IT's DECEMBER!!! Well hey there everybody! What's up!? I haven't
read all the e-mails yet, but I see someone got a new PHONE! One of you
boys should give mom a christmas present by putting all her recipies on
Google Documents, then she can pull up her recepies on her smart phone
wherever, and WHENEVER! YAY! :) haha...oh if only we had a smart phone
for our missionary work, things would be a lot easier...we have to use
more memory power and a LOOOOOTTTT of WRITING! Yeah, the internet might
crash...uh but when was the last time that happened? And it's more
likely that our house will be burned down...right? Oh I dunno...maybe
someday missionary work will get more hi-tech.
As for now, we're just running around Poznań, LITERALLY - I swear
we run to at least one appointment a day - we either don't give
ourselves enough time and are running late, or we just want to meet with
lots of people and pack our little selves in there - Hey, go big or go
home, right? One of my new motto's. Oh man, the work in Poland is
GREAT and to add to that greatness... I'm LIVING IN POLAND! I LOVE THIS
PLACE! A herd of pigeons flew over my head today...haha okay a
flock...and as we walked by some old buildings with kids speaking polish
to one another I just got a warm fuzzy feeling. I really love this
place, I hope you can love it too someday, if you don't already!
This week was super fun, there were some weird days, where I just
felt sort of off- but I think that was my own fault for being a bit
angry with someone or not following the Spirit... You know, you really
do feel better about everything when you just DO WHAT'S RIGHT! There
was someone here in Poznań who just blatantly lied to our faces and
blamed us for something we didn't do and I got a bit miffed inside.
Don't do it. It's not worth it. Just forgive and forget! I did end up
apologizing for whatever we didn't do, and felt a little
better about the whole thing, but still, I could have jsut been okay
with it from the get-go. Lesson learned: Just love life, and the only
things you're allowed to stand up for are 1. your life, 2. your
religion, 3. your families, or 4. your freedom. Cuz that's what the
Nephites did, right? They tried not to have skirmishes unless their
lives or freedoms were in danger. Cool.
I got a letter from NELLA this week - and was that a picture of her
dancing? Pretty! Thanks and I will try to send you something soon!
Well, last monday, we went out to this family's house in the middle
of nowhere's land. They're super poor and from Romania -so it would
have been cool if Sister Folsom was here cuz I think she speaks some
Romanian! But I think they were gypsies. Sister Folsom told me about
the Gypsies in Romania and how they act like they are poor and just live
off of other people. After being out at their place, I think that's
true of these people as well. They all seemed healthy and happy and had
enough food but neither of the parents work and the dad is the only one
who understands Polish and speaks it - except for religious terms, he
had no idea what we said as we shared a first lesson about the
restoration. But it was sad to see where they live, and that
they can't read. I worry about the kids - there were like four or five
in the one family -one room, cold floors and blankets on the walls, low
ceilings...and then like four more kids in the other family in the other
room. Man... sad stuff. We aren't allowed to teach gypsies, and I can
see why, there really isn't much we can do for them. Anyways, that was
an experience. On our way out of there, one of the little girls, dirty
and small, her name is Maria, followed us as her dad showed us where to
go to get back home. He told her to go home, in Romanian, but she
didn't listen and kept following us, close behind me so her dad wouldn't
see her... so I reached my hand out behind my back and she held my hand
on the way through the muddy street in the dark. It was just cool. I
love kids!
Funny stories: So Sister Bezdjian had this awesome green umbrella
with white polka-dots and it rained hard a couple days this week (AND
SNOWED A LITTLE ONCE!) and so we had out our umbrellas as we ran to a
tramwaj. Well, she opened the door and umbrella first started to get on
the tramwaj, but the door shut on her umbrella and smushed it! HAHA!
Then the door wouldn't open so she tried to rip it out...I encouraged
against that...thinking it'd probably just break it more...the poor
thing! Ha, but the tramwaj just DROVE AWAY with it! the little handle
blowing in the wind...oh man, it was pretty hilarious- stander-by's sure
got a kick out of it, at least it was a good conversation starter! : )
Also, we were on a bus this week and this guy in a car next to our bus wasn't driving properly or something
and the bus driver kept honking at him, then the guy drove up next to
the bus and stuck his angry little Polish head out the window and
probably was swearing at the bus driver. So the bus driver speeds up
and CUTS THE GUY OFF! We were blocking the WHOLE STREET! Granny's
apples went flying, the poor girl down the street fell off her chair,
and everyone was in a holler... the bus driver gets off the bus and
walks over and yells back at the guy, once he's got his fill gets back
in the bus and takes off normally again...not sure what that
accomplished but...whatever. Haha...fun, and all the while I was
talking to an awesome 15 year old girl who lives here in Poznań and I
ended up getting her phone number and we are going to meet with her this
week! COOL!
We had another lesson with Mama Ola this week, and it went really
well, I really think awesome things are going to happen with her family!
One more quick story and then I want to read what you wrote and hope to write a bit back - maybe send some pictures too...
Yesterday we'd just got off the tramwaj (said TRAM-V- EYE) and we
were waiting at the light to cross the street and go tracting, for like
two hours before lunch, and it was cold and we were fasting...well there
was this tall cute couple standing there with their baby in a
stroller. So we awkwardly surrounded them on both sides and Sister
Bezdjian asked if it was a boy or girl and - AAH! My companion is so
studly at contacting, I need to just do what she does, she's so good at
it! - and so we started talking to them and they were looking for an
open store to buy bread. Luckily all the stores were closed, after a
while, Sister B. was talking with the mom and I was talking with the
dad, just about life and stuff, I somehow got on the topic of the word
of wisdom and told him we don't drink alcohol or smoke. Well after
about 8 minutes, they're like, well we live here, do you want to come up
for tea? Um... WHAT! THAT NEVER HAPPENS! SURE! So we came up and
refused the tea and told them we were fasting and what we do with fast
offerings... haha man they got way more than a first lesson that
day...and they like ASKED US what our CHURCH was like (my jaw just kept
dropping further and further as the lesson went on) ! SO perfect
segue into the RESTORATION of the FULLNESS of the EVERLASTING GOSPEL!
Man... so they let us pray with them and the 2 month old baby was crying
during some of it, but then the first vision was quoted while mom was
standing up holding baby, and the baby stopped crying and there was this
presence in the room... BAM. It hit all of us, you could see it in
their eyes - IT's TRUE! EVERYONE! I KNOW IT! Joseph Smith SAW God the
Father and Jesus Christ! He RESTORED the true gospel, I'm feeling it
even now - this tingly awesome sensation... man... so cool! They set up
with us AGAIN! The dad said a kneeling PRAYER on the end of the
lesson, OUTLOUD - he was so nervous. They said they'd READ the BOOK and
COME TO CHURCH! I'm telling you...this really just fell into our hands
and they're so normal! I love normal people! Now the only
down side of this story is that I didn't invite them to be baptized. It
was my turn to extend a commitment, I didn't feel that it was going to
fit into the conversation - but at the same time I knew that was just an
excuse my mind had made up. We've been asked to ask people if they
will be baptized on the first lesson...and folks, I didn't do it. I was elated after the lesson with my companion, but I was also being kicked in the soul by the Spirit saying, hey you! You didn't say what I asked you to say, my friend, not cool.
So then I felt really yucky inside and...you know beat myself up a
bit... Moral of the story is, NEVER DENY A PROMPTING. Just do what the spirit says! No
matter whether it's hard to do or not. I get so nervous,
and I'm supposed to say it just right and not stutter according to our Assistants to the President, and I just feel really pressured everytime I try to say it to someone. So I'm going to work on it, and it'll be much better next time, I promise.
and I'm supposed to say it just right and not stutter according to our Assistants to the President, and I just feel really pressured everytime I try to say it to someone. So I'm going to work on it, and it'll be much better next time, I promise.
The church is true! If you want an assignment for this week, look up John the Baptist - that guy is a STUD! Love him!
K, love you all,
peace.
- Siostra Amber Allen
The old guy - fixed Sister B's boots - we ran to his shop in the morning for our exercise
The NOGI - those statues that are just feet and torsos - SO fun :) in Park Cytadella
Chuck Norris - he's EVERYWHERE!
Oh and another fun thing - people in Poland get up super early and go to bed super early - it's really weird.
Love you lots!
- Amber
The old guy - fixed Sister B's boots - we ran to his shop in the morning for our exercise
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