Beautiful Spring

Old Towne becomes quite festive right before Easter.
April is a birthday month for our family. President Slovacek's birthday was celebrated at our favorite American restaurant in Prague--TGI Fridays. Here he is with his cake and balloon. He was so happy to eat a real American cheeseburger and fries.

My birthday is also in April--one week earlier than President's. This has always been known in our family as the week where Mom and Dad are "the same age". After that week, President's mantra becomes, "We are basically the same age". I think he's hoping I will some day catch up.

We celebrated my birthday at one of the restaurants on the waterfront, near the Charles Bridge. It was fun to watch the lights come on in the city, especially on the bridge. I took this night shot from our table.

We ate dinner outside. This is before it got dark. Heidi joined us for both dinners. It's fun to have her with us in Prague. She has just been called into the Primary presidency in our branch.
Even though he was released, he will always be Bishop Whitaker to me. Bishop/Brother Whitaker came to Prague on a work assignment, and we met him for dinner at Kavarna Slavia. It was good to see him again.
At the end of each transfer, we take the sisters in Prague out to lunch. As we were walking back to the building, I challenged Sister Clark and Sister Magidson to contact a couple across the street who were kissing. They took up the challenge, as you can see. The final outcome--they now have two new investigators! The couple is very interested in hearing more about the gospel. Isn't that wonderful?
We just finished a round of zone conferences. Here we are with the Slovak elders and the Burns who are the humanitarian couple living in Kosice. We love our missionaries!
The saddest day of our mission comes every 9 weeks when we say good-by to our beloved missionaries. Even now, looking at this picture makes me so sad. I know parents will disagree, but missionaries come and go so fast! They come and leave an indelible mark on our hearts. I told them the night before they left, that like it or not, they are now one of ours. They always will be. Good-bye Elder Whiting, Elder Burgener, Sister Gapinski, Elder Earl, and Elder Story. We miss you already!
There is always a silver lining in losing our missionaries. We get new ones in the same week. We love their fresh new enthusiasm and vigor! Pictured below are: Elder Nestman, Elder Anderson, Sister Reese, Elder Fish, and Elder Reed.