Dear Family,
Za prvé, Happy Birthday Grandpa. [Grandpa Schindler turned 84 on Monday!]
Za druhé,...well, this week has flown by as well. I have almost no idea where the time is going, although it is certainly moving forward, much faster than it has before. Before in my mission I felt that I had so much time left and that some weeks just went on forever. Now I feel like I follow up on my weekly goals just a day or two later, not seven. I realize that I do not have much time left and I am doing my best to use every minute that I have to work to improve myself and do the things that I am meant to do. I know that if I work now, this day, I will be able to do the things that the Lord expects from me.
Elder Darrington is an excellent companion and missionary. He is filled with love and hope and has a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. He goes home in just under three months, but it is amazing to see his continued dedication and drive to do what Heavenly Father expects of him. He is very loving to me, and as an added bonus, he is not hesitant or afraid to correct me. This has been a great blessing and I am so glad he loves me enough to put me on the right path when I need it. Last week when we were riding the train up to Prague for a Training conference, we had an unexpected switch to buses and then back to the train due to some problem on the rails. This was easy for us, but it turned out, the many tourists on the train were rather confused and surprised. I remember that just as we took our seats, Elder Darrington looked out the window and said 'we should help those people'. I did not know who he was speaking about. I looked out the window however and saw several people dragging suitcases and bags through the gravel on the way to the bus. So we jumped off the bus and ran over and helped move several people and their luggage to the waiting buses. I was so grateful that he looks for ways to serve just like that.
Our conference was great last Friday. We learned much and President Irwin taught us about the importance of the Holy Ghost in conversion and the need that we have to make sure the people we teach understand and feel that influence. We leaned a lot, picked up many commitments and are ready to get out into the field and apply it. We also have a suprise mission conference tomorrow with Elder Pearson of the First Quorum of Seventy, who is picking up his son, Elder Pearson, Prime, (their are two Elder Pearson serving in the mission here) at the end of his mission. We are looking forward to that with much anticipation and knowing that through the conference we will find ways that we can improve.
Milo Rybák continues to do well and is building his testimony. He reads very extensively from the Book of Mormon and has been to church four times now. He also has started coming to the Branch Family Home Evening activities and has become well integrated into the Branch. He is still working on quitting smoking, but we know that he can overcome that obstacle. We are pleased to be meeting with him.
I am doing well. I am healthy, and am even eating mostly decent food, most of the time (by this, I mean decent regarding health, not quality. The food here is of good quality). It is summer now, and so our suit coats are gone for the most part and we are happy to be out in the nice warm weather. This will be an excellent summer.
I spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday about service, tying it into charity and diligence. I think that the talk went well and that people listened. I tried to teach from the scriptures and to bear personal testimony. I hope it went well. I actually thought I was speaking last week and so I had the entire talk prepared, and then was able to wait an additional week. I did not really change anything, but I was not nervous, although I forgot the word for 'weeds' in Czech and so that was a small, amusing glitch. (A weed is 'plevel' in Czech, by the way).
Life is good over here. This city is very beautiful and I love serving here. Good luck with everything and I am off to spend this beautiful day inside, in my apartment, as we collapse and discard most of our funiture, as we just got new ones from our Landlord, who is also the branch president. [The leader of the Branch, which is a small congregation of members.]
Za prvé, Happy Birthday Grandpa. [Grandpa Schindler turned 84 on Monday!]
Za druhé,...well, this week has flown by as well. I have almost no idea where the time is going, although it is certainly moving forward, much faster than it has before. Before in my mission I felt that I had so much time left and that some weeks just went on forever. Now I feel like I follow up on my weekly goals just a day or two later, not seven. I realize that I do not have much time left and I am doing my best to use every minute that I have to work to improve myself and do the things that I am meant to do. I know that if I work now, this day, I will be able to do the things that the Lord expects from me.
Elder Darrington is an excellent companion and missionary. He is filled with love and hope and has a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. He goes home in just under three months, but it is amazing to see his continued dedication and drive to do what Heavenly Father expects of him. He is very loving to me, and as an added bonus, he is not hesitant or afraid to correct me. This has been a great blessing and I am so glad he loves me enough to put me on the right path when I need it. Last week when we were riding the train up to Prague for a Training conference, we had an unexpected switch to buses and then back to the train due to some problem on the rails. This was easy for us, but it turned out, the many tourists on the train were rather confused and surprised. I remember that just as we took our seats, Elder Darrington looked out the window and said 'we should help those people'. I did not know who he was speaking about. I looked out the window however and saw several people dragging suitcases and bags through the gravel on the way to the bus. So we jumped off the bus and ran over and helped move several people and their luggage to the waiting buses. I was so grateful that he looks for ways to serve just like that.
Our conference was great last Friday. We learned much and President Irwin taught us about the importance of the Holy Ghost in conversion and the need that we have to make sure the people we teach understand and feel that influence. We leaned a lot, picked up many commitments and are ready to get out into the field and apply it. We also have a suprise mission conference tomorrow with Elder Pearson of the First Quorum of Seventy, who is picking up his son, Elder Pearson, Prime, (their are two Elder Pearson serving in the mission here) at the end of his mission. We are looking forward to that with much anticipation and knowing that through the conference we will find ways that we can improve.
Milo Rybák continues to do well and is building his testimony. He reads very extensively from the Book of Mormon and has been to church four times now. He also has started coming to the Branch Family Home Evening activities and has become well integrated into the Branch. He is still working on quitting smoking, but we know that he can overcome that obstacle. We are pleased to be meeting with him.
I am doing well. I am healthy, and am even eating mostly decent food, most of the time (by this, I mean decent regarding health, not quality. The food here is of good quality). It is summer now, and so our suit coats are gone for the most part and we are happy to be out in the nice warm weather. This will be an excellent summer.
I spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday about service, tying it into charity and diligence. I think that the talk went well and that people listened. I tried to teach from the scriptures and to bear personal testimony. I hope it went well. I actually thought I was speaking last week and so I had the entire talk prepared, and then was able to wait an additional week. I did not really change anything, but I was not nervous, although I forgot the word for 'weeds' in Czech and so that was a small, amusing glitch. (A weed is 'plevel' in Czech, by the way).
Life is good over here. This city is very beautiful and I love serving here. Good luck with everything and I am off to spend this beautiful day inside, in my apartment, as we collapse and discard most of our funiture, as we just got new ones from our Landlord, who is also the branch president. [The leader of the Branch, which is a small congregation of members.]
President Irwin [Joseph's mission president] impresses me as well. He really is a spiritually amazing man and has quite a job to acheive here in the Czech Prague Mission. Many areas of the mission are struggling and there is a significant lack of priesthood leaders in many of the smaller branches. One missionary in Slovakia is the Branch President [of his small congregation] and my companion is the Elders' Quorum President and was in the branch presidency up in Liberec.
President Irwin really has quite a vision for this area and really loves us as missionaries.
Love,
Elder Schindler
ps-I am really imressed with how good this letter is. [We like it also, of course, we like all of Joseph's letters!]
pps-SEND ME PICTURES.
President Irwin really has quite a vision for this area and really loves us as missionaries.
Love,
Elder Schindler
ps-I am really imressed with how good this letter is. [We like it also, of course, we like all of Joseph's letters!]
pps-SEND ME PICTURES.
