Life really is meant to be enjoyed

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Elder Sedlacek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Sedlacek

Four flat tires in one day

Hey Dad! it has been a good week. i got the text about Brigham from Sister Porter almost immediately. that is so awesome, and i can't wait to meet him! you should get that boy some cammo! hahah 

Our investigators are doing well.  we started teaching the Hispanic family that just came back from vacation. it is a single mom with four crazy little boys, and they are awesome! the little kids love to tease us and stuff. their mom has been to church a few times before and was going to come yesterday, but got stuck in downtown Cincy with her sister, who she was driving around, so that really stunk. But, Miss J and her son B came to church, so that was good to see them there. we are still trying to get a meeting set up with President Porter so he can interview Miss J, but both sides are busy and hard to have available at the same time. 

we did find a new investigator this week who we will be going back to see in the next few days--that will be good. we are having a hard time finding in this area! we talk to everyone, but they are not always interested. however, we did have a miracle this week. the past Elders met this guy at a home down the street from us, and he talked with them a little so they gave him their number on a card. Last Monday he called us just after we got in and said he wants to feed us, so he called again this morning and is having us over on Saturday for a BBQ. that was awesome, we will see how his interest level is and everything, but that was way cool. 

the zone conference was awesome, i will write more about it in mom's email. that is a good idea we could use for Miss J, thanks Dad! we will have to try that. that is a cool thought from your meeting, i bet it was really good. I like that thought from President Eyring, it is so true that as we forget ourselves and get to work, the Lord will change us in ways that we never thought possible. it is not because we are focusing on just ourselves, but when you forget yourself and serve others diligently, you are serving the Lord, and He will send the blessings your way to help you. in turn, you start to change and apply the Doctrine of Christ in your life more, which causes us to change and become more like the Savior. missions are beautiful things, i am so grateful for the time that i have left to serve! this is the time when i will be growing the fastest spiritually, and I want to be able to utilize that time. well, it was great to hear from you Dad, thanks for all you do, it means a lot to have me out here.  I love you Dad, have a great week! talk to you later!

-Elder Sedlacek

hey Mom! so this was a good week. i am glad the baby came well! i did get both texts from Sister Porter about the baby and my pump. she actually forwarded the text about the pump, so i got your text! hahaha that was weird. 

i told dad about the investigators, so you can read about them in his email. the biking is fun--i like it. i am getting in good shape again between running and biking every day. it is awesome hahaha. 

so the most challenging thing that happened this week was either having the last Zone conference with President Porter (i did tear up hahaha), or having to fix 4 flat tires all in the same day! it was a funny story.  we rode to the library that morning, and when we came out afterwards, my tire was completely flat. i pumped it up and then i told Elder B "the race is on boy!" so we hauled on up the hill to a bike shop a few miles away on the way to our apartment. i bought a new tube and put it in and it all looked good so we started home. halfway there it went flat again! now it was getting late so we just walked the bikes the rest of the way.  then we went back after lunch and the bike shop owner fixed it for free, which was a miracle, but not only that, he tuned my breaks and my wheel hubs for me for free as well! so we started off, and 10 minutes later it is flat again. i am not kidding! we took it back and the owner found a microscopic piece of glass in my tire, then then fixed it again for free. since then, i have not been back! hahaha knock on wood! 

the biggest tender mercy was Zone conference and the impressions i had, it was awesome. we talked a lot about the sacrament and President even got permission to give us the sacrament. it was a neat experience, and i got to help pass it, it was cool. i learned some cool stuff. i will miss President Porter so much, I love that man. you will have to go to his homecoming for me and record it, that would be sick!

Also at Zone conference, i learned the significance of consecrated oil. when an olive is pressed for oil, it is put under immense pressure. the Savior was also put under immense pressure when he suffered at Gethsemane, and he bled through every pore. the oil that "bleeds" from the olive is like the blood the Savior bled for us. the consecrated oil represents the healing power of the atonement and will give power to heal. that was a cool lesson from talking about the sacrament, that was one of the thoughts that i had. 

that is funny Dukie had a vacay at the boarders' while the baby came. hahaha wow, an hour of sleep, you were tired i bet! hahaha almost as tired as me! hahaha just kidding, mom. that is so crazy about the Angel Moroni getting struck by lightning! a cool thought about that--the statue protected everyone just as Moroni will give the call to let everyone know when the Savior comes--he has got our back. 

i also had a cool experience when riding up a really steep hill this week. i was praying and asking for strength to make it, when suddenly i felt like i did have angels around me helping me and cheering me on. it was super cool! you know who those angels are don't you? family and future family, it was super cool. 

So yep, Animas said they will replace my old pump for free, it is the same exact pump, so it wasn't hard to program it. now i just have to send the old one back. they gave it one day shipping so that was cool. well, that is all for the week, how are you doing?

Mom: I am doing great!!! I am heading up to Logan later to help Nicole, Jeff, and Brig settle in at home. I will be there overnight and Tuesday. It'll be fun. 

I am glad you got your pump set up and all is well with it. Don't forget to send back the old one asap....they like those back so they can figure out why it failed and prevent it in the future. They are serious about those things! :) 

We will definitely go to pres porter's homecoming, you can bet on that. 

Elder Sed: sweet! just remember to record it for me so i can listen to it. i am really going to miss that man. for my birthday, i would love the Nike socks, just like the ones i have that go halfway up your calf--size 6-8, or the mediums. i need a new backpack, but i want to wait to see if i get a gift card or something. i would also like a fitness watch that measures steps, distance, calories and things like that, but those are kinda pricey so if I don't get one then that is okay. other than that i don't know what i want. hahaha

oh, i am mailing that old pump today.

Mom: Okay, good! How are your numbers? Did you adjust your basals with all the exercise? 

Elder Sed: yes i did, so i am fine tuning them now. it took some getting used to, but they are doing pretty well now.

well, i have to go now Mom, it was great to hear from you. enjoy seeing the baby! give him a hug for me. i love you guys so much! have a great week. thanks for all you do for me! oh--please send me my test strips this week, i need some more. thanks! 

-Elder Sedlacek