Dearest family and friends :D
welcome to the Wild East. Or as they call it in slovak "The crazy east"
Where is it at? A little place I like to call Kosice, which actually isn't all that little.
Its the 2nd biggest city in Slovakia. What a CHANGE. Going from small town to big city. Gosh it was SO HARD to leave trencin. I really grew to love the members there. But I know the Lord will help me to love the members here and the investigators just as much :D Also, I will be using my french once again, a lot MORE, because there is a family here that was all baptized in france but are now part of the branch here. What do they speak? French! So Sister Seniger and I are now to be the power team in Kosice.
Also, serving with President Van Dalen (hes the branch President here) and he's from Holland. So he speaks dutch, slovak, english, french, and probably some other languages.
He was the first baptism in Kosice, and the first branch was established here in 2006! So now we are out to find some members to fill amazing callings :D It's the first time in my mission I have been transfered into an area where things are already up and moving with investigators being taught, so this will be an interesting experience. Can't believe I only have 2 transfers left. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
So interseting experience this morning. I ended up in a traincar on the way to kosice (its about a 4-5 hour train ride from trencin) with a woman in her 40s and 2 maybe? middle-agedish men. I was simplying writing in my journal. Writing writing writing. Getting caught up. Then I just asked the woman where she was headed, what for, etc. small talk ya know. Then she just says, "I'm a believer" so I listen. "I am a Jehovah's witness" then the two men, who are getting completely drunk piped in "and we're catholic!" and so the conversation began. It was quite an interesting experience. Mainly I spoke with the woman. As we went through book of mormon and bible scriptures discussing God, and who he is, and prayer, the plan of salvation, life after death, the purpose of the atonement. I was fascinated as I learned more and more about what these men and woman believed. Yet, I could feel that something was lacking. The restored gospel of course. I testified and tried all my might to invite them to learn more, to accept books of mormons, to even visit our website. None of them accepted. I have often wondered how religion can cause some people to be so closed. Shouldn't we always be looking to learn from all situations? the woman shared with me the story of her son and how she tried and tried and tried to force him to eat, but he would never eat. Then once she gave up, stopped cooking for him, and told him to find his own food, he began coming to their fridge at home and he would eat. I thought, "you may not see it, but this story is comparable to the discussion we are having right now. I can teach and teach and testify and testify of the bread of life, but unless you want to eat, unless you really want to feast on the words of life, I cannot force you to. It is up to you to come and partake." She was a wonderful woman - I could tell God was trying to reach out to her. I respect her faith and her diligence. She was an example to me. I loved hearind about her family and her strength.
I was reading recently in 3 nephi about how the nephites were soooo unified just a few years before christ came. They had peace throughout the land. THEN, in a matter of 6 years, they fall into complete and utter wickedness, so much so that their cities are falling off the face of the earth into the oceans and experiening extreme earthquakes. I believe that humanity is, in many ways, searching for unification. Some search for it by equalizing the sexes seeking to diminish male and female roles - thinking that equality means two people are exactly the same. Some search for it by trying to be united in causes. Some look for unification within themselves, trying to be intune with their own souls. The scriptures are 100 percent right when they teach us a house divided against itself cannot stand. That's why satan tries to get everyone to be unifed in hatred - God tries to get us unified in Charity. You can see the power of unification with Sparta, with the city of Enoch, with Sodom and Gomorrah, or even with the Zion to be established throughout the world. Sodom and Gomorrah was united in evil, Enoch's city in righteousness. I think there is still very little we understand about unity. Just look at the Godhead and how perfectly they work together. Man how I want to learn that.
It was really really hard to say goodbye to the trencin members. I really felt like I left part of my family. I am grateful to God that he sent me an amazing new companion and that President Van Dalen is sooo wonderful. Kosice is going to be great :)
I love you all and I am excited to hear about your week :)
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