2 March 2015

I thought I would do one last blog before we leave beautiful Poland and all of these wonderful people.  We had one last baptism on the 28th.

This is Grezegorz.  Elders Retallick and Fotu.  He is a wonderful person.

On Sunday, the sisters gave me a Polish Cookbook.  Thank heaven it's in English.  Now I'll b e able to make some Polish food at home.    The Primary kids gave me a little booklet too.  I love these people!  

So after Sacrament meeting they gathered everyone into the RS room and said good bye to us and again thanked us for all that we have done.  

I baked all day on Saturday to get rid of eggs, flour and sugar.  I made 3 different cookies and some more zucchini bread.  And then I divided everything among the missionaries. And gave them their goody bag on Sunday after church.  Here we all are.  The Warszawa missionary force!

Sister Kuchar, Simkins, Woodward, Gustafson, and Pauga.  Elders Garrett, Kimball, Jones, Retallick, Campora, and Allen.  Elders Fotu and Fogg in front.  Just awesome!!!!!

I don't know if we will have the internet for very much longer.  It's been a wonderful 23 months.  Hope to see lots of you next week on the 8th.  

We love you all!

26 Feb 2015

Our mission to Poland Warszawa is almost over.  It has been a very wonderful two years.  We have learned so much from being here and especially on a mission.  Some of the things we have learned, we already knew but they have greatly been enhanced while we have been here.

We have learned that 18 - 24 year old elders and sisters can teach us a lot.  They are strong and obedient and share the gospel with everyone.  They truly are unstoppable.  The Lord has put a great deal of trust in them and they have measured up to the challenge.

We have learned that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do love us and wants us to be happy.  We have known this for a long time, but it has been shown to us time and time again while we have been here.

In Moroni, it says that by the power of the Holy Ghost you will know the truth of all things.   That promise is sure.  Wayne and I have tested that promise and it has been proven to us.   And what happiness it has given us.

We have learned that not everyone is going to like us!  What an eye opener!  People have shoved us away, have sworn at us and told us we were stupid.  And that was all in one day.  But we also know that they are children of God.  They are little lambs that have lost their way.

On the other hand, we have also learned that we can make a difference in some one's life.  We have spent 17 months in Warszawa - in the Warszawa 1st branch.  We have made some wonderful friends.  We have learned from them and have taught them.  We had a testimony meeting on Monday night for our last FHE and I cannot tell you how strong the spirit was in that room.

We will truly miss our Warszawa family.  Maybe we'll come back on a 2nd mission.

Here's some pictures of this past week.

Elder Ahlander, Sister Pauga and Simkins (standing)  Sister Kuchar sitting in the back.

This was in primary.  Sister Yulia and Agnieska.

This is in RS.  Sisters Jadwiga, Agnieska, Teresa, Beata, Sylwia and Iwona.

I joined them for one last picture.

Jadwiga, Barabra, Sister Simkins, Iwona, Maja (front)

Elzbieta, Zdzislawa, Beata, Agnieska, Sylwia

Me, Teresa, Sister Moncur, Kasia, Iwana

Iwona left and let Sisters Kuchar and Pauga join in.

This was our last FHE.  We all enjoyed a beautiful time together.

Sister Moncur left on the 24th.  She is a sweetheart.

I just love Zdzislawa.  She is 93 years old.  She is telling me how much she loves me.  We both started to cry.

We met the new missionaries Tuesday night at the mission home.  They look great don't they.  It was about 7:30 pm when I took this picture.  They had a very busy day and were ready to hit the sack!

Sisters Gustafson, Herrera and Elder Cowley.  (He's from our Stake back home)

So we're starting to pack and I think we have too much!  It looks like we are going to have to start picking out what really needs to come home.  So many memories to bring back.

What a blessing this has been!  I really can't believe it's over.  We'll be home next Tuesday - landing about 6:30 pm.  We'll see what awaits us in our next phase of life.

Love you all and miss you.

19 Feb 2015

I have to start out this week with FHE.  We had 22 people there.  It was amazing and a very wonderful night.  I can't express enough how much we love these people.  One of the sisters, Basha, gave me a little red heart pillow that says " I Love YOU" on it.  She is awesome!  In some ways, it feels like we have known these people all of our lives.  We truly are brothers and sisters.  What a blessing!

So last Thursday was FAT Thursday.  It is the day that everyone eats as many "Paczki" as they can.  They are like a doughnut with jam or cream in the middle.  Anyway, the APs were challenged by the Warszawa II Zone Leaders to see who could eat the most.  They would call each other every hour or so.  The APs would ask how many the ZLs ate and then tell them they ate 2 or 3 more.  But they hadn't eaten any at all.  I don't know how it turned out, but I'm sure the ZLs caught on after a while.

We came home last night and started going through everything.  A lot of things are well worn and we will probably throw away or leave for their second hand stores.  I started looking through all of the mementos we have kept.  Little notes from missionaries, places we have visited, and letters from people back home.   All of it brought back many fond memories.  Memories that we will keep for the rest of our lives.

No pictures again this week, but next week we will have lots.  I am going to get pictures of everyone!

We have new missionaries coming in on Tuesday the 24th.  Only 3 missionaries are coming and 7 going home.  Elder Allen who should be leaving on Tuesday has extended for another month.  It's going to be another busy week.

We love you and miss you.

(March 3rd is coming quickly)

12 Feb 2015

Happy Valentine's Day

The church in Poland has grown by two more members over the past couple of weeks.  One was baptized in Kielce and another in Wrocław.  And there are 4 more with baptismal dates for Warsaw I in April and May.  We had 60+ at church on Sunday.  Many of them investigators.  And 5 investigators at FHE.  It's awesome!

There was a group of about 50 people that came to the chapel on Tuesday for a tour and to discuss the gospel.  Every missionary in Warsaw was there to help and of course, pass out Books of Mormon.

President Monson promised that this land would be dotted with chapels in his dedicatory prayer.  I know that this will happen.  We have wonderful missionaries and they are all working very hard to bring "souls unto Christ".

Another week has gone by.  We have been thinking of all the wonderful experiences we have had here in Poland because we have been asked to speak on the 22nd of this month. I decided to speak about friendship and I believe Wayne is going to talk on faith.  It will be very difficult to speak without a lot of emotion on my part.

President and Sister Edgren took us out to dinner tonight.  It was our departing dinner.  We all are going to be very busy for the next two weeks, so this was the night we could both get together and have an enjoyable meal.  It was delicious too.

This is all this week.  It's just been training and more training.

We love you and miss you.

5 Feb 2015

Thursday afternoon we had a mission office meeting with President and Sister Edgren, the APs and the office elders.  Before the meeting started, Pres. Edgren took Elder Jaeger into his office and talked to him for about 20 minutes.  After our meeting, Pres. made reference to some changes happening and he would get back to us.  So we learned that Elder Jaeger would be leaving the office and Elder Guthrie would be taking his place.  So now it's going to be more interesting in trying to train someone else, and especially since he hasn't done any legal work for anyone else.  But we will make it work.

Also, on Friday, one of the elders hurt his back, so he had to come into Warsaw for an MRI and Pres. and Sister Edgren were out of town.  Monday, we had a full house at the office.  We had the APs, the office elders, the elder with his back hurting, another elder that came in to get some legal work done and Elder Guthrie trying to learn the office routine.  It really was quite comical.  And I was trying to finish up with my lesson for FHE.  Somehow it all ended positively.

So for FHE, I planned on teaching the Allegory of the Olive Tree.  Jacob 5.  I had everything done to teach them and even had some pictures, so that I could explain it better.  We had 17 people there.  It was awesome!  Most of them went to the room ahead of Wayne and me,  We waited by the front door to make sure that everyone was there.  When I entered the room, everyone stood up. I didn't know what to think.  Then they started singing the Polish birthday song.  I just started to cry.  I can't express enough how much these people have become part of our lives.  They had some gifts for me also.  These people that don't make any significant amount of money did that for me and Wayne.  They are the ones that have taught us how to be more Christlike.  They sacrifice so much for the gospel.  Here is a picture of our little group. 

Sister Kuchar, Zdzislawa, Basha, me, Wayne (front row):  Standing right behind us is Elzbieta, Jadwiga, Dominika, Ewa and Barbara.  Standing behind them is: Sisters Moncur and Pauga, Godfrey (very back), Stanislaw, Iwona, Sister Simkins, Kazia, Stan, and Andrezj.

I tried to teach the lesson, but they just couldn't grasp the symbolism and things are just not the same when you translate from English into Polish.  We struggled through to just after the master had visited his garden for the 2nd time and I called it quits.  I told them we would finish next week, but I don't think so.  We'll have to plan something else.

On Sunday, during Primary, everyone was wound up.  Sister Pogorzelska got through the lesson, but singing time was a disaster.  I did manage to have the twins stand still long enough to take their picture.

Sister Edgren bought these matching dresses for them.  Ewa and Helena.  Cute girls but quite the handful!

We did get some measurable snow last weekend.  This is outside of the chapel.  And of course, by Wednesday it was gone.

This is the front grass area of the chapel. 

 Elder Guthrie has been picking up everything quite well.  We will leave the office in good hands.

I mailed two boxes home with things in it that we have bought for ourselves and people back home.  The first box made it and the second box didn't.   And of course, the second box had most of the gifts in it.  So it's off to the stores to see if we can find what we found before.  The post office here said we could file a claim and get our money back for the shipping, but I didn't insure it, so everything else is just lost!  Oh well.

See you all next week.

We love you and miss you all.

29 Jan 2015

Last Friday was crazy.  We went into the office until noon.  Then left and went shopping to get rolls and pineapple for Saturday's Zone Conference Luncheon.  I had put the pork on to cook the crock pots to cook the night before.  We shredded the pork and put the barbecue sauce on,  By the time we got done we had 5 crock pots full of pork.  Two of the crock pots were a larger size than normal.  And we bought 9 pineapples and 90 rolls.  Everyone in the store just stares at you when you are in the check out lane.  I'm sure they are wondering what in the world we are going to do with all of that food.  The other senior couples - Gays and Shaws got in Friday night.  So we all went out to dinner.  It was good to laugh and to see them again before we go home.

We were over at the chapel by 9:00 am, setting things up.  The young missionaries started arriving right after that.  Once again, the foyer was buzzing with excitement.  It seems like an eternity when they haven't seen each other for some time.  Anyway, here's a couple of pictures.

Too many to say who they are.  But we had everyone from Bydgoszcz, Szczecin, Posnan, Gdansk, Lublin, Lodz, and Warsaw

All of them are very special to Wayne and me.  

Sister Charles (wife of the visiting Area Seventy) held a meeting for all of the sisters.

Sister Charles is in red on the right.  She bore a beautiful testimony.

Here we are again trying to get a group picture.  Everyone just keeps talking and laughing.  So much fun.

So the Charles told us about their conversion story and what the gospel means to them.  They also talked about prayer and the commitment it takes to be a Latter-day Saint.  He admonished the missionaries to make goals in their lives and to always rely on the Lord. He said that truly converted saints have a glow about them.  He told a story of when Jerusalem finally allowed the church to come and build a school there.  They only allowed us to come if we promised to not proselyte and not build any churches - which the brethren did.  One day one of the government officials came to the school and was talking to one of the administrators.  This was the conversation:  Government official:  "we stopped you from building churches."  LDS Admin: "And we have not done that."  Govt official:  "we stopped you from proselyting"  LDS Admin:  "Yes, we have not done that either"  Govt official:   "then tell me, how can we stop your people from glowing?"

It was an excellent meeting and a wonderful day.  They also spoke at church on Sunday and both the Warsaw I and II branches met together. 

So it's just been training for the elders at the office all this week.  On Monday night after our lesson we played UNO.  It's so fun teaching these people to play games and learn some new things.  We really have fun.

I made up our release certificates so that the President could sign them and then mail them to our Stake President.  President Edgren refused to sign them.  He told us we couldn't go, unless we promised to come back.  Maybe so.

So another week is done.  It really is going fast now.  We will be home before you know it.

We love you and miss you all.

22 Jan 2015

We finished the other puzzle really fast.  Here are both of them together.

Prove city and a BYU Football Game

Since the happenings in France and some other places, we have noticed that there are 2 or 3 police cars stationed down the street a little ways by a Muslim Mosque that is near our office.  And it looks like they stay there all night and all day.  We don't know if they are protecting them or making sure they don't cause any problems. 

Last Thursday morning, Sister Kuchar and Sister Simkins called and sang "Happy Birthday" to Wayne.  It was really cute and I know that Wayne appreciated it.  All of them are just like our grandkids.  We love them all.

We had another baptism on Saturday.  This is Maksym.  And Elders Jaeger and Swicegood.  (Our office elders)

Sunday after church Wayne and I walked over to the cemetery that is close to our chapel.  It is the Uprising Cemetery.  This is the statue that is in the front, prior to your entering.

These are the headstones of all of the people that died in the uprising.   This is only one row.  There were many, many rows.

Then you entered the main part of the cemetery.  Once again there were many flowers and lamps.  And people were coming and going constantly.  We had to wait quite a while before we took these pictures so there weren't any people in the pictures.

Sunday we had 55 people at church and quite a few of them were investigators.  The missionaries usually sit by investigators and they were really spread thin on Sunday.  We just need to get them all baptized.  

Monday night at FHE, all of our "family" had pitched in what money they could and bought Wayne a little gift for his birthday.  It was a plate that you hang on the wall or on a little stand, of Warszawa and Old Town.  It was very touching.  They all said that they didn't want us to forget them, so every time we look at the plate we will remember them.  It was very special and we will never forget them.

 We were reading the Title Page, Introduction and the testimonies of all the witnesses.  We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and how true it is and why it is another testament of Jesus Christ.

We woke up to snow on the ground on Tuesday, but it didn't last too long.  And it has been very foggy during the morning hours also.

The office elders came over Wednesday night and I helped them some banana bread.  They gave us a spiritual message and bore their testimonies.  It was a wonderful evening.

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

15 Jan 2015

Today is Wayne's birthday.  Monday night, our FHE group sang "Sto Lat" to him.  It was really special.  We are going to really miss our Monday nights in Poland.

It's been a quiet week, this week.  We have been trying to train the office elders, but it seems like they have other things to do, so it's going slow.

We did get notification of a new Senior Couple coming.  They will be here in July.  If we don't get another couple before then, they will be the only ones here when they arrive.  The President can put them anywhere he wants.  The Szczecin Branch doesn't have any Melchizedek Priesthood, so it's the likely place.  Anyway, the president was excited to know that he won't be all alone after July.

It has been very mild here and lots of rain.  And the wind has been terrible.  The fence at the mission home was blown over.  Brat Jarosz had to come over and help get it upright again.  They will need to replace a section of it.

One of the sister's apartment here in Warszawa had little worms all over.  I'm thinking they were little "silver fish".  But we had to get their apartment fumigated.  They didn't have to move anything out of the apartment so that was nice.  And they could go back into their apartment that night.

Wayne has been able to give many, many blessings.  It is usually the sisters that ask him for one.  But he sure has enjoyed the opportunity to listen to the spirit and give some guidance and comfort to them.  All of the sisters we have here in Warszawa are very special and very dear to our hearts.

James sent us another puzzle this year.  It was of downtown Provo.  It took us 3 weeks to put it together.  So here is a picture of it.  And we decided to put together the one from last year again.  We are working on that now.  It was of a BYU Football game.  Crazy!!!!

We'll take a picture of both of them when we get the other one put together.  

Elder Charles of the Seventy will be visiting next week.  We will have a Zone Conference and then he will speak on Sunday to both the Warszawa I and II Branches.  So it's back to cooking and baking.  Sister Edgren and I will be feeding about 60 people.   I think I convinced to have pulled-pork sandwiches.  She's still thinking about it.   

Well, another week gone by.  We try not to think about it too much.  Don't want to get "trunky".

We love you and miss you all.

8 Jan 2015

It was a very quiet day on New Year's day.  We did some cleaning in the apartment and went for a walk.and of, course did some baking.  Friday was a regular day at the office, but still very quiet.  It did rain most of the day.

Saturday we went to buy some food and also to look for some sales at the mall.  The we went out to the chapel to start the 6 cars we have parked in the back.  And then we stayed for another baptism.

                                               Elder Jourdan, Henryk and Elder Wride.

First one of 2015.  There is a baptism planned for each Saturday in January.  We hope they all make it to the water.  Poland had 42 baptisms last year.  The President was pleased, but knows there can be more and so do we.  It was a wonderful service.  

Sunday was a beautiful testimony meeting.  The members are leaving to go the temple next Monday.  It will probably be the last time they go until it opens in 2016.  Frankfurt temple is just too far and cost too much for them to go.  Anyway, one of the members of our branch - Stanislaw -  was baptized last year and he is going to receive his endowment.  Wayne and I are going to ask the President if we can go.  We truly love this man and would love to be there when he goes through for the first time.

  We'll see what the President says.  

At FHE we talked about happiness and what truly makes us happy.  We had 11 members of the branch there and the sister missionaries.  They all participate and we really have fun when I try to communicate with them in Polish.  They just laugh and say the word(s) for me.  You should hear me try and read a scripture!!!  It really is fun.  I don't know what they will do when we leave.  I'm sure our little group will be disbanded unless a new couple comes in.  And I think by now that is not going to happen.  

So, Tuesday was another holiday in Poland - Epiphany - or 3 kings day.  Once again, everything was closed and nothing was happening at the office either.  We started training the office elders on Wednesday.  They are very smart, so both of them should learn very quickly.

It felt like a very long 2 weeks with the holidays and all.  

We love you and miss you all.