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

Nother shorty sorry.

K so this week i don't have much time again, i'm sorry about that but i was recounting this story to a friend of mine and i thought you'd all appreciate it. but first, my week went well, another 2 months down and next week i could be in another city. but nothing super crazy happened, they are prepping the pipes like they do once a year in my apartment building, so for the next 4 days we only have ice cold showers .... but here's my story!!

k now i want to talk about crazy people.  so let me tell you all this, first of all crazy people who see things would be crazy whether or not they had names to put to the ghosts and the voices.  Some crazy people think that it's a saint or the virgin mary, but let me tell you that people who are not religious who just go crazy, still are, and they say they see aliens and ghosts and all kinds of stuff.   Let me tell you a story of my grandfather.   So my grandpa had dementia.  He had a clinical mental handicap and yeah, he was definitely crazy.  He had the mind of maybe a 6-10 year old. But once, during testimony meeting, when we were taking care of him, he got up to bear his testimony.  Now my family and I were like, OK, here we go, he's going to go off about World War 2 and tell us how he beat the Germans with 2 shotguns (didn't happen for realz), but he got up, and we're all kinda sitting there anticipating what's going to happen, and in that moment, he starts bearing the most profound testimony I have ever heard.  With clarity in his mind as if he was a healthy fully functioning man, he bore testimony of his passed wife and he told how he would be with her soon again  He bore witness of the Book of Mormon and of the prophet.  He told how he knew the things which he said were true.   Tears came to his eyes and a shakiness came over his voice as he bore witness of all of these things.  This man who had lived through and fought in WWII and who had lived through the great depression, who had seen life, stood that day, and,  in Clarity,  told us what was really true, without a hint of his disabled mind showing, without a single piece of his mind seemingly gone.  After closing his testimony, as he walked away from the stand, he turned to my dad (on the stand) and stuck out his tongue, haha and he was but a child again.  That's the Power of the Holy Ghost! That is the power of God! Even in the midst of his clouded mind, this man, through the spirit, was able to praise God and Jesus Christ!  That's amazing to me!  This stuff is true I promise!

-Spencer

Truth.

God exists, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to die and atone for our sins.
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, the Testifier of Truth.
The Bible and The Book of Mormon are the word of God here on earth today.
We also have a prophet who's words are just as powerful and as important to us as the two previously mentioned books, His name is Thomas S. Monson, He truly speaks with God and directs us on how we should live righteous successful lives.
Joseph Smith lived and died as one of the most reviled men in the history of the world, but every single thing he said and did while acting as a prophet of God is truth.
These are the things that I now know, and this knowledge has and will forever change my life.
I bear witness of these things as a missionary, serving under the command of the Most High God, in the Czech and Slovak Republics, in the name of my Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

​-Spencer​

Early Transfers!!

So one of my companions got a call from president yesterday morning, and he moved to Jičín today! so that was pretty exciting.  Yup.

Also my birthday was yesterday!! i was so excited! i made a german pancake! it was so freaking good, we didn't have any syrup though, so i went with the healthier side of things and melted a chocolate bar and had that on it instead, it was good.  I got some amazing presents also from my friends here! so cool! opening those in the morning was probably the highlight of my week! they were just amazing!

Then i had a baptizm this week, well not me but i went to one from my old area, it was so awesome, this kid (23) was just so amazing, like when asked if he knows it's true he was just like no. i don't. but i believe most of it is true and what i don't believe is true i want it to be so badly so his missionaries promised him that everything that he doesn't know when he is baptized he'll gain a testimony of. And he did. and his baptism was so awesome and so spiritual for him, so was his confirmation at church! Really, just cool.

the rest of my week besides those three, points wasn't as important or exciting so yeah but i did go to Prague, so that was good, i also got my visa so i'm legal now.  Also i had zone conference, we watched a video, go watch it right now, it's called Because of Him ​it's in czech* and english, and it's like literally 3 mins and it's just amazing! so go check it out, but seriously go watch it guys.

but that's all for today thanks all for the birthday wishes, and for the presents!!! they were amazing!!!

Love you all,

               -Spencer.

 


*(Mom note - I can't find the Czech translation of the video link... I'll work on it.)

Oh hey i forgot...

So i forgot to tell you all yesterday when i called for mother's day,  
we had a baptism on saturday!! 
yeah! so that was way cool! anyway i thought you guys might want to know

The rest of the week was kinda average, well for missionary work.  we talked to people, we had meetings, atd. umm yeah i don't really have much to say, ... well yup, i don't know. 

Oh, so we were going to go teach this guy, and he's from austria and for like 20 minutes i was trying to say his name correctly and i wasn't apparently because my swiss companion was just like, "no it's not hugler, it's hugler..."  i'm just like we're all saying the same thing josh!! haha yeah but that's like the best story i have from the week hahah i'm pretty boring i guess.

but the baptism was good so that's pretty cool.

that's pretty much it for this week, i'm sorry guys i don't have any other stuff.

but hey, this is what i do have to say,  God exists. Thomas Spencer Monson is a prophet. This church is the only fully true church on the earth today. The knowledge I have of these 3 things is all that's important. If you don't know these three things for yourself, send me an email.

-Spencer.

Day 263, Demz da breaks

This week has just been crazy, last week of the transfer and we were trying to pack so many lessons in because i was leaving  so we had a way crazy time, i don't have my planner here becuase i had to make a new one for my new area but it was a pretty good week. on monday we went to Sternberk, didn't spell that right but i don't want to have to keep changing my keyboard, then we came back had 2 lessons

on tuesday we taught some more had a fun english class i had a lot of people come  got some gifts at the end haha one of my english students gave me alcholic chocolate. then i packed that night anticipating my move.
wednesday was less crazy  but we talked to some sick people on the park scene had a lesson with my favorite investigator for the last time.

thursday was awesome, went to Prostejov (spelling again) had  the best lunch thing ever with an elderly sister, than we went to a blind member's house and walked with him to the bus stop it's crazy how good he can get around. i'm saying crazy a lot. then came back to Olomouc had game night went home tired wrote some letters to some members

Friday woke up tired. tired, but still kickin. (i don't really read my blog but when i spell words like this "kickin" it's because that's the way i want it to be read not kicking it doesn't have the same effect.) but then we had some good times with some people who we met on wednesday had 2 great lessons in the morning had some successful finding in the afternoon.

Saturday is a special day, it's a day we get ready for Sunday. i can't remember anything about this day because  got my new area assignment. started fasting.

Sunday: This was the best day for me. so i woke up 6:30 just like everyday, went to church at 7:40 got there, had a meeting with the branch president and 1st counselor, and then we had the best sacrament i've ever had in my life. It was fast and testimony meeting, i'm getting all emotional just writing about it, but i asked my branch president to ask an investigator of mine give the opening prayer, and of course she did because she's amazing. and it was the best prayer i've ever heard. and then after blessing the sacrament i went and sat down next to her. the meeting went well, there was some awesome testimonies one of my favorites was a girl that was baptized about a year ago it was so good.  While the meeting was going on i wrote a little note to the girl i was sitting by (my investigator) asking her to bear her testimony, and she's like no, you should you're leaving, and i don't want to cry. but i was like, neither do i and then i proceded to make a deal with her that i would if she did.  so after thinking about it she kept looking for a time to get up and then in my head i was like oh crap she's going to so now i have to. but then she got up and she bore the most fantastic testimony i have ever heard. ever. i lost it. and then now it's my turn. and i have to get up already crying but that was the deal, and i'm good for my word.  so i struggled not to cry through my testimony, while trying to speak czech, it was hard.  now i can't even remember what was said but i know that it was so amazing and the girls that stood up and bore their testimonies are just so so cool. I Love them both so much! I'm going to miss them so much now that i'm not in Olomouc but hej, demz da breaks.  The rest of the day went well, we delivered brownies to people, our oven burned them though. I got some amazing gifts from people. then another highlight of the day, last phone call to an investigator,, and we both cried... if anyone just sang t-swift in their head they're my kind of people. but it was a good day probably the best of my mission so far, I'm going to miss the people of olomouc. it's my favorite city in the world. But we'll make it good here. but, no looking back, because "those who put their hand to the plow and look back are not fit for the Kingdom of God." Goodbye Olomouc. See ya latter.

-Starší Petersen