Well,
I wrote a letter to President Nielson today, good-bye's are so hard!
Wtorek, 18ego, Czerwca:
Well, we had a lesson with a lady who said she's been
raised in the Catholic church and she'd rather stay that way, that was a
sad meeting. She wouldn't even take a Book of Mormon. Then our plans
got whirl-winded and instead of having the "Member-Lesson" we'd planned
(aka having a member with you on a lesson) we had the lesson with the
investegator and the one with the member seperately at completely
different times. It was a hard day. But the best thing about the day
was the Blue Earrings Story.
"The Blue Earrings"
As I got onto the
tramwaj, I knew I had to talk to the woman sitting there within the
first thirty seconds of standing by her or I'd slowly loose courage and
it'd just get harder. So I immediately talked to her about the Book of
Mormon and shared a brief bold statement about it's truthfullness and
meaning to me. She was not interested. No big deal, I'll just talk to
the next person... or maybe I ought to make her feel loved...? (that's
always my dilemma, go on to the next person, or make sure that first one
knows that I'm not just a robot handing out fliers about my church.) I
decided to talk to her, and she was very nice and up for small talk.
We exchanged pleasantries and talked about how she was married and how
people in Poland wear their wedding rings on the right hand instead of
the left (yeah cool, huh!)... etc., etc... Then it was her tram stop.
She stood up to leave and I figured I'd tell her how much I liked her
blue earrings because I'd noticed them from the very first minute we
began our conversation. I hurried to tell her that I liked her earrings
as a 'by the way' compliment and a good bye statement... Well, all of a
sudden she stops, puts her baggage down, and pulls these cute blue
dangly earrings out of her ears! Somehow they ended up in my hands and I
tried to say no, but somehow, there they were, and she was gone... The
tram pulled away without another word... It was the oddest sensation. I
looked there in my hands and couldn't believe it. She had just given
them to me. She didn't even KNOW me! And yet she gave them to me
because I told her I liked them... I wanted to cry. No one had ever
been so nice to me, especially not in that way, and I was seriously
taken aback. I couldn't get that incident out of my mind and replayed
it over and over... should I have refused, and tried to give them back?
Followed her off the tramwaj to give them back? Did I say thank-you?
Would I do the same? Would I have the guts to just give something that
I'd earned or bought or loved? Then I thought of the Savior. He has
the same loving attitude that this woman had. He loves us
unconditionally and without holding back. As soon as you say 'Lord I
love thee, but I'm lost and I need your help' - He was willing to die for
us, and take away our sins, if only we just ask. And all we have to do
is hold out our hands, let him in. LET HIM IN. I think sometimes it's
hard for me to let others help me. I want to help myself. But really
we need to let the Savior in. Let him serve you, succor you. Think
about him, his life, his sacrifice, and the meaning behind the
Atonement, it will blow you away.
Środa, 19ego, Czerwca:
This day was a fun day.
We went to the train station to wait for the Kielce Elders to show up
around 8:30 in the A.M. We sat and Sister Young and I just read out of
the Book of Mormon together (Sister Bezdjian suggestion) and commented
as we read. We read in the Words of Mormon and just thought about
Mormon and his situation and how awful it must have been. I'm so glad
we at least have hope that things will change in Poland. At least we
aren't all dying off and we're the last strong members of our religion
and beliefs....
After the Elders all
got there, we boarded a bus heading to Katowice for Zone Conference.
Zone Conferences are always a blast, and this one was no different. It
was so great to see Sister Bezdjian and talk to her about life and
leaving and craziness.... ALSO Sister and Brother Reed are there in
Katowice so THAT was an extra treat. Also Elder Rittmanic is in Kato,
he's still loosing weight, it's so weird. He really looks so different
than the boy I knew at the MTC. And as of transfers last night, he's
now a Zone Leader! Crazy!
O.k. I guess I'd better tell you about transfers really quick, now that you're curious!
TRANSFERS:
SISTER YOUNG AND I ARE STAYING IN KRAKÓW and we're getting an extra
companion! So I'm double training. I'll be training a new sister AND
finishing off Sister Young's training. It's gunna be SWEEEEEEEEEET!
Anyways, the Zone Conference
was SWEET! We all had to cut up something to give to Sister Nielson for
her quilt. I also got sang to for my birthday (a little late, but
hey better late than never, right?) - AND I got birthday cookies!
Homemade, chocolate chip/M&M soft cookies! Yum! Then the
Assistants also did a really cool little segment on being united as a
companionship. There are four three-somes going on in the mission this
transfer, it's going to be a party. The mission is so young. And we
have so many sisters all of a sudden!
My favorite part of the Zone Conference was President's part. He
always does such a good job and says exactly what I need to hear. He
got a bit teary-eyed at the end. My mission president is leaving me!
:( Arg. So that made me cry... and we all just cried... Then we had a
testimony meeting. I'll tell you. Those testimony meetings are like
heaven. It's the best. I gleened the following truths:
"Be a Better Stupid than you were yesterday." - Elder Dopp
"Learn Something new everyday" - Elder Neuner
"Serve for Three" - Elder Lanham (like put 8 years into 2, or like
think of who can't serve that you're serving for - for me that'd be like
maybe Rachel, and Sister Ostler, and maybe even Tasha and Tavia, not
that they didn't want to serve, or that they're not serving, but you
know, like think of the mission in terms of how much you can GIVE! Just
GIVE MORE!)
"Let the Book of Mormon change your life." - Elder Meherg
"Learn from and be grateful for the trials." - Elder Dodge
"Time flies. Love and soak up every second of it." - Elder Rittmanic
"Let it ALL fall under the category of 'what does god expect' and not 'what do others,' or 'what do I expect'" - Sister Blake
"Keep Learning How much you Don't know." - Elder Blom
"Make the reason that you are here LOVE for the SAVIOR." - Elder Tiner
"Give what you LOVE." - Elder Stumpf
"Bear Testimony more frequently." - Elder Smith
"Giving up your will and accepting the Lord's = HAPPINESS." - Sister Packard
BEAM and BE EXCITED like Sister Pearson
"Preserve spiritual confirmations by writing them down." -Elder Walter
Say things like, 'I declare' and 'I bear witness' + SMILE = Miracles :) - Elder Zeleżniak
Aaah! And I just keep getting
these feelings this week, I'm not sure if it's just because president is
leaving, or WHAT, but I get all anxy. Like over excited so that my
stomach gets all queezy. I think that usually happens right before
transfers, so maybe that's all it is. But I also felt at that Zone
Conference just how much I really love these missionaries. We are our
own little forever family. I just know it. We're all so COOL! Like
the coolness couldn't be contained in that room of missionaries. I felt
like exploding with awesomeness! :) Aaaah! Seriously. Elder Walter
and Elder Dodge and Sister Young and the members of our branch here in
Kraków ALSO blow my mind. They are just amazing. Simply amazing. I'm
in the best place in the world. I love being a missioary. And I don't
want to believe it could ever end.
Czwartek, 20ego, Czerwca:
Great, we're only on
Thursday... I'm so sorry! I just saw a letter from Jenny in The
Dominican Republic!
Piątek, 21ego, Czerwca:
An angry lady on the street...
okay well she wasn't super angry, I've met much worse. But you could
tell there was anger inside of her, you know... and as we talked to her
she was just up tight and not happy and I tried to pout it out to
her.... You see she was saying that she could do whatever she wants.
That God, if he exists, doesn't have rules because why would he give us
free agency AND rules AND if he's nice why would he punish us? All
these crazy questions... and she just wanted to live how she wanted to
live...but she was so UNHAPPY because of it... I could feel the calmness
coming off of me and the anxyness coming off of her and it was such a
stark contrast. Just another realization moment where, I KNOW THE
CHURCH IS TRUE.
Sobota, 22ego, Czerwca:
We went to do CULTURE NIGHT!
Also taught the Law of chastity
to one of our favorite investegators... didn't go over super well...she
doesn't see why the law of chastity is so important... AAah! Satan is
so good at decieving, it's crazy...
Niedziela, 23ego, Czerwca:
We sang a special musical
number at church. We were all nervous for transfer calls, and felt SO
much better after they were done. We get a new companion on Wednesday, I
believe. And we're not going into Warsaw to pick her up, she has to
get here by herself - ADVENTURE!!!
And that's about it... I'm
sorry I ramble, if there's things I'm missing. I just hope you all know
that I know that Christ lives and loves us. Sister Young and I spent a
lot of time last night talking about the Savior, and about our Personal
Conversion. We talked about how it was hard to pinpoint a turning
point in our lives but how BIG a role FAMILY plays in our conversion.
Without you guys I wouldn't be here. Without my amazing parents, I
wouldn't even be CLOSE to here. And without President Nielson and
Sister Nielson I ALSO wouldn't be half the missionary I am today. I
know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is TRUE with
all my heart, no doubt about it. Let's tell the world!
Love,
Siostra Allen
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