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

Lots of rain adds up to some flooding. 

May 22, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-ELDER SEDLACEK

We can choose to be humble in this life, or we will be humbled. It's as simple as that.

What's up Mama,

Wow! Sounds like you guys had quite the week hahaha. The weather has been crazy there it sounds like. Here it's been awesome. Couldn't be better, honestly. It rains occasionally, which is awesome. I love the rain and while I was in Tri-cities I didn't see any, so it's a good change. That is a major bummer about the fruit trees. I was kinda looking forward to that hahaha. Guess not now!

Did the hail cause any problems like broken glass? for anyone? It sounds like it was falling crazy fast. That is a ton of hail on the porch in that picture you sent.

You will get to play on a Steinway??? That is exciting. I bet it is going to make you a little jealous haha. Those are REALLY nice pianos. I have heard lots of good about them on my mission.

It's no fun that you guys didn't get to go camping because of the weather. Were the kids upset? I bet you had fun anyway. Besides, they are almost out of school so they should just be happy just because of that. :)

Guess what happened to me this week?

(It's nothing bad. I promise haha. Just wanted to make sure you didn't freak out or anything.)

BTW, I bought some new p-day shoes today.

Mama: What happened to you??

Elder Sed: I had to give my departing testimony at zone conference :( 

Mama: Your departing testimony? Already? That must have been strange for you!

Elder Sed: Yep, my departing testimony. It was my last zone conference so now I am a "dead" missionary haha. It was crazy though. My whole mission, giving my departing testimony has seemed so far away, then suddenly I was the one up there giving my testimony. Time flies! When I stood up in the front looking at all the missionaries, I just couldn't help but think "What am I doing?? I still have about a year!" hahaha. It's like in my mind I still think I have about a year left, but it was just a realization moment for me. It was crazy hahaha.

Mama: I bet you did well on your testimony, but I bet it was sad for you too.

Elder Sed: I really did feel like it went really well. Pres Ware teared up a little bit during mine. I just love him. He is awesome! I really did feel God's approval for what I have done on my mission. I felt that without a doubt. So it was sad, but it was good too.

Mama: I'm 100% sure you have His approval. You have done amazing! Well, how are you doing? Do you need anything?

Elder Sed: I am doing good, besides that my suits don't fit haha. I need a size 42 now. 

Well, I'm going to get going. Thanks for emiling me today. I hope you guys have an awesome rest of your Memorial day. Tell everyone I said hi. I love you guys! Talk to you next week!

You're awesome Mama!

love

-Elder Sedlacek

What's up Dad,

Sounds like the craziest week yet for weather in Bountiful. Man, the weather is confused hahah. It's been awesome here though. 70s every single day, with a few little rain showers here and there. It's perfect. Sounds like you guys need to move to Warshington haha. JK. Don't do that. I still want my Utes room.

This week was really, really interesting. We had zone conference up in Kennewick last Friday, which is usually our weekly planning day (it takes all day, so that had to be moved) so basically two days of our week were shot for getting out and working, but it ended up being really good. I really enjoyed zone conference. Pres. Ware is the bomb. He is definitely one of the men I look up to in my life. He's awesome. He talked a lot about humility this time around. It was really good. He had some great thoughts about humility and the atonement. One of my fave qoutes from him was, "Without humility, we would never be able to access the power of the atonement". It's so true. We really do need to be humble enough to change and repent in order to have the atonement actually help us. We can also choose to be humble in this life, or we will be humbled. It's as simple as that.

As far as our investigators go, the week went pretty well. We weren't able to meet with the two new families this week, but I hope that it will work out for this week. They both really seem interested too, which is awesome. It's just scheduling that is the hard part. Families are busy haha. 

We did find some new investigators this week! One of them is a YSA guy named R. He is on date for the 13th of June. We found him by looking through the area book and decided to go stop by, and he is in a really prepared state right now. It's awesome! He is really excited to change and be baptized by the restored authority! We also met with B. I mentioned her a couple weeks back so you should at least remember or can look back to find out more about her. She is awesome. It was honestly the first time something like what happened to her has happened to one of my investigators. So Sweet! Here is what happened: a couple weeks ago we stopped by and had a restoration lesson with her. She got really emotional when we talked about baptism, and said she was going to pray to find out what she should do. So that night she prayed, and then she went to sleep. In the middle of the night she woke  up after a dream and she knew it was true because of the dream. God answered her prayer through a dream. How cool is that?!?!?! I thought it was awesome. It's amazing how the spirit works with different people and at different times.

We are still meeting with R****. He is doing okay. He just won't pray, so we are thinking about dropping him. He needs to have the courage to pray. It's the hardest thing for him to do, which I understand, but it's really going to be praying that will help him get his answer. He needs to do it for himself. It's frustrating sometimes haha.

That was pretty much the extent of our week this week. It was interesting with all the meetings, but it was good. I learned a lot so I guess that's the major point. The spirit was super strong too, so that was nice as well.

Elder Bowen and I are really focusing on finding this week. It was kind of a struggle last week but we are going to keep trying. I know they are out there. We just got to find them.

Hey, that's good news on the hunts. We finally got something haha. How many years was it that you guys didn't? I think both the years I have been gone you guys didn't even get a tag, unless I am wrong. Hopefully they work out and we can get something. School will be interesting haha. Hopefully it works out with school. 

Time is flying by for you I am sure. Three of your kids are going to be graduated from high school and one from college haha. That is crazy that Jared is pretty much done. It is crazy too that my mission is almost over. That is crazy for me, and you I'm sure. I bet it doesn't feel like very long ago you were doing the same thing I am doing. 

It's been a real struggle keeping up with all my buds. It's tough because time is limited when we can contact each other. I know that Jordan, Joey, Josh, and Hunter are all doing awesome! Jordan gets home the first week in July. That will be crazy. You guys have to go to his homecoming and let me know how it goes. Gary is just about to leave on his mission. One of my friends, Andrew,  just left on his mission a couple months ago to Cali. He's doing good too. It's tough keeping track of them all but it's good to hear from them every once in a while.

Well Pop, you're awesome! Love ya Dad. I know this church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is the tool God has blessed us with. I know that the authority of God is on the earth. I know Christ is my Savior. He died for me and all of God's children individually. He loves us all and still lives even today to guide us in this life. I know God loves all his children. He especially loves his children Washington/Oregon because I feel that love everyday. I love to serve the Lord. It's so awesome! I love literally every day! Thanks for all that you do to support me in my decision to serve.

Have a great week!

-Elder Sedlacek

I'm so thankful to be serving a mission. I have loved every day!

 

What's up Mama,

Sounds like you had a great week. How ya doing?

 

I am doing really good. I have been settling in to Milton. The ward is starting to catch a vision for the missionary work. This past week we met with the Bishop, and our Ward Mission Leader. 

 

Things are going good with Elder G. Things are good as DL. I love how often I get to serve the missionaries in my district. This week, one of the Sisters had a dog bite her leg, so I went over to give her a blessing. It was really good. Going in I honestly had no idea of anything I was going to say, but I just went in like I usually do to blessings, and just cleared my thoughts. It was cool. When I started, I just said a silent prayer in my heart that I would know what to say to give her some comfort. It ended up being a really good blessing. It just flowed right from the start. It must have worked because she cried. Isn't that how women work haha?

 

All afternoon Saturday I was doing baptism interviews in Pendleton. It was good, because it's all worth the time with baptisms. Those sisters up there in Pendleton do some awesome work!

 

The weather in Muddy Frogwater has been awesome. It couldn't be a better spring, honestly. It has had the perfect amount of rain and sun. Down here in Milton we get more rain than Tri-cities does, so its nice to see some rain for a change.

 

I am honestly doing pretty good. I don't really need anything at the moment.

 

Dallin is going to Bolivia?!?!?!?! That's awesome! Wish him good luck for me. That would be super cool if I got to see Dallin in the airport. That would be fun. So Dallin's mom is going to be the sad Mama, and you're going to be the happy one right? haha. Hopefully it's not the other way around haha.

 

Thanks for doing the school stuff for me. I don't have a clue of what math to take. I don't want to waste time and money taking a class that is too easy, but I also don't want it to be too hard that I don't know how to do it at all. What do you think I should do?

 

Mama: Son! Of course I will be the HAPPPPPYYYYYYYY Mama!!!!

Good job on the blessing. Yes, a woman crying in a blessing is probably a pretty good sign that you said something she needed. haha

 

I will think on the math and also ask Nicole.

 

Hey, there is news on Jared’s call this morning!! He's been assigned and is in the mail. Probably coming in the next day or two or three.....and don’t worry. Mamas have their ways of letting missionary sons in Oregon know asap. 

 

Elder Sed: Oh ok good. I was thinking it was that way haha.

I figured it was a good sign hahahaha.

Oh okay ask Micoe. She's "SMRT" with that kinda stuff.

OOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOY!!!!!! Jared's call is coming on its way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is your guess to where he's going? 

 

Mama: It definitely is that way haha. I’m waiting for my hug and it better be a good one!

 

As for where for Jared.....I don’t really know. You are in Washington, and that is a place I had never even thought of for you, so it’s probably going to be somewhere I haven’t thought of. That being said, Jared REALLY REALLY REALLY wants to speak Spanish. I think he will be Spanish-speaking. My official guess is Washington DC South, Spanish-speaking.

 

Elder Sed: That would be cool for him to learn Spanish. I could see him going Spanish. It will be awesome to find out the big news. Oh you better believe I will give you all a good hug haha. Who wouldn't?

 

Yea, that will be interesting to see what he does and where he goes! My official guess is Wyoming, but what's wrong with Yakima or WKM!!!! haha. That would make me so happy if he really did end up going to Warshington. It would also be cool if he went to DC south Spanish speaking.

I have to get going now Mama. You're awesome for all that you do for me! Love ya tons! Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, even though there isn't much I can do at the moment haha but still. You get the point.

 

You're the best Mama! Keep being the best Mama ever!

Love ya!

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

 

 

Whaz up Dad,

This week was great! I will just start with the update of my week.

 

So this week we had zone training meeting where the ZLs and the DLs train the zone. It was pretty good. I felt like my training went really well. I talked a lot about building a vision with planning and goals. The vision needs to be our eye of faith, with our goals and daily and weekly plans supporting that vision we gain from the Lord. Everyone really liked it, so I guess it was good.

 

The next day after that we had interviews with President Ware. I got my new temple recommend that's signed by him so I will have to keep this one I have now. President is awesome. He's definitely called by God. I know that for sure.

 

This week I had the privilege of giving lots of priesthood blessings. Some to the members in the district I have, and some to members of the ward. I just love to be able to give people blessings by the priesthood of God. It's so cool how you can feel the guidance of God in what to say. I love to feel the love God has for them. I just love to serve His children!

 

As far as our investigators go, we had some good lessons with them this week. We now have two on date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! F***** is on date for the 25th of April. It's probably going to be pushed back just because he is going out of town for his baseball team. We are just praying that we will be able to figure out a weekend where he will be free to be baptized. He is super excited! He came to church yesterday and guess what? He stayed for the whole block and the Spanish sacrament meeting too. He was just so excited to be at church.

 

The other on date is J****. He's doing awesome too. He is a guy who is kinda rough around the edges and not afraid to say what's on his mind. He's really cool. He told us this week that if he didn't have real interest in being baptized, he wouldn't talk to us. I liked that haha. We put him on date after he said that, for July. It's kinda far away, but he is just so busy every weekend and his wife is pregnant and due in May. I hope everything works out with him too.

 

Other than these two investigators, we do have a couple others, but we are working on finding a bunch more this week. Wish us luck!

Great job with work, Dad. Sounds like it's going good. Save the church some money haha.

 

Oh, you got lots of yard work done it sounds like. Trimming trees is a pain. I know that much. You're going to move the garden to the middle section? That sounds like a good idea. I like how the size of the garden has gradually gotten smaller and smaller as time goes on. I remember when it was the whole bottom section haha. I guess you're just getting old. ;) Just kidding, Dad. You're still super young, strong. Like Nephi, right?!

 

Sounds like you had a fun time just playing with the truck haha. That is super funny. It's like your brand new toy haha. That stinks the ATV isn't starting. I bet it is the carburator or something like that.

A brand new guy won the Masters? That's cool. He sounds like he's amazing! I would like to see him play.

I did hear from Mom that Dallin got his call to Bolivia. That is super cool!!!!! You will have to wish him luck for me. He's going to do awesome I would bet. That's kinda funny that he leaves the day that I get home. Probably won't see him for a while then, unless for some reason we see each other at the airport, but I doubt that too.

 

I heard good news on Jared's call. That is exciting!!!!! You guys will have to let me know asap when you find out. I will be excited to find out where he's going! Hopefully in Washington somewhere. That would be cool.

I am so thankful to be serving a mission. It's been a wonderful time! I have loved every day! I love being able to devote all my time and attention to serving the Lord and his children. I love the Lord! I love his children I have been sent to help! I know this is His church! He leads and guides us as we let Him. I am grateful for the gift of the spirit and what it does to my life. I know the priesthood is on the earth to bless all others besides myself, but I know there are people who are able to help me when I need it as well. I know the Book of Mormon is true!

 

You guys are awesome for all the support you give to me. I know it's a blessing some don't have. I love you guys! You're all amazing! You guys keep up the great work at home! Talk to you later!

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

People do have questions about our church, and they should because it's the true church of Christ.

Milton-Freewater is known for its frog statues.

What's up Mama,

Sounds like your week was awesome! So was mine! I LOVED conference. I really loved all the talks, but my faves were President Eyring's in the priesthood session. (His was all about how the priesthood and the power of prayer are connected.) I also liked Elder Ballard's talk in the priesthood session. It was about raising the bar on RM's. It kinda applied to me haha, sadly enough, since I will be home before the next session in October. I just liked when he made the comment that RM doesn't stand for "Retired Mormon." We need to stay strong in our studies and focus even when we get home. I am going to stay on track. I have already made that decision. My most favorite talk was Jeffery R Holland's talk! Talk about AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just really felt the Spirit during the whole thing. It was just amazing. I am going to get the audio recording on that talk when it comes out so I can listen to it again and again. It was that good. 

Guess what this week entailed? I got the dreaded trunky call that the old missionaries get from missionary travel when they are getting the info together for your flight home. It was funny, because I got mine on Wednesday when I was on exchanges with Elder Nelson. He's the ZL for the Walla Walla zone and we came out the same time, so we both got our trunky calls on exchanges. It was pretty fun haha.

 

That is awesome that Jared's papers are in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is wierd that the calls are coming on weird days like Saturday haha. Makes it unpredicitable.

 

Sounds like you guys had fun on the trip to St. Geezy. That's good. I was assuming you guys would have lots of fun.

 

Easter was fun. This ward struggles with feeding the missionaries, but we did have an Easter dinner. It was some super good hamburgers. Ones like I had with the Hale family. The "juicy Lucys". It was soooooooo good. The miniute I bit into it I said out loud that they were like Juicy Lucys, which is what the Hales call them, and the whole family was like, "what the heck." It was kinda funny. I still remember those things though. They were super good at the Hales' and that was like 2 yrs ago haha. Must have been that good to remember what I ate 2 yrs ago huh? haha.

 

Thanks for the Easter package! I loved it and the shirt! You're the best Mama. Love ya tons!

Talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

What's up Dad,

My week this past week was great! I had my first district meeting with the district I am in now. I thought it went really well. I gave a training on how to teach to understanding using the pamphlets that the Brethren have made for us to use. I also focused on teaching to feelings rather than thoughts, because that is a huge help that I have learned in my teaching. At the beginning of my mission when I would teach a lesson, I would find myself asking the investigators questions that were something like "What do you think about that?" The answers were usually nothing inspired and sometimes even went way off in left field, but about a year ago I had an interview with President Ware. He and I were talking about who knows what, but he taught me something that I have never forgotten. He told me "It is always going to be about what they feel, before what they know." He told me the more I focus my questions on feelings rather than thoughts, the better the outcome is going to be. It's really true. I have seen time and time again. I have seen it even in conversation with people on the street who aren't interested, but suddenly you ask a great question and they are talking to you for a while. The power of questions to the feelings of the heart is amazing! When somebody truly ponders on the heart, it always brings the Spirit.

 

Our teaching pool is a bit interesting. This week we dropped basically everyone. We haven't been able to contact most of them and they weren't progressing at all. There are still some that are doing good. We have one on-date for baptism. His name is _____. He is a high schooler who is really cool. He's a Seventh-day Adventist, but is pretty interested in the church. He even came to General Conference and he really liked it. He is on date for the 25th of this month. I can really see him getting baptized that day. It's going to be sweet. 

There are some other people we are working with who are doing pretty good. There was a guy named R*** that we visited this week, and from the looks of the first visit it wasn't going to be much of anything, so when I was sitting in his house I really tried to listen to what the Spirit wanted me to say to him. All of a sudden I had the thought to testify of the Plan of Salvation. It was a complete change of subject at the time, but it was cool what happened. He actually listened. He even said to me "I really believe what you're saying. I really want to believe it, too." This was a guy who didn't want to listen to us and he went from just talking endlessly to really listening to what we had to say. He is reading the Book of Mormon, and he is asking great questions, so I know when he says he is studying, he really is. It's amazing what's happening in his life!

 

I mentioned the girl we had met last week when we got that referral, that turned out to be another referral for a different guy, which really turned out to be us finding the girl. Remember that? Well, we visited her this week and she's doing awesome! She and her boyfriend are looking to get into church. Her boyfriend is a member who hasn't gone in a while, and she is really interested in the message we have to share. She took a Book of Mormon and is reading it too. I hope everything continues to go well with her.

 

Other than those three, we are really trying to find some new investigators at the moment. We are re-vamping the teaching pool. It's going to take some work, but we are going to do it. Just pray for us to be able to find the prepared people in our path.

 

I really enjoyed conference. I shared my fave talks with Mama, so I am sure you're going to hear about it, but we had a lot of the same favorite talks. I really loved Elder Holland's. I loved the visuals he used in the story. I really liked the thought that the Savior is our brother who are the hands hanging down helping us. It's totally true. I also loved President Uchdorf's talk too. He really explained grace in a way that I thought was just perfect. A lot of church members needed that talk. Most don't understand fully how grace works in our lives, so that talk was perfect. I sometimes don't fully understand grace as well, so that's a talk I am going to be reading again soon. Both Elder Holland's and President Uchdorf's. We watched conference from the church building here in town. They like the missionaries to be at the church to watch conference. I like it though because it keeps me focused. It will help Jared to be in a chapel instead of on a couch haha. I guess that when there is a will there is a way with Jared haha. I am sure though that he is going to be too concerned about taking notes that he won't have time to play with toys haha. It's going to be fun to watch conference with you guys in October haha. It will be weird haha.

Hahahaha! Kentucky lost. That is so perfect. I was just waiting for that to happen. Duke made it all the way though. That's crazy. I bet they will win. I hope they do because it will make Utah look better, right?

How are the Jazz playing?

Well good luck with your lesson in primary. I bet you will do good. I bet it's fun being able to teach in there and really simplify the gospel.

 

I know that President Monson is a true prophet. I know the Priesthood is on the earth. The same power Christ used while he was on the earth. It was cool. This morning in Walmart this lady randomly came up to me and asked me if the Melchizedec priesthood was on the earth. I was like "What the heck?" in my mind, but I didn't say that of course. I just know that not everyone knows about that kinda stuff unless they have been really studying something about our church. I just testified right in the middle of Walmart that the priesthood is on the earth and I ended up having a lesson with her while Elder G was printing some pictures off. It was kinda funny. I haven't had that happen to me before but it was good. People do have questions about our church and they should because it's the true church of Christ. As we stand as an example where ever we are, people will be able to recognize that we are members of the church and we will be able to answer their questions. I just love the gospel!!!! I love my mission!!!!!!! Thanks for all that you do to keep this guy out here. I love you guys!!!!

-Elder Sedlacek

 

The joy of missionary service is like nothing I have ever felt before in my life.

 

 

Hey Mama,

The temple was awesome today. It was soooooooo good. I realized today that everything God created, be it dogs, bears, birds or flowers was created so they could have joy. What a great plan of true happiness for everything!

This past week and a half was crazy. I don't really like the weeks where we email on a day like Wednesday. It just throws off the rest of the week for me.

I had a really good day today. 

I am glad that you liked my letter I sent. I just for some reason had the thought to share that with all of you. I really liked it when President Ware was sharing some of the line of thoughts that I shared, so I am glad it made sense to you too.

Mama: So Jared had his dentist appointment and he heard all about the parable of the dentist. He said he liked it, and he really seemed to. He also has 4 wisdom teeth, and they are all impacted, so he’s going to have to have them removed before he leaves. We are getting his pictures taken Saturday and then he will be submitting his papers! 

 

Elder Sed: Hey, that's exciting!!!!!! That will be cool to see where he is going to go. I am sure he LOVED the parable of the dentist ;) You can tell Dr. T that I do floss everyday haha. I don't want no cavities!

Mama: He really did like the parable. He answered all the questions and Dr. T said he’d never heard some of Jared’s answers before. Afterward he said to me, “He is a happy boy! He’s excited, and he really WANTS to go!” It’s really true. He is still the same Jared in some ways, but he is very, very excited to turn in his papers and go. I know you were happy to go, but he is even more vocal about it than you were. So that’s good.

 

Elder Sed: That's really cool that Jared has already felt that burning desire to share the gospel. I felt that before my mission, but probably not as much as I could have. I went on a mission because I knew the church is true and all. As I have been on my mission though, I have felt that desire just grow. It's crazy how a mission helps you grow, not only in the gospel, but as a person too!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey Dad,

This past week was crazy! It felt long just because it was 9 days ago since our last p-day. I don't like when the schedule is thrown off, but it's all worth it getting to go to the temple. It really is a blessing that there is one in the mission. I love to go and just feel the peace that comes to my mind when I am there. There is constantly something going through my mind, but in the temple it's like it all goes away for about two hours. It's nice haha.

Well, this week we did have some success finding. It was pretty cool. We found this guy named B. We had been in the area of his house and figured we should knock on his door. Turns out that his ex-wife is meeting with missionaries wherever she is at, so that made him interested. We shared a little of the restoration with him, and he really liked it and committed to read from the Book of Mormon. It was awesome to find him. I will have to update you on Monday. We are hopefully going to have a lesson with him tonight or later this week.

We found another guy named D. He is a pretty cool guy. We found him while we were tracting in an apartment complex. When we first talked to him, he really didn't know what to think of us. He had grown up Baptist and hasn't gone to church in a while. He was kinda interested in learning more about our beliefs, so we had a restoration lesson. The whole time, he was smiling because he just likes to hear about God. That was fun haha. At the end of the lesson he prayed, "Thanks for teaching me the truth," so I think he got that point of the message haha. He said he would be baptized when he finds out it's the truth. The bad news with D is that the wards are splitting at the end of this week, so we are going to have to give him to another set of missionaries. We are going to cover two wards for a little bit so that may be fun. It has been awhile since I did something like that.

We met with P this past week. That was cool. He has  been doing really great. He is really starting to recognize the Spirit in his life teaching him. He has been making the effort to read and pray, which has been awesome. His wife is a less active member who isn't really on board yet about coming back to church. She  needs the prayers that she will get ready for that. Until she does, P probably isn't going to progress as fast as he could.

My cool thought for this past week came from when I was reading Jesus the Christ in my studies. It was on the miracle of when Christ walks on water, and I really like it. So the background of the story is that Christ has just gotten through with feeding the five thousand and has just sent the multitude away. I am assuming it's night time or just approaching that time. So Christ sends his apostles back to the other side of the sea and while they are going back, a HUGE storm comes up and is just beating them up. They have to work super hard to row the boat so it stays straight into the waves. I was just thinking about how tiring that would be. They have been battling all night to keep their boat from sinking. Water is probably crashing down on them. It would have been really freaky, and they were scared. So later on that evening, Christ comes out to help them and he's walking on water! All of the apostles were freaked out. I just thought it was interesting how well it relates to all of us. As adults we sometimes have storms of life that are super hard to battle. We get tired, and and in need of desperate help, but when help does come that was sent by God, sometimes it seems scary. We may not understand everything that can help us. The help may seem terrible at first, but when we realize the true nature of it and what it has done to change us, we can be truly grateful for the experience. Does that make any sense at all? haha

I have loved being on my mission and studying about the life of Christ. It has really helped to fulfill the promise in my blessing that through study and prayer, I will come to know more about the divinity of Christ. I know there was a purpose in Him coming to the earth to die. The law of sacrifice for us is such a blessing. It enables us to feel the joy of overcoming the effects of sin. I am so grateful for the atonement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like all of the family's thoughts on the scriptures that I sent home. I am glad that they made sense to you guys. I thought they were super good. It really is all about faith. I never realized just how faith has been involved from the beginning. Even God had to have had some level of faith to create us. Kinda cool to think about!

This week it was kinda funny--we were tracting and guess who I ran into? A lady from Birmingham England! She was pretty fresh out too. She knew where Coventry was, too. Their accents are kinda cool. I thought it would have been cool if you had come across her when you were on your mission. She was older than you, so it's a possibility haha maybe???

Cool sites in Warshington??? Not really. There's Hanford I guess but you can't just go out there. It's guarded so I haven't seen it up close. Besides that, I wish there was more but there really isn't. We just usually play some basketball or football or something like that on p-days. It's pretty fun.

Have you sent the brackets yet???? That's awesome that BYU and UTAH both made it to the tournament. I hope Utah can do pretty good. I don't know how far they will go, but it will be fun to find out.

Well Dadio, I am so happy to be serving in the best mission :)

It's been awesome! I truly do love serving the Lord. What a blessing it is. I do know that faith is the power by which we can create in our life. As we apply the gospel in our life it can change our lives even more than we can ever realize. The gospel of  Jesus Christ is the way the world was created. Amazing! I am so grateful for the principles of faith and repentance which help us to feel true joy. The gospel certainly is the gospel of joy! I feel it everyday. The joy that comes from missionary service is nothing like I have ever felt before in my life. I know this church is true. I know the work of  Joseph Smith was inspired by God. I know the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. I know Jesus Christ lives and guides His church through revelation given to President Monson. I love this gospel!

 

I love you guys! Thanks for all that you do! I am truly so grateful for all of it. For your examples. Everything!

Have an awesome week!

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

 

 

I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now

Hey Mama,

This week was pretty good for us. Finding actually went really well. We were able to find three new investigators this week, which is the weekly goal President Ware has for each companionship. I was really happy about that.

I am doing great! It's good to hear that all you guys are doing good too.

Can you believe that February is already gone??!! Holy cow. I can't. I know that for sure. It's going by so fast!

College stuff, huh? Sounds fun. I would be happy to room with Hunter and his friend. One bathroom though?  It's nothing I haven't done on my mission, so it's doable. That would be awesome to room with Jordan too. I don't know if any of my other friends are going up there or not. I wish there was a way I could find that out.

Yesterday at dinner I actually found out that Bountiful had won their state game. We had dinner with a high school basketball coach who is from Salt Lake, so he knew the score and told me when he found out that I went there. That is super cool!

That is funny that the Bishop had noticed that I had lost weight. That is a good thing though haha. Funny thing is that Sister S is fixing my pants to make them fit better. The ones that I originally bought, she took two inches out of the waist, and one inch out of the legs. Now they fit much! better. They aren't so baggy and ugly. Glad you liked the thing that I sent in for the ward Chirp. I don't even remember what I wrote haha.

Sounds like you had a super busy week. I bet it was fun. We were pretty busy too, so p-day is going to be nice to relax a little bit.

I am glad that you guys are doing great and being blessed. I didn't get the chance to email Nicole, but you can tell her and Jeff I said Hi if you want. Wish her good luck for me.

 

Thanks for figuring out all the college stuff. I am sure that is a major pain in the hiney. You're awesome for doing that for me. Love you Mama!

I am so happy to be serving a mission right now. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. I know this gospel is true!

Thanks again for everything!!!!!!!!!!

Talk to you next week!

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

Hey Dad,

I guess I will start by giving the update on our investigators and what happened this week. It was a good week! To start off, M***** IS BACK ON THE MAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We finally were able to talk to her face-to-face, for the first time in a month and a half. I thought she was gone for good. She is back on date for baptism and came to church this week, too. We are going to start meeting with them again. I know that was a miracle.

This week we found three new investigators. Two of them are a dad and daughter of a part member family in the ward. They are pretty cool. We went over and shared a spiritual message, and then invited them to take the discussions and they agreed. They are a pretty cool family. The mom came to church yesterday. It was pretty cool to have her come to church. Pray for D** and S*****. 

The other new investigator we found this week is a guy named B. He is a retired Iraq war veteran, so he has some views that are pretty interesting, but he is good guy. We had a super good restoration lesson with him and he felt the Spirit, and agreed to read the Book of Mormon.

We have been having some great finding though as of late. It's been really awesome. This week we had a cool experience when we went in and bought some hot chocolate at 7-11. We were cold, so we went into 7-11 and got our hot chocolate. We were checking out and the guy at the register was like, "I thought Mormons weren't supposed to be drinking coffee." He thought we had coffee, so we told him it was hot chocolate, but we immediately knew he either had talked to missionaries before, or knew Mormons, because random people just don't know those things haha. So we started having a conversation with him about the Word of Wisdom, and we asked him if he had met with missionaries before. Turns out he had when he lived over by Seattle. He had recently moved over here and had requested for missionaries to come over to his house and teach his family, but the info either got lost or didn't get sent, so he hadn't seen any missionaries at his house. He had been hoping that he would see some. So long story short, we got his info and sent it to the missionaries in Pasco for them to teach him. Pasco is where he lives. It was just cool to see an instance where the Lord led us to him because he was looking for the truth.

You asked about C***** and she is doing awesome! We met with her yesterday, and she even got up during Sacrament meeting and bore her testimony in front of everyone. She told us that her family was wanting to come to church but weren't able to make it, but it's only a matter of time!!!

Well, that was pretty much the highlights of my week this week. Sounds like you had a great week. That's  super exciting that the Braves were able to pull out that championship twice in a row. It's good that Sarah went with all her friends. 

It will be fun to fill out a bracket for March Madness. Are the Utes guaranteed a bracket spot? I would bet they are, being 2nd in the conference.

That is rough news for Sister M. I hope everything improves there. That would not be fun to have to go home on medical after you just got there. Yeah, I have been watched over lots of times on my mission. I can even tell you that haha. It's good to be kept safe.

You washed the truck???? I think you meant to say that you "warshed" the truck haha. I guess you are a Utahn though so it's okay haha.

Well, thanks Dad, for all that you do. You always have something good to say it seems. I liked your testimony. I do try every night to write down the spiritual experiences that I have throughout the day. I think I do a pretty good job at that. I haven't missed one day of writing in my journal, so I think that's pretty good haha. I do know that I am doing the Lord's work. He leads me and guides me to where I need to be. Without God, this work would be impossible. I know that this is His church. I feel it everytime I teach the restoration and bear testimony of the work of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I know it is true. As we read the Book of Mormon, we can know that God has called prophets on the earth before. Prophets are essential. Without a prophet we have no priesthood authority because it is delegated from the key-holder, who is President Monson. I am so grateful to have a prophet on the Earth at this time! What a blessing that is!

Thanks for all that you do for me, Dad. You're awesome! Love ya!

-Elder Sedlacek

This week I finished the Book of Mormon again. Good news--I still know it's true!

Hey Mama,

You guessed right. I am emailing today {Tuesday} instead of yesterday. Whenever there is a holiday on Monday, I will be emailing on Tuesday as long as I am in this area. There isn't a church building that has computers we can use here. The library works great (most of the time) haha.

This week was awesome! C***** did get baptized. She is doing so awesome! She is already working on missionary work. We got a text this morning about 5 am, saying that she had talked to her dad late last night and really just had a good talk with him about the gospel. Turns out that her dad wants to learn more! She has a sister who wants to be baptized! It's been awesome! It was cool because she told us about an answer to a prayer she had for her baptism. As you may know, her dad and mom were super supportive of her, but not interested in anything to do with the church for themselves. C***** had really wanted them to come to her baptism and confirmation, but she wasn't really sure they were going to come. So on Saturday, right as the baptism started, guess who walked in? C's family. They stayed for the whole thing and at the end they told me "see you tomorrow" when they were leaving. They came to church, too. Little did I know at the time, C was fasting that day that her family would come to church, and they did. I know God heard her prayer Sunday! I know Heavenly Father is so proud of her as well for making the decision to be baptized. I am just as proud, too. I never realized how much you can care for someone that you bring to the gospel til this area. I really do care so much about all of the investigators that the Lord has placed in the path of me and Elder R. It's been so fun, and awesome for me too. I am just so happy right now. Not really any words to describe besides those haha.

So you have to get new glasses huh? That will be good now that you will be able to see haha.

I really am so happy to be serving the Lord. It's a blast! I know this gospel is true with all my heart! I love HF and I know Jesus Christ lives! This is His church on the earth. All the more reason to spread the good news. Wish me and Elder R luck this week finding new investigators. L** just barely dropped us, so we are down some investigators :( Looks like this week is going to be a finding week. That is fine with me though. It's going to be fun anyways!

Love you guys so much!

-Elder Sedlacek

What's up Dad,

This week was great! The baptism was awesome! It was probably one of the best baptisms I have been to--that's how good it was. C***** was so ready to be baptized, and it showed. She is sharing the gospel with her family. She's just so solid.

The rest of our investigators are doing okay. We are need of some more since we baptized our super solid one. We got dropped by three or four investigators this week, but it was okay because we had an awesome baptism. President Ware said something this week that I thought was cool. He said, "You can know the Lord is pleased with your service when disappointments come along, but you aren't disappointed in yourself." I can really say without a doubt that I am not disappointed in myself. I know the Lord is with me in my missionary work. He will lead and guide. I always try to listen to the spirit--it's how we have true success. We are going to start putting a focus on the part member families of our area. You guys could pray that we are able to find prepared people this week. I will let you know how it goes next Monday.

Thanks for praying for M*****. I still don't have a clue what is going on there. I just know she needs prayers right now. She's so close, and still believes in the church, she just has a lot on her plate right now.

We have a church tour with L** and her sister this week. I am really hoping that goes well, and she feels the desire to come to church.

I just thought of another goal you guys can help me pray for. The stake and the mission have a goal that every companionship baptize monthly. I have been praying super hard for that, and the Lord came through this month. You guys could pray for March if you wanted, not only for me, but all the missionaries throughout the world.

This week, we did a boatload of service, but it was really fun. We pulled tons of weeds, helped out at the humane society, and a bunch of other stuff. Service is just so fun haha. I love it!

This week I finished the Book of Mormon again. Good news--I still know it's true haha. Each time I read it through, I take President Uchtdorf's challenge and renew my personal conversion on my own "road to Damascus" (that is one of my fave talks btw). Anyway, this last time, I read Moroni's promise and just took time to ponder on the messages of the Book of Mormon. I started to pray to know if it was true and I had lots of things going through my mind. We had just been dropped by an investigator, and I was thinking about that and bunch of other stuff. There just is so much to worry about on a mission, but it was so cool. The minute I asked if the Book of Mormon is true, peace came to my mind. It was super cool. I then thanked HF for blessing me with the confirmation that the Book of Mormon is true. I know God has called a prophet on this earth today. I know God loves us so much. I feel that so much for my investigators. It is sooo cool when I can feel just how much He loves those I work with.

I am so happy right now! I love serving a mission. I would love to serve and serve and serve! Missionary work is just that fun! Thanks so much for the sacrifice you guys go through to keep me, "the fave old son," on my mission.

It makes me happy too that you guys are being blessed for my service as a missionary. Even Elder R's family is being blessed and I was able to help him realize that was the reason his family has been blessed, so you guys can know it's not even just our family. It's every missionary family. I love the Lord. I always want to serve Him! Because of Him!

love you guys,

-Elder Sedlacek

My #1 goal is always do my best.

The rainbow of ties Elder Sed has collected so far. He needs to change the year on his camera :)

Hey Mama,

Hopefully you actually get this email on time. I did get your letter this week, and that is what I figured was going on. Oh well, what can you do? haha.

This week was great. It has been super warm here too. That is insane that it's been almost 70 degrees in Utah in February. I am kinda wondering when winter is going to show up here too. It's been right around that temp here all week. It's like summer. Crazy! It has been super windy, so this week we actually got to see the sun for the first time in I have no clue how long. It was nice. The fog and clouds just stick around here in the winter till the wind will come along and blow it out. Good news, the sun is still in the sky!

Guess what happened at transfers? I will make you put in your guess before I tell you, how bout that? haha.

C***** is still doing amazing. She is all set for baptism on the 14th and super excited for it, too. Last night it was kinda cool at her interview. Her dad came to the church and signed the record so she could get baptized, but the cool part about it was that he did it even though he isn't at all interested for himself at the moment. He did say how proud he was of her for making a decision that is going to make her happy. He has noticed a huge change for the better in her at home, so I think he will come around sooner or later. It's going to be so cool when he does!

That's great news that Nicole is healing up good. I was hoping to hear that. Tell her to keep up the good work on it from her bro.

Heard anything back from Utah State?

That's crazy that little Nora is 2 already. That has flown by haha. And Syd having a kid? That's just even more crazy haha!

That is a cool thought about the miracle of Jesus healing the blind man Mama. Good thinking on that.

I also had a pretty cool thought this week. I was reading in Ether ch 13, and came across a really simple verse, but it caught my eye because I have seemed to be focusing on sacrifice this week for some reason. It was v. 16 that originally caught my eye. It's about Coriantumr and how he had spent all his life studying war. Imagine how much love he had to have had for war to to spend all that time studying about it. Pretty much his life to that point.  Ether then comes along and tells him the Lord wants him to repent and change completely away from war. I was just thinking of myself in Coriantumr's shoes. The Lord is always going to ask sacrifice of His children. That's the way it has always been. Later on in the chapters, Coriantumr almost repents and changes TWICE. I just thought that was interesting. Hopefully what I am saying makes sense.

Mama: Yay! It's working today! I am really happy about that!

Well, if I had to guess, and you are getting transferred, I'd say you are going to Prosser. But maybe you are staying put! :)

That's cool about your sacrifice thought. I like that, and it's true for sure. 

Elder Sed: Wha hooo. Prosser! wow haha. talk about the middle of nowhere haha. Good thing I am staying in here with Elder R! I was super happy to hear that. I will get to be here for C's baptism! I am super pumped for that. How you doing today?

Mama: I am doing good today. I ran a couple of errands already, and then I have a webinar for work. Some new writing project they want to introduce so I will get on and see about it. Then I get to go “see” how my eyes are doing lately. (How was my “dad” joke? haha) My progressive lenses don’t work anymore...the contacts not at all, and my glasses I have to take off to read up close. So we shall see. ;)

Elder Sed: Hey that's good. You're going to be able to see again. Yeah, I did like your dad joke haha. Sounds like you need some new glasses haha.

Mama: So here’s a couple of questions for you:  What was your biggest challenge this week? What was your most faith-promoting experience? 

Elder Sed: Questions for me huh? haha. I can try to answer them. My biggest challenge this week. Hmm. That's a tough question. Every day has it's challenges, but probably the biggest challenge for me is worrying about my investigators all the time and what I can do to help them the most. Sometimes it takes quite a bit of thinking to get the answer that I need, to help them the most.

My faith promoting experience? Finding a new investigator who was on date. I had been praying for a long time to find new investigators who are prepared for the gospel. I still pray for that everyday, but it's nice to see HF answer my prayers.

Mama: Okay, great job. :) Two more: Who was your favorite person this week? Why?

What is your #1 goal this week? 

Elder Sed: why all these questions haha? Fave person this week?  I don't have a clue haha. My mom. She's awesome! My #1 goal is always do my best. Make the most of the time I have to serve the Lord. Teach and baptize is always good too ;)

Mama: The questions were just for fun. To get a closer look inside my son’s mission brain haha. Thanks for answering them. I’m glad I’m your favorite! 

Elder Sed: I have to get going, Mom. I am happy email worked out today. You will have to let me know when you hear something back from USU. Thanks for all that you do for me. You're seriously the best. Keep being awesome! I'm super happy to be serving a mission. It's been so fun and every day is still fun. I love it! Love this gospel. Love you guys too!

Talk to you later!

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

What's up Dad,

That was weird last week how it took so long for my emails to get to you guys. I wouldn't think it would take that long.

This week was great. The weather has been amazing in Tri-Cities this week, although its been raining off and on for the past couple weeks. It's raining right now even as I am sending this, but it has been super warm, which is nice. 

I am staying here in Kennewick, or "Disneyland" as President Ware calls it haha. I am excited. I would bet this is my last transfer here, then I will be transferred to my last area. That's going to be crazy. Time is flying by. I can't even believe it. Can't imagine how all you guys feel. I have loved every minute though, and I am happy I still have about 5 months left. I am going to make the best of it. I can promise you that.

Our investigators are doing great! We found a couple new ones this week, and one of them is already on date for baptism! J***** is the one we found this week who is on date. His wife is a member and they were a referral from the ward. They are a super cool family. He grew up with a Dad who is against the church, but because of that he has lots of questions. He is super open minded. We have already had a couple of lessons with him and they have been awesome!

The other new investigator is a lady named _____. We came across her info in our area book. Missionaries had been visiting her a while back, but for some reason stopped going by. She is pretty interested in coming closer to God but doesn't know how she wants to do that. She was married to a member, but a couple years back he died unexpectedly. He was young and she is still upset about it. You guys could pray for her. I am sure it would help.

C***** is doing awesome. It is going to be fun to be here for the baptism on Saturday.

I love serving a mission. It's so fun leading people to Christ. This week is going to be super fun with the baptism. It has been too long, but we have a companionship goal of two in February. Start praying for us that we hit it! I know we can! I am so blessed to be serving in this area. I know the Lord knows me and my personal desires. As we live the gospel to the best of our ability we are blessed so greatly. I know the priesthood is on the earth. I know that this is the church of Jesus Christ. He lives! I love to represent Him!

Love you all! You're awesome!

-Elder Sedlacek

A mission is 10% of the life I have lived so far....but the blessings far outweigh the sacrifice.

What's up Mama,

This week was great. The weather has been a lot like Seattle would be. It has been misting, but not raining, like everyday. It feels good. The air is really humid, but it's cold, so it's all good. I like it.

This week was pretty good. We had interviews with President Ware. Those are always so cool. He is pretty dang awesome! I asked if there was any chance of me going to the other mission, and he said he's 99.9% positive that I am going to stay in the WKM. I was happy to hear that! I don't think it would be as cool to have my exit interview with a guy I hardly know at all.

My most fave thing about Kennewick?? I really like the area. It reminds me a lot of Utah except it's not quite as pretty. The people are really nice, and it's mostly Christian so everyone has some good intentions. But yeah, other than that there isn't much to see or do in Kennewick, but I love the people!

 

Our investigators have been doing great. We got another baptism scheduled last night for February 7th, so it's pretty close! I am excited for C***** (that's who we put on date).

I didn't get my glasses yet. I would bet they come this week. If they don't I will be super surprised. Sounds like you should go to the eye doctor too, Mama. You're probably as blind as a bat haha jk.

That's way cool that Sister M has left now. I bet her mom is feeling like the house is empty with just two kids left haha. You're going to be feeling the exact same way here pretty soon haha. That's crazy that Jared already got his suit picked out. He doesn't have it back yet, though, I would presume.

Sounds like you have a busy life right now with school for the kids, and plays and whatnot for everyone else. You're one busy mama!

That's so crazy that Elder _____ got hit by a rock. Is he doing alright? Luckily I haven't had anything like that happen. Satan is real. I have figured that out multiple times. We just need to try that much harder to fight back.

Jared and his ego, thinking he's better at ceramics than I am.....He will quickly realize that he's not as powerful as he thinks he is when I get home and teach him who's really the boss still haha.

What's up big Papa,

I am having a pretty good week. We got a lot done. It went by super fast. All of our on-date investigators are doing really well. Besides C**** who we put on date last night, M***** is doing great too. Sadly, we only had C***** at church on Sunday. That has been THE hardest thing with our investigators. They say they want to be baptized, and we get a sure commitment that they will come, and then something else gets in the way. L*****  has been really busy with work, but he's still reading when he gets the chance. 

T*** has been super busy this week as well. I don't really know what is going on. She has no phone and is never home, so we will see if she stays on date for baptism.

K**** was out of town the beginning of the week and then busy catching up on work the rest of the week. He's been reading though, so that was AWESOME! He and his girlfriend have a lot of potential. They made a deal that they will help each other read every day.

 

We had a super good lesson with C*****. She is a minor, so we had her talk to her parents about being baptized and they gave her permission. She prayed to know if she should be baptized, and she really wants to be baptized on the 7th of February. Guess what????? She is already enrolled in seminary and she isn't even a member yet. How golden is that hahahaha. Anyway, she is awesome!

I know the Lord is blessing this area. We have been finding lots of people who are interested in learning more. We just haven't gotten back to teach them yet because we have been so busy. I will let you know more about them next week.

This week I had my interview with Pres Ware. He is awesomely inspired! I know it! He shared with me that his focus for the mission in 2015 is going to be on faith. He shared a quote from Joseph Smith that says something like, "God requires the sacrifice of all earthly things to be able to build a faith that will be able to withstand." I got thinking about just how much sacrifice a mission takes for me, for you, for the family, for the whole ward. A mission really is a huge sacrifice. It's 10% of my life that I have lived so far. A long time, but really, the blessings far outweigh the sacrifice. I have loved my mission so much. Pres Ware shared another quote with me that I felt really hit me. It was "The Lord prepares each of us for the purposes He placed us on this earth to complete. Moments are set before each of us that if we give all that is within us, will bring us to an ability and power we have not known before" (Brigham Young).  I know that my mission has been one of those experiences for me, and because of it, I have been changed and know just how much I can do.
 

That's way cool they announced the new mission presidents. The mission president of the Utah Logan mission is going to be President Allred, who is from the WKM mission presidency. He is a way cool guy. Whoever goes to that mission will be lucky. I bet Pres. Lewis will do awesome! It's pretty much for sure I stay in the WKM. I was happy to hear that.

Well, thanks so much for all that you do for me Dad. You're awesome! Love ya! I am so happy to be serving a mission. It's such a blessing and so fun as well. I know the church is true!!!!!!! I know it! Thanks for the letter and all that you and mom are doing to help me out with school and stuff.

-Elder Jake Sedlacek

I didn't always make the best decisions, but it led me to be who I am today.

 

 

Hey what's up Dad,

My week was pretty great. We were able to get some awesome work done. God is certainly blessing the  ward right now. This week we found a very promising new investigator. Her name is C****. She is in her 20s and has a couple kids and she is awesome. She was raised Christian. She is super open-minded. The first lesson we had with her, we went over the restoration. It was SUPER good. The spirit was really strong. I know she felt the spirit teach her truth!!!! Later this week, she texted us and that brought some not good news. She has a BF who is anti-Mormon and he had given her some stuff. I was able to resolve most of the concerns. I just hope she will want to continue to meet with us. Pray for the spirit to help her know real truth from God!!!!!!!! She NEEDS this right now!!!

L***** is doing great things as well. We had a lesson with him that was super good also. At the end of the lesson we had asked him to say the prayer and he didn't want to, but amazingly his girlfriend stepped up to the plate and was like, "I will do it." Ever since then, L***** is completely comfortable praying. He even volunteered to give the opening prayer in our latest lesson with him. He is praying for some guidance as to what to do about his living situation. Pray for him to be able to gain an answer he is comfortable with so he can be baptized. He wants it so bad! It has been an amazing experience teaching him and bringing him closer to Christ.

M***** has been doing great, too. They are still working on progressing towards marriage. Pray for them to be able to continue to make progress.

T****** is doing great things as well. She came to the ward Christmas party this week and really enjoyed it. She was able to meet a lot of the members of the ward. She is really struggling this holiday season though. Pray for her to have the comfort she is seeking.

The mission had a Christmas Devotional this week. That was fun. They gave out temple recomend holders that President Ware had made up for each missionary. They are super cool. I had been secretly wanting and hoping that they would do that. Lucky me! They did haha.

I am glad that the wedding was a huge success. It looked really good in the pics Mom sent. You should do it for a business. On a scale of 1-10, how stressed out were you on Friday? haha I can't even imagine how you felt. You're awesome, Daddio!

I like your idea to set some goals to stretch myself for the rest of my mission. I bet it would help me to stay focused on my purpose. You know I will do that. Good thinking Dad. I always want to be the best missionary I can be.

I don't have a clue when I will be Skyping on Christmas Day. We are going to be Skyping from our house, so we can whenever pretty much. When is the best time for you guys? I can probably plan on doing it then.

Well, I know the gospel is true. I know Jesus Christ lives and He watches out for us and leads us to where we need to be. Psalms 23:1-2. I know that all my life, I have been lead and guided by my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that is why I was sent to you and Mom. He knew that we would help each other the most. I am so grateful for you and Mom helping me and raising me to go on a mission. I didn't always make the best decisions, but it led to me to be who I am today. I know the atonement is real. God loves us and I KNOW He lives!

I love you guys tons! Thanks for all that you do!

-Elder Sedlacek

"Right now I go to bed, and what seems like 5 minutes later, I am going to bed the next night!"

Elder Sed showing off an apple he had just split in half with his bare hands.

What's up Mom aka Mama,
I cant believe that it's been 15 months already. That is crazy. Is
somebody getting a little trunky ;) ????? haha Don't worry, I am not.
This week just flew by. It just seems to go like that each
transfer when I get to a new area. With trying to learn all new people/a
ward, time just flies by. Right now I find myself going to bed, and what
seems like 5 minutes later I am going to bed again the next night. If
time goes this fast the rest of my mission, it's going to go by sooooooo
tooooooo fast. It was a good week though. I will probably give more
about it in my email to Dad and keep the tradition alive haha.

600 invitations! Wow, that's a lot. I am sure I will get one of those. I
would be mad if I didn't haha. and Geeze Jeff is soo popular haha. He's
like a celebrity, and Nicole with 305--that's even more haha. A wedding
is big business.

Sounds like pumpkin carving was really fun. I am going to carve one
sometime this week with Sister S (Sister S is a grandma who takes care 
of the missionaries. ) It should be pretty fun. I
will be sure to take pictures.

I bet Mia is just loving life right now with theater.

I bet Dad is going to have sooooo much fun at the couples shower
haha. You're going to make him go? That's like torture!
Hey, I am getting a package? Thanks much Mama, you da best.

Thanks for everything Mama. You're awesome. You better believe it.
I am doing great. I love my mission.
As I wrote in the email to dad, I am grateful for the atonement this
week. I know it's real,and Jesus Christ lives. Missions are the bomb. I
hope you all have a happy Halloween, and a great week! Love you all so
much! Talk to you later
-Elder Jake Sedlacek

Whazz up Pop,

My week was pretty good. In fact really good haha. It went by super super super fast. I just can't believe it's Monday again already! haha. Some of the highlights of the week: M*** came to church yesterday and she really liked it. Her member fellowshipper is totally awesome and really helped to help her feel welcome and comfortable. Then we found a new investigator last Monday named J**** and she is totally golden. We commited her to get baptized on the first lesson when she finds out the truth for herself. She loved the restoration too, which was great! Pray for her to keep up the progression.

When I was on exchanges with the other Elders in my district, the Elders in my area found a new investigator named H**** and put her on date for the 15th of November (which may or may not happen), but still it sounded like an awesome lesson. I was in the other area so I didn't get to be there, but the exchange was really good. I really get to help the other missionaries in my district during those. I used to hate exchanges but they aren't that bad now.

We had specialized training and interviews with President this week too. Those were really good as usual. President Ware is awesome. He had a really funny thing he said when he saw some of the missionaries eating Taco Bell. He said "Some people have to quit smoking. I have to quit Taco Bell". Apparently he LOVES Taco Bell but Sister Ware doesn't let him eat it anymore haha.

On exchanges it was kinda ironic. I met the family of a sister missionary I met in the MTC. She is getting close to coming home so her family is really excited haha. It was just kinda fun to meet them. It's a small world haha.

We have 13 investigators right now but I will list some names of who you can pray for. Obviously pray for M***, J****, and H** but also you can pray for T**** that we can have some time to meet with her in her busy schedule. Pray for M**** that we can meet with her too. This area does have a lot of prepared people. I just wish we could tract a little more but it's not my comp's favorite thing to do.

The weather here has been good and there are more trees here so I actually get to see the fall colors. It's been raining almost every night this past week so I have figured out that my shoes aren't waterproof haha. I think I am going to try and buy some water proof spray today and see if that helps at all. It would suck to not have waterproof shoes this winter if it's really going to be as wet as they say it will be.

THAT IS AWESOME THE UTES WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they have a TOUGH schedule the rest of the season though. It will be awesome if they can keep winning. They are going to have to be on the top of their game. They are bowl eligible now though, correct? They will at least get a bowl game which is good. I heard Colorado is actually turning around now and not sucking so bad. That true? They really sucked before haha.

Your cowboys are doing good it sounds like. People keep saying it's going to be between Denver and Dallas in the Super Bowl.

Sounds like you did good on your lesson. They are right, you might end up with a calling to be a Sunday School or priesthood teacher haha.

Halloween this week will be the same as last year. We go in at 6:00 pm on all the crazy holidays like July fourth and Halloween. Those are the only ones I remember going in early for. It should be a party haha.

I am so grateful for all that you guys do for me. I say it every week but I totally mean it. You guys are awesome! I have a testimony of the atonement. I had a baptism interview on Saturday, and ever since then I have thought a lot about the atonement. It is really such a huge blessing of love from God and Jesus Christ. I know the power of the atonement is available to everyone of God's children no matter how far they may have gone. I know the atonement is real, and it WILL bless our life if we let it. I know Jesus Christ lives and he loves us personally. I just am grateful for the time to serve a mission. It's the bomb.

I hope you and the rest of the fam have a great week! Have a great Halloween. Don't eat too much candy haha. Love ya!

-Elder Sedlacek

I know God still speaks!

What's up Mama,
Holy crap 14 months hahaha. That makes me sound like an old
missionary. It feels just the same though, to answer your question. I
just have to focus on the day ahead of me everyday and do my best.
Thanks for praying for B and S. I am sure it has helped. Sadly, we
haven't been able to make contact with either of them. We did
find three new investigators though this week. It was awesome so our week
was really good. We also had lots of lessons with people we had just barely
met. We just hope now that they turn into investigators. That would be
the best ever!

The weather has been really nice here. It has been about 70 degrees all day
and sunny as usual. I wish Utah would send some of the rain up here.
I like the rain haha. Yeah, the apartment is really nice. I
really like it. It's a nice place. And the dishwasher is nice too haha!
All my mission, up to now, it seemed my dishwasher was my hands haha. It's
still kinda weird to use a real dishwasher haha.

I had heard that the meeting was really good from lots of people who
watched it.  It sounds like it was. Lots of people talked about
President Uchtdorf's talk. It must have been a good one.
That is crazy that Abby is leaving on her mission. Does she leave this
week then? Seven missionaries from our ward this year!!!!!!!!! That is
awesome!

Conference is this weekend!!!!! We are going to be watching at the stake
center probably. They don't broadcast it at our ward building. I am
guessing you guys will watch on the TV downstairs. You doing anything
fun besides that with conference?

I have to get going now. My time is up haha. I am glad to hear that
you guys are doing well. Have an awesome week. Conference will be
super fun. I am so excited! I know we have a prophet on the earth
today. He speaks God's word just as prophets in the Bible did. God is
loving and cares for all of his children. I just love the gospel! My
mission is awesome! Love you guys!
-Elder Sedlacek



What's up Dad,
I will start off with the update from my week. It was awesome. It was
one of the best finding weeks I have had here in Pasco. We found three pretty
solid investigators. Their names are B & M and G. They are all really awesome.
When we first met G we talked to him about having a prophet on the earth and
he said that he wants to hear some of  President Monson to decide if he
is a prophet. What a great question with next weekend coming up huh?
haha. B & M are pretty awesome too. They grew up around
LDS kids, and since then have always kinda wondered what it's all about.
They are working on reading the Book of Mormon right now. Awesome!
As far as B and S go, we weren't able to catch either of them home this
week. We are going to try by tonight though so wish us luck.

Another cool story from this week was when we met a potential named CJ.
Some previous missionaries had talked to her and never went back. The cool
part was when were walking up to her house, I got the prompting to take
a copy of the Book of Mormon out of my backpack and carry it in my
hands, which I don't normally do because I like to have my hands free.
Well, I did it anyway. When we knocked on her door and started
talking to her, she wanted a Book of Mormon, and I had it right in my hands.
She is going to start reading it as well. It was awesome! She is solid too, just
kinda busy where she works, so we hopefully will be able to catch her
home this week.

This week we had a super long training from President Ware on planning
and it was awesome. He did give some hints that I will probably
be transferred, but he does that sometimes and it doesn't end up working
out that way so we will just have to see haha. I will find out on Saturday
where I will be headed or if I will be staying.

Are you kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The UItes blew
it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They should have won that game. Sounds like they need some 4th quarter
conditioning. I bet Kyle works them to death haha. I heard Bountiful
lost to WX from Elder C so that sucks too haha. It sounds like
it was a bad week for sports. That is good that the 49ers did good
though haha.

That is a cool story for Abby of how she went on a mission. I bet she
will be able to share that with people and help and bless their lives
where ever she is going. I bet she will be a good missionary. That is
great that the ward has seven missionaries sent out this year. Totally
awesome!

That is totally insane that Utah is getting that much rain. It's almost
like Seattle it sounds like. Tri-cities hasn't gotten any rain.
It's been dry, but it's been like 70s so its been great.
I couldn't ask for anything more right now weather
wise haha. I just wish I could see some fall colors! That would be the
only thing.

Good luck with work this week. Do you think they are going to
announce something at conference? It will be cool to hear
some talks in other languages this year. I just hope President
Uchtdorf speaks English haha. I am, needless to say, excited for
conference though. It's going to be awesome!!!!!!!!

I have a testimony of the gospel. I love the power that the
Book of Mormon brings into our daily life. It is sooo important that
we make the day-to-day decisions to have the gospel in our life.
Conversion isn't a one-time thing. It's an everyday process. I know
Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. It is a blessing to have a prophet
on the earth today. I know God still speaks!
Have an awesome week!
Love ya!
-Elder Jake Sedlacek