the course of my mission. Heavenly Father loves us, and wants us to grow, and have big spiritual muscles. each area and companion i have served with, i know is for a reason, if nothing else to help me change in certain ways. each one has had specific challenges and has made me have to recognize my weaknesses and then i can work on that particular thing, and do my very best to accomplish the purpose i have there. it makes a mission more fun when you recognize that the hard parts are for something specific Heavenly Father wants to add or remove from us. 

a wise hick once told me that marriage is like rubbing two rough stones together to knock off the rough parts. same story here on a mission. it's life training! hahaha. i also like the goals and planning, that was part of the personal revelation i received last week. i will send a pic of my planner hahaha. Pres. Welch helped to hammer this in to me. if you don't understand where you want to go, and you don't have a goal of when or how you want to get there, and plan to back it up, you won't get there. setting goals with God, is the best way to accomplish something, and then you come up with a plan and trust that God will direct your path or help you change your plan, he will help you achieve any righteous goal. i know that is true, i am still on track for my mission baptism goal, and there is not much that i have done to really make that happen, i just set the goal that God wanted me to set, and i try my best. i know this gospel is here to bless our lives, and if we live by its precepts, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. thanks for emailing me Dad, i love you! have a great week! talk later!

Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been a good week. yep, we have had some crazy rain, like hurricane force rain hahaha just without the wind, but hey, that's Indiana in the Spring! that's crazy about the hail around Bro. P's house. i did notice some leaves all over the running trail this morning, so i bet we got some last night, but i didn't see it.  

that would be super fun to have Jeff & Nicole come see me before i head home. i would just contact the mission office, i am sure they would love to set that up. that would be awesome. who knows, maybe i will get down to Bellbrook for my last area? that would be cool. 

we had a good week, we did find a few new people, mostly a bunch of crazy Hoosiers! hahaha. a few have some promise, like J, who has a small family. that would be cool to teach them. we also found a lady named B, she is a pretty cool lady, she is older, late 50's (and i just realized i called you both old hahahaha, whoops! just kidding, you're not old). she is showing some good promise, we have another appointment with her tonight. 

i know i always write about the area stuff to Dad, but your emails are always my favorite hahaha. don't tell Dad. ;) 

i definitely had a tender mercy, as a few prayers of mine were answered in a very nice personal way. my favorite person was probably the guy who looked like Hancock, he was a pretty cool guy! one challenge was a few days when we just ran out of things to do, so we just did out best to come up with something. that is where you really have to rely on the Spirit to guide you, but often times you are the one to act first, then the Spirit will tell you if what you're doing is right and the best thing you could be doing or not. 

that is funny about Brig and Grandpa's chocolate milk and the walking! i bet that is fun to see him doing that. he sounds like a funny little kid. that is cool about the Williams' and Adam's mission calls. if Adam still looks young like me, then yep, he should expect a lot of crap from people hahaha. you get used to it though, i usually don't care anymore. one guy made fun of me for "looking like Little House on the Prairie"--what the crap does that mean?! hahaha but hey, you just learn to forgive and forget i guess. 

it's so true, the gospel is really just learning how to be like our greatest example. the gospel teaches us how to be like the Savior. the commandments and the rules and laws we live by, are not just to help us be good people, they are helping us be more Christ-like. the blessings come after we have put the effort in to following him, they are gifts for doing what's right. we don't necessarily earn them, but we are qualifying for them. there are so many blessings that the Lord can bestow upon us, and so much joy we will feel if we just choose to follow his example. i know that Christ is the only means of salvation and true lasting happiness in this life, and serving a mission is a huge blessing that has helped to teach me that. i know this gospel is the way, and i am so grateful for it.

alright, well got to go now, thanks Mom! you're the best! have a wonderfully awesome week! talk to you next week!

-Elder Sedlacek

I am lucky to serve a mission!

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

Enjoying a feast of chicken wings.

Emails from March 27, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

Gratitude is a mind set.

Emails from March 20, 2017

hey Dad! it was a good week. we did find more people to teach again, which was awesome. S and W dropped us, that really stunk, but they are obviously not ready right now. we did find an awesome guy named J. 

we saw a house with a mustang II out front, like an old one that is still original, it was cool! so we decided to ask the owner about it, and he came out, we asked a few questions and introduced the gospel to him, and set a return appointment. we went back and taught the restoration, and he had lots of good questions. he plans on coming to church, hopefully this week. we have another appointment tonight. we found a bunch of potentials (people who have appointments with us) and that was super cool, so hopefully those go well. i really do enjoy finding, but it can be tough when people don't keep the appointments. 

we did not get anyone to church--J got a new job, and we are passing D to the sisters cause it's so hard to meet with her since she is a single lady, we thought the sisters would have an easier time meeting with her. 

that is super cool Mia sang in church, is that her first time? that sounds like an awesome talk Carli gave, the atonement is an awesome topic. part of why i love the Doctrine and Covenants so much is cause it's all about missionary work and service in the church, and it has lots of cool deeper doctrine hahaha. i think of missions as the boot camp for life, they help you ground yourself and train yourself spiritually and physically to survive. we also learn how to endure and serve in the church. 

nice work on the floors, they look really nice! i bet that was fun. we moved a guy this week, who had tons of chunks of black walnut wood. that would be perfect for turning huge bowls. it made me laugh, 'cause i was the only one who knew what wood it was--cause of you hahaha.  

gratitude is a mind set. i have to always work on that. the joy and happiness we feel and the love for our Heavenly Father is a choice. we have to try to be thankful to feel thankful. when i am looking for the blessings and God's hand in my life, i see a lot more of it, and that helps to bring me closer to God. i am so grateful i have the opportunity to teach others about the restored gospel. the gospel makes so much sense, and it has brought me closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. i am so grateful for them and all they do to bless me. thanks, Dad, for everything you do, too! love you Dad!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! it has been another good week. i did get the pants, and about the other ones, they did not come with a return label, what should i do? i have maybe two more vials of strips i think, not sure i really need anything right now, thank you Mom! 

we did find a few more people this week, that was awesome. our efforts are starting to pay off a little more. we have been working lists like crazy, we even had an Elder who went home 'a minute ago' send us some names of the people he used to teach. we  are finding that some of the people who weren't ready back then, are more prepared now. it is so cool to see the Lord's timing work like that. 

we did not get anyone to church again this week, that is the real struggle we are facing, we are trying to get some chapel tours set up so we can help them come to church. Elder Hammond and I get along pretty well, we are working together well, so that is good. he is a really good guy. 

one tender mercy: i had a bad earache through the middle of the week, so i had to spend a bunch of my funds on medicine for that, and that took a chunk out of my food money. then i randomly happened to find a bunch of money the other day, so i was able to still get all the stuff i need--that was awesome!! another cool thing, a guy from Noblesville came to church yesterday because his son is in our ward, and that was cool to see him. there are always the daily answers to prayers i get. the best part of the week was probably the last few days before the weekend, we were able to talk to a lot of people. my favorite person was probably J, who we found this week. 

the atonement really is such a great gift we have been given, and it's free, we just have to accept it. we can receive so much strength from it, it gives us the power to do anything we need. Christ loves us so much and you can really feel that love for others if you understand your role as a missionary. i am so grateful to be able to witness Christ's love being manifest through the gospel to others every single day. thanks Mom!

well, i got to go. thank you for everything you do Mom! i hope you have a great day! and week! love you so much!

-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. 

We corralled some cows while wearing our missionary clothes. It probably looked really funny, but it was fun.

hey Dad, it was a pretty decent week. i am glad you enjoyed the birthday card hahaha! it made me laugh.  so for transfer news, i am staying here and my new comp will be Elder Nelson--a different one. he is a good guy; i served around him in Englewood when he was trained in Dayton. so that is good news. 

we did find two new people at the end of the week, one a super awesome referral that wanted a Book of Mormon, and another a guy who just up and walked into the church yesterday! so we set a return appointment with him. we will see what he is like. that was a super awesome miracle to see both of those, i have tried so hard and Heavenly Father helped by putting them in our path. 

as for the teaching pool, B**** has started reading the Book of Mormon, so that is super cool. we did not get to meet with him this week though, so we will try in a few days when he is not busy. we had another appointment with the S family. that was super cool, they are a part-member family and hopefully they start progressing soon. the other new person we found two weeks ago, S*****, we got back in contact with him, and set an appointment, so there is still some ground to be broken there. i think that is mostly it for the investigators, other than another part-member family. the guy's wife is the non-member and they are starting to look more seriously into her joining the church. 

that is super cool you got to take Libby out duck hunting again. too bad you did not get anything though. hahaha you know what they say, anything you can't kill becomes smarter. hahaha  

we have been getting a lot of the recent converts to study the conference talks lately. i just wish i could get them more easily, it costs a lot to print them off at the library. it does help us to learn a lot from their words when we study them over and over again. you can always find something new. dang it sounds like the Utes are playing a lot better lately, that is super cool. and the Aggies having a bye, we will take it hahaha. i heard the results of the Colts game--hey it at least makes souvenirs cheaper for me hahaha. 

i like that thought, it really helps to benefit all of us to take a step back and focus on the bigger picture, so that we can gain a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. it really helps to cement the gospel in our lives, and we can build everything else off of that. taking a step back is something i have to remind myself to do frequently, but i have noticed when i do i am in tune with the spirit a lot more, and my faith and testimony grow a lot faster. thank you for that thought Dad. thank you again for all you do! i hope you have a wonderful birthday Dad! enjoy it! i love you Dad, have a great day and week! talk to you later!

Elder Sedlacek III

hey Mom,  it has been a good week. for transfer news, i am staying and receiving an Elder Nelson, who i have served around. a different one this time--there are many Elder Nelsons in my mission! hahaha 

we did find two new investigators this week, it was a miracle. i wrote about it in Dad's email. it was super awesome to have! 

thanks so much for sending that stuff mom, you're the best! for the sweater colors, just a grey one and maybe a nice brown. whatever would look nice with black pants and stuff. have you been able to find the little plastic strips that go in shirt collars? if not that is okay. 

sounds like you have quite the job at the school hahaha, i bet it is fun to deal with those crazy kids hahaha. that is super cool about your knee, it sounds like you will be a new mom when i come home hahaha. i bet it will be as good as new when i get home! it will be fun to be able to hike the red rocks in the spring too, that is super cool. sounds like the ward is getting a lot of knee work done! 

that is also super cool that SG and AM are going on missions! that is awesome, they will both do great! that is funny you mention charity. i have really noticed an increased amount lately for those we teach, probably to prep me to lead the area. i was studying in 2 Corinthians this morning, and i came across a verse that said faith is motivated by love. everything that we have in the gospel, is motivated by love. the whole plan of salvation is a plan of love, the most basic doctrines of the gospel are centered on a love for the Savior and that love gives us the motivation to build our faith in Him and to be obedient to Him. i am truly grateful to be a missionary. to just be able to focus on what really matters and to help others to do the same is amazing. 

i am so grateful for this gospel, but that statement means so much more than what it meant when i started my mission. this gospel has blessed my life so much and i am so grateful for it, i know it is all true. 

now for a story, our ward mission leader owns some cows. he took us up to see his cows briefly while we were out teaching and we ended up corralling them while in our missionary clothes. it probably looked really funny, but it was fun. i may look into working on  a farm while i attend USU BABY! you can bet your bottom dollar i will go there! hahaha

thanks Mom for all you do! i love you Mom! talk to you later!

Elder Sedlacek

We ate some cactus and it's a miracle we found some, cause, well hello! It's Ohio!

August 15, 2016 Emails

hey Dad, so it was a good week. i have never thought about praying for a good week in particular, just a good successful day, but i will try that. so J** fell off date of the 20th, so she is moved to the 3rd of September. hopefully she can do it sooner, but unfortunately she had a small relapse on smoking. we will see how that works out. M**** is doing well, she is now thinking about being baptized in September so she is working towards choosing a date--she should have one soon. she is fixing a lot of the issues that she has and is showing a great amount of faith. it is great to see! T** was not able to make it to church this week because he was working. he works at a grocery store chain out here. we had a really good chat with him about why he meets with us, and he really is working towards making his life better, and has really felt closer to God as we have been meeting with him. he is doing better at keeping his commitments now, which is good. the others we have talked to are making their way along. one of the new investigators we found last week, asked us to give them a blessing and that was a cool experience. 

one miracle we had this week, was when M**** wanted to move up her prospective date from Januray to September. that was awesome, the Spirit can do amazing things! we also did a fun service project hauling loads of mulch up and down a hill in to a guy's backyard and dumping it back there, it was super fun. 

that is good you had a good week at work Dad. although not good with the demand, i remember with having to deal with min-max's at Hobby Town, that stuff is a pain to me. hahaha hopefully you will be able to catch up now. 

that is so crazy that Jeff's brother is home now, that is weird. it is so crazy to see the pics of the girls! man, have Mia and Libby grown, holy crap! it is even more weird that i will be home in a year! gross! hahaha. 

here in the greatest OCM, we teach about the Spirit, before anything else. i like the scripture Moroni 7:13, it talks about how the Spirit invites and entices us to do good continually. that is one of the major blessings that we can receive, is the will and desire to do good, as we listen to the Spirit. we were talking to a guy from downtown yesterday and he was asking me if i had ever seen a man "receive the Spirit" and i knew instantly he was another Pentecostal. i said, "that depends on what you call receiving the Spirit", then i explained Galatians 5:22 to him. the Spirit really does bring peace to our souls and our minds when things are not going well, or when trials and challenges stand in our way. we turn to the lessons we have been taught that we truly are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and he loves us enough to speak to us through the Holy Spirit. we truly can rely on that influence to guide our lives, and i know that is true. thanks for all you do for me Pops! have a great week! i love you Dad! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, so it was another good week as usual. the days are long, but the weeks fly by like days, and the months turn to weeks. it is weird, i remember Jake saying that. i just remember sitting in ward council each week, and suddenly i am there again, it is crazy. 

i did get the package, thanks so much! the steak strips are so good, they are always a special treat! thank you! and the speaker is a nice tool, i knew i should have just taken it anyway. i will keep looking for a blue & white paisley tie, hahaha, you just keep recovering Mom. 

probably the hardest thing that happened this week was showing up to a baptism and having M**** not be there, but then the next day we took her to another one, she just forgot about the first one. one tender mercy was having an awesome meal appointment last night. i told the member about Dad's bear rug fever and they liked that! hahaha it was just a fun meal appointment, it gave us some time to relax for 45 mins. 

i am really happy about your knee becoming more and more mobile, that is really good. that is good you are starting to sleep better too. you will eventually get there. that is weird that Jeff's brother is home now, that is crazy. good that he was able to get a little taller, i have been meaning to measure myself but i keep forgetting haha. there is a reason that they say patience is a virtue. i am working on my patience right now too. i was reading about it this morning, and patience is so important for us, we not only have to be patient with others but with ourselves. i am working on being patient with myself and others. we can often get caught up in the fact that we are not good enough, or our other faults, when we really have to be focusing on improving those things. doing the opposite will only tear us down and make life harder and more miserable. if the Lord can be patient with me, than i can be patient with me hahaha. well, sorry there isn't much else to update, do you have any questions to ask me? feel free to ask, it is hard for me to spit out a whole week on a page, so i do miss stuff that happened hahaha.

Mom: What did you do for p-day last week? What was your really good dinner appointment?

we actually went to Get Air last week, that was super fun. the Get Air they have out here has a bunch of American Ninja Warrior stuff on it, and it was super fun! the members fed us some really good green beans, which i absolutely love now! hahah also some sweet corn and pasta with a meat sauce that you pour on top, it was really good. then he showed me his Mormon Doctrine book. i need one haha!

we ate some cactus we found this morning at the other Elders' apartment, which is a miracle we found some, cause, well hello, it's Ohio!

Mom: Cactus? I didn't know you could eat it. Is it good?

Elder Erickson had eaten some before, and it's good. it tastes kinda like kiwi. i like it!

well, i have to go now Mom! thanks so much for emailing me and for all you do! you're the best Mom! i love you and everyone else too! talk to you later! i just remembered i forgot to answer Sarah, sorry Sarah! next week! i read it though! bye!

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

The ability to choose is a huge blessing

hey dad, so it has been a good week. we did see some cool miracles. we had one day that was super hard--everything, everything, fell through! it was tough. the next day we went out to contact a referral, who was not home, so we 225'd the place and we knocked on a lady's door. she immediately said "oh, i have a church already" but we offered to share a message with her and she said no. so we gave her a card and then walked away. as we were walking away the door opened back up and she came out and told us to come back on another day! we were just like, "woah, that was sudden!" haha it was super cool. 

thanks for your prayers, they have definitely helped. all of our investigators made it to church yesterday, even M's son who does not like church. that was super cool. we almost got the meeting with President Porter--he was ready to come out and then one hour before, Ms J cancelled on us, it was discouraging. 

thanks for the advice dad, we will change that so we try to help people see what they can do for the church. that sounds like you had fun watching the baby! hahaha and you enjoyed your new kayak, that must have been pretty fun. that is too bad with the Utes losing, darn. that is so crazy that Sam and Jeremy are both home now, that is insane! hahaha i bet they enjoyed having a "companion" so they could feel some what "normal" hahaha i am glad mom got her answer for the surgery, it will all go well. that is super funny about you and Craig having grand babies at the same time, almost the same age! you two are pretty much brothers! hahaha. 

i like that talk from president monson. one of my companions believed in a set destiny, so you are already going where you are going no matter what. but that is not true, you have the ability to choose because of the Savior, he may know us perfectly but he still allows us to choose because he loves us. the ability to choose is a huge blessing, you can learn so much and learn a lot about Heavenly Father. the plan of salvation is the best. thanks for all your support, I love you dad! keep up the good work, grandpa dad! talk to you later! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey mom, so this was a good week. we worked really hard. we didn't see as much success from it as we would have liked, but that will come soon enough. i wrote about church in dad's email. we did not get to meet with M this week because no members were available to come with us, so we didn't have a third male. our plan is to meet with her this week and we will be giving her a baptism date. 

i can't believe i am almost 19 either, you and me both. it is weird to think. i wrote about a miracle that happened this week in dad's email. it was super grace. my favorite person we talked to was the former member we are teaching, brother R. he is a cool guy. i have seen the prayers helping, thanks so much! 

that is good the girls are out of school now, i am sure that they are happy about that. that is super cool that you got your answer about the knee surgery, the Lord will take care of everything. see, you will always, if you go in the right mind set, get an answer that you need in sacrament meeting. it is the most important ordinance we do in the church--the only one we do for ourselves, over and over and over. 

i am sure you have loved being with the baby and Nicole, i bet that is fun, i hope you enjoy your drive today. that will be cool to have GAs at stake conference, that is awesome! it is super crazy that Sam and Jeremy are home now, that is weird! and super cool that Seth got his call. 

well, this week is already going great, we went to get our groceries and we were walking back with them and some random return missionary pulls up in a HUGE F350 with lift and everything. he let us in and gave us a ride to our apartment, so that was super grace as well, because we were already running late. the Lord is like, happy birthday Elder Sedlacek! hahaha

enjoy the pic of this country! sorry, i forgot to take a lot of pics this week. hahaha that is pretty much what most of my area is like, it is beautiful! and yes, that is how most of the roads are as well. hahaha

so how are you doing?

Mom: I am doing great! We are at Brig's two week check up, waiting for his turn. He's so cute!!

Elder Sed: that is good, he is looking pretty healthy!

Mom: Yep, he's doing great. 

What are you doing for p-day? 

Elder Sed: we have a zone p-day today, so we will be going to Hamilton to do something that supposedly costs only $5 bucks to do, so it should be good hahaha and guess what? i am enjoying a salad hahaha, they are pretty nice to eat, those salads. hahaha who would a thought?

well, i have to go now mom, thanks for emailing me, thanks for the birthday wishes and everything else! i love you guys so much, have a great week and day! 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