A little more news..and pictures!

We got a pretty short email from Taylor this week, since he'd just emailed 5 days before that. His first companion and trainer, Elder U., finished up his mission and went home so Taylor has a new companion, Elder Clyde. Elder Clyde has been in the Czech Republic just 8 weeks longer than Taylor, so they will work hard together and I think the Czech will really come along now that Taylor will have to do more talking. Taylor is excited about the challenge and he gets along well with Elder Clyde. Here are some questions we asked Taylor, along with his answers. All of them were not pertinent, so we deleted a few. Also, before he left Taylor volunteered with me in 1st grade, so last week he started a letter to them and as you can see, this week he finished it up.

1.  Where is Elder Clyde from and what is he like? Do you work well together?

Elder Clyde is from Logan, UT, he plays the guitar and the ukele, and played lacrosse and football in high school. ANd he has a uke here. He bought it a couple weeks ago. We do work well together. He was in my district last transfer, so we already knew each other. We have fun.
2.  What things have you been eating? (this is from Hunter)

Nothing too exciting. Really just the same old thing. My new favorite is this sweetbread called vánočka. It's way good, especially with cream cheese. Yum.
3.  Have you had any dinner appointments with members?

Not much, they feed us any time we come over though. They make such good soup. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before.
4.  How's the language coming? Are you having to say more now that Elder U. is gone?

The language is good. It's progressing slowly but surely. And yes, I speak much more now that my crutch is gone. But it's good, and necessary for my development.
5.  What's the weather like now?

Well, actually, it was reeeeeally hot, then it cooled down to around perfect, then we had some days of freezing cold and rain. It is currently back to really hot. I sweat much. 9.  What interesting things do they sell at the grocery store? I just remember the stores in England having intriguing things that you would never see in the US, like 20 different kinds of potatoes and roast chickenk-flavored pringles potatoes chips.

I haven't looked a ton at the stuff like that, I'll keep my eyes open for it next time we go shopping. Lots of weird meat and cheese though. All kinds of animal parts.
10.  Are you going to finish the 1st grade letter today? School is out on Wednesday!
Haha yes! Just tag this on to the end of what I already wrote.

 

 

...Every Saturday we have time to play soccer or frisbee with anyone who wants to. ANd every Monday we have a day to shop, clean, write home, and if there's time, we can go on little trips.

 

I haven't had much of a chance to go anywhere cool yet, but we have done some fun things. We've been to a really tall green tower called the Radnice, and there are lots of coal mines nearby, and we've visited a couple of them. We're going to a castle called Hukvaldy, and also to some caves at a place called Jeskyně. I've heard that Ostrava has one of the best zoos in the country, and we're going to go there soon too. The countryside is really pretty here, once you get out of the city, with lots of colorful flowers that I've never seen before. In a couple weeks we're going to go out and just spend some time outside. We're excited.

 

That's about it class! I hope you enjoyed this short letter about Ostrava. I know school gets out soon, but don't forget everything over the summer. Have fun!

 

Na shledanou,

Starší Knapp

And now...pictures. 
The first is of Ostrava, the second Taylor and apparently a large, ornate building (probably a cathedral?), and the third Taylor and Elder U. And as you can see, Taylor has not lost his goofiness.

 

I have been a slothful blogger for my two missionaries. So here is a little update on Taylor in the Czech Republic: (and actually it will be a rather big (long) update..)

Some spiritual things:

I want you all to look up Moroni 8:1-3. It's where Mormon greets Moroni as his son. I read that a few days ago and felt two very distinct impressions. One, that my parents feel the same about me, pray for me, and love the Lord. I also very distinctly felt my Heavenly Father's approval. This was His way of telling me I'm doing what He wants. I was actually reading somewhere else in the Book of Mormon at the time, and felt I should go to the spot I had left off the day before. And this was waiting for me.


And he's right! We do feel that way about our wonderful son!


The battle with the language has some bright spots:

Things are going really well, and the language is too actually. OH! A little proud moment I forgot to mention last week. Every tuesday we have Czech class with a member here. Last week she had us all read to her. All did well, and she complimented them and corrected them. Then me. Hehe. Sorry, this really is prideful, but I'm saying it anyway. I read my stuff and she stopped me part way through and said, "Vy jste čech?" Are you Czech? I said no haha, I'm not at all. She said, in Czech, something like, if I didn't know you were American, I would guess you were Czech. Yeah, I felt pretty good. I reeeelly tried to play it down though, because I don't want to seem prideful. She then said I have a problem though. If people here me read, they'll think I speak really well, and talk really fast. Sooo bummer. But whatever haha. I'll take it.

Things that make us laugh....


Saturday something funny happened. We had a service project that was supposed to be all day. We went there that morning, and, being the strapping young American boys we are, wore mostly shorts and t-shirts. I was actually the only one wearing both shorts and a t-shirt. The other missionaries told me the members were going to freak when they saw me. They were correct. They were mad at all of us because those who were wearing sweatshirts took them off fairly quickly. AFter a few hours we literally got sent home because we weren't wearing enough clothes. One of teh members told us, "Thank you for your help, now go home and get yourselves in order." It was so funny. But it was a good day, fixed up a path in some woods and picked up trash. We got a lot of compliments. I think they were compliments haha. It was in Czech, but I think they were good things. Hope so haha. Sunday was good, ADam, a kid who just was baptized a week ago got comfirmed, and it was great. He's super solid. I played the piano againnnn because the member who usually does was out of town again. She has been here one sunday so far. Ridiculous. SHe is active, just is out of town a lot. she's the one who teaches Czech class actually. 

Also, I received a threat on my life the other day. Mom, don't freak out. Ther is a tram stop called Namesti Republiky, and this old homeless woman hangs around there often at night. The night after our service project, I was sitting on a bench, still in my shorts and tshirt, when she comes up to me and starts going crazy. she went on and on about how she is 72, and she had to go to this shelter to go to the bathroom and work and get warm clothes and stuff like that. Our tram came, and as we walked away she kept yelling, "I will destroy you! I will destroy you!" Absolutely nuts. Also, in response to my last denture story, I must find a way to convey this properly. If an old person doesn't have their dentures in, they will just gum, chewing on nothing constantly. It's a weird tic that they all have. It is the most hilariousl thing I've ever seen. I can't even explain it. Maybe it's on youtube or something, but their cheeks are totally sunken in, and they gum and gum and gum, I don't know. It is sooo funny.

We have two new investigators! One named Zlata and one named Blanka. Zlata lives alone with a lion. Well, he might be a dog, but I thinkg it's a lion. Super accepthing to the message, just worried that she won't be ready in time. Blanka is different. Also very accepting, totally ready to hear teh Restored Gospel truths, but different. We contacted her on the street Saturday, taught her a lesson right then, then invited her to Sports Day. And she came! In full soccer gear, and I mean full. cleats, shin guards, jersey ,padded shorts, everything. And she likes to...tickle. She kept coming up behing us during the game and tickling us. guess what? that's not okay. it was very uncomfortable. She's probably around 30 or so, and just is a little different. Really nice, will be a great contribution to the church, but she tickles.

 

I'm happy to report that the tickler is no longer around...something tells me her motives were not pure...

Some random facts:

1.  So, you are playing the piano each Sunday for church? Do they have hymnbooks?

Not every Sunday. Thankfully, there is a lady here who usually does it, but she is out of town  A LOT so I have to. And I always do for Priesthood. And yes, they have hymnbooks. just not a translation that is Church approved haha.

 

2. What has the weather been like?

Last week was super rainy, which was dumb, but it is soooo nice here. Sounds like it's about exactly like Kansas right now actually.

 

3.  Have you tried anymore new foods?

Nooo...not really. They have a lot of similar stuff. Every meal begins with soup, then the main course. I've had some really good soups here Mom. You would be in heaven. But the food is good!

 

 (questions 3-6 would not interest you)

7.  What do ward members do for a living there?

I really have no idea. A lot of people are poor, almost everyone lives in old communist housing, but there are a few who are quite well off.

 

8.  Do you find that a lot of people speak English there are not so much?

Yes, quite a few speak a little, but most have verrry strong accents, and not much vocabulary. You will find the occasional person who speaks really well. Like one of the companionships brought a guy to church who jsut got back from living in Ireland for like 10 years, so he speaks well. Haha, but with a Czech-Irish accent. Funny.

 

Taylor loves his mission president and his wife, Pres. and Sis. Irwin. They are from England...

Speaking of the Church here, we had Branch conference last Sunday, which meant Pres and Sis Irwin came! I love them. They are exact opposites. Pres is a fireball, tons of energy, sarcastic, chummy (that's a British term) with all the missionaries, hilarious, so on. Sis Irwin is very quiet, proper, refined, and loving. Whenever she sees you, she says, "It's so good to see you, love! Is everything well? How are you sweet?" So funny. 

 

President Irwin talked about the growth of the church in the Czech Republic and Taylor commented on that, paraphrasing a quote from Joseph Smith:

  The church is getting ready to explode here. Why? Because it is Christ's church. It will go forth boldly, nobley, and independent. No unhallowed hand can stop the work. it is so exciting to be a part of it all.

 

Taylor loves the gospel of Jesus Christ and he loves being a missionary, even though it is difficult.

 

Goood week this week. Some rough spots, but that's life. Especially as a missionary. More than anything, I was just happy this week. To be honest, I'm never unhappy, but the language can be frustrating and people are rude, and whatnot, but this week I was happy all the time. Which really makes me excited because it shows me that I'm really starting to fully embrace the work, which is what I want. I want this to be the "best two years."

 

Missionary adventures:

 

As for Blanka the tickler, we haven't seen her in awhile. We had a lesson set up with her, but she wouldn't give us her phone number. She said to come outside her apartment and call for her and she would come. So, three missionaries (we were on an exchange) stood on the sidewalk and yelled Blanka! Blanka! Blanka! over and over. We don't even know if it was the rigtht building. We haven't seen her since haha. As for Marek...bummer. We dropped him. He just doesn't understand the importance of our message and the significance of our call. He thinkgs he is the same kind of missionary we are, and that biking, soccer, and hanging out with friends are ways we pray. He just wasn't progressign. I love the guy, but for now we won't be teaching him anymore. Veronika, on the other hand, is doing great. We taught her the word of wisdom, which we knew would be a problem because she was smoking when we met her, and she was a little surprised. She read some and we talked about the kinds of things we shouldn't take in or what ever, and she was like, "Okay...I've had like half of these today..." Keep in mind she's only 16. But, she, because she is so prepared, said, "I'll try it!" And I believe she is doing great. We meet with her again tomorrow.

 

In other news, we met with KC, aka Raffiki, twice this week. The secodn time we went with him to visit a friend in the hospital. He's just such a nice friendly, big-hearted guy. I just wish he would stop being so dang immoral. We're actually talking about that this week with him. So hopefully he can feel the need to change his life. We got a referral from him, unfortunately wont start teaching him until July. It's someone you all have heard of. I'm so pumped. Him and KC are friends, and he comes to the Czech Republic once a year, every |July. He is...Usain Bolt. Yes. I mean Usain Bolt as in the fastest man in the world. That Usain Bolt. Kc promised we could meet him and start teaching him if we wanted. IF WE WANTED? IS THAT LIKE A MAYBE? We said yes.

 

I know this is pathetic, but this is really about all there is. Elder U was sick this week, so taht took a huge chunk out of Tuesday, and we had a senior couple come Thursday to do cleaning checks, so there went Thursday as well. We are really optimistic for this week though. It's our last as a companionship, so we;ve got to work dang hard all week, and really end on a good note. Oh, also, when the Erbs, the senior couple came, we went and bought me a mattress. So now I'm sleeping in comfort haha. It's real nice.

 

I love you all, don't forget whose work this is. It is the work of our Lord. And He blesses all involved. That could not be clearer to me.

 

Starsi Knapp
 

We got to talk to Taylor yesterday morning, which made us very happy! He's nervous about Elder U. leaving but I think it will be good for Taylor to be paired with someone who is not so fluent in the language. This will give him the opportunity to speak more and learn more. He's doing great, but he's impatient because he's used to doing a lot of talking, sharing thoughts and feelings, joking, and using big words and speaking Czech requires him to use very simple language. But he's coming along and he's very happy. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

Ups and Downs

 Here are some excerpts from Starsi Knapp's email, which actually came a week ago. We haven't heard from him yet this week. The Czech/Slovak Mission secretary emailed us to let us know all the missionaries would be emailing late this week.

What a week! Ups and downs folks, that's the way of a missionary. For example, the ups. P-day is always great, and Tuesdays are right there with them. I think I told you a little about our investigator Marek? Well, Tuesday's lesson with him was amazing! If you remember, he's the one who wouldn't pray and didn't see the need for physical baptism because he's already promised to follow Christ. Well, for one thing, he committed to a date! He said he couldn't get baptized because he didn't know the commandments, and didn't know if he could keep them all. We told him of course we would teach him the commandments, but he would have to pray about each one, and about baptism itself. Then...he said he has been praying! We double checked, and he said yes, it was addressing the Father and ending in the name of Jesus Christ! His baptism is set for the 5th of May. So happy for him. He is one of my favorite people I've met here, and he's just such a good guy and tries so hard to do what's right, once he's baptized he will build the branch here so much. Of course, since Tuesday was so great, Wednesday had to humble us. We had the BEST schedule set up. Four lessons, one with a member there, one with a less active guy, and two potential investigators. So the inactive cancelled. Then the other missionaries took too long teaching with the same member so we didn't get to, and that fell through. Then, the lessons we had set up in the evening both cancelled as well. We spent so much time travelling places just to find out that nobody was going to show up. It was a little rough.

Taylor also talked about a blizzard, which he loved, except he had to walk a lot in it and he'd forgotten his coat...

Quick story about a miracle. Literally. Last Saturday we did have sports day, and it was a blast. I think I already mentioned it to you, about how we played Ultimate Frisbee and such? Well, knowing me, I sprained my ankle. Badly. Not my fault, Mom, I was being careful, there was a hole. I was devastated. I knew taht it was going to hurt, and really slow us down. So, I prayed, because that is always the answer. That night, it hurt. It swelled up, I had a hard time walking on it, and I was really worried. The next morning, It wasn't really working like an ankle should, which is normal the first morning. By that evening, the swelling was gone, the pain was gone, and I've walked all day everday for over a week since it happened. The Lord watches out for His missionaries. I've done this to myself many times, and I know that if I wasn't where I was right now, it would not have healed like this. It is such a blessing. That, like so many other things that have happened are a definite testimony that this is the Lord's work. I know it is, and I was a called by a prophet of God to do this.

Getting Settled in Ostrava

 Here are some excerpts from Taylor's email this week.

 

Okay, so lessons. We had one early this week with a lady named Marie. She is really bitter because her 30 yr old son, with a wife and kids, just died. We of course taught her about Heavenly Father's plan for us and how we can live with our families forever through His Gospel, but she was too upset to talk about it. She took a Book of Mormon, but said she would call us when she was ready. It was so sad to see her talk about her son, she is so cut up by it. The Gospel would really help her. Well, of course, it is for everyone, but you get what I'm saying.

 

We also had a lesson with a guy named Marek. He is a great guy, super nice, intelligent, easy to talk to, and speaks English which is nice. Had a great lesson with him, asked him to pray about what he reads in the Book of Mormon, which he loves, and he straight said no. He doesn't pray. He's very religious and doesn't pray. We had another lesson with him on Friday, and he admitted he had an experience where he prayed and he felt it didn't work, so he hasn't prayed since. He'll pray with us, but never on his own. As we were talking I felt impressed to ask him a few questions, and helped him realize that his prayers really were answered, just not in the way that he intended. We teach him again tomorrow and are going to talk more about prayer and why we need it and how we can look for answers. It was a great experience. He would be such a strong member of the branch, and a huge contributor to the work. I love the guy.

 

Really, that's all. Marek is our only investigator now, but we're meeting with some new people this week, (including a family!) and have high hopes. Oh, and we teach English every Tuesday. It's really fun, and the people love it. We're going to talk to some of them about the possibility of teaching them too. I love when they speak English, especially Marek. They sound sooo Russian. "He is great man," said Marek about a previous missionary. Actually, he said, "He is, he is, can I say, great man." Awesome.

 

Hahahaha our apartment. Ahhh. Our apartment. It actually isn't too bad, it's pretty big, just absolutely barren. We have almost nothing. Just room and air. We finally got kitchen utensils because we borrowed extras from the elders in the other to areas in Ostrava, but we have two beds, two rickety old tables, with matching chairs, a thing that looks like a diving board with legs for a dinner table, two chairs and a half couch for sitting on. Oh, and my bed doesn't have a mattress. We laugh about where we live. I literally am laughing right now as I write this in the library.  

 

Thank you all for the great emails, they were wonderful, and hilarious.

Keep working hard, and stay strong in the Gospel. There is no excuse for getting lazy in our duties, we all have them and they must be fulfilled. God has a plan for His children overall, but also for each individually. Work to find and fulfill that call.

 

We heard from Taylor this past Monday. He is getting settled in and beginning the adventure of living in a foreign country. He says:

I found out this week that people really do speak this language. Also
  thatI can't understand it. The weirdest is hearing little kids speak
Czech. These are strange sounds to come out of a child's mouth. Some
things really common here: rollerblading. Everybody rollerblades. Even
oooold people. It's hilarious, but I worry about hips and knees.
Another thing: smoke. Everybody 10 and up, no joke. We saw a kid this
morning no older than 11 smoking. Emily, don't smoke. One older lady
did not breathe in unless she had a cig in her mouth. It's crazy. We
have some things to teach haha.

Even though Taylor is having a hard time understanding the people, the people can understand him, so his Czech must be pretty good. 

His companion is new to the area as well so they are starting fresh, looking for people to teach. Most people are kind and willing to listen, except for the few that say, "You are Americans? Go back to America!"

Taylor says, "The Church is true and that's why I'm here." We look forward to hearing from him again tomorrow1

The Czech Republic

Here's how Taylor felt on Saturday when we heard from him:

"I'm freaking out and so pumped and everything. Craziness. I fly out in 49 hours. For the first time in my life I'm leaving America. Whew. I can't really belive this actually.

We've said goodbye to two of our three teachers so far. It's weird. We've grown so close in the past two months, and now I won't see them for a long time. Same with the other missionaries going to Europe with us. We've done so much together and now we'll all separate into our various missions across Eastern Europe.

I don't really have much more. This week has been different. I'm half packed, it was a struggle without you Mom, and we had a thing called in-field orientation yesterday. We basically just went over the logistics of planning and contacting and meetings and stuff like that. It was actually pretty cool."

Taylor flew away on Monday. He got to call us from the airport and talk with us for a little while. It was great to hear his voice. He was very excited! He spoke some Czech to us---he spoke pretty confidently with just a few pauses here and there. He traveled to London and then on to Prague with 7 other missionaries. He arrived Tuesday and we received an email from his mission president, Pres. Irwin, along with a picture of Taylor and the Irwin's. The Irwin's are from England. They preside over the Czech Republic and Slovakia and take care of all those missionaries!

We have welcomed your son, Starší Taylor Sterling Knapp, to the Czech/Slovak Mission. We are so impressed with your son and want to thank you for all that you have done in preparing this wonderful young man for his mission.  Today we will do our best to keep Starší Knapp awake until early this evening.  Tomorrow after a good night's rest, he will meet his new companion and travel to his first area.

We have attached a photo of him with us, which was taken today just after he arrived here in Prague.  Starší Knapp will bless this mission greatly with his enthusiasm and dedication. We love him and pledge our best efforts in directing his service here.

            Your son, Starší Knapp, has accepted a call that will change his life and the lives of those with whom he is serving.  These first few months will be full of new and challenging experiences, and your support in the form of encouraging and uplifting letters will help him greatly.

            Our greatest hope is that each missionary has a positive and growing experience, which will help give him a foundation for a lifetime of service to others. We appreciate the time you have spent raising your son to be such a responsible young man.  We thank you for your willingness to share Starší Knapp with us.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Irwin

 Sorry for the long blog, but....there's more! We got another email with a picture of Taylor and his first companion, Elder Uremovich. He looks like a good young man. And then...an email from Taylor! He told us that his flight was good but he didn't sleep much on the 9 hour flight to London. As soon as they got to Prague they met the Irwin's and some of the missionaries and they went on what they called "The Death March of Prague"--they went on a whirlwind tour of Prague. Then to dinner, then finally to bed. This morning they were told where their first assignment would be and they boarded the train with their new companions and headed out. Taylor is serving in a city near the Slovakian border. He is super excited. He says:

"Everyone who has served here loves it. It's supposedly some kind of baptism by fire experience, because it's the city that apparently speaks the fastest Czech. So it'll be rough, but I'll learn tons."

"It's amazing here. I don't know anything, but I know I'll learn. It feels so strange not being able to communicate with people, even for simple things. Oh wait, I have to tell you about what we've eaten so far. So for our first meal, we had this stuff called svidčkova, which is just beef in a vegetable sauce, tons and tons of it, and bread. It was sooo good. For dessert we had this stuff called knedliki or something like that, which is just a bread dumpling, stuffed with fruit and covered in some kind of frosting. Also delicious. We ate at some little Czech kitchen that was on the way from the end of the death march back to the mission home. Tasty tasty tasty."

Well, he's happy and we're happy! What an adventure! We'll hear more from him on Monday.

The MTC Experience is Almost Over!

The evolution of Taylor's weekly email greeting:
Drahy rodinu a kamaradi----Drahy rodina---Draha rodiny---Drahy rodino---Draha rodino!!  He explains:

"You may have noticed that my greeting has slowly changed, just a few letters each time. That's because I'm learning Czech. I'm learning the right way to change the nouns and adjectives and whatnot. I love learning a language." 

We could read them all just fine.They all said: "Dear family". 

He's had another great week, is happy, learning, and growing. He hurt his thumb about 10 days ago,playing basketball, but reports that it is fine--a bad sprain but no tears. "The dang doctor started by saying that if I needed surgery, I would be stuck here at the MTC for another three months! When I went in, my thumb didn't hurt. After this crazy guy was done experimenting to see how many different ways he could twist my thumb, it hurt somewhat. Then, to show that the fact my thumb wouldn't move to a certain position and that it hurt was proof there wasn't a complete tear, he proceeded to pull it as far as he could in that direction. Pain. I don't like him much."

"Thursday we had TRC. That's where we teach people who are actually themselves. All are returned Czech missionaries, except one or two, and we just teach them, more like home teaching than misssionary lessons. AFterwards, Br Pearson said he has never seen us teach so well. Then the sting. He said, why don't you teach your investigators like that! So, we determined to ask better questions, make the investigators think and such. Friday, who do we teach? Michal, who if you remember, is Br Pearson. IT was great! He was much more engaged, and we stopped him after the lesson and asked for his thoughts and he gave us very positive feedback. we're growing."

Last Sunday the missionaries watched a movie about Joseph Smith. Taylor's experience with that: 

"I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. I've known that for a long time. But never have I had the Spirit bear witness to me as powerfully as it did Sunday night. THis church is Christ's church. IT is true."

And, ending an email he sent to his Dad he says, "The Lord wants me to serve Him, and I cannot let Him down."

Taylor is very, very excited to be on his way to Prague!