How to kill 3 stones with 1 bird.../Playing whack-a-mole... (5/25/20)

Cześć!!

Monday we were able to go and see some stuff for pday!! WHOO!! We went to these World War II bunkers and it was awesome! It's probably about 4 or 5 stories below the ground. And the tunnels are SO LONG!!! It was a really cool thing to see. Then, we went to see a giant Christus statue. Supposedly, it's the largest one in the world. So that was really awesome to go and visit that site. I was so grateful to get out and see more things in Poland. I was beginning to lose hope! So this was a huge blessing!

For pday we went and explored a WWII Bunker, which was WAY cool!!

It had super long tunnels about 4-5 stories underground. Crazy!!

We also went to see this statue of Christ. It's supposedly the largest one in the world. So that was pretty cool!!

Tuesday we had a full day of planning and meetings. We, of course, had our weekly planning session. Then, we had a big missionwide meeting. We had a training session on how to make vlogs. So, our mission has been chosen to do, yet another, technology missionary program. These vlogs will be short ads that they put on Facebook. You know, the ones that when you're scrolling they sometimes pop up in your feed? Yeah, that'll be us. Except here's the cool (and on the flipside, kinda scary) thing about Facebook, is that you can make it a very specific target audience. So anything from age, to location, to interests, to number of kids and age of kids, etc.... so Facebook knows all these things and uses it to advertise towards a particular group. Kinda scary... It'll be good for us though!! XD So, now we have to come up with vlog ideas and things. Yay! Haha it should be interesting.

Our District called to sing happy birthday to Sister Jensen! Aww! We have the BEST Elders!!

Wednesday we were able to work on Facebook and message people. I'm still messaging that one girl, Shumirai, and teaching her about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So that's going well. We also had a meeting with Piotr today! We haven't been able to meet with him for a long time. We met and reviewed the Word of Wisdom, and talked about obedience and studying the scriptures. It went well. He's going to try to live the Word of Wisdom, which is good. He says it's hard because alcohol is just so much a part of the culture, especially for men. He tried to pull the "Jesus drank wine" card on me. Like, come on buddy, the people in the Bible kept the law of Moses, but we don't have that anymore. Different laws and specific instructions for different times. But it really comes down to the fact that he needs to have a testimony that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. And because he was a prophet, then the Word of Wisdom is from God. Besides that, it was good. We will be handing him off to the Elders to teach. He's great! It's just that, lately he feels like he's been getting a little froggy... and he seems to have no problem if the Elders teach him. So... congrats Elders!! You have a new investigator!! XD

Thursday morning we had District Council which went well. Right after that, we had a long meeting with Kasia. We were able to talk about service and missionary work. I felt like I should ask her if she thought her parents would be interested in learning about the gospel. She said she didn't know, but that she'd ask them and share the Book of Mormon with them. She also showed us this notebook she has. She writes down her favorite scriptures, verses from the Book of Mormon, thoughts and impressions from the meetings we have together, notes from General Conference, and more. She really studies the gospel and I think she is pretty in tune when she feels the Spirit. It was really cool to see that and that she would share that with us. She said it's really special to her. She's amazing!! 

Also, funny story: So, Elder Zabriskie's first name is Chase. Kasia saw him on Facebook and was trying to figure out how to say his name and ended up saying "cheese." She speaks a bit of English and was really confused why someone would name their kid "Cheese." So, we made a joke about it saying how his name is "ser" (the Polish word for cheese). He even made it official by signing Kasia's notebook as "Starszy Ser Zabriskie." Beautiful. XD Kasia also gave me the sweetest note. (Because she doesn't know when we'll see each other in person again.) Seriously, it was beautiful. And on the back side she had little drawings, unique things about Poland, Polish song recommendations... it was all so thoughtful!! I love her!! 

After a meeting with Kasia + Starszy Ser Zabriskie!! XD

Later in the day, we had a phone call with Zoe to practice English. We were able to talk about music and play games and tell jokes. It was fun because I could tell all the jokes that everyone in the U.S. has heard a million times, and they were all new to Zoe!! XD We definitely had a fun time together.

Oh! And at Institute that night, Mehdi from Wrocław was at the meeting!! I was so excited to see him there! And oh my goodness, seeing him there, he just LOOKED different. He had more light. I haven't often experienced seeing that in someone else... just SEEING the change. He's doing really well. It was such a blessing to be able to see that. To see and feel that difference. Oh, and he said something really cool. He talked about how there were all these people telling him that he shouldn't learn about the Church of Jesus Christ. But he said that just made him realize that there is something in this Church that he really needs to learn about. It's too cool y'all... too cool!

Friday morning we were able to have a meeting with Ola! We were able to talk about God's love for her, temples, eternal families, God's plan for us, temptations and trials, and more. She's so great and it was a really good meeting with her. The Spirit was there and it was a sweet experience. It was very special to be able to feel some of Heavenly Father's love for her as she expressed some challenges she's going through. What a blessing it is to feel that for the people we teach! Later in the day, we were able to message a lot of people, contact some referrals, and set up some meetings. Elder Zabriskie and I filmed another musical number!! Whoo!! (I almost wrote music video haha oops!!) We did a duet of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." I think this one is my favorite so far. It's really a beautiful arrangement!! I'm so lucky and grateful to be able to do musical things on my mission!! 

A screenshot of the musical number Elder Zabriskie and I did. I realized there are videos on Facebook, but I could use it as a picture here too haha. :)

That night we had a Facebook "watch party" that the official Church page (in Poland) put on. It was the movie "Meet the Mormons." We had a few people who watched it which was exciting! Kasia watched it and really liked it. She said she has more questions for us and wanted to meet on Monday! (So today I guess haha) So, that will be awesome!

Saturday morning, we were able to go and visit Bożena! It was really good to visit her. We had a good time talking, laughing, listening to her stories, and just being together. I love Bożena!! A bit later, at the chapel, we had a meeting with Martyna. Her mom said she still had to wait until she's an adult to be baptized. Sad... It's so weird because her mom doesn't have anything against the Church, so it doesn't make sense. But maybe this is Martyna's test; to wait. Well, we had a good meeting with her. We studied Elder Anderson's recent talk together and discussed that. We also enjoyed talking after the lesson. Martyna is so fun! Such a sweet girl too. 

Later in the evening, we had a meeting over the phone with a referral we had received. His name is Wiesław. He's a middle-aged man who had requested a copy of the Book of Mormon. We were able to talk more and he really wants to read it. He also wanted to watch the movie about Joseph Smith. And he requested church magazines too so he can start preaching the gospel. He also was really excited about Church, the gospel library app, all the resources we have, the Prophet, and more. He was telling me how the Bible alone is not enough for him. He needs more. Wow! He also said a prayer at the end of our lesson and it was perfect; in the exact way that we pray. I'm so excited to meet more with him!

Sunday was good! We had church over Zoom again and there were 4 people we're teaching who joined the call; Aleksandra, Kasia, Piotr, and Wiesław. Afterwards, Wiesław was messaging me and BEGGING for more church materials: magazines, books, scriptures, and even the "Come, Follow Me" book. He said he needs more spiritual food. He also said that he really wants to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ. Well, that can definitely be arranged!! The rest of the day went well too with our District Devotional and our call-in reports with our District Leader, Elder Frank. Those calls are always fun! Except for the part where he and Elder Sorenson joke about how I'm "going home in like 3 days" and then they give me the "how far away is that plane?" joke and the "how long have you been packed?" joke. Nice. XD In case I forgot I was going home soon, I have my Elders to remind me. XD

Also, during church, I kept having to mute other people's microphones so that it wouldn't be switching screens anytime there was a sound on their end. But then, after a bit of time, they would turn the microphone back on. It was just a couple people, but it happened SO MUCH!! Elder Zabriskie said, "Hey it's like playing whack-a-mole! You hit one down and another one pops right back up." Haha, well... he's not wrong!

And during our District Devotional, we watched Elder Uchtdorf's talk called "The Love of God." It's a beautiful talk. I loved it. I wanted to share a quote from it here:

"God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."

Love and miss you all!!

Siostra Shaylin Carroll

**BONUS: Funnies from this week:

"I killed 3 stones with 1 bird!!"

-Elder Frank

*no, he didn't mean to say that. But we all like it better.* XD

*a joke I made up hahaha*

Q: What did the Canadian spy say when the cops asked him where he was from?

A: Canadian: I'm from the U.S. eh?

Scavenger Hunts and Butterflies 🦋/18 months and still going strong... (5/18/20)

Cześć!!

Monday morning, I had a brilliant idea of something we could do for pday, even though things are still closed. So... I got Elder Womack to create a picture scavenger hunt for us and the Elders to do. It was gonna be EPIC!! But... PLOT TWIST!! It was wayyyyy rainy and windy and cold, so that added an interesting challenge to the scavenger hunt. It was still epic though. I learned quickly that asking to take pictures with random people or their pets is a very American thing. But here in Poland, you ask them for a simple picture and suddenly they're questioning all your motives and intentions, doing background checks and even questioning their own position in the universe. Yup. Sorry meter maid, it's just on the list, can I just get a picture with you and I'll be on my way?? XD Haha, yeah we had a good time with that!

We did a scavenger hunt on Monday for pday!! Us with the meter maid!  (We asked her first, don't worry!)  

 A giant puddle on our scavenger hunt. 

A picture of me with this random guy's dog.

Some grapefruit.

Us eating ice cream, and yes, all this was done in the wind and rain. XD

Tuesday we got a lot done with weekly planning, I did my next section of the "My Plan" program, we set up a lot of meetings for the week, and of course we messaged people on Facebook. I'm teaching this awesome girl through Facebook messenger (she doesn't have enough internet for video calls), whose name is Shumirai. She is so faithful! She's been reading the Book of Mormon for a while now. I'm slowly teaching her about the Restoration. It was really cool when I talked to her about prophets and how we have a prophet even today. She said that it's hard to know who a true prophet is and who isn't. I talked with her about prayer and how we can ask God questions. She said, "Wow I didn't know we could do that!" (Ah! I love teaching people these simple truths!!) I shared Moroni's promise with her and asked her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. She said, "I will pray and I believe God will answer." Such faith.. wow!! 

Later, we had a meeting with Kasia! We talked with her about Eternal Marriage and about families. She read the entire proclamation, "The Family" (which I sent her last time) and she LOVED it! She also told us how she had a rough day on Monday and she just prayed and read her scriptures to feel better. She said she loves to read the Book of Mormon because it brings her so much peace! She said she finds answers, goodness, joy, and happiness in it. She also writes down some of her favorite verses from it in her journal. We asked her to pray about the Book of Mormon again and ask God if it's true. She said she knows that it's definitely a good book, but she would pray to find out if it's true. Kasia is awesome!

Wednesday morning, Elder Womack had a meeting with Claudia. She had thought and prayed A LOT over the past 5 days. She finally made the decision to commit and live a life completely following the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Claudia really feels like this is the path she needs to take. And this is the right decision. We couldn't be more proud of and happy for her. We were soooo excited for her to get baptized later in the week! :) Claudia spent the day with us at the chapel and it was really good to have her there while we worked. She loves being there with us and we love having her there. :) 

A bit later, we had a meeting with Aleksandra, which also was really good! We talked about the 2nd half of the Plan of Salvation. She talked more about her prayer and scripture study. She said this is something she wants to continue in because it makes her so happy. She can see that this church makes its members better people and that this is a better life!! She was also looking back on her life and seeing all the things that have happened, the people she's met, and the way things have lined up for her to be at this point. She says she feels so lucky! Aleksandra told us about how when she sent in her self-referral, she felt SO HAPPY and was actually jumping up and down when she clicked the button!! I love how she really enjoys learning about the gospel and just LOVES everything about it! She even plays the hymns on her viola. My goodness, she's the best!!

Thursday morning we headed to the chapel to meet with Kasia! She had her graduation/official ending of high school, so she decided to come see us in person! It was so good to see her and spend some time talking with her. Who knows if it was the last time in person or not. Either way, I got a hug!!

Us and Kasia!! IN PERSON!!

We spent the day working on Facebook, messaging people, creating posts, studying, and practicing music. We also had a meeting with Zoe to help her with English! Yay! She said she has been praying every day, which is awesome! She said this week she would pray to feel happy so that she knows God loves her. We were able to play some games to practice English together. We also read a story about forgiveness and we talked about that for a while. It was a simple, but good day. It was also my 18 month mark!! Hard to believe that I've been gone that long... holy smokes, folks... jest naprawdę szalony!!!

I hit 18 months! Yay!!

More cool 18 month pictures in the SUN!!

Friday we had a pretty busy day! First, we had a meeting with a returning member named, Karolina. We've been in pretty regular contact with her through Facebook. She can be pretty up and down, but she finally agreed to have a meeting with us. We were able to do a video call and just talk for a while. This was the first time I've ever seen her, so it was pretty exciting! We had a really great conversation with her. 

After that, we went with Sister Womack to check out the lake again. We found an even better spot for Claudia's baptism. Just really private and peaceful. And oh my goodness, the lake was just BEAUTIFUL!! It felt like I walked into summer... with the forest so lush, and green, and ALIVE!! And then the lake with the sunshine reflecting off of its slow ripples. Just beautiful. It was good to be in nature again. 

That evening we had 2 more meetings. First, we had a meeting with Martyna. We read Elder Uchtdorf's talk "Your Great Adventure." She really liked it. We were able to talk about it too. We ended up talking about the Holy Ghost and Baptism. And wound up asking Martyna if she would ask her Mom if she could be baptized. She said she would!! Now we're just praying that her mom's heart will be softened. Martyna has been waiting over a year now! She is so faithful!! Such an amazing girl. 

Right after that, we had a meeting with Ola. We talked about 3 Nephi 17-19 together for a while. And then, we also ended up talking about Baptism. She said that lately she hasn't really been feeling the Holy Ghost as much. The thought came to me that there is only so far we can progress and grow without the gift of the Holy Ghost. I shared that with her. We talked about how she needs to make a goal of a specific date to be baptized, and move forward with that goal to show her faith and THEN she will feel the confirmation of the Spirit telling her this is right. She thought really deeply about this and agreed to pray about a specific date. This is a good step for her! :) I'm so grateful to be working with so many amazing people here!

Saturday was kinda rough to be honest. 😅 I mean, all things considered, it wasn't too bad. But having a canceled baptism is never fun. And on top of that, both of our lessons for the day canceled on us. (The Elders told us we needed to get "flake shakes." Haha I guess that's a thing.) We were still able to work on Facebook and message people. Also, Elder Zabriskie and I made another musical number recording. This time it was "Nearer, My God, to Thee." So that was definitely a highlight. I've really enjoyed working on these musical numbers and trying to share my talents (in the ways I can) while I'm still a missionary in Poland!!

Well.. I guess this is the real Elder Zabriskie! It just reminded me of all the goofy things my brothers do when playing the piano (You're not alone Zach!) XD

Sunday we had good church meetings. We had 3 investigators there, which was great! We talked a lot about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was perfect because that's exactly what I've been saying to all our investigators this week! It was good for them to get it another time from a different source. Afterward, we were able to partake of the Sacrament. I know I say this probably every week, but it seriously is a huge blessing. There are some Sisters in the mission who don't have Elders in their cities to do it with them every week! I'm very grateful for the priesthood and for worthy priesthood holders!

Love and miss you all!!

Siostra Shaylin Carroll

*BONUS!! Funny quote from this week:*

(and it's true!!) XD

"Ukrainian is like when you take Polish and run it through the cyrillic alphabet!"

-Elder Draschil

Sister Jensen wanted a picture of me to use for a Facebook post. Yes, it was raining.

Found butterflies!! (Our family's symbol for my little sister, Candace!) :)

When you wish upon a star... ☆ We have DISNEY MUSIC now!! :D ♡/Rollercoasters (5/11/20)

"I love rollercoasters, but I guess it's the ups and downs that make it, huh?"

-My thoughts from this week...

Cześć!!

Hope you all enjoyed your Taco Tuesday Cinco de Mayo!! What a day, right??

Monday we tried to make it a fun pday even though there's still nothing open... so, we played more Phase 10. And also, Elder Zabriskie and I played a bunch of Kahoot quizzes. It's surprisingly one of the approved websites on our phone, so that's exciting. XD Of course, we had to do one about the movie Cars because both of our little brothers (@Ethan) went through a phase where they watched it all day, every day. We were pretty evenly matched on that one. Then, we did a Disney one. Needless to say... I creamed him (okay, he didn't do so bad). But then we did one on the NBA because that's his thing, and oh my heck, I got schooled. Absolutely wrecked. I think I got 2 right (by chance) and he only got 2 wrong. Wow. Anyway... of course I was able to call all of you and that's always a highlight! It was so good to laugh with all of you. :) In the evening, we worked on Facebook and messaging people and had our Devotional. And later, I tried not to freak out and panic about the fact that Claudia literally has still not responded to me since Saturday..... ahhhhhh..... This is like 20 times worse than having a boy pull you on a rollercoaster... I hate this... 

UPDATE: Claudia responded, but like... way later. On Tuesday around noon. 😅😭😂

Tuesday we planned out our week. Whoo!! It's always so good to have that done and have our week all figured out haha. Then, Elder Womack came in and brought a pineapple to share. Kind of random, but it it was so good! XD Then, we were able to plan out Claudia's baptism a bit more with the Elders. It was kind of just a day full of planning. Nothing too exciting, sorry! But we DID celebrate Cinco de Mayo Taco Tuesday by eating tacos that night!! 🌮🤠 (couldn't find a sombrero emoji haha)

TACO TUESDAY CINCO DE MAYOOOOOOO!!!

Wednesday was awesome!! We had District Council and it was our last one with Elder Mitchell as our District Leader! We found out at the Nightly Devotional that he would be transferred to Zgorzelec. Sad! But we get Elder Frank in Szczecin, so also exciting!! XD 

On a tram heading to church. It's so weird to see everyone in masks now...

Last District Council with Elder Mitchell as our District Leader! He's heading to Zgorzelec today.

Then, Elder Zabriskie  and I had fun trying out a bunch of different piano/violin duets. But there actually aren't that many that we could find, so I ended up playing melody for most.... so if you have any, please send them my way!!! But it was still fun! I guess it was his first time ever doing a violin/piano duet. So that was pretty cool. 

After that, we had a meeting with Claudia! And a special guest: Blake!! It was one of the coolest meetings I have ever had! We asked Blake to share his story of how he joined the Church, his experience, the things that have changed in his life, etc. Then, Claudia was able to ask questions she had. I had been feeling for weeks that we needed to have Blake join us for a meeting with Claudia and now I know why. It was exactly what she needed. To see and hear someone else's experience of joining the Church. And a fairly similar experience too! It was so cool to see Claudia connect with Blake and his experience. Throughout the meeting, the Spirit permeated the room for each of us. Even though we were all in different locations, the Spirit was strong and so so tangible. It was incredible. Best feeling ever! I am so grateful for technology and that we can teach with friends back home. It was a really cool experience. I loved it! And I'll add, Blake is going to be an INCREDIBLE missionary. Ask him to share his testimony with you, and you'll feel it too. :)

Our meeting with Claudia and Blake!! :)

Thursday morning, President Chandler came to Poznań for Claudia's baptismal interview. It was really good to see Claudia in person again!! It's been 2 months!! The interview went well and everyone was so excited! We all ate lunch together afterwards and had a good time talking. 

A bit later, we had a meeting with Kasia about the Law of Chastity. She really liked it and thought it was just a really smart thing. She definitely recognizes the blessings that come from living that law. It's so cool to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ just lines up with so many things she already believes. 

A bit of behind the scenes for ya: What our set up looks like for most meetings now. Haha! XD

That evening, we had a meeting with Aleksandra. We were able to teach her the first part of the Plan of Salvation. She's really excited to talk about the next part and says she has a lot of questions. We were also able to talk with her about her scripture study and prayers. She already has such a strong testimony of those things from her own experience. She says she opens the Book of Mormon and reads even just a short chapter and is just filled with PEACE!! She talked about how much peace she feels in her life now. She says it's so crazy to her that she feels this because a few weeks ago, she never would have thought she would be saying things like this. As for praying about the Church and the Book of Mormon, she said she prays and keeps feeling that this is good, it's right and true, and that it's from God. The coolest thing though, (that got me teary eyed..) was when she talked about praying and how when she prays, she doesn't feel lost or alone. Aleksandra said, "I know I'm not alone because God is with ME!" And she got so excited and happy as she said this. Honestly, joy just radiates from her and I know that this is because she is coming closer to Christ and Heavenly Father. I'm so grateful she recognizes this too. She is absolutely incredible!

Friday morning all the Poznań missionaries were able to go and visit Bożena. She was able to take the Sacrament too. It's been a while since she was last able to have that. It was really special to see how meaningful that was for her. After that, we went to the chapel. Elder Womack, Sister Jensen, and I were able to have a meeting with Claudia. It went well and the Spirit was very strong. Naturally I can't share details, but Claudia decided to wait another week to be baptized. She has some things she needs to think and pray about. But her testimony and faith is so strong. She's amazing. Actually, Claudia kinda just spent the rest of the day with us at the chapel. I think she's missed being around us. We still did our normal work on Facebook and things. We also had an English meeting with Zoe again. We had a cool part of our conversation where Zoe said she knows that God loves her because He created things like wolves to make her happy. It was very sweet. So, there wasn't a baptism on Saturday, but I think we all felt at peace with Claudia's decision to wait.

Saturday we were able to have a few meetings. We met with Martyna... IN PERSON!! At the chapel!! Oh my goodness, it was our first in person meeting since March. It was so good! We read and discussed the Book of Mormon together. Then, we watched a Book of Mormon video too. It was really great to talk more with her about the scriptures. There's always a sweet feeling of the spirit there. We were able to talk to her more after the meeting too. We've definitely all missed each other! 

Me in a mask outside at sunset in front of a cool European building waiting for a tram. Got all that? XD

Later in the evening, we had a meeting with Kasia. We had a "watch party" on Facebook as a mission on Friday and we all invited our investigators to watch it with us. They played the Joseph Smith movie on there. Kasia watched it and she had more questions and wanted to talk about it with us. We had a good meeting with her about that. She always loves learning more about the gospel. It's really cool to see. 

Our meeting with Kasia :)

Also on Saturday, Elder Zabriskie and I filmed and posted a musical number. We had to search pretty hard to find any arrangements online for violin and piano, so we were pretty excited about this haha. We played "Abide With Me." It's on my Facebook page if you want to watch it. :)

Sunday was Mother's Day! Szczęśliwego Dnia Matki!! We had a really great turnout for our church meetings over Zoom. I think we had a total of 28 people on the call!! It was awesome!! We even had 4 investigators come. It was Martyna, Ola, Aleksandra, and Kasia. They're so great! Afterwards, there were a few members (Karol and Marian) who came to have the Sacrament. And after that, we all had lunch together. It was good to have a small group together. Also, there was an investigator who showed up today for church. His name is Miłosz. I guess he's met with missionaries all over the country and has been taught everything and wants to get baptized. He's really cool! He's also a magician, and his skills are pretty impressive. It was way fun! Later in the day, I was able to call my Mom (and family) for Mother's Day! What a blessing technology is... And also, it's crazy to think that before the change was made to allow us to call home every week, TODAY would have been the FIRST time talking with my family through video since CHRISTMAS!! How crazy is that?! I'm so blessed and so grateful! ♡

Love and miss you all!!

Siostra Shaylin Carroll

Haircut time for Elder Womack!! He looks so scared. This picture makes me laugh.

And with Claudia too. We've all got scissors... but Claudia and I didn't participate in the actual haircut this time haha. (NOTE: No Womack's were harmed in the making of this picture...)