25 July 2016

Hello!

I did get a packgage! It was the one with the shorts, an alligator, some deo for my B.O. and the chips! But I learned something- bags of chips usually don't survive overseas journies... But some of the chips survived! And it was the same great taste of the classic American tortilla chip that we all know and love! Thank you! I can't wait for the mac and cheese, though!

I'm glad people are ok with me saying that things are a little bit uglier than it sometimes seems, but this is the concept that I really wanted to get across- that while they haven't been the BEST 11 MONTHS of my life, they have been 11 months that I would never ever give up! Enough of that though. Tell everyone that I love them, and thanks for their prayers!

Well... we didn't know that Elder Woahn was a member of the Quorum of the 70! WHAT? Basically Sister Butler (sister in our district) came up to us and said that these people from her ward back home were coming out to Poland to do some family history work, and look for one of their ancestors, and they spent the day with the sisters in a little city near Bydgoszcz trying to find one person. Then they came to church and they were the nicest people, and just made us feel really good, as nice people do, and went on their way! He recognized my name, and was thinking about it, and he asked what your callings were, and when I said that Dad was a councillor for the YSA ward, he said that he was his stake president! Wow! Then today, you kept saying Elder Woahn, and I was very confused, and then thought that you forgot that people who aren't missionaries or general authorities are called "brother" and not "elder" and then dad said Elder Woahn, and then I thought that it might be possible that he was a member of the 70 and there he was! AH! You guys know "the best two years"? I feel like Jared now, when he's all bummed and worried that he didn't recognize the 70 when he was in their house. Yep. i hope Elder Woahn is reading this right now. HELLO!

Someone needs to make a list of movies I need to see when I get home, because so many cool things are coming out!

Speaking of cool things coming out, that Pokemon Go game that everyone's been playing was a tool we used to find a really cool guy a couple of days ago! We were out tracting, and a guy that we've already talked to comes out, and he lifts up his phone, but to this point, no one has seen anyone playing Pokemon Go in Poland, so I'm pretty doubtful. But then Elder Rowley just walks up to him as says "is that pokemon!?" And he says yes, and we get into a good conversation about pokemon, and then about the Gospel, and now he says that he's going to come to our english class, and learn more about us! And now we see many people milling about playing that game. Zombies. For real.

No one celebrates Pioneer day here, and I forgot that it was a holiday. But recently we watched Ephraim's Rescue, and 17 Miracles, so I'm still riding the Pioneer hype train, and it's like I celebrated it! It's pretty hot here, too, but we're getting used to it. But our shirts get dirty real fast because of the sweat. Also, the fastest I've hiked Timp up and down is probably six hours or so. I think. It's been a long time.

We haven't found any new investigators, but we have brought three people from the area book back to progression, so we'll see what happens with them! Two of them is a couple, and another is a guy who played for the junior football (soccer) team here! (We've been asked to not use names anymore, so I'll have to stop with that. Or you edit them out when you see them. But for now, I'll refer to them by other things) The couple might progress further, might not, we don't know, but other missionaries who have taught them are convinced that they'll be baptized eventually. The football player seems like he has way more potential, and is really awesome. As we were planning for our next lesson with him, we were really trying to figure out what he needed, and we said a prayer to help us, and "How Firm a Foundation" started playing in my head, and so I turned to the most obvious scripture- Isaiah 28:16!

Just kidding. Helaman 5:12! (I bet that threw you scriptorians for a loop)

Anyway, we read through Helaman 5, and decided that it would be perfect for him, and we're going to read it with him next time we meet with him! So it will be and it will be good.

We've also fasted again as a district, and that was the same day that we found the guy through Pokemon Go, and the sisters have found people as well, so we're hoping that things start to pick up again!

the only thing that's really changed since Prezydent Turek came in is that we're only reading Polish scriptures. Which actually has helped a lot! I've finally made it to the point where I can understand people at like 90-95% and communicate with them. It's very difficult, and you get less reading done, but it's very worth it!

Alright, in English class, we read a play called "A Doll's House", which is a pretty decent play, I'd reccommend it. Anyway, near the end of the play, the wife bursts out "You don't love me! You just enjoy the feeling of being in love with me!" And she runs away. BUT the thing I'm getting at here is that I realized that I haven't really been truly in love with the Poles, and that it needs to be a lot deeper than what it has been. And I've been working on that lately, and I hope that I can come to find a true love for each individual that I meet.

Love,

Elder liechty

18 July 2016

This Pokemon game is getting out of hand. Why did it have to come out now!? Maybe it's so I don't lose my life to it. Heh...

Also, my birthday was as good as it could have been, but I actually forgot that it was my birthday until my comp reminded me about it! Anyone who's wondering, this is the song people sing in Poland for their birthdays-

Sto lat sto lat niech żyje żyje nam
Sto lat sto lat niech żyje żyje nam

Jeszcze raz jeszcze raz niech żyje żyje nam

NIECH ŻYJE NAAAAAAMMMMMM!

A kto?

(potem, mówimy imię tego, kto ma dziś urodzenie. Albo ślub. Jest bardzo wszechstronna pieśń)

We also had a branch barbeque that day, so it was kind of like I had a party!

I have never been to Silver Glance Lake. I never even knew that one existed... And what band is uncle Don in? Is he the singer? Is it like classic 70's and 80's? Rock on, Uncle Don, rock on.

There's this guy who comes to our english class named Olgert. He's an old man and is pretty out of it. He comes to our english class, then starts speaking in German, and doesn't understand anything even when the other students explain it to him in Polish. also, we see him everywhere around town. Like, we even got off a train once, and he was just sitting there! Not taking any train or anything, just chilling on the platform in the train station. Basically, the best comparison we have for him is that he's like Mr. Magoo. We love him! He will come in and say "hello" and leave and say "goodbye" and that's it. He comes every week, and always takes notes. He also wears this cute little octopus pin on his jacket. The other day, when he left, he gave Elder Rowley this book of poetry entitled "Jutro było lepiej" or "Tomorrow was better" and the epigraph says "Polska nigdy nie jest większa, niż moj gniew na nią" Which means "Poland is never bigger than the hatred I have for her". Now we think that he's just this quiet ball of rage but still really kind to us. What a great man!

This week, both the Sisters and the Elders had exchanges! Sister Demordaunt and Sister Groesbeck came down here, and Elder Rowley and I went down to Poznań with the Zone Leader, Elder Bebel. It was really awesome to see and work with Sister Demordaunt . Then we went down to Poznań, and spent the day doing normal missionary work. Nothing huge really happened then. It was nice to see Elders Alvarez and Ashworth, though, because they've both been my companions!

And at that barbeque we talked about, a guy we met named Ilham came! He's from Turkmenistan, and we found him while english contacting and the sisters have been able to teach him a few lessons! He's honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met, and he even got me a gift for my birthday! A nice blue shirt and a tie. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a while before I can wear that shirt, but the tie is really nice.

Answers to those questions:

1. The most suprising thing, chodzing o preparedness, would probably be responsiblity that I have out here. Like, back home, the biggest responsiblity I had was probably my own getting good grades and all that, but then also being Sousaphone section leader. If I hadn't of done anything, or let the people in my section slack off and not do their job, the band would sound bad and not look good, yeah, but the preformance ends and we're all pretty much the same people after that. Out here things got a lot more real and a lot more serious. But it's definitely helped me become a lot more real and genuine myself, so I really have no complaints.

2. I wish I would have studied Poland more and it's history. Understanding the people is really something very important in order to understand how to help them, and that's something I slacked off on doing before the mission, and there's not really much time to do that now...

3. The biggest piece of advice I would give is to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ, because as we learn about that, and the blessings that it'll bring to us and the possible blessings we can recieve if we accept and use it missionary work becomes both a true desire of our hearts and even a need. As we learn about Jesus Christ and what we can do through him, we'll come to understand that we can overcome every trial that comes our way and even become a better person because of it. I would suggest that above studying any other topic.

Love

Elder Liechty

6 July 2016

Jumping AND Fish

Szczecin district picture that we never got a couple of weeks ago.

I'm so stinking jealous that you guys got to go to Iowa. Those pictures made me more homesick than any pictures from Utah.

Anyway, we had a great week this last week! And by that, I mostly mean the last three days. So on Monday, we got up and hopped on a train and went to Gdañsk! (Pretend that that "ñ"is a n with a ` type accent on it). So we went to Gdañsk for zone training, and to meet our new mission president! He is so cool! He's very young, but he knows what he's doing, and we can all already tell that he's going to do great things for the mission! Also, the only time he speaks english is when he's talking to the senior couples, so that's going to be really great! The whole zone trainging was in Polish, and when he interviewed us afterwards, it was all in polish! I have a feeling that we're going to start learning this language a lot faster than before. He also asked us to study scriptures and PMG only in Polish, because, well, we're teaching them in Polish, so it makes sense. He's got a wife, and three really young kids, and he's a mission president. That's gotta be one of the most stressful things in the world. But he's so accepting of his calling and trusting in the Lord, that it's honestly an inspiration to me. Just awesome. We don't know of any rule or general missionary work things that he's going to change, but we're all excited to see what, if anything, happens.

Then, the Szczecin sisters, Sister Sloan and Sister Stahl, came down to Bydgoszcz with us because they're going on exchanges! Woo! (we have the sister training leaders in our district) But I didn't get to spend a ton of time around them ,because we had our own things to do, but it was fun being able to see them again and catch up on how things are in Szczecin. We had district meeting that day, and we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon, and how to use it in our teaching and finding, and then we went out for two hours, and set up meetings with two people, and gave out six copies of the Book of Mormon! (did you see that? "copies of the Book of Mormon" that solves all the debate.) Six is like the weekly goal we give for ourselves, so I would consider that a very successful day. Then we had english class, but no one ever shows up for it here, so if anyone has any ideas as to how we can better advertise for our english class, that would be great! Please help us.

Also, here in Bydgoszcz, we've been having a problem with homeless people taking a rest on the steps to our chapel and smoking and drinking there. And last transfer (before I was here) they tried all they could and told them to leave and called the police even, (but polish police are so lazy. They didn't even show up!) And we tried the same thing this transfer (the police didn't show up again) and finally decided to make friends with them instead of enemies. So we gave them cookies! And basically whenever we see them, we just tell them to clean up after themselves and to make sure that the steps are the way they found them. Now some of them even clean up and make it better than it was before! AND Elder Rowley started talking to one of them, and gave one a Book of Mormon, and we're set up to meet with him tonight! Elder Rowley is so great, he just loves everyone, and works so hard. It's really respectable.

One of my teachers from the MTC came to Poland, too, and we saw her, and it was really weird. Like a little piece of before the mission life in the mission. AHH. Real fast- let's take a count of everyone that I should know from before the mission in this mission- Elder Rowley, from American Fork, UT. We've been in the same basketball court many a time, but it's reasonable that we never met each other. Elder Furhiman, who went to Middle School with me. We had P.E. together and I had math with his older brother. Elder Larsen, who went to Lone Peak, but was a grade above me, and we have no mutual friends, so that's also reasonable, and then freaking Sister Groesbeck! Who played the piano at my farewell! WHAT. I did know her. Seeing her was really really strange. I guess that's what you get if you live in Utah.

I used to think that knowledge was the end goal of life. like, if I could say so perfectly "I know that Jesus is the Christ" that no one could doubt me, I'd've made it. But no. Take a look at Alma 32 again, and read the allegory of the seed. The seed is to word, and you nourish it by your faith, czyli, your good works. And then the seed begins to take root, and grow, and Alma says that at that time, you have a full knowledge! Already! And your seed has only grown into this little plant that you could pull out of the ground on accident! (which does happen sometimes, sadly) But regardless of how big that seed has grown, it's there and it's real. And you have a long way to go before it's a full tree and you can reap the fruit of your labors. But eventually, you do, and you protect your little sapling and continue to nourish it, and you have a nice, delicious, fruit of the gospel tree. And are you done? NO! Your knowledge is only full in that thing so you need to continue to water and protect your tree. AND what does that tree give? Fruit. What does fruit have? Seeds. More seeds to plant and more trees to grow and more knowledge to gain! Continue and endure to the end and you have reached eternal life.

The end.

Love,

Elder Liechty