A Special July 24th Commemoration

Hiking up Priest Hill

Karlstejn Castle

Monument commemorating the location where Czechoslovakia was dedicated for missionary work in 1929 and again in 1990

The new mission president (President Pohořelický) and his wife

A neighborhood where Elder Shirley recently worked

July 25, 2016

Hi Everyone!

This week was great! Elder Hudson and I are still going strong at 12+ weeks together haha. We had a little more success this week in finding investigators and things should start picking back up. We were only in our area 5 out of the 7 days this week though. We had an exchange in Brno with the zone leaders on Thursday and then we went to Prague (Karlstejn) the next day. Karlstejn was a really cool experience because that is where the country was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel. All of the Czech missionaries gathered and we went to the spot in the forest on a hill above the Karlstejn Castle known as Priest Hill. We conducted a program that was mirrored after the same program that was conducted there in the year 1929 when the mission was dedicated by Elder John A. Widstoe. In that day, there were only something like 11 missionaries, the mission president, and 6 members of the church. Now we have 3000 members, 70 or so missionaries, and a stake of Zion in this country. This commemoration is something that is done by the members of the Church in the Czech Republic every July 24^th. It was a really cool experience and it was good for me to focus on the heritage of this mission and of the Church in this country. The history behind it and it reminded me that this work is so much bigger than me.

This country is a special place and God is preparing these people for us as a mission. The gospel with go forth boldly and independently. And that is why I am so grateful to be serving here. I have the opportunity to let the Lord work through me. Through my obedience and through my testimony. I go forth and preach the gospel every day because I love these people and they need it. Something that I have realized recently is that faith promoting experiences can be found if we search for them. God will answer our earnest prayers if we do our part and study it out. I have felt his hand in this work and know that He is guiding this church through the prophet. The true Church of Jesus Christ was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and we can find answers to any questions in life with this knowledge. The gospel makes sense. We are so blessed to have it. I know it's true. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you all! Hope you have a great week!

-Elder Shirley

Some additional pictures of the commemoration on Priest Hill:

Elder Shirley with Elder Gunnell (a senior missionary from his first area of Jicin)