Transferred again! This time to Anderson, Indiana.

The skinny tie Elder Sedlacek made from a fat one. He's pretty handy.

hey Dad! it has been a great week, so i kinda knew i would leave. it makes me really sad, this is probably one of the hardest areas/companionships for me to leave! it will be a good transfer though. my new comp is my old DL from Noblesville--it's Elder Hammond from Farmington. he is a super awesome guy, and we should have a great transfer. i went on exchanges with him a few months ago. he's the one who took that picture of us holding out our Trump ties. 

we found more people we could potentially baptize in Springboro this week. we went out finding, and found a less active member with a non-member wife who has been coming to church for two years now. she has not been baptized yet, but is considering it. we are both really excited for that. there is another family that has been bringing their adult son to church for a few weeks now. we are still waiting to set up an appointment with him, but he had said in gospel principles that he is getting that feeling that everything taught makes sense and matches what he believes deep down. this area is on the brink of a bunch of conversions, and i am excited for it! the miracles are starting to flow hahaha. 

so to tell you about Anderson Indiana, it used to be a Zone leader area, and it has a really awesome ward according to one of the old ZLs. we will have a full time car last i checked, and we also have a set of sisters, so i am excited. it should be a good area. everyone tells me i will end my mission there, but that's what they said about here hahahaha. 

sounds like you had a good Valentines, that's awesome. it will be crazy to come home to wood floors hahaha, you should be able to get it figured out, if not ask Kelly.  i wish i i could help with that, it would be fun. oh well! hopefully your schedule gets easier soon. that is super cool Hayward got to go to the All Stars, i really like him. Busch is one of my fav drivers. thanks for the sports updates Dad! 

that is so cool to hear about that fam you helped, so they are getting back into more activity. i love that guy, Brother Allred, he is a great guy. that is absolutely true about having the spirit to guide you, because we have no idea about who is ready and who is not ready to listen to us. it does all start with desire, but the cool thing is, that once you start to share the gospel and understand the Doctrine of Christ more in your life, your desire to share it will increase. there is no better way to get motivated to share the gospel then to experience the atonement working in our own lives. living the gospel of Jesus Christ will help us to share it, and become who God wants us to be. that is what i love about a mission, i get to grow my testimony and love of the gospel and become a better person. i know this gospel is true, and that as we all embrace it more and change the little things in our lives (repent) we will have more joy. thanks Dad, for everything! have a great week! love you Dad!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been a really good week, just in time for me to leave. funny how that works huh? haha Brother Gilbert is a man you can trust. i was mad when i got the transfer call, but i had already known i was leaving, i could feel it, so i wasn't surprised.  i usually can tell when i will and when i won't. i love this area so much, and Elder Payne is my favorite companion, so we were both sad the next day. 

yep, i guess Heavenly Father wants me to get used to changes. there will probably be a lot of it in the future i am guessing. i think this will happen often the last few months of my mission. i definitely feel like i had accomplished my purpose in Springboro. i had a pretty good idea what it was. 

that is funny about the pump supplies, cause Byram has been sending me info about the bills. thanks for taking care of it. 

it was a good week, we went on another exchange with our zone leaders so i got to go with Elder Van Alfen, who also came out with me. {same as my new comp Elder Hammond}. that was a good exchange--we found some more people to see and teach so that was awesome. then on Valentines Day, a member took us to a Mexican place that was super good. Elder Payne took the other zone leader to PF Changs, just the two of them, it was funny. 

the most challenging thing was getting the transfer news, although it was bitter sweet. i just love the area. my prayers were answered in just having a good day while i ran the area on exchanges, that was awesome. that is awesome you got to help all those widows with those Valentines. service always makes me feel good. i still remember when you and Dad used to take us to get stuff from the store and take it to the Road Home in Salt Lake. and i also especially remember helping all the widows with snow removal at a young age. 

like i said in Dad's email, it will be so crazy to come home to wood floors. it sounds like it will be a fun project for Dad. i have not got the video yet of Mia answering my challenge. 

i love talking about adversity, and i really like D&C 122 and 123 for adversity, as well as 121. it talks a lot about the Prophet Joseph's adversity. there is a super good promise given at the end of 122, that all the adversity we face is only given to us out of love, so that we can grow. i hate adversity going through it, so i always have to remind myself that it is for me to become a better person. all things testify of Heavenly Father's love for his children, you just have to see it the right way, and focus on the bigger picture. He will not give us anything to hurt us, ever. it may hurt temporarily while we are going through it, but in the end, if we endure well, it will make us stronger. 

so my AP called last night, and he had baptized someone else of Jennifer's family! so he got to see her at the baptism, and she had mentioned how we are her missionaries. she is doing awesome! that was super good to hear!

that is really nice about Bryant too, i really like that kid. he is super funny. that would be so cool if he would come to my mission before i get home, and i could train him. that would be sick!

thanks so much for everything you do Mom! i love you all so much! have a great week! talk to y'all later!

-Elder Sedlacek

Beating the odds

hi Dad, it has been a really good week. it was long though as most first weeks in a new area are haha. Springboro is affluent, and is a lot like West Chester and Englewood, in fact it's right next to Mason, in West Chester, so it feels like home hahaha. i love it! 

Elder Payne is a boss, he has been out for 4 1/2 months and knows a lot and teaches really well. he loves giving gospel lectures in comp study, so those are on point hahaha he is really funny too, and i am pretty sure he had fulfilled part of my setting apart blessing with the part about new missionaries. we have a full time car, a really nice Malibu, so that is nice. 

they just baptized the most solid kid ever, so we have to get a new teaching pool, which might take some time, but we have been getting some really good referrals this week. one for a guy named C, he is cool. we have a return appointment with him this evening. another referral we got was for a lady who was supposedly 39, so we show up to give her the Book of Mormon and she turns out to be 13! so i said "oh, are you _____?" and she was like, "yes", i was all "okay then..." hahaha she is pretty intent on finding the right church, although she is scared of us i think, or intimidated, so she seemed nervous about a return appointment. so we will follow up by phone soon. this ward focuses on the less actives, so we have a lot of those to work with. 

that is good you are staying busy and working hard at work and at the gym hahaha, that will really help you a lot. 

it is true, we think we can sometimes know God better by "head" knowledge, and not turn it into heart knowledge. we have to earnestly seek him through study and apply the teachings we learn to make it heart knowledge. i mean, if it's spiritual it has to deal with how we feel things, so naturally if we want to understand and know God, we have to feel him. we have to establish a prayerful relationship with Him and apply the atonement. 

Bro. A really does love the air museum! hahaha Dayton stake is the best! sounds like some good games are going on, i also heard about the Raiders pending move. that would be super cool hahaha. speaking of cars, we have a Ford dealer outside our apartment with the coolest lifted and modded F150s! i go crazy thinking about driving them hahaha. 

i think of D&C 93 with that conference talk, we have to receive our understanding and knowledge line upon line, grace for grace, just as Christ did. i know that as we seek through study, prayer, and action, we will continue to grow our knowledge of the gospel. thank you Dad! i love you Dad! i hope you have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! it has been such a great week! Springboro is the best! i wrote some about the area to Dad, but it is a rich area, and has some country in it too--i really like that. the ward is super awesome and supportive, they feed us a ton! Elder Payne is from Gilbert Arizona and is a boss! this is his second area, and he had a rough time with his past companion, so he has thanked me up and down for how i am. we do work well together, and teach equally so that is really nice. 

i saw Bro Gilbert and Bro Pawlik at transfers, so that was super nice. another perk of the area is that Elder Nielsen from Cincy is my District Leader. he is awesome, so that is cool. one tender mercy was getting permission to go to the Columbus temple with another set of Elders. i learned so much and got to spend time in the Celestial room, and it put me on a spiritual high for the rest of the day! it was great! 

one cool experience, we were trying to contact a less active, and decided to "225" and so i said a prayer just silently, "i know there is someone here, and so tell me where to go," and i felt inspired to knock a certain door and a teenage kid answered the door and invited us back, so that was awesome. 

a funny story--so on Wednesday after district meeting we went out with our DL and his greenie to eat at Steak n Shake, i don't know if you have heard of the 7x7, but it's huge and i lost in "what are the odds" to eat it {meaning Elder Sed's "odds" to eat it all were "not good"}, and man that thing was hefty hahahaha. but i did eat the whole thing, and it didn't destroy me haha! 

hahaha poor Dad, got shopped to death with all the girls....did he pass out? hahahaha i will save him soon hahahaha. i do not remember J.T., but that is a really cool story.  that is a cool story from you, too. it really is when we lose ourselves in the service of others that we find ourselves and that is where the miracles are. 

one thing i am really focusing on this transfer is to not let the things i can't control that make me stress out, not bother me in the least. it has really helped me to stay positive, since i was told to when President Stuart set me apart as a missionary. i really do feel that is my example that i am supposed to set, it has helped me to really understand the purpose that God has for me a lot more. i may not be a District Leader or anything like that, and that's ok, i don't need to be. but i am sure as heck trying my best and doing everything in my power to grow my own testimony and the testimonies of the people we are teaching. this is God's work, and He will make it all possible. i know this will be a good transfer, we are gonna baptize all of Springboro! hahahaha. 

thank you Mom for all you do! i have to go now, it was great emailing as usual! i love you all so much! have a great week! love you Mom! keep being such an awesome Madre!

-Elder Sedlacek

The two-week shaft!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

I know that as we continually strive to be better that we will become better, despite what the adversary tells us.

hey dad! this was a good week. but before we start, we are getting "white-washed"--doubled out! it kinda stinks, but i know the Lord has His reasons and it is what the area needs. we had a ton of grace this week, we had members out with us almost every day! it was sick! V and his daughter and brother came to church yesterday! they were late, so we thought no one was going to show, but then just when we had given up, he walked through the door! it was awesome! M's boyfriend (G) started in on the lessons as well, he is the most prepared person ever! he committed to live the Word of Wisdom the first lesson, and also the law of chastity. he went from smoking 9 cigarettes a day to 2 within 3-4 days! he said that they will either separate or get married asap! it was a huge miracle. they are for sure getting baptized! 

a few less actives have promised to come to church this Sunday, this area is rocking it! i am so sad to go, but i know it will pull through. we just have to trust in the Lord and get all the records spic-and-span today. we have a lot to do! hahaha not so much with records, but packing and such! hahaha 

yep, we had to officially ''drop'' a few people this week, but as you said they will have their chance to accept the gospel, whether that be in a few weeks or years or even later, they will thank us for doing our best. that is good you had a good Fast Sunday, ours was good as well. it was not as good as the last one, but it was still very good, especially to have a few investigators there! 

hahaha so you're not so tech savvy there, huh Grandpa?! hahahaha just kidding Dad, that is good you got it figured out in time for your lesson. i probably would have struggled as well. 

that was crazy, you had another wind storm! last night we had the biggest rainstorm i have ever beheld! i woke up to the thunder, it literally sounded like it was echoing from about 15 miles in each direction, it was so loud! think of the largest sea storm you can imagine and take the thunder from that and imagine that, it sounded like that! no kidding, it was insane. i was too tired to get out of bed, so i just listened to it before i passed out asleep hahaha. 

wow, A&J are moving! good luck to them! that is way cool USU players are going to the NFL, and that is too bad the Reds lost. thanks for the awesome update! 

i love that talk you shared. none of us are perfect, but we are working towards it. we may not always feel like it, but as long as we are utilizing the Doctrine of Christ in our lives, we are moving towards Christ, that is the goal don't ya know. i know that as we continually strive to be better that we will become better, despite what the adversary tells us and tries to convince us that we can't. well, we are short on time today, i will write more to mom. i love you Dad, have a great week! talk to you on Sunday!

hey Mom, so this was a good week. we had a few investigators at church this week, i wrote about that in Dad's email. Today i am short on time, so you will have to refer to that one for investigator news, I'm sorry. 

well, Elder Sutton and I are both being transferred out, it sucks, but i will trust in the Lord and it will all work out. i love this ward and area so much, it will be hard to leave. 

my week has gone by crazy fast as well. on Thursday we had a Zone meeting, and it was super awesome. i got some awesome revelation for myself. I was told to stop beating myself up for things i mess up, stuff like that, and to focus on how the Lord qualifies who He calls and how much He loves us. 

i did get the strips and batteries, thanks! so much! my favorite person was G. i wrote to Dad about him. the hardest thing was probably one day, can't remember which, we were not able to get any members out with us and all our appointments fell through, but it worked out at the last minute because a member suddenly decided to come with us. so we were able to see some people in the far reaches where the bus doesn't cover. it was awesome! 

when the baby is born, you could probably just call the mission office, they will probably let me know. thanks for thinking of that! well, i hope it all goes well, wish them luck for me! 

that is good the windstorm wasn't bad enough to cause any real damage. For Skype just plan on about 4-5 pm your time, but i have no idea since i am getting transferred. i think we can call to set it up the day before, but we will see. just keep an eye out, maybe i will get a member to text you. we will figure it out. 

i love that thought from D&C 11:20, that is awesome and a great scripture, thanks mom! it is true, when you think about it, as a missionary, we just have to keep the rules and do what we are supposed to and we will still see miracles, at least that. it is awesome, our life is simple when you think about it, easier said than done, but simple all the same. well, that is it for this week, how you doin? oh yeah, this week, that day when we had no members to come with us we spent in the 'hood where we could access, and by the end of the day, when i called a member, i literally without even meaning to said "How you goin'?"​ hahaha! 

Mom: Hey son, good to hear that you had a great week. I’m happy about all the success you had!

Transferred eh? I suppose you don’t know where?

When the baby is born, I’ll call or text Sister Porter. I have her number.

I wish you the best of luck tomorrow for transfer day!! I’ll be praying for you!! I Love you!!

nope, i don't know where I'm going yet, i will know tonight. even though i'll really miss the people and area here, i do feel very good about this transfer. i pray about every transfer and i feel like we did accomplish what Heavenly Father wants us to accomplish to the best of our ability. thanks for texting Sister Porter when you do, Mom!

i have to go now mom, sorry we could not talk more. i love you Mom! expect a card in the next few days, and have a great week! you're the best! talk to you on Sunday!

-Elder Sedlacek

I'm going to miss downtown Cincy!

 

I guess Elder Sed wanted us to see his stylin' sweet socks.

Elder Sed sent some pictures of downtown Cincy. He's leaving there tomorrow (Feb 2nd). 

 

hey dad! so this week was good, it went super fast. we kept really busy going though a less-active list, it was good. so for the 'gators updates this week, LC is doing awesome. he has already read up through mosiah in two weeks! he loves the BOM, and he is solid in progressing. p**** tried to bash with us again; i was ready to yell at him at several points because he was saying such horrible things. hopefully elder holman drops him soon (hint hint). that sounds bad, but he is just wasting our time.   all the other 'gators are doing about the same as they were. we found a new part member family that seems really cool, and they invited us to come back at another time because they were busy. t as you may be wondering, i am leaving cincy tomorrow. i am kinda sad, but it was such a tough transfer that i am also a little glad at the same time. guess what? they changed how transfers work in this mission, so i will find out tonight who i will be with and where, and so there is no transfer meeting on tuesday. we just meet up and leave from the church building in centerville ohio like usual. that is orders from the Twelve. a lot of us are kinda bummed out about no meeting hahaha. i am sorry you got sick! that sounds pretty horrible. i hope you feel better, i have been praying for you. i wish i could help you in some way, but as you know, i can only send prayers right now hahaha. that is really good you turned to prayer, heavenly father often gives us hard times to learn from, you defintely learned from this experience. it is pretty cool to think about, we just have to do our best to learn and grow and HF will send stuff in our way to help with the rest. He is always there for us, I know that because i have seen it in my own life, with diabetes, and with my mission so far-- it has all blessed my life immensely! i love our heavenly father so much for it. i love that chapter in the BOM, and i love 3 Nephi in general. that is awesome you had your own "sunday school" haha. i am excited to see about the super bowl, but i don't really care about the pro bowl anyway, they are overpaid babies hahaha.  thanks for that dad! i like the thought you sent, and it is true, our testimonies are the most valuable things we have in this life. we have to constantly be on the guard for them, we cannot ever let them go or we will lose our faith in christ and slow our progression, that is no bueno!  thank you so much for the prayers that you send me, i definitely feel them every day, there is no other way i could do this without prayers and the savior and a loving heavenly father. well, it was great to hear from you dad! i love you so much! i hope you feel better soon, have a great week and day! talk to you later! love ya!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

 

hey mom, so guess what? i am leaving cincy! i am kinda sad but glad at the same time. it has been a rough transfer! yesterday i was walking down the street, and i almost bumped into a black guy because i wasn't paying attention. i almost said "oh sorry bruh" hahahaha without even thinking about it! it has become so natural for me hahaha! i am so comfortable in the hood now hahaha. well there's the funny story for today hahaha. 

 

my favorite part of the week was yesterday, it was 65 degrees and it felt so nice! we went downtown to contact a media referral, and of course it was a bum address :( so we caught a bus home to see a recent convert who is crazy funny! hahaha love that guy! at that point, i knew it was one of my last times downtown for a while, so i took a bunch of pics hahaha.

 

i am sorry you guys were not feeling well, hopefully dad gets better soon haha. i am glad your tooth is better, that is good news. i prayed for you and elder holman prayed for you, too. that will be really good to visit those people in the ward, they could really use some visiting. i love all those people so much hahaha 

 

that sounds like a good talk from bro ricks, he is awesome too. haha yep, i used to give you guys such heck! i feel bad for it, because you and dad really did raise me the best way possible and i will be forever indebted to you for it! well, how is everything going today?

 

i will miss downtown :(

 

Mom: Hey son! I am great today! Thank you so much for praying for us, we needed it! Dad went to work today, I think he is feeling ok but not all the way back to normal yet. I'm sure he will be tomorrow though.

You are leaving Cincy!! Any thoughts on where you are going? 

Elder Sed: no i have no idea where i will go, i want to go to the boonies in Indiana, but what i want doesn't usually happen anymore (hahaha) so we will see. i am glad dad is doing better.

 

Mom: The Lord will send you where he needs you most, I'm sure about that. If you say goodbye to any members tonight, maybe one could text your mom and tell her where you're going....wink wink! 

Elder Sed: i will see what i can do haha (wink!)  but that is true, i will go where i am most needed.

 

well i have to go now mom, thanks so much for emailing me! it is great to hear from you every week, i love you guys so much! have a great day! love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

When we are specific in what we pray for, it becomes more of an act of faith.

What's up Mama!

You're right, this past week was awesome! We got transfer news! I am staying in Milton, which was no surprise, but I am getting a new companion named Elder Bowen. He is a funny guy. I know him from Kennewick and Pasco. It should be interesting hahaha. He just might kill me as a missionary haha.{Translation: Be Elder Sed's last companion!}

The year is going by super fast! SCHOOL ENDS IN MAY?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!? WHAT!!!!! That's insane! Jared is graduated in a month. WOW!

The baptisms for F****** and J***** were both awesome! I couldn't take my own pictures though, because sadly my camera is dead. It is gone to heaven. I need a new one, unfortunately. I have about 60 dollars in an emergency fund that I have saved up. I could send it to you guys to help pay for a new one. Would you like me to do that?

It sounds like you had a fun date with Nicole and Jeff. That's exciting that things are working out for them so well now. Hopefully it stays that way.

That is super cool that you found the immigration record for the Sedlaceks!!!!!!! It's an awesome find. What a miracle!

Mother's Day is coming up fast. We have church literally all day on Sundays, so we won't be able to Skype until about 6 or 7 our time. We have a member who is going to let us Skype from their house around that time, so it should be around then. Hopefully it works out for everyone to be there. You're going to have to wait all day though! hahaha

That's way cool that Grandpa wants to build a kiln. That would be way cool! All he needs now is a pottery wheel, and I would be in heaven haha.

Mama: That's great that the baptisms went so well! I hoped they did. An evening Skype is great for me. Are you going to be calling ahead with an exact time, or is that just at Christmas? Did you get the package? 

Elder Sed: Yeah, I will probably call ahead on Saturday and get you an exact time. At the moment, we have an appointment at 6 that night, so it would be at 7, but if that falls through we will Skype at 6.

I did get the package. I love the cleanser. It works really good. Thanks for sending it!

Mama: As far as a camera, I can send you the smaller one we have. I never use it but it works great. Save your moola. Does that sound okay?

Elder Sed: Does it take good pics? Is it the one I am thinking of, it's the one we bought for Moab, right?

That sounds good as far as saving moola.

Mama: Yes, the small silver one. I'll send the charger and everything. It's always good to save moola!

Elder Sed: Oh sweet, Mama. You're the best. Does it have a case that fits it? If not, I will buy one so it doesn't get wrecked in my backpack.

Mama: Yes, it has a case too. So you are getting a new comp? Seems like the last transfers were just a couple weeks ago! That was fast.

Elder Sed: Oh sweet. It would be nice if you could send that soon so I can still be taking pics. You're the best, Mama. Yep, getting a new comp. This one should be interesting. I hope it goes well. Transfers did go super fast. This one is going to go super fast too. I'm not too happy about that! hahaha.

Well, I got to get going Mama. You're the best. Have a great Mother's Day on Sunday. I hope you have a great week too. If you could send that camera when you get the chance that would be awesome so I can keep taking pics.

Love ya!

hey Dad,

This week was great! Getting to have baptisms was amazing! Both of them were super good. It was awesome to see Jeremy's. He was surprised to see me there haha. It was a good surprise though. The spirit was super strong there. There was great member support. Non members too. It was an all-around perfect baptism. F****'s was kinda disappointing though. I was happy that we got to see him get baptized, but I was not as happy about how it went. There was only one member there from the ward. That was super disappointing for me. We have a couple investigators still that are progressing awesome! L***** is getting baptized on the 16th along with M***. The 16th is going to be AWESOME!!! I really hope more of the ward shows up to support the next one.

A lot of our investigators who were on date fell off date. J**** is struggling with the Word of Wisdom, but she is working really hard at trying to quit. She could just use some prayers for support in that.

R**** really didn't feel ready to be baptized. Partly because he is still working on getting what he feels like is a solid answer from God. We figured out that he wasn't asking for anything specific, so we challenged him to ask for a answer that was specific, and ask a specific question. It really helps in getting answers from God when we pray specifically. It then becomes a more of an act of faith.

J**** is thinking that he is too busy for church stuff right now. I hope that mind set changes.

We are working on finding some new investigators by working with part member families, so just pray that we will be able to find those who are prepared for the gospel.

F*****'s baptism was great for him, and getting the gift of the Holy Ghost was awesome too. He described it kinda funny. He said "it was like a spiritual energy drink. It felt good, and I got the tingles." haha. It's always cool when someone gets the gift of the Holy Ghost. I can always feel the spirit when it's given. I know the priesthood is real just from that. That does not even include all the awesome things I have seen come from blessings.

That's crazy the difference between Jared's mission area and mine. There really aren't that many holidays or events in Warshintong/Oregon now that I think about it. There just isn't much to do haha. There's lots of Mexican parties every day though. I guess that can count right? haha Jared is going to have fun down there in Ohio though. I already know that much. It's going to be great for him.

That is so cool that you found that Sedlacek immigration record. Did it give you enough info? That is super exciting!

Sounds like you're getting really good at that family history stuff. It's awesome how that is just as much missionary work as I am doing right now and that Jared is going to be doing. It is all the work of salvation for God's children! The spirit of Elijah is the spirit of the hastening of the work. That makes me really happy that you guys are getting so involved in it. It's only going to bless the members of our family. You're going to have to teach me all the tricks of the trade when I get back.

Holy cow. Manny isn't invincible????? That's crazy. I bet there was sooooooooo much $$$$$$$ down on that fight. Stupid gambling. That is a great update though haha. I love it. That's awesome that so many Utah players got picked up on the draft. I hope they continue to do well.

Sounds like work is going good for you. I bet you're a great boss! Did you ever hear back on that other position you applied for in the church a while back? Who knows, it may have been a year ago. Time is just blending in my brain. I am at the point that I don't know if I knew someone from back home or from the mission when people ask me if I know someone. It's weird. I am going to be soo culture shocked haha. Time is going by super fast. I'm going to keep working hard though. You can bet your money on that.

Sorry this email is short. I am just so scatter brained right now. I don't even know why haha.

I am so happy to be serving a mission! It's amazing. I wish it was longer. I have been blessed everyday by the hand of the Lord. I have come to know and feel of my Savior's love. I know He lives. I know this is His church that was restored. I know it's only through the atonement that we can be saved. I am grateful for his Grace that is extended every day. I am so grateful for the example of the Savior. He is my greatest example of the powerful teacher I would love and strive to become. I know that by listening to His spirit I will be guided to those who are prepared. I am always trying to find His will, and then do it. I had a cool experience yesterday when I listened to the Spirit. We were driving in the car, and we were on this road way out in the country. The speed limit is about 50 and so we were just going along. The road we were on is kinda curvy,  and the member's house we were going to is a turn off of one of the curves in the road, and it is almost a blind curve because of the big orchard that comes up to the road. We came up to the curve, and for some reason I felt like I needed to stall turning into their driveway, so that's what I did. I thought "it can't hurt" and guess what came around the bend just about when we would have been there? A car that was going pretty fast. We were definitely protected! It's always there to be a protection to us if we listen. I always try to listen. Hopefully the story made sense. 

I love the Lord. I love serving the Lord. I know He lives! #BecauseofHim

Have a great week Dad! Love you guys!

Love Elder Sedlacek

"Bionic Mama" and thoughts on grace and mercy

Took me a few times before I saw the flower tucked in his ear. haha!

Elder Sed and Elder R in a pretty awesome pose!

The Zone at the Columbia River temple. Elder Sed is third from the left. He looks so good! 

What's up Mama,

Sounds like you had a good week. This week has been pretty hot. It's basically going to stay above 100 for the highs for a while here haha. The heat isn't too bad though. It just makes me super tired in the middle of the afternoon. Speaking of, transfers are this week and I am staying and am going to be serving with Elder Christofferson. He's the Elder who me met his mom in the distribution center, who's from Bountiful and was going to the same mission as me. Remember that? Well, it should be pretty fun. I just really hope he's a good worker. That will be the absolute best if he is.

So you lost the SD card but then found it again haha. At least you found it haha.

I am sure Elder J would love to see you guys at his homecoming. He said he will put it on Facebook once he gets home tomorrow. It's so crazy that he is going home tomorrow! Seems like yesterday he wasn't even at 18 months yet. Time goes super fast haha.

I bet it was super cool for Syd & Tyler to go through the temple together. So they both took out their endowment then? 

A temple painting will be a super cool wedding gift for Nicole & Jeff. I love the Bountiful temple. It's so pretty. Cool idea for a gift.

I already knew how to pronounce Nephi in Spanish (haha) from Sunnyside. I know how to pronounce a couple more things too. I bet I would be able to understand Jeff when I get home. I can kinda understand some Spanish but I cannot speak it all, which kinda sucks haha. I want to learn it, though. He will have to teach me when I get back.

So Dad is also a wedding decorator haha. He is a man of many talents. He just might have a side job if he does a really good job. How did he design all that? That sounds really complicated to me. Dad is a smart man I guess!

So you obviously have been visiting Dr. R for your knee lately. Is your knee pretty bad right now? That is good that you are getting a brace thing for your knee. That would be sweet if it works out for you. I will be praying for you that it will be a huge help for you. Can't have my Mama not walking! haha. That would suck. So is it one that you will wear all the time?

Mom: Son! I can’t believe this transfer is over already! I hadn’t even thought about transfers and didn’t realize they were this week. That will be super fun to have Elder Christofferson. 

 

The card was sitting by the computer this whole time and I just forgot that I had never sent it back. Sorry!

 

Okay, hopefully we can make Elder J’s homecoming. We’d really like to. Yeah, Sydnie and Tyler took out their endowments. I haven’t gotten my new brace yet, hopefully the rep calls soon. I will try to wear it all the time, but certainly when I want to go walking or hiking, and I need it for camping. I will definitely need it the day of the wedding or my knee would be killing me by afternoon!

Elder Sed: I really hope you get your brace then if it will help you that much. You will almost have a bionic leg haha.

Mom: I just can’t get over that it’s been 6 weeks! And it’s crazy that we met Elder C’s mom, and now he’s gonna be your comp!

Yep, bionic Mama. That’s me. haha

Elder Sed: Yep, this transfer went by super fast. I only have like 9 more too. Crazy crazy crazy!

You are bionic Mama haha. You will have to video yourself doing parkour or something like that when you get your brace.

Mom: Parkour? Me??? Hahahahaha!!!! That one made me laugh out loud! 

Elder Sed: Yea, you, parkour with your bionic leg. You don't see it happening? haha

Mom: Um, I see myself walking and hiking in comfort. That’s about it haha.

Elder Sed: Well I guess that's acceptable still in my opinion. It won't get a million hits on YouTube, but hey. It's still good haha.

What's up Dad,

Sounds like you had a good week too, just like mom did. My week was pretty good, but boy was it hot haha. It really is like being a pioneer because I walk around all day in the heat. It's usually pretty hard once it hits 3-4pm. That's the hardest time. I am doing pretty good though. I am making sure that I am drinking lots of water. I don't want to get dehydrated at all. That is no fun.

The teaching pool we have is going well. We got dropped by F this week but we picked up a new investigator named C. She is pretty cool and somewhat interested in learning more about the gospel. She has some roommates in her apartment and I don't think they like us very much so pray for her to keep up the interest even though her friends might not want her to. The rest of the teaching pool is basically the same. We weren't able to meet with a lot of people this week. Seemed like lots of people are out of town. We are still working on going around to the members and teaching them the restoration. I really really really really really really really want this area to be successful. The members just need to realize that missionary work is fun and easy to do. I'm trying my best every day to get it to the point I want it. President Ware said it could be 6-8 weeks before any real changes start to happen. That's a lot of waiting haha. HF must really want me to learn some patience and diligence!

My studies have been pretty good this week. I realized that I had been pretty prideful in the heat and because of the weather. I was thinking about me me me and no body else really. I changed that as soon as I realized, and am praying for ways each day to look for the well being of others and for little service opportunities. I studied a lot on justice and mercy along with grace and mercy of the savior.  I have been dealing pretty justly with the members and not really being merciful to their situation. I am going to try my best to be more merciful to everyone. I also realized something cool about grace and mercy. Grace from the Savior isn't grace if we earned it. Mercy also isn't mercy if we deserve it. None of God's children, without the grace and mercy of the Savior, would be able to return to him. I am super grateful for the atonement. I have seen the miracles that come from applying it in our lives. It truly is amazing. I am sooooooo grateful again for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the atonement.

Elder J goes home tomorrow. Crazy! I can't believe it I know that. Can't imagine what he is feeling like. He would love to see you guys is what he has said. Just watch for it on Facebook.

Don't worry about me not writing down my experiences. I've got that covered haha. I would say my journal is pretty good. I usually will try to write down the cool stuff or what I learned during the day in my daily journal entry. I know if I didn't write them down I would forget them so I try my best to make the entries good ones haha.

I really hope you guys have a great week. I haven't gotten your letter yet so maybe I will today. Thanks for sending one. I am sorry for not being the best letter writer. You guys are awesome though. Have an awesome week! I love being a missionary!

love ya,

-Elder Sedlacek

 

 

Merry Christmas from Sunnyside, Washington!

Email to Mama 12/23/13

What's up, Mama? 

I am doing good. This past week was good. I got all my stuff moved to Sunnyside. Transfers were good. We live in a little house, just me and Elder J. I like Sunnyside. It just smells all the time everywhere you go because of the dairy.  I don't know if I like that about this place but our teaching pool is huge! I am so overwhelmed in trying to get everyone's names straight. That is the hardest part right now.  It is a nice place. Elder J calls himself a geek, and I am getting to know him. The members here are great! The ward gives us tons of referrals. We had did have a Christmas program, but let's just say some of the musical numbers were a lot better than others. 

I have heard lots of good stuff about that movie Frozen. I will have to see it when I get home. It stinks that Mia didn't make it into the Sound of Music. She can try out next time though.

That is cool that Brother J is still our home teacher. I bet Grandpa H's was fun. I love his clam chowder. I . That is exciting about the bathroom. Be sure and take pics so I can see it.

For Christmas Eve, I will be calling home sometime around 8:30 here so 9:30 there. We can finalize any plans then. I will be Skyping from the ward mission leader's house. It will be sometime around lunch time in Bountiful. I don't really know an exact time, but it should be close. It will be soooo fun to talk to you guys. I am super excited. Thank you, Mama, for all that you do for me. I love you guys sooo much.

Email to Dad

What up, Dad!

Transfer week went well. I got to Sunnyside and went right to work. The mission has two main meeting points in Richland and in Yakima, so we go to the closest one to our area and then meet up with the new companion and go to the new area. It would be crazy to have it be like you had where you just go by yourself haha. We just hop in a car and drive to a meeting point. Not as exciting as you had it haha. Ellensburg to Sunnyside is only a 45 minute drive so it wasn't that far to begin with. I am looking forward to talking to you guys on Christmas too. It will be super fun.

That is okay that you didn't get to see any games yesterday, but try to do better haha. Updates are fun but not a necessity. 

Sunnyside is a crazy place. It is 90% Mexicans who speak only Spanish and a little bit of English. It is lots of dairies and vineyards. It always smells like cow dung everywhere you go haha. My new comp is Elder J. He has served in Sunnyside twice on his mission for a total of 10 1/2 months! That is crazy so I think he is going to leave at the end of this transfer. He has been out pretty much 18 months. He is very good at member relationships. I am learning how to best work with him and have fun with it. We have tons of people in the teaching pool, so much that I am overwhelmed just thinking about it. I am just trying to learn everyone's face and who they are. It is great being so busy with teaching though. I wish I could tell you more about our investigators but I don't know much about any of them. It is crazy haha. We get tons of teaching though. It is great!

That would have been sooo cool to have been at the Christmas devotional for your work. I bet it was super sweet to be at. That is good that work is keeping you busy. I am looking forward to talking to you on Tuesday and Wednesday! It's going to be sweet! I love you guys and am so grateful for all that you do for me. Talk to you tomorrow!

Love- Elder Sedlacek

"The mission is what I want to be doing right now."

Transfers are this week, and Elder Sedlacek is going to be transferred to Sunnyside--known for 300+ sunny days per year, the heart of wine country, and the annual Christmas light parade with farm vehicles, which he just missed. He's looking forward to a new area and hopefully will enjoy his new companion!

What's up!

This week has been slow but great. The last week of the transfer is always slow it seems. Well, I am getting transfered on Wednesday to Sunnyside Washington, serving in the 1st ward with Elder J and I have no idea who he is. I think he is an older missionary. Supposedly Sunnyside smells pretty bad all the time so it should be fun. I am excited to go see a new area. 

 

Thank you for the Christmas packages you sent. Yes, I did get them on Thursday. I haven't opened anything except for the envelope and the tree. I did laugh at the Ensign that was pretty funny. I didn't even think to switch the covers. I will do that. Good idea mama! Tell Bro. H thank you for me. I love him too haha. He is awesome. 

 

I am glad you liked my Christmas card. It is great that JP is home. You will have to tell him hi for me. I am sure he is having lots of fun being home with his family. That will be cool if he plays football at USU. 

 

Sounds like stake conference was a good one. They usually are though. It's fun to go to the big doughnut building. 

 

 For Skype I think I use my own account, so I will set that up. I get to call home on Christmas Eve for a couple minutes and then Skype or whatever on Christmas Day for an hour. I am so excited! I'ts going to be fun to see you guys again. I don't know what member home we will be Skyping from, but I will figure that out and what time. I can tell you that on Christmas Eve when I call. 

 

It is awesome Libby and Mia's friends got baptized. I am sure it was awesome to see. So were they being taught by the Elders then? The gospel WILL bless their family. I know it will. 

 

Haha Mama, you cried reading about Vince? You are funny haha. He is a nice guy. I like him. He is going to be bummed when I tell him I am leaving. He doesn't know yet. It is only going to be a matter of time before he is baptized. 

 

Thank you for everything you do for me. To be honest, the mission is what I want to be doing right now. It is a great experience. I love it. You guys are awesome for supporting me. All the support is great to have! 

I like the Christmas card by the way. Looks good.

 

Love, 

Elder Sedlacek

Switch ups, but no transfer yet!

Elder Jake is hitting his second transfer staying in Ellensburg, but we expected it since he just got a new companion a couple of weeks back. I think he is happy to stay where he is for now. 

11/4/13 Email to Mama:

What's up? It is crazy how fast October went. I've been out three months, but trust me, I will always be a greenie in some way haha. I still have my dork dot from the MTC to prove it. Pres. Ware is an awesome guy. One of the guys from the Seventy that came with Elder Ballard said we aren't assigned to a mission area. Missionaries are assigned to a president. Wherever the Pres you need is serving that is where you go. I thought that was kinda cool. 

I am trying to stay warm haha. The heater in our main room won't turn on so we just wear coats all the time, but I do stay warm. We are in the process of getting it fixed. It hasn't snowed here yet but I have seen snow on peoples' cars so it is snowing somewhere. Probably up in Cle Elum. Oh, Christmas shopping already? Fun. A good quality GPS would be nice to have but you get whatever you want for me. I will like anything you guys send. 

I did get the package of cookies. They are so good. I liked the package. The cookies are perfect mama haha. That clown pen was funny. I don't know how Lib knew that I hate clowns but I do. That pen was the first thing I saw when I opened the package haha. I was like "what the heck is this?" then I read the letter that she threw in there and I got why. Libby is funny. 

I also like the story of Aaron and King Lamoni's father and when he values his life at half of his kingdom but then later on a couple chapters he values the gospel at all of his kingdom and whatever else it takes to have the gospel in his life. You're right, it would be awesome to see someone change like that.

The transfer news is Cle Elem is getting their own set of Elders now, which is just crazy. They are a branch now but I am sure they will be a ward in not so long. They also split Ellensburg into two areas. One of the areas is 2nd ward only, and the other is 1st ward, and 3rd ward. Me and Elder S cover 1st and 3rd. Other than that nothing really exciting happened. Pretty boring transfer call. I am sure splitting the area will help it so much once the members trust us a little more. Before, they didn't really have that much communication with us. It was hard to focus on all the wards at the same time while doing a free-for-all type thing. I am glad they actually officially split it now. I am happy covering 1st and 3rd. I love both wards. They have awesome members. 

I am getting enough to eat. I wish I could cook something. I want some recipes out of that "A Man, A Can and A Plan" cookbook from Aunt Mo. I don't want the whole book though. I don't think I need anything from home in particular. I am doing pretty good. Thank you for all that you guys do!

11/4/13 Email to Dad

What up Pops!

I am doing good. By now, I am sure you have heard the news that my area split and I cover 1st and 3rd ward now with Elder S. It was a slow week honestly. Isaac is being kinda stubborn. He went to a gospel principles lesson, but the teacher turned it into a gospel doctrine and went super deep with doctrine. It really screwed up his progression so now he just says he is going to pray for an answer for our church to be true but he doesn't want to meet until he gets that. It just really frustrates me when people do that. Kayla moved to Othello so we lost her. We found another investigator named Desirae. She is a college student just interested in learning about the church. Her dad grew up Mormon and won't talk about it so she is just learning from us. Other than that, we are just trying to find some new people to teach. We got a bunch of referrals from the other Elders so we are going to check those out. We have a bunch of new investigators from them that they were working with that I haven't met yet so I am excited to meet with them. 

I only heard about Boston winning from the gym we go to every morning. I saw the celebration. It looked pretty crazy haha. I am glad Boston was able to win it this year. Hopefully Utah State can keep up the winning. I bet they can make it to a bowl game pretty easy. 

That is crazy it is snowing already. Seems like yesterday I got dropped off at the MTC and it was super hot. I am at my 3 month mark too. It hasn't snowed here yet but I have seen snow on peoples cars, probably from up in Cle Elum. It is like Park City up there but not as big or nice. It snows a ton just like Park City does. We split the area so I don't get to go up to Cle Elum anymore. I loved it up there. It's really the only place I have seen in Eastern Washington that looks pretty haha. I have heard Wenatchee is just like it so I hope I go up there sometime.

Good luck on your talk. I bet its so fun being a high council man and getting to talk a ton in a year (NOT!) haha. You do good at it though. Just sayin. That is sweet that Sister T has been learning sign language. It would be cool to see a testimony done in sign language. The Bishop is awesome. Give him a hard time for me haha.

Did you have lots of fun trick or treating? I bet you did. I bet you couldn't wait to get up to go walk around the neighborhood haha. It is fun though to go around and get doughnuts from Bonnie and stuff like that. We didn't have any trick or treaters come to our door. Probably because they know we are missionaries haha. We were going to hand out pass along cards instead of candy if anyone knocked on our door. It is crazy how old you and mom are getting haha. You mean you are getting old. Mom is staying young haha. Life goes too fast sometimes haha.

I hope you have a great week!

Love you all,

Elder Sedlacek

Meet Elder Oso

Hey everyone! Elder Sedlacek is doing very well these days...even better than we thought, as you will see. And, meet Elder Oso--the "traveling" Elder now staying with Elder Sed and the other missionaries in his apartment--at least until he gets stolen away!

Elder Sed and his comp kidnapped Elder Oso from the APs.

I am doing great! I had a big surprise this week. On Wednesday Elder R got transferred up to Wenatchee, and so I now have a step-father (mission lingo) Elder S. He is awesome! It's so much better now than it was with Elder R. Me and Elder S get along alot better than me and Elder R. I liked the package you sent me. Thank you for that. I like the sweater too. The little insigna doesn't even matter. Well, our investigators
have been really hard to get a hold of. I had been praying that we will be able to get a hold of them. We then called an investigator we have named Kayla who never answers her phone, but she answered this time and we got an appointment set up. Issac has been having some phone issues I think so we haven't talked to him this week. He didn't come to church so I don't know what's up. We finally were able to contact a media referral we had up in Ronald, Washington. Her name is April and she is a high school junior. She got interested because of her previous boy friend who was a Mormon. We got two new investigators from that. Her and her friend Alex. They are both cheerleaders so they are really talkative. It will be cool to
seem them progress. They are really interested in learning more about the church. I love teaching people who are genuinely interested. It makes it more fun. If any one asks what they can do to help, tell them to pray that
we will be able to have better contact with our investigators. That is really the big problem holding us back right now.
Sounds like church on Sunday was really good for you guys. Church was good here too. I don't really remember what was taught but it was spiritual if that counts haha. Our family has awesome neighbors, really though. They give the missionaries so much support. It's awesome! Dad, I like the sports updates. You had said in the letter that you don't want me to get homesick from it. It doesn't make me homesick. Don't worry about that. It is actually a help to know whats going on so I can bring it up to talk to people. Then we seem like we are more normal than they think we are haha. You really can relate anything to the gospel. Sometimes its trickier than other times but it usually works. I like to hear about the sports anyway. It would be so fun to come back up to Washington to do some hunting. I already have some good spots in mind. Trust me! haha.
It's not that bad though seeing all the animals. Really, serving a mission is the most important thing I could be doing right now. It has already helped me grow. It will be crazy a year from now to see where I am at.
I saw the picture of the front yard. It looks so weird with out the big tree. That will be a big change when I get home to not see the mushroom tree. The maple tree will look much better than the mushroom ever could
though haha. It will look so pretty in the fall I am sure of it. I really like the fall colors too. They are so pretty. It's good to hear what has been going on at home. I am keeping busy here too. I love you guys too.
Thank you for all that you do for me. You are one awesome family!
Love, Elder Sedlacek