Last Email?

So next week I might not be able to email because we have a different schedule as departing missionaries in our last week so I'm not sure if I'll be able to write. 

So, as if it were my last,

I'd just like to thank all of you, ward members, friends, family, especially those of you who receive this email for being such a great support to me.  I really don't deserve it.  I much too often don't have time to write a good reply or forget, so I apologize for that. 

The last two years have been tough, but you know what they say, '' The Best Two Years'', right Bryce? hahah. So far, they really have been.  The amount of spiritual growth I've seen is incomprehensibly immense.  I've come to truly know who I am and what the purpose of all of this is. And, I've also come to know that God truly is there.  This single fact is one of the most important of all of the things which I've ever learned, which are many.

Without a single doubt in my mind, I've come to know that Jesus Christ died for us, and that through His atonement we can all become new men and women, and that nothing is unfixable.  Nothing.  

I've learned that not all missionaries are spiritual people and it's the person that works towards spirituality that receives it, and it's something that can't be handed out or assigned by call. The calling isn't what makes a missionary a spiritual person, but it's the fact that missionaries magnify their calling that makes them spiritual. When we magnify our callings in life the spirit will reside with us no matter what the calling is.

I now understand the importance of family and I know that the Family was a thing set up by God. I'm so grateful for the family I have, they're the best.  

I'm going to miss this place, but even more I'm going to miss the people of the Czech Republic beyond more then the average Czech would even begin to believe if i told him. They're a good people and it's been a good two years serving them, but life moves on, and I'm not one to dwell in the past but to rather grow from it, then, look to the future, and the future looks bright. So in honor and dignity I'll hang up this tag knowing with full certainty that I did everything I possibly could've within my strength to serve Him who sits on high; our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

gg

ELDER SPENCER E. PETERSEN

Odds & Ends

today i went on a shopping spree with my birthday money. get this, sisters of mine, i was at H&M and i bought 9 shirts of different styles and colours for all under $40, yeah europe is the best.

this week was pretty average though, we went hiking last monday with this awesome member family, and then afterwards spent some time with them at their cottage.

this week i read a book called "the great apostasy" by James E. Talmage, yeah... the catholic church, from what i gather, does not have the priesthood and is therefore not truly God's church.

this week we were also able to do much service for members and we cleaned the Kostel on the Namesti again, we were also able to help a few members in their garden. so it was quite nice.

church was great, i translated for a couple of senior couples and shoot dang it was so hard, the speakers were giving good but the use of the old Czech from the bible was so hard, i basically just made up my own speeches on the spot using key words, so that was fun. I would say that i gave 3 wonderful talks though hahah. 

it was a good week though, the other elders in my district contacted a professional soccer player so we were all invited to a game we're going to on wednesday haha it'll be good.

well, sorry for the mediocre email, see you all next week!

-Spencer

short on time...

mission wise and email time wise hahah

yeah so sorry we were doing something rather late and now the email place is closing so i just sent this letter to a dear friend of mine, it's my response to the question of what have i learned of the gospel recently, this was my reply:

i couldn't really tell you what i've learned about the gospel lately, let me teach you about learning though, psychologists say there are two ways in which we learn 1. by law of effect in which some big thing happens that is so startling that it changes our behavior, and 2. by law of exercise in which over a series of small events we become stronger or smarter or better in something, or we change our views. in my mission i had a lot of huge things just hit me by law of effect, while i was still a young missionary, but as i became more experienced and older in the mission field things didn't seem to get me going spiritual wise. this got me down, this is when doubt and depression started to sink in, as i fought through it i realized that God is still there and that he still loves me, but that, he was teaching me differently, and that we're always learning something if we are trying to do what God wants us to do.  So remain exactly obedient and don't get down if you start feeling like the miracles aren't coming so rapidly, look for God's hand in your work and love the people, the rest will be taken care of.

end.

if i were to sum up my mission experience, it'd be something along these lines i hope you enjoyed.

-Starší Spencer Petersen 

§ What is this thing? §

yeah so this week went rather well we had a great testimony meeting probably one of the best if not the best one on my mission, save the best for last right? haha

so this week i hit my two year mark July 31st, so that was pretty cool, i've been out here forever. haha in a good way.  

we made an awesome chalk display this week about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  that was fun we were almost all able to teach a few lessons walking around on a diagram and by we all i mean the 6 of us in the district.

but other than that it was all pretty normal, we were able to find and start teaching this couple, they're pretty cool, in the middle of the lesson, the girlfriends phone goes off and her ringtone is a hollywood undead song that right of the bat drops mofo...  it kinda took away from the spirit a little bit, haha but it was hilarious though, because they both totally realized it, then we all had a laugh and brought it back haha.

31 days.

ttfn

-Spencer

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KARLŠTEJN!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!

so this week i got to go up to Karlstejn, it's the place where the mission was dedicated back in 1990 after the fall of communism. it was really cool to see all of the missionaries there and then the next day we got to go back and see all the members from around the country and they had a devotional talking about the pioneers who helped this country get it's start and then subsequently live through communism. it was pretty inspiring, they are actually making a mormon message out of the whole weekend that we had up there so that's going to be a great tool to introduce people to the church here. 

oh we also were able to  help this really old member on her garden, it was some good service, i got to cut grass with this old timey scythe, it was fun, so i took some pictures with the scythe i was going to send them this week with like the caption, "the field is white and ready to harvest" but i don't have the pictures because they are on a sisters camera, sorry.

hmm what else, i made scones and german pancakes and beef wellington. so they all turned out well i was proud.

what did i learns this week, well hmm, i learned that using fingernail clippers to strip a wire is not easy... or safe haha but i fixed our fan! 

on the spiritual side of things i learned that people forget about God very quickly, very, very quickly, so always, always be fighting for a stronger knowledge of God, wherein true happiness can be found.

-Elder Petersen 

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Last Haircut!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYCE!!!

Also Congrats To Paul for getting engaged!

so humm this week, what even happened, umm...  

well, i got my last haircut as a missionary today, so that was sobering... no i'm just kidding i don't really get all sentimental like that, i've been here so long, 10 days to my 2 year mark baby!! (Spencer left July 31st)

we had a pretty cool church service, it was just unusually powerful this week, maybe its due to the fact that it's like 37 degrees and super humid and everyone still shows up to church and is happy to be there, even without air conditioning or fans. its pretty cool to see the faith of members like that.

oh, we started teaching this Indian man who owns the restaurant across from our apartment building, that's pretty interesting, hearing about Hinduism a lot, and learning what they believe. basically from what he was telling me, I gathered that the main idea of it is, that everything is god whether it be a person or an animal or an object, but i know this to be incorrect, it is true that God works through things and people, and he answers our prayers through an endless variety of means, but, God is a real tangible person who has a body of flesh and bones and who is our literal father. Our heavenly father loves us and cares for us, He loves us, and He's watching out for us. this is the knowledge I've been able to become a true witness of through the power of the Holy Ghost.  I hope everyone reading this can come to this same knowledge because only through knowledge of God can we truly become free.  So i beseech those of you reading this who aren't sure of these things to search for them, make a plan, if you must, of what you have to do to find God, to be able to follow the commandments and live closer to his will, and then, remember C.S. Lewis's quote "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because I see everything else." Knowledge doesn't have to come through seeing, as I look out the window here of this library, down onto the Labe river passing by, with the green trees and the people, I know that the sun exists but I don't see the sun. I know that Christ lives as well as God, not because I've seen them but I've seen the effects they have had on everyone around me.

till next week,

-Elder Spencer Petersen

Oh btw (by the way)

hahaha that was a direct copy and paste from dad's email to me this week haha thank you dad for teaching me what btw means lulz smh...

any way so i was pretty sick this week. on friday i finally got out of the house, it was good, but i was still sick. saturday i was finally almost completely better. 

but it was a fun week. i bet i could literally walk from my bed to the bathroom blindfolded now hahah literally if anyone could guess how many times i went to the bathroom between sunday afternoon and friday, i will buy them a milka bar and bring it home.

oh but i guess i can tell you about 2 weeks ago: so we helped a couple people move. we also got to go to Prahy for training, it was cool, after training, there was this member there in the Prague building and she was a recent convert.  i started talking to her, turns out that a year and a half ago i taught her in Olomouc.  so it was way cool to see that, like i only taught her once but turns out that she felt that something was missing, later down the road, from her life. so she recontacted us and is a member now! 

we got to clean this really pretty Kostel, i spent the whole time singing hymns, some in czech some in english. haha i sang praise to the man.  also this guy came up and he's like, "hey are you mormons?" 

me: and i'm like yeah!

Him: why are cleaning our church?

me: because we like serving people!

Him: yeah but like...

and then he just got confused, it's like he wanted to be mad but we were literally cleaning his church for free, hahahah priceless, then it was like he was trying to get me

Him: well can i come clean your church?

me: yeah actually we're going over there after this if you want to come

Him: no i don't have time for that.

hahaha

and that is about it, thanks a bunch for the emails and the pictures, i have a request, if you send pictures to me don't send pictures of the mountains. 

that's all thanks!!

-Spencer

sick...

hey everyone, i'm feeling pretty sick, so... yeah i dont really have the patience or endurance to do this today sorry,  but my week went well. umm...  sounds like you all had a good 4th weekend, we did, here in HK We had american pancakes and then kfc! it was awesome, america is the best!

Oh, CONGRATULATIONS TO TAYLOR AND CHRISTEN FOR GETTING ENGAGED!!

and that's all i got, sorry again for the smallness of this email.

-Spencer

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Coming Home Soon!

We received an email with Spencer's Travel Itinerary for home. He leaves Prague September 3, 2015.  Three flights later he arrives home to Salt Lake City.  We are so excited!  He has served well.  We are proud of him.  I can't wait for that welcome home embrace....

Your trip

Booking ref:

7QEBIU

Check My Trip

Date:

02 July 2015

Baggage Info

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Traveler

Haley Anne Frampton

Agency

CHURCH TRAVEL CWT

Joseph Haymond Garlick

50 East North Temple St

Nathan Cyril Jardine

SALT LAKE CITY UT 84150

Jacob William Lyman

Telephone

801 240-5111

Spencer Edman Petersen

Fax

801-240-5115

Jeremy Chase Rasmussen

Shaylor Todd Sylvester

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Thursday 03 September 2015

British Airways BA 853

Departure

03 September 07:00 AM

Prague Ruzyne (+)

Terminal: 1

Arrival

03 September 08:05 AM

London Heathrow (+)

Terminal: 3

Duration

02:05 (Non stop)

Booking status

Confirmed

Class

Economy (S)

Baggage allowance

2PC

Equipment

AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200

Meal

Snack or brunch

.

Thursday 03 September 2015

British Airways BA 1504

Departure

03 September 09:30 AM

London Heathrow (+)

Terminal: 3

Arrival

03 September 01:35 PM

Dallas Fort Worth International (+)

Terminal: D

Duration

10:05 (Non stop)

Booking status

Confirmed

Class

Economy (S)

Baggage allowance

2PC

Seat

39D confirmed for Haley Anne Frampton

Seat

39E confirmed for Joseph Haymond Garlick

Seat

39G confirmed for Nathan Cyril Jardine

Seat

39H confirmed for Jacob William Lyman

Seat

39J confirmed for Spencer Edman Petersen

Seat

39K confirmed for Jeremy Chase Rasmussen

Seat

39L confirmed for Shaylor Todd Sylvester

Equipment

BOEING 777-300ER

Meal

Snack or brunch/Lunch

Operated by

American Airlines, AA51

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Thursday 03 September 2015

British Airways BA 5145

Departure

03 September 05:15 PM

Dallas Fort Worth International (+)

Arrival

03 September 07:06 PM

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City Intl (+)

Terminal: 1

Duration

02:51 (Non stop)

Booking status

Confirmed

Class

Economy (S)

Baggage allowance

2PC

Seat

requested for Haley Anne Frampton

Seat

requested for Joseph Haymond Garlick

Seat

requested for Nathan Cyril Jardine

Seat

requested for Jacob William Lyman

Seat

requested for Spencer Edman Petersen

Seat

requested for Jeremy Chase Rasmussen

Seat

requested for Shaylor Todd Sylvester

Equipment

BOEING 737-800

Operated by

American Airlines, AA1192

.

Ticket details

E-ticket BA 125-7626336012 for Haley Anne Frampton

E-ticket BA 125-7626336013 for Joseph Haymond Garlick

E-ticket BA 125-7626336014 for Nathan Cyril Jardine

E-ticket BA 125-7626336015 for Jacob William Lyman

E-ticket BA 125-7626336016 for Spencer Edman Petersen

E-ticket BA 125-7626336017 for Jeremy Chase Rasmussen

E-ticket BA 125-7626336018 for Shaylor Todd Sylvester

HK BABY!!!

So i was called to my final city on Saturday.  I'm now serving in Hradec Kralove (pronounced like this: Hrad, the a makes an awe noise hrad-ets don't forget to roll your Rs, Kral again with the awe and the rolling R and the last part ove, it's like oh ve the e makes and egg e noise so Hrad-ets Kral-ove) it's my last 9 week transfer here before going home.  so it's going to be a good 9 weeks, HK is a good city, it's a college town, but we just ended the semester so that really has no benefit for us right now, but it's rather big anyway so it doesn't matter that the students are gone.

umm this week was fairly uneventful besides the packing and then the unpacking umm nothing else really big happened. we were playing soccer and one of our members got hurt and he kinda complained about it for a little then just continued playing, then he didn't show up at church today so turns out that he somehow broke a blood vessel and had internal bleeding so that was pretty intense.  

I had this really cool meeting with a man from England over lunch, he couldn't find anywhere to sit at this restaraunt so he sat with us, then we had a good long discussion about how the book of mormon came to be and how our church started that was a cool lesson.

ummm  ITS DA FINAL TRANSFERR DAH DAH DAH DAAAAAAAA DA da !!yeah #stoked

well that's all for now folks!!

-Spencer

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District Conference

Congrats to Trevor Spencer! For finishing his mission this week the 4 corners will really be taking a hit with the loss of such a great missionary as he was! Good luck on your homecoming speech!

This week went super well, I left my planner at home so it's going to be a struggle writing this email.  I apologize in advance.

so umm last Tuesday we had english (just like every Tuesday) Pro tip: if you're teaching english as a missionary and you have someone ask if you can explain some song lyrics, if you say yes, explain you can't if they say the lyrics come from snoop dog, before they tell you what the lyrics are, in front of the whole class.

Wednesday we hit up Trebic, it went well.

Thursday also went well i cant remember what we did.

Friday we played volejbal, and I didn't get stitches! I'm making progress you guys!

Saturday was cool, we went to Prahy, and got to listen to conference! it was really good, the people who spoke had some good messages. I got my package! thanks, it's pretty awesome! we'll probably make s'mores and hamburgers and eat doritos on the 4th commemorating the birth of that great nation over the seas!! and in the morning i'm making waffles! (with real syrup.)

Sunday was just so great! we were in Praze again and we got to listen to the main session of combined District Conference, it was super awesome! President Kearon was there, and he was just a great speaker, but it was super cool just to see all of my mission basically, like all the members from all the branches I served and all the missionaries.  It was so cool!

cool little story right when we were leaving we heard this guy from behind us yelling Elders!! so i turned around and this guy walks up to me with his wife and daughter from Brazil and they just happened to be walking past district conference as it got out.  We helped them get to the metro it was just a cool little experience.  It's always nice to see members! 

Thanks for all of the support from everyone!

-Spencer

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HAPPY FLAG DAY!!

So this week went.

umm nothing huge, like I don't know, nothing is really standing out to me... lets see...

oh it was way cool, so yesterday, these two guys pass us, they kinda look super rough, pretty thug like, so we just passed them but said ,,dobry den" just like always and they pass us and then just a few minutes later we are now walking behind them... I don't know how that happened because we were going in opposite directions. then they stopped to take a smoke break and we pass them again, and say ,,dobry den" and the older one says, "ey! wbherl oe  adydear nodsr" (this was Ukrainian so I didn't understand it) so I was like "what?" and then he said it again, this time I understood, (Ukrainian and Czech are similar and he was speaking like half and half) he was just asking us what we were doing and then one thing led to another, and we ended up going to their apartment and meeting like these 6 Ukrainian guys and teaching about the Book of Mormon. it was cool.

yeah so that's my story.

we made burritos.

we went to the circus. one of the YSA was called up by the clown and took part in an act, it was funny.

church went well we had about 35 people. it was great, a lot of families.

next Sunday is combined district conference, it is going to be so cool. Rumor has it, an apostle might be there. we'll see.

​and to wrap it up here's an inspirational quote: "All men have their fears, but those who face their fears with faith have courage​ as well." -Thomas Spencer Monson

oh that's weird did I just write out his whole middle name hmm my bad.

-Spencer

...my whole person hurts.

so this week was good. we went to an interesting worship service, Pentecostal in nature... strange, but It was cool, they stood in a circle around us and blessed us to do our work effectively so that we can push forward God's efforts here so it was actually pretty cool, but still kinda strange, but good still. 

On Thursday I had my last interview of my mission with President McConkie. (before my departing interview).

then on Friday we were playing beach volejbal with the YSA here and the ball was hit out by my team and I ran and slid to get it, and when I slid (and got it and got the point, fyi) I hit the little cement threshold that keeps the sand in with my knee and got a huge gash in it. so I walked off before I started bleeding all over the sand, and I went to the lifeguards at the big complex we were at and the bandaged it up, then we went to the hospital and I got stitches.  Only three, because they were just holding down this big flap of skin.

it was super funny though, I was sitting in the room with the lifeguards and they're getting out medical stuff, and i'm just like, "so how's it going at work today?" they just both gave me this, like are you serious? sort of look, like half-squinted eyes, haha, so then when we got to the hospital 

I just started talking to the doctor who was giving me stitches and he gave me the same look, but he started talking with me. and now his mom is going to come to our English class, missionary work: accomplished.

but then the next day we were working on a farm, and we were shoveling out this deer kennel or stalls or I don't know but we were just shoveling out all this poop, It was great! (half sarcasm) it was alright, hahah.  so if you've ever shoveled out chicken and or deer poop that is probably 5 years of growth you'd know that you have to take it off by layers, I didn't. so I put my pitchfork real deep, and I am lifting, but nothing comes up and my pitch forks is stuck, then I strained my back super bad because I was lifting with my back and not my legs due to my knee problem... and so I kept working for the next 4 hours, of course :) and then when I got home and laid down I couldn't stand for like a few hours and then I felt like a super old person because I started using the broom as a walking stick.

Sunday was good. got the cops called on us twice. avoided them both times haha.

then today I went and got my stitches taken out. which hurt like a, like a .... like a lot of pain. 

haha, a lot of jokes

and that was my week, it was pretty cool. also another cool story that I just thought of, umm oh yeah so this mom and her daughter came to sacrament meeting yesterday and then they were going to leave afterwards, but the a little member girl was talking to the daughter and she's like "so are you going to come for primary?" and then led the daughter to primary. and then this mom was like "where's my kid?" and the the member girls mom is like "oh they went to primary, you should stay for Sunday School!"

and then they did and the mom loved it! and that was all because of a little 6 year old girl! every member is a missionary, and we need all the help we can get!

sorry this was so long have a great week!

-Spencer

ps

I had another picture of rolls I made, and the pancake loaf, hahah, pancake batter in a bread tin in the oven pure genius

but it was to big to send for some reason.

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Bratislava!!

so we went to Bratislava this week! that was pretty fun, going to Slovakia is always cool.  we tracted a lot this week. which was fun, because we always had people to talk to haha we only got escorted out 3 times this week, and only once by the police, so i'd say it was a success! hahaha

other than that not a ton happened, a family who lives here and in California moved back here for the summer, so that's supper helpful to the branch, they have 5 kids it's pretty cool to see a big family again at church.

other than that this week was pretty much all taken up with the excitement in Bratislavě.

ya know i feel like i used to notice everything that was different about the Czech Republic and culture, but now i feel like i just think it's all supper normal, that's kinda weird, like today my companion was like "i think it's funny that they drive around 4 wheelers here on the roads" and i was like (in my mind) "wait, that's not normal?" it's just weird hahah that all this stuff that's around me that's completely different from home is now just normal. when i get home i'm going to have such a crazy reverse culture shock, i can't even imagine how it must have been for Trevor sheesh Asia, i can't even imagine!

well like my district leader who goes home with me says "we still got tons of time"

so, see you in a while.

-Spencer

p.s. well, unless you live here in CZ because then i'll see you in 3 weeks in Praze :) Ahoj!

oh pps: good luck at camp lol Oskar (heh heh i spelled wrong on purpose), and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYNANNE AND TREVOR (Spencer)!!!!! 

#2.0

so thanks everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes! they were great! i acctually took so long reading all my emails and replying occasionally that i have like no time left... so sorry but thanks for the emails they were fantastic, i'm having a good day today so far, the ysa here are throwing me some kind of party tonight so that's going to be fun!

But it feels good to be 20, 1/4 of my life is gone, humm that's cool. well i don't feel much different than i did yesterday so whatevs.

this week went well we found some cool people.  a lot of different religious people.  this morning i finished reading the bible, that was a trip.

well, it was good to hear from you all.  the work is pushing along. the gospel really does change people for the better.  i've never met a person that hasn't been changed by it for good, and if anyone ever tells one of you otherwise, they don't know what they are talking about. :)

-Spencer

farmer tan, on my neck and arms...

yeah I got pretty burned picking weeds on Saturday for 5 hours. but it was ok in the end.

on Friday and Thursday the APs came and stayed with us so that was pretty fun. nothing super exciting happened during correlation like last Thursday...

Wednesday we went to Trebic, that is always good,

Yesterday we made cookies for everyone in our apartment building which was super fun, haha people were so confused why we were giving them cookies, the looks on their faces hahaha priceless. we also made some for some of the recent converts that we teach, and they loved them! and what's not to love, butter, sugar, more sugar and flour, oh and chocolate. like, what more is there to happiness?

oh last Monday we went to the zoo, there were these otters, I petted them, one bit me haha, I got it on video... good times haha.

the weeks are counting down, I have what... 16 left, i'm not quite sure but time is short so I have to pick it up to finish the work at hand.

have a great week see you next Monday, thanks for all the emails!

-Spencer

I actually told you everything yesterday...Mother's Day

No i'm just kidding, I still got things to say,

actually I have this way funny story I forgot to tell you yesterday, haha and by funny I mean not funny at all. so two nights ago right before we went to bed our carbon monoxide detector went off.  that was a riot haha.  so we called our president, he said that we just should make sure all the batteries are good then open the windows, so we did, then we turned the detector back on and it didn't go off all night. so, then we woke up in the morning and i'm not dead. but I have been living in fear for the past 2 nights. so that hasn't been mentally taxing whatsoever.

besides that, umm church went well yesterday. I led for the first time, it was pretty terrifying, somehow I got everyone singing the right songs and the speakers to go in the right order, so all is well that ends well. umm also yesterday we went over to one of our recent converts houses and my companion skyped with his family (I didn't want to because i'll see you soon) but while he did that I may or may not have watched the Czech vs German match of the hockey world cup and it may or may not have been awesome. The Czech Republic won (4-2). 

any way that's about it for my week. random fact that I learned this week McDonalds was started by a Czech guy from Plzen.

Thanks for all the support and emails!

Peace off!

-Spencer

May the 4th be with you alwa...well today!

so this week was pretty alrightish hahah funny story:

so we were in Brno, for training. as we were coming home by bus we came up to this detour in then road marked by a sign and we are going down the road and we come to this bridge that is marked 3,2 meters high, and the bus driver stops. Knowing his bus is 3.45 meters, he sits there a while thinking about it and then he calls his boss and he and his boss are having this discussion about how he could get under the bridge or if he could, it was so funny, i was sitting right there next to him, at one time he was discussing having all of the passengers go to the front of the bus weigh it down and then walk to the back of the bus as he goes under the bridge! so funny.  then he finally decides he cant (it's been like 25-30 mins) and so now he has to back up down this tiny, twisty road in this giant bus, so he starts employing the passengers to get out and guide him, and he has someone run to the back and pass along hand signals, it was quite the adventure! so then we just go through where it told us we had to turn. turns out they were just having a little party on the namesti for the 1st of may and all they had to do was move a little gate for us to go by, smh, haha, it was hilarious.

Bus-Bridge Misadventure

anyway that was probably the highlight of my week.  nothing supper exciting is popping out to me. it was kind of just an average week here in Jihlava,  nothing huge.

umm it sounds like everyone is doing well, have a good week!  keep up the good work!

and also that's really all i got when it comes to funny stories or anything, hmm, oh also on the more spiritual side, today i was reading in Hebrews 12 and it says that the lord chastises his children, so if you feel like you're going through a rough time at all, it's because God is counting you as his child and he loves you, "but if ye be without chastisement, then ye are bastards".  So be happy in your trials and you will become stronger.

Love y'all

-Spencer

p.s. i'll call you next week at 8:00am mst (on the phone)

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Email Time...

nothing happened this week.

end of email.

I literally thought about ending it right there, how mad would you all have been?

Happy Birthday Abbie and Adéla!!

the work is going along, still here, i'm healthyish so it's all good!

we're still helping people get baptized!

That's super exciting that Trevor and Tiffany got to find out the sex of their baby!

and seriously nothing exciting happened this week i'm sorry.  Have a good end of april everyone!!

-Spencer

Jííííííííííííííííííííííííííííííííííííííííí-

-HLAVA!!

so we got transferred!! i'm staying here in Jihlava, (you pronounce the J like a Y and the I like ee and the A like a dentist would make you) but yeah my new companion is from Mississippi so that's pretty cool, also yesterday I was made 1st counselor of the branch here in Jihlava, so that's pretty cool, i'm pretty excited to help out more around here!

Its kinda weird though, now that I'm a first counselor it's like a thing now, like I was in the Sunday School class for the youth, and usually we'd just go unnoticed if we were in a class like that. but the teacher was like "and i'd like to welcome Elder Petersen from the branch presidency we're glad to have his presence"

but it's also kinda cool because we'll have some general authorities come through so i'm hoping that i'll get to be in some leadership meetings with them that'd be cool.

other than that though, we had a pretty average week honestly. so i'm sorry If my emails are getting more and more boring like I've been here for 7 months about and so not that i'm in a rut but like nothing really new happens that much. I almost got in a fight hahah this guy, who was probably on something, was trying to convince me he was Jesus so I just agreed with him but he could obviously tell that I didn't believe it. haha it was nuts but yeah nothing happened.  

anyway love you all! good luck with the baby thing Trevor and Tiffany! oh and hey everyone, missions are important so go on one!

-Spencer 

Konference!

konference was good. we had a meal between sessions on saturday as a branch and it was pretty cool, the members just love american food, (prolly cause its full a butter and sugar) so alas now i have to translate the recipie for rolls into czech smh... haha

the rest of the week went pretty well, we had the opportunity to go to a soccer game on saturday which was way fun, went with the six of us missionaries and 4 of the ysa here in Jihlava so that was super cool... we lost though. 

i'm having a hard time remembering what we did last week because i left my planner... umm we had nothing much last week besides that, just preping for confernce and everything so yeah, but the work is stilll pushing along and even speeding up so it's really cool to see that people want goodness in there life, i feel like everyone really longs for the gospel, but the pull of the few who control the media make it seem like it's the uncool thing to do, and since there is no more honor in today's day people can't do what makes them happy if it's uncool, because they care to much which is sad.

well last message for the week, general konference was pretty clear this time, get married and be morally clean!

Peace off!

tl;dr watched konference, a soccer game, and peer-presure is bad.

-Spencer