WHERE DID THE DANG WEEK GO?

I seriously look at my planner, and I am like, čo?

This week we were invited by our dear neighbor to come over to her house to celebrate her sons birthday! We had a blast playing a slovak alphabet game.
THE real test of my slovak skills: Childrens games.

We also had yoga this week, Which was super fun, minus the fact I was a little sick, but MAN our branch president is a BOSS at yoga.
He was doing head stands, and all sorts of crazy yoga moves.

FEELING WEAK. haha I am no yoga master.

This week we had training and it was absolutely the best thing in the whole world.
We talked about Agency, Opposition, and Faith. It was incredible for me to see how they are very intertwined but also very seperate parts of the gospel.
It was really wonderful.
Wow I am realizing how uneventful my week was sorry friends. But Sister Abbott read me this talk called Finding Joy in the Journey by Thomas S Monson
I love when he says:
“You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”
My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.
We have to live in the now. There is no better time than now for us. I have come to know of the plan of our heavenly father and I know that he wants us to be here now. Where ever we are we are meant to be in that moment. His plan is perfect and he knows exactly how to use us to make us better on our way to perfection. I love this: "If we, like clay, are malleable in the hands of the Lord, we will find happiness."  AND PURPOSE! I know that living in the now is SOOO much better than living for tomorrow!

This gospel is good! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Sorry my email is so short. I was pretty boing this week. 

S Laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

YOGA.

Sister Abbott needed a little break. She looked hilarious on our floor. 

Weekly planning got me like. (yes Sister Abbott put my name tag in my hair. 

The Sister showered me with presents at training. WHAT DOLLS. haha they are funny. 

Training

THATS the TRUF!

THIS WEEK THIS WEEK 

what even happened this week? 

Well we started out the week with the funnest FHE ever! We had two greenish greenies here while their companions were in Blava and they taught the lesson. ITS WAS SOOOOO CUTE. 

We decided to go on an adventure, Well I decided we should go on an adventure and got us a little lost (don't even know if we were still in Trencin), but the view was really pretty! and we found this cute little village of garden houses that all had green roofs. It was adorable.

Our electicity went out again, our neighbor is like our bestie now.

We also did some service this week which was a blast. 

Sister Abbott and I were carrying 25 pound bags of wood chips from one room to another for 2 hours and ended up having a blast. Our favorite quote was "my yoke is easy and my burden is LIGHT" and then we would throw the bag of wood into eachothers arms. 

MISSIONARY LIFE. AM I RIGHT?

Also one of our dear friends took us to this amazing hotel for tea and some cake and it was just wonderful. TEA, Cake and the Gospel.

HOW PERFECT.

I had a talk on sunday on faith in times of crisis. I loved preparing for my talk. I JUST LOVE SHARING MY TESTIMONY. it is such an amazing opportunity to be a missionary and to share my testimony with the slovaks, and with all of you. I am so grateful for this week.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

and this week I am so excited our Branch President is going to teach us YOGA.
the members here have this really amazing story that during communism they all went to a yoga class (before they were members) and the yoga instructor(a member) shared spritual thoughts and because of him they all found the CHURCH. 

(my description of the story is weak, but theirs is powerful. So I am excited to share this spiritual experience that brought them to the church)

isn't that wonderful?

I read a talk this week by Boyd K Packer, and wow. 

This church is so true! JESUS CHRIST LIVES, he leads and guides the church today.

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded the following after a sacred experience:

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him” (D&C 76:22–23).

Their words are my words.

I believe and I am sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He lives. He is the Only Begotten of the Father, and “by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:24).

I bear my witness that the Savior lives. I know the Lord. I am His witness. I know of His great sacrifice and eternal love for all of Heavenly Father’s children. I bear my special witness in all humility but with absolute certainty, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I added some emphasis.

I hope you can all come to find this for yourselves. That Jesus Christ the Son of God LIVES. 

S laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

Sister Abbott made me beets and it looks like she killed something

We were walking down the street and Sis Abb was talking about how she wanted blue suits in her wedding but couldn't decide which color, so I pointed to the seven cars accross the street for her to choose from.

isnt that view pretty? also on our adventure.

also not talking about myself when I say "VIEW" please dont think Im prideful.

pretty cool gangsta pic don't you think? 

Foggy nights.

ukrainian candies and šišky

On our adventure

and when our electricity went out.

Im feeling twenty not 2

wowowowowow

what the wild week

This week started out going to the cutest little ladys house. Which is photographed in the email. Doesn't it just look like a little a fairy tale? it totally was. and she gave us tea and cookies and sandwich things. MMM>

Then things went a little downhill, we turned on a light to get ready the next morning and

POP 

the power went out. 

So we started to knock on our neighbors doors really early in the morning. 

no one answered. 

So we texted our neighbor who is an angel and her and her french dad came over to help us. 

We felt really cool speaking slovak, English and french. Too bad my french accenct isn't very good.

A few hours later the electricity came back on so that was a miracle.

THEN THE WEEK IS KINDOF A blur,
sorry I am rushing because I have no time! 

So Sister Abbott is a gem and made me crepes and told EVERYONE that it was my birthday! and a SUPER cute member had us over for lunch and we sang HEPPY BIRTHDAY slovak style. 

THEN I DON"T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED but sometime after we went to book club and one of our other members walked in with a rose and some coffee candy. It was a nice. :)

also we got flipped off with two fingers on my birthday so that was nice also.

Sorry this email really sucks, but I really have to go.

I hope you all have a wonderful week full of joy and food. 

S Laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

Birthday Celebration

Sister Abbott made me crepes what a GEM! 

and also she made these peanut bar things. 

and another member gave me a rose and coffee candies (took a picture and promptly threw them away)

Then we celbrated with the cutest member in the entire world! 

 the fog on the bridge

some garages

and more fog

We are at a loss as to what this is for???  Maddy sometimes does not explain things . . . 

drinking kofola out of a peanut butter jar

the fairy tale house

DUCKS GALORE

Happy Birthday Girl!

Well we did it .... We survived the "teenage years". This little lady hit the big "20". Happiest birthday my girl!

NEW YEAR, NEW ME. -all the cool kids

OKAY WOW what the heck. 

So I am probably going to make this really short because today is not P-Day, but we are allowed to email, So I got to get out and work!

Well what the miracles, am I right? Yeah, I am right.

Okay. 

New years eve. 

We were really busy! We were running up and down trencin and trying to squeeze as many things as we could into our schedule before we had to end. and then we went to the building and made Waffles with the elders and Sister Abbott made home-made hot chocolate and it was so yummy. If anything that will be the reason why I gain weight on my mission. and Halusky.

anyway

then we went home and we had permission to stay up late to watch the fireworks, I wish I could say that I wasn't tired at midnight, but by the end of the fireworks show I was really ready for bed. 

Then 6:30 am rolled around.

DEAD.

but we made it through our morning work out... kindof. 

and then it was P DAY and it was weird because everything was closed so we just walked around empty trencin for hours and then it got cold, BECAUSE IT SNOWED.

the FIRST SNOW FALL OF THE YEAR!

Oh fun fact, I bought a mint plant. I love it. 

My first transfer in Kosice Sis. Parsons and I bought a basil plant, So I thought I would buy a plant for this apartment. turns out I have quite the GREEN THUMB and I am making mint tea with my mint plant. its so CUTE.

Thats my newest favorite thing. TEA.

Oh you will not believe what happened today. speaking of tea

We were out on the streets for five minutes the first man we stop takes us to tea. at this point I have already had 2 cups during studies, but still excited. He was really cool. gave us his number and wants to meet again. 

THEN we are walking down the street a little further and stop this lady who tells us that she is busy right now but we could come to her house tomorrow and gives us her address. 

THEN we are walking down the street and we see this girl that Sister Abbott knows and she takes us to tea too! SO MUCH TEA! But its really nice because it is snowing, but the biggest miracle of this day is that we were able to share the gospel with these lovely people, who are prepared to hear of the plan of their heavenly father. 

AND HIS PLAN IS SO WONDERFUL!

Also we have been talking with our neighbor down the hall from us who is absolutely incredible. She has such strong faith and is SO willing to communicate with our heavenly father. 

I have learned SOOO much about how truly well our father in heaven knows us. and knows exactly what we need in the very moment. He is SO real. and so good. and there is no way that I can deny his power.

HE LIVES and our savior LIVES and loves us and I know that is true. 

Hope you all have an incredible week and hopefully I can get some pictures sent later today!

S Laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

CHRISTMAS

and the nutcracker

Saying goodbyes. 

first snow

Sis ABB walking in the snow

Comp inventory crown

Sister Eggers on Christmas

midnight selfies

and sister Abbotts fashion in the freeze.