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