Adventures with fire

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we did not really find many new people to teach, but we were able to have some good experiences. there is not a whole lot new with the investigators, which is the sad part. T** has been busy, but we finally got back in contact with him last night, so that was good. his work has taken over his schedule. A has been avoiding us for sure. i'm not sure what happened, but we will try to see if we can get in contact with him again. it's always tough when that happens. T couldn't meet this week, but hopefully she will be able to in the next few days. as for T***, the less-active member we've been working with, we had some pretty powerful lessons with him this week. i think he is right on the fence about coming to church though, because he struggles to get there. we are re-going over the missionary lessons with him and we taught the plan of salvation and the impression came to me to relate it to boot camp hahaha, so we had a good lesson in that way, like earth life is like boot camp, where we get to try our hand at what kind of soldier we will be in God's army. it gave me some new insights on the plan. we were able to meet with SD, but as with all the 'gators right now, he is struggling to come to church. he did read out of the Book of Mormon though, so there is some progress there. The part-member family we're working with did make it to church, so that was super awesome. we had some good lessons with the mom, and we just need to help her with a few concerns. we were also able to get back in contact with another family that wants to start coming back to church, so we will be teaching their kids soon. 

i really like what you said about starting off your day and week just trying to listen to the Spirit, that is something that President Welch is having us focus on, by reading the Book of Mormon again by the end of the year. it has really helped me to feel the Spirit more. it truly is the Spirit that helps us with everything, not just gaining knowledge, but with every aspect of our lives. that is so true about feeling it, rather than hearing it, a lot more often. i find myself receiving very subtle promptings and i barely recognize it, but when i don't listen to them, it always comes back to me, and it is usually for the most obscure thing, like, "hey, maybe you should grab this right now and take it with you," and then bam! i need that thing later. the Spirit is such a great help and we really can become a tool in the Lord's hands when we listen to it promptly. 

that is super cool that Seth is leaving on his mission, he will do great. i am excited to get into family history when i get home, that will be awesome. that is super cool that all the Utah teams played well. and that is great for the Utes' win. hahah there is a member in our ward that just loves me and Elder Nelson, he is a young guy who graduated from USU and he heard that we are both going there and was like "yes!" he did mechanical engineering as well. that general conference thought is a good one, thanks for sharing. i find that it is the most testimony strengthening thing to share the gospel. i always, without fail, come out happier from a lesson then when i went in, the Spirit comes to testify in such a way that brings so much joy to my life. the gospel is meant to bring us a greater sense of joy. that is why the members out here love to have missionaries over, so that they too can feel of the spirit of missionary work. there is no greater call than to share the gospel. i know that as all of you try to be the example to those around you, that you too can see the joy of missionary work. not just missionaries can feel it, but you do have to share it to feel it. do your best to share your testimony through thought, word and deed, and pray for missionary experiences with the intent to act and they will come. thanks for all you do Dad, I love you too. have a great week, talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a pretty good week. i wrote all about the 'gators in Dad's email as usual. i could use the test strips soon, but not sure about anything else. 

we had a really good Zone conference this week, and i had some good questions get answers, and a new thing that i am working on right now. President Welch no longer wants anyone to get up early to do extra exercise anymore, so that was tough news for me hahaha. and we can't do any working out before bed anymore, either. i guess a lot of people were doing that (me included, as you can probably guess) so that was something that hit home, because that is what i love to do, as you know. i know that was for a reason, because i have noticed that instead of the extra exercise before bed, i can now spend more time doing better things, like writing a little more in my journal hahaha. that really strengthened my testimony that the Lord WILL show us our next steps, even if we don't want to take them, but i have already seen the blessings for being obedient. 

we got to meet with a bunch of people this week who have been tough to meet with, so that was super cool. although we did not find as many people as we would have liked, i know the Lord sees our efforts. it seems some days like we work so hard for nothing, but i know that there are people out there who may not accept the gospel now, but they will later. all we can do is give them a chance. i love being able to contact as many people as i can, it helps me to feel the spirit of missionary work burn a little brighter. 

that is awesome that Seth is leaving on his mission, he will do really well. that is crazy that Trump won, i was half hoping he would, because he can at least make a business decision hahaha. that is a good campground, that will be fun to be there for girls' camp. BTW, are we going camping or anything when i get back? just curious hahaha. 

that is good that your knee is doing so much better, that is awesome. funny you talk about TVs burning up, and raking leaves. so a little back story on the pictures I sent: the lady that is on the Mormon Message, "Refiners Fire" is in the ward here. we help her and her teenage son with some service sometimes, they live in the middle of nowhere hahaha. we were helping them rake some leaves on Saturday and her son was mowing them up with the riding mower. he had just finished the last pile when i looked over at the mower, and it was sitting at just the right angle to me so i could see flames under the hood, so i yelled and he jumped off, and then the mower burst into flames! it was crazy! we called a fire truck and they came out and put it out, but hey, we got lots of footage hahaha. i am putting the video on the Google drive so you can watch it on your account. luckily, they were already planning on buying a new one. 

some members took us to dinner this week at a restaurant that happened to have a magician in the house. he tied a gorilla balloon for me and did some really cool tricks. yep, what Skyler talked about has to become second nature, and it is imperitive that you do ask for phones to be shut off before teaching hahaha. the Spirit is the real teacher, missionaries are just there to create an environment that the Spirit can come into and teach everyone present. not just the investigator should be learning, the Spirit has also taught me so much! i know for a fact that as we listen to the promptings of the Spirit we will be able to be an instrament in the Lord's hands. that is the greatest gift i have been given in serving a mission, it is a wonderful opportunity. thanks so much for all the support and prayers you send my way!

oh Mom, i figured out i want some more blades for my razor for Christmas, it's the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide flexball.

well, got to go now Mom, i hope work is going well. enjoy the pics i sent! i love you Mom! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

We have to convert ourselves before we can convert others.

Showing me that he bought new pants and hemmed them himself :)

hey Dad, it has been a good week. it was slow, but we got to work hard, which was good. for the investigators, A was bumming out on us so we were not able to meet with him. he was avoiding us, so we wonder what happened. then T has been doing the same thing--sleeping every other time we did not have something set up. we were able to receive some referrals though, so that was super cool. sadly, none of our 'gators made it to church. B is doing about the same, and also S. as for the other new people, we were not able to meet with them either. it was a slow week! 

we have been making an extra emphasis on asking for referrals, and it helps to receive media referrals, which is what we got, so that was super cool. last night a member family gave us a referral for one of thei kids' teachers to teach him in their home. we will do that on Sunday hopefully. we got Elder Nelson's bike, so we have been biking like crazy for the past few days and that has been nice. other than that we have not had much happen. 

sounds like work is going well, it is nice to be busy, i wish we were a little busier hahaha. sounds like you have graduated to full on Grandpa-Dad, haha! well done, just kidding, i bet that was fun to hand out the hot chocolate, you better be careful or Bonnie will put you out of business if  you get too big hahaha. YEAH! the Cubs won! that is super awesome, i was happy to hear that haha. that is too bad the Aggies lost, good that BYU beat Cinci hahaha, although i don't care either way for that, probably lean towards Cinci haha. 

i loved having the time change, it was super nice to have the extra hour of sleep, that was awesome! we had a good fast and testimony meeting too. there was a guy who walked in and was wearing a white "veterans for trump" t-shirt with an "i voted" sticker and an American flag pin with his suit slacks--it was so funny, i almost lost it. that guy is notorious for yelling at children in sacrament meeting hahaha. 

i did not see the worldwide training, we don't get to be part of it. that is interesting you share that scripture, cause i have created a lesson plan that i give to members, which consists of that scripture and a quote about helping others and whatever the Spirit directs in between. it is really a nice scripture, because it is so true--we can apply that to anything in teaching the gospel, we have to rely on the Holy Ghost to direct our thoughts and actions. it can help us in any part of our lives to do better. i know how much of a blessing the Spirit is in my life. i am so grateful to be on a mission to help others feel that guidance as well. thank you so much for all you do to help me keep serving. thanks for emailing me Dad, and i hope you have a great week! i love you Dad!

-Elder Sedlacek

p.s. my ward mission leader gave me some white tail venison, and man, it tastes like beef compared to muley, it is so good.

hey Mom,  i did get my insulin, thanks! it has been a good week, but a slower one. we did not get anyone to church despite our best efforts, and we were not able to find anyone. it was as if the adversary was working super hard to just kill all of our efforts. we worked super hard and did not have a whole lot of awesome success. i feel bad for my comp, he is how i used to be and does not quite understand what is a successful mission, so i hope i can help him with that. it was hard to feel like that, but we just have to do our very best. i wrote about the rest of it in Dad's email. 

to answer your questions: what built my faith was getting some more referrals--that in itself is an answer to my prayers, that was awesome.  my fave person was probably a guy named T. we got him to come back to church, so that was good. the most frustrating thing was having appointments cancel so many times, that was terrible, and it makes planning stressful. the best thing was the member referral we got from our dinner appointment last night. 

i bet Halloween was super fun, hahaha you are gonna have to compete with Bonnie! sounds like a success haha. that sounds like you have some good movies coming out too, keep the list, because i will want to see them. i did not get to see the training, that is cool though, it is true we have to convert ourselves before we can convert others. we cannot convert them beyond our own conversion. i always feel the need to strengthen my testimony, it can never be strong enough if you know what i mean. it can be so hard to try and bear testimony to someone, and you know things that they are not ready for, so as you keep it simple enough, because you just want to help them understand the blessings they can have in their lives. 

that is too bad you did not get as much of a fast as you wanted, i did not get to fast either, because i woke up low [low blood sugar], so that was kinda crummy. i had a lot to fast for too, but the Lord knows our hearts and our desires, so it does not matter, as long as we do our best. that is good about your knee, i bet you feel so much better. i love getting to exercise (as you know) it helps with everything. that's why i do pull-ups every night before bed, it relieves a lot of stress hahaha. i am doing 300 each night by the way hahaha. i am not sure about voting day on Tuesday, we will see, the lines outside of the judicial center in town have already been crazy enough with early voting. hahaha Brig sounds like a really funny kid, that's my nephew! hahaha 

Mom: Do you still try to fast one meal? I sent you a picture of Brig at church after the time change. He didn't like it too well. :)

yeah, i do fast when i am not low. Brig is a funny kid, i bet he did not like the time change! haha

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for emailing me. it was great to hear from you, thanks for the pics of Briggy, especially the one with the costumes, i am lucky i did not laugh out loud at that one because we are in the library! well have a great week Mom, love you!

-Elder Sedlacek

We just have to do our best to be our best

hey Dad, it has been a good week. we were finally able to find some new people to teach. we found a single mother named T, and she is very nice, but has a difficult situation that might make it hard for her to come to church. she is a good lady though. we also found another lady who has gone through a lot in her life. Her name is A. she just told us about all the terrible things that happened to her, and that was tough to hear. it was kinda hard to get her to let us answer her questions, because she kept interupting right when we were about to make the point. so that was kind of a hard lesson to teach hahaha. we found one other person, a guy named A,  and he is super awesome! at first he did not show a lot of interest, but we were able to make it back to teach him about the restoration, and that went really well. he is a  cool guy. we will soon see where all of these people end up i guess haha.

T is doing well, although i think he has lost a bit of steam, because he did not come to church and has slowed on his reading. he is still reading, but not as much as before. we have been trying to focus on helping him to keep the determination going. he also said he will marry his girlfriend so he can get baptized, so that was some super good news. D has been kinda hard to contact lately, so we will be trying more this week to contact him. we are not sure what is going on. B is doing well too, he has been busy with a trip out of town, so that is why we did not see him much lately, but we got back in contact with him and had a pretty good lesson. we are still trying to get him to commit to church, but his Dad's situation makes that difficult unfortunately. we also had some pretty powerful lessons with T*** as well, the last lesson we were really trying to help him understand how much God really does love him and how important his choices are. the spirit was pretty strong, and so hopefully we will be able to open him up more. we are helping him to recognize the spirit more in his life. 

the other day some lady in a gold mustang stopped us and called us over to her car. she explained that she was catholic and that her uncle just passed away. she was asking us to pray for her family, because her uncle was a Mormon in Utah. fast forward to yesterday morning, she called us and told us that she wanted us to come over for dinner. this was just out of the blue, so went over and while i was washing up in the bathroom, my comp told them our first names (uh oh! haha) because they insisted, so they started calling us by our first names (never ever do that--i have learned a long while ago) and to make things weirder, i walked around the corner and out popped a catholic priest (this just sounds iffy doesn't it? haha) he was nice luckily, no arguments or bashing or anything came up, but they did ask questions cause they have family members who are on missions. after we ate, and were just weirded out by being called by our first names, we left and that was that. sadly, they were not too interested in investigating the church, but they did offer us help if we ever need it. so that was really nice. who knows? maybe something will come of it. that sums up the week.

that is good your work is going well Dad. that is crazy about the world series! i would have expected Cleveland to get killed, not so i guess hahha. that is also too bad the Utes lost, and the Aggies too, the teams need to play better hahaha. that is funny about my trek Ma. they are pretty cool, i loved going on trek with them hahaha. that is a good thought from general conference.  it is so true, we will be able to make it. i was just thinking about this this morning, we just have to do our best to be our best. we are learning how to become like God, this life is a learning experience. we have to learn to progress in order to be able to have all the blessings of the celestial kingdom if we are going to abide there--which we will if we follow the Savior's instructions and rely on his infinite mercy. we can learn so much from the gospel and the temple. everything we have is to help to teach us how to become more like the Savior. i am still figuring out exactly how the spirit speaks to me completely, but i am so grateful for the guidance from the Spirit that comes from our loving Heavenly Father. i am so grateful for this gospel and i know how many blessings it will bring to each of our lives. thank you for the support you all give me, it means so much! i hope you have a great week Dad, and a happy Halloween. i love you Dad! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a good week. to answer your questions, i did get the pump supplies a day early, so that was awesome. thanks Mom! i do need insulin soon, i have a vial and a half left. i did not get a flu shot, so we will see what happens hahaha.

today we just have our regular p-day, and then we have to go in as soon as it's over. then we have some stuff to do that President Welch wants done. sadly, no one showed to church this week, although we had several who had committed. (satan works extra hard when you are trying to build up a teaching pool haha). that was frustrating. Elder Nelson is a boss, he is a great guy and we get along pretty well. he loves to work hard, so that is nice.

the best part of my week was sacrament; the Spirit was super strong and i was reading the Book of Mormon during it and it just really made a difference. it was really nice to just sit and feel the Spirit for a while. the hardest part was probably a few days this week where we just spent finding, and no one was letting us come back or was letting us in, so it felt like getting nothing done. we just have to remember that the Lord does not control people into accepting the gospel. we all have agency and if they accept it or not, that does not determine our success. those days were full of hard work, so they were good days anyway.

a miracle was having one person let us come back on a day when literally no one was wanting to listen, so that was one of the "4th floor last door" experiences. that was A, who i wrote about in Dad's email. i had an impression on one of those days that really just reminded me that the Lord was proud of us that day.

i bet that was super fun to help with the street Halloween party, i loved doing that. hahaha Bonnie and Stewart  are the best!! i bet that was a fun party. the DI has everything, i miss that. Goodwill is just not the same hahaha. that is awesome that you found a new exercise bike! i hope it helps you more than mine did--i think we each paid half or something, i just remember it was cheap too hahaha. i still do want that bike, yes, thank you for saving it! i will use it when i get home for sure. speaking of, i am almost back to my pre-mission weight, so that is good. i gained a bunch in Englewood hahaha. that is good to hear your knee is doing better and better, soon you will be all healed up. hahaha i am glad you like some of my quotes, once in a while i will come up with something good like that hahaha! well that is about it for the updates of the week, how is your Halloween?

Mom: Halloween is good. We are going to have the fire bowl and some hot chocolate in the driveway tonight for trick-or-treaters. That should be fun.

so you are turning into real grandparents, huh? haha you're going to be like Bonnie & Stewart.

is it cold there yet? we are still getting the usual Indiana weather, it changes almost daily!

Mom: Yeah, it is starting to get colder around here. The fire bowl will feel pretty good tonight I think!

well, i have to go now Mom, it has been good talking with you! thank you Mom for everything you do! it means so much! i hope you have a great week! love you Mom! you're the best!

-Elder Sedlacek da third. 

If the adversary wants to lead us carefully down to hell, we have to be even more careful not to let him.

hey Dad, it has been a good week. Elder Nelson is from Orem, Utah. He graduated the same year I did. he is obedient and has a strong testimony, and there is a lot i can learn from him. he is also a lot like Jake hahaha, so that is fun. D**** did not make it to church, although we had two lessons with him. he was sick Sunday, so he did not feel up to coming. T** has read all the way to 1 Nephi 18 already! i was like "holy smokes!" he is super solid and has  a very sincere desire to learn more about Christ and to strengthen his testimony. he told us he would do anything to strengthen it! i thought, "jump in the water man!" hahaha he was not at church 'cause he had to work, but he will be there next week. 

as for the rest of the week, we are making subtle progress with everyone else. B**** has been busy so we did not get to teach him this week, but we had a lesson with his father. SD was busy all but one day, so we saw him, and he might make it out to the trunk or treat on Wednesday (those are huge out here among the wards and branches). we also had a super grace lesson in a members' home, with dinner, and our "eternagator" K, although the dad of that family is super loud and loves to joke around, so i am kinda interested in how she took that. she loved his wife though. we found a whole bunch of potentials other than that, and none of them kept the return appointments, so yeah. we are still building that teaching pool. 

i did give a funny dinner lesson to some members last night. i included zombies since they have a bunch of teenage girls that like that weird syfy stuff, so yes, i made an analogy that was actually really good. the dad was pleased. hahaha that sounds like you had a fun weekend, that is too bad the hunting was skimpy. that is really cool that Nicole and Jeff did a half together, so they did get back into running after all. hahah 

i heard about that game, everyone at church was going crazy! haha the pretty much Indianapolis team against "ahi-a" haha. that is super cool the teams won. that is good Brother A is getting back to his routines, i like that guy. 

that is so true about stumbling blocks. we have to be very careful about the things we get caught up in. if the adversary wants to lead us carefully down to hell, we have to be even more careful not to let him. we have to have the view of the bigger picture, so we don't just focus on the power pole, and we have to be optimistic with things, so we can realize the gifts God has given to us. if we always have our eye on the Savior and we study and pray every day and just focus on feeling the presence of the Holy Ghost, we will be able to over come all things, i know that is true. i am so excited for this transfer, thank you for all your advice and your example Dad! have a great week! love you Dad! i will talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a good week. we worked really hard this week and it was great. i wrote about 'gators in Dad's email. Elder Nelson is from Orem and has been out for 9 months. he is a lot like Jake and has the same personality, which is really cool. he is a hard worker, he makes me look average hahaha. just kidding, we work hard together. we get along well, and he likes nerf guns so we shoot them around the apartment all the time for fun haha. 

i did get the package, thank you so much Mom! that was awesome! i love the new music, especially the Christmas stuff, that will be nice after Thanksgiving. for a miracle this week, we had a member offer at the last minute to feed our 'gators with us, so we invited one of them and it went really well. the most challenging thing was planning, because we don't have a lot to plan for right now, so it makes things interesting. it just gives us more time to find though, so that is good. the best thing that happened was meeting with our investigator T**. he is so awesome. that last question about experiences that have changed my life is tough, there has been so much to choose from. it would probably be any of the times that i have received promptings and have followed through with them, that is always an amazing experience. but probably when i gave my first blessing, that is an experience i won't share over email though--you have to wait :)  

that is super cool you had a good dinner for Dad's b-day, that sounds awesome. i hope you like the Camp Chef, are you enjoying the bacon press? hahaha. we got another pumpkin so we might carve it today, or maybe next week. you and Dad are foreigners to baby stuff now! that's funny you had trouble figuring out Brig's stroller and stuff haha.  i bet Nicole and Jeff's half was a fun race to watch. 

so Brigham had a huge blowout at church, huh? nice one Brigham! that is super funny, that is my nephew right there. that is a super cool story from Brother H, he is a great guy too. how many people did Dad baptize? just wondering. that must have been such a cool miracle for them. there are so many people who are prepared for the gospel, and we as young guys get to experience them coming into the fold of God, it is amazing. 

i got a tragic call from the West Chester Sisters informing me that Bishop M has passed away from a tragic brain tumor, leaving his young family behind. i know that families can be together forever. there are many people who don't have the blessing of that knowledge. people are needing the gospel so they can heal those spiritual sicknesses. i feel so blessed to share it--it is tough job, but it is so rewarding. i also heard from the Sisters that all the converts are doing well, and TH is now the ward clerk, and J and M and her kids are doing well, and growing. the gospel changes lives. it was such a great experience to be in West Chester at that time when i could witness all those things. thank you for keeping me out here Mom, and doing what you do to support me, you're the best Mom!

i just got word we have to read the Book of Mormon by January 1st, that will be a fun challenge.

i got the letter from the Young Women. that was super nice of them, can you tell them thank you for me? i almost forgot to say that haha

well i have to go now Mom, i hope you have a wonderful week. keep working hard with your knee. i love you Mom, have a great day and keep the M family in your prayers! love you! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek III

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek

The prayer of faith can change anything.

Pictures, top to bottom: The corn in Indiana, nearly ready to harvest; we met a guy with some cool airplanes!; tanning a squirrel hide; cutting down trees for a service project. 

hey Dad, it has been a good week. for the update on 'gators, we were able to find someone new this week named S, he is a nice guy.  he was a referral we were able to finally make contact with. we had a good restoration lesson with him this week, and we  invited him to church but no show. sadly, no one in our pool made it to church this week. we are also working with an older lady named A, she is the typical Hoosier talker, which means you can talk a million miles an hour without stopping! hahaha she is harder to teach because of it. then we are working with a teenager kid who has a lot of promise, but not a whole lot of commitment. he is busy so it is hard to meet with him. then there is the part member family i told you about, the S family. B is our most progressing investigator, although he is older and lives with his Dad. his Dad is really devout in his own church and likes to listen to us, but won't come to our church. so every time we teach B with his dad, he won't tell us how he really feels cause his Dad is there and he doesn't want to hurt him. he would love to come to our church, so we will see what happens.  that is about it for the pool right now. 

yep, it is definitely turning into fall here too, it has been in the 50's and 60's lately so it feels really nice. that stinks you had to wait to cut the lawn, but it probably wont grow much hahaha. it sounds like the Utah teams are doing super well this week, except the Aggies. sounds like the Utes are having a decent season. i heard about the Colts game, we were following it from house to house, they would tell us the scores hahaha so it was like we were watching it i guess haha. that is super cool that Jake did well on the duck hunt, he must be having fun this season, i can't wait. there are so many here, drives me nuts sometimes hahaha. i really like that talk that Sister Carol McConkie gave, that one really stuck out to me a lot. the prayer of faith can change anything. we truly can just ask for knowledge and wisdom and answers to questions and if we diligently seek and study and have faith, He will give it to us. i have been studying about knowledge lately, it is really interesting. until i started studying it, i had no idea that knowledge is required to get into the celestial kingdom. of course you have to know about all the basics, but you have to really understand them. knowledge is given to us by the prayer of faith as we seek the scriptures and words of the prophets. 

we had a zone meeting this week that was really interesting. i had some cool insights come to me about my patriarchal blessing that really struck me in a different way. as President Utchdorf put it in one of his talks, seeking knowledge is looking at things differently. well, that is about it for this week, except i did get that squirrel hide from that other Elder and i am in the middle of tanning it, it is super cool hahhaha. well thanks for emailing me Dad! i can't remember exactly what day your birthday is but i am going to try to send a card today if possible. i love you Dad! have a great birthday and week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom, it has been a good week. i wrote dad about the 'gators and stuff, so you can read it there. that is great news that DM is going on a mission, that is super cool, he will do well. i did hear about Hurricane Matthew, that was crazy! yep, the missionaries get completely moved out when there are hurricanes, so i am sure they are all fine. that is crazy though. 

yep the pics you saw were from a zone meeting. the most challenging thing about my week was probably having those slower days, when nothing is going on. those are tough, but they happen. and i lost patience for a sec with my comp, and so i felt really bad, even though it was probably justified, but that wasn't an excuse. so i will do better. 

i did find out this week that a lady i gave a blessing to had sepsis. she probably should still be really sick in the hospital, but she is now at home after only a few days and doing well, so that was a super cool miracle. we also got to do a service project cutting down trees, so that was SO FUN, i loved it. that was the best project i have done yet, and i used all the skills Dad taught me hahaha and they came in super handy. 

that is good your leg is doing well and improving, that is super good. thanks for the fasting for me, i know it will help a lot. unfortunately i already have been thinking about school. i have been praying about which college to attend for the past few days now, i don't like it hahaha, but it has to be done i guess hahaha. i am hoping USU, but we will see. 

so Brig is making friends now haha! i bet he walks soon, he must be a funny little dude. i hadn't though about the prophets crying repentance as a sign until just now either, so that was a neat observation, good job Mom, hahaha you're faster than me hahaha. i am so grateful to be able to be a missionary as well, it makes me so happy to teach the gospel and to be able to feel the spirit all the time. you can take it for granted, but it left when i was impatient at my companion, and i noticed the difference. i definitely feel very grateful for this opportunity to just focus on serving the Lord, it makes me so happy. i love my mission so much! thanks for keeping me out here! 

well, i have to go now Mom, thanks for all you do! you're the best Mom! i love you guys so much! keep doing your daily PT! have a great week! i will talk to you later! have a great day! love you Mom!

-Elder Sedlacek

If we had a bigger teaching pool, we could be running hard core

hey Dad, it has been another petty good week. we were not able to find any one new this week though, which i am sad about, but that's okay, they will come. as for G***, we went over to see him and it finally occurred to my comp that G*** is not interested,  so we pretty much dropped him from our list. it is sad to see that happen. we also had to drop a few other people we have not been able to make contact with, so our teaching pool is almost nothing right now. there are a bunch of part member families we could potentially start working with, so that is a plus side. 

there is not a whole lot to update this week, it is sad but true. i just have to trust in the promise that our leaders have given us and look for the miracles. i loved General Gonference--i took 16 pages of notes in a composition notebook, it was awesome!  hahaha. my "mission brain" makes conference even better hahaha. we watched all the sessions at the church, except for the last which we saw at a member's house, that was super fun. 

that sounds like a super fun duck hunt that you had, that is awesome how well Jake did. i look forward to the new spot. BTW, an Elder who started tanning a squirrel hide is giving it to me half-way done to finish it, so i will be able to have a squirrel hide afterall. hahaha 

yeah, there was definitely a good theme going on with the conference talks. one of my faves was the one about serving Christ ambitiously to find joy. i have definitely found that to be true! it gives me so much joy to be on a mission, i love it. that is cool you could see those miracles at work, that is awesome. 

i too know that circumstances may be tough, but if i stay faithful we will see miracles. i have seen this in past areas, and i know that it is just a test to help me grow. thank you 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, although we don't have much time to email this week, so i wrote Dad about the updates in the area so you will have to read them there. i loved conference, it was so good. i also wrote a little about that in Dad's email too.  i will look forward to the USB with the music on it, tell Jake thanks for me! and i am doing good on all the meds right now, thanks for asking! my A1C was about a month ago, it was in the 7's so it was not too bad. 

the leaves are starting to change, and it has been in the 50's a lot too, with humidity, so it feels a  little cooler at times. BTW, can you look for some brown and grey sweaters? only if you can find them cheap though. that is so funny with Brig being like that! i am excited to see the little boy! 

that is good that you have got so much farther with your knee--that is cool. hopefully you will get the scar tissue taken care of. 

my fave part of the week was conference, that was so awesome, i really liked the story that Carol McConkie shared about that old man in the hospital--hahaha--it made me tear up, and it was a tender mercy cause part of it really spoke to me. i am having all these difficult circumstances in the work because Heavenly Father knows what will make me grow the best. in the MTC, we did an exercise where we wrote down who we wanted to become by the ends of our missions, and what i wrote down is exactly the things that i experience that are shaping me into that person. it was a really cool realization. Heavenly Father truly does give to us what will make us most happy, and what we truly desire. i liked a lot of those talks, a lot were about joy in the gospel and sharing it and coming to know the Savior, which is exactly what i get to do for the rest of my mission. it makes me so happy to be a missionary, it brings me so much joy and i know that sharing the gospel is what brings us true lasting happiness and rapid growth of our testimonies and ourselves. 

that is about it for this week! hahaha i will send some cool pics, i got a cool selfie stick for like five bucks at a flea market, so expect a lot more pics! hahaha

Mom: You got a selfie stick? That's pretty funny.  And I am really proud of you! I know you don't like feeling like you aren't accomplishing what you should, but hang in there. I'm praying for you!

hahaha yep, it's a fun toy, best five bucks i have ever spent. i know that is true as well, thank you for your prayers. it means a lot, it really does, i do notice them.

Mom: So is that picture in the gym from last p-day?

nope that is today, just a few hours ago at a huge gym in New Castle, Indiana. it was fun, and it was HUGE!

Mom: That does look like a huge gym. So what's your favorite thing about Noblesville so far?

probably the ward and how they run it. the members here are awesome, we have splits set up at least 3-4 nights a week with members, so if we had a bigger teaching pool we could be running hard core. just wait though, this area will get there, it has so much potential!

Mom: That's good. Do you get any referrals?

we are trying to, at every meal appointment we leave a commitment and i follow up with them later on down the week. it helps to gain a lot of trust, and hopefully that General Conference talk about missionary work helps.

Mom: Do you need anything?

oh, i could use those shirt collar straighteners, that would be super nice if you can find some, thanks Mom!

ok, got to go now Mom. thanks so much for your support and all you do! i could not do it without you guys! i hope y'all have a great day! and a great week! talk to you later! love you Mom!

-Elder Sedlacek