Summer is flying by. I can't believe it's already August! It's been so so hot and muggy lately. Yesterday Sister Izatt and I were in Zvolen helping out with church there. We had dinner and correlation meeting at the Nye's apartment afterword. We had made mashed zemiaky [note: potatoes] for everyone and had brought it in an enormous pot. On our way out in the afternoon we had to walk fast to catch the train to take us back to Banska. The trains here are kind of ghetto, really old and not good air flow through them. We finally got on the train and it was packed with people. We found some empty seats, and just sat there for a moment, dripping because it was so hot, sticky, with our backpacks and a pot of potatoes, in a train cabin full of people and I just thought "I love being a misionárka!" [note: missionary] It is truly a beautiful thing!
This week our investigators went out of town so we spent some time looking up formers and calling them. We've felt like it's something we should do for the last few weeks, but something always got in the way of it. So this week we finally had time to sift through the area book and call up former investigators. We had some success with that and got in a few lessons last week as well as plan some for this week. We met with a 67 year old man. He's really really happy. I like him a lot. He's investigated for a long time and been taught everything, but he never got a testimony of the Book of Mormon. He told us he had precetl [note: read] it, but hadn't found out if it was true or not. We watched a DVD that our mission made with testimonies of members about the Kniha Mormonova [note: Book of Mormon] and then Elder Callister’s amazing talk about the Book of Mormon from conference last year. It brought a sweet spirit to our meeting, and at the end the man committed to start reading the Book of Mormon again and to pray to know if it is true. We promised him he could get his answer and be prepared for baptism by the 26th of August. He said "Oh I can't be baptized then, I have work that day!" So we extended the 19th of August which he accepted! It was really neat. I know he can get an answer! It's time!
Zvolen kind of fell apart and went from about 20 investigators to 3. The thing was that most of their investigators were Roma and so they were trying to start a Roma unit in Zvolen, but, and I’m not sure how to say this, it's very hard to build a foundation on the Roma people, as you know. So in a way this is a blessing as they look for a solid foundation to get a unit going in Zvolen. It was really neat yesterday as we were in correlation meeting, me and Sister Izatt, the three elders and the Nyes. It was an intense meeting, but we discussed how to get a unit started in Zvolen, starting with the need for a church building close to the Namestie [note: Town Square] and stuff. I just thought how incredible it was. Here we are, these 20 and 21 year olds, trying to figure out how to start up a church unit in a foreign country. We are so under qualified for this, and yet the Lord makes us instrument in his hands. It's a great and marvelous work. Earlier this week we contacted an evangelical man on the street. He spoke perfect English and during the contact he said something like "I don't understand why your church sends out such inexperienced people like you. You haven't had any experience in life yet and you're trying to talk to people about these kinds of things. Wait if you're still saying the same things when you are 50 and then maybe I'll listen to you." We just testified to him that we know that our message is true. And you know, I thought of the scripture in the Book of Mormon about by small and simple means the Lord brings about great things. Yeah we're maybe a bunch of kids to the world, but with the Lord anything is possible, and I've been able to see the Lord working through me in many instances. I know that this is His Church and that we are His representatives.
Back to church, we had a beautiful sacrament meeting in Banska. It was so beautiful! The spirit was there. Pavol and his daughter Simona came again. We had to stop by Billa [note: Supermarket] yesterday odpoledne [note: afternoon] to get a few things and as we walked out there was Pavol waiting to come in. We found out that he only lives a few panalaks [note: apartment houses] away from us. Anyways we ended up talking to him for 35 minutes outside. It was a good discussion. He had been gone all week with Simona on their chalupa [note: cabin]. He wanted to stay over the weekend, but Simona wanted to come to church so they came back early! Ah the youth are amazing! Pavol and Simona were so happy in church. They love it! Pavol again told us that he thinks we are the best people. Simona is a doing great. She loves church and she loves learning about the gospel. She told us yesterday she would like to serve a mission in the future! I think she'll be the key to Pavol's progression.
We did church in Zvolen too after the one in Banska. We still don't have our own place so we did it in some room we rented out. It was dirty inside and so hot. Two members came and that was it. But it was beautiful! I just thought how beautiful the gospel is and that it doesn't matter if there are only 2 members and 7 missionaries, it's still true and the spirit is still there.
We had sports day in Zvolen this week and played futbol [note: football] with a lot of Roma children. It looks like I'm serving in Mexico or something. But I realized that was something that I've been missing on my mission so far is spending time with children and so I loved sports day. The Roma children aren't growing up in a great environment. It's poor class as you know and really hard for them to leave their communities. But Sister Izatt and I, while the elders were playing soccer with some of the older children, taught them about prayer and then we all knelt down on the dirt and said a prayer together. It was a beautiful moment!
S laskou, Sestra Melissa Pysnakova
Sestra Pyšňáková and Kolek Family. Dusan and Iveta picked up Zuzi and Danda from the Budapest airport and stopped to see Sestra Pyšňáková on their way back home (and to give her a package from home - with a lots of hugs and kisses :).
Service Project.
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