A note from President Slovacek

As I look at our blog, sharing some of the sights and experiences of our mission, I see that it is fun and worthwhile. We love it here and desire to share it fully as possible with you. My only concern is that it is difficult to capture in photos, or anything remotely "bloggable", some of the other experiences we are having. At the risk of being boring, I would like to at least touch on some of the less visually capturable things we are experiencing.

The stories of the early members of the church here are so faith inspiring; at least as much so as many of the stories of the pioneers crossing the plains. They first had to deal with the Nazis and the forced evacuation of the missionaries. They tried to remain faithful during the war, but were limited in what they could do. After the war, despite difficult living conditions, they welcomed back with open arms the missionaries. This was short lived though, as communism came in and made missionary work difficult and church membership dangerous. The stories of the people still worshipping and even converting others are amazing.

Meetings were limited in attendance to no more than 10, without government approval (which was not granted). So in Prague, they would sometimes have 3 meetings simultaneously, in 3 different rooms, with 9 people in attendance in each room. The Branch president would rotate between the 3 meetings. There was no translation department, so the members woul do their own translating of church materials from English to Czech.

They actually published a monthly newsletter about religious happenings. At one time, it had a circulation of 15 times the membership of the church. People actually paid to subscribe to it to read about religion.

Travel for many of the members was long and arduous. Even today it is not unusual to have a member ride an hour on the train to get to church. A counselor in our branch presidency here in Prague lives more than an hour away.

While some of the "people skills" and church experience are missing here, we love the people and their happy spirits. Theirs is a unique burden, trying to live as a Latter Day Saint in a Godless society.

It is wonderful--though not bloggable--the experiences we have with missionaries as they begin to understand what it means to serve with all of their heart, might, mind, and strength. We love to hear them talk with excitement about their investigators. Often when the investigator comes out of the baptismal water, the missionary is crying as much as the new member.

We love being here with these dear saints. As much as we miss family and friends, and many of the conveniences of home, we are grateful for the chance to serve with all our hearts for this short period of time.