Road Trip

This week was terrific! I really enjoyed everything that we were able to be a part of! We finished up our trainings, and everything we needed for our road trip on Monday. Then Tuesday morning we went straight to Jihlava where we helped pack up the Sisters apartment, closed the apartment with the landlord, and then helped them move into Trebic. This will be a big change, and a good movement to the work of a second stake in the Brno area. Afterwards, we stayed at President Pohořelický mom's house in Trebic, and then left early in the morning for Brno. Had our training in Brno, and then drove into Bratislava for the next zone training! After their training we helped the Hardwicks, the senior couple in Slovakia move out a few other things they needed and then came back to Prague....I was pretty tired, but it was a very effective week.

On Friday, we did our best to get all our office work done, and have lessons with our investigators. On Sunday, we had the first mission U-nite, which is a principle taught in the power of everyday missionaries, where members invite their friends to an open group discussion about certain lessons that missionaries give. Our job was merely to attend and interact with all of the people. It was a huge success, and we were able to get a new investigator from the event. The focus in our mission with preparing for the new stake, has had a lot of success and that has been exciting! We will hope all continues to go well as we present this activity with help from the stake for the following transfer.

Michal is doing well, he has been reading and praying, and seeing opposition; but he has been able to recognize it and push through it. His baptismal date the beginning of March is looking pretty good. We are also now teaching again Viktor and Vera, a couple here from Ukraine that Elder Terry and I taught last year when both of us are here. Then we are teaching David and Kristina, both of which are also referrals from Jara, our ward mission leader. We are excited to really start to see more of these individuals progress and come unto Christ. 

After hearing of the passing of a good family friend, Bill Wright, I thought of the wonderful message of the Plan of Salvation. He was a wonderful man who was loved by all, and did nothing but look to serve others including me and my family. I was saddened by his passing, but reassured by these scriptures:

Mosiah 16:6-9 And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.  He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

How grateful I am for the knowledge that the grave has no victory, and death no sting through Christ. Through Christ we can, and will, be resurrected and through his suffering in Gethsemane the sting of death cannot maintain a hold upon us. 

S Láskou,

Starší Belshe

Senior Couple Presentation, Trainings, and Road Trip

Senior Couple Recruitment, Trainings, and Road Trips

So first things first, I wanted to explain the attached link that I have included in the email. We currently have the blessing of 6 senior couples in our mission. Four of which will be leaving in the next 5 months. We have seen such an amazing, needed help that our senior couples provide. They can bring a special love, connection, and experience for the members that younger missionaries can’t provide. They accomplish tasks that many younger missionaries cannot, and they also bring such a wonderful needed spirit for all of the young missionaries. We are looking to help those considering to serve a mission see the wonderful blessings and benefits of a mission. We would love if you would share this video with any individuals you would feel would like to serve a mission, or also to send it to those individuals that you know who would consider serving a mission. Please share this with people you know and encourage individuals to choose to serve a couples' mission. You are needed!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xm6 b2ai3hnwo16r/AACbOztI4xkxzVcJt iozcsh6a?dl=0

As for this week, we had MLC (Mission Leadership Conference) which was really good. We planned for training and talked about the needs of the mission. This week with Michal, we had a wonderful sacrament meeting with him, and when we were going to Sunday school we noticed he was gone. We thought maybe he had left, but noticed his bag was still by the front entrance so we just went to class. About an hour later I get pulled out of class by a member who has been teaching with us the majority of the time, she said Michal accepted a baptism date from her! He wants his goal to be baptized on March the 20th! It was a wonderful example of member missionary work, and it was great because she helped resolve concerns that Michal didn’t feel comfortable sharing personally with us. We are very excited for him.

We have spent a lot of time preparing for a couple of trainings and exchanges.
Our exchange this week was in Jihlava.  We had the same approach of doing a fireside at the end of the night after a day of really trying to jumpstart the area, and without fail, the Lord always provides a way. In one day, we were able to find 7 new investigators in an area that had struggled to find any for weeks. It was a very large faith booster for them.

Next week we are spending the entire week gone for trainings and helping missionaries move into new apartments. Lots of new areas being opened, others closed, and senior couples leaving. So we have converted the mission van into a moving service/RV...it will be a great week!

My quote comes from Elder Christofferson's talk: Abide in my Love

To “continue in” or “abide in” the Savior’s love means to receive His grace and be perfected by it. To receive His grace, we must have faith in Jesus Christ and keep His commandments, including repenting of our sins, being baptized for the remission of sins, receiving the Holy Ghost, and continuing in the path of obedience.

I love this thought of abiding in the Savior's love...it requires us to act! It is not something passive that comes to all that simply want it, but it is open to all that give their all to him and strive to repent and change a little bit each day. One of the ways I have been striving to repent is by saying my prayers out loud and really focus on following the spirit in my prayers. Elder Page, Michal, and I are on a challenge to pray out loud for 15 minutes a day for 30 days straight. So far I haven’t missed a day, and I have felt a stronger connection to Heavenly Father through my prayers. I know that taking action to abide in Christs love, we will find it.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Belshe

Office Projects and Olomouc

So, this week has been a little bit more focused on office work. We spent a lot of time working on translating, and adding subtitles to "Meet the Mormons" in Czech to help support missionaries in their finding efforts. It has been a little tedious, but also it’s finally done. We have been working together with the office elders on it! We also have been planning MLC for next week, and getting other things ready for the end of the transfer in a few weeks! 

The best part of our week was an exchange into Olomouc! This is the city that Elder Page was in for 9 months as a branch counselor and district leader. We got to visit and announce some changes that would be happening in the area including an opening of a nearby city called Prostejov. Also, the addition of a sisters' area which is going to be a fantastic change to this area. 

Our work is centered on the four areas of Prague, Liberec, Olomouc and Trebic by strengthening these areas we would be prepared for a second stake in the Brno side of the country.  So we are visiting each area on exchanges holding firesides and trying to get the missionaries excited for the work and get the areas pumping. Last week we saw the movie “Miracles” in Liberec with 10 new potential investigators, and this week in Olomouc we found 8 new investigators! We had a very spiritual fireside were we brainstormed finding ideas and things that can help the area grow. I shared a spiritual thought about visions and planning and Elder Paige talked about faith, then we had a testimony meeting. Next week we will have exchanges with some zone leaders, and then we will do it in the Trebic area the following week! 

My scripture from this week is Mosiah 13:11

“And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives.”

In reading the story of Abinadi this week, I came across the phrase "written in your hearts" and it struck me. Although, I would assume we generally keep the 10 commandments throughout our lives, the idea of it being written in your hearts came to me as being a little bit deeper. When it is written in our hearts, the thought of sin rarely is acted on. When it is written in our hearts, we never let "small misdeeds" slip by. When it is written in our hearts we become more like Christ. I love this thought, and I have considered the commandments and if all of them are written in my heart. This has helped me to know what I can improve to feel closer to my Heavenly Father. I know that if we write the commandments in our hearts, that we can be more conductive of the spirit and feel his love in abundance!

Mějte se hezký! 


S Láskou,
Starší Belshe

Road Trips

So this week for my email, I am just going to break it down by days because there are lots of highlights to go over and I don’t want to miss one :)

Monday:
This day we spent a lot of time in the office finishing up trainings for Dropbox, Media, referrals, Senior Couple Presentation, and new Standards. Then we accompanied President and Sister Pohořeličti to a Multi Faith Cooperative Conference. I was assigned as photographer, and it was a good conference to be a part of. They discussed the importance of finding harmony between our many faiths, and President and Sister Pohořeličti discussed how family bonds all of us together and explained Family: A Proclamation to the World. It was very powerful! Afterward we talked to one of the coordinators to set up a service project that we can do tomorrow.
Tuesday:
We traveled up to Brno early in the morning and prepared everything for zone training, and translated for it. Gave the trainings we finished up, and translated for the senior couple missionaries for the presentations that were given in Czech. Then we spent the night in Brno and talked with the Brno Zone Leaders.
Wednesday:
Woke up early in the morning and drove to Bratislava and had their zone training. Also very spiritual, and loved being able to get to know the Slovak Missionaries better that I never got to meet before, because I’ve been on the Prague Zone of the Country for basically my entire mission. Drove back to Prague that night, spent the long drive calling potentials, referrals, and others on the phone. We also rocked out to approved Disney Music...it was a good time ;)
Thursday:
Woke up early and drove up to Liberec for an exchange with the District Leader, and a planned district finding activity with the Sister Training Leaders and the Zone Leaders. We started to do some contacting about our free English course when we were stopped by the police. So we switched our activity to an "apparently more legal" gospel centered topic on the other side of the city, and made it a competition to see who could find the most new investigators. The Sister Training Leaders won and I bought them ice cream, but it was a true miracle. In the space of 2.5 hours we found 8 potentials, and 5 new investigators between 5 separate companionships. It was a light of hope and a large amount of new faith for this area! It was a great day!
Friday:
Got up at normal time :) Then traveled back to Prague right on time for District Meeting and we talked about miracles. President has challenged us to have 8 baptisms here in Prague during this transfer. It is a very high goal that requires a large amount of faith. In our fast that we are starting tonight, we will be fasting for the ability to fulfill this goal. We are very, very, excited! Then we taught Michal and David, our current progressing investigators, both of which are great! We focused on church for them, and Michal should be coming tomorrow and David will be coming the following week.
Saturday:
Today we played squash in the morning with a member whose is getting married in 3 months. Andres, he is a stud. I also stepped in dog poop...that was kind of lame...but then we got in the office and caught up on all the work that we had to get down during the week! It has been a busy week, and a lot of great changes

My scripture for this week: Mormon 9:19

19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.


God's miracles are still on this earth today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and continues to guide us in these the latter days. When faith is combined with works in accomplishing God's will….the miracles come!

Have a great week!


Elder Belshe

Zone Training in Brno