Mercedes On A Mission
Monday, September 5, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
The End is Near...
Hello Friends and Family,
Monday: Interviews in Prague, and dinner with the mission pres and his wife.
Tuesday & Wednesday: We're not really sure, because the Pohorelicti are going to Kosice. Probably just work and contact?
Thursday: Fly home.
So Friday
is our last day in our area, and then it's a lot of traveling. I'm a
little bit scared and nervous, but I'm sure it will all work out. There
are four of us going home from Slovakia, so all of us and our companions
are probably travelling to Prague together.
Moral of the
story is that I don't know if I'm going to be able to email next week
or not before I go home. But if you still want to email me, you can,
because my missionary email account will stay open I think 30 days after
I get released. So whether in Prague or in Utah, I'll still see emails
next week. :)
So since this is the last "real" email, I better make it good.
This past weekend was amazing. On Saturday
we went to Bratislava for a district conference, and President Kearon
came! It was really cool because I was here last year when he came too!
Well, in Prague. We heard some great talks about faith, charity, and
enduring to the end.
Before the Saturday
night session started, President Kearon was walking around talking to
everyone, and he came over to say hello to me. We started talking and I
told him that I saw him last year, and that now I only have two weeks
left on my mission. He got kind of quite, a little teary eyed, and
looked at me and said, "Just think where we would be, without the last
two weeks of Christ's mission." It was probably the most spiritual 10
seconds I've ever had. That man is so inspired. Since he told me that,
I've been studying the last couple weeks of Christ's life in all of the
gospels and Jesus the Christ, and it's been pretty powerful.
Then, during the Sunday
session, there was kind of an awkward situation, and it was 100% my
fault haha. The missionaries were asked to sing a musical number during
the conference (I was in charge of putting it together), but about half
way through the meeting, it didn't look like they were planning on us
singing. So during the rest hymn, we all stood up to sing, and I went up
to the front to tell the man who was conducting that we had prepared
something, and if it could fit in the schedule, we'd like to sing it. So
after a few other talks, the conductor gets up and says, "Now we'll
hear from Ses. Schaerrer, and the missionaries." So I walk up to
apologize (because we actually had sung the hymn that was the musical
number already as a congregation) and the conductor comes up behind me
and says, "No, first, share your testimony, and then the missionaries
can come up and sing." So I ask, "Wait, what? I'm supposed to share my
testimony??" And he just looks at me and looks like I'm crazy for not
knowing that, haha. So I apologize to everyone for the awkward series of
events that just took place, share my testimony as best as I could (I
was a little caught off guard, understandably, this is a district
conferene, all of Slovakia is here!), and then the missionaries came up
and sang and I played the piano and it was fine. So, I got to share my
testimony during district conference in front of President Kearon (in
Slovak).
Then yesterday, Monday,
we had our training also in Bratislava. The Brno zone missionaries came
and it was really great. We talked about how to explain foreign gospel
terms simply, and to really teach to the individual. Ses. Pohorelicka
trained us on how to know if we were successful missionaries. She told
us we already were, but that we can be even more successful. :)
Then,
because it was the last training of the transfer, all the "dying"
missionaries shared their testimonies. A lot of tears were shed, and a
lot of pictures taken. It's all really weird. I still feel like it
hasn't really hit me yet, and I don't know if it will until I'm actually
stepping off the plane in Salt Lake. The missionaries I'm going home
with are all really amazing, and I'm grateful that I've been able to
serve with them throughout my mission.
Well, to end
my last email, I'd like to share with you a poem and a testimony. The
poem is one I got in a Christmas card from some members in Ostrava. It
was in Czech, but I'll type it in English for you. I like this poem a
lot and I feel like it's pretty fitting to my mission experience.
I wanted strength, so I received adversity to strengthen me.
I wanted wisdom, so I received problems so I could solve them.
I wanted wealth, so I received a brain and strength so I could work.
I wanted courage, so I received trials so I could overcome them.
I wanted love, so I received people in need so I could help them.
I wanted success, so I received opportunities.
I didn't receive anything that I wanted, but I received everything that I needed.
I
feel like I wanted a lot of different things when I came on my mission.
Some I received, and some I didn't, but looking back, I really did
receive all the things that I needed. I especially feel this when I
think about how unique my mission really is. I never thought I would be
the one to serve in Slovakia, and that I would serve here 6 months, but I
can't think of any better way my mission could have turned out. I've
learned so much from serving in both countries, with lots of amazing
people and I wouldn't change it for the world. Maybe I didn't become
fluent in either language, and I didn't help baptize thousands of
people, but I have learned lessons, and created relationships that will
last eternities.
This gospel is true. There is no
power in heaven or hell that can beat the power men and women have when
they worthily live the gospel. God is our Father and our Creator. He is
all-powerful and all-knowing, and yet He takes the time to care about
you and me individually. Jesus is the Christ, He is our Savior, our
Redeemer, and our older Brother. He came to pay a price He didn't owe
because we had a debt that we couldn't pay by ourselves. Joseph Smith
restored the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness again to the earth,
and because of that we have the authority to perfom saving ordinances
that last into eternity. God has a plan for each of us, and all we have
to do is trust Him. He gave us the Book of Mormon, so that we could
learn and grow and to become more like Him. My testimony and my
relationship with God have both grown trumendously on my mission and I
am incredibly grateful for the experiences I have had.
Thank
you everyone, for your love and support throughout my entire mission.
I'm grateful for all of you, and your examples to me.
I love you all, have a wonderful week!
s laskou,
Sestra Schaerrer
Sestra Schaerrer
I forgot, we also went to a castle last week! The biggest castle in central Europe, Spišsky Hrad!
All the slovak sisters, all the sisters from both the Slovakia and Brno zones, the 4 slovak missionaries that are going home, and Ses. McPheeters and I as we traveled back from Trencin to Kosice at 6am this morning (with the castle in the background)
Monday, August 22, 2016
Čas letí! Time is flying!
Hello Everyone!
Time really is flying here in Kosice. It feels like our week goes like this: Monday, Friday, Monday Friday, Monday, Friday. And before you know it the transfer is over! I can't believe that I only have two and a half weeks on my mission. Our district on a city tour today from Prezident Van Dalen, us in Mat'o's car, Sestra Burdigova, and us mushroom hunting with Mat'o.
Sestra McPheeter's birthday cake (about 2 weeks late), a few more from the mushroom hunting, and a picture we took when I hit my 18 MONTH MARK!! AHH!!
Monday, August 15, 2016
Miracles miracles miracles!
Hello Everyone!!
Soooooo
much has happened this week! I don't know if I have time to write about
all of it. Sorry these won't be very detailed explanations, but I'll
try!
It
was a really great week, so much happened. And I really feel so
completely blessed to have been able to go to Bratislava and back for
the baptism. The church is true and God loves us, a lot!
Have a wonderful week everyone!
s laskou,
Sestra Schaerrer
Pictures!
Monday, August 8, 2016
Short email again!
Hi everyone!
Everything
is so crazy right now, we're always pretty busy and I never have enough
time to write a good weekly email. I'm debating on whether or not I
should just do little ones until I go home, and then write one big long
one about my last month. But then again, who wants to read one really
long email? HahaSes. McPheeters turned 20 on Monday! She's so old! On Tuesday we went to the Ukranian restaurant again, but with the elders this time.
The Indian restaurant we went to on Monday for Ses. McPheeters birthday, and the secret room in our church building, we call it the primary room... there's a dead bird on the floor. (There's no doors into this room, only windows, or else we'd do something about it.)
Monday, August 1, 2016
Road Trip!!
Hi Everyone!
This is going to be really short because we're out of time.
This last week we had exchanges and training in Bratislava so from Thursday until late Saturday night we were in Bratislava. The exchange went well, and training was awesome. Then on Sunday
President Pohorelicky and his wife visited us in Kosice. The Bowens
(CES senior couple) also visited so we had a lot of people at church.
For sunday
school Ses. McPheeters and I taught a really powerful lessong about
missionary work and I think the branch got really pumped to do it.
On
Wednesday last week we also went with the Van Dalens to a disability
center for a little party they had in honor of the Van Dalens because
they have helped and worked with them for a while now. We sang there and
it was a lot of fun.
I wish I had more time to talk about it because it was a great week, but I gotta go! I'll send some pictures though.
God
has been with us this week. We learned a ton at training, and I was
able to see one of the investigators that I taught when I was in
Bratislava (Patrik) accept a baptismal date! We've also seen many other
amazing miracles!
Have an amazing week this week everyone!
s laskou,
Sestra Schaerrer
Travelling, Me and Patrik in Bratislava, and our branch and all the visitors on Sunday (two also came from Spain)!
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Happy Pioneer Day!
Happy Pioneer Day everyone! Hope you had a great time celebrating the amazing people that helped get our church off the ground!
This past week was pretty normal overall. We had a few raining days, a few really, really hot days. And a few days in between.
On
Tuesday, Ses. McPheeters and I went tracting in a new area just outside
of Kosice where there are some really nice houses. First of all
disclaimer: tracting isn't the most effect form of missionary work in
the mission. But I give it a chance every now and again because with God
and faith, anything is possible. Anyway, we were tracting and we ran
the zvonek (like a doorbell, but from outside the fence) to a really
nice looking house. A woman answered the window on the second floor, and
said she didn't really want to talk, but that her husband is a pastor
at the apostolic church and if we want she'll send him down to talk to
us. So we said sure and he came down, and we had the most pleasant
conversation I have ever had with a leader of another church. He didn't
bash with us, he didn't tell us we didn't know what we're doing because
we're just young girls. None of the normal stuff. He was very nice AND!
AND he let us give him a Book of Mormon and our card! Never in my
mission would I have ever thought that a pastor of the apostolic church
would #1: talk to us without arguing, #2: Take our card, or #3: Take a
Book of Mormon. I was a little bit in shock. Miracles really do happen.
We just need him to get baptised and then convert his whole congregation
and we'll start the Kosice Stake! :)
Then on Thursday
we saw another miracle. We had been finishing our studies in our
apartment, when we had to hurry to the church building for a lesson, and
we get to the building and realize that we left our phone in our
apartment. So our lesson doesn't come on time, and since we can't call
them we decided to wait extra long, in case they are running late or
something. While we're waiting (almost 25 minutes after our lesson was
supposed to come, just to be sure) a woman (not our lesson) walks into
the building and tells us, "I met with missionaries about a year ago,
and I thought today would be a good day to come back." MIRACLE! If we
hadn't have forgotten our phone and waited extra long, no one would have
been in the building and we wouldn't have met this woman. AND while we
were talking to her, our original lesson walked in, and since they were
both women, I was able to teach this lady while Ses. McPheeters taught
our planned lesson in the other room. God definitely has a divine plan!
Then on Saturday
we were able to help a really cool guy and his girlfriend clean up the
yard around their house. They had a lot of wood palets that they were
cutting down, and they also have sheep. So Ses. McPheeters and I helped
the girlfriend clean out the sheep pen, and the elders help move around
wood palets. They also had a green house that we helped with after we
finished with the sheep, and in the greenhouse we found the BIGGEST WASP
I HAVE EVER SEEN!! I think it's even too big to be called a wasp! I'll
send a picture. Other than that it was really fun to work on a little
farm and they were so happy we could help them. They also gave us a life
time supply of tomatoes (the tomato plants grew taller than me!!).
Then, as part of our Sunday,
we went on a wild goose chase. A man had called us during church, but
we didn't have his number in our phone already. So we called him
afterwards and he told us he wanted to meet and talk to us. So we set up
to meet with him on the namesti (town square). We get to the namestie
and can't find him anywhere. We're calling him, and searching for him,
and in the end we figured out that we are in Kosice and he's in a city
called Banska Bystrica. We have no idea how he got our number. We were
about to offer to send him the number for the missionaries in Baska, but
then we found out he was homeless and only wanted money, and he had
already asked the missionaries in Banska for money. Anyway, we literally
ran all over the namestie for like 30 minutes and it was so hot!!
So
pretty much that's what's happened this last week. This week we'll only
be in our area for a few days because we have an exchange and a
training in Bratislava, so we'll be gone Thursday, Friday, and get back late Saturday night. So we have to work really hard these few days to make up for being gone.
The gospel is true, and I know that the Lord is watching over his little branch in Kosice (on Sunday
in church it was 6 missionaries, 2 visitors, and 1 member). There is a
lot of potential for growth here, we just have to be creative and find
out how to do it.
Have a wonderful week everyone! Be safe if you are traveling, and don't get sunburned!
s laskou,
Sestra Schaerrer
Us tracting (Ses. McPheeters' first time!), the wasp! that's my ring next to it!, and us at service :)
More service pictures :) The sheep pen is all clean (the white stuff is like a sanitizer)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)