[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]
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
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