21 August 2017 LAST EMAIL FROM POLAND!

First things first: The milk I bought today expires after I do.

Second things second: Hi, Jan!

Third things third: ... I'm going home.

It's been a wierd experiece today. I'm beginning to experience all of my 'lasts'. For example, yesterday was my last day in church in Poland. Today is my last P-day. Saturday was the last time I'll probably have to talk to a false prophet.

Oh, let me tell you about him! We were having a grill on Saturday and then this guy walks in, and he says that he's going around and talking to all the churches trying to warn them of the second coming of Jesus Christ. It's going to be the 28th of November this year, so mark your calendars! (This is all according to Daniel 9:2, by the way). He's also the prophet Elias reincarnate. It's actually been the third time that he was reincarnated, because John the Baptist was also Elias reincarnate.

I now understand why some people think we're a little strange for believing in modern day prophets, if that's what most people think of when they think of prophets. It's nice to know that we don't have to rely on our own knowledge and reasoning and can just listen to the Lord's authorized servants.

Also, I forgot to mention this last week, we do service at a place called Dom Aniołów Stróżów, and this last week I gave a presentation about space (because of course they assume I know everything about space because I said I want to study it in the future). But at the end a boy came up to me and said "you're the master". Yes... I am the Space Master

We also had not a mission conference, but a conference where one of the Area Presidency came, and half the mission met in Wrocław, and the other half in Warsaw. I got to see a ton of old friends and it was a good way to say goodbye to them. But the main part of this story is that the Seventy, Elder Sabin, gave an incredible lesson about what we do as missionaries, and how the pure simple truths of the Gospel give us reason to live and to rejoice and to try to share it with as many people as possible. I changed that day, I began to think how I feel when I testify of the Restoration, and of Jesus Christ, and I realized that I didn't alway rejoice. That sometimes I was aruging with people and I was angry and I was trying to force my belief onto someone by saying it really loud and forcfully. That doesn't work. Now I focus on how happy the gospel makes me, and while I'm testifying I just rejoice! I love it so much! And I just want to rejoice with other people with the knowledge that we have that we know where we're from where we're going and why all the trials and troubles of this life! It makes it all so clear and beautiful! The Gospel is simple.

I gave a talk in Sunday yesterday about prayer, and I really emphasized the simplicity of it all. We all try to make our lessons or our talks so interesting that we Begin to talk about things we don't understand or make something try to seem grander or bigger than it actually is. The Gospel is amazingly simple! So simple a child can understand it and be saved. We don't need more than what is plainly and wonderfully put forth by the Prophets, both ancient and modern.

I can't think of a less trite way to say that this has been the best two years, so there you have it. It's been so unbelievably great and filled with more blessings, trials, tears, laughs, and whatever else you can think of than I could have expected! I can't fit everything I learned into one email, but one thing that I have learned that is irreplaceable is my witness of the power of Jesus Christ to change. We can not be a witness until we have witnessed his grace, and I have been given that witness. I have seen so many lives changed, my own included, and I have found true purpose and reason to be here and to hope love and work despite all the things that seem to work against us! I rejoice in Christ and I teach of Christ and I know of no other thing that brings greater joy, for he is the light and life of the world, and without him we would have no place to find a remission of our sins and live in our guilt forever. But there is a Redeemer, and He is Jesus Christ and He is our brother. I will share that message with people for the rest of my life, because I know it's true!

I love you SO MUCH.

SO MUCH.

See you in one week!

Elder Liechty

14 August 2017

HI fam!

Don't you worry, I'm getting enough calls from people wanting to talk to me before I go that I'm painfully aware that I have just about zero time left. Also that countdown timer that's been going on since i had 120 days left is now below 10 days, (I leave 4 days after it ends) and yeah... Yeah... I don't know the exact schedule for when I get home if you're chodzin' at the train schedule, but I do have the flight plans, and I also figured out that I'll be in Salt Lake at about 12 or 13, which means that I could go to BYU and go to that class and go to college even before I've been released from being a missionary! Now, I'm not saying that this is a good idea, or even that it's a survivable plan, BUT the story I could tell a few years down the road would be pretty amazing! Just think on that for a bit.

The week was too fast. This next week will be even faster because we're going to go to Wrocław for a mission conference, then we have exchanges on Thursday,and a grill on Saturday (invite your friends) and then there will be even less time. I don't know if I'll be able to see Michał again, but I really want to! Problem is is that I'd have to go to Kraków just to see him, and I don't think that anyone else really thinks that's a good enough reason to leave Kato. Either way, I realized that I'll have Facebook, and I'll actually have even more contact with him and everyone else than I do now!

I have done my shopping, so don't worry about that! You will be suprised to see that I actually have learned how to wear more than t-shirts and kakhi cargo shorts. Also, we're supposed to pay a fast offering while we're here, and we normally do, but sometimes forget. It's hard when there's no deacons knocking on your door to remind you ;)

I really have learned a TON of lessons about myself and about God while on my mission. The depth of my life is just so much greater and everything is so much more real. IT'S AMAZING! Hopefully I don't forget it when I'm not doing this work like I do now. Speaking of things being more real, guess where we went again today? Auschwitz. It was a different experience the second time, but still just the same amount of sadness and solemnity. This time we went to a part that I wasn't able to go to last time because we didn't have time, and it was the remains of one of the old gas chambers, and right next to it was a little divit in the ground, and a plaque next to it that said something like "here died thousands of men, woman, and children // here lie their ashes // may they rest in peace". As I stood there looking at that little pit, I couldn't help but think about the Resurrection, and how it really does take away the sting of that awful monster, death. I thought about how glorious a day it will be when all those people will rise again with their bodies in a glorified state, and I couldn't help but shed a few tears of joy, knowing that those people will again rise and be free from the pains of this world.

I love it here, but the time to go has nearly come... I'm going to make the most of these last two weeks, though, don't you worry!~

Love,

Elder Liechty

7 August 2017

guess who I saw on Sunday! He and Lukas from Kraków came to do a training on how to run a sacrament meeting and seeing Michał again was so great! He is one of my best friends

It was really hot this week

Giant Jenga

a ginormous dog that we found while tracting

HHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII,

Sorry about last week, we went to the zoo, and when we went to go email, it turned out that the library we normally go to was closed, and then we went to another library, and that one was closed, too, so all of us (seven missionaries) had to use the single computer in the chapel in the last 2 hours of P-day, and that only gave us about 20 minutes each to do emails.

Today for P-day we had to stay inside a lot, because a member from Warsaw is going around to all the apartments to find out everything that's wrong with them and fix them, and he's really difficult to coordinate times with, so he was about three hours late.

100 MILES!? I barely did 6 miles on a bike one day and I felt pretty proud of myself! Good luck! I have absolutely no idea where I want to go for my first week... either our home ward or the YSA ward. I don't know anyone at BYU. I totally still play piano here. You're going to be so impressed that I've actually learned how to play hymns now! I don't know how to play anything else, so don't get to impressed ;) And yeah, Jacob's been home now for a week or two, so you'll be able to talk to him.

I think one of the greatest things that I've learned about myself here is that I'm actually capapable of building real relationships with people. Before I left, I had friends and some of them were really close, and I considered them real friends, but for the most part, I couldn't get over the barrier of actually connecting with people on a level deeper than small talk during school classes. That was actually one of the biggest worries that I had coming out here that I wouldn't be able to open my heart to the people here, but as time has gone by and as I've made relationships with even the most unlikely of people, I've found out that it's possible! Sometimes the expression of love is returned back with snotty comments and broken promises, and obviously that stings, but we all need a broken heart and contrite spirit somehow. 

We've been working really hard this last week, and making sure that we don't waste any time, and I think that's from earlier this week when I was reading in the Book of Jacob, right after he quotes the olive tree parable, he says this "And the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that the end soon cometh. And how blessed are they who have labored diligently in his vineyard." (Jacob 6:2-3). I just realized that this is the time before the Second Coming of Christ, and that we have a part in gathering the saints and that it's the most important work that exists! And I don't have much more time in it! I'm going to be sad to leave it.

One of the people we talked with on the streets went onto Mormon.org and referred himself to the missionaries, and we're going to start teaching him. He seems like he has a lot of potential, and I'm very excited to teach him! He's certainly a blessing for all the hard work we put in in this last week!

Love you!

Elder Liechty