Monday, April 6, 2015

April 6, 2015 - In which we're April Fooled

Dear family,

Last week has been pretty exciting! It's been pretty difficult some days, but I'm learning a lot. The weather played April Fool's on us last week and a couple of days it dumped snow in the morning and then was mostly melted off by the afternoon. It's still been very cold and windy, though. I had to get out my long underwear again! Last Wednesday we went to the M family to do service in their garden. It was cold, but a lot of fun!

H continues to make good progress. He actually seems to be very on top of his own progress. He's still "anxiously engaged," I would say. The other day he asked us who his home teachers are, he's doing visits to archives to try and find his ancestors for family history work, and he reads just about everything Church-produced that he can get his hands on. He still needs to have an interview for the Aaronic Priesthood and needs a calling, but we're working with the branch for that.

Last week I told you about one of our less-active member's girlfriend, L. L is making progress really fast. She has come to church four times now and loves it. She feels extremely welcomed into the branch and loves attending and meeting with us. She has a lot of health issues and has had some tragedies in her past, but she sees how the gospel can help her overcome them and understands how it can heal her. The members also notice how she notices it and they LOVE her (it helps when she bears her testimony at fast and testimony meeting about how she believes that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the face of the whole earth!). They want her to be baptized really bad! She also wants to be baptized and this morning she accepted a date for June 6.

L also continues to do well. We went and visited on Sunday. She fasted for a baptismal date. She's still not too certain, but wants to be baptized and is just trying to decide when. She's excited for General Conference this weekend.

We've had a really nice Easter. We've been thinking about what happened 2000 years ago all week. Thursday one of the other Elder's investigators invited us over to her home with her family (who are all very Catholic) and they reenacted a traditional Passover meal with us in remembrance of the Last Supper. That was a memorable experience. Yesterday was fast and testimony and there were a couple of wonderful testimonies.

In the Czech Republic the biggest day, however, for Easter is Easter Monday. Today boys braid twigs into whips and walk around to women's and girls' homes to whip them (lightly) on the the rear end and to recite a funny poem. In exchange for their gracious whipping the men receive colored eggs. I don't get it exactly, either, but it's a funny tradition that they really enjoy. Missionaries aren't supposed to whip the ladies, but we went with a couple of members to other members' homes to watch, at least recite the poem, and share an Easter message. It was a lot of fun! Next week I'll need to send photos of the whips and the pretty eggs we received.

We're doing well here. I'm always working to be better and see miracles. Though I don't feel like we necessarily deserved them, lots of important blessings seemed to suddenly come out of the woodwork last week. It's already the last week of the transfer, but like Jesus during His last week we're going to keep going strong :)

Thanks for the love and emails. Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Boyce

PS Attached is the photo of our April Fooling :(



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