Be My Thunder

     I appologize if this week's letter is shorter than usual, I may try to use some time to figure out how to send a picture or two!!!  BUT, without further adieu... CZESC!!!  (which means HELLO!!!)  Happy 4th of July last week, and Happy Birthday to my kid bro Gregg :)

     Maybe my favorite thing that happened this week was when we had like 25 minutes before we were supposed to be in our appartment - 9:00 P.M. unless you have an appointment, then it's 9:30 - and there were these huge dark clouds rolling in...thunder...then DOWN-POUR!  Haha...and we were still domaphoning and the rain was coming down this shute and there was a leak and it started spraying at me and my skirt was soaked and we weren't even out in the rain yet!  Then we decided to run home and man...there were RIVERS in the streets and it was just BEAUTIFUL.  Definitely a tender mercy since I've been so HOT here and I feel sweat running down my back all the time and (I usually take cold showers because of it) I can't go swimming and...yep, definitely loved the rain that day.  We were litterally soaked within like 30 seconds.

     I also loved the food we got from Brother and Sister Reed yesterday.  They fixed us chicken with rice and gravy and a nice salad and then chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.  Yep, Sister Folsom doesn't know I don't like chocolate.  I haven't brought it up.  In the MTC I told people I might try to learn to like chocolate while I'm on my mission...haha but it's not working too well.  Sister Folsom LOVES chocolate and keeps eating it all the time and asks if I want some, I just have said I don't like candy much...which is mostly true!  Haha, I just think it'd be almost OFFENSIVE if I told her I don't like chocolate because she loves it so much.  Anyways, back to that meal with Brother and Sister Reed.  They are the senior missionaries here in Poznan (which by the way, you say Poznan like this, POSE (like you're posing for a picture) + NINE (like the number 9)) and they are just GREAT!  I really am so grateful for their influence and help and how down to earth they are.  They are super sweet and have already served a mission in Ukraine, this is their second mission!  I admire them a lot, they are converts, they were both Lutheran until they joined the church like five years after they were married.  Speaking of how long people have served, mom you asked how long Sister Folsom has been out.  She leaves the mission field in four months and hit her year mark in the country last week.  So she knows quite a lot of Polish and loves her mission, definitely a lot more settled in than I am :)

     The language... oh wow.  I've learned that there really isn't a good way to translate English to Polish, or visa versa...really you just have to re-word and re-think your sentances before you spit them out at all.  It's crazy.  But I love realizing that I know a word here and there that I didn't used to know... it's just hard to see that progress sometimes and I really don't feel like I've improved a whole lot.  I'm trying to set goals and accomplish things.  I've memorized a few scriptures in Polish, our 'Cel' or PURPOSE as missionaries, as stated in PMG, etc.  And I also can say things about the Book of Mormon and Families being together forever.  I love contacting and trying to bring up the family, mostly because that's what my testimony is really built around.  Sister Folsom keeps bringing that up, that my testimony is really strong when it comes to family.  I didn't realize that was a focal point in my testimony, like I knew I loved my family, but seriously, that's probably one of the BIGGEST reasons why I'm on a mission, why I'm a member of this church, why I choose to live the principals of the gospel.  BECAUSE OF MY FAMILY! :) I love them so, so, so much.

    The work has been going good, though.  We have a lot of meetings each week, last week felt slower than the week before, mostly because a lot of people are on vacation.  The Euro Cup is now over and people aren't hanging out in Centrum.  Elder Sorn really wanted to watch a match the other day and we helped him get over the temptation by playing us some SOCCER!  It was so AWESOME!  I get the urge to play every time I see kids out playing.  They have courts everywhere, really small ones, with usually hard floors, but we messed around on some grass, just the four of us missionaries.  Elder Sorn looks like he could be really good - he's from Germany, and played on a club team there, they don't have like College teams I guess...

     Someone asked me to compare the mission field to the MTC.  Haha... I don't know if you can compare them, they're SO DIFFERENT.  I definitely miss my MTC buddies... like alot.  I want to know how they are doing and what they're new companions are like and who they're meeting.  It's like I had to say good bye to my family again when we left each other that second day in Poland.  Some of them are teaching investegators who have baptismal dates so that's cool!  It's weird being with just one other person and sometimes I don't like it.  That's why I love the work.  I love getting OUT of the house!  :)

      Two more random things: I went to a Non-Denominational Christian Church the other day - really crazy I'll have to tell you about it later, especially when they tried to heal a mentally ill person... I've never been to another church before, so that was interesting.  Second thing - the cars here are so small.  And I've only seen short-bed trucks.  It's quite sad.  They don't know what a real truck looks like.... haha...okay... that was for Jenny.  I need to hear from that girl, what is she doing?  That also reminds me, thank-you to those of you who sent me letters this week, seriously it's SO nice to hear from you!  I love, love, love it - thanks!

      Last thing, I know the church is true!  It has to be.  God exists and loves us!  I want you to read Alma 48 about Captain Moroni.  Make a list of all the qualities he has.  Because it says if everyone was like Moroni, the powers of Hell would be shaken.  Bad things are everywhere here.  There are nasty signs, immodesty, just bad stuff, and Satan truly is trying to get us.  He may try to get you through doubts or through being lazy.  BUT WE CAN'T BE LAZY.  Like Moroni, you've got to put up walls, put up defenses.  Do your very best, and Christ will do the rest.  Our Savior loves us.  God loves it when we pray to him.  Talk to him all the time, alright?

      O.k. I'm going to try to put some pictures on here, love you tons!

- Siostra Amber Allen