The actual highlight of my week...

So many exciting things packed into one itty bitty week! First off, I got to go to Trenčin! The most beautiful little city. I proudly served there for a whole day with Sestra Seninger. She is going home in just two weeks, so it was wonderful to spend time with her again. We were just on exchanges and had the greatest time. I love the little town of Trenčin. It is just a little village compared to Bratislava or even Košice! But there is a castle and just pretty things and a quaint little namestie. We saw a lot of miracles and taught a lot! There was one girl who we contacted on this little bridge by this little river and she was so surprised. She said that she had never before gone to work on this path before but that she just felt like she needed to today. That was a bit of a znamenie! I also absolutely love the members in Trenčin. The building is beautiful and many of the members were members through communism. Some of the strongest spirits I have ever met!

Well, THEN, we came back on the train Wednesday morning and had training! How incredible! Then
all the missionaries were there and it was really just a little bit of a party. I love having trainings in Bratislava. AND, at our new building! Hooray! We got hammered on really teaching people on the street so that we can essentially "skip a step" and get to the second lesson faster. It was so funny, because when we were doing our role plays, Prez McConkie was watching and had me redo my commitment like 20 times to be more confident and more specific. Eventually I finally got it and asked the person like, "We have time on friday at 4. Can we come to you and talk about Alma 32 with you then?" Haha mostly it was just funny, but then, right after training, we went out to contact, and I did it! And it worked! We were so excited. Sister Eggers just about lost it during the contact, because she could see on my face that I was getting ready and I was going to do it! Hahah I really just loved training so much.

After training we just got so pumped about finding and teaching and our investigators and I came up with this whole thing during personal study about how everyone is trying to get to Africa. And in Africa, you can be super super happy. But, the problem is, you need a tour guide to be with you in africa (missionaries) so you do not get eaten by the lions. And you probably want the guide to be with you and checking up on you like ALL THE TIME so that you do not get eaten. And, since you want to stay in Africa for the rest of your life, you need to know the culture and the people, so it would be good if your tour guide introduced you to a tribe in Africa, so when the guide left, you would basically be one of them anyway.

Well, this made sense in my head, I do not know if it really makes sense now, but you know.
Basically all week we have just been saying, AFRICA!!!!

And we went to our culture event this week. It was so terrific. We have a member who is really a beyond talented pianist, and he had a free concert along with a lot of other musicians who teach--so like violinists, and cellos, and everything, and opera...you know. Well the concert was, in short, the single most amazing thing of my whole entire life. I loved it so much. That classical music just gets me. And violins! Wow. The whole thing was just wow. And it was funny because the Košice Elders were actually still in Bratislava at the time, so we ended up going to the concert in a group with six elders, two sisters, and a senior couple. It was crazy! so many missionaries! And afterward, we were trying to find somewhere to eat, but it was friday, so everywhere was already full and really couldnt accommodate ten hungry missionaries, and so we ended up eating at this weirdo chinese restaurant that was actually pretty yummy and gave us free sweet alcohol at the end, which we actually did not drink. So.

SO

The Highlight of my week

Was NOT duck vest man. He did not come. Disappointment is a real thing, but we will FIND HIM

The actual highlight of my week

Is our DISTRICT CONFERENCE which was really the most historical eventful thing in slovakia ever. Because SO MANY members came from Košice, to trenčin, from every branch and every little group, they all gathered here in Bratislava! our little band of saints! our pioneers! And it was the most powerful moment of my lifetime! AND prezident mcConkie announced that we are now officially our own District! WOW!!!!!!! Many of you may not know exactly what this means but I am telling you that it is incredible! We were in a zone before with a part of the Czech republic, but now we have enough members and self reliance to do it on our own! A very humble, wonderful, very young district prezident who will lead our members with an unbelievable amount of faith. Can you imagine being called as a district prezident in the church over an entire country before you turned 30? incredible but very, very, inspired. We are excited! The work is moving forward faster than anyone could have anticipated!

Wow, I am out of breath I am so excited.

hahaha also, yesterday, it was really the most wonderful thing when we went tracting and we got let in! Yes! By a wonderful old woman. It was such a miracle because we were actually starving and she fed us SO much and that included two cups of tea (Dont worry, flowers and fruit) and a hundred tyčinky and weird pastry things. She took a Book of Mormon and said we could come back, and then when we were leaving, she started picking flowers from her yard and off her trees and giving them to us! attatched is a picture of the flowers.

Then today, we went to the castle, and it was open, so that was pretty fantastic.

Also, my creative needs are starting to break out of me. I really have had a fun, inventive week this week. Besides cutting my hair, I decided to take apart an intire (I am not even going to fix this spelling mistake because I literally thought it was spelled intire. And I am laughing.) an ENTIRE road map from 1993 of the US and Canada that we found

Oh my goodness someone is playing Neil Diamond in this library. For those of you who know how I feel about Neil Diamond...

Anyway, the road map, I took it apart, and I used this little sticky dot things and covered the entire wall so that it looks like we have map wallpaper now. Yep.

Then I made halušky with apples instead of potatoes, which actually worked,  but it kind of made us feel sick after we ate it.

Then last night, I made halušky without potatoes or apples, and it still worked!

Also, I made zuchinni bread, and it just tasted so much like home I could not believe it! usually when I make things they kind of are like the slovak version of whatever we had back home, but wow! This bread! Was perfect!

Anyway, I am not sure if there is anything else really really exciting. Just springtime things and the trees are being springy and cute and bloomy.
So yeah.
MAJTE SA

Oh, happy easter! I am forgetting that it is this week. I just viewed the video they released--how amazing is it? wow. I love it. And am so grateful for Christ more than anything. He really does stand beside us in and through every sorrow and every satisfaction which we have in this life. and will never leave us lonely. The depth of His sacrifice we cannot image and His selflessness is incredible. What makes Him our Savior is that He gave Himself so that we could be saved. that is the sole reason. Think about His life and about how He never gave Himself one minute to dwell on His own situation. Doctors today would say that it unhealthy. But He did it! And I truly know that He is the Christ, our Redeemer, and nearest brother.

OH, and happy conference to those of you who have it this week! I dont have it until the next but I

wish you well watching and happy answer hunting in the words of our wonderful, dear, living prophets and apostles.

Love Sestra Abbott

PS happy 100 years of FAMILY NIGHT! Yeah! I did not even know about that last week when I gave a talk about it! Yeah Family Night!

PPS does anyone else think it is weird that I am in Slovakia? Weird right