"Mission brain"

"Ask the missionaries. They can help!"

What's up Mama,

My week was pretty good. It felt like a long time between last Tuesday and now. We moved to our new apartment (that is super nice) on Saturday. The new address of our apartment is _____.

The apartment is so nice inside. We have a dishwasher that I figured out how to start for like the first time in my life haha. I don't ever remember starting one in my life but maybe I did. Anyways, I know how to now hahahaha--as sad as that is to say hahaha. My birthday was fun, too. I got some gifts from Grandpa and Grandma D, and Ann & Jim, so make sure to tell them thanks for me. We ate all my cake and it was super good. It was a good birthday.

I bet the cabin was really fun. I love the fall colors, but up here the leaves aren't really changing yet. Maybe it's just a different climate. There just aren't many trees either, so maybe they would be more noticeable if there were more. 

I bet Mia is having fun in the play. Sounds like you guys are going to be VERY busy this holiday season haha. I bet you're going to have so much fun going from this to that, and then everywhere else.

I wish I could have seen the temple dedication. We will have to go to that temple when I get home. It looked really pretty. Did they do the dedication for church like they did for the past couple dedications?

Mom: So it seemed like a long week, huh? That’s funny. When we got back home last night, everyone said it felt like we’d been gone a long time haha.

I’m glad you are all moved! Sounds like a nice place. You’ll have to take some pics. I will send your SD cards back to you asap so you can do that.

Well, I’m glad you REMEMBERED how to start a dishwasher, because I’m pretty sure I had you do it at least once haha.

Yes, the dedication took the place of church, so that was nice. It really was a great meeting. All of us kept saying how awesome it was. 

Elder Sed: I did take lots of pics of the apartment, so when you send the SD cards back I will send one to you.

Did you get the letter I sent with the Ross card in it?

I bet you did show me how to start a dishwasher, but it's been 14 months without doing it so I was out of touch okay haha. Mission brain.

Mom: Okay, good boy on the pics haha.

Yes, I checked the mail this morning, realizing that Saturday’s mail was still in it, and your letter was there! That was great to get one after all this time! 

Elder Sed: Yes I try to be a good boy and take pics so grandma Sed won't kill me hahaha!

That's good you got the letter. I am just really, really bad at sitting down and writing an actual letter.

I am glad that you guys are doing well. Thanks for all that you do for me. I love all you guys! Missions are the bomb. Just wanted you to know that hahaha. Have a great week!

Love ya,

-Elder Sedlacek

What's up Dad,
I am doing good, and it sounds like you guys are too. I bet it was
super fun to go see all those deer and bears. It's been along time
since I have seen anything other than a bird or a white tail deer
haha. oh and ducks and geese. I see those all the time with the
river close by.

My week was pretty good. We moved this week, and with the temple
earlier in the week it was pretty busy. We did get lots of
tracting in, which was fun because that is where all  the stories come from.
Needless to say, there are still some crazy people in the world. hahaha. 

One of which was a lady who was staring out her window at us
and when we came up to her door she came outside and started talking
to us. She was really awkward and would pause for like 40-50 seconds
right in the middle of when she was talking, and then tell us exactly what
Jesus said to her, to tell us. She told us we are saved and we're going
to heaven so we don't even have to try anymore haha. That was
interesting to hear. She also talked about the devil watching
her through the red blinking light on her smoke detector. It was just
a very, very interesting conversation haha. I am sure you had some of
those on your mission.

As far as our investigators go, we were able to meet with _______

this week. It was going really well, till a bunch of teens
from their church showed up and ruined the whole lesson. It ended up
with _____ very closed-minded and not willing to listen to
anything we said. We just told him we would come back later and talk
to him. It was frustrating, because the lesson had been going so well. He had
some really good thoughts and questions, and then the kids had to show
up and ruin it. Oh well. I know he felt the Spirit of the Plan of
Salvation. He really likes it.

Our other investigators haven't been home, but we have given lots of
lessons on people's porches, which has been nice. We are just still
working on finding new "golden" investigators. We may have found one
this week, too. His name is B and he told us when we knocked on his
door that he and his wife have been thinking about coming to our
church. We left him with a Family proclamation that he was going to
study with his wife. We are going to go back and see if we can start
teaching them this week. Wish us luck with them, and pray for them too. 

The pic you got was me and Elder C tearing up a wood floor with our
ward mission leader, Ryan M. It was fun. You are right that
there are so many ways to serve on a mission. It was really fun too
haha.

That is sooooooooooooooooooo awesome that the Utes beat Michigan the
way they did at Michigan hahahaha. Now they just need to keep up the
wins. That is good that BYU won too. I have heard they are really good
this year. That is good for them.

Good luck with your lesson in Sunday School. Study up haha
Thanks for all that you do for me Dad. You're awesome. I love you all!
I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve a mission. It has been
so awesome. Because of my mission, I have really developed a love for
the gospel that I did not have before in my opinion. When
we focus on our Savior Jesus Christ, our lives will change. The Book
of Mormon is the word of God!
Talk to you next week! Have a GREAT week!
-Elder Jake Sedlacek

First week in Pasco

What's up Mama,

In Pasco I will probably be emailing way late every week. Hopefully, it works out. It's really frustrating, though, because we don't have a car, so we have to work with everyone else to get stuff done like our shopping and stuff, and we usually get pushed to the back. I'm not too happy about it, but oh well. Hopefully email works for you this week. 

So far in Pasco, it has been really, really hot and tiring. I have never been so tired in my life, pretty much. Walking around in the heat all day really does that to ya! It was a pretty good week though. I am just trying to get the hang of the area and all the members. 

I am glad that you liked all the pics I had people send. Hopefully they are good ones haha. Tell Nicole thanks for "friending" people for me.

We live with some members and we have one of their bedrooms, which is pretty dang small. It's not too bad for living conditions though. I am happy to have it.

The soap I need is Cetaphil. The container I have has a pump on it.  I am about out of that stuff so it would be good to send it as soon as possible.

It is crazy that Jared is 17 now! I realized that while looking at the calendar this morning. Tell him happy birthday for me. That is also crazy that Sam, Nate and Jeremy are all leaving so soon. Time is flying by for me now that the  guys a year younger than me are coming out.

Hopefully, again, email works today! 

What's up Dad,

Happy Father's Day this week! I will send you something in the mail, but I wanted to make sure to tell you.

This week has been pretty good. It has been sooooo hot. Being in a walking area when it's 90 degrees outside is pretty dang tiring. I am making sure to drink plenty of water though. 

I am also still trying to get the teaching pool down. There isn't much of them, but I don't really know anything about any of them  because I haven't met any of them yet. Pretty much nobody answered the door this week. This ward hasn't had much success in the past couple months. They have had two baptisms since the beginning of the year. I really hope I can help to make it more productive while I am serving here. It's kinda different here because there are so many Mormons already. It's like a mini Utah and everybody else who isn't Mormon already knows about it. I am thinking service would be a good idea to offer. The ward is pretty good. It's pretty small attendance so I think there are a ton of LA. So it's a lot of a different kind of missionary work. Instead of investigators it seems to be alot of  reactivating members. If you want to keep praying for the investigators up in Sunnyside, that would really help them. They are getting pretty close. You can also pray for me and Elder R to be able to have a baptism this transfer.

It is so crazy that Jared is 17 now. It's pretty cool though that he has found that he likes weight lifting. He is going to be solid it sounds like haha. He's going to be able to beat me up haha. On whether he goes before I come home or not, I would love to see him after my mission but if he is already gone I can't really do much about it haha. He can go when he wants. I don't really mind.

I think it's kinda funny you're back in scouts. Really though, in the HC you were involved in some of scouts with the Blue and Gold Banquet and cub scouts haha. You just can't get out of scouts can ya haha. It's alright though, because that is what you like and you're good at it. The Lord knows that, obviously.

Finally the Jazz got a new coach. Hopefully it works out for them better than Corbin did. They don't seem to be having very good luck with that. Is Jerry Sloan still on the coaching staff? He should have stepped up and taken the job. That would have been so sick! Oh well, I am sure he will get involved as like assistant or something. I really hope the Spurs win by the way. The Heat can go away for all I care haha. That is funny though that the ac went out during the game. I bet it's heck in that arena with all the people in it. I would not want to be in there haha.

Well, I really hope you have a great week. I love ya! You're an awesome Dad!

-Elder Sedlacek

This wasn't the crappiest week of my life....

Letter dated 4/14/14

What's up?

In my email, I probably made it sound like the crappiest week of my life, but I assure you it wasn't! I'm on a mission, so it can't be that bad, huh? Sometimes it is just harder than others. It really was an okay week.

I told you about a cool thing I had happen. Well, Wednesday of this past week, we were walking down the street and all of a sudden this car pulls up, and a lady gets out of the car. She was crying and said to us, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, are you guys the Mormon missionaries?! I've been looking everywhere for you!" She then started to tell us who she was and why she was looking for us. She had been kicked out of her home and was really searching hard for God. We haven't been able to sit down with her and have a lesson yet, but we will soon. It is going to be sweet! It was the first time something like that has happened to me. I have had people find us, but not like that. It was awesome, and an answer to prayers that we would find someone that day who needed to talk to us.

We have been doing lots of finding, so we have given away a lot of Books of Mormon, so hopefully some of them work out this week. On Saturday, we were able to go to a thing called Loving Sunnyside Initiative, where we painted houses in Sunnyside with lots of other Christian religions. That was fun, to be able to rub shoulders with religious leaders in the area. People asked us lots of questions so it was fun. I even bought a shirt for it.

I liked Dad's, Mom's and Sarah's letters. Thanks for sending them! You guys are the greatest. To answer your question, Dad, about family history stuff, I can use it as long as it is a church website. It's just harder right now when we don't have iPads or the other tech stuff yet. I hope we get it soon. Family history is cool. Like it says in my blessing, I have been blessed with an understanding of technology so that I can do family history work. When I get home, I will certainly do more than I did before I left. I want the blessings promised by Elder Bednar. They sound awesome.

Well, this is probably the longest letter I have written yet. I love you guys! Thanks for everything.
Love,
Elder Sedlacek