My dearest family and friends,
I survived transfers! Kosice is a
beautiful city. We live up on a hill and have a lovely view of the city. It's
really green here and rains everyday. Actually it's raining throughout our
mission and I heard there's even flooding going on. But we're fine here and
keeping dry to some extent. Our apartment is really nice. We live in a good
neighborhood. The namestie [note: Town Square]
is gorgeous and like I said, I love how green everything is! The people here
are so nice. I really love talking to them.
My new companions are doing well. Sister Johnson is 19 and from Kansas and
Sister Baird is from California and is 21. Both are beautiful inside and out
and they are SO on fire. They were already contacting by themselves on public
transportation our first day in the area and they even got a number on their
own! Our area was dead when we came in and we finally arrived in our area
Wednesday late at night so we were only able to work in our area a few days
last week. Kosice is beautiful but I feel like I'm on the end of the world. It
takes SO long to get here by train. But at least the travel is beautiful. We'll
be traveling to Brno for new missionary training and because of the distance
it's ending up being like a 3 day excursion. But at least the travel gives me
time to think and most of the time when I'm looking out the window as the train
rolls along I think of
how much I love
these people and these lands and I think of everything I've learned on my
mission.
Sestra Pyšňáková and her new companions Sister Johnson and Sister Baird
As I
said our area needs to be built back up again and we're working hard to do it.
I keep reminding myself that I need to be patient. I haven't even been in my
area a week yet. But still we're talking to everyone we can and I just hope
that we'll be able to start teaching lessons soon. It's been overwhelming at
times trying to train two sisters while trying to quickly get a teaching pool.
I feel like there's a lot of expectations too and sometimes that gets
stressful. But I know Heavenly Father wants me here and this morning I was
reading in the Ensign about personal prayer and it hit me that what I need to be praying for is to align
my will with the Lords, not try to get Him to conform to my will.
Kosice is very special. I felt it
before I was officially transferred here. For several weeks before transfers I
had felt that I would be going here and I felt something special about this
city. I don't know what it is yet, but I can tell you that when we went to church yesterday I felt like I was in the temple. It
was a really sacred and holy experience. President Van Dalen was there.
He's from Holland, but married a Slovak. He is incredible! He has devoted his
whole life to the church. I wish you could see how much he cares for the
members and for each less-active. He's amazing!
He was
at church yesterday along with a 24 year old member name Lenka, plus five of us
missionaries. That was it! After sacrament had started one other member came in
but she left right after sacrament so for most of church it was just us
missionaries with 2 members. But it was so so special. I bore my testimony in
sacrament meeting and then taught Sunday School and Relief Society. It reminded
me of Banska Bystrica a little and it was nice to feel needed. I was so happy
to be there in Relief Society because Lenka was so happy that we were there.
Last week she'd been the only female at church with President Van Dalen and the
4 elders.
During
sacrament meeting I felt something really special. For the closing hymn we sang
the spirit of God. As we sang I yet again marveled at how the Spirit is the
same no matter where you are. I thought about how it didn't matter that there
were only 8 of us. There was a really tender and beautiful feeling. As we
got to the chorus, a powerful feeling flooded the room. I listened and thought
to myself "it sounds like there are much more people singing than us
8". And then it hit me. I knew we
were not alone. Heavenly Father wanted me to know that. There weren't just
8 of us there. That little chapel in
Kosice was filled with angels and they were singing along with us. I
did not see any, but I for sure felt them and that feeling was so powerful and
so real I wouldn't have been surprised if the veil had actually been lifted.
For a few moments I felt like I was in the temple.
Last
experience, we were headed out one morning to contact before our meeting with
the branch president. On our way out we realized one of us had left our bus
pass so we went all the way back to get it and Sister Baird said it's ok,
everything happens for a reason. On our way back out again we passed a lady and
stopped to talk to her. At first she was closed off. She said she was already a
believer, but we kept talking and then she opened up and said, you said your
message is for families, then tell me. I have children who don't want to
believe in Christ. They aren't doing what they should be doing. I hurt inside
for them and I don't know what to do. What should I do? We were able to testify
of the Book of Mormon and promised her if she read it she'd find her answers.
At the end of the contact she told us she'd been praying that day as she was
walking. She was thinking about her children and was hurting inside and she
prayed and told Heavenly Father she knew He loved her despite all of this. A
few minutes later she met us. She said she took it as an answer to her prayers
and a sign that Heavenly Father loved her. And He does as He does all of us. How amazing it us knowing you were an
answer to someone’s prayer.
Please keep us all in your prayers. Pray
that those who are prepared will be guided to us and we to them. Heavenly
Father loves Kosice. I feel it very strongly. The Lord has a plan with this
area. I'm looking forward to seeing it unfold!
S
laskou, Sestra Mel Pysnakova
