I'm opening an orphanage

HI HI. okay. What is happening? Why is time literally going so fast? 

Well this week just just jam packed of literally the most amazing things in the whole world.

Also I missed a week so I am feeling a little scatter-brained. 

last week we had our Branch Christmas party and ate kapustnica(sauer-kraut soup) and Klobasa (sausage) and we sang and watched just basked in the Christmas spirit.

but

Last week before the christmas concert we did a singing display outside and one of our english students stopped in to listen. and while he stopped in a good friend of ours from the streets named john (not john the baptist) *dont get it confused* came over and started yelling at us, so our english student was a wonderful body gaurd and escorted him away from the premises. 

ALSO I LEARNED THAT I AM IN LOVE WITH ROASTED CHESTNUTS. seriously so good. They are everywhere in the Christmas markets and everytime we passed by I was like "hey Sister Eggers you want some Gastany?" MMMMM

THEN CHRISTMAS WEEK HAPPENED:

First, We travelled ALL the way across the country to get to the czech republic for training. and what a wonderful time because I was able to reunite with one of my MTC companions Sister bailey. It was so fun, we were in the Christmas markets in Brno and we saw eachother from across the road and literally sprinted

SPRINTED
across the road to each other.

Then we had training which was absolutely amazing I really love being a missionary around christmas! I LOVE JESUS. There is literally no other way I can describe my feelings, but that I love Jesus and feel so incredibly blessed with the personal relationship that I can have with him. I am literally at a loss for words. But just so you all know, I love Jesus.

anyway so then we came home

AND HAD A SERIOUSLY MIRACULOUS Christmas eve. 

We started at like 9 in the morning and went to visit one of our members and on the way we called a lady that lived near this member and she told us she would love to have us over so we could show her our christmas video.

So we headed up showed her the video and she cried. 

then we went to our members house showed her the video and she cried. 

then we travelled all over Kosice showing people this video and seeing tons of miracles and at the end of the day we went to our last visit to show the video to this family and they ended up giving sister Eggers and I a sound system for our apartment. haha

and then our district went caroling to this family who is literally so cool and ELECT. they brought us in and fed us everything. COOKIES GALORE. 

and to finish off the day we went to our members house and she made us fish for dinner. 

really happy i like fish.

then on Christmas we started the day off with the book of mormon, as a mission we all read the book of mormon in one transfer by Christmas and WE DID IT. 

and then we opened presents and got ready and headed out.

We did service the morning of Christmas so we went to this homeless shelter. 

and we were able to sing for the little kids and play with them, but you know the BIGGEST MIRACLE OF ALL?

was seeing the christ-like love pour out of these kids. One girl told us she was brought to the facilitly on the day before christmas, and then she hops up goes to her room and comes back with two bottles of nail polish and gives them to Sister Eggers and I.

another girl shows us her my little pony and told us that Mikulas brought it for them, Which is literally amazing because Mikulas came at the beginning of December and she was still grateful for her present.

My heart ripped. I never wanted to leave. Walking out of the doors I wanted to cry. Sometimes I wonder if thats how God feels about us. Know that we were going to leave him, but he had faith that all would be well. fun to think about I guess. 

but after we left being irrational me I determined that I was going to open an orphanage for children. 

Gratitude and giving.

thats what I learned this week. I experience children who still had nothing and gave and kids who had very little and were still grateful weeks later. 

Its so easy for us to get a new phone and 30 minutes later it dies and we are like, UGH I HATE MY PHONE, but wow. thats not whats important in the end.

CHRIST is important. 

Christ like love is important

and the spirit of Christmas is exactly that. 

the spirit of LOVE and even better Christ like love.

I hope you know how truly wonderful the gospel is. 

It truly brings joy to ALL who embrace it.

Have a happy new year and have fun with all those resolutions.

s Laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

PS I am in Trencin with Sister Abbott now!

also I forgot my camera so pictures will come next week.