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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek

Connersville is a little town

Indianapolis temple 

Connersville is shaped like Utah! 

July 3rd, 2017 Emails

Hi Dad, it has been a good week. my comp's name is Elder Jasinski, and he is from Seattle. he has been out 8 months and we have a lot in common haha. he is the same type of mischievous person i am--he likes making things and tearing stuff apart like me haha. we have a good time together. as for the new teaching pool, there is not a whole lot, but we have a few people we are working with. there is a couple from Batesville. When i was there at the beginning of my mission, i taught the new member lessons to the wife, and now we are teaching the husband. he is way excited to be baptized, so we are trying to help him do better with reading the Book of Mormon.  we are also teaching a guy who is a member referral, named D. he has been coming to church every week for several weeks now, and only has questions about Joseph Smith, but he is coming along. we are also trying to help him read more, because....well, that's why he has questions about Joseph smith, 'cause he struggles to do the reading. 

there is also a kid in the ward who comes every single week, but his mom won't let him be baptized til he turns 18, which is not too far distant--it's this winter. he even brings bread for the sacrament. we have been working with his mom a little bit. 

we are a biking and walking area now, because as of last Monday, the other elders wrecked the car up in Muncie. so it will be in the shop for a long time, and we probably won't have one this transfer. so i get to get back in shape, which i am happy about! haha. that was fun to be able to see Nicole and Brig at transfers haha. Brig was so puzzled till he started to figure it out haha. then he was just pointing and smiling, and he also got to meet the Connellys, which that was super cool to see them. F is doing well, and still has his regular sense of humor. 

we have been doing some service for the members lately too. it's a very small ward, like only 40 attend on average. there is a man who just moved in and is renovating his house, so i got to help him install the toilet haha. then he drove us around in his BMW, which is souped up a lot, and man it's quick. 

sounds like you're pretty busy at work, that is fun haha. hopefully it's not too crazy for very long. it has been very warm and humid here too, so it has been just stuffy all week. of course the Reds are doing terrible, that does not surprise me haha. 

thank you for sharing that talk from President Nielson. that is interesting, because what we do as missionaries is help people to see their divine potential.  when you understand that and the plan of salvation, there is so much more joy, hope, and happiness. people don't understand the real potential they have, and it's sad when they are just fine with where they are at. we can become so much better than we are today, if we just accept the gospel and apply the doctrine of Christ in our lives. 

i am so grateful for being able to repent and change, so that i can become better. this gospel is such a blessing to our lives, and i am so glad to share those blessings with others. it is so cool to see people change their lives. thank you Dad for all you do for me! i love you Dad! have a great week! talk to you later! 

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! it was a good week! me and my comp get along really well, and Connersville is a little town--i mean really little--so it's pretty fun. the ward is tiny, and that makes it interesting too. there are some awesome people in this ward, and i am excited to get to know them better. 

Sister Anders is a really nice lady, she feeds us weekly, so expect to have some pics sent weekly haha. the honey stick is like a Otter pop, but with honey, and when you bite the end honey comes out. it was pretty good. 

me and my comp like the same things, and get along really well. it's nice as well to be able to walk and bike and burn some energy. even if it is really hot, it's still nice. we live on a huge hill, so we get to walk up and down the steepest hill i have seen in a minute, every day! haha. for the 4th, we have to be in by 7 pm, and i have to be on a conference call during that time for training. fun for me! 

the biggest challenge will be having lots of people to teach. Connersville has a history behind it, and a lot of people have already been talked to, so it's going to take some hard work to find people. not having a car to get to the little towns surrounding us is a challenge as well. everyone knows i am leaving soon, so they look at me like i should be a perfect missionary, so maybe i can help them with that, 'cause that is far from the truth! haha 

that was so awesome to see Nicole and Brig. i was talking to another member when they arrived, and i just saw them out of the corner of my eye, and i was like "no fetchin' way!" hahaha it was super funny how puzzled Briggy was, cause you could tell he knew something was up, but when he realized who i was, he was just smiling and pointing at me. it was too bad i couldn't hold him!  it was really nice to see them both, and it was no problem at all. the Connellys even met them, so that was super cool. they really liked Brig haha. 

that is crazy you had your knee done a whole year ago, and really good that you have still been using the exercise bike. i bet it does help a lot. that will be fun to visit Logan. oh heck yeah, i am pumped about camping when i get home! everywhere in Connersville, they seem to love cooking over coals outside, so it always smells super good like camping,--it drives me nuts haha. i want to build a fire so bad sometimes!

that sounds like you will have a good girls' camp, that will be fun. we had good church meetings yesterday. Elder J and i had been challenged to bear our testimonies by Elder Dyches, on some pretty specific points, so we made it a point to do that yesterday. it really helped the meeting be missionary focused. it was really cool to see the impact it had. the ward is starting to get really excited to help, and there are a few members who help us on the daily. it's awesome to see. it is so cool to be a missionary and to help others feel the spirit. the Lord has plans for each and every one of us, and he sends his missionaries out to help bring about those plans. he gives us the privilege of taking part in it. it is such a blessing to me. i love being able to share the testimony i have--it may be simple, but it is a lot stronger because of my mission. i love being able to share those experiences. 

well, thank you Mom, for all you do for me! i love you so much! have a great week! i will talk to you later! have a happy 4th!

Elder Sedlacek

Last transfer!

 

June 26, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

June 12, 2017 Emails

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

Baptism!

May 15th Emails

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek

I am excited to see what happens

"They actually say 'set' here instead of 'sit'! :) 

Brand new puppies! 

hi Dad, it has been a good week. General Conference was super awesome. i received so much revelation for mission life, and surprisingly post mission too. just some things that i will do to help keep me grounded and safe. we did get a new investigator, named C who came to watch the second session on Saturday. he is super into scouts, like HUGE into scouts. he is 21 and helps out with Anderson's local troop a lot. we are excited to help him see the fruits of the gospel, and he will have many friends for us to teach. he seemed to really like it, and was excited to meet with us again. he even biked to the church to get there because he doesn't have a car. 

we did not find a whole lot this week, but we went back to see M & L, and their husband/Dad is NOT fond of missionaries, so we have to stay clear of there for a while. we were kinda bummed about that. we saw D & K yesterday, and really helped them learn more about the Book of Mormon, so we hope they are reading it. we have not been able to see J, he has been busy and also sick.  we watched all the sessions at the church. 

that is really cool to see all those people from different backgrounds around the world. we really are blessed, i have really come to know this from the areas i have served in. it's so nice to be able to live around so many people with the same standards. 

that is cool you're getting so much finished with the floors and everything. hopefully, you will have fun in San Diego! 

i don't know if i have a favorite talk, i really liked how all the talks flowed from the nature of Heavenly Father and his plan of happiness, to spiritual improvement and listening to the guidance we receive. i will think of a favorite for next week. sorry, i can't think much right now, i have some food poisoning or some bug that i picked up last night. i feel a lot better but i am still really weak. well, thank you Dad for all your support! i love you so much, have a great time on vacation!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom, it was a pretty good week. i wrote about investigators to Dad. we did get one to conference-- that was super cool, especially since we had just barely taught him the restoration a few days ago. 

time is going by so fast, it is crazy! i got a lot of direction for the rest of my mission and some guidelines and rules for myself after the mission. the rules i have won't be easy, but i know i have to have them, 'cause God told me to. my favorite quote: "I never said it would be easy, I said it would be worth it."  

i absolutely loved General Conference, i felt the spirit so much! it is always humbling to feel the spirit confirm that God is proud of me and i am doing the right things. it was an interesting experience. we got to watch all the sessions at the church, it was nice. 

i did get the test strips! thanks so much for the treats! yes, i got the blue pair of pants. i did not have a return address thingy for the other pair, but i have been slimming back down, so they should fit better pretty soon. 

i actually don't have a favorite talk yet, although i really liked  S. Mark Palmer's! i have had a similar experience as those missionaries, just not with obedience issues. the rich young man parable was referenced a lot, i really like that and the story about when Jesus calls his apostles. they literally just dropped everything, and ran. the Bible video of it is amazing by the way. there were a lot of great talks, but the one thing that really stuck out to me from the first, was when Pres. Eyring was speaking. it finally hit me, that i am a true extension of Him to declare the truth. i made me sad to think i will be done soon. it has reinvigorated the missionary spirit in me. i am so grateful to have the opportunity to serve as a missionary and to feel the spirit all the time, and to see so many blessings each day, and best of all to teach the gospel. thank you for sending me on a mission!

that must have been cool to have some food cooked by Carli, i always like the South American desserts like flan and stuff. she's right, it is so important to communicate! the reason me and Elder Payne got along so great was because we communicated so well. 

that must have been really fun to have everyone home for conference. that is always a fun experience. hahaha that is so funny about Molly, she is such a diva, but she is not assertive about it at all except to us hahaha. that is funny. 

Elder Hammond and i are staying put this transfer! i am happy to stay another transfer. in the blessing Elder H gave me to help me early this morning when i was really sick, i was promised success and that i have been prepared for this, it was super awesome. i am excited to see what happens.

well, got to go now Mom, thanks for everything! love you all so much! talk to you later!

-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

Life really is meant to be enjoyed

hey Dad! it was a good week. we found a few new investigators this week, and that was awesome. we are pretty much having to purge our teaching pool right now--some people need some more time to wait. we did find a guy, J***, and when we showed up he was either drunk or really hungover. i guess the previous elders had taught him a lot, so we set an appointment, and hopefully he keeps it. we also worked with some part member families. we are teaching a member's son, S****, who believes in Viking gods, but he seems very unsatisfied with it and has a lot of questions, so we taught him about the restoration. we set up another appointment for tonight, so hopefully that goes well.

the sisters in our ward hosted a dinner on Saturday for less actives and non members, so that we could get some fellowship. we got D there, so that was awesome. not as many members showed as we would have liked, but it was a decent turnout. we did not get anyone to church this week, but we should be able to soon. 

i loved the Zone conference--i always like those, plus Elder Huemann gave his departing testimony at ours, so it was cool to see him before he ends his mission. he said he would be at my homecoming so we will see haha. 

another cool experience this week: there's a new restoration video, and we saw it, it's amazing! it is such a down to earth approach in my opinion, and it really strengthened my testimony. i recommend watching it. 

the way we think and our level of happiness is really a choice, i have learned that on my mission. there are times where things don't go as planned, or they don't work out at all, and you can either choose to be positive or you can feel down about it, but being down won't help anything. life really is meant to be enjoyed and i find if i am too serious or too high strung, it's not nearly as enjoyable. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy, we just have to choose to be.

that's not good the teams lost haha. hopefully they play better next time. thanks for the bracket, you should get it soon! that's crazy you are now getting to do those international calls, that will be fun haha. yeah, the weather has sucked lately! hahaha in Indiana there is a huge wind problem, so it gets cold like this and the wind starts blowing. it makes it so cold that i had to break out the thermals again hahaha. we were actually going fishing today, but had to cancel since it's too cold (obviously i did not make that choice haha) that is fun you got to go shooting. good work on the floors! thank you Dad! i love you! have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

hi Mom! it was a good week. i wrote to Dad about the investigators we found, and we found a few, so that was nice. the Zone conference we had this past week was really good. Sister Welch started it off by talking about chastisement, so i was like, ooh this will be good hahaha. i think it is safe to say that most of the missionaries were rebuked a little, if you can call it that. because when i say rebuke, i mean realizing something we should repent of, or change, stop doing, or simply to work on. i had some impressions about what i could work on, not outwardly, but more internal, with the way i look at things. so that was good. 

i pretty much wrote everything that happened that i can think of right now to Dad. you luckies, its all warm there, it should go back to being warm here pretty quick. i bet you are having fun waiting for the floors to be done, right? hahaha i bet it will look really nice! 

that is crazy Carli is home now haha, i bet it is weird for her. i still remember those days when i was so shy i would hide my face. you would always have to tell me to stop doing that hahaha. 

probably my favorite part of this week was the fellowship dinner the Sisters came up with, that was a really good idea. my fave teaching moment was a funny one i guess, we met a guy from Kentucky--he was a hick hahaha. he talked with us for a moment while he was filling the porch with smoke (blech) and told us about how his grand-daughter passed away recently, and he was really upset because of feeling like God lets things like that happen that hurt people. i hate when people feel that way, cause it's not true at all, it all depends on how you look at it. we bore a simple testimony that God loves all his children, and tried to explain trials to him. it was just a good learning experience for me i guess, those always help to strengthen my testimony. 

that sounds like a cool experience you had, that is pretty cool. i find that when impressions come, Satan will always be there to fill us with crap and try to discourage us. i find that happens to me a lot, but if we remember what it says in Moroni 7:13 (i think) it tells us about thoughts and impressions. it helps me a lot. that is cool you had that happen.  

well, it sounds like y'all had a good week, that is good to hear. that's about all i have for the week.

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

Elder Sedlacek