Joyously summery

This week has been so full of ice cream, sun, and wonderful miracles. I am so grateful to be a missionary here in Bratislava and cannot believe how quickly time is going. I cannot imagine doing anything else!

I love serving the people here--.from working in Stans garden and chopping wood and concrete up with an ax , to helping someone with a stroller down the stairs. I love carrying groceries and serving with all my might--seriously though, my arms are getting a certain workout.

Some miracles that happened this week are 1) We contacted the coolest man from Austria who
knows someone in Utah! He proceeded to show us her entire facebook page and tell us about how he knew about the church already, and was open to receiving a Book of Mormon! Very excited to meet with him and are ever grateful for those people who reach out as missionaries to their friends all over the world!

We have an investigator who has immersed herself in the Book of Mormon and it is incredible. It is so marked up, and she is prepared to hear every word we have to teach her. When talking about her baptism, we brought up Mosiah 18, where it talks about people saying "it is the desire of our hearts" Right as we began to read, she opened up her book, and this chapter was exactly where she had ended her last reading, and underlined with a thick line was that exact verse. Basically znamenie. (a sign)

I just barely ate seriously the MOST delicious and fancy bagel of my life. It was a chicken caesar bagel.

This week was also Sister Russell's birthday (I am the birthday fairy. I have been with everyone on their birthday. It is because I make the best cake), so, not only did I make her a cake, but so did a sister in our branch and the elders. It was a successfully cake-filled day.

My favorite day this week was thursday, because we had lessons every half hour.

It was a little bit crazy. but it was like YEAH MISSIONS YEAH. We taught forever and we loved it. My favorite part of the day was when we taught Igor, because a recent convert girl from Nitra was down and visiting and so she taught with us. When she testified of the Book of Mormon, the spirit filled the room like none other. She talked about how she read the verse about the fruit of the tree of life, and just then, she knew that what she was reading was true and that she needed to get baptized. Now, we as missionaries testify of things like this every day. But this was incredible! This member changed the perspective of our investigators. Members and their sincere testimonies make such a difference. The power that they hold in their simple testimonies brings the Holy Ghost and confirms the truthfulness in the Book of Mormon, or Christ, or the gospel, or whatever! Truly I am amazed.

Also, I am never-endingly sunburned now.

We had a really terrific experience yesterday while contacting on the Danube, we talked to this
beautiful young woman who opened right up to us and told us that she was actually thinking about what Gods plan for her was just the day before. After teaching and testifying, we pulled out the Kniha Mormonova and explained her, and invited the girl to read the three verse promise at the beginning of Moroni 10. As she read, we could see her face change. Then she continued to read. And read. And read. People began to pass these three awkward girls and give us sideways glances, as two strange girls watched another read in a book. After about ten minutes, she had finished the chapter, and looked up with her face filled with joy. She was enthralled when we gave her the book and was so grateful to us that she embraced us both! A little taken aback but completely filled with enthusiasm, we were happy to set up another meeting with her.

Ahhhh I Love the gospel

I read this fantastic poem in the BYU devotional "Forget yourself" by Gordon B Hinckley. Unfortunately, it was really long, so I did not write it down, but I love it! The poem talks about a woman who lives her life, has children pass away, grows old with her husband, and then she says, what is this I hear about complaints and regrets? Why are we complaining? And then (I remember this part, I have been quoting it all week), the last few lines say

Degenerate sons and daughters,

Life is too strong for you.

It takes life to love life.


YAH!!!


IT TAKES LIFE TO LOVE LIFE

Sorry, enthused over here about this poem.

Anyway, you can take what you want from that, but for now I am just in love with it.

Merrily and gratefully,

Sestra Abbott