Ostrava

Sick Thanksgiving! We had a party as a ward and a ton of less active and investigators came. The part member family that we have been working with came and their 3 little kids loved the activities and one of them came up to me with a picture and said "Elder, I drew this for you" It was probably the cutest thing that's happened to me on my mission! We also had our sports night this week and an entire basketball team came and played with us then we taught all of them a lesson. It was way cool we basically just preached to 16 young men! This week on the town square they set up the giant Christmas tree and all of the lights so we are going there today to look at all of the markets that they set up. We also did some service for a member and painted her kitchen. That was pretty fun. It's been a good week.

This is the new Christmas film from the church about how we can become more like Jesus! Enjoy:) www.mormon.org/christmas/light-the-world?play=hero

Sbohem,
Elder Paxton

Ostrava

Well things are going good here in Ostrava. We have met a lot of really cool people and been able to work with the members a lot. We did a service project as a ward and helped clean the outside of a senior home. There were a million leaves and it was raining so they were soaking wet and muddy but it was way fun. Next month we get to go back and sing Christmas songs to all the old people so that will be cool. We also had training this week and since Prague is so far away we had to wake up at 2 to catch a train. It was a long train ride but training was way good. Elder Sebin of the Seventy and his wife came and had a really good training. Oh we also visited this part member/ less active family and it was the best less active visit I've had. They were so happy to see us and they have 3 little kids that had so much energy and they gave me a hand made toy that they made out of wood and chestnuts. It was pretty sweet. They are coming to our Thanksgiving party this week so that should be really good for them. Other than that things are good. I hope you all have a great week and remember what is really important during this Thanksgiving.

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: … Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Ps. 100:3–4.)

Sbohem,
Elder Paxton

Ostrava

Well I am finally all settled in here in Ostrava! Things are going good!

Last week was pretty cool, we had a stake conference in Prague and while I was there I met the guy that I played hockey with in Utah like 5 years ago! I was way pumped to see him. I got to see all the people from Plzen as well and the two girls that we were teaching when I was there came! Also that less active that we were working with came to the conference with us! The night before the conference we had a lesson with her and she told us that she prayed and asked how she knows if she is getting an answer or not. We had such a spiritual lesson and she was crying and told us that she hadn't felt that feeling for so many years. She is a pretty closed off person and tries to seem like she doesn't need anybody else but she opened up to us and it was an amazing experience to see how much she has changed in just a few weeks. We also had 4 of our investigators tell us that they knew that the Book of Mormon is true. It was so cool to see that they all had their own testimony of the Book of Mormon and were ready to act on that. It was pretty hard saying by to everyone in Olomouc cause I was there for so long but it's good to have change every once in a while.
I'm now serving in a ward which is new for me but it has been good so far. The missionaries don't have to have any callings are anything. Its still pretty small, we have about 30 people at church each week but its a lot more that my last area. Ostrava is a pretty sweet city. It's big and has a ton of trams and trains that we contact on. It's super ugly and the sun never shines but its a ton of fun. My first day here our landlord invited us over for dinner and his wife made the best svickova I have had! It was awesome. I don't know how they aren't members cause they love the missionaries. It's been pretty great here so far though! Oh we also visited this graveyard for a holiday that they have here where they light candles and put them on the tombstones to remember the dead.

I know that God is merciful and even though we all make mistakes, there is always a way to be forgiven. Have a great week!:)

Alma 42:15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

Elder Paxton

ps Elder Bowen and I switched glasses for Halloween.

Ostrava

Hey I got transfered to Ostrava so I had to travel and don't have time to email. I had a way spiritual week this week but I will have to write about it next week.