WOW

That is all I can say my friends this week was crazy!

So I arrived in Kosice and right off the bat we had a lesson with the cutest mom and her son. they are literally so cute. And the mom told us she is searching for a better relationship with god. SERIOUSLY! right here. God is our Heavenly father How much closer can you get than your father! AHHH :)

OKAY then wow. Tuesday,

WAS MIRACLE FILLED!

We asked our cute YSA what kind of friend she would like to have in the church. she described to us what her perfect friend would look like and then we ventured out to find this girl. GUYS we found her. and the only thing that we didn't hit right on the nose was that her name wasn't the name we planned for. That's how specific we planned it! AHHHH And we found this really cute mom who we have been going on walks with and she is also really cute. 

then on WEDNESDAY

We went to one of our members house which is really far away and we are walking back to the bus stop a couple football fields away and all of a sudden I see our bus pull up. SISTER IS THAT OUR BUS? CRAP so I started sprinting down the street and then sister parsons started running and it was this huge fiasko. and then the bus bus driver waited for us. WHAT A SERIOUS MIRACLE! then we got on and he was like slowly girls slowly. cause we just sprinted. HE was a nice man. 

Also we moved apartments because the millers don't live here anymore and now our apartment is a complete mess. BUT WE FOUND TWO CROCKPOTS so if anyone has crockpot recipes send them my way. 

oh also in the process of moving we found a bird had flown into our apartment. Sister parsons started screaming and said it was dying, and the I grabbed a pillow case and caught it and took it outside. Too bad we can't have pets. We named him gerard. 

Well this week has been full of miracles and I don't have time to tell you about them all. 

But know I am safe and love this place!

I am so grateful for all your support. You are amazing!

I am praying for you all!

Stay so safe! and have a miraculous week!

S Laskou

Sestra Ratcliffe

Us eating at a chinese buffet! ROCKED our WORLD!

 Saying goodbyes to everyone in BLAVA. 

Elder cahoon and I played boss monster the WHOLE train ride. Man that was long. 

and sister parsons and I moving out of out old apartment.

TRANSFERS

HI HI HI!!!

Well I am so sorry I am not going to reply to anyone this week. I have been on a 6 hour train going to the best place in the whole world! KOSICE!!!

that's right kids, I'm back. and guess with who? 

that's also right SISTER PARSONS! MY mother. 

Sister Russell is going to be in Blava with Sister Eggers.

And Sister Abbott is training the new baby in trencin.

So on MONDAY

Our dear friend Monika got baptized! It was so amazing. 

Seriously, it is amazing how hard satan works to stop things from happening and the amazing blessing that happen when we overcome those trials! AHHH

TUESDAY

We had our culture night and we went to an art museum and then we went to dinner at the radio tower that has an amazing view and spins all around so you can see the view, but I got a little motion sickness, but all is well. and I also ate a ceasar salad for 7 euros. WOW so much money. 

THURSDAY

We had training in Brno. It was amazing! we learned so much about prayer and ugh, I just love the McConkies they are amazing! 

FRIDAY

We had our concert and I had a small little solo and I did it! 

I was so nervous but it was amazing!

Well sorry I don't have a ton of time I will email next week!

Have a miraculous week!

Sestra Ratcliffe

STRESS

Well sorry folks no pictures this week. My computer hates me. 

Okay let's go through the week. 

MONDAY: P-DAY

We were in charge of the FHE activity and it was on the holy ghost and we just threw chairs and a white board and everything around the room and one person was blindfolded and one person was the holy ghost and the rest of us were so loud and obnoxious. it was GREAT. A couple of the elders we belting hymns in Slovak and some were standing right in front of the person just screaming in their face. IT WAS ROCKSTAR!!! 

Tuesday

ZUZANA'S name day! 

We had district meeting and then we went out to FLAGSHIP with ZUZU and it was a great way to celebrate. Then we had a crazy man text us and ask to meet with us. Turns out his intentions are not the best and we turned him over to the Elders. So here we are walking through Old Town and my companion says hello to this old man and he turns around so I start teaching him and he tells us to go with him to get a drink so we ordered water. And then he was telling us how pretty we were and I told him our goal is to baptize him and he didn't want that so we needed to leave and as we are leaving he shakes my hand and asks me if we can kiss. Sorry friend. You just told me you are 70. You are old enough to be my grandfather. No we cannot kiss. Then we went finding as a district and it is always a joy when a ton a members stop you on the street and say "HEY ITS THE MISSIONARIES" Oh I just love it. 

WEDNESDAY:

Not an extremely busy day. We went to one of our less active members house. She is sick so she prayed with us. She said a thirty minute prayer. WOW. it was L  O  N   G. 

Had our english class and taught animal sounds. Did you all know that is Slovakia a frog says Quack? and a Rooster says Rikitiki LOL 

Thursday:

My companion hit her one year mark. Sadness. But we had a good day! Our dear friend Igor is home from Ireland! and that was a joy! We were able to meet with him!

One of our dear friends who is investagating the church she had her baptismal interview on friday and passed so she will be baptized today! Fingers crossed! 

Well don't have a ton of time. 

But I hope you all have such a wonderful week! 

The gospel is such a blessing. I love it! 

Oh I have a favor to ask you all. 

If you know of any fun mutual activities for the only young woman we have in our branch let us know, because Sister Russell and I are the Young womans leaders. MUTUAL ACTIVITIES. ANYTHING. FUN. SPIRITUAL WHATEVER!

S laskou

Sestra Ratcliffe

LUBIM SLOVENSKO

WOW. The weeks go so fast and then you look at them and you feel like you have been in the same week for a year, and then you don't even remember what you did last monday...SOOO... #MISSIONARYLIFE. 

Well Tuesday, 

We had a meeting with this amazing Lutheran woman. She loved my baptismal pictures so much. Boy, What a blessing it was to have them right when we were talking about baptism. LOL

Also we had a man approach us about an article he wanted to do about missionaries in Slovakia, Don't know if I have already meantioned this, but he came and followed us around while we contacted for an hour and a half. I blame the camera for all the rejection. LOL we did however, stop some really amazing people. one being an atheist man with a church. Isn't that just ironic? LOL Oh I just love people. They have truly amazing stories. 

ALSO FOR YOU ALL TO KNOW. Our apartment has a sushi bar right under it, but it is really expensive, So this week I decided to endulge. and it ROCKED MY LITERAL WORLD. first time I have had sushi since I was in the US. WHAT? YEAH. It was good. 

Wednesday. 

We had lunch with the district and had district meeting and we went district finding and it was just a ton of district things. and then we went to the dunaj and we planned to find a guy that looked a little like cole. and I FOUND HIM. and We taught him. and He was cool and after we taught him I pulled out my family pictures and was like "sister does this not look kinda like the guy we just found?" she agreed. It was great. 

"strength batters down barriers, Discipline ignores them"

I like this quote. I am going to live by it. 

I don't remember what we did on thursday, except we went to on of our members houses to visit and he made us lunch an hour after we ate, so I just had to shovel it in, and then I just petted his dogs and it just was awwww. Special story is our member has cancer and one of his dogs basically saved his life when he was in the hospital. :) 

Friday

Oh this day was like I was in a fire. It is like a solid 100 degrees all the time here, but somehow I am still not tan. I don't even use sunscreen. WHAT? but luckily we had lessons inside our building which is fortunately air conditioned, so we were just living the life. 

Saturday.

We went and did service at Stans house and I literally have never sweated that much in my life. and all I was doing was taking screws and nails out of pieces of wood. oh and we had concert practice because we have a concert next week and I have to sing. guys I suck at singing. LOL

SUNDAY> 

ONE OF THE CRAZIEST DAYS OF MY LIFE

so here I am in the church building and three blonde girls walk in and I see the first and I was like hmmm, that looks like a girl I went to school with and I see the second and I was like, UHHH WHAT? so I walk on over and it turns out that Sammy and Maddy powell came to visit Dominika, who was a foreign exchange student my junior year of high school and she is from Bratislava! 

And I got to chit chat with them about life and it was like an out of body experience. 

You know when you walk down the street in a foreign country and you see someone that looks like someone you know, but you really don't know them and your rational head is like sister, you are in Slovakia, thats what happened yesterday, but it was like real. LOL it was so cool! 

PICS TO COME!

MAN I JUST LOVE SLOVAKIA. CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR MIRACLES MY FRIENDS! and tell me about them! 

S laskou,

Sestra Ratcliffe

Little lady being sassy in every picture

 Dominika, Maddy, Sestra Ratcliffe, and Sammy

The cutest kitten(in Slovakia) Of course not cuter that louis, but so cute. He had a blind eye and I just loved

Elder asay had a blue polkadot tie I had a blue polkadot shirt and Sofia had a blue polkadot dress! TRIPLETS

Sme Priatelia. We are friends

Moserova Like Sydnee Moser but in girl form. Youre welcome. 

:) 

CRAZY!!

Went to church and ran into Sister Ratcliffe who we went to high school with! 

😂😂

 small world!

 — with Dominika Šoltésová and 2 others.

This week is a BLUR..

Well What did I even do this week? 

So Monday,

We went to the zoo. And oh man the cutest orangutan was there, and he fell in love with me. You all know that cardigan that I have thats orange and has black elbow pads? Well if not I was wearing that and I think he thought I was an orangutan. I would put my hand up on the glass and he would put his hand up on the other side. It was a total Tarzan and Jane moment. I loved. Then when we were leaving the exhibit he followed me and there was like a pillar and then glass and then pillar and glass thing and he would walk past a pillar and put his hand up on the glass and then pass another pillar and put his hand on the glass until I left. I felt like my heart ripped when I had to leave the little fella. We really hit it off. He wanted to be baptized, probably. HAHAH JOKES

Then we went and picked up sister Wilson and Sister Parsons and brought them home. Always keeping tradition and having a Halusky party! YUM!

Then on Tuesday we had training at our building in Blava, and wow, it is so strange to not have to travel. Trainging ended at like 1 and we had the rest of the day to contact and meet with people. It was so strange, but so nice! 

OH LOL WEDNESDAY. This is such good stuff. 

So we taught this man. and we met this man a week or so ago and he comes in and tells us that for his religion he served a mission and he proceeds to tell us all about that experience.He was quite the character. He told us that he believes everything we taught him, but promised us that we would not be converting eachother. Thats what they all say. LOL We went district finding together later in the day and we are on the bus and this man walks up to Sister Russell and I and speaking perfect english is like you are Mormons right? and we were like YES WE ARE. he the proceeded to tell us that he works for a journalist and wants to do a report on Mormon Missionaries in Slovakia so we called our public relations lady to check it over and cleared it, so sometime this week, he will be following us around with a camera. PAPARAZZI.. 

This is good also. So on thursday we had a meeting with a former that was a referral from one of our members. So there we are waiting outside of our building and all of a sudden the Zone leaders and our lady walk around the corner. So we are thinking, Oh cute maybe she got lost and they are showing her where to go, LOL, NO. So turns out that the Elders found her on a tram a couple weeks ago and got her number, called her saturday to set up a lesson and we called her tuesday to set up a lesson and she thought we were the same people or something because she planned to meet both of us at the same time. 

HOW FUNNY> 

We went to our american moms house this week. She made butterscotch cookies and they rocked my world. It was awesome. 

Oh and on saturday we went district service tracting and we found this man, who loves americans invited us in, offered us coffee, explained we don't drink coffee, offered us tea asked for fruit tea, gave us black tea with mint. When he wasn't looking we watered his plants with our tea, I am sure they are growing real good now. LOL what a blast it was. Turns out he had no service for us to do but took a book of Mormon and want to read it, so thats good!

Oh I just love this place so much!

I am in love with the people, the orangutans, everything!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and continue to see miracles!

S Laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

PICTURES>

Sleepy Elders

 Random Rain storm

 The elders made us halusky. Strange

MORE PICTURES>

 the soccer field out side our apartment sometimes you can see the players running back and forth through the little doors

 these gummy bears were so cute and just reminded me of how families can be together forever.

Selfies