A Trip to the Slovacek Homeland

Over the Christmas holidays, we took Heidi and Steven to the places where the Slováčeks lived. Vsetín, Czech Republic, was the birthplace of Tomaš Slováček (President Slovacek's great grandfather).




Jablůnka--which means "little apple"-- is a small village just a few kilometers from Vsetín. This is where Anna Tatalak (President's Slovacek's great grandmother) and J.R. Slováček (President Slovacek's grandfather) were born. It's a pretty little place where there are many apple orchards (surprise, surprise). It's quite a bit smaller than Vsetín, but both towns are agricultural in nature. We love the countryside with its small streams and tiny farm houses.

After visiting the homeland, we decided to travel into Slovakia and show Heidi and Steven the Oravsky castle. These are a few pictures of what we saw. By the way, it was a very cold trip, but we enjoyed seeing the sights in snow.






We had a great time, but it felt good to get back to Prague and get ready for the new year. We had a great 2008; but we are determined to make 2009 even better!

Prague--Home Sweet Home!

BRRRR

Slovak Missionaries

It was just a couple of years ago the land of Slovakia was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel by President Uchtdorf. Here we are with the missionaries serving in Slovakia, at Trenčin, where the land was dedicated. Not far from us is the Trenčin castle. It makes me smile when I see this picture. We love these missionaries so much. I'm sure they often feel isolated from the rest of the mission because they only serve with each other, and not with the Czech elders; yet they are so dedicated and hard working. They truly are a band of brothers. We're grateful Elder and Sister Burns are in Košice to watch over them when we are not there.

November 2008

The missionaries of the Prague and Hradec Kralove zones got together on Thanksgiving and had a big football game. As you can see, they really got into it. I'm not sure why Elder McLaughlin wore a wig, but it didn't slow him down any.


Before Thanksgiving, we were on the road quite a bit. First was our trip to Warsaw, Poland; then our mission tour in Slovakia. We were surprised at how similar the Czech and Polish languages are, yet they look nothing alike.

Krakow, Poland


During our mission tour in Slovakia, we were able to stay a couple of days in the Velky Tatry, a mountain range that borders Slovakia and Poland. Stary Smokovec is a bustling little ski village nestled at the foothills of the mountains. The first day there, we bought earmuffs. The second day there, we bought gloves. It was SO COLD. And it snowed. It was just lovely!

We attended church and had a district meeting in Kosice, Slovakia. Elder Campbell is the branch president there. I took a picture of him after church so I could send it to his mom.


The church steeple was the view from our hotel room in Kosice. It's a lovely cathedral--very different from what we usually see in the two countries. This one has more of a Russian influence in its architecture.

I saved the best for last. President Slovacek was instrumental in teaching the gospel to a remarkable young man in Prague. Just two nights ago, we were able to witness his baptism--and President Slovacek had the opportunity to perform the ordinance in Czech. It was his first in that language.

President Slovacek, Elder Young, Petr, and Elder Barker.

Random pictures from around the mission

New Transfer group, September 29
These 4 were giving each other a back rub during a break in zone conference.
Our missionaries from Hradec Kralove zone.
The missionaries from the Olomouc zone.
The leaders of the Slovak zone.
The wild and crazy guys from Prague.
President Slovacek gives Elder Mack a pep talk.


We found a really fun restaurant tucked away at the foot of the castle. The lighting is strictly by candlelight, and the food is served with only a knife presented to you, stuck in a loaf of bread; a fork if you are lucky, but never a glass to drink out of. Eating with us are Ed Barner and the Alsops.
In the Czech Republic, you have to be married civilly before you can be sealed in the temple. Last week, we attended a wedding of a young couple who met last year at the YSA conference in Budapest. It was really sweet. They are going to Germany this week to be sealed in the temple.
Elder Anderson and Elder Auger are the zone leaders of the Prague zone. They are awesome missionaries. We love having them in the mission home.
Sunday, November 2, was a national holiday where everyone puts candles on the graves in the cemetaries, to help their deceased loved ones find their path back home to God. It was really beautiful at night.

I need to apologize for not posting in such a long, long time! I will try to do better, even when we are on the road much of the time. A lifetime has happened in the last month, but I didn't take pictures of everything. We had a wonderful women's conference. We had a transfer with new missionaries coming in, and no one going home--my FAVORITE kind of transfer! We have witnessed an absolutely gorgeous fall season, with brilliant red and gold hillsides. We've had many baptisms, a wedding, and Halloween. So, enjoy the few pictures of a marvelous October.

Guys on Crutches, Slovacek, and Karlovy Vary

Oh these two! Elder Gagon (on the right) had some foot problems for quite a while. Thankfully, his cast is off, and he's doing great now. But right before he got his cast off, he escorted Elder Barker to the clinic to have an ingrown toenail removed. When they came back, they looked like quite the pair, so I had to take a picture. Elder Barker is doing well now, too.


We were driving along in Jihlava and had to stop and get a picture of this billboard. I don't know who Lubomir is, but it looks like he's in real estate like his long-lost cousin Marvin Slovacek. We loved seeing the diacritical marks above the A and the C. Now we know why our name is pronounced Slow-VA-check, as opposed to SLOW-va-sek.
We take the office missionaries on a vylet, or small trip, once a transfer. Here they are in one of my favorite cities--Karlovy Vary. It is a beautifully restored city that is populated heavily with Russians. It was is in Karlovy Vary, where they filmed the James Bond movie "Casino Royale", at the Grand Pup Hotel.
From left to right: Elder Gagon, Elder Whiting, Elder Chambers, and Elder Tanner.

Festivals and Zone Conferences!

These are all the sister missionaries of the Brno and Olomouc zones. They are fabulous missionaries! We took a week and toured the mission, stopping off at many of the missionaries' apartments for individual interviews. It was fun (and enlightening) to see them in their "natural habitat". We decided to drop in on them more often.














We were so lucky! We had been on the road for a few days, and decided at the last minute to pop in on the sister missionaries in Uherske Hradiste, just for fun. We didn't know the whole town would be out in full force for the Wine Festival! The town square was filled with people in native costume, singing and dancing, and of course, drinking their homemade wine. (They make it from potatoes.) We didn't drink the wine, but loved the caramelized cashews that were roasted over an open fire. It was a gorgeous day in Moravia! The guys on stage reminded me of Chevy Chase in European Vacation. They were great fun to watch.

Toronto Service Project, September 20, 2008

On the way to the annual service project sponsored by the Wallace Toronto Foundation, we stopped to see the Cesky Sternberk castle. It always amazes me that we can be in the middle of nowhere, and a castle will appear on the horizon. This country really is a land of fairy tales.
This is where we spent the better part of the day on the Toronto Service Project--in the garden. In this picture, I think President Slovacek is teaching us which weeds to look for. It felt good to be in contact with soil again. (I love gardening!)
Most of the missionaries from Prague and surrounding areas participated in the service project. While we weeded the gardens, these missionaries were busy scraping and painting the fence that went around the perimeter of the property. By the end of the day, I think more paint went on them than the fence; but the work got done, and they had a good time.

I found a kitten and put it in the pocket of my sweatshirt. I thought it was really cute, until someone pointed out to me that it had a tick behind its left ear. I put the cute little kitten down, very quickly. By the way, it was REALLY cold that day! I had to wear gloves, and it's only September. Not a good sign of things to come, I'm afraid.

Bad Homburg, Rhine River, and Beckov Castle

We spent the last weekend in Bad Hamburg, Germany at the Mission Presidents' seminar. We were able to see our good friends, Jim and Lynda Henry, who are presiding over the Porto, Portugal mission. We had some amazing training by Elder L.Tom Perry, Elder Rasband of the First Quorum of Seventy, Bishop Burton, and the area presidency. We also took a side trip and cruised down the Rhine River, stopping off for a tour of the Rheinfels Castle, where we had a delightful tour guide and dinner.





























While in training in Slovakia, we took our assistants--Elder Whiting and Elder Chambers-- on a tour of the Beckov castle. Aren't they cute? I think this picture of them should be on the cover of the Ensign magazine.