Through Goals and Faith, We Can Achieve Anything!

Elder Shirley with his companion Elder Lovell and two of the McConkie children

In front of the church

One of the "awesome Czech neighborhoods" where Elder Shirley was tracting this week

Another Czech neighborhood

Elder Shirley with one of the YSA's in Uherske Hradiste branch

March 21, 2016

Ahoj!

So this week we have training in Brno on Monday, our usual P-day. So P-day is moved this week from Monday to Saturday! So this week's recap isn't too big since it hasn't even been a whole week since last time I wrote. 

For the most part, this week was normal good missionary work. We are trying to mix up some of our finding ideas to attract different people. We went tracting as well. Pretty much a normal, good week.

Yesterday though, was probably the coolest day of my whole mission. I went on an exchange with Elder Lanham, my district leader. We received a challenge from President McConkie the day before to hit standards in member-present lessons and in church attendance this week. So, in response to that, Elder Lanham planned our day around that. We didn't have anything on plan, other than contacting in the city, so we decided that somehow, we needed to get a lesson with a member present to hit our goals. So we set that goal, without knowing how we could do it. We went out the next day, needed to find investigators, and invite everyone to church. The first man we talked to right outside the apartment didn't really have time, but he gave us his card and told us he wants to meet. Five minutes later, we stopped a girl and taught her a lesson on the street and committed her to church tomorrow.  Right after that, we were in a hurry to get into the city center to check something. As we were walking pretty fast, we had the thought to stop one random girl. It was an awesome lesson. She about started crying on the street. We got her number and she should also be at church on Sunday. We then met a lady on the town square that had been given a Book of Mormon about a week earlier. She told us that she loved the book and was already 40 pages into it. She'll keep reading and said that she will pray about it. We wanted to try a little bus contacting yesterday as well. So we went to the bus station and prayed right there to know which bus to take. We both thought of the same bus, so we went to catch it. But it had started to pull away. An old man though, stepped in front of the bus and stopped it so he could get on. We ran over there and got on right behind him. We rode this bus around for a while, and on our last 5 minutes if the ride, we contacted a guy about personal revelation. He really liked what we were talking about, and asked if we had more time right then to sit down and talk more. We said “of course” and started taking him to the church building. On the walk there, we were both praying that somehow, a member would be at the building so we could teach a member-present lesson. We got into the building and our branch president was there! He had just finished a meeting and he taught the lesson with us. It was so awesome! We contacted the rest of the night about church and we are expecting a lot of people to be there this week.

That was our amazing day. I know it is a little hard to explain what it was actually like, but I did learn a few things. The Lord is in the work! Through goals and faith, we can achieve anything. Prayer works! Specific prayers, often, show our faith and help us receive blessings. Follow the Spirit! If you are in tune with the Spirit, and trying to be obedient, he will guide you. Just an amazing day full of miracles!

By the way, I am getting my international driver’s license on Monday. Pretty scary!  I can’t drive yet, because we don’t have a car in our area. But if we get one, I’ll probably be driving haha. It’ll be weird to be back on the road after 9 months.

Love you all! The church is true!

-Starší Shirley

{This morning we received a surprise email from Sister McConkie, the mission president’s wife}

Dear Lovells and Shirleys,

Yesterday morning in Uherške Hradištê, my husband left our hotel very early to go to the church for interviews. So when my boys and I stepped onto the town square with our luggage, feeling kind of nervous that we wouldn't remember how to walk to church, we were happy to see Elder Lovell and Elder Shirley who were waiting in the cold to walk us in the right direction. I guess my husband sent them :). It was awesome to see them and walk with them.

They chatted with Hyrum and George so easily, and started our morning off with enthusiasm and love. (We had been traveling from city to city for member visits, interviews, a zone conference, etc. so our family was pretty sleep deprived and in need of some cheerfulness :))

They are just wonderful young men. After the branch conference was over, the members had a meal together and I watched how well your sons interacted with the members who they serve. They seem to be getting along with everyone and the members are lucky to have them there.

Thanks for all of your support and for raising young men who are so enjoyable to be with!

Wishing you a lovely week! May you be blessed!

With love from Czech Republic,
Sister McConkie