Week 4 in Plzen

24 Feb 2014 Ahoj! This week I saw soooo many miracles. First of all, Constantin's wife got baptized :) I just got a picture. So happy. But in Plzen, I decided to take your advice Annica, and just decide once and for all that I will just talk to everybody, and not be afraid about it, instead of having to make that decision every morning. So I did it! It started with the exchange with Sister Donaldson on Thursday, that was SO fun. We went running for the first time since Fall and she's so easy to talk to. We had a goal of getting 6 numbers that day (to put this in perspective, we had gotten 7 numbers in the first two weeks of the transfer). I really wanted to work on tram contacting so we planned a lot of that, and we wanted to teach an other lesson to someone we would find that day. So we went to work, and at the end of the exchange we had not only taught that lesson, but gotten 6 numbers for gospel interest and 4 for English. And I gained a testimony of tram contacting and goal-setting, and spiritual finding. We prayed about who would be looking for us the next day and S. Donaldson said, ok I think it's a YSA guy, wearing all-black with brown hair. I was like ok...we'll try it. But she totally found him, exactly as she had described him! I don't know why I doubted--I mean if God knows everything and we are doing His work, why could He not help us recognize the people we need to talk to?? And so I've really been trying to follow the spirit in finding, and have found the most prepared people I've ever talked to. One of them told me she envied my faith and wished that someone could help her to develop it, so of course I told her that's what we do! And then yesterday I saw this girl in a yellow scarf about to cross the street and I talked to her--turns out she had literally just had a two-hour conversation about faith with a Christian friend and she wants to know how to develop faith in God and how she can believe. She just kept saying, wow that's such a coincidence! It was amazing. To think that I've probably been passing all of these people that the Lord has placed in my path, but because I didn't open my mouth, we didn't get to teach them. In the last 4 days we've gotten 18 numbers. 18!! It's been a miracle. And all it took was an exchange with an inspired sister trainer leader and greater trust in God. Plus I studied Elder Bednar's talk about tithing, and how we should ask for strength to change our circumstances instead of waiting for them to be changed by someone or something else. So I decided that I wasn't going to think of my area/city as dead, but that I was going to do something about it. And it's been so neat to see how it's just exploded. I think Heavenly Father was just waiting for me to decide to be all in, so that he could bless us with success. We met with someone who contacted us the first week of the transfer, someone from october texted us and wanted to meet, someone else met with us the same day we called him...and an investigator who comes to church but wouldn't meet with us is suddenly best friends with the coolest member ever and she got us a meeting this morning! She is so cool and has 10 year old triplets that we are going to teach too, we have a meeting on Thursday. It's been crazy. The Lord really does labor with us!!! I think she will get baptized this transfer, and hopefully the girls too :) I've never taught kids before, but I'm so excited. Good things are happening in Plzen! love you!!! Sestra Cooper

Week 3 in Plzen

17 Feb 2014 Oh jejda....I don't even know what to say about this week. It was kind of train wreck, but that's ok, cause I'm finally feeling better. Really though I don't even know how to describe it, it was probably the hardest week of my whole mission. Lots of depressing things happened, along with the new area/companion/members/district stress. We taught one lesson to a potential who decided he didn't care enough to meet again even though we did everything we could to persuade him, all the other ones cancelled, our rcla came to a lesson so drunk that he couldn't stay awake and the elders had to escort him home, a creepy man gave me chocolate with "ma cherie" on Valentine's Day (we gave him to the elders), we did some tracting and tried to find inactives...And some less active blames my companion for why he's mad at the church. So yeah....it was a little rough. But I learned some life skills? 1. don't contact creepy-looking men or you will be creeped out. 2. I now know what beer smells like. (I'm just glad I had a sheltered childhood) I don't want to smell it ever again. It was so sad. 3. Don't start off a contact/tracting with "we're here as missionaries" because you won't get another word in, it's much better to just start testifying, and then you get in a meaningful conversation. So good life lessons from Plzen.... And some journal entries I will probably laugh about in a few months. The one I wrote in C Bud when I had the worst day ever is absolutely hilarious now. At least we did some fun chalk displays with the district, that was good, I like them better than singing displays. Anyways...the elders gave me a blessing yesterday and I'm feeling a lot better. Priesthood power really is the power of God. I felt the darkness lift the second they laid their hands on my head. I'm just so grateful for the gospel, I don't know how people live without faith. It's something that I've really learned on my mission, people's lives here are really hard. And really sad. The message that we have really does bring so much hope, and the commandments are there to keep us safe! They are so so so important!!! And they protect us from so much heartache. Gah. I wish that everyone could understand that. That's why it's so hard to watch them not even give it a chance, because I know that it would change their lives! Sigh. That's why I'm here, they need it so bad!!! That's why we do what we do. Well all we can do is keep praying, keep working, and wait for the miracles. I know they will come. Just maybe not when I want them to. I did hear about Brno from Sister Senkane, and their area is on fire, so I'm at least glad that the foundation I helped build is solid! This weekend they had a YSA Conference at our building at least, so I got to see a lot of the YSA from Brno, C Bud and Prague that I haven't seen for a while, so that was fun. And the Archibalds came too, so I got to see them. Today we went on a vylet with the elders and saw the historical underground, that was fun. I'll send some pictures. Other good things...I finished the Old Testament! Finally. That was exciting. And we have exchanges this week, I'm going to be with Sister Donaldson! So excited. I haven't really seen her my whole mission cause we are always on opposite sides of the country, but now she's one of my STLs :) So yay! That will be fun. love you!! Sestra Cooper P.S. pictures: the district with our free beer vouchers from the tour....gotta love Plzen. me and S. Bruno in the underground a chalk display we did, that was fun, it's the gospel of jesus christ with hopscotch

Week 2 in Plzen

Feb 10 2014 Ahoj! Well it feels like a month since I last emailed, don't know why the week was sooo long. It's still cold, but not too bad and we still don't have any snow, which is crazy. I can't believe it snowed so much at home!!! I've never ever seen it like that. What is happening to the world? haha. The week was good though. Plzen is a little sketch compared to the part of Brno I was in before, so that's been interesting to say the least... But we have some cool new investigators, so that was exciting. And I just got an update on Constantin: "Hello! I'm Sora Hebdon and I am teaching Constantine's wife Alexandra. She is going to be baptized next week! Thank you so much for sending Constantine back to Romania with such a fire for the gospel, It's truly a wonderful thing to see. He talks about you all the time and says how much he loves you, which is why i wanted to write this message for you .After his wife is baptized, his sister in law will be baptized soon too! He is sharing the gospel like crazy with his whole city. I'm so grateful for you and for all your work in the Czech Republic. The gospel is spreading like fire over the whole world. Thank you thank you thank you!" aaaah I love it. I think about him every time we have a bad day. The elders here just started teaching another Romanian and he reminds me so much of Constantin, both the good and frustrating parts haha. So great. The gospel is just amazing. (ok the crazy thing is that investigator just came into the internet cafe we are at, and he was showing us random things about mormons on youtube, so we showed him how to get to the official website, not all the lies. Miracle!) Other things from this week... we had to take another last minute trip to Prague for visa stuff, but Sister Bruno has hers now, so that should be the last time. That was fun though cause I got to talk to Elder Hansen some more before he went home!! So weird. Everyone I know is finishing their missions and it's so sad! The time goes by so fast. Oh and mom you asked about the Martha Toronto book? Sister Munro gave me a copy but you can download it online. She said to just google Wallace Toronto and you should find the foundation's page with a link to it. So yay! You'll love it, it was so fascinating. It's really cool to be here in Plzen because we have some of the oldest members in the whole country. One old lady was baptized in 1948, which is amazing because almost all of our members were baptized 1991 or later for obvious reasons. So even the more experienced members have only been members for my lifetime. Crazy. Another one got sent to Germany by her parents at age 16 to get baptized in 1964 without even knowing anything about the church before she got there. It's so cool. I'm excited to see pictures and ask them more about what it was like. I gave a talk in church yesterday, which I was nervous about, but I think it was good cause I got to talk to almost all of the members, which was hard in Brno. There's about 30 that come to church here. Oh yeah funny story, we may have hopped a fence this week... Skirts and all. hahahaa. Thank goodness it was winter and we had leggings and boots on. We were looking for this inactive's house, and we finally found the panalak (apartment building) after walking around for forever...but it didn't have a door. (I wish I could show you the picture cause it's so much better, but I forgot my usb convertor) Anyways...It was connected to the other half of the building that was a lot nicer, so we rang a zvonek on that side and this guy came out and was like, asi vedle...(probably next door in the poorer part) So he lets us go through the building to the back and then shuts the door...right as we realize that the back parking lot has a fence around it, separating it from the side we want to be in....So we had to hop a fence to get out. (There are no doorbells on the back part) We were laughing so hard, like are we really doing this?? The adventures of being a missionary haha. I'm loving it, and I'm so exhausted, that about sums it up :) love you!!! Sestra Cooper

Week 1 in Plzen

3 Feb 2014 Zdar! It feels like forever since I got to email! Last week was the longest week of my life. But so fun. Well as you can see I got transferred to Plzen! Just got here a couple of hours ago. I'm really excited to serve here though, I've always wanted to, it's the city of miracles! (Basically C Bud in a year) And I'm serving with Sister Bruno, which I'm really excited about, she's awesome. It actually wasn't that hard to leave Brno surprisingly, because this feels right. Plus I know it's in good hands with Sister Senkane, she's a really good missionary. It was a little sad though cause I finally started to know more members better and then I have to leave. But it happens. I know I'm supposed to be here. Plus it's an odd sense of relief to not be spiritually responsible for all of our non progressing investigators--I think it's going to be like that when I get released, a lifting from the responsibility, but really bittersweet. Anyways. I do hope I get to go back for Diego's baptism, he was doing really well. I think that I needed to be in Brno for what I learned from my companions/taught them, more than the people I was able to help. And my testimony grew a lot in the last two transfers, which has been a gift. It really taught me to love the members, they are just incredible. And to love my mission. So I'm excited to serve here in Plzen, it's very likely that it will be my last area, can you believe it?? Unless President does something crazy and moves me for my last transfer. Who knows, anything is possible. I made it with all of my luggage without too much trouble, the elders even came with the car to get it, super nice. I'm super excited about this year though, we are putting a lot of emphasis on reactivation, we get to report less-actives just like investigators now, which is really cool. And we are SOO close to a stake. So we all have plans for our areas of how we are going to get our branches ready to be wards. It's going to be awesome! There's not too much more to say about last week, it was a lot of contacting in the cold, but we had fun with it. We got to explore different parts of Brno cause we were trying to track down some inactives, so that broke up the monotony. We did have this experience where we were looking for this one less-active and she no longer lived there. It was cold and dark and I was tempted to go home and just do some calls, but I remembered President's advice about how we are sent places sometimes to find people that are different than the ones we are expecting. So I followed the spirit and we went tracting near her house. Found a really cool teenager, she wasn't that interested but took a card, and I felt like she was the one we were supposed to talk to. So that was a neat experience. I've been working on putting in the same effort on the good and bad days, which is something that President has been stressing, and I think that's why this last week felt better even though we didn't have too many people to teach. That's my goal for this next transfer-to serve with all of my heart, even on the bad days! I even put that on my planner D&C 4 :) I'll have to show you them when I get home, or take a picture when I remember, cause I've decorated them all haha. The things missionaries do for entertainment.... love you!! Sestra Cooper

Week 18 in Brno

25 Jan 2014 I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. just got an email about Constantin, this is what it says: "Anyone who helped teach Constantin would be happy to hear this news. Could you share this with Sis. Cooper and Sis. Bateman? He was baptized in C Bud in September after almost a year of lessons, and was afraid he would be all alone when he went home [to Romania] as a non-drinker at Christmas. My Facebook IM exchange just now with him: There are 8 people coming to his home daily to read the BOM, books having being provided by the mission in Bucharest. His wife will be baptized Feb 8, her sister-in-law's sister is also on date. And also his son! American missionaries come regularly to teach, and there is already talk of opening a branch. Constantin is ecstatic! He did not expect to share this gospel this easily when he returned home." I can't even believe it!! aaaaah. So amazing. We promised him that if he just took that step of faith and got baptized that God would provide a way... 1 Ne 3:7. I knew that He would but I didn't think it would be that miraculous!!!!! Constantin has so much faith. And I've met his family over skype before, I'm sooo so happy. I can't even express how I'm feeling right now, just sitting here literally crying with happiness in this internet cafe. This week I was struggling because there's a chance that I will leave Brno next week, and I was feeling like I haven't even made a difference in anyone's life here over the past 4 months. But wow. President read Elder Witsoe's dedicatory prayer this summer, and he talks about how through this mission the other nations of Eastern Europe would be blessed---I didn't know at the time that I would be able to help with that. I just love my mission so much. I don't want to leave. I actually keep having nightmares about having to go home early and then I wake up so sad, and realize that I'm still here and it's ok. I remember someone saying that at the mtc, that if you serve well it will be harder to come home than it was to leave. And I thought, there is no way it will be like that for me--I can't even imagine that. But I'm starting to. Mom and Dad you know I love you so much, I just wish you could be here too and meet these amazing people that I've grown to love. And I had a really neat experience on Thursday that confirmed to me that I am making a difference here too, even if it doesn't seem like it. We were having a singing display and I was really feeling discouraged. No one was even stopping to talk to me, and then this one man was really really mean, and condescending, told me religion is for children, insulted my czech etc etc. So I was relieved when it was my turn to sing again. And then it was time to switch already and I was just praying for help, saying, look Heavenly Father, I'm doing my best right now, and it's not enough. So then I contacted this one lady, and she stopped. Her name is Gabriela. And somehow I just felt the Spirit working through me. All of the sudden I was happy and enthusiastic and I could feel God's love for her. She told me she feels this energy in nature and between people sometimes, and that if I say that that is God she will believe me. And she interrupted me, saying wow I've never seen such beautiful eyes, they're green and brown together! Haha I know that sounds weird but she noticed the light there, that something was different about me, it wasn't me at all. And then at the end of a 20 min conversation about mission calls and heavenly father, and our humanitarian work and prophets in the freezing cold, she told me wow, I can feel that you left something with me, it's really nice. So I promised her that she can feel that spirit all the time. We have a first meeting set up for Thursday and I am so excited. Even if we don't end up teaching her, if something happens, I will always remember that experience--how I was able to be an instrument in God's hands, and teach one of his precious daughters that she matters and that He cares. Missions are just seriously the best. I had no idea when I left how much it would change my life. I know everyone says that, but it's so true. It's just a miracle. And even with all the ups and downs it's been the best thing I've ever done. Ever. The hardest, but the best. It's so worth it. I'm excited about this last week of the transfer--we got a list of less-actives to go to town with, and we are just going to work so hard. I hope that I stay. I don't feel like my work here is done yet. But we'll see, as always whatever happens will be whatever I need. love you sooo much, Sestra Cooper P.S. Oh yeah, I got to play squash this morning for the first time, it's pretty fun. And we are going up to Spilberk again because there is a member here who knights all the missionaries if you learn correct Brno slang haha. I'm excited. the picture: Czech cukrovi--they all bake these at Christmastime.

Week 17 in Brno

20 Jan 2014 Cau! Only have one email left for the transfer! Can't believe it. I really hope I stay. Oh yeah and the next P-day is going to be this Saturday instead of next Monday cause the elders wanted to learn how to play squash, just fyi. It's basically spring here, no idea if I'm ever going to see the typical Czech winter. It's been sooo warm. Not that I'm complaining haha. This week wasn't too eventful, except for the fact that Diego is back! He texted us on Sunday asking to meet! So we'll see how that goes. And we had a really good phone call with Luc, he's still hoping his wife will change her mind and let him meet with us again. I talked to President about it and he suggested we write her a letter, so we'll send it this week. He says he wants to be baptized. So we'll see what happens. We had zone training on Tuesday, that was good of course, but always a little intimidating. President is changing the way we do goals for the next year--we are doing them from the ground up--we all had to look at our branches and figure out what they need and then go find and baptize those people this year. It's awesome but puts even more pressure on at the same time. But we are soooo close to having a stake. SO CLOSE. So we are going to do our best to make it happen, it would be such a blessing for the members here. For example, we don't have a Czech patriarch, so if they want to get their patriarchal blessing they have to go to Austria, get it in German and then wait for it to get translated into English and sent to them. If they don't speak German or English (and a lot of people don't) then they have to have someone they trust translate it for them, or just wait until we have a stake. It's made me appreciate growing up with all those blessings so much more. The exchange was really fun too, and I got to see Uherske Hradiste for about an hour. I love getting out of the city, Czech countryside is soo pretty, even in the winter. Plus the sisters live in one of the apartments they used to hold secret meetings in during Communism. Super cool. It was neat to get to know Sister Graham better too, she's awesome. Oh yeah and we're allowed to read Czech church history stuff on P day, which I just found out about, so I read Martha Toronto's autobiography today! (It took me like 2 hours--my comp was like wait...you didn't read it, you swallowed it! hahaha It was so great to read again!!). She was the wife of the first Czech mission president--he was mission president from 1936 til he died in 1968. They were kicked out during WWII, and then came back built up the mission for 4 years until the Communists got here, and got kicked out again. But he was still the mission president the whole time, and got to visit a couple of times after that. It was so cool to hear about it--the things these members went through...They had to submit a talk six weeks before they could give it to the authorities so they could censor it--and that was while the church was still legal. And all the rationing and everything...being followed and every action reported...It helped me understand Czech culture a lot better. We would have had a stake in the 60s if that didn't happen. And she talks about how it just broke their spirits--it just pressed down on them. It's so sad, but really important to know, and it makes me appreciate them so much more. Perspective helps--the things I go through that are hard are nothing like that. It's really neat too because my mission president's president was one of Wallace Toronto's missionaries way back then. Oh and the miracle that happened this week--we got 6 numbers on Thursday! It was awesome. We were looking for ysa girls because the branch president really wants to help the single rms get married (i know it sounds funny but we have 6 returned missionaries in our branch who aren't dating anyone) and almost all of them were exactly who we are looking for! We were so excited. So we should have some more people to teach soon! love you!!! Sestra Cooper P.S. the picture is from the exchange oh yeah and that guy you met dad, who was a missionary here? He's back for some kind of internship with his wife so he said hi for you :) It was funny cause we got to the building for fhe and the archibalds were like there's somebody from Oregon here who knows you! And I was like...uh I don't recognize anyone...haha. So that was fun!

Week 16 in Brno

Ahoj! 13 Jan 2014 aaah there are only 3 weeks left of the transfer! SO weird. I have no idea what will happen. I hope I will stay but it would be my third transfer here, so who knows. Should be interesting. Today was a good P-day, I finally had time to clean the apartment and organize my closet (we never have time for that!) and then we went to Spilberk Castle again with the district. This week went better-we were able to meet with some new people and our Christmas Eve miracle came to church! That was exciting, she was able to talk to a lot of the members that she knew and seemed to like it, she hasn't been to church in 3 years. And our Jewish investigator went to church in Uherske Hradiste, so that was good, he said he really liked it. Unfortunately he's going back to Turkey in February, but he says he'll look up missionaries this time (cause they are new) so we'll see how that goes. He's really cool, has been an on-again off-again investigator for about 5 years. The sad news is that our investigator from the Congo can't meet with us anymore because of his wife. It's SO sad. She won't even let us meet her, and has some fear of Mormons cause of lies she read online. It's awful cause he said he knows the book of mormon is true... I just hope that she changes her mind one day so that he can come back. He thanked us for the opportunity to meet and said that he always felt the Spirit...He'll make it one day. But, back to good things...yesterday was also good because we got two unexpected referrals at church! So we are really excited to teach some new people. We're getting along pretty well and have figured out how to teach with each other, so that's been really good. I'm excited about this week because we have zone training tomorrow, and we get to do the first 24 hour exchange for sisters in our mission! So that should be fun. The other ones were just like half a day, with all of us in the same area cause we have to travel so much. But this time Sister Graham is coming here and SIster Senkane is going to Uherske Hradiste. So that should be cool, I always learn so much from seeing how other people do things. Oh I did learn something cool in language study the other day--I've been reading a chapter of the Book of Mormon out loud every day for a couple of transfers now and I'm finally in Alma, and it's been cool because I notice different things when I read it in a different language. But this time I noticed more of Amulek's story, I feel like we usually focus on Alma more. But it occured to me that he might have had to watch his family be destroyed by the unbelievers, and maybe that was why it hurt him so much. And then he leaves everything he owns behind and his family and friends reject him. So I just realized how much he gave up for the gospel--literally everything. And the one convert out of that whole city and everything they went through was Zeezrom. So it just reconfirmed to me that the worth of one soul is so great that it was worth it. I thought that was neat, I've never noticed it before. Well that's about it. I did have a nice experience yesterday waiting for the tram to go to church--I just felt such peace. Even though I could have been discouraged by everything I knew that what I'm doing is all the Lord expects and that's enough. I can't really describe it, but it was beautiful. I love my mission so much. Love you!! Sestra Cooper