Week 6 at MTC - Fun Times

Ahoj rodinu!
Alls well here in the Mtc,3 weeks left! Elder Jones leaves tomorrow for Nagoya, kinda sucks because he's my only family here but oh well. Anyways, glad to hear from Mom and Dad and to see Abby so happy. Its pretty weird having been here for a month and a half already and now switching up our schedule is a pain in the butt! But oh well, the lord will provide. Lots of stuff has happened this week but at the same time very little, we got in a new district who's going to Roseville and Arcadia, but i dont know them as well because im not a ZL anymore. Also we're rapidly learning language as always, but we got told on friday that we need to work harder because when we get comfortable with the language we get lazy and therefore get worse at it, so theres that, CONSTANT VIGILENCE! Anyways, i MAY be able to get a Czech nametag, but i need to talk to President Irwin. Also, today has been pretty legit, we go to the temple at 7:00 am and our day starts super early now. Also i went and got my pants from my suit fixed so they dont look like they belong to gumby anymore. Its super cool because our tailor only charged me 50 cents. Cool, i know! Would someone please send me a package with some dang pictures of anyone in it? I dont have any of mom or tom or vicki and i only have one of Dad and Stephs kids. So that would be much appreciated. Also some hearty food would be good, like more jerky and stuff, but healthy stuff, they only sell junk food in the store and we eat dinner at 4:30 so as you can imagine, we get a LIIIIITLE hungry. Also, Did i tell you all i put on 10 pounds the first two weeks? Yeah! haha
But then i dropped 15 in the 3 after that and i havent weighed in since wednsday. Also i quit soda. Which sometimes SUCKS, but its okay because my double chin has miraculously vanished. Its pretty easy to gain or drop weight here, because they schedule your meal times, sometimes i feel very much like an animal on a farm where you just get herded from place to place. Food is kindof just a break from class, and its nowhere near as fulfilling as the scriptures and Czech. Im super happy im learning a REAL language, not something ridiculous like spanish, which could be a 3 week program really. (lol i just went on a bratr pearson mini-rant) But, its like someone said at a mission conference in the spring last year, "Spanish missionaries learn how to baptize, English missionaries learn the gospel, Czech missionaries walk with God." (Matty, dont worry about it, youre a czech missionary at heart) Anyways, what a crazy month and a half, if i havent written you back, which im pretty sure i've gotten everyone, then im sorry, send me another one and yell at me in it and ill hit you up. Also, i sometimes miss California but then i think of all of my family at home, and by home i mean THE homeland, (C.R.) and i just get super stoked. Also, You'll only get two more letters from me till im in country! wooooop!

In conclusion, remember. faith, hope, charity, and SEND ME SOME FOOD AND LETTERS!
(thats not blasphemy is it?)
-Starší Čežík

 

Week 5 at MTC

Chella Rodina!

Everything here is bamba! Elder Simcock and I were released this week as ZL's and Elder Probst and Neumann were called! Wooohoooooo! It was super fun being a ZL but I'm happy to be out too. Elder GILL is my giant GrizzlyBear brother and he left last night for Colorado Springs! We made it 3 weeks without him decking anyone! woohoo! Unfortunately, only 6 of the 8 in his district made it out, 2 went home. But it's okay, that's what the atonement is for!

Hmm, what else has happened, oh yeah, WE HEARD FROM DAD'S FAVORITE APOSTLE, M RUSSELL BALLARD! Totally random visit! No announcement at all till 3 hours before. Anyways, he was a great speaker and that means I've heard from a third of the Quorom of the Twelve so far in a month! crazy! The Bulgarians are leaving tonight which is super sad because they've been here our whole time, so we'll definantely miss them. Also, next week we start a new schedule with pday on a Monday. LAME.

Anyways, everyone has been slacking on the mail! (thank you for those who have sent some) It really is super important here.

Also, the Cesky is coming along very nicely, but its crazy because now we're getting into the hard stuff. CASES. Since there are no words for "the" or "of" or any other prepositions in czech, we uses cases, its like conjugating nouns depending on what part of the sentence they are (subject,object,direct object, etc.) and if they're masculine, feminine, antimate, inantimate, or neuter, they all change accordingly, and there are 7 cases so we memorize a huge chart. Tough stuff, but super fun.

Everyone is leaving! Elder Kramer left last week, Elder Davies yesterday, and Elder Jones on this next Monday! As far as we know we're leaving 4 weeks from yesterday, BUT that depends on visas. Simcock doesn't need one though, because he's European and they take care of their own. Anyways, crazy things that have happened, hmmmmm not too much. We're getting a new district in tomorrow, they're going to Roseville! also Arcadia and Provo. One of the sisters name is Sister Quist! Crazy, right? I haven't met her yet, all we know is her name and where she's going, till tomorrow. You know whats pretty funny,? General Authorities keep quoting Brother Pearson! Very strange. Also, this week is supposed to be Cesky Liden (Czech week) BUT we keep forgetting and talking in English haha. Also, we keep getting more stuff from departing elders. Today for example I got a brand new sheet set, random! Also, I forgot to tell Matt that I got a lavalava from Elder Rivers, my Tongan brotha. It also doubles as my hobo laundry bag. Also, I got a sweet indiana jones-esk study journal, its rough leather with an awesome strap, I always hum raiders of the lost ark when I use it. Everything is workijng out well so far (minus the umbrella catastrophe) and our district is super cool! We don't really have any prudes, so we can mess around enough to keep sane usually. Also, Starsi Simcock is now on Ambien at night, which is AWESOME! He gets so high and super hilariouis right before bed. The other night he somehow put on Starsi Neumann's pants and was very upset by that. (This was particularly hilarious because Starsi Neumann is TINY and St Simcock is not) He often makes us die laughing and makes himself do the same the next day when we tell him what he did.

Everyone I have written should write me back! Seriously, we LIVE on that stuff here! Also, I request again for someone to get me the Soundtrack from hercules and send it before I depart for the plane ride. Did Kate, Mike and the boyss get their letters from me? Dearelder me please so I can know tonight? Also so I can have mail! Tell mike I'm super proud of all his crazy innovation in home countertops and that I dont forget the deodorant out here. ALSO tell Steph and Mike congrats on having a 4 year old! Crazy bananas. If I'm wrong on the age I'm gonna look REALLY dumb. Anyways, I love you all, write me! Talk to you all on Monday! And I'll paper write you back if you write me!
-Elder Chezik
(p.s. I might be able to get some tags with our name Czech originalified! it'll be something like

Easter in the MTC Week 4

Dobry den rodinu!

This week has been super crazy! Guess who came on Sunday! GUESS!
BOYD K. PACKER! And it was sooooooooo crazy to get the sacrament in a giant, 2000 people wide sacrament meeting! Also Easter was super coool at the mtc, and it allowed us to focus on the Atonement and Resurrection ALL DAY! Some sad news, last night an Elder from the new district going to Colorado Springs got sent home, so that kinda sucks. But, he had some stuff he needed to work out so it'll be better for him I guess.

Our zone is doing well, Branch President Garth Hanson is super funny. He reminds me of yoda and yogi bear at the same time, roughly what I imagine Grandpa Chezik being in life. The new district leaves a week from yesterday! Woah! And we got a group of internationals in today from Canada and the rest of their district of 8 elders comes in tomorrow. They're going to the Seattle Washington and also Canada Hu missions. Pretty cool. Did I tell you all about Elder Gill? He's super crazy. He's from Florida and is a giant gorilla. He´s 32 and 2 in MMA fights currently and holds a few heavyweight titles for that, and he reminds me a TON of Mike Quist. He almost knocked out this guy on our floor on his second night but we got to him in time and there have been no such incidents since. I'm really gonna miss him when he's gone, he's like a link to home. Anyways, we've been learning caseses 1 through 4 this week which is super crazy and confusing. Also this Saturday we all get to become "investigators" for each other who we'll teach for the rest of our time here. They said to play someone you know, I'm thinking carefully about who though. Also I got to spend 7 and a half hours in the E.R. on Wednesday because Elder Simcock has the flu and is a miminko (baby)lol.So that was fun. But really it was super cool because some lady in the waiting room asked me to give her a blessing (Elder Simcock was throwing up in the bathroom for the third time) so that was super cool. All in all everything's going well, Simcock had a good birthday and ate all his jerky and went into a food coma for a few hours. Josh leaves in a weeek, I think Kendrick left, and Elder Davies leaves on Monday. Also our foursquare friends leave tomorrow :/

Happy Birthday VICK!
Also, Austins card in the mail.

I got the wedding invite, nice work there, its weird to think its been a month.

Most of our time is filled now, whatever downtime we have we write letters and such, and I thoroughly enjoy receiveing letters! hook it up! Also they have caffeine free mountain dew here so I do the dew about 3 times a week, (Simcock is on a forced diet so i have to set a good example lol)
Elders Probst and Neumann kill me EVERYDAY. We never stop laughing so thats pretty cool. Theyre always pointing out Cochka's (cats) (slang in czech for babes) and then feeling bad about it afterwards because they forget haha.

Sestra Flanders (going to Sloveneia) is gonna be the only sister in our branch next week, which is pretty hilarious. Eliason is super funny and his comp, Carlson, or as we call him "Bishop Master Splinter Captain Grand Master Starski Starsi Carlson" , is pretty funny.
I feel like I don't write a lot, haha

Oh, Elder Neumann the other day was trying to argue with me that Lake Powell was better than the ocean, obviously someone has never been to the ocean!

Dad, did you know where Called to Serve came from? Apparently B.K.P's wife wanted a song to rile up the missionaries and get them excited to she found those lyrics and commissioned someone to write music for it, now we sing it ALL THE TIME! Crazy!

I miss music SOOOOOO MUCH! We sing temporal songs alot because we can't listen to them. A room favorite is "pocket full of sunshine" and "I won't say I'm in love" from Hercules, super awesome! Definantly would appreciate someone getting me the Hercules soundtrack to listen to in the field!

Anyways, I'm doing well here, keep writing me please. I love you all, 'Im grateful to be a missionary and to be serving the Lord, soooooo fun! Talk to you all next week, pokoyny (peace)!
(p.s. the MTC are computer Nazi's so they wont let us send home pictures on email so ill mail some off)

April 3, 2012 Week 3

Rodinu!
This week at the MTC has been velmy dobre! We´ve still been learning a ton of course, and everyone overall is doing very well. I received only 4 letters this week, QUIT SLACKING! Jim, thank you for the real paper letter, my reply was sent days ago. Anyways, we've started teaching our teachers again, which is pretty fun but still spiritual even though they're portraying other people. Not a ton has happened this week, we got a new district in our branch and the one that came in with us left. They were our bros so it kinda sucked but they're gonna go do work in Nashville and the west indies. The new group is going to Colorado Springs Colorado and are pretty nice. Starsi Simcock and I have actually started to be Zone Leaders now, which is super cool but at the same time very stressful because some of the elders across the hall (who are not in our branch) need to be humbled and stop trying to practice unrighteous dominion over our new elders. Anyway, the language is goinge well, mom to answer your question, they teach us Czech in EVERY WAY YOU CAN IMAGINE. We speak it constantly and have 3 teachers who all teach in completely different way, we have an hour of independent language study a day and an hour of T.A.L.L. a day. Supposedly tall stands for technology assisted language learning but i think it stands for DUMB. Its super boring and at times VERY annoying. Think rossetta stone but reaaaaaalllly badly planned and excecuted. Hmm what else. Oh yeah, I met a new elder yesterday by the name of Archuleta, I think his first name is David? Apparently he's famous. I just think hes kind of standoffish and strange. Generally when you smile and wave people do it back but he acted like I had three heads or something. Whaaaaatever. He lives in the building across from us and learns in the same classroom so we see him alot. HMMMMMMM I'm 15 minutes into my EMAIL time so I'm gonna hop off and reorganise my thoughts. If anyone wants to email me in between I'll be back on at about 5. Also, mom and everyone who can read this, get on facebook and tell Troy to get off his lazy butt and write me a letter!! Flip! I'm dying out here. Dear Elder works best but ANYTHING WORKS. Even email. Hook it up people! 

Starsi Chezik out. 

Well, that plan went to poo, I forgot I have choir practice at 515, and if I wanna sing at the special sacrament meeting I'm gonna hafta go. Anyways, thank you for sending that package, I haven't gotten it yet, but it'll be nice next week to send home some pictures. We´ve been taking loads! Mostly ridiculous ones but oh well. Hmm, what can I tell you? Conference was awesome, I love Jeffery R Hollands talk and also President Uchtdorf's about the why of missionary work. Mostly we thought it was funny because he was directly quoting what our teacher, Bratr Pearson tells us EVERY SINGLE DAY. Also, we figured out over the course of my mission, I'll watch 50 hours of conference. Wow! But it was awesome nonetheless, hmm Elder Simcock has been feeling sick quite a bit lately, I know the waiting room to the health clinic very well now, and so far he's only been prescribed cough syrup and a pillow. I LOVE giving up 4 hours a week for that. Oh wait, we're not supposed to use sarcasm.
 

Hmmmmm, what else... i saw Kendrick several times, we're pretty good friends actually, although he leaves next week, EVERYONE DOES! except us. lame.  Hmmmk, sestra sears's hand finally healed and she left to the C.R. and should'e landed about 12 hours ago. Thank you all for the support, Ifeel you with me everyday, and others feel you too, they really always comment that I  have a natural warmth and love about me. That's you. Take credit.

I'm happy to be a missionary, happy to be learning so much, and happy to have everyone I do, two years is gonna go by like nothing if the last 3 weeks has been any indicator. Matty and Ama (czech versions) I know the last month is gonna be killer, but I suffer having to wait it with you, trust me. I love you all!

Week Two

27 March 2012

Muj Rodina!

Everythings Bamba in the MTC! Being a ZL is pretty cool and we orientate the new district incoming tomorrow. They're all headed to Colorado Springs, Colorado mission. Super cool. The cesky is coming along rather dobre and we met our new teacher, Bratr Machado, AKA Stepan, our investigator. IT WAS A LIE! but thats probably very good considering the amount of Czech we could speak the third day. I met some random elder by the last name of....... oh yeah, KRAMER! at choir practice sunday night, suuuuuuuper crazy. Hes a pretty cool guy, grreeeeat voice. Mom, yes there is going to be an MTC choir at general conference Saturday morning session, no I will not be participating, BUT my companion, Starsi Simcock, will be! Look for him in the bass section! The food here is pretty delicious most of the time though i had some eggs and hashbrowns the other day that tasted like shoe. I miss IHOP. Although on Sundays and Tuesdays they have ice cream buffets which is pretty fantastiky! Elder Simcock loves them especially, apparently ice cream in England is rubbish. Sunday night he ate about half his body weight in toppings, with some ice cream to wash it down. Also he drinks about a liter of cola (that refrence is for you Matty) a day. Seriously, he makes me look like a health nut. I need a sd card to usb adapter like matty's so I can send home pictures, please get that in the mail asap??? I'd like to show y'all everything. I have my own Czech scriptures now, which is smashing, and they're even engraved out to Starsi Chezik. Also I think I'm going to order new nametags in the field to have what I think is the original spelling of our last name on them theyll say "Starší Čežík" on them. I loooove the pictures of the boys but I can't print them, please send me a carepackage (with that sd/usb adaptor) and also some pictures of everyone. I have all the ones I brought weaved into the springs above my bed so I see you all before I sleep at night. Hmm, what else? oh yeah, DEAR ELDER ME!!!!!!!! I have 7 family members so I figure I should be receiving at least 7 letters a week, that's one a day, people! Stick to it! I'll email again in about 20 minutes!

I'm back! We got to go as a district to the temple today and last week, which was super awesome!!!!!!! Oh also last Tuesday we had a visit from some random guy, named Dallin H. Oaks!!!! super crazy awesome!!! Also next week since it's Easter we're having a giant MTC wide Sacrament meeting where the keynote speaker will be an apostle, POSSIBLY the First Presidency!!! They never tell us, but guess who gets to sing in THAT choir! This elder! And we got to sing for a worldwide MTC devotional on Tuesday with Dallin H Oaks, I dunno if you guys can see those, but you should google that. PS, Starsi Simcocks birthday is on the 6th and he is in love with turkey jerky, any chance of sending some so I can give it to him? Thought it was worth a shot. All in all, the Lord has been blessing us left right up and down, and its pretty awesome to see that. It makes me happy when I get letters from people. TO ALL MY FRIENDS, IF YOU DON'T DEARELDER ME, I WILL KILL YOU. THAT GIVES YOU APPROXIMATELY 24 MONTHS TO LIVE. TIMES A WASTING. Also, when you dearelder me, give me your stinking home address!!!!

Rodinu a Kamarade, I love you all, see you in 24!
-Starsi Chezik

First Week in the MTC

Here is Robert's first letter from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  He would love to hear from you all. 

To e-mail through <dearelder.com>, here is the information you will need:
Name: Robert Chezik MTC Mailbox: 108 Mission Code: CZE-SLVC Departure Date: 0515.  

To send snail mail:
Elder Robert John Chezik
MTC Mailbox # 108
CZE-SLVK 0515
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

And now, for his letter:

Muj Rodina!

Things are pretty Dobre here in the MTC! Its only been 6 days but it feels like forever! In a good way now. The Cesky is going pretty darn Bamba and my district is awesome. So on the first day we found out my companion, Starsi Simcock, would be our District leader which was cool but then three days later he got released..... SO WE COULD GET CALLED TO BE ZONE LEADERS! BAM! Haha
Starsi Simcock is pretty cool, he's from England, which is good but he speaks with an English accent so i absorb his and he absorbs mine, i say "as well" now rather than "too" and he says awesome rather than smashing. Super weird. Cesky is suuuuuucccchhh a crazy language! P.s. googletranslate sucks. Our teachers only speak Czech to us, and have since day 1 which is soooo nuts but we've adjusted now, we've started teaching a man named Stepan in Czech. We now know how to testify and teach and pray in Czech, as well as have a pretty good conversation. We set a district goal to memorize Joseph Smith's first vision in Czech by next Sunday so thats pretty crazy but also velmy bamba!

Hmm, what else, oh yeah EVERYONE WRITE ME LETTERS ON DEAR ELDER OR I WILL KILL YOU! Also, papermail with candy would be LEGIT. We only have 30 minutes to email so my letters won't be super long, but I'm only allowed to email family. So, if youre one of my friends and reading this, EMAIL ME YOUR HOUSE ADDRESS SO I CAN WRITE YOU. Seriously, it's all we do during downtime, well that and Starsi Probst and Neumann (our roommates and buds), who are a comedy duo, look up funny words in Czech to say. Its pretty fun but really its alot better to write letters. We learn Czech about 9 to 12 hours a day depending on the day and its suuuper fun. Im looking forward alot to being able to speak it fluently.

Oh, yes I met Josh, which was nice, and I also met Elder Davies! James's brother! Pretty cool, he's right down the hall from my class, since he's speaking Lithuanian and that's a Slovak language. If you think Czech is hard, go look at Russian. Yikes! At least I can SOUND OUT my words. I sent home a letter yesterday with a more comprehensive list of events, so this is more like a hightlight reel. We have elders and sisters in the clasroom next to us learning Bulgarian and theyre pretty funny, but what's more funny is that my whole district is Harry Potter fanatics so when they walk by we say, HERE COME THE BULGARIANS! (it's in goblet of fire during the quidditch world cup.)

I miss you all, but its not really debilitating, the day's over before I can think about it so thats nice. I love being a  zone leader! Its cool and oh! our old Zone leaders looked exactly like Fancypants and Mr. Cool! Soooo hilarious. That's another thing, we all love school of rock, so we quote it constantly, its pretty bamba! I LOOOOOVE Sundays, we get to watch the testaments and go on a temple walk, ps. mom the umbrella you got me SUCKS. It was only 2 feet across and broke the first time I opened it. And we were on the temple walk when a BLIZZARD HIT. So I was soaked all the way through my suit. But oh well haha I'll send pictures of said umbrella and my comp and district in the mail, (I don't know how to email pictures.) Anyways MAM VACE RAD! (I love you all) Follow Jesus Christ and stay up!

I'll paper mail all of you
Much love, Starsi Chezik