Week #63 To Slovakia!

Hey y'all! How is it going?

Like the subject line says, we went to Slovakia. Kind of. We checked out the bridge and look pictures of the other side of the river. We never crossed the border, I promise :) Never thought I would see Slovakia. I reminded me a lot about my trip to the French border with Elder Parker. Even more weird to realize that it was the week before I came to this area... That was May. Well, we have definitely seen that fall is upon us. The weather is slowly adjusting and becoming a bit colder. Luckily the sun was out so it was a great P day. Besides checking out the border, we also toured Hohenau, the small Austrian town by the border. Not much to report but it looked very European!

The Bridge from Austria to Slovakia  

A former Iron Curtain! 

 A fishing net along the river

Wow, this week was quick. I enjoyed the work we did. We had interviews with President Brown which are always great. I am grateful for him; he has been a big support on the mission. We also had district council which is also a pleasure. 

Selfie with President Brown at our last interviews

We met with Halina this week but not for a long time. She gets sick easily so we went by and gave her a blessing.  She is a nice lady but she talks a lot. She is really sweet and she gave us 4 Berliners as a present. Hopefully we can see her again this week. 

We also met another girl named Min this week. She is very funny and energetic so the start of the lesson was classic. It kind of went like this...

Min: So you guys are the Mormons, right?

Me: Yeah, that's our nickname

Min: Well I talked to some of my friends about you and I heard you have some kind of book... What is it? 

Me: *pulls out Book of Mormon* 

That happened right as we sat down. I really enjoyed our lesson with her. She had some concerns about death and what is the point to life. She made it very easy to share the Gospel so we were happy. 

We also had a service project on Saturday. We helped move a member family in our ward and luckily the apartment was not far away. We would move stuff into a big elevator, send it down, fill up a trailer, and push it to the new apartment. With several hands, we got it done. I just loved doing some kind of service. 

A selfie from the service project

In our zone, we have a finding activity where we place Books of Mormon with people we find. It is hard but I love finding with the Book of Mormon. I just love trying to share with people what makes me happy and the Book of Mormon is something they could hold onto. Plus, once we share the purpose of the Book of Mormon, it is easier to clarify that we are here to invite others to come into Christ, not hand out books. I was able to place 3 Books of Mormon last time and we get to do it every week! I love missionary work. 

I have been thinking a lot about faith this week and why it is the first step of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I read in Hebrews today that without faith, it is impossible to please God. I usually don't like such bold statements but it is true. Faith leads us to trust God and to do what He asks. That is how we please Him. I have also realized that faith is a power and a decision at the same time. My faith can strengthen me during the day but I also have to come to choose that faith. I have to choose every day if I want to keep and strengthen my faith. I also have to decide where to put my faith. From my experience, I am grateful to know that I can always put my faith in Christ. He has never let me down. He has only raised me up and helped with my burdens.The Lord truly has been merciful. I hope that we can see His Hand in our lives this week and that we all can come closer to Him. 

With love,

Elder Evans 

Below:  Beautiful trails we walked on to get to Slovakian Bridge

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