28 November 2016

Fam.

You should send it to the mission office if you're confidant that it'll get there before the 9th of December, but if not, you should probably send it to the Daltons, because I don't know our new address because we did move. Forgot to tell you! But now I've closed down 3 different appartements, and moved a total of 10 times during my mission! I'm tired of moving. I haven't stayed in the same building longer than 3 months!

Speaking of Jan, I have a story. It begins 8 months ago. Before I came to Szczecin for the second time The elders were advertising for their english class, and one guy took a flyer, and said he'd probably not go, but then the Elder Garrison said "zobaczymy" Which means in essence "we'll see about that", and because of that, the guy, named Jan, came to the english class. Let 8 moths pass by, and now he is baptized and confirmed, and wanting to serve a mission, and has thrown behind him all his bad habits. All because Elder Garrison said "zobaczymy". I've thought about this a lot, and I've realized that God works through us, even though we are imperfect. I don't think the Spirit told Elder Garrison to say that, I think he just said that because that's who he is, and that's what he does. And that's how God works through us, and that's why we're where we are when we are. My call was to Samuel Liechty, not some other doofus, but to me. All of our other callings as well, because we, whether we know it or not, are qualified and have in us what it takes. Of course, as time passes we need to learn to better understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and follow them and keep improving, but as we're doing that, God's going to use what he can, and that's enough.

Unfortunately, since the first visit, the Priests have either not answered the door/phone, or have said 'no thank you'. Sad, but we're still trying!

Bad news- I forgot my camera charger in Bydgoszcz. Elder Hill is mailing it to me, but it might be a while before I get it. so... I'll try to get pictures from other people!

I don't know how to feel about that fact that I'm nine months away... I'm mostly scared really. For change, and for feeling like I haven't done all that I was supposed to do. The whole fact that there's a time limit to a mission really makes cause for worry on both ends.

Over the last couple of weeks, we had Zone Conference, where one of the area seventies spoke to us, and it was good. There was actually an investigator named Wiktor there, and the whole time the Seventy would just stop and shout 'WE'VE GOT WIKTOR RIGHT HERE!" when talking about the fact that it's possible for things to happen in this mission. At first I was like, 'dude, calm down or you'll scare him away!", but by the end I really liked what he was doing and I could see that he was just not ashamed of the Gospel one bit! Then we had Exchanges, where we went to Wrocław for a day, and that was mostly uneventful, but I actually got to teach a lesson to that very same Wiktor, which was really cool! He really wants to be baptized, but his parents thought he was joking when he told them (he's 16), and now that the date is coming up, his parents are just not letting it happen. Then we had Thanksgiving!! We had a branch party, so there were about 30 people who showed up, and it was really fun and there was a lot of food. But this whole being healthy thing that I started doing a couple of months ago (which is still going on, to all you people who thought it would just be a fad that would pass in a couple of weeks) has made me not able to eat nearly the same amount of food that I once could! I used to be able to eat like, over 1000 cm3 of pizza, but now I can only eat about 300 cm3. A true shame.

Elder Curtis sent an email last week because I went to the mountains with Elder McPherson, and Elders Curtis and Pettit stayed behind because they'd already gone. There was me, Elder McPherson, Elders Rowley (WOO), Adriano, Mandla, and Baldwin and Sisters Barney and Gheen (all from the Katowice district) And we started to climb! We all came into it thinking that it'd be like a walk in the park because we were all used to Utah mountains and such, but it turned out that it was about as high as Mount Timpanogos, and none of us made it to the top because there was not enough time! We did make it to one of the lakes up there, which was beautiful, and while there a small group of missionaries tried to make it to the top, but didn't in the end. While waiting for them, Elder Rowley and I started to build a kairn and it was pretty rockin', but the wind blew it down... not before we got sweet pictures with it, though! Also, it was great just to be able to spend an hour with him again. Gosh, he's just great. I think I say that in emails every time I see him. Because it's true! On the way down from the mountain, we decided to take a different path that would take us along the ridge of the mountian. Bad plan. It was incredibly windy, so much that if you started to fall towards the wind, it would be able to hold you up. Keep in mind that we're here on the ridge of the mountain. Cliffs on both sides. (I exaggerate, the odds that we would actually get swept off the mountain were very low, but it was certainly not the safest place to be) It was actually so windy, that my glasses flew off my face, but I was able to catch them before I lost them forever! After some fervent prayers on the move, we all made it safely past the cliffs and into the forests and on our way down. The wind was still so strong that we could feel it all the way down. All in all, though, that was probably one of the best P-days of my mission. I'd recommend it!

The other Elders are teaching a less active member from the states right now who went less active right after he went to college, and it's just a really sad story... Like, all his family is back home together with families of their own, and are going off doing good things, and he's here, unmarried and living in Poland of all places and just kind of existing. We also are teaching a person with a very similar story. The difference the Gospel makes in people's lives is so real, and so visible when we have those examples to see!

Ok, LOve YOU!

Elder Liechty

xxxoooxoxoxoxoxooxooooxoxxxoxo

14 November 2016

There's a man who keeps snorting his boogers up his nose who's sitting next to me. Thank you, mom, for not letting that habit grow within me.

And concerning my credit card, I don't plan on buying anything soon, so I'll just take out some money and you can deactivate the card and send the new one. If you send it today or tomorrow, I should be able to get it before Christmas. Probably.

HE DID! It's the very same Todd! BACK ON THE MISSION! I am so utterly grateful that that happened! And they're companions! They've been dreaming about this very exact situation since they were lads, and now it's actually come to pass! First the mission calls to the same place, then the going back, then the coming back, THEN the being actual companions... MAN! The roller coaster of emotions for me is just wild, I bet for those two it's just unbelievable!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO

I'll buy something Polish for you. It's funny- we've had the Polish pottery in our house for as long as I can remember, so when I get here, and there's all this hype over this polish pottery and getting it for you families, I'm just like "wait. What? doesn't everyone have this type of bowls and stuff in their house? This is what I eat my ramen noodles in."

Sounds like the Thanksgiving tradition is coming to an end... Are we going to keep meeting up with family for as long as we can, or split off like many others have done? I don't really want to do that. I hate ends to things. Also, tell everyone there that I love them and miss them

A BOY!? I've got some pretty good Polish names then... We've got Zbyszek, Zdzisław, Wojciech, Grzegorz. Maybe Stanisław. But watch out for that one, I haven't met a Stanisław who wasn't absolutely crazy and in love with the sister missionaries.

Jan, though, DID GET BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!! The day finally came. I had my doubts at times, but it really did happen. Thank you so much for your prayers and fasts (I actually told him that you fasted for him, because he started to have some worries, and it seemed like that was what pulled him through. He's VERY grateful to you for that.) (also, he might friend you on facebook soon, or send you a message, so if you get a thing from Jan Zakrzewski, that's him)

Today for P-day, we're doing another escape room! Last time we did what was one of two hardest escape rooms, and got out with about 9 minutes left, where most people don't even make it, and today we're going to do the other hardest ones that has lasers and stuff! GET HYPE!

I do feel as though the Holy Ghost prompted me to share the Gospel with the Priests. When I thought of the idea I prayed about it, and got the confirmation that it would be a good idea. What will come of it? We don't know, but I'm learning a lot about how the Catholic church is organized and what they believe, which helps me understand the people much better.

I have a feeling that I'm going to miss family much more during this holiday season than last, but I'm going to do what I can to not dwell on it! 

Love you all!

Sam

7 Nov 2016

Candles at the graveyard!!

Elder Rowley!!

This is the Błonia. It's a huge field where the Pope came and talked to all the youth in Poland, and now it's just empty and people roller blade around it with their dogs. Good place for talking to people

Service

Graveyard

Graveyard

HI FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

How are you?

This week was very good, and there were many high points, so I will give one now, and the other later on, because it relates with one of your questions! On Friday, we had Zone Training, and guess who was there!? ELDER ROWLEY!!! I love that man so much. We spent some good time catching up and talking about what happened over the last 2 months. He's really such a great guy! At the Zone Training we talked about being more effective with our time, and doing more with what the Lord has given us. Which is definetly soething that I need to work on, but something that Elder Curtis is very good at, so it works.

We did do an escape room last week, and were doing another one today! Last week was pretty easy, and we actually set the record (don't tell anyone, but it's because I had been in one that had all the exact same puzzles as this one, so I knew what I was doing the whole time...) But this time we're tying out what they say is the hardest one, so let's hope I havn't already done this one as well. I also bought some pants (stretchy, of course) because all of my other ones are wearing out. It's become a serious problem.

If all goes to plan, Jan is going to be baptized this Wednesday! hold your thumbs! (that's what they do in Poland instead of crossing their fingers) Pleas please please continue to pray for him and thank you for all that you've done already!

This is where the other high point of the week comes in. Our game plan for the most part has remained the same, just trying to talk to everyone that passes us. But in addition, we're doing what all the other missionaries in the country are calling us either legends or fools for doing- we're setting up interviews and meetings with the Priests and Parishes of the churches in Kraków (which are many) and presenting them the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the underlying statement that any person claiming to be a seeker of truth will find it in this message. And before you think I'm a fool for doing this, we asked the Mission President what he thinks about it, and he was all for it! He even called the other day to see how it went! We're not doing this to argue with anybody, nor to discredit anyone's faith, but to simply present our message and find those who are willing to consider it. The day we were going to try it out for the first time, it was hailing and very cold, then as we approched the church that we were going to enter, the hail became like, twice as hard, then we entered the church and there was organ music playing because mass just finished, and it was all just a very eery scene... Then we couldn't find anyone. So we walked out, and I called all my Catholic friends or members who used to be Catholic, and asked what we needed to to do find these people, and after that we found one Proboszcz (Parish priest) and started talking. unfortunately, he only had about 15 minutes, so we're going to now have to call in advance to set up meetings to do this, but we gave a quick overview of the Restoration. The first thing he said was "there are many ways to God. It could be with the Mormons, or it could be with the Catholics". then we went on to talk about the First Vision and then he said that everyone has the tendency to say that they're the only correct church and that again, there are many roads to God. Then we told him how we knew we were right, which was the Book of Mormon, and when we talked about the Book of Mormon, he said that the Bible was enough for him, then we quoted 2 Nephi 29 where it says something along the lines of "do ye murmur that you have more words of God? Do you not know that there are mor nations than one, and that god loves all of his children and speaks to them?" Then he got a little more defensive, and repeated that the Bible was enough for him, and then we had to leave. All in all, a very interesting incounter. He was open and kind, and you could see that he really did study and love the scriptures.

There does need to be a bigger emphasis on the Book of Mormon, though. Sometimes I get caught up in stuyding the New and old Testaments, that I don't read the Book of Mormon. When that happens, I can actually feel the strenght of my testimony weaken when I'm talking with people about it. So I've been reading it every day for the last month, and it's helped a ton!

AAAND we finally did some service!!! It was a one time thing, though... The 1 of Novermber in Poalnd is called All Saints Day, wehre people put candles on the graves of their ancestors to help them out of Purgatory. I think. I really need to find out. for sure.  So we went and helped clean off the old graves that no one cared about because they had no family left in Kraków. It was nice to finally be able to do something like that! Also, the graveyard is beautiful at night with all the candles lit, and the pictures don't do it justice, but it's a really cool holiday!

The things i would like most in the package, are pictures, like always, and the Chills on Wheels T-shirt that I got working with Brother Anderson. He wants me to get a picture wearing in it Poland for his facebook page. It'd be awesome!

Have a great week!

Love,

リクティ長老