Over-Nighter in Prague

Hello Everyone,

I'm hoping to get back into the habit of writing real weekly emails again, I feel like I've gotten pretty lazy, sorry!

So this week...

Monday, Ses. Andreason and I got up really early to go to Prague because I had a doctors appointment. So we got up, slept through the 2.5 hour long bus ride to Prague and did emailing and a few errands there before my appoinment. The doctor's appointment for just to take some tests, iron I think, and my thyroid. Basically all they did was take blood. Then I also asked them about my tonsils, because last transfer I got sick and they swelled up really big, and they are still bigger than normal. The doctor lady told me that I had to see a specialist the next morning, and that I had to stay in Prague over night. So we called President and got permission to stay and then we arranged with the sisters in Prague so we could stay at their apartment overnight. 

We did a few cool things while we were in Prague. We went to FHE there, and we went on splits with the Prague sisters, so I got to contact and teach someone with Ses. Dubois for a few hours. That was cool. Ses. Dubois is almost done with her mission, she goes home at the end of October, so I got to go and just obsorb all of her wisdom and knowledge haha. 

Then Tuesday we got up and went to the other doctor. He felt my tonsils and looked in my mouth, and then HE STUCK A CAMERA DOWN MY NOSE!! It didn't hurt, but it was the weirdest sensation. After he pulled it back out my eyes were like waterfalls, I was practically bawling uncontrollably. So weird!

Then we got on a bus and headed back to Brno for a few lessons we had in the afternoon.

On Wednesday we had a really hard lesson with a less active. We went to her apartment, and we were going to watch the "Hope of God's Light" together (really awesome Mormon message about the life of the dad of one of the missionaries that served in our mission!) but she started talking to us about something else. There's a member here in the Czech Republic, well he got excommunicated like 3 months ago. But he's been posting really crazy stuff about the church on his blog and youtube and facebook for years. And it turns out that this less active found his stuff and it was really bothering her that he got excommunicated. She told us that she thought "he got excommunicated for sharing his opinions" even though it was actually way deeper than that (he baptized a woman without permission and then gave her the priesthood, among other things). But she was pretty upset about him being excommunicated and we really didn't know what to say about it. We just told her that we wanted to help her, we really did, we just didn't know how. She said that she could tell we were being sincere, but we didn't really leave her any better than we found her. So that was a rough lesson. BUT we called President McConkie and asked him what he thought we should do, and he told us that he's going to be in Brno this week, and that he will personally meet with her and answer any question she has. That's going to be so good for her, we're really excited to see how it goes. :) President is awesome! (And it's such a blessing that he fluently speaks Czech). 

On Thursday we took a short train ride to a small village outside of Brno to visit one of the sweetest members on the planet! Her name is Aneta, and she is so cool! She's not much older than the missionaries, and she's married and has a darling little boy. Her husband isn't a member, but he's supportive and Aneta is just so strong! She told us about when she was inactive for a while, and how she came back. We showed her the Hope of God's Light video and she loved it and wants to show it to her husband. It was so fun visiting with her!

The rest of the week was pretty normal, and then yesterday, Sunday, we went with the Baty's to visit the Vitovi. They are another awesome member family that live about an hour away by train, but we got to go in the Baty's car so it only took about 30 minutes. :) We had dinner with them and got to know them better, and shared a spiritual thought. The Vitovi have 3 kids and it was fun to be with them because they were rough-housing and everything and it just felt like being at home. :) 

Well, not a ton has happened this past week, but it was really good. And guess what?? The new senior couple is coming this Friday! The Baty's go home at the beginning of November, so the new couple is coming to be trained, and then the Baty's will leave. The new couple, I think their last name is Bird, they were serving a mission in Sweden, and we stole them! Just like we stole the Baty's from France haha. We're good at that. We're really excited for them to come, and then next Monday we're going to take them on a tour of Brno and show them where all the important stuff is. :) 

Alright, that's everything I can think of right now. I hope you all enjoyed a somewhat more regular email. :) I personally am doing well. The language is still kicking my butt, but every once in a while I feel like I can actually speak Czech. The gospel is so true. I have no doubt about it, and I love being here and sharing it with people. The Czech people are so amazing and so strong. I'm so grateful to have the oportunity to take care of this little corner of the Lord's vineyard. 

I love you all, have an awesome week and I'll talk to you later!

S laskou,

Sestra Schaerrer

PS - I'll send pictures :)

 

Aneta's little boy, Erik. Me at a castle from a couple week's ago. The Baty's came over for dinner. And Rachel, who's studying in Brno, she's from Cache Valley Utah!

 

 

Another Short One

Hi Everyone,

I think my time management is actually getting worse the longer I'm on my mission haha, sorry! 

Here's a quick email and some pictures of our P day last week! We went to this really cool castle called Pernštejn, except it was closed so we could only walk around the outside. 

Also this week we had exchanges and I got to serve with Ses. Holland in Brno for a day! It was just like old times! I love Ses. Holland and I love Brno! It was so refreshing to get to work together again. And now Ses. Andreason and I have a lot of new energy for the rest of this transfer!

I love you all and I hope you're all doing well, thanks for your love, prayers, and support. 

Talk to you next week!

S laskou,

Sestra Schaerrer

 

Pictures!

 

Short Email

Hi everyone!

Sorry but this week is going to be a really short email because we're going to this cool castle thing, but it's pretty far away, and the email place didn't open on time. But anyway I have some pictures of our adventure from last P day. :)

We went to a Villa thing in Slavkov u Brna (I think that's what the place was called, I'm not good with names). We basically walked around and had a good time taking pictures. 

Other than that this week has been pretty normal. It's hard on a mission because you can really see all of your weaknesses pretty obviously. It's nice because then you know what you need to work on, but sometimes it's annoying becuase they can really get you down. 

This week I've been having a hard time with that. I just think that we should be able to do so much better, even when we're already working hard. I try to make goals for myself, but then they are too big and I can't reach them and then I feel bad again. But I know that God gives us weaknesses so that we can become stronger, and so that we can strengthen others. I know that when we try our best, God sees that, even if it's not as good as we would like it to be. 

God lives and He loves us. We are His children and each and every one of us is precious to Him. I've learned a lot about my relationship with my Father in Heaven on my mission, and it is one of my most precious possessions. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, and even when I feel completely alone, He knows exactly how I feel, and He loves me no matter what. 

I'm so grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father. And I'm so grateful to have grown up with that knowlege. This gospel is truly amazing, and I'm so lucky to be able to share what I know and love with the people of the Czech Republic, and with you all wherever you are. 

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. They mean the world to me. :)

Have an awesome week everyone, talk to you later!

S laskou,

Sestra Schaerrer

 

Pics from our P day trip!

 

 

Day 200

Hello Everyone!

This week was pretty interesting, and guess what? Saturday was my 200th day on my mission! Everyone here thinks I'm really weird for counting stuff like that. I'm not sure why I do it, I just think it's fun and it helps me see that time is really passing, cuz being on a mission sometimes feels like I'm stuck in a time warp in another dimention. And I don't count every single day, I just have a calendar where, at the beginning of my mission, I counted and marked every hundred days and things like that. So I'm not too weird, haha. :)

Anyway, what did we do this week? Monday we didn't go anywhere super cool on any vylets or anything. We just ran errands, and then we played card and board games with the elders at the church building for like 5 hours haha. Sounds super exciting I know. It was actually really nice to just sit and have some fun, since we run around all day every day. 

On Tuesday Ses. Andreason and I tried to make Halušky. We had both seen it made, but neither of us had ever made it before, so it was quite the adventure. We made a giant mess in our kitchen, but I think it was semi-successful. It turned out alright and tasted pretty good. Then there's this thing that's like a joke among missionaries called "halušky sny" or "halušky dreams" and they are totally real! Every time I eat halušky I have really weird dreams that night. So that was kind of an adventure to haha. 

On Wednesday I became a true Brnačka (there's another special symbol thing in there, but I can't find it on this keyboard...). And I don't really know how to say it in English, but I'm now a true person-from-Brno haha. There's a lady in the branch here who the missionaries all call the Brno Mom, and every transfer (almost, we didn't do it last transfer) she knights the missionaries like true Brnačky. But to be knighted you go to this castle, but to get to this castle, you ride a boat across the resevoir! I think that was the first time I've been on a boat in about a year! It wasn't like our boat at home, but it was close enough! And then we got to explore the castle and everything, it was so cool! And then we got knighted with an official certificate and everything. :)

Everything else that happened this week was pretty normal. We taught some people, went to church, all the good stuff like that. 

Being on a mission is crazy, and it's crazy how much my testimony has grown. Everything is just crazy when you think about it long enough haha. I can't believe how long I've already been here, it feels like I just got here. I still don't really know the language, but somehow I'm able to talk to people. The Lord really is in this work. We do so many things that seem like they would be impossible, but with the Lord, nothing is impossible.

I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!

S laskou,

Sestra Schaerrer

 

 Pictures! The boat ride to the castle :)

 

 

Oops, and there was a blurry pic of our halušky night. Pics at the castle :)