July 14, 2014

Week 72

Each week seems to go by faster and faster...this week just flew by! You know, this week, to be 100% perfectly honest, I was having a little bit of a hard time with missing home. I just love my family so so so much and I was really thinking about them in New Hampshire playing in the lake and having a good time. The hardest part was that the thing I was feeling bad about wasn't that I was missing out, but rather that I felt bad for missing home. I learned throughout the week however, that thoughts of home aren't bad, but that I just shouldn't let them take me away from the work in my day dreams, etc. After I realized that, I didn't feel so bad and also just changed the thought to investigators and members when I would get too carried away. So that's the honest truth there for you :) But I'm doing super well now and loving every second of Poland (as always)!

One of the miracles this week is how Teresa who got baptized a month ago is just continually progressing! She used to work inside of a mall. She owns her own store but rented a room in the mall to have her shop...but her work prevented her from coming to church for all 3 hours on Sunday and from coming to the church activities she wanted to come to...so last week, she left the mall and found another place just 5 minutes away that's a cute shop that you can walk by while on a jaunt with your family!! She said she felt like the Spirit prompted her to do so so that she'd be able to come to more of church and more activites!! It is just absolutely amazing!! I can't believe it!...well yes I can because Teresa is fantastic, but still! Because of that she's been coming to all 3 hours of church and loving it and is even getting a calling as a Sunday school teacher soon! This week she even came to an activity that most long-time members didn't even show up to...And this is the most amazing part of all! The activity was missionary splits! (This is when members go out with the missionaries to teach investigators.) Sister Hemming and I taught her a little shpeel about why we all should do missionary work and share what we believe and did a couple roll plays and then headed out on the streets!!! She came with us contacting and was so NOT afaid of bearing her testimony and sharing her experiences and inviting people to come to church and to learn more with the missionaries! Oh my goodness it was so fantastic!! There is so much joy when someone changes themselves to become a deeper disciple of Christ and I feel so blessed that I get to see these transformations happen!

I also got to go on an exchange with Sister Poklinkowska! (This was one of Kendall's earlier and favorite companions from last fall in Wroclaw) Yahoo!!! I love her so much! As always, she was so inspired! We started the exchange in the evening and followed the prompting she got to go to a less active's house that just seemed to pop out on the branch list. When we went to visit, her apartment building door was open!! Miracle #1! We got in and knocked on her door and she was talking on the phone and ALMOST shut the door in our faces, but then we said that we just wanted to sing one song for her that "we've been practicing"....I am a Child of God. She let us in and told us to sit down on her couch! We commented on a pretty wood chair she had in the corner (definitely inspired because she collects old pretty antique chairs) and that totally opened her up and she offered us something to drink! In Poland when someone offers you something to drink as a missionary, you know that you'll be there for more than just 2 mintues to sing a song! WOOHOO! Her heart continued to get softer and softer especially when we sang for her. The words rang true to her and she totally opened up! It turns out that she is not the less active we were looking for but her non-member sister! She told us about a spiritual experience about how she went to "the other side" during an operation and felt peace and joy there which led to us reading about the joy Alma felt at his near death experience after repenting in Alma 36! It was just an amazing experience where Sister Poklinkowska and I taught in unity and by the Spirit insomuch that her heart was touched and invited us back again! I stand all amazed!! It was such an incredible expereince and the Spirit was surely felt by all of us :)

Pictures:

#1- Sister Hemmings birthday we went to a sushi place for dinner and she got given a cake by the Elders so we ate it with chopsticks!

#2- Sister Poklinkowska and I on exchanges with the miracle "less-active", who's actually not a member's, house!

#3- Fruit stands EVERYWHERE all spring summer and fall!