It still hasn't snowed and we are still working hard!

What an eventful week.
I love working all day, every day, and coming home and feeling too tired to hold a pencil up but still being incredibly happy. How is that possible? I don't know. Haha.

We started the week by going to Bratislava for a really incredible training. Preparing for Christmas! Besides the fact that I almost passed out because I was so warm on the train, the train ride was long as always (7 hours) but still fun. We were incredibly blessed to have a wonderful older couple sit across from us in our compartment for the last hour of the ride, and they were so cute! Sister Seninger gave them a Kniha Mormonova, and they are from Trencin, where we have missionaries, so I hope they contact them soon! We rode into Bratislava and it was raining, but somehow still so warm. It was so good to see the sisters in Bratislava and the rest of my MTC group at training. We made halusky for the Bratislava sestry and it was delicious, as always.

Something that I am incredibly grateful for this week (hey, Thanksgiving! haha!) is the history of this remarkable country. I am grateful for our President for telling us the incredible stories of people having the courage to stand up for what is right and have the courage to make a difference. This week was the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in the Czech and Slovak republics, and the first march before the march in Prague was actually in Bratislava! Yeah slovaks! The stories are too incredible. Search for Dubček on the internet. He is wonderful. dubček! dubček! Anyway.

Some Miracles that happened this week:

1) We were contacting the other day, and started down the path where we had originally planned to go, but something didn´t feel exactly right. So we said a prayer to ask our Father for help, and began walking again. I had the strongest impression that we needed to turn around and go to a bus stop. I didn't immediately stop, but with every step it seemed to get stronger and stronger. So I told Sestra Seninger, and we turned around and started walking to the nearest bus stop. And of course, we met the sweetest YSA girl. We had a really meaningful conversation and got her contact info and hope to have her as a new investigator this week!

2) Vojto, our investigator, has really been noncommittal lately, so we have really been praying to know what to teach him. He is 20 years old, and is a professional hungarian soccer player. He is basically too cool for school. (but actually, he doesn't go to school). He missed 6 of his meetings and was not reading. However, last time we met with him, he had read 19 pages in the kniha mormonova! Our mouths were both hanging open. But he said it was because we told him that it only took 36 seconds to read a little every day and we texted and reminded him a few days. Then yesterday, when we met with him, he had read all the way into second nefi, and had a lot of questions about serving a mission! Even when we brought up the cost, he said "Fuha" and thought he may have to sell his dog to help him pay for it. haha. Now he just has to start waking up to come to črč. (AND he brought his friend Slavo to the lesson! So funny that we were sitting there teaching 3 20 year olds about the gospel.)

3) I am getting increasingly more confident in my very broken slovak. people are starting to understand me!

4) Yesterday, we taught a man on the street the whole first vision! Basically it was really inspired because we had been thinking we needed to do it and so we just went for it and gave him a Kniha Mormonova!

So many more miracles then I can even count happen every single day. I am so grateful for this place! Košice is really really so wonderful. THEY ARE PUTTING UP A HUGE GIANT LITERALLY 50 FEET TALL CHRISTMAS TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NAMESTIE AND IT IS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! you will never see anything like it. once I get a moment to take a picture of it. They are starting to hang up lights and it is starting to get cold! But most košičans do not think it will snow by Christmas. Lame.

Also, I have a new love for kebabs. They are either wraps or sandwiches with lamb meat and cabbage, usually an onion or tartar sauce of some kind, tomatoes, etc. They are so yummy.

Anyway, love you all and hope that your holidays are going as planned! They are wonderful over here in Košice!

Sestra Abbott

no bake cookies that look black because the cocoa is amazingly real
(made with peanua instead of peanut butter)

p.s. oh my goodness so funny-- this week, those three YSAs, Vojto, Slavo, and Ernest (new convert) asked us all these funny questions about America. Like if we knew any celebrities (This was weird that we did not, since apparently so many people in america are celebrities) and if we had seen the movie Sam Doma. Guess what that is....haha. Home Alone. Of course the movie they know best is Home Alone!! And Vojto was really confused about why I did not want to be an actress. Since anyone in america can be an actress.

Anyway, love and prayers ako vždy,

Sestra Abbott

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