Let the Blessings POUR!

Whoa... what a week.  This week was super CRAZY AWESOME!   It was just a train of miracles, windows of heaven opened, and the blessings just landed on us hard core – not even sure how it happened.  One thing after another would happen and we’d just stare at eachother and say ‘What just happened!?’ Haha... Everything that happened this week should NOT have happened, it was so obvious that God had a hand in it all.  Our Heavenly Father lives, loves us, and want the BEST for us!  We got the STANDARD - and it was extra awesome because I wanted it for Sister Sheahan - she'd not gotten it on her mission and so this was her last week in the country and we finished it off for her so she could say she GOT IT!  YEAH!  So cool.  The two people with baptismal dates are STARS and I love them, expecially Natalie.  She is so cute and fun and I am so excited for her.  We just really have to help her gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon and all the commandments and get her boyfriend in America back on the track and then things will just look so AWESOME!  Man, I love these people.

So quick story... the last part of it all - we finished church yesterday and all we had left was getting a less active member lesson.  We went out to this one lady's house - I'd been out there twice and she hadn't answered before, but we were wishing on a prayer that she'd be there... no go...so we went to the next ladies house - who I accidentally thought was someone else and I think we freaked her out on the phone so that also was a no go - now it's like 3 hours till we have to be home and we're running around this HUGE city in the DARK looking for a less active member.  We heard that one was at a hospital...but we didnt' know what was wrong with her or what part of the hospital to look...that was a problem... stress rises by the minute...haha oh setting goals - fun but also sometimes very nerve racking - it was worse than a close football game, people, this was adrenaline...prayers...souls...oh man fun stuff... so we found out, aftern being in line for like 35 minutes or 45... this lady was actually CRAZY and not even IN the hospital!  So we ran to the next one, last chance, one hour left, and I fell in the snow in my skirt :) cuz we were running (poor sister Howells I got her into this, hey but I think it was worth it ;))  So we get to her house, un-announced, and the saintly woman lets us in, we talk about patience, and helping her back to all three hours of church and well, that was history!  God loves a good story... he sometimes makes us wait until the last minutes of the game to give us the strength to succeed...or places people in our path just when we need them - but he ALWAYS follows through.  He IS the master planner.  TRUST HIM!  Ah man, trust him!

What I learned?  Well, that God loves a good story - and he loves a good worker.  We really had to work for the Standard this week, that included a bit of running...in the snow...and nervous waiting...and lots and LOTS of prayer.  But the blessings CAME and CAME and CAME!  Oh, it was so fun to watch.

Our goals for this transfer have already been set and we are planning on being 100% obedient, working harder than we ever have before, really working on the Polish Language, and getting the Standard (a couple more times!), a baptism, and helping one less active become active.  I'm working on being less judgemental and putting people before the work.  Sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to work hard that I forget to watch out for others.  So I'm working on it.

But , everyone, I love this!  This is so cool, to watch God move things around and help us so much!  It's AMAZING!

I know that Christ lives and loves us. His church is run by a living prophet, President Monson.

I love you all! 

Love,

Sister Amber Allen

Sister Howells is Coming to Town!

Dear friends and family, 

Congratulations to Katherine!  :) Yay!  

Happy Birthday Grandpa Allen!

My companion goes home this Saturday and may be living in Provo sooner than later - so that means I will have like 3 companions in Utah in the next little while, you guys might have to have them all over for dinner or something :)

My new companion is SISTER HOWELLS!  I served with her in the MTC!  So that will be cool!
Happy Birthday Grandpa Allen!

This week was great...but I'm having trouble remembering what happened... haha... Oh how time flies when you're doing what you love!  I love the missionary work we get to do here, and just talking to people, learning new things, opening our eyes, and opening other people's eyes.  What a glorious adventure, this thing called life!  I would say the greatest experience was having Natalie call us back from my FIRST week in Warsaw and appologizing for not meeting with us and asked if she could meet with us last night!  Man, that was a cool lesson.  It was in English, which was hard, but it was also full of the spirit and her boyfriend, and less active member for most of his life, also started to realize how valuable this knowledge is as well... People sometimes just push away that which is most important in their lives and it's awesome that we get to be the ones to remind them about the important things - like what are you going to wish you'd done with your life in 20 years?  What are you SEARCHING for in life?  What role has God played in your life?  How are you blessed?  How can you help others?  How can you really progress in this life?  Giving people these kinds of questions is so refreshing.

What I learned from this experience, well, that there is always hope.  Even for Nick who has been in active since he was 12.  I know God loves that guy.  I know that if he lets God take his hand right now, he could have such a cool life, and turn a 360 and be a really awesome man...with maybe a really awesome Polish Mormon Wife!  YEAH!

My companion and I are doing good!  Sister Sheahan hasn't shown super nervous signs yet, so that's good.  Sister Folsom couldn't sleep before she left for home, so I'm glad that Sister Sheahan is at least getting her sleep.  We're still working super hard and she can't help but sleep!  Haha... No, but Sister Sheahan has really been a great companion, works hard, knows how to help these people and speak polish.  She's so awesome!  I love her and I'm excited to get to work with Sister Howells in the field!  Warsaw Transfer 2 here we come!

Love,

Siostra Allen

17 Flakes, 2 Nuns, and 12 Doughnuts

Hello everyone, this is Ambers mother! Sorry it has taken me so long to post her email which she sent on Feb. 11, 2013


This week on Thursday was what Poles call 'Tłusty Czwartek' - it means FAT THURSDAY... it's this CRAZY day where EVERYONE eats tons of DOUGHNUTS or 'Pączki' - so President Nielson sends us this text that we aren't allowed to get sick but that he guesses that Elder VanBakel is going to win... at which point I'm like 'WHAT!  He can't win!  I want to win!' and we knew he was going for 36...so we bought 37 doughnuts... haha I have pictures but I have to wait to send them...cuz they're on my companion's camera... I ended up feeling really nasty after only like 8 and ended up deciding to only eat one for each kid I'm going to have some day - which is 12 :) haha so I ate 12 doughnuts and was pretty proud of myself.  I think I beat at least all the sisters in the mission, but I have yet to hear otherwise...

I went through my planner last night to see how many times we were set up and then people either cancelled or didn't show up - it was like 16 or 17 times - and we had 14 lessons this week so that's like 30 lessons we could have taught!  COOL!  I wish I looked at that more often, to feel better about myself. 

Besides all that, I got a birthday card from a former investegator in Poznań J haha my birthday isn’t for another like 3 months silly!

I realized, like mom, that it’s already been a year since I got my call – WHAT?!  Yep, February first I opened my letter from the Prophet!

The nun story – oh yeah.  So we hurried back to the church to meet with this lady named Kalina and we are walking up the pathway to the church when we see these two nuns!  They’re putting their faces up to the window of the church to see inside and so we ran up to the chapel (and walked of course professionally when they turned around) and asked if they’d like a tour.  So we gave a tour of our church, taught the nuns a Restoration, and gave them Books of Mormon – WHAT!  It was the coolest thing ever.  They were SO nice and SO open and it was weird – never thought they’d be like that.  But they were super cool. 

Congrats Gregg on your baptism in Brazil!  And thanks for your letter!

Also Congrats to Alison Barnes!  I GOT YOUR LETTER GIRL!  You’re gunna be the BEST!  Seriously, someone there in Arizona needs only YOU. 

And oh man, there was so much more I wanted to say today but I got caught reading e-mails instead of just writing!

Happy Birthdays to JAMES expecially and to Shon and Joshua I think and T.Ike and Arrel :)

My testimony of God is growing every day.  I know Christ lives and loves us.  This week I'm going to be MORE Obedient.  I'm going to LOVE more.  I'm going to WORK harder, FOCUS, and I'm going to just nail it.  This is my last full week with Sister Sheahan - I'm nervous for what comes next... I may be training... arg... But I'm stoked!

I love you all, the church is SO TRUE!
Love,
Sister Amber Allen

Crepes Times TWO

First thing first, Congrats to Luke on getting baptized, and Nathan you looked great in a white jump suit!  It's so fun to be at a baptism, there really is a special spirit there.  There's also a special spirit in Sacrament meeting if we are listening and paying attention.  This week I really needed my Sabbath Day and it turned out to be just fabulous!  The sun was shining and there were three people who we invited to church who CAME!  One came with us to church and that was fun!  And then another guy came who we'd invited...and yet a third right before the Sacrament Prayer was said and I just couldn't stop smiling.  Yaya! 

Well, this week I learned a lot from a lot of people!  I love how you can learn from each one... some are so RANDOM!  We met this one guy who would NOT believe that we had SAVED money to be here, he just couldn't bring himself to believe it.  Silly... well if he can't even believe that we aren't being paid, I guess he won't believe that Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw!  Show me your faith people!  It's so hard in these times to have faith, but I know it's SO IMPORTANT!

We had crepes twice this week, and two days in a row, so delicious!  We found this concentrated milk stuff that is like caramel and put it on them - heaven!  Yay!  We also had a fun meeting at a new investegators house, the mom is from Poland and is married to a guy from Africa and they have four super cute kids!  I love them!  I really hope we get to meet with them again.  They gave us some delicious carrot cake kind of bread - YUM!!!

What I learned this week from one lady coming home from Church on the tramwaj was simply that you can be happy for REALS wherever you are! I hear so many people here complain about their country and about how America is so much better, etc., etc. This woman told me how much she loved her country, how she 'wouldn't dream' of living anywhere else! It was so refreshing to hear, because I love Poland too! She said that she loves it here and is happy and when I told her that I too love Poland and the people here she was happy to hear it!

My companion and I are doing great. We're doing better at not being winded after we get flaked, etc. so even though that happened a TON this week, we're surviving and hoping and walking on and really not just surviving but thriving! We love being in Warsaw and serving these people. I'm super grateful to be on a mission and even though there are up's and down's I'm learning, every step a bit more!

And besides all this, I know that God lives and LOVES US!  He answers prayers!The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is SO TRUE!  I'm grateful for it!  Grateful for all it brings with it! 
Love, love, love you!
- Siostra Amber Allen