dobrodružstvo

Well this week was just packed with everything in the entire world. 

Okay not really but it feels like it. 

So we had our Culture night this week and we were able to go to the Bojnice Castle and oh isn't it cute. I am not the biggest fan of tours and taking pictues without people in them, but I took them because I know mom would appreciate the art. I just like the outside and the history of it all, but I mean it was in slovak and I didn't really understand anyways so its fine. Only been here for a year, you think I would be fluent. HAHAHAHAHAH NOT! 

We also went and did service for our friends this week and at the end they took us to the place we worked last week (remember the place we almost got killed by thrown logs) and they bought 10 sheep and 2 goats and they are raising them. They weren't very friendly things, but we got to see them and thats all that matters. haha

and then Blur. 

The middle of the week always BLURS

But we had an incredible lesson with this kid that we met on exchanges and we taught him about the restoration and we bought a mug and wrote the gospel of Jesus Christ on it and then we gave him the mug and told him to break it on the ground and he was a little scared at first, but eventually he took a deep breath

and OBLITERATED THE CUP 

literally OBLITERATED. it was awesome. 

so we started to pick up the peices and we told him that if I have pieces and he has pieces and sister Van has pieces that I or him or her could not remake the cup alone, and that is why we needed a restoration, because the doctrine was all missing just a little bit. and then we showed him the restoration video and we asked him what he like and he responded "everything" and then he said "I know what I need to do now" and we asked what that was and he said "I need to ask God for wisdom to know what is my next step" 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? how much more golden could you be? 

Then we have been all over the place because we had district conference in Blava and then we came home and went back and had a sleepover with the sisters and then we had training and it was a completely spiritually packed weekend. 

and to put the icing on the cake for travelling we are going to Blava for visa work today. 

man gotta love trains. 

I know I do! its always a good time. 

Well I just love this gospel so much. and I know that I have so much more to learn and so much more I need to become, but I know that God loves each and every one of his children and I know that he has a perfect plan for each and every one of us. 

Have a miraculous week. 

S láskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe    

Sleepover Halušky parties

Props to sister Easton for taking this picture

the cooking process. its like a relief society party. everyone comes but there is only so much one can do. hahah! so we take the camera and photograph. 

Bojnice Castle

bojnice some more

my dear owl friend

and the district

Training

Elder Brown pulling a sister Seninger

SLOVAK SESTRY

počas training (mission call opening)

Mission guesses for Orsi

Finland Helsinki. get ready! 

gettin the band back together

MTC group minus Elder Terry

Sister Bailey and I. You already know we be WILD.

its already P-day?

Okay. TIME LITERALLY NEEDS TO STOP. 

THIS IS RIDICULOUS. 

I feel like a second ago I was at this same computer typing for stuff last week and somehow I am here again but and entire week has passed. 

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? 

Well lets see what super cool miracles happened this week? 

We went out to the streets and wrote in colorful chalk. I stole this idea from Sister Bagshaw to write "ask a mormon a question" Most people looked at it, saw the word mormon and quickly scurried away, finding is definitely different in different places of the world, but it definitely turned some heads. One man asked, "mormons they are the ones with a lot of wives right?" We further explained that, that was not us. haha

I don't know how many times last year I mentioned how much I LOVE SLOVAK ICECREAM! 

Well STILL DO AND IT LITERALLY ROCKS MY WORLD.

We were doing service the other day and we were moving these huge logs from the top of a hill to a pile. So the man we were helping and one elder was at the top of the hill chucking logs and we were at the bottom picking them up and stacking them. and the man we were helping out went into a little bit of a ditsy mood and just was chucking the wood while my comp was at the bottom and one log swept( not hitting) right past my comps face. I very loudly spoke to him and told him to wait until we gave him word to throw the next log because we weren't about to die today. 

He listened after that. 

Then my friends from kosice came and hung out with us in Trencin for a day. and it was wonderful! 

We saw SOOO many miracles. One is quite cool, because Sister Easton and I met this man on the bridge and we were talking to him about churches and we asked "if God is one, shouldn't god only have one church?" He thought for a minute and then we invited him to meet with us. and the miracle about it, is that he came to his appointment and took home a book of mormon! 

THE CHURCH IS TRUE. 

Also that day we ran into a lady who we had met on the streets about a month ago and she said that if we met on the streets again she would meet with us. So she set up to meet with us this week. :) 

I LOVE THE SIZE OF TRENCIN. 

people will say. oh well we will leave it up to God and if I see you on the streets again we can meet. and normally I say "well trencin is pretty small. We'll see you next week." haha they usually laugh but then eat their word because it just so happens that we see them on the street a couple weeks later. 

This week was literally just the GREATEST! 

I am exhausted from the sun, but I am happy as ever and just loving life. 

except for at 6:30, I don't usually have a smile on my face then. but other than that yes. hahah 

I have been really moved by the story that president monson shared in priesthood session

"During World War II, a friend of mine was serving in the South Pacific when hisplane was shot down over the ocean. He and the other crew memberssuccessfully parachuted from the burning plane, inflated their life rafts, and clungto those rafts for three days.

On the third day they spotted what they knew to be a rescue vessel. It passedthem by. The next morning it passed them by again. They began to despair as theyrealized that this was the last day the rescue vessel would be in the area.

Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my friend: “You have the priesthood. Command therescuers to pick you up.”

He did as prompted: “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of thepriesthood, turn about and pick us up.”

Within a few minutes the vessel was beside them, helping them on deck. "

Is there any doubt that miracles are happening today? No, because this is the TRUE CHURCH of Jesus Christ. I just love this gospel so much. Its true, if you compared the gospel Jesus Christ taught with the doctrines that we teach you would find no flaw. I KNOW IT! 

Have a miraculous week. 

S Laskou,

Sestra Ratcliffe

the district

canon (cannon?) something that goes BOOM.
fotky

Spiders on the bridge

just chilling outside. Sister Van and I found a desk and want to study outside when it is a little warmer
COMP PHOTOS

peek a boo

*I look over* "what the FOOOT?"

haha

Random fireworks went off a couple nights ago. So we took pictures

Wait its Pday

Hi yall. 

This week was all kinds of crazy. 

but the funny thing is that I don't even feel like this week actually happened, if that makes sense probably not, but you know.

Well we started out the week wonderfully with a super cool man telling us that we have good data underground. Not knowing what he meant we dug deeper, come to find out he was talking about baptisms for the dead! Why yes good sir, we do have good data.

HAHAH. 

I love it.

Then we found this group through our dear kind friends of the community to serve and we were able to spend a ton of time chopping down a ton of trees by the Castle to make a HUGE Cherry field, so that Trencin can take a bus up to do tours around the castle. and they are ALSO going to buy goats to do a petting zoo! 

THEN THE WEEK REALLY JUST ESCAPES. 

I know we were helping our member out in her garden and she fed us fried cheese and I only remember it, because that fried cheese was literally BOMB. 

and then somehow we made it on a bus to Brno, where I again ditched my greenie for the day and headed to prague for some training.

THEN WE CAME BACK AND WATCHED CONFERENCE. 

oh wow, wasn't conference just wonderful?

I really loved the talk by Bonnie L Oscarson
" Think for just a minute about the profound claims we make as a religion. We believe that the same Church Jesus Christ established while on the earth has been restored once again by a prophet called of God in our time and that our leaders hold the same power and authority to act in God’s name that ancient Apostles held. It is called the priesthood of God. We claim that through this restored authority, we can receive saving ordinances, such as baptism, and enjoy the purifying and refining gift of the Holy Ghost to be with us at all times. We have apostles and prophets leading and directing this Church through priesthood keys, and we believe that God speaks to His children through these prophets.We also believe that this priesthood power makes it possible to make covenants and receive ordinances in holy temples that will someday enable us to return to the presence of God and live with Him forever. We also claim that, through this power, families can be bound together for eternity when couples enter the new and everlasting covenant of marriage in sacred buildings that we believe are literally the houses of God. We believe that we can receive these saving ordinances not only for ourselves but also for our ancestors who lived on the earth without having the chance to participate in these essential saving ordinances. We believe we can perform ordinances for our ancestors by proxy in these same holy temples.
We believe that, through a prophet and the power of God, we have received additional scriptures, adding to the testimony of that in the Bible declaring that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
We claim that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God and the only true Church on the earth. It is called the Church of Jesus Christ because He stands at the head; it is His Church, and all these things are possible because of His atoning sacrifice.
We believe that these distinguishing features can be found in no other place or organization on this earth. As good and sincere as other religions and churches are, none of them have the authority to provide the ordinances of salvation that are available in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We have a knowledge of these things, but do we believe them?"

What a wonderful thought. We know that we claim all of these things, but are they engraven in our hearts that we know they are true. Do we desire to know by the power of the holy ghost that they are true?

It is so wonderful that we can know of assurity that these truth are true. and we can become truly converted unto the Lord.

S Laskou, 

Sestra Ratcliffe

Ps. Sorry my email is pretty short we are going shopping and have a bus in like 10 minutes

the elevator that just keeps going

CONFERENCE

IN BRNO WITH THE SESTRY

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

eating at the fishtanks restaurant - NEMO

WITH BLAVA

russian restraunt in blava

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 :)