A Polish Solo

WELL Y'all, I'm grateful I get to write again! :) I read Jacob 5 this morning, and as Jacob talks about 'digging about' the olive tree, I can't help but feel like this mission is really digging up the people of Poland.  And with this new surge of missionaries coming in - all super young - I'm SUPER excited!  We're really going to dig them up and then nourish them with the good word of God and lead them to the Living Prophet who will prune them and then they'll no longer be wild but healthy and happy!  I thought it was interesting that the olive tree 'grew,' 'waxed old,' and 'began to decay.' -- From this I pulled some crazy things that maybe are not really what Jacob meant but... down in the footnotes it says that this 'growing, waxing old, and beginning to decay' means the Apostasy of Israel.  Well the people of Poland are in a great apostasy still and these three things really apply to them!  DON'T let them apply to YOU! (this goes for myself as well, gotta work on it every day)
1. 'Grew' - sometimes on the street I tell people God exists and they're like, 'I don't believe it.' and then I say, 'Well have you always not believed or did something happen to make you think that?'  And then they say, 'well I grew up and started to THINK' - as if believing in God was a bad thing... and it's so sad!  Jacob 4:10 says that we should seek not to counsel the Lord, and other verses in the Book of Mormon talk about how people will trust to their own understanding and in the arm of flesh and after the manner of their own thought process.  Well, you are one person.  What about the hundreds of pages of the Bible and Book of Mormon?  The millions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  What about the testimony of Joseph Smith?  What about all the evidences ALL AROUND YOU that God really does exist?  Don't get so stuck in your own thinking that you are persuaded to disbelief.  God does exist and he does love you.
2. 'Waxed Old' - a lot of people here say 'I'm too old,' or they say, 'the traditions of our people are too old' for them to really accept their Savior and the true church of God.  You are NEVER too old to be a kinder, more obedient you.  And traditions are worth nothing when it comes to Eternal Life with those you love.  Give up the OLD and put on the NEW!
3. 'Began to Decay' - well, these are those people I meet who are partying, drinking, living with their boyfriend/girlfriend, and many other sins.  They are already decaying, and 'the wicked take the truth to be hard' - so if you are being repremanded, let's try to take a step back and humble ourselves, pick ourselves back up from the rude blast and be better, accept the Savior because He suffered all of this for you and he knows how you feel.

Well, besides this, sorry that was a bit of a ramble about what I studied this morning - but I really enjoyed it! 

We had a baptism in our Branch on Saturday!  His name is Jacek and he's super awesome!  I'm grateful I got to see a second baptism in Poland.  My first was seeing Arseni get baptized back in Poznan in the Summer, maybe the third week I was in the country or something like that.  Baptisms are the best!  My companion sang a solo at the baptism!  Beautiful!

I got to sing a solo on Sunday in Sacrament meeting and was so nervous.  But it felt great to perform again!  I love music!  Haha, then we were supposed to teach Sunday School and shortly before church were told we had to teach Relief Society too!  So I sang in Sacrament Meeting, we taught both Sunday School and Relief Society - and we actually didn't to a bad job. I enjoyed the day thouroughly!  I'm going to send a voice recording about some other stuff, let me know if you get the story about Hania and such!

Besides this all, I just want you to know how much I love being a missionary!  I really am loving it here.  My companion is a BIG part of that.  She makes things really easy for me - and she thinks I'm funny, so that's a good time.  I like to make people laugh.  We smile a lot and have a good time!  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is TRUE!  God answers prayers!  I love you all!
- Siostra Amber Allen

snieg

This is from Siostra Allen on January 22, 2013
 Hi everyone, the church is true! 
There's lots of SNOW here and it's staying and it's BEAUTIFUL!
We had a Sister's Conference this week.  President and Sister Nielson are just so full of knowledge I don't know how to absorb it all. I am enormously grateful for their example in my life.  An amazing experience we had this week was when we tracted into Barbara. She's an older lady here in Warsaw who has been recently really not impressed with the Catholic Church. She thinks maybe we are an answer to her prayers! God has sent us there! So we're excited to see if she'll progress this week and come to church with us. I just loved the feeling in her home and during her prayer.

I'm grateful for this gospel, I know that we need it in our lives to be fully happy!
Keep up the good work, honor the priesthood, be on time to meetings, and smile always.
Thanks Jenny for your letter - that was QUICK!
CONGRATS TIFFANY for your MISSION CALL!  - saw that real quick - you're going to do gREAT!

Love, Amber Allen

He Came to Church!

Hey everybody!  What’s up!  I hear that it’s warmer here than it is in Provo lately...haha...well that stinks!  Just kidding, I like the cold.  It’s fun to get all bundled up and look cute, right?  Not when you contact froggy guys!  Yuck!  Or drunk ones.  Did I tell you about the guy who tried to kiss me on New Years Eve and I had to push his face away? Yeah, that was fun.

Well, miracle story first, maybe.  We’ve been meeting with this super sweet family here in Warsaw and I LOVE THEM!  They are so cute.  The father of their family has been in-active for about two years and people have tried to invite him back to church with no avail...well we’ve met with him and his family twice, and man, he is so cool.  Its sad that he ever stopped coming to church, we NEED him in our branch!  But after our second time kind of prodding him (and also playing the handcuff game with their family!  YAY FOR ROPES COURSE SKILLS AND HANDS ON STUFF!!!) he CAME TO CHURCH!  Cudowny – Miraculous!  I almost wet my pants I was so happy and excited!  Expecially because I haven’t been seeing too much progress around here, so we really enjoy things like that as missionaries.  Fun how the Lord fills us with this AWE of helping souls.

So we tracted into this girl the other day, who just like almost everyone else here, thought we were Jehovah’s Witnesses at first... then, just like almost everyone else here, started asking us the same questions, and telling us how different and how much harder it is to live in Poland than in America.  She complained about everything there was to complain about, and said the same almost ritual-like-comments that most people here think we don’t know or something.  Well I haven’t heard everything, but sometimes people don’t think we know anything.  There’s a big difference... so that got me to thinking.  You know what, God has heard everything and he knows EVERYTHING.  We sometimes probably give him the same sob story that everyone else is giving him, makes me wonder if he ever gets just SICK of us. Maybe I will try harder to say some new things in my prayers this week.  Perhaps I will tell God a joke, or share more of my heart with him.  Maybe I will pray about more things or different things than usual.  Whatever it is, I don't want to be just nagging him about the same old things.  I want to be HAPPY with whatever state I am in.  I'm learning that slowly.  Things haven't been exactly easy in Warsaw...they're different than my last transfer for sure, and our numbers are way lower.  But I'm trying to stay super positive and it's working out alright.  And along the way we see miracles.

Like last night, we were on our way home and thought we'd catch a bus just one stop to home and so we got on the bus and talked to the first two people we saw - right away cuz we knew we had to if we were going to get any kind of a conversation out of the ride.  Well I'm glad we opened our mouths, I very well could have told myself I didn't have enough time.  We got their NUMBER and we gave them a Book of Mormon!  Yeah!  That's what I'm talking about!

Yesterday was one of the first times I got a little bit frustrated with someone on the street and probably wasn't the nicest Sister Missionary I could have been.  I was stammering on a word and he was being rude to begin with, but he got up in my face and said 'well you aren't very prepared to convince me now ARE you!' and was all sassy about it.  Well I said very distinctly and probably with some steel in my eyes, 'I don't want to convince anybody I only want to invite, have a good night.' and I turned and walked away.  Man... so I need to work on not being sassy when people are sassy to me.  It's pretty hard...but I know it can be done.  Christ did it, and probably WAY more than I have to!

People, please don't get offended.  There are SO many ways people get offended and it's just not worth it, not worth it to your family, not worth it to others.  Don't carry a chip on your shoulder, don't hold grudges, just love and let be!  Seriously!  They probably didn't mean to offend you anyways, and if they did, well they'll recieve their just reward from a all knowing God, it's not our job to judge or be rude back!  We've got to be christ-like NO MATTER WHAT!

Well, I know that the Book of Mormon is true!  I know that when life is a roller coaster, if we hold on to the truth that the Book of Mormon contains, everything will turn out alright!  I love the Prophet!  I love this church!  And I hope you all know how LUCKY you are where you are.  Be SO grateful!  Ok?

Love you tons

- Siostra Amber Allen

Happy Birthday Luke!!!

Oh man, it's Luke's Birthday coming up!!  And that means BAPTISM!!!  Sweet!  I'm excited for you bud!!!   Baptism is SOOOooo important.  I know that for SURE!  And you are promising God that you want to serve him all your life, so it's a pretty cool decision.  I am glad you want to serve God.  I'm glad you can understand and choose that for yourself! 
     And Happy Anniversary Dad and Mom! 

So I'm listening to Jazz music being broadcasted via enternet from California in an internet Cafe close to the underground subway in Warsaw, Poland writing to you all and it's an odd feeling... usually there's no music as I'm typing, but I guess I'll have to think while it's playing!  A few thank-you's are required here,
I GOT THREE PACKAGES THIS WEEK!  One from my lovely family...which I took pictures of myself opening and wearing what was in my packages, I just can't get my pictures to up-load, maybe next week... and one from Jenny and Jack! (Nice Turtle J-Wills!,  You are a GEM!  I have something I want to try to send you today, and Jack, please tell Emily to get better quick and that my dad broke his femer his Senior year of High school too... yuck.  Good to see pictures of you at home, Jack, I'll try to write soon)  Thanks guys!  And one from Sister Phillips from the Young Women's for Natalie.  Thanks guys!  You are all so amazing!
Oh and thanks Michael and Bobby for your letters too, I'll try to write back as well.
I also hear that Sydney Patchett is heading out for a mission, I was actually thinking about her this morning, someone tell her good luck and I love her from me!  Also, is Mari going on a mission?  Or Morgan?

Po za tym... that means 'besides that' I am just learning how to love Warsaw!  We've had some crazy experiences this week, and things can always get better, we'll just say that much.  Lots of flakes, so no we did NOT have three lessons every day this week... But oh well, we still had a grand old time and lots of adventures.

One such adventure happened just yesterday, we were trying to get at least 8 lessons in the week because we'd been asked by our District Leader to set that goal.  Seriously we tried so hard and yesterday after church we'd only had 6 lessons and no one was set up for last night.  So we ended up deciding to go tracting... it was an interesting night and we were just quieter than usual and ringing a domophone that was also super quiet and nothing seemed to be happening, no one answered their domophone... then randomly one answered - a lady named Urszula - she goes 'are you guys Jehowa's Witnesses?'  No... 'Please come on in' - WHAT!!!! So we went upstairs and shared the message of the restoration with an older lady, mother of one child, grandmother of one grandchild who is our age and studying medicine her in Warsaw.  Urszula just had surgery and is kind of stuck inside but is completely there mentally and super SUPER nice.  We asked her to read the book of Mormon and SET UP AGAIN for next week with her!  So excited.... so that's what, 7 lessons right?  And we've got what... 1.5 hours left of tracting, right... so we knock on the next door and this guy answers, tall, in jeans, looks really tired, maybe 30 years old, maybe 27... so he's like "uh...no I don't have any time." - but he says it as he like rubbs his eyebrows... then we continue to promise him blessings and he's like, 'well can I make you guys a sandwhich and some tea?'  And we were like, 'uh...no you don' t have to make us anything!  But we DO want to share a message with you!  'No, no, I don't have time' Haha... 'Well can we pray with you?'  'Yeah sure come in.'  Uh... he was either HIGH or just... really...socially inept... it was one of the funniest meetings I've had.  The dude was so off topic, and took FOREVER to answer our questions.  In the middle of a sentance he got up and went to get us some 'tea' and we said 'no, no no!'  I said, 'if you really want to give us something, we'll eat one of those...' pointing to his apples... haha, so he washed off two apples and we ate these apples in his dirty messy apartment.  Super funny... because then later as he was talking, he brings up this word, 'MIRA' and we're like, WHAT's MIRA?  He's like just a second I'll show you... he comes back with this baby tree plant thing and explains that it's Myrrh - the stuff the three wise men brought to baby Jesus!  WHAT?  I met a guy with a MYRRH PLANT!  Haha... then right before we left he gave us nuts too... he was nuts... but it was just exactly what we needed - one more lesson and a GOOD LAUGH!  So we ran away from the building laughing, so funny!  (sorry if the description of this man doesn't exactly make you giggle, I promise it was worth a good laugh)

Another awesome thing!  We get to have a Sister's Training Conference thing coming up!  That means I get to see Sister Bezdjian again!  and Sister Howells!  YEAH!  SO EXCITED!

I loved having Kinga on lessons with us this week.  She's a member here in Warsaw who is our age and super spunky.  She's so cute and it's funny cuz she just lacks patience with people sometimes and was on two hard lessons with us this week, so in her testimony sunday she told everyone what a hard job we have... I didn't realize it was that tough...but maybe I am blessed with more patience than I thought.  I know God blesses us in ways we really don't see out here.  I am so grateful for his blessings, and for all the prayers you guys are saying for us!

One more thing, a man on the street this week was Athiest, like I think at least 50% of the people here are, and he said he was in a hurry but that I had a few minutes, 'Prove to me God exists' he said.  So I had like 3 minutes to prove God exists.  What did I do?  Well, I'll let you think on it and tell you next time, but I want each of you to think about it, what would you say in 3 minutes that could be convincing enough to help a 30 year old guy on the street, super nice guy, to BELIEVE that GOD EXISTS? 

I know he DOES exist, everyone.  He answered my prayers this week.  I know he will continue to answer our prayers.  I've also been reading the Book of Mormon looking for Christ's name and mentions of our Savior and it's amazing how many times it mentions Him.  Expecially it mentions him as the Lamb of God.  I want to know more about that, what do Lambs do?  I guess if they are Gene and Nanette, we know they are hard workers and good looking and they even sing well...but I think the scriptures are referring to the animal... hehe...

We also got to meet with a less active member who lives far away and its sad cuz she now has two kids, one 8 and one 10 who have no idea what the Book of Mormon is.  I think this mom still has a testimony, but they live so far away I don't know whether or not we will be able to help them come back to church.  I sure hope she can see how IMPORTANT the church is for her children.  I'm SO grateful for the Gospel in my life.  I'm more and more grateful every day!

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is True!  Christ lives and LOVES US!  Onward Christian Soldiers!
- Siostra Amber Allen

Stir 'Em Up

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!! I've got like 27 minutes... I'll go fast...

 

It was SO fun to call you guys and to hear everyone's voices and laughter and such.  After a while away from family you forget they actually really still exist and live and breathe!  I love you guys!  Wish I could have talked to gregg, but hopefully I'll get a letter written to him today and see if I can't send it out to BRAZIL... hm?  The weather here in Poland hasn't been to bad, I'm wearing my lighter coat and no hat today, so it's pretty nice... still cold, but nice, the sun is shining.

 

Christmas here was beautiful, we got to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and it made me so happy and emotional and, man, the mormon tabernacle choir, another reason the church is true :) haha.  I really loved how President Monson said we should take this time to be re-committed to the Lord.  I challenge each of you to do that, look inside yourself, and yearn to be more intensely committed to your Savior and to our Father in Heaven.  We have a LIVING PROPHET ON THE EARTH TODAY!  How stinkin' cool is THAT!  Also, we had Zone Conference and I got to see Elder Jespersen and Elder Rittmanic and Elder Skolimowski from my MTC group!  YAY!  Also, Elder Register is in the Office here in Warsaw so I get to see him more often!  Woot!  I definitely miss my Poznan homies though, I want to know what's going on there so bad.  But I'll find out later, I guess.  I'm going to try to write a letter to Sister B. today too...aaah so much to do...so little time... but we DO have a full day P-day today since President wants us off the streets earlier.  (I can see why, recently -- maybe this is just a warsaw thing or because we're nearing party time for partiers... -- every other person I talk to is piany - to znacze drunk)...

 

A new elder in our zone said something really cool as he bore his testimony (we all went around and bore testimony at the end of Zone Conference - yeah!)  He is always super happy and he just gets excited about the smallest things.  He said that people of Poland need EXCITEMENT.  And as he said it, I completely 100% agreed.  The people of poland need excitement.  I am so ready to give it to them.  I'm going to be a smiling, excited, spirit charged MACHINE for the next 9 months, just you wait...

 

Anyways, I had one of the most amazing Christmases I've ever had.  I was able to really feel closer to the Savior and know that I'm doing exactly what he'd have me do on his birthday for his present - sharing his light with others!  I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!  (p.s. mom, no don't have your guy's package yet, nor Jenny's... where did Jenny send hers?)

 

I want each of you to do something for me before next week's letter...just last night I contacted this guy - which means I walked up to him on the street and just randomly started talking to him - and he says he's Athiest and doesn't believe in God and basically said, 'I've gotta go, you've got just a short time to convince me that God exists.'  So what would you say?  You've got three minutes to convince me that God exists... GO!  (try to do it in three minutes or less)

 

I'm sending some recordings of my companion and I, but I'll quick tell the story of yesterday cuz it was CRAZY TOAST!

So we were going to make pancakes for a new family we've been teaching (YAY FAMILY) and we were going to take them to church with us.  We get there at 9:00 (church starts at 10 here and is 3 hours long - weird cuz I've been going to 2 hours of church in Poznan for six months) and knock on their door... NOTHING...we ring the door bell...nothing... we sang songs, we waited, we rang again...waited...called her phone...waited...called her daughter's phone...waited...man we were there for like 15 minutes with hot syrup and pancakes and name tags and scarfs and hats and all... we probably looked really funny (Poland is like DEAD on Sunday mornings so... yeah we probably woke up the whole klotka).  We ended up leaving the hot mess on their door step and going to church empty handed.  But we were still smiling.

No investigators came to church.  BUT WE WERE STILL SMILING.

Someone in church gave a talk about how 'It can always get worse' and we ought to be 'optimistic'  - guess what, SO TRUE!  So be grateful! 

 

THEN we get home from church and we're STARVING, right?  And we try to open our door and... well, it just won't open.  The KEY DIDN'T WORK!  So we called the Landlord, sat on our floor and waited till he showed up with an extra key.  Our key still doesn't work...but yeah...

 

THEN we met this crazy guy yesterday, he told us he was a doctor and that he hates God.  He was a very ANGRY person and you could tell after the first like three seconds of talking to him.  I'm glad, for one, that he's not MY doctor... and two that I didn't offend him.  Apparently the happiest moment of his life was when he sought revenge on this guy who beat up his sister in the streets and he followed him home and 'put a bullet in his head.'  Um... and then this guy said because of all his 'connections' in Eastern Europe, he got away because the police couldn't do anything about it... um... yeah we contacted a murderer... such a crazy life, this mission stuff.  But if I learned anything from him, it's that god DOES exist and when you believe in him, you ARE happier.  He was so angry and so upset at life it was just painful to even look at him... so don't kill people, don't get mad at God, and don't go to the dark-side... :)

 

I also met a young kid who said he wouldn't tell me his name because he's an graffiti artist who does it illegally and has to stay anonymous... CRAZY

 I have so much more to say but it'll have to wait until next week....SO...

 

To end on a more spiritual note... We are finding tons of people and our prayers are being answered over and over again.  When I got here to Warsaw we had no investegators.  Next week, we have like 3 lessons set up every day already, I'm STOKED.  We've been working really hard and seeing the lord's blessings.  I'm feeling that my Polish is getting better and better every day and people always say they're shocked at how good we speak after so short of time in the country, hopefully that's a good measuring stick.  I know God lives and loves us!  Let's take this new year to new limits, so pumped!  Read the Book of Mormon all the way through - a couple times - this next year with me, okay?

 

Um yeah so 'Stir 'Em Up' refers to Enos.  I read Enos this morning - LOVE HIM!  He's so cool.  He is also a good missionary, talks about stirring up the people to rememberance of their God.  I feel like as a missionary that really is what we do all day every day, we stir them up to a rememberance!  We remind people of death, of after life - it's crazy how many people I ask, 'what do you think happens to us after this life' and they go 'Uh... I dunno...never thought about it...' 

PEEPS!  Let's think!  This week my Christ-Like Attribute is Knowledge, so I'll tell you more about that later.

I love you all, have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Amber Allen