Monday we had a fun pday with the Elders and Claudia. We went and saw some cool cathedrals here. I call this activity "church hopping," when we go and see a bunch of different churches. So we went church hopping and Claudia was answering a lot of our questions of what things are inside of cathedrals and what they're for and different practices of Catholic people. It was all very interesting. Before my mission, I knew a bit about the Catholic religion, but now, I've learned so much just from being here in Poland and around so many Catholics all the time.
Inside of a big cathedral we saw today.
More of the interior of that church (proszę bardzo).
The famous headbutting goats of Poznań!! XD
After that, we went out for lunch at a place called "Pan Kejk." (You actually pronounce that as "pancake," but with a tall "a." Haha I love it when they do play on words!) That's where we were when you called the first time, Mom. And Claudia was able to meet Mom!! Whoo!! So that was exciting because I've been wanting that to happen for a long time! :)
The Elders, Claudia, and us at "Pan Kejk" :)
This pancake place had a bowtie in the mirror in the bathroom, so that was kinda fun.
Later, we wrote/sent our group emails and called home, which I always love. Then, we had family night and played Monopoly, the Poznań version! Elder Draschil just bought it today. Before playing, he frantically asked (and practically begged) me, "Sister Carroll!! I've played Monopoly exactly twice... do you want to be the banker??" And so, I was the banker whoo!! XD Anyway, it was pretty funny to see a lot of people play Monopoly for the first time. Let's just say, I won as the banker because I had the most money mwahahaha. XD And yeah! That was Monday!
Tuesday nothing super crazy happened. Well.... Coronavirus has officially made its way to Poznań!! Whoo!! XD I heard 3 cases at first, but in checking, it sounds like there's just 1, so who knows. Regardless, coronavirus is in Poznań! Good thing President had us do our shopping this week! Anyway, I'm not worried about it. And we're prepared for if we have to be quarantined. "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30) And in the words of boy scouts (RIP to that) and Scar from the Lion King, "Be Prepared!!" XD Hahaha...
Anyway, Tuesday, we did all our weekly planning and such. We got in contact with a lot of people. We were able to call and check on Bożena and talk with her for a while. Then, we sent a Book of Mormon to a referral we had received. Then, we tried to make a drop by visit to this one family I've never met, but they weren't home. And we were able to work on Facebook! I had more good conversations with people. Okay, so this guy gave me 2 referrals for his friends who he thought would be interested. One of them answered and was not only interested, but she told me to get in contact with one of her friends who would definitely be interested. And she kept following up with me to make sure I had sent a message to him. She REALLY wanted me to talk to him! So that was a first... and it was awesome!!
Also, today, in thinking about Claudia, I was trying to think how we could help her even more. For a while (even back in Wrocław), I've been having the thought that we need to have Blake skype in for a lesson and help us teach. But I've never been teaching anyone who it felt like it'd be right for. Lately, I can't stop thinking about it and I really feel like Blake needs to be on at least one lesson with us. So, we'll explore that option. But be on the lookout for that story!! :)
Wednesday was Corona Shopping day!! Whoo!! Haha! First, we had District Council and then lunch with the Elders and the Womack's. After that, we went to a big grocery store called Auchan instead of the regular Biedronka. We had to do shopping for emergency supplies for 2 weeks. We got a ton of canned fruits and vegetables, some flour, water (we have been slowly stocking up on that because it's HEAVY!!), some frozen veggies and fruits, beans, oats, and yeah! It was a party. And no, we did not buy toilet paper. We're not THAT typical. We still came out under the amount they gave us to spend. (450 złoty. We spent 295 złoty) So we had to go back shopping the next day to spend it all I guess? Anyway, it was funny because throughout the store, you could tell who was doing regular shopping and who was doing what I like to call "Corona Shopping." Haha! Just look for the water and toilet paper. Oh and flour and noodles. XD Speaking of that.. the aisles with grains, rice, flour, and noodles were just completely stripped. Only a few things were left of those types of things. I've never seen anything like that before and it was so crazy that this is actually real! XD Either way, we have our 2 week supply. So IF anything happens, we're ready.
Empty shelves!! Can't you just see all the rice that used to be there?? XD
I thought it was funny that we were going corona shopping and then the games "Ticket to Ride: Poland" and "Pandemic" were right next to each other. XD
Our 2 week emergency supply! Whoo!!
After that adventure, we were driving back to the church when I checked the church website and saw that apparently after March 16, missionaries will be doing their MTC training via video training!! And that General Conference will be broadcast only?!?! CRAZINESS!! I mean, I know President Nelson said it would be an unforgettable conference... but I don't think he meant it like this!! XD Hahaha! Oh, also, all the schools in Poland are closed for 2 weeks because... corona. XD And I guess it's officially considered a pandemic now? I just can't believe I'm living through something like this right now. What a fun story for the mission I guess. XD Anyway, we had English that night and we actually had people come still! Whoo! It went well and we had a good time in class.
Okay, NOW there are for sure at least 3 cases of coronavirus in Poznań!
Thursday the first coronavirus death in Poland happened. In Poznań. A 57 year old woman. It's actually Zofia's friend's mom, so that's really sad for her. First thing, the Mission Office called and told us that we didn't spend enough money. So we had to drop everything and go shopping at Biedronka. If it were a competition to see who could get the most without going over... I think we would win. Haha! They gave us 450 złoty to spend and we spent 449,45!! Whoo!! (Originally we spent 295,87 and they said that was too low haha.)
Anyway... Thursday was a hard day. Claudia canceled our meeting 5 minutes before. She's acting really weird. We don't really know what's going on with her. But she said she would be at church on Sunday (that was pre-announcement...). We reminded her of our meeting for Friday and she said she'd be there. So that's good. We had another meeting cancel later because of coronavirus... But we still had one meeting with Ola! Through video call! It was good! We talked all about baptism and what her feelings are about it. We talked about the blessings of being baptized, being an official member, and having the gift of the Holy Ghost. Hint... there are so many blessings!! She still feels like she needs time to think, study, and pray. But she is seriously one of the most prepared people I've taught on my mission. Honestly, if she said she wanted to be baptized tomorrow, I would have no hesitation because she is ready! She just needs to feel that as well. She is going to be studying and praying about a specific date to be baptized. Because, we talked about how if we want specific or direct answers, we need to ask specific questions.
Wow, every day this past week... it just feels like we get new news every 30 minutes!! It's insane! Needless to say, Friday was a whirlwind of emotion. In the morning, the Womack's called and told us that all the Senior Couples had to go home because of coronavirus. Now, Poland wasn't on the list of 22 missions affected by that instruction. So we were all in shock! It was so sad!
Anyway, we had a meeting with Claudia, but I guess her Mom kinda has them on lockdown because of corona. So, we were able to have the meeting through Facebook messenger. She has still been reading the Book of Mormon and is in Mosiah now, which is awesome! She had some questions though. Her biggest one was about the Church's stance on LGBT and same-sex marriage. We explained that we love those people just the same and that they are of course welcome to join the church. But we also explained that they have to live according to the same commandments and the gospel of Jesus Christ, just like everyone does. At the end of our meeting, when we asked about baptism again, she said she wasn't sure anymore and needed to think/pray/read about things before she's sure. I'm just glad she's going to keep reading and praying through it! I have no doubt she'll get the right answer, it's just a matter of whether she chooses to listen to and act on that answer. She said she's not 100% sure if she knows the Church is true or if she wants to live by "these restrictions." And that made me sad. I hate when people see the commandments as restrictions. Because God does everything out of love for us. He would never make us do anything that doesn't ultimately lead to our happiness and benefit!! And maybe it hurt so much because I know just how strongly she has felt the Spirit and felt the difference. I know she feels it!! She'll come around eventually, for sure. I just don't know if it will be during my time here. So, yeah, that meeting added to the heavy heart on Friday...
Luckily, we were able to go to lunch with the Womack's and spend some time with them! Which was much needed.
Us and the Womack's went to lunch at McDonald's because we thought they were leaving Poland. So it was a quick, last little hoorah.
Later that evening, we had a video call meeting with Kasia! We talked about obedience and following the prophet. She even talked about how times are crazy and scary right now, and so it's really nice and good that we have a prophet to guide us and that we know what to do. She understands and it's awesome! She also told us that she showed the temple video to her parents! They LOVED it and thought it was so beautiful! She said that she will often tell her parents about our meetings and the things she's learning. They really like it and definitely approve of her meeting with us. We'll have to try having a meeting with the whole family sometime! Also, Kasia wants to start meeting more often now that there's nothing to do because everything is closed. That meeting helped turned the day around!
At the end of the night, we got a call from the Womack's saying that President Chandler had just gotten off the phone with the Area Presidency and that the seniors are staying!! What a relief!! I had been so sad and felt so alone when we first found out they were leaving!! What a crazy day...
Saturday was another day of just trying to figure things out. First, we were able to go and visit Bożena. Her Name Day was on Friday the 13th, but she had dialysis, so we celebrated with her on Saturday instead. Name Day is like.. almost a bigger deal than your birthday here in Poland. I think it's when babies or kids receive their name from the Catholic church. Or something like that. Anyway, we brought her a card and flowers and she had prepared a really nice lunch for us. It was a pretty traditional Polish spread that included meat, deviled eggs, bread, and a meat and cheese platter. We had a good time visiting with her!
Bożena made this food for us.
Us and Bożena.
After that, we headed to the church and had a meeting with Martyna. We talked with her about the new youth program. We invited her to make goals in all the 4 areas and to use this as a way to come closer to Jesus Christ. She said she would do that this week. She also said that she would talk to her mom and ask about baptism again this week. She said she would do that as well. She's doing well! We just keep trying to support her the best we can.
After that, we had a meeting with all the missionaries in Poznań and Sarah (the Relief Society President). We made a plan for ministering and taking care of the members during this time. We also made plans to do a group video call with everyone on Sundays, to make sure they get "spiritually fed" every week. We also made plans for how everyone would get the sacrament every other week. It's so cool to me how the Church continues to function, even in times like these. We have systems and plans set up for these types of situations. I love seeing how prepared we are. It's really comforting to me.
Sunday was such a cool experience with having church at "home." So, we obviously can't be in our apartment or the Elders' apartment. (Nobody is allowed in our apartments.) So, we still met at the church, but in the family room instead of in the chapel. It was us, the Elders, and a member named Wiktor. But wow! What a powerful memorable experience! I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to partake of the sacrament on Sunday. What a blessing to still be able to renew my covenants, remember Jesus Christ, and have the promise (once again) of His Spirit being with me always. And the spirit that accompanied the prayers was so strong. It was probably one of the most spiritually powerful experiences I've had during the sacrament ever. I don't know if partaking of the sacrament has ever felt so individual and personal as it did on Sunday. How blessed am I.... I hope you all had special, sacred experiences with having church at home and I hope you all wrote about it in your journals! These are historic, memorable times and we should be recording our thoughts and feelings about it all!
After our meeting, we had a meeting with Piotr. We talked about following the prophet and the Word of Wisdom. He really liked talking about how a prophet is here to lead and guide us. (Especially in times like these!) Piotr told us that he finds peace as he reads the Book of Mormon! And he really loves reading it. He also said that as he read in 1 Nephi 16, he couldn't help but think of what's going on in the world today. He said that the scriptures are so applicable to us! He talked about how they had to be faithful and as they were faithful, God would guide them and tell them what they needed to do. He said that he feels that's very important for the things the world is going through right now. It was really exciting to me that Piotr is really studying these things and he's obviously being taught by the spirit. I love it when people really apply the Gospel to their own lives!
There's a lot of unknowns right now. Unknowns about what's going to happen with coronavirus and how that will affect us as missionaries in Poland. Unknowns about Claudia and what will happen with her. Unknowns about what will happen with the work here in Poland. But a few things are always known: 1. That God loves us and 2. That He has a plan for us. And I know it's cliche, but really.. it's true! He has the full picture. We don't. He has a purpose for everything. We don't understand His purposes yet, but we trust Him. Trust in the Lord. Trust in God. It reminds me of a scripture:
Mosiah 4:9
"9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."
And trust in His timing. He will make everything work out. We just have to do our best, act in faith, and trust that God will take care of everything that we can't.
Trust that God is aware of, and will take care of, all the unknowns.
Love and miss you all!!
Siostra Shaylin Carroll
P.S. I don't have coronavirus.
A beautiful sunset on Friday night. Definitely a needed tender mercy amidst all the crazy!
They even have barricades on the trams and buses to protect the drivers by keeping people away.
Despite all the Corona Crazy... These flowers were so vibrant and beautiful!! :)
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