26 June 2014

It's been an exciting week back home.  Besides Michelle and Robbie having their baby, Alex received the Melchizedek Priesthood and went to the temple on Saturday.  Teri and the kids were up from Arizona and James and Jill came down from Washington.

Here's our cute little Maui.

Here's Teri and kids waiting outside the temple.  Cassius, Desi, Teri and Michael

Alex's big day.  Alex, Jeremy, Heather.  Kameron, Garrison and Megan.

Those in attendance were: Tracy, Tim, Derek, Josh, Kaylee, Ryland, Desi, Cassius, Teri, Wayde, Arianna, Michael, Jeremy, Alex, Kameron, Garrison, Megan, James and Jill.

It was a beautiful day for everyone.  Alex leaves on the 15th of June for Peru.

Well, our week in the office was exciting as usual.  Thursday we got a couple of calls from some of the elders.  One of the apartments had a leak from their shower and every time they would shower the lady from downstairs would come and knock on their door and tell them to stop.  It was leaking down to her bathroom.  One call to the landlord.  They actually got it fixed that day.  Then another elder called and very calmly told us that he was doing his personal study and his companion was in the bathroom when he heard something like a cannon go off in the bathroom.  He ran and opened the door and his companion was against the wall with a really frightened look on his face.  All he could do was point to the washing machine.  It had literally exploded.  Good thing no one was hurt.  After talking to both of them for a while - another call to a landlord.  They got a new washing machine the next day.  

Also on Thursday, we had a barbecue at the office.  We had chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on a little grill out on the back balcony of our office.  It was a holiday for Poland and no one else was working in any of the buildings around us, so the smoke didn't bother anybody.  So we fed the office elders and the APs.  We had some fruit and chips and some brownies with ice cream and fudge sauce for dessert. 

In the late afternoon, I got a call from Sister Roulstone saying that her husband had a heart attack.  They are the other senior couple working here in Warszawa.  So Elder Durrant and I ran over to the hospital.  They had him in surgery doing an angioplasty.  They only did one of the arteries that were blocked.  They will wait to do the other later.  He was doing very well by Saturday.  President and Sister Edgren  left for Wroclaw on Saturday afternoon.  

On Friday, it was back to the government offices to get the 4 new missionaries that were still here in Warsaw fingerprinted.  They were there at 7:00 am and didn't get done until 12:30.  This is really getting to be very aggravating.  But all of the new missionaries and their trainers got to travel to their new city and start their mission finally on Friday.  We had a very calm day on Friday.  

After the Edgrens left on Saturday, they called us and told us that Sister Roulstone had called them to tell them that her husband had a stroke.  So Sister Edgren wanted us to go over and be with her.  He indeed have a stroke and they were moving him to another hospital that dealt with those kinds of things.  Poland has a very strange medical system.  Wayne and I drove Sister Roulstone over to the other hospital and stayed there until about 10:30 pm.  They caught the stroke in time and started administering drugs.  I spent the night with Sister Roulstone.  She was clearly stressed out.  We don't know what is going to happen with the Roulstones.  We will have to wait and see what the church doctor says.  He is doing well but has little use of his left arm.

Sunday our Branch President was out of town and his two new counselors handled everything very well.  Both of them had gone to the temple last week and were endowed.  They were really very happy on Sunday.  

Our FHE went very well.  We talked about the 13 articles of faith and had everyone choose an article and then they have to memorize it by next week.  We'll see how many show back up next Monday.  Tuesday we  had two of the missionaries come back into Warsaw to get them started in the legal system.  It didn't take too long, but long enough.  They were running to the train station in the afternoon to make their train.

We took dinner over to Elder and Sister Roulstone in the hospital Wednesday night.  Don't even ask why!

During English class we read an article about forgiving each other and had a very long discussion on forgiveness.  We have a wonderful group of people come to English.  I just wish some of them would grasp hold of the gospel and be baptized.  

We learned today that our little Maui has two little holes in his heart.  The doctor said that they are the kind that usually close by themselves after a short time.  But he is eating regularly now and Rob and Michelle are hoping to take him home by this weekend.  We hope so too.  

I thought I'd show one of the little gnomes from Wroclaw.  I really miss them!

Have a good week.  We love you all and miss you.  

19 June 2014

Rob and Michelle had a 5lb. 7oz. baby boy yesterday at 12:00 noon.  Came a little early, but everyone is doing fine.  He was born on Robbie's birthday.  Congratulations!


What a special weekend we have had here in Poland.  A prophet of the Lord has spoken to us and told us that we are the pioneers that in Poland.   He told us that we were called to serve Him, we accepted to serve Him, and that we each promised to establish the kingdom of God here in Poland.  We need to focus our time and talents on what the Lord has called us to do.  President Uchtdorf told us also that we need to be united in everything we do.  Lift each other up, help each other and love each other.  And we need to find out for ourselves, if we don't already know, that the gospel is true.  He was wonderful.

So now I'm going to start from last Thursday.  We were doing the programs for President Uchtdorf and everyone wanted to see them and correct whatever was wrong.  Broke a mission rule that night!!!  So Friday the 13th - the office elders went to the government office at 7:10 am to get in line for the legal work.  You have to pull a number and then you wait till they call your number.  When they got there the line was already out the door and down the block.  At 10:00 am someone came out of the building and told everyone still waiting that they weren't handed out anymore tickets.  So the new trainees that came in on Tuesday were now going to have to stay until Monday or later.  We also held the trainer training meeting that night at the office.  So I fixed them dinner.  It was another long day.

Elder Whiting (standing), Elder Smith, Sister Blake, Sister Barth and Elder Jaeger.

Saturday, Wayne and I had to be to the chapel by 11:00 am and start putting together sack lunches for the missionaries.  The Senior Couples all showed up about that time also.  We made 105 chicken salad sandwiches, 105 ham and cheese sandwiches, cut up pineapple and cantaloupe, washed many strawberries, raspberries, and grapes.  These all went into little cups - 105 of them.  There also was a bag of chips, peanuts and cookies that some of the senior couples had made.  Plus a drink.  Plus there was a baptism going on and they were in the kitchen try to heat water for the fount and prepare plates of goodies for afterwards.  The security for Pres. Uchtdorf told the baptism people that they had to be out of the building by 1:30 pm.  Needless to say, they were not.  So President Edgren told them just to take the dirty dishes into the kitchen and leave them.  Guess who had to wash and clean up the kitchen?  Anyway it was all worth it.  We got to shake Pres. Uchtdorf's had and talk to him for a little bit.   And Sister Uchtdorf hugged all of the girls.  It was exciting.  Here are a couple of pictures of the missionaries and Pres. Uchtdorf.

All the missionaries starting to arrive.

We were told to sit in our seats about 30 mins. prior to him coming.  What an awesome crowd!

Here we are shaking his hand and talking with him.

After the conference and cleaning up, we had to go to the Mission Home and be with the missionaries that were staying there.  President and Sister Edgren had gone out to dinner with Pres. Uchtdorf.  Everyone was sitting at the table folding the programs for Sunday's meeting.  I was in the kitchen trying to clean up a few things for Sister Edgren.  When I looked out the window, Pres and Sister Edgren was walking up the front steps with Pres and Sister Uchtdorf.  I turned around and said - "HE's HERE!!!!  He came in and joined us around the table just like he belonged there.  So here is my close up!  

He was joking with the missionaries.  It was really awesome.  That's his daughter (in white) and his wife.

He was telling them what a beautiful country Poland is.

Saturday night we had Elders Stumpf and Fotu spend the night with us.  Elder Stumpf talked to President Uchtdorf in German and he got a hug from Pres. Uchtdorf.  Everyone was jealous.  

Sunday we had to get up and go to the mission home to get some luggage and take to the Marriott Hotel for those Elders and Sisters that were leaving right from the conference.   They had set up 500 chairs for the conference and every chair was filled.  

Sister Roulstone led a choir.   They sang in Polish.

This is everyone starting to come in to the conference room.

After the conference we had to make sure everyone got their luggage and get them over to the train station.  Then we had to go over to the mission home again with the elders and sisters because Pres. and Sister Edgren were eating  lunch with the Uchtdorfs at the hotel.  The missionaries can't be alone in the mission home.  We got home about 7:00 pm.  We weren't able to go shopping this weekend so I made Wayne some pancakes for dinner.  And I used the last egg. 

So it was back to the government office on Monday.  The office didn't open until 8:00 am, but Elders Smith and Meherg got there about 4:30 am and there was already a line.  They were able to get numbers this time -50 thru 58.  The new missionaries and their trainers showed up at about 6:00 am.  They were there all day. At 2:30 pm, Elder Smith called us and said they were just calling number 38.  They only got three of the 9 done because it was 4 :30 and the office was closing.  So here it is Thursday and there are still 4 new missionaries here with their trainers, sleeping on hard floors and wearing the same clothes.  

They are going to try again today and Friday if needed.   We are going to have to figure all of this out and see what we can do differently.  Our next transfer we have 15 new missionaries coming in.  It's going to be a nightmare.

Our day at the office was crazy, too.  So much to do.  And we held FHE - another 15 people showed up.  I had some of the Cafe Rio pork left over so that's what we fed them.  Still haven't gone to the store.  We are having toast and kool-aid for breakfast.  

Teri is up in Utah with her children right now.  Staying with Tracy and Jeremy.  

Tuesday all of the "going home" missionaries left.  Wayne had to take all of their luggage to the airport at 7:15 am.  I walked to the office.  But here they are in front of the mission home getting ready to get into cars and at the airport.  It was sad to see this group go home.  We got to know each of them very well.

Sister Lenhart, Swenson, President, Elders Baranowski, Harris and Lanham.

Elders Vernon, Tingey, Garfield, Lenhart, Harris, Godwin, Baranowski and Cieslak.  Great group!

This is in front of the airport.

Okay, gotta go.  There's a lot I left out, but not enough time.  We love you all and miss you.  Congratulations again to Rob and Michelle.  

12 June 2014

Happy Birthday Claire on the 15th, Alex on the 17th and Rob on the 18th  We love you all.

And Happy Father's Day to all.

So here is a picture of our new car.  Whenever we go to put things in the back seat, we can't find the door handle because it's not where it's suppose to be.

It's an Opal Meriva.

It really is a nice car and it has turbo, so it really goes fast!

Friday we closed the office at 4:00 pm and went with Elders Smith and Meherg to the "Uprising Museum".  We all needed a break.  They had an old Russian Motorcycle in there so we all had to try it out.  

Here's Wayne and me.

And here's Elder Meherg and Smith.

The museum showed be pictures and real accounts of people that lived in the Ghetto and what they went through.  It also had a lot of old guns and a replica of one of the airplanes used back then.  Can't see it real well, but it was hanging from the ceiling.

A British Liberator.

This is some of the original stone from the palace of the king that was completely destroyed.

Saturday we got up early and went down to Lublin to inspect the Elder's apartments.  Both of them were very clean.  Lublin is a quaint little town.  We forgot our camera, so we didn't get any pictures.  But I'm sure we'll be going down again.

We came back for the baptisms.  I made some raspberry squares for afterwards.  Here is Elder Blom, Andrzej Zembrzycki, and Elder Caskey.

And this is Teresa Blaszczyk.  This was after she was baptized.  She is really sweet and just a wonderful person.

At church on Sunday, one of the security guards for President Uchtdorf showed up at the chapel.  He had to check everything out in regard to doorways and the room that we need to set up for him.  

After church we went over to the Office Elder's apartment to inspect it.  I cooked some Chicken Enchiladas and broccoli and we ate with the Elders.  Here are the three of them after we ate.  They all think they are very funny!

So back to the office on Monday and making final preparations for President Uchtdorf and the nine new missionaries coming in.  And, oh yeah, getting the transfer board done.

We brought a white board into the office so we could write everything down in some kind of order.  Who goes where and when.  Who's going to meet all the missionaries coming in by train and get luggage taken care of.  Here's Elder Smith writing down who will need bus billets to get around town.  Plus President Edgren called and said that we were to put a program together for Sunday's meeting with President Uchtdorf.  

Also on Monday, a call came into the office from one of the TV stations in Poland.  They had heard about the missionaries that sang in the Catholic church in Lodz and wanted to know if any of the singers wanted to try out for Poland's version of "The Voice".  We all got a big laugh out of that one.  But we did call Elder Lanham to let him know.  He's the one that put it all together.  

On Tuesday, the new missionaries came in around 5:00 pm.  Surprisingly they all looked very good.  None of them really showed any signs of fatigue.  We got all their legal papers signed and sent them out the door by 6:00 pm.  And here they are:

Elder Weiler, Burdick (in back - left),  Elders Torres, Sidwell (front left), Sisters Holden and Lillywhite, and Elders Johnson, Jourdan and Owens.  Good group and they know so much of the language.  Until someone starts talking back to them.

We didn't hold FHE or English class this week.  Too much to do with other things.  Wednesday was spent all day on getting the program done and getting legal packets put together.  And we also learned that we are not going to have a sit down meal on Saturday after the missionary conference with President Uchtdorf.  We are just going to prepare sandwiches and put together a sack lunch for them.  So I don't know what I'm going to do with all of the pork I cooked for Cafe Rio.  I guess Wayne and I are going to get sick of pork really quick.

Our grandson, Alex is going to be ordained an Elder on the 20th and then to the temple on the 21st. He only has a month left before he leaves for Peru and the Language Training Center down there.  

So I can't think of anymore.  On our next mission, I think we are going to request to be in the Visitor Center in SLC.  It sounds so less stressful.  

By the way, James sent us a package and in it we found some socks for Wayne.  We thought we should take a picture and let you see our son's good fashion sense.  Especially for missionaries.

They're cute don't you think?

Hope you all have a good week.  We love you and miss you.

5 June 2014

Hi everyone.  When we got up this morning and came out into the living room, we opened the curtain and the fog was so thick that we couldn't even see the apartments across the inner courtyard.  It must be going to rain today.

Well, once again we have had a very busy week and it 's not over yet.  On Friday, Sister Edgren came to the office so that we could plan the luncheon for the missionaries and President Uchtdorf, if he stays.  He is having a separate meeting with just the missionaries on Saturday which will end about 5:00 pm.  So we planned on having Cafe Rio - pork.  Sister Edgren, Sister Roulstone and I are going to cook all of the pork for about 100 people.  Then the other senior couples will being everything else - lettuce, beans, rice, tomatoes, cheese and dessert.  We each will have to do about 10 kg each (about 25 lbs) of meat.  I started cooking some on Sunday in the crock pot.

This is the season right now for strawberries here and there are stands all over the place.  They are very cheap also.  We bought a lot on Saturday so I made some jam.  We also got some raspberries and bing cherries.  I don't know where they get the fruit, but it sure is good. Saturday afternoon we took and rest and went with the AP's to the Copernicus Museum.  It is a "hands on" museum and it was fun to watch the Elders do everything.  Here's some pics:

Here's the Museum Entrance

Elder Lanham making different fans work with forced air. 

Here's Elder Lanham again.  When you started riding the bike, a skeleton showed up by the side riding the bike also.

Elders Lanham and Vernon trying to twirl each other off of the stand.

Crazy house.

After the museum, we met up with the Sisters and Elders Baranowski and Peacock.

We then went to the park and walked around for about 2 1/2 hours.

These sisters are in a three-some right now because of Sister Stratton going home.  These are Sisters Poklinkowska, Blake, and Hemming.  These three are a power house.  The mission will miss them when they go home.

We bought some waffles in the park and everyone was trying to get mine.  Elders Peacock, Vernon, Lanham and Baranowski.  Vernon and Baranowski will be leaving the mission on the 17th.

The park also had peacocks all over the place.  We tried to have this one open it plume, but it just walked away.

Here we all are.  Sisters Hemming, Poklinkowska, Blake, me, Wayne, Baranowski, Peacock, Vernon and Lanham.  We love all these missionaries very  much.

Here's Elder Vernon riding a lion.

So back to the office on Monday and a meeting with President and Sister Edgren, the APs and Office elders.  Discussion was on logistics of getting 94 missionaries into Warsaw on Friday/Saturday (13th and 14th) with some of them bringing luggage because of transfers which will take place on Sunday after President Uchtdorf speaks to all of the Polish saints at the Marriott Hotel downtown and making sleeping arrangements.  We will have 2 Elders sleeping in our apartment on Saturday night.  The President showed us who he was transferring so that the office elders could start coordinating things.  Also, the legal process for getting residency cards changed so the missionaries have to stay an extra day to get their fingerprints taken.  I have been working on the new paperwork since the second week in May for the 9 new missionaries and just finished yesterday.  Plus the church ordered 4 new cars for our mission and a transporter for the President when he picks up the incoming missionaries at the airport.  So Wayne, the APs, and office elders all went down Wednesday morning to pick all of the cars up from the dealer.  And the 4 new automobiles were standard transmission and neither one of the office elders could drive them because they didn't know how.  I guess they really had fun.  I wish I could have been there.

But on Monday night for FHE, we had 15 people there.  It was awesome!!!!  We talked about obeying the commandments and what that really means.  One of the sisters said that she takes a little bit of wine every once in a while because the doctor told her it would be good for her.  We just had to laugh.  But all the food I took was gone.  I think that's why some of them come - just for the food.  We do have fun.

Oh yeah, we have to do apartment inspections this week too.  So Saturday we will be going to Lublin (about 2 1/2 hours away) to inspect 2 apartments, then hurry back for a baptism in the afternoon.  And then we will still need to fit in 3 more apartments also.  

This is really fun!!!  Most of the days, we have something new come up that we've never handled before and it just makes life interesting.

President Obama was in town on Tuesday and Wednesday.  One of the missionaries called me on Wednesday morning and said that he and his companion were right in the middle of the crowd watching President Obama talk.  I told them that they probably shouldn't be there, but they said they couldn't move either.

Okay, that's it for this week.  We love you and miss you all.