Week 17 in Plzen

26 May 2014 Ahoj! Well this week was kind of a blur, but a lot of really cool things happened. We went to Prague twice, once for training, and once for a baptism cause we were singing at it. That was fun. We're having a concert on Friday so we've been singing a lot. It was pretty funny on Saturday because we were running late on the way to catch the train and so my comp prayed before we left the apartment for an "autobusove zazrak" (a bus miracle) and a train miracle too. Then she laughed and was like, spis, tramvaj...cause we always take a tram, not a bus. But we got outside to find that they were working on the tram tracks and all of the trams had magically turned into buses haha. We laughed pretty hard at that, I think Heavenly Father was showing us that he has a sense of humor :) But THEN....we get on the train, and it's late and who do we sit by? a 20 year old guy from California studying abroad in Germany on his way to Prague, who is hours later than he planned and shouldn't have even been on that train in the first place because of a whole series of events. It turned out that we were only going one metro stop away from his too, so we helped him get a ticket and everything cause he doesn't speak Czech. Oh the craziest part--mom you might know his parents, his dad went to Torrance for high school, but he's a little older than you. Crazy huh? So if you remember any Sandstroms I met one of them. It was just so interesting--there is just no way that was a coincidence-too many things had to happen for us to meet him, he was only in the Czech Republic for a day. So that will be really cool if something comes of that, he got our contact info. Things like that happen to us all the time--what are the chances?? We really don't meet very many Americans. Yesterday was really neat too, one of our investigators came to church for the first time and really liked it, he was talking to everybody! Plus the elders came with us to visit a couple sick members to bring them the sacrament, and that was a really neat experience. The power that entered the room the second they knelt down to bless it was just so strong. The scripture: "in the ordinances thereof the power of godliness is manifest" came to mind, and it finally clicked for me. It's so true--the spirit is so strong during moments like that. That was really neat. The other neat thing this week was in studies--I was reading an old Ensign, and there was an article about how the good samaritan parable can be read as an allegory for the fall and the plan of salvation, and that it was in early Christianity. The coolest part was that it was inspired by a stained-glass window in Chartres in France--that I've totally seen! And I remember wondering why the fall and the good samaritan stories were in the same window. Super cool. So I studied that this morning and learned a ton, that was really neat. He talks about how the man is Adam, or us, Christ is the Good Samaritan, the priest is the law of Moses, Levite is the Old Testament prophets, oil is ordinances, the bandages are covenants and the wine is the atonement, the inn is the church, innkeeper is us as members or church leaders. Super cool. Well that's about it, we met a cool mom on the way home last night, I hope she meets with us. I made my planner for next transfer, which was very weird--it's the last one I will ever make. I'm really hoping I stay here, but we'll see what happens. I'm trying to make the most of every second I have left to stay in this beautiful country. So many things happened this week to remind me how incredibly grateful I am for my mission, and how much I wish I could stay forever. I have learned so many things that I never would have otherwise and changed so much--I will be grateful forever for the privilege of serving a mission--there is just no way I can express how I feel about it. I used the scripture in Alma 26:11-12 for my planner--that says it the best: "behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God...I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." I feel that joy and I have seen those miracles. Just too much happiness. Love you!