October 28, 2013

Week 31

Well, first and foremost...I've done it again... yes..indeed. I have once again asked someone to cut my hair who had no idea how and without giving them any guidelines! Whoops! It's okay though :) Sister Poklinkowska did a fine job despite the fact that she cut off about 2 1/2 inches! hahaha ah.... someday I'll learn :)

In other news: I am speechless... I will tell you why: For the past week, we were planning with our golden investigator Rebekah (the one where SO many obstacles have been put in our way to meet with her) to go to Katowice for District Conference with all the members in the southern part of Poland. We all 3 had our train tickets...bought them and they weren't exactly cheap! She sent us a text message on Friday saying "We'll meet here at 8am! I'm really excited!" ... Sunday comes along and there we are at the train station at 8 a.m. 8:15 rolls around...no one. We began to lose our cool... called her and left a nice message saying "We're here :) "...8:28. We call Rebekah hundreds of times and sent tons of text messages because our train leaves in a mere 8 minutes! Still no one! No answer and going straight to voice mail! We started panicking and decided to get on the train hoping that she was already on the train or hoping that she forgot to change her clock and that she was already in Katowice because of the time change! We jumped on the train in full faith and in near tears hoping that she's be in Katowice waiting for us! We took the 3 hour train ride there and looked through the whole train for her...all except the last 2 train carts. With full faith, we jumped off our train (not while it was moving...don't worry) and ran to the conference, hoping to see her there greeting us at the door! We got there and ..she wasn't there.. I cannot express to you the absolute devastation of acting in full faith in both the Lord and also in Rebekah and then being disappointed at the end result....a few tears (a lot of tears) were even shed. But I just knew that something went wrong!! Who would buy an expensive train ticket just to pull 2 missionaries' legs! It just made absolutely no sense!... This morning we got a text message from Rebekah saying: "Hello, I've been trying to get in touch with you! I was running late yesterday but I managed to catch the train. I tried calling and texting you to no avail. I couldn't find you and didn't know the address of the church in Katowice!" ....... WHAT!!?!!?!?! She was on the train in the last 2 carts! The only 2 we didn't check!!! This morning, some more tears were shed. I can tell you I've never been more speechless in my whole life.  I still am speechless in fact! But you know...I learned a valuable lesson. In Matthew 16, the disciples of Christ forget to bring bread. po prostu, they made a human mistake. The Savior mentions it, but in a deeper sense...beyond just their forgetfulness. The disciples thought that He was mad at them for forgetting the bread, but Jesus explains that He's not the slightest bit upset about that because they've forgotten the bread before and it's all turned out fine! He explains that He was trying to teach them a deeper lesson by using their forgetting the bread as a way to teach it. Likewise, Sister Poklinkowska and I made a human mistake...we didn't check the last two train wagons. But we realize now that that isn't necessarily the lesson the Lord is trying to teach us. He's teaching us to be diligent and perservere in faith, not giving up! I KNOW that she is prepared! I KNOW that she isn't lying to us. No one could tell us such Preach My Gospel quote worthy things about the way this gospel makes them feel! Sister Poklinkowska and I are persevering in faith, understanding that that's the lesson the Lord wants to teach us!

Anyways, something miraculous happened this week! TAMARA! We met this 20 year old girl from Aber Bagion (spelling??!) (someplace near the Caspian Sea) and she found a flier for our English class and saw that it was offered by our church and she's been searching for a church! She says one of her questions is why God has stopped speaking to people today... just got the chills even typing this! We showed her to our chapel and we showed her the wall of pictures of modern day prophets, through whom God speaks to us today! She smiled. We showed her the Sacrament Chapel. She said it felt like home. She smiled. We had a Plan of Salvation lesson. She said the Book of Mormon answers her question that she can't find in the Bible. She says she understands the necessity of a Savior and understands Christ better. She smiled. She even laughed! I am just amazed CONSTANTLY of how the Lord keeps putting this amazing people in our paths! I will forever be grateful for the past 3 weeks where miracles have been heaped upon us like pounds of snow in an avalanche! I know the Lord is hastening His work because it's beginning to avalanche here in Poland...one of the (if not THE) most Catholic countries in the world! And I know the miracles aren't going to stop! Bring on another transfer because I'm ready to be amazed some more!

Funny: I asked Brat Zań on the phone if he and his family and pregnant wife would be coming to the baptism this Saturday and he said: "If my son doesn't birth himself my then, yes." I was DYING laughing!!!

Can't believe it's actually Pday again. This may have been the fastest week of my mission so far and i have a sneaky feeling that next week will be even faster! AH!

P.S. I snuck some Christmas music, even though its still October, and listened to Judy Garland sing me my favorite lullaby (lulu in polish): Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. It was a tender mercy :) [Background on Kendall, she likes to listen to Christmas music 12 months a year...loves Christmas like no one I know :)]
 
Love you so much! We will get transfer calls in 6 days! AH!
Love,
Sister K Blake

pic #1: me and Agnieszka Kukurenda! She's a member in the branch and so awesome I love her so much! and she was also in Time magazine for being the Woman of the Year! ;)

pic #2: this colorful cow reminds me of home and the mooses (meese?) all around Park City :)

October 21, 2013

Week 30

I think my favorite part about being a missionary is the part where I get to see people progress towards their best selves. Over the past few weeks, we've been working with a few people who have some baptismal dates coming up! I look back on when I first met them and am truly blown away by their progress. One woman (Krystyna), I remember our first meeting and she didn't really understand much at all. The first couple of times we asked her to be baptized, she said "but i've already been baptized". But now she is praying personal prayers, is coming to all 3 hours of church, is doing all she can to get work off on Sundays and even find a new job because she wants to keep the Sabbath Day holy so badly, she is beginning to recognize the Spirit more and more, she's quit drinking coffee, and she is getting baptized in 2 weeks! She still recognizes that she does not know everything, but her faith in God's promises really blows me away! She doesn't know a ton about this gospel, but she knows that the Book of Mormon is from God, and that God wants us to be baptized by someone who holds the proper authority (which is only found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!). She has faith the promised blessings that come with baptism really will be given to her. Despite a crazy home life, I see her becoming happier and happier every day! The members have really reached out to show her love! and she is on a greater scale feeling the love of God because He's proud of her decisions to try to have a closer relationship with Him.

Something Sister Poklinkowska and I recognized this week is that this change we see in people does not come from us or our work. Yes, sometimes we feel like we have to change these people's lives. But I realized this week that it is NOT me who is changing these people's lives. I am leading them to the person who CAN change their lives...and that person is our Savior Jesus Christ. I have seen Him transform these people into a better version of themselves. And I see more and more how He is changing me to become the best version of MYself.

When I first left on my mission, I wanted to prove to myself and to everyone else that I'd go on a mission and come back and still be Kendall and not a weird "Sister Blake". But I understand now how silly that is...to try and hold onto yourself like I was trying to. I have seen myself progress to be more spiritually in tune, to be more patient (still working on it), to be more virtuous, to make this gospel the center of my life. In the process of this change, I'm still me...but I'm just a better version of me! I realize now...what's so bad about being "Sister Blake"! That's the best version of myself...Avery in her letter a few months ago drew the attention to the fact that our name tags have 2 names: our last name, and Christ's name. Here I am representing my eternal family and my Eternal Brother. Yes I'm still me, but I'm becoming more and more the disciple of Christ I've always wanted to be!

We've made really great relationships with the members here and even the other day, we exercised with our dear friend Sister Malinowska! She walks every morning in this beautiful park with ski poles :) It's pretty great and we went with her this week and it was just beautiful! So a picture is attatched!

Also the funny moment of this week, We had "Sports Saturday" which is an hour and a half this Saturday where we played basket ball with members and investigators... it ended up being perfect because with Ania angels investigating the church, we've got to be sure that she has friends! So it went really well!! But a member named Ola thinks my name should be Vivian because she thinks that "Vivian Blake" rolls off the tongue real nicely and that it sounds like a movie star :) So any time that she would want me to pass her the ball during this Sports Saturday, she kept yelling VIVIAN!!! haha it ended up being a good trick because it confused the other team! muahaha

Anyways, have a good week! be healthy...not just physically, but spiritually too. Just like not eating or drinking for a day takes a huge toll on us, not reading the scriptures and praying for a day also takes its toll on our spirits . So eat up and "feast upon the words of Christ!"

Love,

Sister Kendall Blake

October 14, 2013

Week 29

I cannot even count the miracles of this week!!!! Honestly, I can't even count all of them! I tried to write most of them in my journal, but I know I probably forgot some because it was just the most amazing week ever! First and foremost, on Tuesday was Zone Training in Katowice! We went to Katowice, and right before we left to get on the train back to Wrocław, Elder Lanham said, "by the way sister Blake...thanks for the investigator!" I was a little confused because I couldn't remember what he was talking about... but then he went on to tell me that a young man about 23 or so had found my blog on the internet!!! He's from POLAND and he started reading my blog and he decided that he wanted to learn more about what I was writing!  And then emailed my mom to ask about which missionaries are in Katowice! Long story short, he is now meeting with Elder Lanham and Elder Wilson in Katowice!!!! Learning about this amazing gospel that brings so much joy and happiness to all those who live it!!! Krzystof, if you're reading this blog post, know that I am so honored to be a part of your discovery of eternal and restored truth! This is the true church of Christ, and He is the head of it! Keep meeting with Elder Lanham and Wilson, because you are on the right path! I promise you that!


Next miracle: Rebekah...last week she committed to be baptized on our first meeting...czyli, to be baptized three weeks after we first met!!! But I have learned this week that Satan's power is SO real! He does NOT want people to find happiness! He will do all he can to get in people's way of finding the truth! We had 4 meetings set up with Rebekah this past week...every single on of them had some CRAZY out of the blue thing get in the way that didn't allow us to meet! I'm talking not just coincidences getting in the way, but a real force trying to stop her from continuing in the joy that she found! Cell phones breaking for only 1 hour and then working fine after going to our next meeting, unusual meeting places, cell phones dying when they shouldn't have, tramwajs breaking down! I'm talking every thing that Satan could throw in her way, he did! Despite the very real obstacles getting in our way, Rebekah continued to keep the Book of Mormon on her person at all times and in just 1 week has read 250 pages of the Book of Mormon because she sees how much joy it brings her and she recieved an answer to prayer that she knows it's true! The Lord ALWAYS wins!! We met with Rebekah today (twice! haha...didn't want to let her out of our sight!) and she expressed such joy that she's found the truth and will be getting baptized in a mere 2 1/2 weeks! She also was a little afraid to ask her stickler boss for work off next Sunday, but the Lord always wins! He softened this boss's heart and now Rebekah has every Sunday off from now until forever! In addition to ALL of these miracles, during one of the days that we waited and waited with our phone service not working (but only for the one hour that we needed it to work to communicate with Rebekah!) we ran into a girl named Ania.

Ania: We spoke with her and at first being a little wary of us, we testified of knowing the Book of Mormon's truth. She said "I've never heard anyone talk like this...I'm really excited to meet with you again!" we exhcanged phone numbers, set up a meeting, and right before parting ways she said, "oh and one more thing... do you believe in angels?" ...I was so touched! Something about this young 18 year old girl, wearing a skull shirt and a studded necklace, something about her question really touched me. "yes." was all we could reply... a huge smile came across her face and she said, "okay, see you on tuesday!".....THE LORD IS PREPARING PEOPLE in all ways! people of all different types! We ended up meeting with her and teaching her the plan of salvation...in other words the plan of happiness... And happy she was! She said she had never felt more hope and joy than she had in our meeting with her and she too has committed to be baptized!!!

So moral of the story is, satan tried to put an obstacle in our way from meeting with rebekah, but the Lord made the best out of it and led us to Ania AND rebekah is still progressing! The Lord micromanages this world I am telling you! The smallest little things He is doing to bring EVERYONE this joy!

In addition to that!!!..my joy continues to be full especially when czeslawa and krystyna both accepted the invitation to be baptized  this past tuesday! they too are working towards the 2nd of November! And of course, our rock solid member, sister Malinowska had been on TONS of lessons with us this week! She's really beginning to trust sister Poklinkowska and I and is really growing to love us more and more every day!

I FINALLY feel like I would cry my eyes out if I had to go home! I LOVE my mission and i LOVE the people I'm working with! I LOVE my companion! I LOVE the members here! I LOVE my life! I LOVE missionary work! I LOVE the Lord!

...and I LOVE you all too :)

Love,
Sister Blake

oh...and i LOVE the FALL TIME!!!! We've been running in the foggy fall mornings and the leaves are just out of this world beautiful! Attached is a picture of the view outside our window! and also a funny picture of us and our fellow "sisters". and also of us and REBEKAH!

October 7, 2013

Week 28

Wow. What an amazing blessing to hear the words of prophets! I feel so incredibly blessed to have grown up in a family that values the words of prophets. I can see how abiding to their words have really blessed my life. Especially being on a mission in Poland where every one asks what the differences between our church and the Catholic church are, I really feel like I have gained a much stronger testimony of why we have a prophet. I so much better understand that a prophet is someone who has the authority to recieve revelation from God on behalf of the whole world. It is his responsibility to tell the Lord's children God's will for us and how we can accomplish it in the day and age that we live in. "And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach His commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into His rest" (Alma 13:6). It is our responsibility to listen to that council. "Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before Me; For his word ye shall receive,as if from Mine Own mouth, in all patience and faith" (D&C 21:4-5). A few investigators came to some sessions of conference, and I could noticeably see a difference in them...that difference was the Spirit. They were filled with it. They were glowing with it! I can't wait to talk to them about how and what they felt while they listened to the inspired council of the prophet and apostles.

In other news, Sister Poklinkowska and I are doing SO great! We have finally found a way to plan in companion study that I think gives us enough direction and structure in lessons with also enough room to let the Spirit guide. Sister Pok and I have become good friends and are on the same page with our vision of the work and with our vision of how to get there. I am so grateful that we have been assigned to work together! I learn from her everyday!

Okay...now for the amazing miracle of the week!! It is a miracle on SO many levels!! A few weeks ago (meaning in the first week of July...wow how time flies here! haha) Sister Ellis (my comp from last transfer) spoke to a British woman named Rebekah. For months we tried to get a hold of her and she was out of town or teaching English or broke her phone, etc... the obstacles go on and on! So last week, Sister Poklinkowska and I FINALLY set up a concrete meeting with her! She is a 24 year old, young, BRILLIANT (she went to Oxford at the age of 16 and finished her bachelor's degree in one year), and best off all...doesn't speak a lick of Polish!!! haha (just kidding, Polish is great). So we finally met with her! We got to speak English! She is an honest seeker of truth. The whole lesson was TOTALLY led by the Spirit and the whole lesson (mostly her responses to our questions etc,) could've been written in Preach My Gospel! At the end of the lesson, we invited her to be baptized. Without any hesitation at all, she said YES! She now has a baptismal date to be baptized the first weekend in November!! It was just so amazing and Sister Poklinkowska and I were just beaming and saying prayers of gratitude for the rest of the day! We've been focusing on having enough faith to witness miracles, and it was amazing to be involved in such a miracle this week!

I am so grateful to be on a mission. I feel myself changing! And in the best of ways! I have learned SO much about myself, the Lord, and the gospel since being on a mission. Sometimes I almost feel bad that I learn so much more than I end up teaching my investigators! I slowly can feel myself changing and I love it! I want to become that best version of myself. I want to become the missionary that the Lord wants me to be! Like Elder Ballard said yesterday (...I hope...since I listened in Polish! haha) "the Lord loves us for who we are and for who we can become". I know He loves me right now. I know He loves me even when I don't deserve to feel His Holy and Healing Love. But I want to become the person that He knows I have the potential to become!

Funny Moment: We were talking to a man, I was walking backwards and backed into a short pole that was on the side walk.. "this gospel will bring peace to your faaaAAAAM---". Arms flailing, face of terror, skirt caught! Luckily I ended up catching myself before I could fall, but needless to say, it was a little hilariously embarrassing!

Love,

Sister K Blake

September 30, 2013

Week 27

Boy does it feel good to repent! I have learned so much about repentance this week! When I say repent, I am not necessarily talking about in prayer (although that is an important part of the process of repentance). I am more talking about repentance as change...improvement. For example...honesty circle here: The branch had been planning this Grill for about 3 weeks. Sis. Pok and I knew about it, we wanted it to be successful, but we weren't really doing any thing about it. On Tuesday, we recognized our fault!...keep in mind the Grill was on Saturday! We hadn't contributed a single thing to this Grill! We hadn't even told a single investigator about it! This is where the repenting came in...I didn't necessarily get on my knees and apologize...I ACTED! We recognized that we were in the wrong. We stopped doing what was wrong. And we started doing what was right! Once we realized that we had been slacking on our end, instead of saying: "Oh well! Too late!", we decided to change...to start doing what was right...in other words: repent! We immediately started making plans for what we could do to help! We called people to prepare a spiritual thought, we put together Family: Proclamation to the World as party favors, we made invites, we called and texted everyone, etc. We changed! We improved! We stopped being complacent, and started being proactive! We repented! And boy did it feel good!

I learned that repentance is always hardest in that moment where you have to humble yourself! It is so hard! You say a rude remark to someone, you realize it was wrong...and then it's that really REALLY hard moment where you have to admit that you were wrong...where you have to humble yourself. But as soon as you do it, you feel so much better!! We feel better because we're repenting! We are tapping into the first steps of repentance...of using the Atonement of Jesus Christ! It is through Christ that we can feel better! It is through Christ that we can be relieved of guilt and shame! What an amazing gift we have! Yes repentance can be hard...but it's only that first step that is hard! If there is something in your life that you recognize you're not doing all that you could, or that you're not doing what you should...I encourage you to take that deep breath, admit (to others if you have to, to yourself, and to the Lord) that you were wrong...and then allow the Lord to help you to change! It's never too late! Even for us...with the Grill on Saturday and our first step of repentance on Tuesday...we ended up having 2x as many nonmembers at the Grill than members! The Lord will always enhance and sanctify your efforts to change, to improve, to repent.

Maybe it's just because Sunday's are the most recent days to when email, but I always feel like I write about Sunday's in my letters home! But again, this Sunday was so great! Such a wonderful Branch (smaller church congregation than a Ward) we have here in Wroclaw and every time I go, I feel edified! I always feels the Spirit and am Always uplifted! What an amazing thing. People we talk to every day say: "I don't need church. I am my own church. I pray every day. I read the Bible every day. Why do I need a church? I'm too busy for church." The list goes on and on. But something that's amazing about the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the "church" helps you develop yourself. This is a church of people. Yes, I suppose it is an institution...but really, how could anything function without organization? But it is not the institution that receives or gives inspiration. It is the people that make up this church! The people that lead the ward, the branch, the relief society, the stake, the district, etc. are amazing people who we can be strengthened by! Even more amazing about this church is that anyone can be in it! You don't have to pass a test or memorize so many scriptures to contribute! Everyone can contribute! Even if you're not a member! I find this something truly amazing and a true sign that this is the true church of Christ...because Christ Himself would never turn anyone away from participating or contributing if they had a desire to!

Sister Poklinkowska and I are doing wonderfully! We, together, are stretching ourselves. We're trying to replenish our teaching pool and have been looking for more people to teach. In doing so we've been getting out of our comfort zones and trying different ways of talking to people...trying our hardest to be genuine and not just strive to get their phone number, but really try to get them interested in the message! It's much harder because it is a lot more of OURSELVES that we are putting out there...we've started wearing our heart on our sleeves...and gaining a greater understanding of what it means to give our whole HEART to this work. Genuinely telling people how much this message means to me, and having people not care in the slightest, has given me a greater appreciation for what I do know! As I have been sharing more of my own heart, I have recognized how much I really cherish every piece of knowledge that I preach!

Miracle! Yesterday, we ran into someone that we've been trying to get a hold of all week! We were SHOCKED to see her and Również was pretty shocked to see us! But it turns out that she just didn't have credit on her phone to call us but has thinking about us all week!! We obviously set up a meeting and she is so prepared to hear the gospel! We are so excited to see her on Tuesday and so amazed at how the Lord literally puts people in our path! I love the Lord and I love this work!

Funny: Sister Poklinkowska and I were talking about how people probably thought that when we invited them to the Grill that it was a trap for baptism! "Hi ma'am! We're having a party this weekend! It will be at a pool! And everyone is going to wear unique, body length swimsuits!" We were laughing pretty hard about that one!

Love,
Sister Kendall Blake

September 23, 2013

Week 26

Well this week was my birthday! Officially 21...an old maid.. just kidding! It's just the beginning! I spoke with an old Polish woman named Krystyna (who's straight out of Great Gatsby!) in the hospital the other day and she related a story of how she was in love when she was 21 and went on about how great an age it is! So I'm grateful! :) Thank you to all the wonderful family and friends I have who made my bday special for me! I have been overcome with joy about how amazing my family is! I have such determination to do all I can to be able to live with my family (past, current, and future) for the rest of eternity! I'm so grateful for a knowledge of God's great plan for us!

This whole week, Sister Poklinkowska and I have really been trying to make plans with the Spirit, then tell those plans to the Lord and trusting Him to sanctify our plans...to make them efficient, to make them worth while, to put people who He's preparing in our path! Well we did that after church this Sunday. We told the Lord that we were going to go and visit a very old less active member who can't leave her house. It turns out she was in the hospital! But we told the Lord that we would see her so we stuck with that plan and rejoiced in the opportunity to be prompted to go and visit her in her time of need! On our way to the hospital and returning back home from the hospital, we ran into probably 5 GOLDEN people that I just know the Lord has been preparing to hear His gospel! The first girl was Zoey...she is from the UK (Liverpool) and she said that she wasn't sure if God existed... we told her about prayer and I shared a personal spiritual experience with her and she agreed to meet with the missionaries in the UK! Next was Ola...she said that she doesn't really know if she knew God all that well and we bore testimony about how we are LITERALLY God's children and we can have a Father-daughter relationship with Him! Turns out her mother is in the hospital and she's going through a really lonely hard time and we gave her a Book of Mormon and are going to set up to meet in a week!

After our lovely visit in the hospital with Sister Ciechowska (who really loves us and was SO grateful that we came to see her) we were walking home and ran into Wojtek, a man with twin daughters who will benefit so much from the unifying power of the gospel in families. Then we literally almost ran into Jacek! Jacek was closing up shop when I felt like I should turn around and go talk to him...turns out he knows exactly what the Spirit feels like saying that he every once and a while is told what to do in his life by a quiet voice "not a literal voice, but that's the only word I can think of to describe it"!!!!! Needless to say, I was practically in shock by and yet not surprised about how well our Heavenly Father knows each of us so well...He put Sister Poklinkowska and I in these people's paths for a reason and I'm so incredibly grateful to be a part of this amazing work!

Sister Poklinkowska and I are doing so well!! We're learning better and better how to teach together and are really enjoying all our time together! I love her so much! She is always serving me which makes me want to serve her and as a result we love each other so much! I'm grateful for her desire to learn and improve! She is so humble (maybe sometimes even a little too hard on herself) but we're helping each other have more faith in the Lord and faith that He will help us teach and speak in Polish!

Funny Moment: For my birthday, sweet Sister and Elder Durrant invited us over and made STEW!!! (KARNies...not lamb, but any stew is fantastic as I know you 3 would agree) The funny part is how funny my district leader thought he was to give me a present...a huge jar of rotting pickles!!! He also gave me a Rubix cube made "especially for me" so I could master it... all 6 sides of the Rubix cube are one color... I must admit, it was pretty clever and actually pretty funny! But of course I couldn't really let him have too much satisfaction, so the below picture is a picture of this pretty funny event!

Also! Something else that not many missionaries can say is that I went to a ballet with my mission president and his wife the other day! Sister P and I took our culture night on Saturday night and it just so happened that the president was in town so we invited him and his wife to the ballet too!! I actually didn't know what kind of ballet it was so I was scared out of my wits that we would have to walk out or something if it was "contemporary" and not suitable for the eyes of innocent missionaries! hahaha but everything ended up being okay! haha

Well I love you all so much! Thanks for all the support and prayers and love!

Love,

Sister Blake

September 16, 2013

Week 25

First and foremost...last week I said that that reference was in Acts 9...it's actually Acts 19:1-6...where Paul had to baptize the people a second time so it could be done by water AND the Spirit!

Next item of business: This is going to be SUCH a great transfer!! Sister Poklinkowska and I are getting along so well and I feel like such an equal with her! I'm teaching her as much as I can, but really she is teaching me SO much! I'm so grateful to have her as my companion! I truly feel like my work here in Wrocław is just beginning! My first transfer I was here, I white washed this area (means that they were both new to the area)  and was a trainee...needless to say, I didn't really have a clue of what was going on...in the city, in missionary work, or in the lives of my investigators! My second transfer was a little better...I knew where I was in the city and everything, but because I was the senior companion but could only speak the language "tyle", I really didn't feel like I completely understood what was going on all the time. I feel like this transfer is just the beginning of my work here in Wrocław simply because I finally understand the background of the people I'm working with! I'm able to discern their needs better! I'm able to see where their coming from! The relationships I've built here over the past few months are finally starting to reap... In all honestly, I really feel like I could stay here for at least another transfer after this one! I feel like I have just barely reached the level with the people here where I can actually make a difference! Where I don't feel like I'm drowning, but that I have my head above water. I know that the Lord directs all His work, but I'm so glad that I'm in the boat, which He is the captain of...instead of trying to swim (practically drowning!) to keep up! I'm the happiest I've been in my whole mission so far because I really have started to truly grow a love for the people because I understand them now that I have developed a relationship of trust and service with them! I'm so excited to be serving here this transfer and hope the Lord sees fit that I stay for another one after this!

A miracle that happened this week was completely a direct result of complete faith. Sister Poklinkowska and I were really striving to achieve the standard (meeting their goals for lessons taught, investigators that come to church, ....) this week! We worked and did all we could to achieve our goal and everything was all set and achieved except for the number of people in church and a new investigator. Church started and we had 2 wonderful investigators in church...the sacrament hymn was being played and we were still waiting for Lucyna to arrive, who had committed to come. Instead of losing faith, I just prayed so hard and had the faith that whatever happened would be in the Lord's will. And who walks in?! But Lucyna! During the Sacrament hymn! Faith brings miracles! And now my faith is doubled! Which I hope will bring double the miracles next week! On top of that, the Lord helped us set up a meeting with a woman named Marta who says she has been praying to know the right path for her and that she wants a deeper meaning in religion than what she is currently experiencing! She became a new investigator! The Lord wants to bless us! He wants to help us achieve our goals! We just have to have the faith that He will help us get there!

I love this mission so much! I'm so grateful to serve at this time! I love the mission, I love the people, I love the members, I love Wrocław, I love my companion, and I love the Lord! What a fantastic life I'm am blessed to live! The Lord has given me everything and there is no way I can ever repay Him for all He's given and done for me. I am serving "Him who has created [me] and is preserving [me] from day to day, by lending [me] breath, that [I] may live and move and do according to [my] own will, and even supporting [me] from one moment to another... If [I] should serve Him with all [my] whole soul yet [I] would be an unprofitable servant" (Mosiah 2:21).

Now...the funny moment! What you've all been waiting for... So we went to this less active woman's home...she's SO old and her husband is like 20 years younger than her... but he always feeds us...usually it's soup or something sort of tasty...right now it's mushroom season and I really love mushrooms, so he offered us some and of course I said yes! ....... what he brought out was.... I don't even know! It was this brown GOO and it looked like pond scum and was brown and looked as though it was alive! There were slimy mushrooms in it!! I honestly felt like I was eating slugs!!! I took about three bites and then set it aside...but he would NOT let us leave his house until I ate it all!!!! FLASHBACK SYD!!! Does this remind you of anything!!! Except this was not tortellini! It was sluggy mushroomy goop! AH! it was horrible  but also so hilarious! I've been laughing a lot lately...it's very healthy..i recommend it :)

Love to all those reading this message! :)
Love,
Siostra K Blake