To celebrate the new year, we drove out to Karlstejn--the site where the land of Czechoslovakia was dedicated for the spreading of the gospel in 1929. The castle on the hill looks down on the tiny village below. It's very imposing. We found some interesting art shops on our way back down the mountain, and vowed to come back shopping right before we finish our mission.
Last Saturday, the assistants and the office elders treated us to a performance of The Nutcracker at the National Theater. We were surprised (and pleased) that the elders wanted to see a ballet; and we all had a great time. We found The Nutcracker performed here to be an interesting mix of Dickens A Christmas Carol and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. The main character in the ballet was Scrooge. He was taken down to hell where he encountered the devil--a very muscular guy in red tights. The Ghost of Christmas Goodness rescues Scrooge from hell and what follows is a delightful 2 hour dance, quite like Clara's dream in the Nutcracker. It was fun to see the Czech's twist on two Christmas classics. Here we are pictured in the National Theater. What an amazing building! From left to right are Elders Mack, Streng, Johnson, and Johnson. Their mothers would be so proud.
The next day--Sunday--it snowed and left a beautiful blanket of white all over the city of Prague. These pictures were taken in our backyard park; except for the one where I'm standing in front of the chapel/ mission home.
The Prague castle is so beautiful in the winter. I have found myself loving this city in every season.
Oh! Here's some GREAT news! We have been working really hard on helping the missionaries with their finding and teaching skills. We've also raised the standards of excellence in the mission, and now we're starting to see results! In the next two months, we have more than 1/2 the baptismal commitments that we had in the entire year of 2007. The Lord is pouring out his blessings upon this people, and we are excited to be a part of this tremendous surge forward!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Castles, a Czech Nutcracker, and Snow
Posted by Ellen at 12:04 PM
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3 comments:
What a beautiful theater! All the pictures of this country are so beautiful. Joe and I could not help but notice the sign behind you and the boys....they really know how to speak to the american tourist:)
We all had a question, are you and Marv speaking the language fluently yet? When we hear our friends speak it makes us think of you both...It is so beautiful to listen to.
Kirsten....& family :)
I love the background you've added to your blog. The whole countryside looks so beautiful! BTW, my son will be flying into Prague next Monday and is so thrilled to finally get to the mission field! Shelley Killpack, Idaho
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