The Plan of Happiness Brings Us Joy

A "hug" from the Sugar 6th ward Primary kids

Elder Shirley and 3 of the other elders in Brno

On an empty tram in Brno

Eating a meal called tatarak again - raw meat with a raw egg

Elder Shirley has obviously gained an appreciation for tatarak!

Playing darts on P-day

Bowling on P-day

October 10, 2016

Hey!

A few experiences from this last week. Last night we went tracting out in a little city. After only about 6 houses or so, we tracted into a young family. Two kids, 6 and 3. The wife answered the door and said she really didn't have interest. The husband then came to the door and also said he didn't really have interest. We talked a little longer and then they looked at each other and said, 'Alright, you can come in." I don't even know why they let us in, but they fed us and we had ice cream as well. We taught a little about the plan of salvation and how the gospel blesses families. They said for now, they don't have interest, but they would love if we came back. So we will see this week when we drop by again.

We were contacting this week on the street next to our house when all of the sudden, a guy opened the door to his house. He asked if we had time to come inside and have a drink with him. We were caught off guard but we followed him in. He talked to us about the Bible and about his hard family situation. It wasn't too long of a visit, but he said he would be happy if we came back. 

This last week, our district went to lunch together. We decided to order tatarak. I've already talked a little bit about this Czech dish, but this time, I ate a whole plate. It is a whole raw patty of meat with a raw egg cracked on top. You mix it with some seasoning and then use it as a spread on bread. It was surprisingly pretty good. Really nasty when you think about it, but not too bad.

We went last P-day bowling with a less-active member. He took us for free and when had a good time. It's been a while, but I still haven't lost my touch haha. 

The members are starting to get to know us I feel at this point. We had 3 member meals this last week and they were great. Member visits are always good experiences for the missionaries.

We had a lesson with a new investigator this last week. It was pretty weird. This guy believed in some sort of Native American or Indian thing. Basically, we started off the lesson and he started talking about how when he smokes marijuana, he feels closer to God. It was one of the more interesting lessons that I have taught and I honestly wasn't sure how to teach the guy. But in the end, the member that had come with us brought it back around and we might meet with him again this week. 

General Conference was great! I especially enjoyed Elder Bednar's talk and Elder Ballard's. I also felt that a lot of talks were geared toward the topic of joy. Just like President Utchdorf said, the knowledge of the plan of happiness brings us joy. 

Good week all around. We are blessed here in Brno. It's a great city! 

-Elder Shirley