Birthday Gifts!

1st Counselor in the Branch Presidency

Nazdar!

Hey all, just winding up wondering how every week here except the ones I don't like seem to go by SUPER fast. I'm so happy to be able to continue being in Trencin now that I have a chance to explore it all here! My companion has been out for 2 months longer than me, so we're both just barely out of training, and our Slovak and Czech has already started to drastically improve being together because we were both really good coming into the transfer, and I'm really excited to continue feeling that improvement. He is exactly the kind of missionary I love serving with. He's hard-working like I am, he loves music, he's not scared of telling me his opinions, he doesn't give the flipping silent treatment, and he wants to explore the city as much as I do. Try new ideas like going tracting with a survey in parts that I still haven't seen? He's ready and raring to go. I really like President McConkie's idea here as well. He figures if he splits the work, e.g. I'm the head of the church (1st Counselor in the Branch Presidency), my companion's the head of the district (DL), then we will both be less stressed and able to get more done. So far, he's exactly right. Honestly, I'm still not looking forward at all to having to be a district or zone leader, and I'm grateful that so far that opportunity hasn't fallen on my shoulders, but I'm starting to look at the idea of training (especially follow-up) with a little less harsh view. All of my companions so far have told me they wish that I had trained them, so maybe that's a sign.

Playing antique pianos--we miss his music at home!

As far as this week goes, our numbers weren't too good because we have been getting so many activities ready for the coming transfer. Napriklad, we have a concert in TWO days!!! AAAAHHH! I'm SO not ready, especially for all the new songs, and I'm probably going to be taking a lot of time today and tomorrow to practice and get ready for that. But tonight we also have an idea from the Sisters that I like and we're trying. We've noticed that when new people come to watch conference, they're not sure what to expect and they kind of get overwhelmed by 2 hours of crazy spirit filled wonderfulness, so we decided to try something new. We handed out a MILLION fliers this last week for a sort of, Come-find-out-what-we-actually-believe-because-those-DVD's-the-J~Dubs-pass-out-are-super-rough-and-there's-nothing-even-close-to-right-on-them night. 

#followtheprophet#conference#mormons#REPRESENT#supyo#instareal#IheartMadsters

So chic!

Speaking of conference, just want to tell everyone, if you didn't watch it, you get up off your couch and go give that thing a hard look, there wasn't a single word said out of place, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, EVEN during Richard G. Scott's talk, which is surprising because I think he could make a KILLING charging to read bed-time stories. I've got myself a new favorite speaker now too, this is coming since the MTC: Russell M. Nelson, Holy quotable! His talk on truth POUNDED something I've been thinking for years: that religion and science shouldn't be enemies in any sense of the word, they both describe truth and the only way to excel in either is through revelation. Just google the cotton gin and find out how that guy finally figured it out. My favorite talk during conference was President Uchtdorf on gratitude. That really hit home for every Slovak missionary as we've just had a recent convert get her records removed from the church. She was baptized here in Trencin in December, but she got into a discussion with a member about some really really deep, controversial doctrine, and decided that she never had a testimony and refused to let her children be baptized, and removed her records. The antidote for grief is gratitude. The antidote for fear is faith. The antidote for pride is simplicity. This conference gave us every answer we needed as a mission to continue in faith and to get work done. I am so grateful that we have prophets on the Earth. Real. Living. Prophets. It's just an added bonus that they don't seclude themselves in some cave because everyone is trying to kill them.

Birthday packages!

I love this gospel so much. We should be baptizing one investigator either on this Saturday or next, and another investigator is working toward May 10th. I am so grateful to be a part in these investigators conversion processes, and I can't wait to share happy news with you in the (very) near future. 

Even the sister missionaries were captivated by the haul.

As for right now, I got 2 packages delivered to me by angels from Prague, and I am very happy to announce that I have REAL AMERICAN FOOD!!! Haha, oh my GOSH, everything was so PERFECT! I got some TIES, and some MAC and FLIPPING cheese. I unwrapped some BEEF. I got some MAPLE SYRUP oh, and you have to be careful with Mapleine. If you haven't heard how Bill Cosby talks in the beginning of his chocolate cake for breakfast routine, go listen to it, because that's how I'm talking in my head writing this. I was astounded by how much joy can come to missionaries with just some noodles and boullion in a package. You know if anything my mission so far has really increased my patriotism, America is just amazing, it could use a little clean-up in the politics area and the "whose-country-are-we-going-to-save-from-communism" area and the "tell-its-people-everything-it's-doing" area, but otherwise it's fantastic and I'm blessed to be a part of such a great nation. I love you all, and I want to throw a shout-out to my uncle, thanks for your email, haha, to my cousin, really got me good, huh? And to her again, WHAT THE FLIP WERE YOU THINKING?!? Rats, you got me good. And Thank you so much to Grandma and Grandpa, leave it to my grandparents to just see a need and fill it. I had the best French Toast ever last night because of you two, thank you thank you thank you SO much. And thank you also to my aunt's family, your prayers are felt every day, I'm excited to use your present for a finding technique I have (Teenagers here really love American gum, but they don't sell it here). Thank you also to another aunt's family, I don't remember if I thanked you already, but your advice about the soccer players got us a new investigator, so thank you so much, I'm really grateful, and so is the Lord.

Milujem t'a tak vel'a,

Elder Chris Brousseau

Have you ever seen anyone so happy to eat mac & cheese??!!