Vzkrieseny je

I am honestly so lost as to what in the world happened this week. 

I think it is absolutely hilarious when I look at my planner, because the plans that we have made and the back up plans we have just never end up that way. I guess thats a good thing just following where the spirit leads. it was really a cool experience this week, because for some random reason (not random definitely led by the spirit) we had to go back to our apartment to get something and I can't even remember why, but we met one of our neighbors outside our apartment and he spoke to us in english and then he informed us that he has a book of mormon in english, but neither us nor the elders really know him, we have just seen him cause he lives by us. 

nič nie je nahoda. 

(nothing is a coincidence)

So this week is just HUGE and all about Easter. so on Friday we went with our branch president to the woods to make some whips for easter. 

In Slovakia the tradition is that monday (today) all the boys go around and splash water on the women and whip them. its not as bad as it sounds. its for a good cause. The water is supposed to make the women beautiful and the whips are made from a willow and is supposed to be medicinal so the women will be healthy all year round. 

Today we were over at our branch presidents house and he whipped us sisters and then fed us(and I was completely full) and then we headed downstairs to our branch presidents mom's house and she fed us more. needless to say i think my stomach is going to be bulging all day. 

but this week was just so wonderful to be able to testify of the savior and his resurrection. 

"When the women came to the tomb, they found it open and empty. The angels had tarried to tell them the greatest news ever to fall on human ears: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said”"

what a glorious message. THE SAVIOR LIVES. and because of him we too will live again! I know it! 

happy easter friends. 

S Laskou, 

Sestra ratcliffe. 

sorry my email is so short. I just don't really know what to say. I am so full of food I am going into a food coma and can't really think straight. 

foodie. . . . 

yummy snacks 

and lunch an hour later with the branch presidents mother

the week . . . 

making whips 

and chocolate bunnies.
mission . . .                                                                                                          
 
district hike . . . .                                                                                                  

                             

on the bus to brno and 

easter lunch at the branch presidents house

P DAY GOING UP on a tuesday

HI. SURPRISE! P day is on tuesday this week, because my companion and I were at a training yesterday so here we are!
WOW this week was just sooo wonderful AND FULL OF FOOD.
Seriously I have never eaten so much food. My companion the other day was like, I don't get how missionaries gain weight on their missions, she was eating her words a few hours later, LITERALLY. hahaha
We went to one of our friends house who fed us this bean and potato soup and then the main dish was a bean rice potato thing that tasted exactly like the soup but not wet.

interesting
 

then we went immediately to the branch presidents wifes to help in her garden when she informed us it was too cold to work outside and that she made us fried cheese. AND THAT STUFF IS LIKE SHOVING A WHOLE BLOCK OF MELTED CHEESE DOWN YOUR THROAT.

THEN THE NEXT DAY(it doesn't end their)
we went to lunch with the elders and headed over to our members house who told us she would be giving us a dessert. when we arrived there was chicken and potatoes AND a dessert. I about died, but to make matter worse we then went to a friends house who made us Halušky and I LITERALLY could not finish my meal. which is so unfortunate because it is HALUŠKY!

We have been traveling a lot this week because of trainings in brno and bratislava so my companion and I are just exhausted from trying to figure out if we are going on a train or a bus and which platform we need to be on, but we are always having a good time.

funny of the week:
This week I was talking to President mcConkie and he was like "sister Ratcliffe you have hayfever." completely forgetting what the crap hayfever was I responded " I.. have.... h  a  y  f  e  v  e  r" very slowly. Then I realized what he was talking about and was like oh yeah, I have allergy pills! hahaha 

Sign number 5777 that my english is going far far down the drain!

Well I am just so grateful to be a missionary. I love this gospel more than anything. IT IS INCREDIBLE. I hope you all can remember our resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this week! 

and check out this video: FollowHim.mormon.org

Happy Veľká Noc

S Láskou,

Sestra Ratcliffe

to PRAGUE and back

I feel like this week was just jam packed with travelling and being a missionary. how ironic. hahah . 

 we didn't even start off the week normal, after we emailed last week we ran to the bus stop to get on a bus to Brno. We spent the night with the Brno sestry and then I just abandoned my companion a week into the mission with another slovak greenie in the czech republic to fend for themselves while Sister Bailey and I headed to Prague for some training. 

While on our way to Prague the elder tingey (from the MTC) drove and decided to choose the left instead of the right (lane) and got us stuck in two hours of traffic, He was really funny, "elder why didn't you tell me to choose the right?" "when i have to give a talk I am totally using this story." 

as we were sitting there we decided to have a group study. I looked out the foggy windows a little while later and thought that our car was moving because of a trackter near by that was going to opposite way, when we looked through the front window we realized there was not a car in sight and the traffic had cleared during our study. we rushed to find something to wipe off the windows, because they were all foggy and raced to catch up to the cars that had left us hanging in the dust. 

Then on the way home we got into some more traffic. Let just say that time I took a nap. 

When we got back to Brno my comp was all in one piece and was still breathing, so that was a good sign.

THEN we spent another night in Brno and went to progression training with all the new greenies and FINALLY we came back to Trencin half way through the week, with czech in our heads and the feeling like we had just travelled for 48 hours straight. 

We got home and I was so disoriented that I was talking about čaj(tea)

and my comp was like

        "isn't there a drink called cai tea?"

and I was like 

         "isn't there something like čitaj (read in slovak) WAIT i mean tai chi isn't that a form of K-A-T-A-R-A-T-E?"

Yeah. my english. out the window. 

oh, there it goes... 

Then the rest of the week was slightly a blur. THE DAYZ ARE FLYING. and i still am hating this whole time thing. 

I don't even remember what happened. 

all i know is that we were speaking lots of slovak and getting REAL PUMPED for the miracles that we were seeing. 

I had a talk yesterday titled "where is truth" 

and I really enjoyed three simple thoughts from Elder Vern P. Stanfill from last conference he said, 

First, no matter how intense the darkness of doubt, we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence us. 

Second, we must trust in the Lord in order to develop spiritual strength within ourselves. 

Third, there is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light.

I just loved these truths that no matter how deep in the dark we feel, no matter how weak we are, the light (our father in heaven) will always overcome the dark (satan). 
I remember when I was in Kosice and Sister McConkie talked about how God is like a HUGE train and Satan is like a mosquito and satan can really bug us and annoy us, but no matter how annoying he gets, We all know that when a train and a mosquito meet, the train always wins. HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALWAYS WIN.

  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God exists. This church is the true church. Heavenly father knows us perfectly and he knows how we individually can find the light. 

S laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

generation picture

Going to prague with my buddy. Sister Bailey

STUCK IN TRAFFIC GROUP PIC

BBS first Slovak icecream

Swedish pancake(Comp recipe) and some MAK (poppyseeds) mmmm.. mixing cultures :)

Switch up

Well this week was just a blast and a half. 

I was able to go to Prague with Sister Ross and my sisters from the MTC to pick up the 4 new sisters. And BOY OH BOY ARE THEY INCREDIBLE. 

I seriously know that they are meant to be here. I JUST KNOW IT> 

So this is what happened. 

I AM STILL IN TRENCIN and I am serving with Sister Van Langeveld. 

AND SHE IS JUST THE CUTEST.

and the week we started off running. Literally. we were talking to a lady in the train station and she asked us when our train was and we told her it was at 3:25 and she looks at her watch and it is 3:15. So we grabbed everything told the other sisters goodbye and started sprinting. Then I get a phone call while we are running up the stairs that I left my purse and that some other sister were running to give it to us. Thankfully we got it in time. 

Then we hopped off that train to make another train that left in three minutes and you know me. I like to make things more difficult than they need to be, we lugged the suitcases down the stairs and halfway down a lady is like you know there are elevators right.
...

*crickets*

BLONDE MOMENT. UGH.

but the good thing is, is that we took the elevator up to the other platform and made our connection.

And we finally made it home and hit the streets immediately. 

Sister Van is a good sport. She has had shin splints for the past week and we have been walking this entire city and talking to everyone we possibly can.

Oh the funniest thing happened. 

we were walking to a members house and an ambulance came driving past us from the back, so we are both looking towards the street when all of a sudden a dog starts barking its head off behind a gate and we about died of fright. but don't worry we lived. 

I guess its not that funny, but the moral of the story is don't stare at ambulances too long because you never know whats behind you.

This week was just wonderful. 

Even though we were only in our area for a solid 4 days we saw miracle after miracle.

I know that the lord is in this work he leads and guides us to where we need to be. 

I am still on a huge JOSEPH SMITH IS A PROPHET THING and I was reading this talk and check it out:
"For another example, take Willard Richards—an educated man who, when Joseph and Hyrum Smith surrendered themselves to the governor of Illinois and were placed in Carthage Jail, was among a handful of men who went with them. By the afternoon of 27 June 1844, most had been sent to take care of certain matters of business, leaving only John Taylor and Willard Richards with the Prophet and his brother Hyrum. That afternoon following dinner, the jailer, knowing of the mob outside, suggested that they would be safer in the cell of the jail. Turning to Willard Richards, Joseph asked, “If we go into the cell will you go with us?” To this Elder Richards responded:
“Brother Joseph, you did not ask me to cross the river with you … you did not ask me to come to Carthage … you did not aske me to come to jail with you—and do you think I would forsake you now? But I will tell you what I will do; if you are condemned to be hung for ‘treason,’ I will be hung in your stead, and you shall go free.” "

Wow I just think that, that is amazing think about it NO PERSON I KNOW WOULD EVER DIE FOR A FRAUD. NO ONE WOULD DO THAT!

You should all read this talk:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng

Have a miraculous week friends.

S laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

babez firstz

all the trainers coming into Prague

in the train station right before we sprinted to our train

first text message

first time in slovakia

first time in the apt

FIRST HALUSKY

FIRST KOFOLA

us visiting a member

First sketchy elevator