Pictures of Zlin!

Here is the address to the Zlin tourist page - which includes some nice pictures of Joseph's new city!

http://www.zlin.eu/en/page/96.photogallery/

Joseph's letter dated 29Dec2010

[Dear friends and family, we hope you enjoy Joseph's letter which we received this morning. It sounds like he has some more adventures ahead of him in his new city of Zlin. If you would like to send a note to Joseph, simply respond to this e-mail and I will get it to him! Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas week -- and a joyous New Year - filled with peace and love! Joseph's editor - BWS]

Dear Inhabitants and Citizens,

Well, I moved. I am now in the city of Zlín. I have been here for just under two hours and it looks great. Zlín is about one hundred km east of Brno toward Slovakia. We have a nice apartment and both our apartment and the church building are very close to the city center. I do not know much more about it, so I will not write more for the time being. My new companion is Elder Bown. He is from Switzerland (although he is an American citizen). All I know about him is that he is a vegetarian.

I think that the call session went well on Saturday. It was great to talk to everybody. It sounds like everybody is doing well, even if Christopher and Daniel are sick and even though Weston needed to wash sickness out of his hair. It was a good way to end the day. By the way, since I have moved, do not send mail to that address anymore. I do not know the new one here, but I will try to get that next week. In the meantime, I will explain why I asked not to have packages sent directly to me. It is better to send packages to the building because when sent there the Elders in the Office can pick them up for me and all is well. If they are sent to me in Zlín or Třebíč, I need to go in person to pick them up, and if I get transfered, I cannot do that. So Mail is good to go straight to me, but keep packages going to only the building in Prague. Thanks for the Reeses (by the way, I got three things total, the large box, a yellow padded envelope with letters from my brothers and a smaller package (the kind that is like a large, cardboard envelope) that had coloring book pages, a tie, and a couple other things. I was grateful to get those). Let me know if I should be expecting anything else new please (not because I am a greedy American, but it is fun to know if I might have a letter or present at zone conferences and such, or if I have to order a new name tag just so that I can get something in the mission mailbox (that was a joke, but I am thinking about doing it)). [Fortunately, there is one more package on its way! BWS]

I think I forgot to tell you, but last Friday we were allowed to watch movies and so the Elders and I watched the Testaments, the Princess Bride and Saints and Soldiers in Jihlava. That was fun. Then we went to go watch the midnight mass. However, contrary to popular belief (or rather what the four of us thought), mass did not start at midnight. We ended up only catching the last ten minutes. That was too bad for us, but oh well, no use in complaining. Although the buses stop running by then and we had a *fun* walk back to the Elders' Apartment.

Well, I do not have a lot else to add to this letter. It is a rather pitiful letter, but maybe next week's letter will be better. We email in an internet cafe here, which is nice, but there is a lot more music in the cafe than in the Třebíč library (Tom Petty still sounds kind of dumb, but Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson still sound good).

Oh, and Zlín is said pronounced like the word lean (as in to lean to one side) with a z in front of it. Or you can just say Zebra and call it good.

Love,
Elder Schindler

Moridad, the Christmas Rat

Since Joseph decided that the Christmas rat was one of his favorite Christmas traditions (which is what he shares with the people he meets in the Czech Republic!), I decided to write a story about a Christmas rat. I dedicate this story to Joseph! See Moridad's picture below!

Moridad, the Christmas Rat

By Brent W. Schindler

Things were scary and exciting that night. Moridad scurried under the pile of timbers.

Moridad quietly looked out at the people who were coming to his town. Why? He did not know. More people meant more food. Moridad also knew that he would need to be careful. Most people did not like him and would try to hurt him if they saw him. Being a rat in this small village was not safe – but if he was careful, he would be able to find lots of food with all of these people around!

It was an odd time for people to be coming to his village. The weather was not good. But Maridad didn’t mind – because he had a dry, warm nest underneath a quiet stable in the outskirts of the village. He had built his nest underneath the small manger – where nobody would find him! He quietly saved his precious, shiny treasures in his nest which he collected throughout his daily searches for food.

More people meant more food – and more treasures! And these people brought many of the gold coins that he especially loved to collect! They were shiny and round – and made his nest look – exquisite!

Moridad knew he could not trust people. Whenever people saw him, they would chase him or try to hurt him. He learned how to be sly and quiet as he made his daily rounds looking for food and treasures.

It was a busy night. There were people all over! He still doesn’t know why he did what he did. The woman was so beautiful and her eyes were so kind. Somehow, he knew that she would not hurt him.

He watched from under the timber as the tired man lead the donkey on which the woman rode. They were going from inn to inn – trying to find a place to stay. The people of the village were rude to them. They treated them rudely. “There is no room here!” the rat heard the innkeeper say. They treated this young couple like Moridad was usually treated.

Not understanding why he did so, Maridad boldly slipped out from behind his protection and stood close to the woman. “Joseph, I think we should follow that rat,” the young lady said. “I think he knows where we should go.” Maridad could tell that the woman was going to have a baby. While Maridad had never done anything like this before, he felt happy and he felt safe. He led his new friends to HIS nest. He led them to his quiet, dry stable!

That night, the nice lady had her baby. The manger was dry and was a beautiful place to place a new baby. Maridad brought out some of his most special treasures from his nest. The beauty of his treasures seemed to please his new friends – who were very kind to Maridad. The man even shared some of his food with Maridad!

That night, some shepherds came to visit the young baby. There were strange lights in the sky and in the stable that night and many happy voices.

While Maridad didn’t understand the importance of that night, he was happy as he shared his manger and his treasures with his new friends on that special night.

The Christmas rat!

Joseph and Elder Ingalls with Christmas tree

Joseph's letter dated 22Dec2010

[Dear all, here is the letter we received from Joseph this morning. Thank you for your love and your support. Wishing everyone a joyous, safe a wonderful Christmas season!

Visit Joseph's blog (later today) in order to see the pictures he sent -- along with the infamous picture of the Christmas rat -- which Joseph mentioned in a recent letter!

Joseph's editor - BWS]

Dear Family, Friends and Curious Passerbies,

Well, it is the Christmas season. I hope that these two pictures I sent worked. [You can see the pictures on Joseph's blog!] It shows Elder Ingalls and I sitting on the sides of the Christmas tree that Aunt Marta sent me in the mail (thanks, Aunt Marta) and he in his Plzn hockey jersey and I am in my Třebíč jersey (I am pretty sure mom told me to buy something fun for Chrismas (it says SCHINDLER on the back)). Oh, I just got the package that you sent this morning. I was about to call you out again for not sending things, but now I have something. Thanks a lot! It was nice to get. In response, I also sent a package home. However, before you get your hopes up, I sent it the cheapest was possilbe, so unless the boat (way cheaper than plane) sinks, you should get it in about six to eight weeks (I think). I will not tell you what is inside it, but I will tell you what everything is for. If you can eat it, it is for everyone. If you can read it (or rather, If I can read it) it is for me and is to be preserved in a safe place. If you can hang it on a wall or a pole, it is for decoration, and is to be used. And if you can dress it up and cry when you open it (specifically Mom), it is for mom.

I do not know if we are having or will have a terrible storm. The weather is not great, but it seems okay. I heard Prague has been getting a lot of snow, but I do not know a lot specifically. It is cold, and so I am wearing thermals, and people are telling Elder Ingalls that he is crazy for not wearing more than his jacket (to which he says, "I am from Minnisota. It is was colder there."). It has definitely been a fun transfer with him.

I get to go to Prague tonight. At about twelve thirty we are taking a train to Jihlava, going to the branch Christmas party there (maybe going to the mall there, since we do not have one here in our town), and then driving to Prague for our mission conference tomorrow. Then we will come back to Jihlava and be there and here on Friday and Saturday with members and the other Elders. Transfers are next Wednesday, so that will also be my next P-day [Preparation Day].

Ary has a baptismal date. We have been talking about baptism quite a lot (every meeting) and she told us yesterday that she would like to give herself to baptism (that is how you directly translate it from Czech) next month. We said that that would be great. We are continuing to meet with her and we are excited for the progress she is making.

Pan Novak (Pan means Mr. or Herr) came to church on Sunday. We had a Christmas program, so it was later in the day, and he came. He liked, and is just such a humble, sweet man. He still loves the Book of Mormon, and we gave him the new (for us) Liahona magazine[this is our Church magazine for non-English speakers] from last October that talks about temples. He is doing really well.

So, a Christmas tradition here is to eat carp for dinner with potato salad. I hear it is way gross and I think I will not have to eat it, but we will see. However, people buy the carp fresh and I was able to witness this morning the slaughter of said fish. All the carp are in a big tank (which does not smell too great) and then people can either buy one and kill it at home, or have the workers there kill it for them. They weigh the carp out, then put it on a table, where a man bashes it on the head with a wooden club, and then slits what I assume is the neck. It is a time like this when I almost understand why people are vegetarians. Anyway, that was interesting to see as I stood with my grocery bag full of Cini-Minis, milk, bananas and oranges; And way expensive/good ice cream.

Well, that is all I have for now. I love you very much and I wish you the best this Holiday season. My phone is a mobile phone, so make sure you get the right card for that, and all the best to you.

Glad to hear Detroit beat the Vikings, by the way.

s laskou,
Elder Schindler

Joseph's letter dated 13Dec2010

[Dear family and friends, first, we want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Second, we love and appreciate all of you. We thank you for your interest in Joseph's mission and for your friendship and support. As you prepare for the holidays, ENJOY the love of our Savior and enjoy the season! Joseph's editor - BWS]

Hello mortal fellows in this sojourn in mortality,

First of all, my next p-day [preparation day] will be Wednesday the 22nd. Because of Christmas and Chirstmas Eve (Christmas, or Vanoce, in the Czech Republic is celebrated over the twenty fourth fifth and sixth, with the main day being the twenty fourth) our schedule next week is rather different. We have a normal working day on Monday, district meeting and English class (you asked if I teach English mom, the answer is yes. One of my students thinks my first name is Elder. I think it is very funny), and then a short Pday on Wednesday because Elder Ingalls and I will hop on a train shortly after three and arrive in Prague at about eight o'clock (note that the train ride is not five hours long, but we have to transfer a couple times). Then on Thursday we will having a magnificent mission conference and talent show, and then we will come back to Jihlava to spend the night and then leave for Třebíč early Friday morning. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are more or less free for us. We will try to visit members, but we are not expected to knock on doors or do street contacting. It should be good. Then the next Wednesday we will have Transfers, which will also be my pday. It should be fun.

Happy Birthday Dad, Chirstopher and Nicholas. I know it is still early, but I would rather send you a message a week early than a day late. I love you and všechno nejlepší k narozenení (I am not sure if I spelled that right). [We'll assume it is spelled correctly. We'll also assume it's a nice message! ]

Also, thank you to Uncle Lowell for his help with my shoes. I am thankful for his advice. It should serve me well. Although, it seems that my petitioned request for the personal aquission of music lyrics was firmly denied. My inbox remains quite empty of lyrics and pictures, almost as empty as my mailbox, which, although it is not completely bare, all letters thus far have read "Elder Tanner Ingalls" which is not my name. [Hopefully since today is a snow day, our techno-expert (Weston) can get these sent!] Remember, what profiteth a man a gift (my address) and he receiveth it not (and he sendeth not a letter to Elder Schindler). By the way, I do not have that package you sent yet. We have conference right before Christmas though, so I should have it by then. [We are hoping!]

The weather here is okay. It has not snowed a lot since that first time, but we will get little flurries now and then, but we have not had a lot of accumluation. It can get cold, but it really is only bad when the wind blows.

Last week we did not really see a lot happen here in our area. We were gone for one of the days, but we just had a hard time setting things up and getting things going. We did find a cool girl named Kristina (I keep forgeting her name, because I keep thinking of the name Caitlin first, which happens to be Elder Ingalls' exgirlfriend. (I should probably stop randomly saying her name while pretending to cough during the day)) when we were door knocking on Monday. We taught a good lesson and set up a time to return on Friday. That lesson was not the best, it really was not a lesson and turned more into providing Kristina with a list of all the things that missionares do not do, i.e. go to the discotek, drink, party, date, smoke, etc... I think we managed to tie it all back into the Book of Mormon and that we do these things because we believe that any sacrifice is worth it to be a missionary. The lesson could have been a lot better, but she still has interest and thus we still have a good amount of hope. We also had a follow up meeting with the Součkovi family. That went well and then Pan Souček took us upstairs to see his rock collection, or rather his giganitic museum. His lifelong hobby has been collecting different rocks from all over the world and he has them all set up in glass cases along the stairs and in a large workshop room in the attic. It was really cool to see that.

We had lunch with the Branch President and his family yesterday. It was very good; a lot better than the "Missionary Alfredo" we would have made otherwise (Elder Ingalls and Elder Peterson both love this stuff, and it is good, but I think I have had it every week for about six months, and sometimes twice). Then we went to visit an inactive couple who live in a little vestnice outside of Třebič (vestnice means village in czech (please note that the proceeding five words must be read as performed by Brian Reagan when he was pretending to be the smart child in class when his teacher asked for the plural form of ox (by the way, calling someone an ox, or any animal for that matter, is extremely offensive here. Although it is a little funny when teens try to swear at us by calling us an ox, because it does not have the bad connotation in English as it does in Czech))). The husband is Czech and the wife is Russian, and they both lived in Switzerland (I was not sure at first becasue I always get Sweden and Switzerland confused in Czech) but they are a way nice couple, but since they do not have a car, they can not make it into the city on Sundays (buses do not run to small villages on the weekends). That was a good day. Especially because Ary, the MMnglolian lady we are teaching came to church with her son. That was great. The branch was very welcoming and she had a good time. One of the better Sundays on my mission.

Well, that is all for now. I love you all and wish you the best. The Book of Mormon is true.

Love,
Elder Schindler

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

[Dear friends and family, here is our latest letter from Joseph. Thank you for your continued love and support of Joseph while he is on his mission. We can't believe he has been out ONE YEAR! Joseph's editor - BWS]

Dobrý den,

Well, this week went well. Elder Ingalls turned twenty last Tuesday, which was cool. We had district meeting in Jihlava, and we ate out at the "restaurant on the battlement". It was rather tasty. Then after English class, we went door knocking and were let in and were able to teach a husband, wife, and their youngest daughter. We have a return appointment for this next Tuesday. They even gave Elder Ingally a manpurse. I think he should use it, but I do not know if he will. They are a very nice and sincere family and we are excited for them.

We are also meeting with a Mongolian woman named Ary. We helped her do a couple things on the computer here in English a couple weeks ago and finally were able to set up a follow-up meeting. We found out that her brother, who lives in Mongolia (and who also speaks German), is a member, and that she is very interested in learning more about us and about Jesus Christ. That was great to hear. We introduced the concept of baptism to her and we are going over to her house for lunch on Thursday.

We still have a ton (rather, enough) of snow here. And come to find out, the Czechs do not use road salt. Instead, they dump rocks on the sidewalk (small pebbles to be more correct). They work, but it is rather messy looking. They also use what looks like bulldozers to plow the roads by the town center so that they can pick up the snow and carry it away, although I am not sure quite where. Maybe they could ship it to Michigan since you do not have any yet. [That would make Joseph's brothers happy!] There are a few staircases we use that we have affectionately named "schody smrti" or "the stairs of death", due to their exceeding slickness. Both of us have fallen already, but we are doing okay. Speaking of this, I remember Uncle Lowell talking to me about a good method to preserve my shoes when it is snowing and dirty outside. However, due to the fact that this discussion was a year ago, and I probably was not listening super attentively, I forgot most of what he said. I would like to extend a request for further instruction from him as to the best method to keep my shoes alive and bright. (I do have cedar shoe trees, by the way). [Lowell, do you remember what advice you gave Joseph??]

Last Saturday we went to Jihlava again for another baptism. Ondřej Ditě baptized a woman named Dana (her last name is Hungarian and I cannot remember it). If you remember, or rather, if I remembered to write about it, Ondřej was just baptzed last transfer and is doing amazing. Elder Hicken, who is over in Jihlava and was my companion in the MTC, really wants him to cut his shoulder length hair, but is really an amazing individual and has an incredibly strong testimony. He is way awesome.

So yesterday was a great event ----oh wait before I forget----- Elder Ingalls and I were talking, and we figured out that our parents were both married in June of 89, and possibly the same day. [Julie and I were married on June 24, 1989.] Dear family, could you ask the Brother and Sister Ingalls what day they were married on? I would like to confirm this mystery. ------anyway, so great event... Yesterday was Mikuláš day [St. Nicholas Day!] here in the Czech Republic. There were many people dressed up as čerty (devels) and as anděly (angels). There was a big event on the square, but the branch had a cool party and I will describe it for you. It was great.

So all of the children in the branch came (about fifteen or so) and their parents. They sang a few songs (which I did not know) and then the parents started to ask them to call for Saint Mikuláš. Then in comes Saint Mikuláš (one of the young men in the branch) complete with long white beard and dressed as a catholic priest. His sister also came in dressed as an angel with another young woman, as well as his older brother, who was dressed as a devil (imaging Gimli from Lord of the Rings, but with a pitchfork and red horns). Saint Mikuláš then called up all the children one by one, read from a book (that was covered in gold tin foil) the good and bad things they had done. Occasianally Honza (the devil) would threaten them a little, and then the child would sing a song, and receive and certain amount of candy. The best part though was another friend who was dressed up in long read tights, had a tail, and a rather scary, rubber devil mask who was hiding in the back of the room (imagine a mix between the Balrog from LOTR [Lord of the Rings] and a goat). He was way funny (occasionally he would dance as the children sang), but several children were rather frightened of him and one girl cried everytime she saw him and was very upset when he came toward her pretending to take away her older brother for not beeing good the past year. It was a great party.

So I have a request. We are having a talent show as a mission right before Christmas, and if I understand correctly, we are able to import songs from the world and make them funny. I do not know the title, but could you send me the lyrics to Eminem's song that starts out with something like "you got one shot, one opportunty" Weird Al also did a cover of this song. Daniel, or Weston, could you send that out to me this week? [Notice that Joseph didn't ask his parents to find this music for him??! Maybe he doubted their abilities to find it!] Maybe the guitar or piano tabs too if you can find them. Do not worry though, I am not distracted.

Well, that is all I have today. I love you, wish you the best and hope everything falls well.

Love,
Elder J Schindler

Joseph with first snow - Winter 2010-11

Joseph and companion overlooking white city

Joseph and snowy tree

Cold morning

Joseph by cool (cold) monument

Joseph (close-up) with rocks

Joseph with cold pile of rocks

Elders Schindler and Ingalls on snowy morning

Joseph by hole in rocks with snow

Joseph with snowball

Joseph in snowy park

Joseph NOT loafing!

Joseph's white town II

Joseph's white town

Joseph in front of big rock thing

Joseph armed and ready to go!

Joseph after snowfall

Letter dated 29Nov2010

[Dear family and friends, here is our letter that we received today from Joseph. I hope you enjoy it! I guess, from what Joseph says, we need to send MORE packages! I will be posting these pictures on Joseph's blog. I will let you know when they are up! BWS]

Dear everyone,

This week went a little slow, and it has only been about four days since I last talked to you so I do not think I have a ton of things to add, but I will try. I also can not type as fast as Elder Ingalls, so that is a problem too.

Well, first of all, it snowed a decent amount last night. Those pictures I sent were taken this morning, and that snow was not there yesterday. It looks like we will have a white December, which is pleasing to both Elder Ingalls and me. He is still a little perturbed that the Christmas lights are already up on the Town Square, thinking that they should wait until December first, which happens to be the day right after his birthday. It was was funny last week because it took him about ten minutes to notice all of the new Christmas wreaths on the Square, and that was then the topic of conversation for the rest of the night. Then last night, he saw the new, giant tree on the Square, and that caused a funny reaction from him.

I hope these pictures turned out. I decided that since I only have about a hundred pictures so far on my mission, I better start taking some now, or else mom will be very mad at me when I come home and say that I did not really take any pictures. I will try to send some more along in the near future.

Sacrament meeting yesterday featured a Children's program instead of talks from members. It reminded me so much of home. The girls were all well behaved, a couple of the girls were nervous, and the two older boys did not want to be participating. One just stayed off to the side and waited while the other boy took the opportunity to march up to the stand as well as to cover his face with his script. It was great. The Branch [congregation] here is awesome.

I heard from Dad that you read Helaman 3 last night, if it is okay, I will start in Helaman 4 tonight and continue reading with you.

So apparently Elder Ingalls' family loves him a lot more than you do, because he has about five packages already in our apartment. Just kidding, but seriously, he has a lot of stuff.

Well, that is all for now. Love you all and wish you the best in the upcoming month.

Love,
Elder Schindler

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Dear Family and friends, I hope you are all enjoying a day filled with friends, warmth, food and laughter. Joseph's preparation day was today - here is his letter. We are thankful for all of you and for the blessings of friendship! Joseph's editor - BWS]

Dear Family,

Well, I forgot to tell you, but today is P-day [preparation day] this week. I remembered about forty minutes after emailing last week, and while I was sad, I figured all individualy would survive back home. I should have told you though, it just slipped my mind. [Fortunately, the mission home let us know that Thanksgiving would be this week's preparation day!]

I do not have a ton of time right now, but I will try to fill you in on as much as possible.

Well, first off, here is a funny story. We were teaching a man on Tuesday named Pšenka, and while I was talking about when Lehi and his family came to America in the Book of Mormon, I accidentally said that they built a boat and then traveled UNDER the water, instead of sailing on the ocean, like in a submarine. He caught that, and was rather surprised, until we clarified that they had not traveled by submarine, nor by subterranian tunnels. It was rather funny, but I was way happy, because it meant he was listening to what I was saying.

Second, I have an idea that I want to run by you. I have been reading the Book of Mormon on Czech to help practice reading, pronunciation, understanding, etc... and I came up with what I think is an excellent idea. What if we started reading in the Book of Mormon together as a family? Every night we could read a chapter; you all in Michigan could read in English and every night and before I go to bed I will read the same chapter outloud in Czech. I was thinking that we could start Monday, and either start from the begining or from where you are in your reading. Then we could email each other about the things that we learned. Let me know what you think, but I think this would be awesome for us to do together. [What a great idea! I am glad we can read it in English! By the way, if anyone wants to join us, we are reading Helaman 4 tonight!]

Well, today is Thanksgiving, and also Pday. The Elders from Jihlava are over here in Třebíč today and we will be having a delicious meal provided by KFC. None of us know how to cook a turkey, and we did not feel like we really wanted to try to look for one and attempt the cooking of said bird, but KFC sounded good (Třebíč is actually too small to have a KFC or McDonalds, so the Jihlava Elders brought some chicken over with them). We will also watch the new District II film that misionaries received to help with training. It should be an interesting and good day. I may even try to make cookies, although I hope vanilla is optional, because we do not have any (I will let you know how it turns out)(by the way, I canu by vanilla here, I just have not been able to find it in Třebíč yet, and I forgot to ask the Elders in Jihlava to pick some up for us). [We should have let Joseph cook last year's turkey so he would know how! ]

We did a ton of finding this past week and a half, since all of our investigators were away. We saw some great blessings because of it though, and are looking foward to meeting with these new people. One of them even showed up to Church on Sunday. It was totally out of the blue, and we had never met him before, but he liked sacrament meeting and we taught him afterwards (his name is Martin by the way). As an intersting sidenote, almost everyone here has the same names. Although there are a variety of Czech names, almost every man is named Jan, Jiří, Martin, Michal, Lukaš, Tomaš, or Zdeněk, okay, there are more, but it seems like that sometimes.

It snowed here yesterday. Nothing stuck, except on cars, but Elder Ingalls and I were happy.

Well, I have to run, but I love you all and am wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. Talk to you on Monday.

Love,

Elder J Schindler

Joseph's letter dated 15Nov2010 - Ides of November

[Dear friends and family, I hope this letter finds you well. We are still enjoying a beautiful November in Michigan -- without snow (yet!). At this Thanksgiving time, we are thankful for your support, love and friendship. I hope you enjoy this latest letter from Joseph! BWS]

Good Day,

Well, this week did not yield much more for me to write home about, but I will still strive to keep you entertained and updated.

We had some good success tracting last Monday. We were let into homes twice, one of which resulted in a return appointment for a date after November (it is far away, but at least we can return). It was a good experience, and was the only night we had to go tracting (on the other nights we managed to set up lessons with people, which in my opinion, is much better that climbing the stairs of towering, communist panaloks (they have elevators, but saying I have to climb the stairs just sounds much more dramatic and heroic).

On Tuesday we had exchanges with the Elders in Jihlava. Elder Vivona came to Třebíč and we worked together on Tuesday after district meeting until Wednesday afternoon. That was good, but it was hard because we are rather good friends and spent more time talking about things than we should have. We worked hard though, so no worries. Wednesday morning was a little interesting because some workers came to do something to our shower (apparently the drain needed replacing). However, Elder Vivona was still in the shower and I forgot he was there, so the workers just walked into the bathroom. It was a little funny.

We still have not been able to set up a meeting with Ochir and Aggy. They are putting in a lot of overtime from now until Christmas and as such, they do not have a lot of time for us. We went to stop by on Saturday, but they were sleeping, so we were not able to speak with them. However, Pan Novák (Pan means Mr. or Herr) is still liking the Book of Mormon. He will be gone for the next two weeks, but we are looking forward to meeting with him after that. We also had two good meetings with a woman named Dana Sladková. We met her first on Thursday and then had dinner at her house on Saturday (Czech gulaš is way tasty, by the way). We challenged her to read in the Book of Mormon everyday, which she accepted. However, she has been going back to school to get a degree, and she has tests this week (interestingly, the czech word for test is test), so we will not be able to meet for another week. We still have a lot of hope though.

On Fridays, we have correlation with the Branch Mission Leader at his home. His name is Jiří Červen, served a mission here in the Czech Republic, was married about three weeks after I got here, and is about six and a half feet tall. He is very helpful for us here, as we had a good meeting with them, and we were able to talk about the differences between how we celebrate the Holidays. I retold my favorite, family Christmas tradition that I share with people here, about the giant plastic rat that my family has wrapped under the tree during Chrismas time. I think it is hilarious and the members here think it is rather funny. [Our Wilson nieces wrapped this about 10 years ago. It is meticulously wrapped so it is the exact form of the rat -- just with wrapping paper on each part of its body. Each December, the "Christmas rat" goes under our tree. While I would have hoped Joseph would have more memorable and impressive recollections of our Christmases - I guess this works for him! (LOL) BWS]

Unfortunately, none of the people we are meeting with were able to make it to church yesterday. This was sad, but we are continuing to work with faith. It gets dark rather early here now, usually by about five o'clock it is dark, but that means that we get to go tracting more. This makes finding new people a little slower, but nonetheless, we work hard and continue in our work (smiling all the way).

Sister Červenová, Jiří's mother, said that she would attend church with us next Sunday. We have been meeting with her weekly ever since I got here, but because she has cronic back pain, doing anything is rather difficult for her. However, we got her to say she would come (mostly by just staring at her when she said that she would not promise). We really hope she will.

Elder Ingalls and I are doing well. We had a Czech Learning Week this week, and reported 105 hours of Czech this week. It was fun, and I think it helped people on the street be more friendly when they heard us speak Czech all the time and not just when contacting.

Well, that is all for now. I love you all and wish you the best. We still do not have any snow, and I hope to keep it that way. The Book of Mormon is true (do not forget it).

S laskou,

Elder Joseph Schindler

Joseph's letter dated 8Nov2010

[Dear family and friends, I hope you enjoy Joseph's latest letter. We hope all is well with you. Thank you for your love and your support! BWS]

Dear Family, Friends, and various zvíře kteří patři vám, [I am assuming this is a friendly term!]

This week went well. It is raining today (makes P-day [Preparation Day] a little lame, but I think contacting in the rain is worse, so I am a little glad it is raining today). Last week though, it only rained on Saturday night, about which I will talk a little more later.

Elder Ingalls is awesome. I have really liked my companions in the past, and he is no exception. I think that we work well together and it has been rather nice to work with him for the past week and a half. We both are working on speaking one hundred hours of Czech this week (that is all but about twelve hours of our time awake), so we should be working rather hard and seeing some extra help from above with that.

Ochir and Aggy did not come to church yesterday. This is rather sad, but Ochir had to work and they just could not make it across the city. While this was dissappointing for us, we are not discouraged and we are looking forward to meeting with them this week and during the weeks in the future. We also just started meeting with a man named Mr. Novák. We met him on the street by the chapel about three weeks ago and we asked if we could come to his home and share a message with him and his family (the people here are sometimes taken aback by that approach and usually do not accept, I try it though sometimes, especially with people who are in a hury). He accepted, and since he just lives around the corner from our chapel, it was easy to find him. Anyway, we just had our second meeting with him, and it went very well. He likes the Book of Mormon, especially the similarities between it and the Bible (I gladly explained that this was because it contains the same Gospel principles that the Bible does). He liked it and we will be returning this week.

So, now I will tell our Friday story. We received a referral from the Mormon Battalion center in San Diego that a man named David, who had visited there, would like to receive a copy of the Book of Mormon. So we found a map, found the city, rode a train the the city nearby, and then walked a little bit to his home city (these little towns are rather close together). It took us a little while to find the house (the Czech house numbers are numberd according to when they were built, not where they are in the city). [This is how the Japanese homes are numbered - which I experienced 30 years ago!] We found it though, after walking all the way across the area and taught David about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He liked it and, though he studies in Prague, he comes home for the weekends, and we hope to see him at church in the future. Anyway, by the time we left his home, it was dark, so we got to walk to the train station in the dark and in the rain. Luckily it was not far, and it did not start raining very hard until we were in the station. It was a good experience for us, although if we did it again, I would try to leave a little earlier.

I really am trying to think of other things that happened this week that are worth writing about, so please believe me that I am making an effort to fill all of you in on my life here.

Oh, I just remembered something. Last Tuesday was district meeting, and while we were at the chapel, a Mongolian man came to the door and started to speak to us in broken Czech. After about eight minutes, we figured out that he wanted us to help a friend do something on a computer in English. So we set up a time to meet her (his friend) at the Library. We went there, helped her translate some text, and then invited her to hear our message. She accepted, so we went to a restaurant and taught about Jesus Christ and what faith in Christ means for us. We think she liked it, in fact, she definitely liked it enough to set up a time to meet again. That was a rather cool day.

We also were let in tracting (doorknocking) last Tuesday, an event that unfortunately, does not happen as much as we would like to. We came in and taught a woman named Pavla about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She really is not a believer, but we challenged her to read in the Book of Mormon, to pray and to meet again, all three challenges were accepted. Our meeting is for tomorrow, and we hope that it will go well.

I will try to send out some pictures of the city next week. I was going to today, but it is raining, so I will try to take some from a couple outlook points, and maybe even get in a few of them. I would also like to receive pictures from home. If you could, attach the picture file, which I can then save onto my thumb drive and print at a photo store (last time I did that, I forgot how many pictures of LeBron James I had accidentally left on it, and the store clerk had to cycle through several to find the actual pictures).

I am doing well. I am happy, I am healthy, I even take my vitamins (just for you mom), although I should probably stop buying pastries at the candy store right outside our apartment (they are really good though). I am still balding (not too bad, but still way more than I want to), my feet are all caloused over, and my calves are huge from walking up all the hills here. My clothes are still holding up really well. All my socks are good, my shoes actually are doing okay, my shirts still look good, my suit is snazzy, and only a couple of ties are coming unstitched (I am trying to learn how to sew them, but I still have a bit to learn and practice). I am trying really hard not to become vain (the clothes here are rather stylish, and have thus far I have only fallen into purchasing temptation a couple times (two sweet ties, two pairs of dress shoes (they were on sale though, so I am actually happy with that), and a pair of P-day shoes I definetaly did not need (they were also on sale, but they are already falling apart and I did not need them)).

Well, I love you all. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter, and remember I love receiving letters in the mail. I know the Church is true and I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

S laskou,
Elder Schindler

ps-I really want those pictures. Send a bunch. please.

Picture of Joseph's Christmas tree - by Aunt Marta!

Joseph and companion in Halloween costume!

Joseph wistfully riding a train!

Letter dated 1Nov2010

Good Morning,

Well this week is going rather well. I found my new companion, who was only a few hours late because his bus broke down outside of Prague. He had to stand during the two and a half hour bus ride, but he arrived in one piece and is way cool. I like him a lot and I think will will have a great transfer together. He is from Minnesota, studied at BYU, played tennis in high school, participated in Science Olympiad and is a really good missionary (his name is Elder Ingalls).

- Hide quoted text -

This last week was a little slow because of transfers and all of that, but we did see some good things. Ochir and Aggie are still reading and praying every day, which is very good, but they are having a really hard time making time for church. They work six days a week and so we know it is hard for them to take their day off and spend some of it at church, but it is just so good for their family and I know that when they do they will really start to feel why they need to attend church. We have a lot of hope for them this transfer and I am looking forward to working with them.

We had a Halloween party this past Saturday. Halloween is not a Czech holiday by any means, but we have had missionaries here in the Czech Republic for years, so it has become a regular tradition for missionaries and members to have a party on Halloween. It was rather fun. There were many children at the party and a good time was had by all. We, Elder Ingalls and I, were asked to be in charge of games. We hung apples from strings and also had cups filled with candy, which children could recieve if they were able to throw another piece of candy into the cup from accross the room. They had a good time, and I thought it was a success.

Daylight Savings Time just ended, and so now it gets dark very early here, at about 5.20. This means that we get to tract [look for people door to door] a lot more, which is not my favorite thing to do as a missionary, but we are starting to see some success from it and I think it will help us find some new people who are ready for the gospel.

I am sending a couple of pictures. One is a picture of me on a train and the other is a picture of my companion and me at the Halloween party.

I am probably going to buy a dictionary today. I think I am at the point where I just need to give in and buy it because my pocket one really is not enough any more. I think I have enough money, but I will likely ask for some in the future for things like that, although to be honest, I really do not think I will be needing anything else.

Well, thank you so much for reading today. I love you and wish you the best. Do not forget, the Book of Mormon is true.

Love,
Elder Schindler

Ensign Article about Sugar Beets as referenced in Joseph's 27Oct2010 letter

Many years ago, Bishop Marvin O. Ashton (1883–1946), who served as a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, gave an illustration I’d like to share with you. Picture with me, if you will, a farmer driving a large open-bed truck filled with sugar beets en route to the sugar refinery. As the farmer drives along a bumpy dirt road, some of the sugar beets bounce from the truck and are strewn along the roadside. When he realizes he has lost some of the beets, he instructs his helpers, “There’s just as much sugar in those which have slipped off. Let’s go back and get them!”

In my application of this illustration, the sugar beets represent the members of this Church for whom we who are called as leaders have responsibility; and those that have fallen out of the truck represent men and women, youth and children who, for whatever reason, have fallen from the path of activity. Paraphrasing the farmer’s comments concerning the sugar beets, I say of these souls, precious to our Father and our Master: “There’s just as much value in those who have slipped off. Let’s go back and get them!”

Right now, today, some of them are caught in the current of popular opinion. Others are torn by the tide of turbulent times. Yet others are drawn down and drowned in the whirlpool of sin.

This need not be. We have the doctrines of truth. We have the programs. We have the people. We have the power. Our mission is more than meetings. Our service is to save souls.

Our Service: Save Souls

The Lord emphasized the worth of each man or woman, youth or child when He declared:

“The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. …

“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:10, 15–16).

Remember that you are entitled to our Father’s blessings in this work. He did not call you to your privileged post to walk alone, without guidance, trusting to luck. On the contrary, He knows your skill, He realizes your devotion, and He will convert your supposed inadequacies to recognized strengths. He has promised: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).

Primary leaders, do you know the children you are serving? Young Women leaders, do you know your young women? Aaronic Priesthood leaders, do you know the young men? Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood leaders, do you know the women and men over whom you have been called to preside? Do you understand their problems and their perplexities, their yearnings, ambitions, and hopes? Do you know how far they have traveled, the troubles they have experienced, the burdens they have carried, the sorrows they have borne?

I encourage you to reach out to those you serve and to love them. When you really love those you serve, they will not find themselves in that dreaded “Never, Never Land”—never the object of concern, never the recipient of needed aid. It may not be your privilege to open gates of cities or doors of palaces, but true happiness and lasting joy will come to you and to each one you serve as you take a hand and reach a heart.

Lessons Engraved on the Heart

Should you become discouraged in your efforts, remember that sometimes the Lord’s timetable does not coincide with ours. When I was a bishop many years ago, one of the leaders of the young women, Jessie Cox, came to me and said, “Bishop, I am a failure!” When I asked why she felt this way, she said, “I haven’t been able to get any of my Mutual girls married in the temple, as a good teacher would have. I’ve tried my very best, but my best apparently wasn’t good enough.”

I tried to console Jessie by telling her that I, as her bishop, knew that she had done all she could. And as I followed those girls through the years, I found that each one was eventually sealed in the temple. If the lesson is engraved on the heart, it is not lost.

I have learned as I have watched faithful servants like Jessie Cox that each leader can be a true shepherd, serving under the direction of our great and Good Shepherd, privileged to lead and cherish and care for those who know and love His voice (see John 10:2–4).

Seeking the Wandering Sheep

May I share an additional experience I had as a bishop. I noted one Sunday morning that Richard, one of our priests who seldom attended, was again missing from priesthood meeting. I left the quorum in the care of the adviser and visited Richard’s home. His mother said he was working at a local garage servicing automobiles. I drove to the garage in search of Richard and looked everywhere but could not find him. Suddenly, I had the inspiration to gaze down into the old-fashioned grease pit situated at the side of the building. From the darkness I could see two shining eyes. I heard Richard say, “You found me, Bishop! I’ll come up.” As Richard and I visited, I told him how much we missed him and needed him. I elicited a commitment from him to attend his meetings.

His activity improved dramatically. He and his family eventually moved away, but two years later I received an invitation to speak in Richard’s ward before he left on a mission. In his remarks that day, Richard said that the turning point in his life was when his bishop found him hiding in a grease pit and helped him to return to activity.

My dear brothers and sisters, ours is the responsibility, even the solemn duty, to reach out to all of those whose lives we have been called to touch. Our duty is to guide them to the celestial kingdom of God. May we ever remember that the mantle of leadership is not the cloak of comfort but rather the robe of responsibility. May we reach out to rescue those who need our help and our love.

As we succeed, as we bring a woman or man, a girl or boy back into activity, we will be answering a wife’s or sister’s or mother’s fervent prayer, helping fulfill a husband’s or brother’s or father’s greatest desire. We will be honoring a loving Father’s direction and following an obedient Son’s example (see John 12:26; D&C 59:5). And our names will forever be honored by those whom we reach.

With all my heart I pray that our Heavenly Father will ever guide us as we strive to serve and to save His children.

Joseph's mission packing list - 27Oct2010

[This is a list from Joseph to help his brothers/cousins/friends as they pack for missions!]

Well, we found my companion [his new companion was lost with the transfer!], and he is e-mailing right now so, I thought I would sent a note about some missionary item suggestions for Weston.


Mission items

Suitcases- Dont need to be nice. Wheels are handy, but they break. They should be big, but do not need to be huge.

Belt- one is enough

Writing things- Do not bring too many papers, pens, envelopes, ect... you can buy most of it at the MTC [Mission Training Center in Provo, UT] (for way cheap) or in the field

Scriptures- If you think you may want a New Set of Scriptures, a Hymn Book, or anything like that, wait until you get to the MTC. You can buy it all there at production cost, so a new set of scriptures is way cheap. I would suggest leaving your scriptues and buying a small, leatherbound quad at the MTC. This includes Deseret Book Journals too. If you can buy it at Deseret Book, wait until the MTC. It will be way cheaper.

Ties- Dont bring a lot on your mission, six or eight is fine. Polyester is the best. Plus, you will get plenty on your mission. Also, they will get worn out, so do not take your favorite ties on your mission.

Shoes- Get good shoes that fit. Dont need to be expensive, but should be nice and durable. Rockports and Eccos seems to me to hold up well. They cost a little more, but seem to be worth it.

Socks- I am not really sure. I have nice socks, but I think I could survive without them. The goldtoe socks are nice and comfortable, breath in the summer and are warm in the winter. The ones from MissionaryMall are my favorite though. The are awesome. They are a little thick, but have a meshlike top.

Rainjacket- Dont bring. Buy a small umbrella once you get to your mission.

Suits- Good ones that fit.

Shirts- White. Does not matter too much what kind, but if you are going to buy new ones, the Stanford shirts are my favorite. Do not bring too many. Here in the ČR, seven short sleeved and five long are a good number, I do not need or want any more.

P-day/excersice/service clothes- Dont bring too many, three shirts, two excercise shorts, and a pair of jeans, plus a sweatshirt are enough. Bring ones that you would be too sad if you left them in your mission when going home.

Backpack- I like the messenger bag best, but I dont use a bike. A smaller, one big pocket Jansport would be a good backpack. Does not matter too much though.

Books- Only take the missionary reference library and your standard works, and only one copy of each book. Books are heavy and take up space, but you need them.

Watch- A durable, inexpensive one is best.

Other things- Avoid a lot of things. You don't need them. Do not feel like you need to fill up your suitcases. Remember, you will acquire a lot of things on your mission.

First Aid- Some bandaids, neosporin, and ibuprofin are enough. Unless you go to a poor country, everything else can be purchased easily.

Towel- One is enough. Two take up too much space.

Sheets- Good to have your own, but plan on leaving them behind when you go home.

Don't bring a two year supply of most things. You can get more during your mission, either from home or from a store, ie envelopes, soap, razors, paper, candy, extra clothes,

When it comes to deciding if you might need something on your mission, ask yourself if you want to carry it around for two years. If the answer is no, do not bring it.

With your call packet, you will likely receive a packing list. For the most part, and especially if you are going to a developed country, you do not need most of it. Mainly you do not need the huge first aid kit they suggest, or all of the white shirts they say you need.

Well, if I think of anything else I will let you know.

Love,
Joseph

Joseph's letter dated 27Oct2010

[Dear Family and Friends, this is Joseph's letter for this week - his preparation day for this week is on Wednesday. Due to my haste in sending last week's letter out, I inadvertently sent the wrong letter out (I forwarded to everyone my letter to Joseph). Sorry about that! I hope everyone is doing well. Have a great Halloween! Joseph's editor - BWS]

Dear Peoples,

Well, today is my preparation day. My new companion is still not here (I am staying in Třebíč), and I am with the Elders in my district who are serving in Jihlava. We are guessing that he missed his bus connection in Prague, and apparently he does not know our number because we have not heard from him. We waited for him for about an hour at the bus station and finally decided we would go do something and them wait for the next bus to come, which comes in about three hours. I hope we manage to find him. His name in Elder Ingalls and he is from Minnesota. I have met him before and I like him a lot. He is very smart and very funny, so this transfer [the next 6 weeks]should be rather fun. It will be fun to serve with somebody not from Utah again, because a lot of people think we are all from Utah, and it is fun to say that I am from Michigan and that my companion is from New Jersey, California, and now Minnosota. Utah is cool though. I will let you know more about him on Monday [Joseph's next preparation day], and hopefully we will have found him by then. [I did get another note from Joseph an hour later telling me that he found his companion!]

Ochir and Aggie (I am actually not sure how to spell her name. It is a nickname, so I am not sure it really matters) are still doing well. We met with them and their daughter Helenka on Monday in the branch president¨s home. It was a good meeting and we taught specifically that God is our loving heavenly father, and that as such, we have the ability to communicate with him (via prayer) which is a wonderful thing (something we went over at mission conference). It was a good meeting and I am looking forward to working with them during this next transfer.

Besides them, we are also meeting with two teens (about eighteen years old), named John and Nikola. Both of them are way hard working and driven, so they do not have a lot of time to meet with us, but they are both making a good effort to find time to meet and to read in the Book of Mormon. We are trying to meet with them more, but in the meantime, they are doing well and are way awesome people.

I am doing well. I want to start working more with the less-active members here in the branch. I was reading an article written by President Monson today about how the worth of every soul is great in the sight of God and how we need to help those who have fallen away from activity in the Church (he shares a story about sugar beets in the Ensign from the Summer of 2009 if you want to read it). [I'll put this article in Joseph's blog!] Also, Elder Pearson talked about working with and strengthening the less-active members here in the Czech Republic. That should be way good, especially since I have been thinking a lot about what Grandma Schindler talked about at my baptism, about having no empty chairs when we get to heaven. I think that trying to get those who have fallen away back will help us out a lot as people, both members and missionaries.

I have received a few questions about the Czech Republic. Here are some answers: The Czech Republic is well advanced. We have nice streets, closed/underground sewers, good public transportation, nice stores, good food, etc... I am not living in a poor, less develped country, at all.

Well, I love you and I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. Thank you so much for your blessings and support.

Love,

Elder Jozef Šindler

Joseph's letter dated 18Oct2010

[Family and friends, here is the letter we received this morning from Joseph! Joseph's [editor - BWS]

Dear Friends and Family,

Last week we had a really good meeting with Ochir and Aggi. [They are the investigators from Mongolia.] We talked to them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They really like learning with us and have expressed a lot of interest in learning more about Christ and about Christianity. We challenged them to be baptized and they accepted. We are currently working so they can be baptized on November 14th. They are a little nervous, and they voiced concern about not being ready or knowing enough, but we assured them that we would help them and be there with them every step of the way. We are very excited for them both.

Last Wednesday we had a really good training session with our Zone Leaders in Brno. Our Mission President and the Assistants [Each mission President has 2-3 missionaries who work directly with him - they are called Assistants] were also there, and we were glad to receive their trainings and advice. We hope that it will help us with our work as missionaries in the future.

Next week my P-day [preparation day] will be on Wednesday, so I will be emailing then.

I know I keep asking for things, but could you add Listerine Strips to my list of things I would not mind receiving from America? Also, Mom, or Dad, could you send me a pumpkin pie recipe, and a pie crust recipe this week? I would really appreciate that.

We had a slowish week this past week, so I really do not have a whole lot else to write about. I still love you though, and am very thankful for your prayers on my behalf. Do not forget, the Book of Mormon is true.

Love,

Elder Schindler