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| Missionaries on funky coloured benches! |
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| Sister Young and I got tired so we sat down in the sand |
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| Our district went to the zoo for 'culture day' of the transfer |
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| Sister Young, Sister Grgich, Giraffe :) |
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| Sometimes we pretend to be zoo animals (when in Rome, right?) |
So it's transfer time, and I'm staying in
Gdańsk with Sister Young for my final transfer in the mission :D That's
right, 7 out of 8 nine-week transfers in the country, I'll have served
in the beautiful northern coastal town of Gdańsk! Haha, it's sort of
comical how long I've been here (it's not so common for young/solo
missionaries), but of course I'm so grateful to still be here and to
have the privilege of continuing to work with my companion, the
investigators and members in this area. I would feel torn if I had to
leave this area, because I've really come to love the branch so much and
I feel a great responsibility to it. Heavenly Father has blessed me
over and over again, and I can't imagine my life without the experiences
I've had with the lovely people in the tri-city area.
I
want to talk a little about yesterday because it was such a beautiful
Sabbath day! First of all, the weather was great- the sun was shining
and the temperature increased a tad, so I even got to wear my lighter
jacket! ;) We had 2 great talks in Sacrament Meeting- one from a member
from Sopot, Magda. She spoke about temples and family history and her
mum came to church too (haven't seen her in a while so that was
lovely!). The other talk was from Elder McPherson who's getting
transfered to another city- he spoke about the Gospel of Jesus Christ
(faith in Him, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, receiving
the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end)- it was a perfect
topic, because we had an engaged couple visit us (he's from Ukraine and
she's from Poland), and they're not members of the church, so it's a
pretty good summary for them to have heard :) They said they'd come to
English class this week too, so we're excited to see them and we'll ask
if they're interested in learning more about the church. He had met with
missionaries before in Ukraine and managed to find us on google maps
here in Gdansk- pretty cool guy!
Then during
Sunday
School we got to teach a lesson for Young Women's- it was about
patience and we read the story of Job and watched the Mormon Message
associated with Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk "Continue in Patience" (the
one about the experiment with kids and marshmallows). I'm just so
inspired every time we teach her- she really wants to live a Christ-like
life, and she's so open to learning and growing and changing for the
better. I'm so grateful for the examples of the youth in the church- it
definitely makes me want to be better and remember to consistently and
constantly apply the principles of the gospel in my everyday life. I'm
so grateful for the example of Jesus Christ- to know that He is still
relevant in a world where the values are everchanging and separating
from those of God. He is still the Master, it is always from Him we can
find solace and to Him we can look, so we can pattern our lives with the
same charity, obedience and diligence that He had and has.
Yesterday
evening we got to meet with a girl we found tracting a couple of weeks
ago. We got to show her around our modest chapel, and then got to
explain a little about the Restoration and Book of Mormon. We had such a
great meeting with her- she was patient with our Polish, asked honest
questions and even wanted to know the best place to start reading form
the Book of Mormon! Sister Young and I were amazed haha- we're excited
to meet with her again and teach her more, and we pray and hope that she
will come to a knowledge and testimony of the truth for which she's
searching.
Today there'll be a baptism in Gdańsk!!! We've
been teaching her for a couple of months and today's the beautiful day
she has chosen to follow her Saviour by being baptised in His restored
church. Her husband has been a member for quite a few years now, and she
has had a lot of contact with the church and has been building a
testimony of these things. Words can not describe the excitement we have
for this married couple to start their new life together on the path of
the gospel. I know that they as a family will be blessed as they apply
Christ's teachings in their lives, and one day I know they will look
forward to being sealed for eternity in the holy temple of the Lord.
Ahhhh we're just so excited for them and we love them so much! God is
aware of His children, and He unconditionally loves us all. His work is
continuing to roll forth, and I'm so blessed to be a part of His sacred
work and see the miracles and blessings that come into my and other's
lives because of Jesus Christ.
Wishing you all a lovely week, I love you so much!!
Siostra Grgich