MADNESS and crazy things!!!

besties for life

I cannot remember what happened this week because I am so excited because my brother got his mission call this week!!!! To Florida Tallahassee (this was literally so hard for me to spell)!! Everyone should freak out now. Everyone. Ahhhhhh

Anyway, second pretty important piece of information is that I totally forgot to mention last week that transfers just happened this weekend! And, unfortunately, I am leaving the city of miracles to actually another city of miracles which is Bratislava!! And I am with Sestra Eggers which is basically the best thing ever, so party all day.

President Van Dalen and us

Things that happened this week:

Sestra Parsons and I Celebrated our sixth-month bday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I baked something for breakfast every day this week because I finally figured out how to light our oven without burning myself.

We had an incredible lesson with this girl named martina, who is actually from spain. So it was in english. So we were excited. She said she was an atheist, but, when she came to our lesson, she brought two friends with her, one from spain and one from Ireland. What an incredible lesson we had, full of the spirit and full of questions. It is truly amazing to see that literally everyone in the world is looking for something--maybe they do not know what it is, but they are looking. And the best part is that the gospel can fill the need of every person! It is somehow a universal medication to every pain, struggle, and quest. Sorry to go off about that but it is seriously so true!

us and Sister Van Dalen and Daniela

We are teaching the literal coolest man (whom sestra seninger and I contacted on exchanges. He was backpacking around the city.) He read the Book of Mormon for three hours after we gave it to him, and he says he cannot find any mistakes in it. And that it is more correct than his bible (at least the greek translation). He only found God about 5 years ago, and he is seriously the coolest knowledge-lover I have ever talked to. SO much explaining about ether....

I really cannot remember what else I was going to say because I am now using a new planner. But we had a wonderful week full of miracles.

us and Martina

Lowdown on Valentines Day : We bought all these heart shaped foods and were really quite excited, and then we got transfer calls and were so nervous and a little sad so we made them all and did not eat any of it. Hahahah

us and ernest

Lowdown on what happened today: I packed all my suitcases and said goodbye to everyone (no more details on this) and struggled onto the train with three suitcases. I got to ride on the train for a while all by my lonesome which was strange. Then getting off I asked a hundred people to help me because I am weak and that was a little hectic but I prayed and an angel helped me get off. Then, unfortunately, nobody was waiting for me, so I just sat and listened to the beautiful violin player until they found me. Now I am in Blava and it is basically springtime! I love it and can hardly believe it and I am so incredibly excited for this transfer. Literally. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

Anyway I feel like I am rapidly typing so here are pictures

Love you all and pray for ya erry day

Sestra Abbott

most awkward picture of us and Andre

I literally cannot believe I forgot to put this in here, but I just thought everyone should know that I saved an old man´s life in the train station today. I was carrying two suitcases in my hands when he just yelled "JAI!" And began to tumble down the stairs. So I dropped my suitcases and caught him and he did not die. Plus I also received blessings because then the police came and the carried my suitcases up the stairs! Hooray!

Love, Sestra Abbott

zima zima zima

This week was cold.

And so incredibly beautiful!!!

The snow falls like fairytale snow here! Ah. I cannot even explain. I love it more than anything. I cannot focus on hardly any of my studies because I end up staring out my window at the huge snowflakes. And, it is also very icy. Which is a little sketchy, but let me just say, that I never fall--I only slip and my limbs fly everywhere, resulting in something almost more embarrassing than if I would just fall. But you know, c´est la vie. Nevadí. Because I am exactly where I need to be!

Between milka bars and miracles, this week was overflowing with too many good things to count.

really awkward burger selfie

We have so many solid investigators right now, and Eva is now on date! Lilith came to family home evening, which ended in a solid snowball fight (let me just say. If I was not a sister missionary, I would have won that snowball fight. But do not worry, I refrained from roughousing (is this a word?))

Sister Seninger and Sister Eggers came to Košice for an entirely wonderful day to do exchanges with us. We saw too many miracles! Not only were we teaching and finding so many elect people, but being with Sister Seninger again was so fun. We ran into so many people she knew and it really was great. Košice is really her home, since she was here for 8 and a half months. And we got Big Burger and hot chocolate so I cannot really complain...

košice walk

Yesterday was really terrific (wow. Terrific! hahaha I love this word) We bundled up and got out our hand warmers (thanks mom) and went out tracting, like every Sunday. We returned to one man´s house who said we could return, and he did not have time, but we still had a moment to teach him about and give him a Kniha Mormonova! Directly after, we had a really strong feeling that we needed to run and catch this bus that went to a different neighborhood we had seen earlier that week. We only had 40 minutes to tract, but we went in faith. Within those 40 minutes, we gave away another Kniha Mormonova and got four return appointments, at least two of which are with families! We could not believe how blessed we were and how prepared those people on that one little street are to receive the message.

Then, we got to go to our cultural event for this transfer (I love prez. mcconkie.) and we went to see Swan Lake in the main divadlo here in Košice!! It was so amazing and beautiful. I cannot even describe. And the music was incredible. It was just so fun. Plus, we went out to eat at twelve apostles beforehand, where, supposedly, Elder Bednar dined when he was in Košice. Ironic, no? Hahaha

elders and snowmen

Speaking of food, Prez Van Dalen made us the most delicious food in the world this week. Thai! I could not believe it. I have not tasted anything like that in so long. And peanut butter meatballs. AND I MISS PEANUT BUTTER SO MUCH

Funny things that happened this week: 1) I slipped on the ice 2) Sister parsons slipped on the ice 3) Sister parsons cut her foot and we thought it was berry and it was actually blood 4)  We went on the Košice walk (okay, this was not too funny)

Anyway, I have a lot of pictures to send. SO. Pictures tell a thousand words, right? What is the saying?



PS favorite scripture this week:

 25 ¶Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

 27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

The lord will deliver us from the power of the lions!! I re read this story this week and, oh, how I love Daniel and His example. I have had to stand up to so many people this week about my religion and have felt the courage the Lord gives me--I am definitely not myself. When I am encompassed with the spirit, I feel the Lord´s power around me, and I am not afraid of men pointing cigarettes at me or of fights on the buses. I love the protection we receive as missionaries and love my calling! Press forward! Tlačiť vpred!


Love forever

Have a terrific week


Bye
Sestra Abbott

Hahah we had to take all our food out of our fridge
and freezer to defrost it so now it is on our balcony

clair de lune on the klavir

Ballet! Swan Lake! 

 classy in our black shirts 

crazy blurry picture of me with a soup bowl 

Snow and Rain and Beautiful, Beautiful Slovakia

This week was so SO great. We found the most wonderful people. I will just tell you about them, because I do not want to do some long introduction to this email. Just getting down to it.

1) The first person we discovered this week was a young grandfather named Tomaš. We contacted him before Christmas, when he was playing outside of our apartment with his grandson Oliver (cutest name ever, right?) He told us of course, he would be open to watching a short Christmas film, just give him a call.

So we gave him a few calls, and nothing. The holidays were too busy for him to see a five minute clip.

But, the other night, we had a feeling to call him, even though we quite obviously were not showing the christmas film anymore. He promptly invited us over for tea the next night, with his wife. He stated that he did not want to talk about anything about God, but just about Canada. So we (obviously) planned in faith to teach him a small thought on the Book of Mormon.

We were very welcomed into their lovely warm apartment, and he and his wife were the friendliest, most cordial people--basically they adopted us as their grandchildren. Then, he asked if we needed any help with our Slovak pronunciation. And, as Ernest would say, BINGO! Pulled out our Book of Mormon and asked him for help with Moroni 10:3-5. And what a lesson it turned into. We ended up giving him the book and were requested to return to not only talk more about the gospel, but have some genuine Slovak bryndzové halušky.

2) The next day, we contacted inbetween the many many apartment buildings up by where we live. We talked briefly with a woman about the Restoration--about God´s one true church on the earth and Joseph Smith. She said that she had no time, but come back to her apartment at this address at one tomorrow. That was a little weird/totally awesome. So, we went in faith the next day, and sure enough, there she was waiting for us. A wonderful non-practicing Catholic, she invited us in and totally understood our message (which sometimes is unusual with Catholics here. They sometimes just agree with everything we say) She tried to give us alcohol (it is only 10%! haha) but everything was wonderful and we are going back this week! hooray!

3) We talked to a lot of people this week who really do not like America. Is there something awful going on? hahaha one polish man talked to us for over an hour about America, and science, and goverments, and how Americans never really landed on the moon..all very interesting and I was wholly surprised that I could understand any of it.

4) We met a YSA girl on the street named Karen Lilith, but she goes by Lilith. I include her name because it is so totally not Slovak and really weird that it is not. Every Slovak woman has to, I think legally, have their name end in an A. So like Eva, Jana, Michala, Alžbeta, etc etc. It is really really funny. Because you have to be able to change the endings in sentences because that is how the grammar works. Anyway. This girl is really interesting. She is a hardcore athiest and wants proof for everything. She has a very hard time believing that Christ is the son of God, and that we are Gods children. She believes in something like scientology and has had, supposedly, a lot of weird out of body experiences. She is really hard to understand because she uses a lot of uncommon Slovak words. We are excited to teach her because she has so many questions! When we stopped her on the street, and asked if she had time a different day to meet, she said she had time right now. So we taught her on the street and she ended up coming back to our building with us and meeting Andre, and re setting up! She is great.

​i love this picture too much to be embarrassed by the
fact that I am whiter than a sheet and look totally bald. 

So those are just a few of our new investigators we have found this week! Hooray for finding and
 hooray for faith!

Other fun things that happened this week:

1) We bought a jar of Nutella (FINALLY) and it is way better than it is in America and we ate the whole thing in three days.
2) It RAINED. It POURED. it DUMPED. and get this, we forgot our umbrella. So after getting completely soaked, we ran into the Elders and they gave us one of theirs. Hahahahaha so wet
3) it SNOWED. SO BEAUTIFULLY: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SNOW I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. It snows very differently than utah sometimes! It was falling in amazing flakes as big as my nose! Just drifting and sticking to all the trees so prettily...ahhhhhh
4) Ran into a very, very, muslim man. He spoke only a little english and no slovak, but his faith was amazing! I love when I can see people from other religions that are still close to God.
5) Cleaning out our apartment like madwomen when we have free time at night. Since it is really old, (The elders lived in it before in like 2008), there is stuff from missionaries everywhere. Just random stuff. So we are purging it. It feels so great...

Lastly, this week I have been reading in Ether and I love it more than anything. I think my most favorite verse is in chapter six:

   3 And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.

It is such an incredible story of faith and trial. Yes, we have moments in our lives when we must initally make a huge step or decision of faith, and jump into a dark barge without a time limit or surety of safety. And yet, we do. And afterwards, it does not end! In chapter two, it reads,

 24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

The storms do not end! The waves beat upon us, they dash upon us! The Lord continues to try our faith with every toss of the ocean. But, he leaves us one remarkable promise:

 25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come...

And that promise will always be fulfilled. He will always sufficiently prepare us so that we do not have to cross the depths of the stormy sea in utter darkness. He will be our light to guide us and keep our faith strong when we are in the midst of every trouble, weakness, and pain. What an incredible promise.


I love each of you and am so grateful for the support I feel! Thank you!

Sestra Abbott