Well I guess you heard the news. Transfer calls came in Monday night. We were out contacting on our way home around 8:45 when President called. I knew something was up because President doesn't make the calls unless it's something out of the ordinary. When he found out we were still out he told us to run home and that he'd call back later. He called about 20 minutes later. He talked to my companions and then the phone was passed to me. He said "Sister Pysnakova! Are you sitting down?" and I knew exactly where I was going. He said "How is your Slovak?!" There was this rush of emotion as he said that I would be serving in Banska Bystrica in Slovakia. I will be serving with Sister Izatt, who was my visiting teacher in my BYU freshman ward:)
We will be reopening up Slovakia to sister missionaries, as we haven't had them there in 10 years. Wow! Dobrodruzstvi anyone? Prosim! [note: Adventure anyone? Please!] I leave on a train in a few hours with Sister Izatt and Elder Buhler who I've served with the last 2 transfers. It's funny because I've been around Slovak quite a bit the last few weeks and I've been blessed to understand it! Still there's going to be a lot to learn that's for sure:)
Sestra Izatt and Sestra Pyšňáková
What a miraculous week it's been. These last 10 days so much has happened. So many miracles. I'm afraid I won't have time to tell you all of it.
I've been thinking a lot about Petra this transfer and working with her as much as I can. We gave her a date for the 21 of July before she left to Bratislava. I would text her scriptures and kept in contact with the elders in Bratislava to see how she was doing. Things weren't going so well. Petra wasn't meeting with them, wouldn't go to church, wasn't reading in the Book of Mormon...I felt that I needed to send her a text with a scripture and encouragement to go to church, but I didn’t know exactly what to write. The inspiration came to remind her how last transfer she had said that she wanted to take lessons with her mom in Slovakia. I ended up writing an 8 page text to read 1 Nephi 8:12 [And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.] I reminded her of her excitement to share our message with her family and then testified that she had tasted of the "fruit" of the restored gospel and invited her to pray about inviting her mom and brother to church that Sunday.
That Saturday, we were sitting in weekly planning and I felt that we needed to fast for Petra, right then. I told my companions and they wanted to fast with me. What was neat was we started right there. It was just before lunch, but we all felt the urgency of it and so started it right away.
Sunday was a huge blow. I found out through the zone leaders that the elders in Bratislava were super frustrated with how things had been going with Petra. When I talked to them they said she hadn't been to church and that she wasn't meeting with them. They said "the church is her church in Brno, but here in Bratislava she has her own church with her own friends and stuff". I was so sad. I tried not to think this way, but I confess I wondered why our fast hadn't worked. That night I prayed so hard for her. We got a text from her later in the night that we found in the morning. She addressed it to me and told me how much she loved me and that she would come to Brno that weekend because she had so much to tell me. That text scared me! The last time we got a text like that was from Helena and the things she "needed to tell us" were that she was dropping us.
At the same time, the thought of transfers coming in a week and a half left me pondering a lot on the transfer. I felt a little discouraged, feeling like I hadn't done much good this transfer. There weren't any golden people found, people wanting to be baptized etc. I felt like we hadn't had any big miracles and I was sad thinking that I hadn't done a good job this transfer. When I prayed about it, I received this impression "Remember Abinadi and Ammon? They were both missionaries. Were they both successful?" Inside, I answered yes. "What about the immediate results? Abinadi was killed, Ammon helped convert so many Lamanites. But they were both successful missionaries!" A comforting feeling came over me, but then I said "I'd rather be like Ammon though!" I could just imagine Heavenly Father chuckling.
Well on Wednesday, we had a lesson in the morning with a guy who we've taught all this transfer. I contacted him at a tram stop my first transfer. He's really hardened up his heart quite a bit lately, and in the lesson we had with him that morning he basically told us the Book of Mormon was of the devil. It was tough! I had to bite my tongue. How can you read the Book of Mormon where it talks so much about Christ and say that it's taking you away from Him and that it's a book from the devil? It was really tough. A couple hours later, we received a call from Petra from Bratislava! It was surprising since it's so expensive to call between the countries. Sister White picked it up and then handed it to me. As soon as I heard Petra I knew something was up and then I couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. "Sister Pysnakova, mark the 21 of July on your calendar. I'm going to get baptized!" Oh, I can't express what I felt. I started to cry. There was this rush of the spirit and I was flooded with joy. She couldn't tell me what happened, because it would take too long, but Bratislava elders called me that night and explained what had happened.
Apparently Petra got our text on 1 Nephi 8:12. She said it was so long and we explained the verse in the text that she didn't even read the scripture. She was away at a Nuskin conference in Hungary during that time. After she got the text she ended up praying that night harder than she ever has, and more specific than she ever has, to know if these things are true. A few days later she was sitting in training for Nuskin employees. Since the founders are Mormon, they used 1 Nephi 8 as their theme. Get that? They used 1 Nephi 8 and then they read 1 Nephi 8:12 to their employees. Petra just sat there in disbelief. The moment they read that scripture, something clicked. She new suddenly that everything was true and that she needs to get baptized.
What a miracle! A huge miracle for all of us! I had no idea if I was inspired when I sent 1 Nephi 8:12. Who knew that it would have such an impact on her later? And you know, it's a testimony that Heavenly Father talks to us all in our own way. That incident of the same scripture being used at the conference was the perfect sign for Petra. Heavenly Father really talks to us in our own personal way. This last week has been incredible. Petra is so excited for her krest [note: baptism]. She asked me to speak at her baptism. President Irwin is amazing. At the end of the transfer call he said "And start figuring out how you're going to get to the baptism on Saturday!" I was like president, I haven't even figured out how to get to Slovakia. Miracles happen! Fasting and prayer works!
After the call from Petra, we had a lesson with another investigator who told us the Book of Mormon was from the devil. I was so on fire from Petra that it didn't bother me too much. Later that week as I thought about it I thought, isn't it interesting that two people in one day told us the Book of Mormon was from the devil, but one person found out it was true and knows it’s from God! The Book of Mormon is true! Christ's church has been restored on the earth today. What a glorious message we all get to share with those around us!
Well, I'm off to Slovakia, blinding into an Area, opening it up to sisters, learning Slovak, and have no idea what to expect. It's been an amazing transfer with an amazing district, but I'm excited for this new one! I am happy! It's the Lord's work and he's in charge!
Love you all, s laskou, Sestra Pysnakova.
 New Missionary Nametag |
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