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