More exciting things that happened...

I am really confused right now because I somehow got this keyboard messed up and the words are really really tiny on my screen so I cannot really see them. Sorry for errors, I blame it on the screen. I am technologically challenged.

ANYWAY hello to everyone out in the great wide world, here from sunny Blava. I still have to
wear my tights and my jacket, even though I feel it is a little ridiculous.

This week, this wonderful week, let me tell you, it has been a good one. Monday, after emailing so early, we had a full day of lessons and got to go to a family in our ward's home for family night. I just loved it more than anything. There were just children, and pets (rats and hamsters and dogs), and a messy kitchen, and a piano, and everything that reminded me of home. It did not turn out to be very much of a family night, but we had a great lesson with the mom :) She is so darling and served a mission in Scotland, so she likes to speak English with us, and my favorite thing is her scottish accent. Also, let me just tell you how big of a deal are essential oils here in Slovakia. She is pretty much the head, and gave me all these oils to clear up my face. There are oils for everything and I think it is so funny..

This week we got to meet one of our inactive members, Max! He is so funny. He is this really old man who has his own gospel theories and lives outside of Blava, so he does not come very often. But, he called us and asked us to come to lunch with him! We went to this awesome hari krishna restaurant and ate super yummy and weird vegetarian food. Convinced him that the sacrament was actually important, so, progress!

I am super sorry that I write in such small paragraphs. The little box I write in is smaller than the main box I think.

More exciting things that happened...

goodbye to our old building

We moved our building this week!!! WHAT!! It was so amazing!! And a little stressful! There were things in that building from so long ago it seemed! The best part was that we found a book of mormon from the communist era, and a pearl of great price. It was really one of the coolest things. It was a little red bound book with "KM" On the front, which is Kniha Mormonova, but looked like Karl Marx. The survival of the Book of Mormon is a real thing! SO much spirit in one little book!

ha. Oh man. I have to tell you this best thing that may have ever happened. So. It was a blustering rainy/sunny undecided day, and we went out to walk next to the canal. Admittedly (Admittedly?), we were trying to revise our plans because, well, we were not quite sure how many people would be walking on the canal path in the rain. BUT we felt like we should still try. So, we braved the storm, and when we got there, it wasn't too stormy, and there were a couple of people. Then we saw this beautiful lake with a path around it. So, obviously, being the adventurous contacter, I was like, LETS GO AROUND THE LAKE! So, we did, but we kind of hit a dead end and realized we either had to turn around or kind of go on a hike to the other side on a dirt trail. So, obviously, I picked the dirt trail. And it was SO WINDY and just cold and a little bit of an adventure, when, all of a sudden, we see this man coming down the path. And I am feeling like he is

person swimming in the lake on the cold day with a snow hat

homeless but Sister Eggers is feeling like we should still stop him, so we do, and he is wearing this amazing purple duck vest and a white hat with a pom pom and is probably about thirty. So we stop him. In the wind. On a dirt path by the lake. And he has already read a little of the Book of Mormon! We teach him, and he doesn't have a phone. He is so awesome. He is like a free spirit. So, we invite him to church on Sunday and he goes about his merry way.

THEN we are on the bus home, and I step on the bus, and I see the white pom pom hat. So, obviously, we go and sit by this amazing free spirit man. And he tells us that, actually, he lived in England for six years because he used to be a hari krishna missionary person. (Seriously though, this hari krishna thing). And we are just like COME TO CHURCH!!!!!! He was just really cool.

THEN two dayz later, we are literally in a completely opposite part of Bratislava like almost an hour away, and we are riding the bus up the mountain to tract (which, we had no idea why we wanted to tract, because we only had about 45 minutes but we really felt like we needed to tract,) and we look out the bus window and THERE IS DUCK VEST POM POM HAT MAN!! So I basically yell "SISTER EGGERS WE ARE GETTING OFF THE BUS" And we jump off and slyly go and find him. He was hiking to a natural spring in the mountain. So basically, we tell him, this is a sign, you need to come to church, get a book of mormon, and he is a little creeped out at this point and all three of us are just laughing really hard and besties for life. So that was a miracle.

But you know, he did not come to church, so that was a little infuriating, but, the lord is on our side, so asi budeme ho vidiet very soon.

In OTHER exciting news, Igor is still progressing to his baptismal date! We are going to have a baptism!

now, this is so exciting, you might have to hold onto your seats, ladies and gentlemen, CONTACTING CARDS WORK!

Remember that lady from last week? Who came to church and is a psychiatrist??

more cake

SHE IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We taught her this week and the spirit was just like, avalanche. She sits down, and the first thing she asks is just like, "So I do not really understand how the Holy Ghost works" and we have a whole lesson on baptism. Best thing ever. And she came to church again. Wonderful, wonderful woman, that one.

I am now being asked to sing in everything. Everything.

Lastly, we had the most remarkable sacrament meeting yesterday, when Prez McConkie came and dedicated our new church building. I love our new church building! All it needs is a drinking fountain and it will be a smallish version of a regular chapel! The spirit was just like, "THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!" And I love Prezident McConkie.

Well, that is pretty much it for today, I have a spiritual thought, and I just love this story from Uchtdorf. You have probably all heard it, but I love it.

"Not long ago I was skiing with my 12-year-old grandson. We were enjoying our time together when I hit an icy spot and ended up making a glorious crash landing on a steep slope.

I tried every trick to stand up, but I couldn’t—I had fallen, and I couldn’t get up.

I felt fine physically, but my ego was a bit bruised. So I made sure that my helmet and goggles were in place, since I much preferred that other skiers not recognize me. I could imagine myself sitting there helplessly as they skied by elegantly, shouting a cheery, “Hello, Brother Uchtdorf!”

I began to wonder what it would take to rescue me. That was when my grandson came to my side. I told him what had happened, but he didn’t seem very interested in my explanations of why I couldn’t get up. He looked me in the eyes, reached out, took my hand, and in a firm tone said, “Opa, you can do it now!”

Instantly, I stood.

I am still shaking my head over this. What had seemed impossible only a moment before immediately became a reality because a 12-year-old boy reached out to me and said, “You can do it now!” To me, it was an infusion of confidence, enthusiasm, and strength.

Brethren, there may be times in our lives when rising up and continuing on may seem beyond our own ability. That day on a snow-covered slope, I learned something. Even when we think we cannot rise up, there is still hope. And sometimes we just need someone to look us in the eyes, take our hand, and say, “You can do it now!”"

Love you all, happiness forever,
Sestra Abbott