PEOPLE OF EARTH: THE GOSPEL IS TRUE!

Hello again from lovely little Košice! The weather has really warmed up this week and I was so excited to be able to go on a run in the rain this morning. Surprising, yes, but also just the best thing ever. I am bursting with gratitude from all of the support I receive on my mission and feel incredibly lucky to have so many friends and family not only serving missions, but being such wonderful examples for me in their everyday lives. Literally hashtag blessed. There is no hashtag symbol on this keyboard.

more bathtubs

This week started out with a good ole long train ride to Bratislava for a wonderful training. I love train rides. They give me so many excuses to just eat bread, cheese, and chocolate. Anyway, we got to Bratislava, where we had interviews with Prezident McConkie (he is so great.) and then Sister Parsons and I went out and contacted for an hour. We had so much success (nech sa pači, bratislava misionari) and one strange experience. We contacted a girl who did not speak english or slovak and was desperately trying to communicate with us. We discovered that she was from Iran and that she needed help. Needless to say, it ended up being really extremely confusing and slightly terrifying. We gave her the missionaries number. It was weird. That is all.

On tuesday, we had the most remarkable training. I AM SO PUMPED FOR 2015! And I get to spend the entire year in Slovakia serving the Lord! I cannot believe how quickly the time is passing. It is a little stressful, I feel like I have no time at all! But we can make the best of it. We had a great training on how to be a happy missionary, with ten steps to become one. So good. One of my favorites was "forget yourself". We listened to an awesome BYU devotional address given by Pres. Hinckley a pretty long time ago--but it is so good, and everyone should look it up right now and read it. Now.

We got to stay in Bratislava to go on exchanges with Sis. Seninger and Sis. Eggers (yay!) since Sis. Seninger is now the Sister Training Leader over us lovely six slovak sestry. I got to spend a whole day with Sister Eggers, which was way too much fun. And the power of four sisters in Bratislava was just too much to handle! So much success! So many numbers and so many street lessons. We got to teach a couple of their investigators, which was so cool! And weirdest thing--they were taught in English, which I actually have not done yet on my mission. First lesson in English! yeah! (A lot more people in Bratislava speak English fluently than here in Košice.) Love Bratislava and love the people. had Bryndza pizza. Life is good.

pancakes at the castle

The train ride home could not have been longer...hahah not only was it already dark outside, but Sister Parsons and I were determined to teach a lesson on the train (We had not been in our area all week) but škoda, the men who sat next to us were both drunk. But at least they were funny and not creepy! We tried to teach them about living prophets. It was altogether a good time.

AND THEN

Košice. City of miracles. Taught so many lessons, found so many people. I love when the Lord puts
us in places randomly to find those special people. We found one woman this week and taught her about the Kniha Mormonova, and she just kept saying, "Why has nobody heard about this!" And we were just like, "Right?!" haha it was so awesome. She will read and then she will REALLY be thinking that.

We taught that awesome caroling miracle man again. Turns out he is the most prepared man on the face of the planet! He said he would be baptized, although he has not picked a date yet. He just gets it! And you can really see the spirit working on him. I decided that the thing I like the most about my mission right now, is telling people that they are a child of God for the first time. Like maybe, they were born into a catholic family, and know that we are all the offspring of God, but nobody has ever said right to their face "Vy ste dcera Božie!" (you are a child of god) I love watching them process it and see their hearts soften as they get a glimpse of their true identity.

Lastly, yesterday was another miracle day. We found a woman on the street who, also, we had previously caroled to. (I AM TELLING YOU THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IS A REAL THING. the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.) We taught her, then directly afterwards, we saw Vojto, who God is really watching out for. Also we taught someone who said that he believed in LSD (I do not know if he was on LSD or not because I do not really know what LSD does) but we told him we had something better than LSD and that that is the Kniha Mormonova! He agreed to try and read it.

sorry, can't see the castle through the fog

YES!


Lastly, today, was the best thing ever. Because we went to a castle. And there was fog. and Rain. and beautiful villages. and hiking. And I loved it. So I will send pictures.

loves and prayers forever, dovi,
sestra abbott






PPPPS. have a great week