Sisters Conference

Me with one of Kaja's turtles (either Jerzy (George) or Barbara)

Me with the Book of Mormon in Croatian!

This week I made 2 friends- Jerzy and Barbara. They're pet turtles of our real, human friend Kaja hehehe. I held them and got photos with them so hopefully I can upload them to you later today! Anyway, being real now! This week we had the amazing opportunity to go to a "Sisters Conference" held at the mission home in Warsaw for all the sisters currently serving on the mission (minus the senior missionaries). The Sister Training Leaders organised different parts of the program (held over an evening and morning), all focused on trying to unify the sisters in purpose and helping us be uplifted and encouraged. I taught a section on obedience and my companion and I sung a song from the Children's Songbook (Keep The Commandments). It went really well, and I enjoyed the other things we spoke and learnt about (dealing with discouragement, avoiding jealousy and other bad feelings, understanding the role of sisters and women in general). It was so nice to see all the different sisters that are currently serving all over the country, and it was nice to see our Mission President and his wife, who were both so kind and accommodating to us.

I guess this week was women's week or something, because we also had a Relief Society activity! It was for the 163rd (I think) anniversary of the establishment of the Relief Society program, and my companion and I along with 3 sisters serving in the Warsaw 1 branch performed a song for it (I played guitar and we all sung different parts, 1 verse in English and 2 in Polish). It was really beautiful and just so pleasant being there with all the other sister members (and investigators) from both Warsaw branches. We had food afterwards (Sister Johnston and I made cookies for it!) and made little sock bunnies (I'll have to show you a picture some time) and just got to chat and mingle, so I really appreciated the time to get to know more of the women a little better. I think I say it a lot, but one of the things I love about the church, is the actual organisation of it! I love how we're all able to come together and strengthen each other, look out for each other, and simply be with each other. There's a scripture in Moroni about this: (Moroni 6:4-5)

 4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the HolyGhost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might beremembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchfulunto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.
 5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare oftheir souls.

I'm so glad to hear from you and others that tell me about how much they care about the different people in the wards where they serve. We're all in this together, and we all have to help nourish each other by the good word of God! I'm so happy to hear about everyone's missionary efforts, and I love that those Sisters and Tracey came to see Baba! I know that we as members of the church, need to always live as Christ did. We must remember to serve those around us, and help them grow in their faith so that they too can help others around them. I'm certainly working on exerting more of my efforts to look out for others, and I'm grateful for your examples to me :)
Yesterday at church, my companion and I had the privilege of teaching the Gospel Principles class. We were a little under-prepared (we didn't know we were teaching it!) but it went well and even got to meet one lady who hadn't been to church in 5 years, and another man who's from Africa that just decided to find a Christian church to go to, and ended up in our building! Pretty incredible miracles if you ask me! We also had and investigator and recent convert in the class, and I was just so filled with the Spirit, looking around the room and thinking about the beauty of these people and their different levels and understandings of faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel- all united in their desire to really learn and grow. I am so blessed every day as I'm able to meet different people and learn from my experiences with them. Life is a beautiful thing :)

Today I think we're going to be playing some volleyball (the sun is shining yet again!!) and then after p-day we'll meet some of the single members in the branch FHE and hopefully find some people to teach on the streets or in their homes. We're hoping everything goes well and that we can invite some more people to learn about the restored gospel :D.

Hope you all have a wonderful week, I love you so much!
Love Siostra Grgich

Warmth in Poland

The weather is getting warmer now and the sun is making itself known again to this beautiful part of the world! This past week was another busy and rewarding one, filled with some familiar and some not so common experiences. We've been able to speak with a few different people on the streets- some more interested than others, but nevertheless, my companion and I were able to teach, testify and invite people to follow Christ and we felt so fulfilled in doing so. 

One experience we had a couple of days ago, was in talking to a man who actually had met with the missionaries before and had a Book of Mormon. He was really kind (actually, most of the people we spoke to this week were kind) and had some questions about our beliefs which we were glad to answer, but unfortunately his skepticism stood in the way of wanting to learn more from us or read and pray about the Book of Mormon. He actually knew a fair amount about some of our practices, such as the Word of Wisdom and how we perform baptisms for the dead, but these were precisely the things he found too "weird" to accept. I felt sad that he didn't want to learn more, because I know that these commandments, principles and ordinances, which are sometimes "weird" to the natural man, can become clear and not only normal, but they can be seen as they really are- essential and beautiful parts in our Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness for His children. One question this man asked, was why do some Mormons not live according to our standards (he made an example of a famous Mormon singer). My companion and I explained that none of us are perfect, for if we were there would be no point for us being on the earth. Jesus Christ makes repentance possible (and all the things that accompany it such as healing, comfort and strength) through his Atonement, and of course even members of the church will make mistakes, but we repent and become better- that's what life's all about!

Another man we spoke to took me a little off guard. Normally in Poland, we speak to a lot of Catholics, or at least people who have a general belief in God or who once did believe. Yesterday we spoke to a man from Turkey, who had a fairly different idea of who God is to what we know to be true. We mentioned how God is our Father, and asked him what his beliefs in God were. He said that he was Muslim, but wasn't really practicing, but then he made a point that God is all around and in everything and he has many names and we can't call him 'father'. I suppose the first point is true, that God is aware of everyone and everything, but the second point just really took me aback. I felt sad that this man didn't look at God as being his father, and I really thought about how essential it is for people to have faith in this eternal truth, in order to understand the gospel and the role of Jesus Christ and everything that goes along with it. We were at least able to give this man a pass along card, and he promised he would look at the website (mormon.org) and we hope that some of the truths he reads will resonate in his heart and encourage him to learn more. He was friendly anyway so that was good, and I'm so glad that for the most part, all the different religions of the world generally teach about love and the importance of being kind to fellow man- for that I'm truly grateful!

This week we also had a great opportunity to teach some members- one of them is from Thailand and hardly speaks any English or Polish, but I truly heard the language of the Spirit- and I know that this woman's testimony was strong and real. We read a scripture with her from the Book of Mormon (it was actually about how the Spirit speaks for man's understanding) and as she read it in Thai I just felt so warm- I guess that's how I can explain it! I could see the smile on her face and I felt the strength of her words, bearing testimony of how she knows this gospel is true. What a great experience it is to be a missionary! I have also been blessed to teach others and have similar experiences of knowing that the Holy Ghost is there to testify and comfort. It's an incredible gift that members of the church have been endowed with- to always have the Spirit with us. How grateful I am for that!

Love you so much, remember that we always have the Spirit with us as we are living worthy of His presence- and take time to listen! :)

Siostra Grgich

Warsaw!

Sister Johnston and I at the Israeli restaurant/cafe in Warsaw with our 6 selections of hummus!

My companion Sister Johnston and I with Róża and Kaja at the Warsaw 1 chapel

Us on Sunday with Ola (member from Wrocław)

This week I arrived in my new area- Warsaw! I caught the train down from Bydgoszcz (not too long of a trip, and the views were great) with all my belongings (2 suitcases, my guitar, handbag and a duffle bag) and was greeted at Warsaw Central Station by my new companion Sister Johnston and some other sisters serving in the Warsaw 1 branch. We then carried all my belongings up and down stairs, on some trams and walked across cobblestone to finally reach my new flat! It's almost been a week and I already feel at home here- the city is big and busy, the branch is full of wonderful members, we have some incredible investigators with whom we're working and the missionaries in our district are fantastic (there's an Elder who was in my MTC district and a new trainee-Elder straight out of high school (pretty much haha)- I love his fresh enthusiasm!).


This week I got to meet a recent-convert family, whom I actually taught with the sisters here in Warsaw way back in my first transfer (before they were members), and they remembered me which is cool! So I feel so blessed to be able to continue to teach them and help them on their way to deepening their faith and knowledge of the restored gospel. We also got to meet up with a current investigator Kaja- the coolest girl ever! She works at the Jewish Museum as a tour guide (haha she wonders why everyone seems to know that about her even before they meet her (rumours spread ;)), but I gotta say it's a pretty cool job!) and she speaks English incredibly and she has awesome short hair, and has a way cool fashion sense, and she's way smart and most importantly, has an incredible testimony of the gospel! We ate lunch with her at a vegetarian Israeli cafe (my first time eating hummus!) and a YSA member from Wrocław was there too (she just so happens to be a friend of Kaja's roommate! small world.) so we had a good time together and took photos of our lunch (as all good hipsters do :p). After that we went to do a 'whiteboard' (where we contact people on the street, have a question written up on the whiteboard and try and get people's attention so we can talk to them) with the Elders, and Kaja and a YW member from our branch Roza came along and helped us find people to teach. I got to teach a few people with Róźa (native Polish speaker!!) and I was so impressed at what a good missionary she is. She's actually preparing to go on a 'mini-mission' soon in Łódż with the Sisters there for a week, and I'm so excited for her! Seriously Poland has the coolest people! That same day, there was a baptism in the Warsaw 1 branch, so we got to go to the chapel and see someone get baptised- it was so special! The service was beautiful and I was just filled with joy thinking about how wonderful it is to have the church here in Poland. I've already seen how so many individuals and families have been greatly blessed by this gospel. I know it changes lives for the better, and that's what life's all about! Oh, speaking of life, Kaja also taught a lesson for YW on Sunday about the purpose of life, and it was so good! We looked up a bunch of scriptures from the Book of Mormon, New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants, and my companion and I felt the spirit so strongly during her lesson. Ah I seriously want to cry from how happy I am! I just love the goodness of people. I've been so blessed to have met so many great examples on my mission. People that just make me want to be more like Christ, because of how Christlike they are. The world is is a good place! Cherish it, and especially the people within :)


This week we also got to teach an American investigator Molly. She actually is traveling around Europe now (she sort of reminds me of myself a couple years ago haha) and having a load of fun I bet hehe, but she's actually been living in Poland for a bit, so the Sisters have been teaching her, and she's just another amazing soul! She's so friendly and is so open to learning, so I look forward to continuing teaching her before she goes back to the States! I just love it how the church is in so many countries, and there are missionaries almost everywhere around the world. I remember when I would travel around Europe and find missionaries in different cities, I was just so excited to talk to them, because I automatically felt like they were family (just another plus side of having a church organisation!).


Well I've still got plenty of people to meet (less-actives, members and hopefully some new people that want to learn about the gospel) but I'll be here for at least 8 more weeks so I'm excited for that! This transfer we're really working hard on inviting people to come to church (whether they be members or visitors) and helping people make the choice to be baptised. I'm so excited to be working with Sister Johnston, and I know we can make a difference in this area for the gospel to be spread to more people. I'm so grateful I have this opportunity in my life to be a missionary, and I wouldn't trade this time and these experiences for any other!


All my love,
Siostra Grgich

Hopeful!

This is us at the rynek (city plaza/square)

Sister Bak is in Bydgoszcz for the day with SIster Antczak and I

50s Style Diner

Taking out the trash! (the bag was actually from the senior missionary couple in Gdansk, they gave me a present before I left- I miss them!)

Sister Antczak, a member Ewa and I. (Ewa is friends with the Irelands and loves Australia :D)

My companion and I with the Branch President

My companion and I, with Elder Whiting

A member from Bydgoszcz and her grandson with my companion Sister Antczak and I

the Sunday School teacher and his granddaughter. Bydgoszcz is a beautiful branch!

This week I found out I'll be leaving Bydgoszcz! Sad news, because I love it here, but I'm also excited to serve in Warsaw :). I'll be in the 2nd branch (so there are 2 branches, the first meets at the actual chapel, and the second meets at a rented building). My companion will be Sister Johnston, and she's actually in the same MTC group as Sister Antczak. I'm excited to get to meet new members and missionaries, and I'm hopeful that we'll find lots of people to teach!


Yesterday at church, I gave a talk about what we need to do to go to the temple. It was hard for me at first, because I didn't have a lot of time to write it (and of course it was in Polish) but I think I was able to do a good job, and I bore my testimony about the importance of temples, and how grateful I am that my parents were married and sealed for eternity in one of God's holy houses. We had a great lesson from an enthusiastic Sunday School teacher about the Sermon on the Mount. It reminded me how important it is to make sure we're living as Christ lived and would live if He were in our situations. I've been blessed with an incredible companion these past couple of weeks- she's shown me so much Christ-like love and is always serving others! It just makes me want to be better, and I know that sometimes the best missionary work we can do, is to live by example. Others see that light and are drawn to the Saviour because of our good works. It's a win-win situation where everyone is happy!


Yesterday after church I also got to talk to a member named Ewa, and she knows the Ireland's! She's really cool and is planning on going to Australia for a holiday, but unfortunately I probably won't be back home soon enough to see her there. I told her she'd probably see you though at the temple, because you're like almost always there :D Oh that reminds me, I found out, I think I won't be coming home until after Christmas this year, (maybe like 1 day before the New Year or something like that) so I hope you enjoy another Summer Aussie Christmas without me! ;) I;m really so blessed to be serving my mission in Poland, the people are amazing, the culture is so rich, and I'm even getting used to the weather! I think when you experience so many miracles as well, it's sort of hard not to love the place just by association in your mind of all the good memories.


Well today we're going to the Soap Museum (oh yes, I'm sure it'll be as exciting as it sounds haha) and then we'll have dinner with an American family the Kagele's (they're so awesome!) so I'm looking forward to that. I'll let you know how everything goes next week, when I'll be in Warsaw!


Love you so much,
Siostra Grgich

Pictures Worth 1000 Words

Me saying goodbye to my old companion Sister Wood (probably the last time I'll see her because she goes home in a week!)

Sisters Wood, Antczak and I pretending to be modelesque Babcias (Polish grandmas)

Backstreet Boys In Westerplatt

Sister Antczak and I headed off to the Filharmonia for our culture night

And Sister Antczak and I next to the Bydgoszcz river (I don't know what it's called)

Me being a zombie in the basement of the Bydgoszcz chapel (someone said it used to be a building where Nazis met, but I don't know how true that is...?) anyway, it's creepy down there!

Ok I don't have much time so this'll be short, but I sent some photos and they count for 1000 words each, right? ;)

This week in Bydgoszcz I've been able to experience a lot of new things, so it's been great! We had our 'culture night' on Friday - the missionaries in our district decided to go to a classical/orchestral concert in the Filharmonia on Friday (pretty snazzy!) so that was a different experience (Polish Opera singers and a very young, enthusiastic cunductor!).
My companion and I were able to experience the awkwardness of street contacting on Valentine's Day (a little harder to talk to strangers and interrupt them while they're in the middle of a romantic date haha!).
We were able to make a really cool morning studies plan (which we've been sticking to, and it's been really effective for helping us stay on task).
 We were able to have an exchange with Sister Wood (my previous companion) and did some whiteboard contacting together (found some people who we're still hoping to teach further).
We were able to teach some investigators (and even though some didn't show up to our meetings, we were able to plan good lessons and enjoyed the learning experience).
We've made a lot of goals in our companionship (like speaking more Polish to each other!) and they've been going well.
I was able to make a lot of telephone calls to people (in Polish!) which is VERY new for me, because I've never had that responsibility before in my past transfers, but now I've got to do it! (It's a little different speaking to someone over the phone than in person, face-to-face!).
So a lot of different experiences this week (I've also really loved my studies this week- have found so many gems in the scriptures I've never noticed before) Have a look at this one from Jeremiah 29:


12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
 14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

I read that yesterday and I really love it. Scriptures can have a very different meaning looked at through the eyes of a missionary!


One good experience before I end, yesterday at church my companion and I were able to sit in on the primary lesson and help with music time. We stayed for the lesson too as the Polish was simple (and helpful for us to learn) and unfortunately our investigators couldn't make it to church. So we were able to sit in on a wonderful lesson about Jesus Christ and "Gospel Treasures", and it was just so beautiful hearing the gospel laid out so simply (which is actually what we try to do as missionaries too). There was only one girl in the primary class, but it was so precious seeing how she has been raised with such a knowledge of the gospel and the most important things of life. I was thinking about my nieces (similar ages to this one girl) and how great it is that they have family that are bringing them up in this knowledge. Their lives will be forever blessed, and they will always know that no matter what trials come their way in the future, they can always depend on Jesus Christ, and they can always have that view of eternal life and true happiness. I'm so blessed to have also been brought up in a knowledge of these basic truths!


I hope you have a wonderful week, and always remember the basic truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are what life is all about!


Love you so much
Sestra Grgich

The Grass Is Always Greener Where You Are Right Now!!

A view out my train window of some Polish fields

Zone training in Poznań and Bydgoszcz last week (me and my district and then some elders from Szczecin and Poznań that were in my MTC group)

Me saying goodbye to the Gdańsk flat (that's Sister Wood in the background)

Sisters Bąk and Wood eating my Nutella and pretzels on the kitchen floor, as you do when you mourn the end of a companionship

Sister Bąk and I by the central city tram stop (Dworzec Główny) on my last night in Gdańsk (at least for this transfer). The station building is really fancy, and right next to it is the fancy KFC restaurant haha- the clasiest looking building if you ignore the big, red 'KFC' logo.

This week has been a bit different (well I could probably say that about every week, but anyway...) so I'm no longer serving in Gdansk, but rather in that town you (mum) can't pronounce that starts with a 'B' heheh. So this past Tuesday my Gdansk district all went over to Bydgoszcz for Zone Training (hosted by the Zone Leaders and myself) and our mission president and his wife were there too, so we had a great time for learning and uplifting each other. We spoke about specific goals that we want our Zone to work on (a lot to do with having unity and being consecrated) and then afterwards the Bydgoszcz district served us all home-made pierogi (Polish dumplings) that they'd made the day before- it was so delicious! Then I stayed the night with the Sisters there because the next day we went over to Poznań to give the Zone Training for the other half of our Zone (it just works out better because of the distances of the cities to do it that way). Then on the train home I got a call from the Mission President telling me I'd be going back to Bydgoszcz to finish at least the end of this transfer (and probably next, but we'll see). So I was really sad when I told my companions and realised I'd be leaving my favourite (well, it was my first and only) city, but we ended up making the best of our last 2 days together. So now I'm in Bydgoszcz and that explains why!

 

So after packing all my things and saying goodbye, (and getting to have one last lesson with our 2 investigators, a married couple who are the sweetest!) I arrived in Bydgoszcz just a few hours before an Open Day activity they were having at the chapel there. So we had a couple of hours to prepare (and eat) and I'm so grateful I got to be here for that experience! They (the district of missionaries in Bydgoszcz) had organised an open house with the help of the local branch members, and it was basically an opportunity for people to get to know more about why our church exists, some of our basic beliefs and then what we do on Sundays (like the different auxillaries and Sacrament Meeting). Some members brought their friends along, and it was just a really good environment. One of the recent converts in Bydgoszcz is from Austria (so speaks German!) and his German non-member friend came and I helped translate for them (from Polish into English, with a few German words here and there haha), so it was really fun! I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to learn German (mostly at church in Solingen) because now I know all the 'gospel' terms like revelation, covenants, priesthood etc. It worked out well! I got to meet a lot of the members in this branch, and they've already helped me feel so welcome. A lot of people here actually know the Ireland's from when they served here as a senior missionary couple a little while ago! And there's a whole new realm of people here who have to struggle with learning to pronounce my awkward surname hahah :p

 

Yesterday at church I gave a short testimony and introduction, and we had some great talks about prayer and modern revelation through prophets and apostles. It was really insightful, and I also coudln't help but feel so overwhelmed with joy that the members in Poland have such strong testimonies of the restored gospel of Christ. I feel so blessed to be in Poland, because almost all of the members are converts (as in, their parents aren't members) and a lot of them have sacrificed so much to be in this church- you can see that it's all worth it because of the happiness their knowledge of the gospel brings them. I'm so grateful for the missionaries before me, who've taught these people and extended the invitation for them to simply follow after Jesus Christ. These people are now such great examples to me- I think of the wonderful members in Gdansk that I've had such a privilege of getting to know, and now I can see in Bydgoszcz how they are just as amazing and I'm so thankful that God has given me this opportunity to meet even more precious souls.

 

I'm so excited to hear about how things are going well back in Australia! I feel like I have a personal attitude of it doesn't matter what problems we have in life, everything will always end up fine in the bigger scheme of things, as long as we just keep the faith and endure to the end. I know I got a lot of this attitude from you (mum and dad) and I wouldn't want to see life in any other way!

 

Have a great week and I hope things continue to run smoothly with all the moving around and renovations! Oh, I got a really lovely email from Sylvia today, and she put this quote in it which I love: "THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENEST WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW!!"- I appreciate this saying so much in my life right now! I love my friends, they're the best :)

 

All my love,

Sister Grgich

Cool Experiences

This week we had a lot of cool experiences :) After p-day last week, we went to a newly-wed member-couple's home and had a really good time talking about their conversion stories and then about how we can work together to strengthen the branch in Gdansk. It was super insightful and we all of have a lot of good ideas that we are now trying to put in use. We ate mandarins while we spoke, so I was inspired, and this week I bought a lot of fruit because I remembered how much I love fruit! Unfortunately they don't really have mangos here, but I bought some grapes and blueberries so I'm happy!


On Tuesday we got to help out at a school and teach a couple of different classes about our different cultures (it was so they could learn English and stuff), so I was happy to speak about my country, only 1 day after Australia Day :) Later that day, we visited a lady we had found tracting a week or so earlier, and she and her husband were home and totally let us in to talk! It was a really cool experience- almost as if they had known we were coming (we didn't tell them we were, because we didn't have their phone number or anything) so we were so glad they were both home and able to talk at the time we happened to stop by. We were able to teach them all about the restoration of the gospel of Christ and left them with a copy of the Book of Mormon (Księga Mormona) and we just had an overall great experience with teaching them and listening to them. By the end of the lesson we were able to get their number this time (so we can teach them more) and then right before we left, they even showed us a fish that they had in a bucket (it was really gross and had eyes and its mouth was totally flopping around) so we left cracking up and they invited us over again to have dinner some time (I hope it's not gonna be that fish haha!). The next day we were able to meet with a member from the branch Jadwiga (we try to visit her as often as possible) and had a great time talking with her (our Polish babcia/grandma).

The next day after studies, we decided to go as a district to the edge of the main walkway (Ulica Długa) and set up a whiteboard (saying something like "What do the following things mean to Mormons?- baptism, restoration of the gospel, God's plan etc.) and a table with church materials so we could grab people's attention and invite them to learn about the gospel. We all ended up talking to different people on the street, and even got a couple of phone numbers to stay in contact and hopefully talk to these people some more. I was able to talk to a lady for a little while (Elder Jackson had approached her, but I came over to help with the Polish because this is his 1st transfer) and we were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and how Christ's church has indeed been restored and exists on the earth today. She had clearly been thinking about religious matters, because she was talking (and listening) with a lot of interest and emotion, and brought up some very interesting points about organised religion, and why family is so important. She unfortunately had to go to catch a bus, but she was so smiley and happy and even gave me a hug before she left for her bus :D It was a really cool experience, to have spoken to someone about something so dear to me, and then have her be open and leave happy and smiling. Tender mercy!

Well there were many other great experiences that happened this week (for example, finding more people to teach, planning for our Zone Training this week) but I'm running out of time, so I'll talk to you next week and I hope you have a great trip up to QLD!

All my love,

Siostra Sonya Grgich