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| Exchanges with Łódż! Reunited with my MTC comp - Siostra Kamp! It was sooooooo good to see her! |
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| Siostra Van Woerkom! She's been in the land since August! Siostra Kamp is training her! |
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| Siostra Kamp and my comp Siostra Thornton! |
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| Siostra Van Woerkom and Siostra Thornton! |
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| Łódż Siostri! |
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| My cute companion - Siostra Thornton! |
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| Siostra Thornton, myself, Siostra Van Woerkom, Siostra Kamp |
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| Siostra Dekker! MTC Comp! She is serving in Warsaw I! |
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| Since we are serving in Warsaw I and II we get to see each other a lot! It is so great!! |
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| Early morning shopping Starszy Baldwin in Tesco (Poland's Warsaw!)! |
This week was packed full of exchanges and miracles along the way!
The week started off with Zone Conference! My favorite!
Sister Turek began asking us to text in and complete the sentence "In this mission we want to...!" The last Zone Confernce she had asked us to finish the statement "In this mission we...!" She drew a graph on the board and showed the connection between the two questions! You could see there was a disconnect between the two! She asked the question "What is the disconnect between personal qualities and what we want?" We talked a lot about how when we are fulfilling our missionary purpose, finding, teaching and bringing others closer to Christ suddenly, we have also changed in the process! I have learned that a lot on my mission! If we want to teach people about faith we too must have faith, if we want to teach people about repentance maybe we need to become better repenters! She explained it using a mountain! When we are only focused on how we want to change we only get part way up the mountain but when we are focused on helping others up the mountain suddenly we have come a long ways up the trail too! We need to climb the whole mountain! So true...right?
President Turek then spoke! He talked about how Sister Turek's sister served in the Temple Square mission! In this mission they aren't able to baptize anyone however they still have a goal of baptisms! In the basement they have a huge board that has a globe with a bunch of gold stars! President Turek explained that for each referral they send that then turns into a baptism they put a gold star! They made a goal for 2016 to have 1.016 baptisms this year! President Turek showed us the picture and as of July they are half way! It was amazing to see their board half way filled with so many gold stars! I was thinking how different the numbers of stars are than in our mission! However President Turek then related this to our mission! He said baptism is their goal and it is also ours! He said something that really hit me! He said, "It is His work not necessarily yours or ours. It is His work and we are assisting in the work!" He explained it from a basketball point of view! When you get an assist it doesn't mean you always score but the entire team is grateful for the assist because the point still was scored! I thought back on my mission and how I have been transferred right after a baptismal date has been set! I have felt peace each time leaving because I realized I had assisted in the point! It was such an answer to my prayers!
We also talked a lot about asking questions! Our questions we ask as missionaries should always lead back to Christ! I loved being able to discuss this! It allows those we teach to build their own testimony and in the process your testimony is built and strengthened too! Hiking up the mountain ... remember?!
This week so many of my prayers were answered but the one I want to share specifically happened after Zone Conference! President pulled me in for an interview! I have been struggling lately trying to get my footing here in Warsaw. I really needed to talk and find some clarity! We sat down and he said, "Tu jestem" or I am here! I just talked to him about everything I was struggling with - much of it stemmed from some self-doubt! He listened as I talked and cried it out! He was so bold and loving in his response! I have spent a lot of time lately thinking of everything I wasn't! I have become so frustrated with myself and have been degrading myself! He looked at me and said "You are trying to be more perfect than the most perfect person that ever lived! Stop trying to be more perfect than Christ!" He then very lovingly said, "Sister DeMordaunt let the atonement work for you!" and so much more! He said so many things that I needed to hear! I did not feel alone as I talked with him about my concerns! His face was so kind and accepting yet encouraging. Something I really loved was I tried to do it all in Polish! We did switch back and forth but it meant a lot more to me because I tried to do it in Polish! I felt so much! I finally realized that I need to step aside from trying to always figure out myself and let it go! I will waste so much time finding my faults instead of being ok with my weaknesses and then asking the Lord how I can turn them into strengths as I simply "live!" This was HUGE for me! I am so grateful for Prezydent and Siostra Turek! This was a huge learning curve! And I know I'll have to work at this but I'm hoping to continue with a new perspective!
(A funny thing - Prezydent is kinda a jokester and so fun loving! He served in England on his mission and speaks great English. However, he didn't know the word "sassy" and I had to explain what it meant! He just laughed and smiled! Then he didn't quite know where Boise, Idaho was so he googled it at the end of our interview and compaired it to Warsaw while teasing me. Isn't he cool?! They are genuinely interested in their missionaries!)
We were able to have back to back exchanges this week with the Łódż sisters, Sister Kamp and Sister Van Woerkom, as well as the Warsaw 1 sisters, Sister Dekker and Anderson! Call us lucky! Both Sister Kamp and Sister Dekker are training right now and are doing an incredible job! It has been so much fun to work with all the sisters! Not to mention how I always love seeing my MTC companions! I am reminded over and over again about how God places people in our path when we most need them! I feel this way a lot about my MTC group!! They have blessed me in so many ways!
We also were able to meet with our investigators! We had probably the most bold lesson I have ever had with one of our investigators! We met him two weeks ago! He has started to read the Book of Mormon! He is a young guy who has lots of energy and loves to joke! We had a sit down lesson where it was kind of going all over the place and finally I said "sluchaj" or "listen!" We asked him if he was happy! We told him to honestly ask himself that question and to think about it for a minute! We told him we didn't want to know his answer just as long as he knew it! He then asked me what I thought! I told him that I thought he was searching for something more in his life. He asked me "what?" I told him truth! We then testified how our message is a message of change and that he needs to have a desire to change! We told him he would find happiness in this life! He agreed to do what we invited him to do! He also came to church this Sunday! We are so excited to continue to see the progress he will make!!
I am so, so, so grateful for this week! It was another turning point in my mission! This mission hasn't been easy but it has been worth it every step of the way! I have learned to let things go and turn it over to the Lord! Sometimes I think we are afraid to let the burden go and give it to the Lord! The most amazing thing though is He doesn't ask for just a portion but ALL of it! How great is that?! I am grateful for all types of experiences I have had on my mission - the good and bad - because they have lead me closer to God, Christ, my real self and others!
Kocham Was!!!!
Siostra DeMordaunt
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