TOP SPEED WE ARE GOING ROUND THE WORLD

I live on busses and trains! I never thought I would say this but life is too exciting for me! I am consistently on a grand adventure. We started this week quite well with a wonderful pday of cutting my hair--you have all heard the deets on that whole story, but seriously, it was the best decision ever. Nothing like having my hair off of my neck.

SO monday night, we headed over to a members house to eat. Always a fantastic idea. There was a wonderful return missionary who had served here in about 1993 visiting with all of his kids at their house too, so the stay was a little bit longer than we expected. Not only did we visit with all of them, but they fed us two meals. So, we were completely, completely stuffed, and had to run probably about 7 kilometers back to our house to be home on time, and let me tell you, nothing was so physically exerting. We were carrying a bunch of bags and just were dying. I thought my whole stomach was going to explode with potatoes and roast beef and fried cheese and french fries and cake while the sweat was pouring down my face....

Long story short, we woke up the next morning at about 500 to very sore legs and to, yes, again, run

this is where I live!

to get onto a train to Bratislava for training. And that was an adventure. What a wonderful training we had. Full of spirit and full of happy smiles and just happiness because everyone was together. Sister Eggers and I did a training on Africa and now everyone is calling our branches tribes....so maybe that was a poor idea. Hahaha

So then, we are doing a lot of singing displays because we have a concert tomorrow. So, back to Trenčin, we did a singing display. And man, I love these things!! I have never done one before, but we basically, us four missionaries, go out onto the namestie, and sing, and one of us talks to people while three of us sing our little hearts out. BEST THING EVER I TOTALLY LOVE THIS. We got to do a couple of them this week and it just melted my little heart.

fried cheese

Also, we went to eat at sweet little Sestra Alžbetas, who is 80 years old and the best missionary in Trenčin. She invites everyone to everything. She fed us stuffed peppers and they were SO delicious. They are basically stewed peppers stuffed with rice and a little meat and drowning in this red gravy sweet sauce stuff. Okay, obviously, I have no idea what is really in it, but I was really in love with it.
SO

Thursday, was, well, the most eventful day of my whole mission. We were heading to do exchanges with the sweet sisters in a little town called Frydek Mistek in the Czech Republic. And, really, they have a transportation problem to this little town, and we really travelled the entire czech republic to get there. We had about four little connections in little baby villages that were each about 2 minutes long, so we were a little worried because usually trains are late, but we tried it anyway. The first train was smooth, then we got off, got on the wrong train, realized, ran to the other train and hopped on as it was pulling away. It crossed the border into the czech republic--which is seriously so weird because as soon as you cross this border, the language just changes. All of a sudden I felt like I was two transfers younger because I could only understand about ,5-,75 of what they were saying--anyway, so it dropped us off in this little teeny town. Then we
found the next train quickly, and it seriously looked like we were on a disneyland safari ride. It was the smallest little train in the whole world. We were going through the forest--so pretty--when all of a sudden the train stops and the director tells us we have to get off and go on this bus! So we are really confused

BUT

The train ticket man looked a whole lot like dumbledore, with really nice eyes, so we believed him.

So then we went and got on a bus which drove through every little village in the czech republic. Best thing ever for me but worst thing for Sister Eggers who gets really car sick. Everyone on the bus was very kind.

THEN we got on two more trains and eventually arrived in Frydek Mistek, which is so pretty. We did a chalk display there with four sisters and then the next day Sister Andreason and I went to Ostrava to teach some inactives and investigators there. Also an amazing city. Slightly strange because I could not understand as well in Czech, but I renewed my testimony of the gift of tongues. The Lord had to remind me that I DO need to rely on the spirit! Sometimes I forget now how powerful the spirit can be in missionary work!
Plus everyone in the czech republic thought I was a slovak so that was a plus.

WELL after an incredible exchange with some really yummy pizza, we headed back to Trenčin. The trains were long and included a very friendly drunk man and some spanish boys. We had a really long connection in žilina, so we got to get off the train and go get some breakfast and study on a park bench underneath their most beautiful cathedral!! We were dying it was so pretty there! And clean! I want to serve there.

Then, when we got back to Trenčin, we got back home and were doing some planning, and the most traumatic thing happened where there was a

HUGE
GIANT
GINORMOUS
SPIDER
IN
OUR
APARTMENT

and we both just about died, trapped it under a cup, and named it Aragog. Taught it a few lessons, and when we got back that night, we had to really wear all of our winter gear, build a barrier around it, and kill it with a mop and cleaning supplies after saying a very sincere prayer. It was traumatic.

Anyway, we also got to got to the Trenčin castle! Not too much travelling, since we live directly beneath it, but it was so fun! They had their town celebration this week--kind of like the Highland Fling, so awesome and medivalish--and we got to go with some members and watch their reinactments and buy some yummy fried cheese with preservative fruit on it. So pretty.

Then We had church and I felt the spirit.

Then today, we had cleaning checks, so the cottles came down from Bratislava, So we got to go to the čachticky castle. SO AWESOME
There is a story, that the woman who was the lord over the castle after her husband died, used to kill young girls and her maids and bathe in their blood, or drink it, so that she would stay young. She was tried and was put to death, and two of her assistants were burned for witchcraft. One story says that they found 650 bodies, and another says they found 20-1200 bodies, so... nobody knows if the legend is really true because it was 13th century but STILL AWESOME

So, in short, this week was the best and strangest week ever. I am grateful for the Lord for helping me maintain my energy in time of great physical distress. I dont think any of this energy is my own but I sure am grateful that I have it! The Lord CAN make our weaknesses strengths if we rely on him. I absolutely love Slovakia and these people here, and would seriously do anything to help them. I never realized how strong they really are. The members here build the church like no other! We are incredibly grateful for their work and their faith.

us in zilina posing classically in front of the statue of the
first two christian missionaries who preached christianity here in slovak and not latin

Something I am thinking about--what does it mean to be a christian? I read this week in Acts 11, 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

and today in Alma 46
14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.

 15 And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.

What does it mean to take the name of Christ upon us? Something I am still working on...I hope that

day by day, as I use His atonement and remember my baptismal covenants, I will be able to be a better Christian!

s laskou,

sestra abbott