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.