Week 21 in Plzen!

                       23 June 2014

Ahoj!

Well this week was pretty good. I feel like I finally got my fire and sense of urgency back, which was such a blessing. Unfortunately I'm sick again, but hopefully that goes away soon. On Wednesday we had specialized training with Elder Teixeira of the seventy and it was really good. I learned a lot about being bold, about having more faith, believing in miracles and how to help people accept a baptismal date, and why we even invite for baptism in the first place. My favorite part though was probably Sister McConkie's training on unity--it was fantastic. She said that on her mission in Argentina 20 years ago she was serving with a companion from Peru, who of course was a native speaker, and a really good missionary. And she said that she started just being really jealous of her companion, and it was eating away at her. So one day she swallowed her pride and just told her companion how she felt, and she said her companion just looked at her and said, hermana, soy nos uno! (not sure how to spell that haha). She told her, when I talk to the taxi driver, that means you just did too, when I connect with a member, you connect with them too---we are one! And so Sister McConkie went on to talk about how that's influenced her life and marriage, she said when she was home having babies and couldn't make it to the temple, President still went every week, and she would think to herself, soy nos uno, soy nos uno, that means I'm in the Temple, and he's at home picking cheerios off his pajamas. hahaha. I just loved it.

And then she shared an experience that she heard a czech sister tell about her mission in Russia. This sister was training two greenies at once and it was right after communism, so when they were tracting in Moscow they got picked up by the police, who were really suspicious of foreigners. They were taken to the prison and had to walk down a long corridor full of male prisoners who shook the bars and yelled things at them. She said that she took one greenie in one arm and the other on the other side and they walked down that hall, and she just kept saying--you cannot divide us, you cannot divide us. They got to the end, and were able to testify to the warden when he interrogated them, and he eventually let them go. But it was just such a beautiful example of unity--you cannot divide us, you cannot divide us. And so me and my companion have been saying that all week---we are one, you cannot divide us. So when she contacts the person on the street first instead of me because I'm too scared--we are one. When I ask a good question in a lesson--it's the same as if she did, because we are one. And it has made SUCH a difference, in absolutely everything.Even just making sure we walk side by side. It's made a difference in teaching, in finding, in confidence, in attitude. It's been amazing. This transfer has really taught me about unity, and I'm so so grateful. Sister Rosenvall is so great. We get along so well and have so much in common-it's been such a blessing. We downloaded a couple more conversations from the mormon channel onto our phone so we've been listening to those, and the unity between the spouses has been so evident as well in those talks. It's amazing how once you learn something new, all of the sudden you see it everywhere. 

I've been reading the New Testament a lot this week and I just finished Acts today. I want to finish all of the standard works on my mission, and the New Testament is the last one I have left. It really impressed me as I was reading that the church really is organized exactly the same as it was then. So cool. The church is so true. And it is growing so much here in Plzen--the zone leaders baptized another family on Saturday--they have 4 kids. The chapel is completely full on Sundays, I think we had almost 60-something people at church--we need a new building :) And Kat'ka came for the first time! She's doing so well. And Simona--my goodness everytime we see her and the girls they look happier--she has so much faith. We got to go to the girls 5th grade graduationon Tuesday and that was so fun. And they are going to the Temple again next week. Aah I just love it here so much. We have 4 first lessons set up for this week already, so hopefully some of them turn into new investigators. Missions are the best.

Love you!!

Sestra Cooper

P.S. just realized it's the 23rd today, which means I've been a missionary for exactly 18 months. Wow. Time flies.