Sestra Madison Ratcliffe: What a week!

HI.

I cannot believe that the week is already over.

I feel like just yesterday I was emailing.

This week was full of running and travelling and FUN FUN FUN!

We started our week off great, by going over time in our last lesson of the day and have to sprint home with bags of food to make it to the apartment in time.

Its funny when I say we have to run sister Van looks and me and says "okay" pretty hesitantly, but then just takes off running. The price we missionaries pay to be obedient. haha

its a good life.

We have had some pretty awesome miracles this week and some sadnesses but overall GOOD THINGS!

We were on our way to one of our friends houses when we found out that the buses wouldn't come for another 45 minutes. So we start walking to the park to talk with people to kill some time, and the first guy we stop starts talking and he is asking us where we are from and we tell him america, and then in English he says "oh that makes sense I thought you had a problem because you were talking so slow in slovak" OUCH. slightly offended. BUT in my defence he spoke really fast in both languages! hahaha Slovak.

But THEN,

We are at church and our branch president tells me I have to speak EVEN slower so that he can correct all of my mistakes. So now I am really confused.

but the guy ended up being really cool and giving us his number.

BUT BEFORE THAT, (I almost forgot.)

We went to BLAVA for exchanges.

I went with Sister Mcpheeters and my comp went with sister Schaerrer and we literally hit blava like a semi truck. We divided and conquered and ended up teaching a TON of lessons! it was such a miracle. It was so warm in Blava that it reminded me of my transfer with sister Russell walking down the path in Petrzalka and hitting the Dunaj where everyone and there dog is getting off of a boat and they all speak english or some foreign language besides slovak. AWWW the memories. It was a good time. :)

I also learned so much from those sisters! it was soooo great.

but since last week was easter my talk I have been loving is called Sunday Will Come by Joseph B Wirthlin.

He gave this talk right after his wife died. He said of her passing "As Elisa was my greatest joy, now her passing is my greatest sorrow "

he goes on to say: "When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the first fruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones.

I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.

On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.

On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.

It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death.

He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had
whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the

darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come."

YOUR Sunday will come. I know it.

Have a wonderful week.

S Laskou,

Sestra Ratcliffe