"Like...Whoa..."

March. 11. 2013.

Well, here we are to report another great week in Warsaw, Poland. We had lots of lessons (17 to be exact!) and it was really great. The baptism on Saturday was a bit of a bummer, (it didn't happen...luckily there was a girl from the states - 8 years old - named RACHEL - who also got baptized so people could watch a baptism happen no matter what...but the other candidate did not end up getting baptized for some reason) but it's okay! We're still going strong and really trying to run this race full speed here. Sometimes I need to remind myself that the race is also supposed to be fun and not stressful! Haha...hey but I'll be working on that the rest of my life, so better start now learning to not be stressed!

An amazing experience from this week is probably Maria. I met Maria in Poznań, my first or second transfer in the country - with Sister Folsom, and we set up with her but something happened and she didn't make it. Maria is actually from Mexico, was dating a Polish guy, and now is going to school in WARSAW. So I met her a SECOND time about a week ago with Sister Howells and she REMEMBERED ME! Cool. So we got to meet with her last night, give her a book of mormon in Spanish, and she's really awesome! She also thinks, like we do, that this was no coincidence...we talked about the situation last night and she goes, 'yeah it's just like...whoa!'  Haha, I had to laugh and write it down.  "Like...whoa." That's the definition of a mission in a nutshell alright!   I hope she can hold onto that faith that God's playing a part in her life and grab the gospel by the horns and hold on!

What I learned from this experience? God is so in charge! He will make things turn out like they should if we do our part. I'm grateful for a watchful Father in Heaven who knows exactly where I'm at, in what country, and what language I'm speaking...both the language of my mouth and the language of my heart and soul.

My companion and I are doing well. I woke up this morning with something weird going on in my throat, feels like a dragon just laid eggs in there or something...but I am pretending it is not there and therefore it will not be there tomorrow... I hope... and yes. But all is well! I'm grateful to be serving with Sister Howells! She's a great missionary.

President Nielson texted us on Sunday telling us to be the fire in church and Elder Jensen here in Warsaw also gave us a real good pump up telling us that his mission president would tell them to 'light yourselves on fire so that people from all around will come to watch you burn.'  So seriously that's what I've got to do!  And I'm working on it!  My fire gets more oxygen on some days than others, but I'm trying hard to keep it a burning breathing bonfire...maybe that's why there's a dragon in my throat...!!!

Fun things:  Well this week in Poland they celebrated Women's Day!  It's WAY more recognized as a holiday here than I'd ever seen it in the states - do we even HAVE that in the states?  Haha...weird.  There were tulips EVERYWHERE!  We bought three, gave two to Ada and one to a little girl we went to visit who is handicapped and can't walk like most people do.  I guess the traditional gift for Women's Day is a tulip and a pair of tights...haha awesome.  A lot of guys wished us a Happy Women's Day so that was fun.  I plan on celebrating a lot more holidays in the States when I return, life is more fun that way!

Also this week was the Relief Society Birthday Party - they had the gym all decked out and a real good turn out and it was just fun...and delicious...

There were three kids in English instead of just one this week and that was fun!  Yay for more kids in English!  I LOVE teaching.  I'm glad I still want to be a teacher, I seriously do someday want my own classroom and a bunch of crazy kids.  It's going to be hard, but I think I will just love it.

Another miracle story - last night we had been out walking around trying to find this guy's house to give him a Book of Mormon I've been meaning to drop off with him for some time and on our way home from that I realized again that we hadn't gotten anyone's number - contact information - for like 3 days so I was kind of number hungry and prayed that God would give me one number before the night was over - considering I was a block from home and had like 5 minutes the pickings were slim and the odds were not in my favor...but I prayed hard and talked to everyone and after talking to about five or six people who all rejected me, this guy who was in a HURRY even, after simply saying we were missionaries, gave me his number!  WHAT!  that was like less than a minute after I started praying.  That just doesn't happen!  It was so awesome!  I was amazed...and felt loved...and well, little things matter to God!  Keep working for them!

This week we met with two old ladies, one in her late 80's early 90's even, who have been coming to church for like 5 months now.  We've been debating on whether or not to baptize them, but they keep mentioning it and really want to be baptized!  So now we have two sweet old ladies with a baptismal date.  Their names are Elżbieta and Czesława. Yeah, see if you can say THAT! :)  I'm excited for them.

Speaking of old ladies.  We have been visiting with this older woman named Zosia and she is a less active member.  But she came to church Sunday so that was GREAT!  At the end of sunday school, one of the elders was talking to a recent convert about perfume and all of a sudden Zosia's like 'ooh I have some perfume, you should try it.'  and without asking sprayed it on Sister Howells.  She thought it wasn't coming out...so she sprayed it like 8 times...and Sister Howell's shirt was wet from it... then she turned to me!  YIKES!  So we both smelled like grandmas... I didn't get it as bad as Sister Howells...but it was quite an experience :)

We had crazy weather this week, it was beautiful and I felt like maybe I'd have to shave my legs (haven't shaved them in like 2 transfers... that's like four months... I'm going to see if I can wait till my birthday to shave...) and now it's grey again... so not quite sure when spring is coming, but I'm so excited and ready for it.  Didn't realize how much I was missing the sun until it came back! 

This week and last week the book of mormon has really been speaking to me, maybe because I'm in the chapters about missionary work!  In the middle of Alma, there, and it's so AWESOME!  I love the Book of Mormon, it really is true!  I just wish more people would READ IT!  Common! :)

I am grateful to be on a mission serving the Lord, I'm grateful I only have to focus on that one thing.  I'm grateful God gives us the chance to serve Him full time and I'm learning SO much every single day.  I'm grateful for the missionaries with whom I'm serving, they're the best out there.  I'm grateful for God and His Son, Jesus Christ and that he suffered for my sins so I could be free from pain and guilt.  I'm grateful for SO MANY THINGS!  This week I'm going to be focusing on Charity and Love as Christlike Attributes and I'm excited to really search for the gift of Charity more in my life.

Well, that's about all for today, sorry it was kind of long :)  Hey but I love you guys!

- Siostra Amber Allen