Sunday, October 28, 2012

"MORMON HELPING HANDS"


Twice a year the Ostrava Branch participates in a service project to help out the city Ostrava "Mormon Helping Hands".  This year we went to a park and raked leaves,cut out dead limbs, picked up garbage and swept sidewalks.  It was a beautiful autumn morning and we had a very good time.  Even if I could not straighten up the next morning.  Serving together we got to know the members much better.


Getting ready to go to work.


Bratr Kolek, Mirek, Eva, Zuzi, Pavla, Sister Mills, Renata, Veronica


Rudolph Vavrusa


 Sestra Jirina Huskova


Elder Detrich and Rudolph Vavrusa


Bratr Dusan Kolek, Elder Chezik, and Elder Hansen


Bratr Rosta Nosek


 Sestra Pavla Wolfova


Daniel Kolek


All the Elders wanted the job of sawing off the dead limbs.


Zuzi Kolek, Daniel Kolek, Mirek Michalsky,and Elder Buhler.  They are in the green waste bin to try to smash it down to make more room for more debris.  They were jumping around like it was a trampoline.


Elder Mills, Sestra Renata Blomberg, Elder Chezik.  


Eva Michalska, Sister Mills, Pavla Wolfova


Mirek Michalsky.  One of the youngest there.  We don't have to many children in our branch, so it is delightful when a few are around. 



 "Helping Hands" group at the end of the day.


A tired bunch of missionaries at the end of the project waiting for their ride home on the bus.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

So much has been happening, but I wanted to start out with a picture of another Elder's birthday.  Happy Birthday Elder Hansen!!!  Elder Hansen is one our favorites (although they all hold a very dear place in our heart.)  You get to love them....then they up and get transferred.  We don't like that part of it.


The first part of October a few of the Senior Couples went on a little vylet to Olomouc.  This is where Elder and Sister Erb are serving as the CES couple..  (Sister Erb is on the far right).  We did a tour of their city, had a great lunch and had to scurry back to our own homes.  Thank you Erb's for your great hospitality.  We had a great time.


 (Elder Scott, Elder Mills, Sister Mills, Sister Martin, Elder Martin, Sister Erb)


Having a little girl time.  (Sister Martin, Sister Erb, Sister Mills)



There were some beautiful churches in this city.  This church sits right in their backyard.  They hear the bells every 15 minutes.  They say they are used to it now.

(Elder Erb, Sister Erb, Sister Martin, Elder Martin, Elder Scott, Sister Scott, Sister Mills)





Every where you go you will see beautiful stained glass windows.  These windows are in the church above.


Just some beautiful scenery we walked past.


 The college in Olomouc sits on top of this wall.



I have never seen so many stairs in one country.  Most of us needed oxygen before we got to the top.


Beautiful streets and buildings.


 Sister Martin and Sister Erb enjoying the beauty of this little street.



The architecture on these old buildings is really beautiful.


One of the city squares.


Elder and Sister Martin.  These clocks are on the city building.  It was much different before the war.  The story goes as the Nazis were leaving the city at the end of the war they opened fire on the clock wall and destroyed it.  The communist's came in and replaced it with what you see now.  It is all about the worker and  the solider.  The people in the city do not like it very much.  Originally it was much prettier.


Statue in the square.


This is a model of the city that sits in the square.



This  is a beautiful depiction of Christ in the garden praying with Peter, James and John waiting.  It is quite touching the way the artist has caught the feelings of the apostles.



And, lastly.....as you can see the main namesti is under construction.  When they got digging around they found an abundance of mass graves right under the city center.  I believe they took care of what they could, but as Elder Mills was walking by he saw two human bones just lying in the rubble, so he picked them up and we got a picture of him.  Somebody is going to be ticked on resurrection day that some old guy was man handling their bones.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Our last Family Home Evening was a lot of fun.  We had two investigators and two ward members.  We sure wish we could get more to participate, but we will keep working on it.  We did a Halloween theme which was kinda interesting because Halloween isn't really big here, but everyone soon got the feel for it.


At the end of the evening everyone looked like they had a good time.


We played wrap the mummy.  We had two teams and they had to wrap someone in toilet paper.  They were timed and the team who did the best job won.


This team was very satisfied with their work.


The other team working hard at their task.


The winner!! 


We played "Charades".  Here Zuzi is acting out "Horror".


We also played "pictionary" with Halloween words.  They weren't to familiar with American Halloween words and sayings.


For dessert they had to eat their donuts from a string.  The Elders were the best at this!  They really wanted that donut!!!!!!!   We ended the evening on a spiritual note with favorite Book of Mormon stories.
 Fun times and fond memories from the Czech Republic.




Tuesday, October 9, 2012


Well it has been awhile since I last posted to this blog, so I have a little catching up to do.  We have been so busy here in the Czech Republic.  We have been teaching everyday with the Elders and traveling for conferences and other activities.  I am always amazed at the beauty of the countryside here.  Someone asked us if we missed the beauty of the fall leaves and mountains of Utah this time of year.  We really don't miss the beauty of Utah because it is equally beautiful here!  The only things we are missing from Utah are our family, our children and grandchildren, and good friends.  Hope everyone is doing well at home and enjoy seeing some of our pictures from the Czech Republic.


These pictures are from last transfer.  Above is Elders, Prymak, Knapp, Carlsen, and Hansen.  We went a second time with them to Hulkvaldy.  Sister Mills didn't go to the top again, but the Elders and Elder Mills made it.  These boys have so much energy.  Oh to be young!!!


Elders Hansen and Carlsen enjoying the view from the window of the castle.  It was a very long way down.



There is this statue of a silver fox at Hulkvaldy.  They say if you rub his tale you will have  good luck.  You can see the bottom of his tale how everyone has rubbed it by the way it has discolored.


New group of missionaries at Sister's Blomberg's home.  She is so good to the missionaries.  She has them to lunch several times a transfer and the missionaries so look forward to it.  New Elders are (starting on the left) Elders Chezik (California), Hansen (Texas), Dietrich (Germany), Buhler (Utah), Sister Mills, Sister Blomberg (Ostrava), Boysen (England), and Prymak (Virginia).


Elder Buhler is the new District Leader.  He turned 21 just after he arrived in Ostrava.  I made chocolate dessert instead of a cake and Sister Blomberg made the "21" with whipped cream.  Happy Birthday Elder Buhler!!

Last weekend, October 5-7 2012 the Young Single Adults planned a "Vikend V Praze"  (weekend in Prague).  This was for all YSA's in the mission.  We traveled there with three YSA's from Ostrava.  We thought that maybe we would get to see a little bit more of the city, but in reality all we saw was the four walls in this picture.  We helped Elder and Sister Curtis, who are in charge of YSA in Prague and two other Senior couples, Elder and Sister Martin, and Elder and Sister Wilford.  We helped with the meals starting Friday night through Sunday afternoon fed around 70 YSA meals and snacks.  It was a lot of work, but everyone had such a good time.  It made it worthwhile.  Above is many hands helping to prepare breakfast.  French toast, sausage and fruit.  Yummy!!  Sister Curtis had made homemade bread for the french toast....it was wonderful.


Adam Hotovy, in the back with spatula, and Sister Curtis in the front helping with breakfast. (Sorry, I don't know the young man in the middle)  Adam came with us from Ostrava.  He is a recent convert to the church and a wonderful young man.  He is fun to be around.  He calls Elder Mills and I his American Grandparents.  He calls me his Babika.  (Grandma).  I don;t mind.  (Those of you who read Czech I apologize for not using the Czech keyboard so the names and words probably look a little funny)


One of the meals served during the weekend.  This room doubles as cultural hall and chapel.  When the party is over chairs are set up for Sacrament Meeting.  At their Sacrament Meeting on that Sunday they had 206 people in attendance.  A record, of course, as the YSA's were there and BYU students traveling through Europe.  What a beautiful sight to see the room so full of great people.


For breakfast they has fruit cups.  Here is a group of crazy people cutting grapes in half and taking out the seeds.  What happened to just spitting them out....that's what I want to know????




Fireside Saturday night.  Bratr Hans Noot, from Holland came and talked about the "Armor of God".  He was a fencing expert and did some fun things with the young people having to do with fencing,.


Another young man from Prague did a sport similar to fencing.  (Can't even remember what it is called).  Here he is with all of his armor on.  He looked quite intimidating.  I would have run the other way even before he lifted his sword.



Group picture of all Young Single Adults who attended the conference.

 Jiri Kubala, Sister Mills, Elder Mills, and Adam Hotovy.  These are two young men that cam with us from Ostrava.  Zuzi Kolkovie also came with us from Ostrava, but we could never catch up with her to get a picture.  Sorry Zuzi.


Jiri and Adam looking very handsome all dressed up.



We stayed at quite an interesting Penzion while in Prague. (The Alexander)  Here is Elder Mills sitting in the front room where they serve breakfast.


Front area of Penzion.

 Hallway


Kitchen.


Train station in Prague on our way home.  Tried travelers after a fun, spiritual weekend.  


This picture of Prague was not taken on this trip.  It was when we were here before because we never got out to take any photos this time.  But it is a beautiful city so wanted to have a picture to go with the weekend experience.

The young people in the Czech/Slovak mission are wonderful.  They have strong testimonies, are hard working, and a lot of fun to be around.  We only wish we could get more young people to help build God's kingdom here in the Czech Republic.  The missionaries are working so hard, and little by little the church is growing in this part of the world.  We are so blessed to be able to serve a mission here with these wonderful people.  We see God's tender mercies everyday as we serve.  God lives and he loves us.  He wants us to be happy and successful in everything we do.  We are truly grateful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings it brings to all of us.                  Love to our family.......we miss you all so much, but are very happy where we are and know that this is where we should be right now.