Monday we were able to do more things at the Jarmark. We hung out with the Elders, looked at the shops, tried new foods, and had a good time! It was Elder Jenkins' LAST DAY IN POLAND!!! (Okay, I guess he technically had Tuesday too.) BUT!! We were basically watching him "die"!! (On the mission of course.) He was SO EXCITED!! We had a great English class and game night. Elder Jenkins was so hyper and happy, it was hilarious. Anyway, so basically not much happened on Monday. Oh, but fam, for those of you who know him, you'll be interested to know that Reed Calkins randomly skyped me Monday morning!! (He's in the Netherlands on his mission right now.) I was freaked out so I ended the call. But then he told me it was mission related, so then I answered haha. So, I talked to Reed today which was kinda crazy. But yeah!
At the Christmas market on Elder Jenkins' last day in Poland!!
Tuesday, not too much happened either. The beginnings of our weeks are slow and then they seriously get so packed! We basically just did our weekly planning, studied, helped some people in the Family History Center, and worked on Facebook for a while. Also, I did something for the first time EVER!! I ordered food to be delivered to me! Never done that before... but I got Sushi!!! Ah, it was so so good. And it reminded me of that one sushi date Dad and I went on. That sushi was SO YUMMY!! We should do that again when I get home. Anyway, not a super ton happened on Tuesday either. But we got a lot done.
Wednesday we had a meeting with Agnieszka in the morning. We talked about the temple. There was a very special spirit during that meeting. We watched a few videos and discussed, she asked questions and we read scriptures... By the end of the lesson, it was decided (by Agnieszka) that she would prepare to go to the temple in February with the Branch. Then, we asked her what she thinks she needs to do to be prepared for that and she's going to do that. She was very sincere and you can really see her desire to go to the temple. She really wants to go! And I want so badly for her to go and experience the temple and receive all the blessings that come from going through the temple. I'm so excited for her and that she is now preparing to go to the temple! :)
Later, we had a meeting with Mehdi. We talked a lot about the Holy Ghost and receiving an answer. And how we need to do that. There was a very strong and powerful feeling of the Spirit there in that meeting. And it was very clear to us that God is really proud of Mehdi and excited to see the progress he is making. (I'm so blessed to have these glimpses of how our Heavenly Father feels about one of His children!!) Mehdi truly desires to know if these things are true. He has really felt the Holy Ghost already. Whenever he comes to church, has a meeting with us, watches videos from the church, and other things, he always feels the same feeling! And it's still new and overwhelming to him, but he's working through it and trying to get used to it and understand it. It is seriously so cool to watch people like this progress and grow as they come closer to Jesus Christ.
Thursday we had a meeting with Anna about the Plan of Salvation. We were even able to have Sister Aramaki's Mom Skype in for the meeting. It was really cool!! I love being able to use technology in this way!! It is truly inspired. But yeah, it was a wonderful meeting, really. Later, we had a first lesson with a guy named Maciek. The Elders found him right before they left and we've been trying to meet with him for a while and it finally worked out! HOLY SMOKES!! This guy!! You guys!! He is SO PREPARED, has so many incredible questions, is so open, has the biggest heart and just a love for all people and all things, and is very quick to understand everything. He had a ton of questions, but they were seriously GOLDEN!! We were able to change plans completely and teach him the Plan of Salvation. We don't normally get through the whole thing because it's so much information, but today we did. He was absorbing and understanding everything. It was so cool to see. And wow... the Spirit was strong and very much present. In the middle, Sister Aramaki and I both felt very strongly that we needed to invite him to be baptized. So we were getting ready to do that by showing him a video of when Christ called his apostles. Then, the feeling changed and we didn't end up asking him. So, we believe that he just needed to see that video for some reason and then he'll be ready for that invitation next time (or whenever we feel to ask him again). But this guy!! He is so excited to read the Book of Mormon! He plans to read the whole thing!! AND he even prayed at the end of the lesson. Wow!! In talking at the end, he said how everything we taught him makes sense. He said something like, "Yeah, I understand everything. I mean.. it just makes sense." And that's so cool because it's so true!! It rings true or sounds familiar or makes sense to us because it is true! And our spirits remember learning about this plan before this life. Ah, it was seriously such a cool meeting!
Friday we were able to meet with Doni and we had Anna on the lesson. It went really well and Anna had some really good insights and personal experiences. We hadn't originally planned to have her on the lesson, but someone else. So, obviously it was meant to be and it was great! Later, we visited Babcia and just talked with her for a little while and made sure she was doing okay. Then, we went and finally had lunch at 5:00pm hahaha... yes LUNCH!! At 5:00!! We were way busy with a ton of random things that came up that morning.
Anyway, we taught our English class that night. Ömer (the Turkish guy I met at Renoma) and 2 of his friends came at the very end (they got lost). But were very happy to stick around for the Religious Discussion we always have at the end. We ended up talking for an hour!! They were so open and so interested. And they had so many questions! They said, "We know we have walked into a sacred space and so we don't want to be disrespectful. We also have a lot of questions. Is that okay?" Wow! It was so cool!! They had done some research about the church and had read about Joseph Smith's First Vision and even quoted some parts. (WHAT?!) We talked a lot about the Restoration, prophets, the Book of Mormon, the sacrament, and other things. It was like a full on lesson! They said they wanted to meet with us to talk more about it all. They also downloaded the Gospel Library app, so now they have everything in Turkish to do more research about the Church. AND they asked us for a Book of Mormon to read!! WHAT?! It was so cool! There was such a special feeling when they came in and as we were talking. My goodness... they are so cool. We seriously just meet the coolest people!!
Saturday was basically all about the Branch Christmas Party!! We were able to help get set up and decorated for that. We found these funny glasses (you know, the classic ones with the nose and the mustache!!). Anyway, they were just chilling in a pile of Christmas decorations, so we had some fun with those. Everyone wanted a turn wearing them haha. I think Michał, the Branch President's son, ended up taking them home haha.
Branch Christmas Party!!
This picture of Isabel and President Kwaśnicki is quite possibly my favorite picture ever. XD
Joanna and Kajtek (he's wearing the elf hat) (don't worry, he normally smiles, they just do this for pictures sometimes. He's a super sweet kid!!)
Anyway!! SO MANY people came to the party!! Tons of members and even 2 families who weren't members!! Sadly, Agnieszka Kukurenda did not come. But! The entire Estes family, Doni, Wilbert, Kajtek, and Joanna came!! We started out with a more spiritual segment. We watched the Church's new Nativity video. (So beautiful!!) Then there were a few musical numbers. Slawik, Isabel, Jami, Sister Aramaki and I sang "Angels We Have Heard On High" AND it was in 3 different languages!! English, Ukrainian, and Polish; one verse in each. Then the Kwaśnicki family sang 2 songs in Ukrainian which was cool. After that, there was a big gift exchange and we even had a visit from Mikołaj!! (Santa came to see us!!) Of course, all the kids were excited about that. And Santa led a bunch of games. Then it was time for food!! There was lots of good stuff, including some Portuguese desserts that Isabel had made. (They were way good!!) It was such a fun day and I was so happy to see so many people!! Joanna and Kajtek had a really good time too. They said it was nice to have such a happy time and break from thinking about all the hard and sad things they have going on right now. I was sad to see them have to leave and go back to reality, but I'm grateful the party provided a brief reprieve for them. I seriously love them so much!! Ah, so yeah, the Branch Christmas Party was awesome!!
Sunday was pretty normal, but!! There was someone at church today who looked strangely familiar!! To those of my friends in Boise, this won't mean anything, but all my Oregonians reading this... listen up!! Michael Gray came to our Branch in Wrocław today. This is Elder Theobald's uncle. He is also Melissa Gibby's brother!! Melissa's kids were my best friends growing up!! I just met their uncle in some random little Branch in POLAND!! It was such a fun surprise!!
Ran into Michael Gray!! So fun!!
Anyway, I was also able to help a part-member family from Poznań do some family history research. Now, I'm decently good at family history and I know how to work the Family Search website. But they were searching for Russian and Ukrainian names!! Pfffftttttt.... I can't read that haha. But it worked out okay, we figured things out haha. After church, we were able to go to service and had fun talking to a lot of the people there. I love that place so much!
Okay, for the fam: More details from my visit with Michael. It was so fun to talk to him after church. He actually started talking to me and I casually slipped in Melissa's name and he froze and totally flipped out when he found out I knew them. And that we were THAT family who moved to Idaho who Melissa ALWAYS talked about and loves and misses so much! I know I just met him and he's like 40 years old, but he seriously feels like family and it felt like talking to one of my cousins who is my age. It was so cool! And (this might sound cheesy), but my heart and my spirit just felt so excited and happy to see him and be talking to him about people I love so much!! I've been thinking about the Gibby family a lot throughout my mission, so it is seriously so cool that I keep running into Gibby connections. And heck, I'm in the same mission as the only grandchild on a mission in the Gray family!! There are no coincidences!!
Okay, really quick, some Polish Christmas traditions!! Um.. well there are a ton here but I'll give you 2. So.. they have a huge dinner on Christmas Eve. Then after dinner (more like a late lunch sorta thing, think Thanksgiving style) all the kids rush to the windows to look for the first star in the sky. (Sunset is like 3:30pm here, so they don't have to wait so long.) But once they see the first star, then they open all of their presents! Yay!! Haha, okay the other tradition: they eat Carp for part of their Christmas Eve dinner. But they buy it live from the markets in these bag things. Then, they take it home and keep it in their bathtub and keep it alive until Christmas Eve. Then, they kill it, cook it, and eat it. Nice, right?? And yes, they shower with the fish being in the tub. XD XD Don't you think we should start that in the U.S.??? XD
Love and miss you all!!
Siostra Shaylin Carroll
KOCHAM WAS NAJBARDZIEJ (na koniec świata i jeszcze dalej!!) :) :)
KOCHAM WAS NAJBARDZIEJ (na koniec świata i jeszcze dalej!!) :) :)
With the Elders by the chapel door.
Has anyone out there tried Litchi?? It's a weird little fruit... but kinda good haha.
Facebook is obsessed with telling me that I look like my Mom. I KNOW!! I GET IT OKAY?! (Haha it's a good thing of course, my mom is beautiful!! So thanks Facebook haha).
District council through Skype. Zgorzelec Elders had too much fun with the filters and such.
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