WEEK EIGHT: Flight Plans Are Here!

 Most of the Croatian elders

 Elders Isom & Crapo (Croatian)

 Our Zone

 The new Croatians

 A spilled queso can in our room (not sure why this was picture worthy?!)

 Our flight plans!!!

This is weird. I have quite a bit of time today for my mass email. I will try to get a good description of our week.

The devotional on Sunday was the Nashville Tribute Band. I am not gonna lie, I was not looking forward to it. This is the second time we have heard them and I didn't enjoy too much the first time. This time though, I really loved it. i don't know what the difference was.

Then on Tuesday, our devotional was by Elder Juan Uceda of the Seventy. He was a phenomenal speaker and I learned a ton from him. The biggest thing I took away was something he said that I really loved. He told us to connect with heaven. The last time I heard that was on trek from President Holmes and I really tried that week to do it. The result was amazing. The Spirit was so strong as I prayed more and always poured my heart to God. It was the best and hearing that in the devotional reminded me of what I could be experiencing.

This week was a tough week as a Zone Leader. I am supposed to help the other Elders with companionship problems and also make sure we follow the rules. I don't like asking people to stop doing something if it is a small rule because it makes me fell like I am trying to stop their fun, but I have tried and they have responded really well and that has helped me. We had to help one of the Elders in our zone with a companionship issue that surprised us so much. It always seems like they get along, but I guess some really hurtful things have been done and said and it was hard to know how to help them.

We got our flight plans this week!!! I am so excited. We leave on September 5th and we fly from SLC straight to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. From there we have a small layover and then go to England. I was really worried since sometimes the England missionaries don't get to go with the rest of their district which would be sad. I love them all so much. We have spent these last 9 weeks together. Luckily, we have the same flight to Amsterdam.

I am still feeling a little sick, but it is getting better. Nothing that is holding me down anymore! 

The new people in our zone are great. 

Skype TRC (we teach a lesson via Skype to a Slovak or an RM) was good. We got a Rm this week and we understood just about everything he said. I hope next week we get a native though. The first guy we had is notoriously hard to understand. Two of our teachers still have trouble with understanding him since he mumbles and slurs his words. That gave me hope.

Our lessons are improving and the more I reflect on it the more I see I have to improve. I have really let off on my diligence this past week and I can feel the effects. I haven't felt that overwhelming sense of love that I used to when I was giving it my all. That is another thing the devotional on Tuesday talked about. Dedicating our hearts, might, mind and strength to the mission.

Love you all,

Elder Pace