Monday 24 June 2013

June 24th - Transfers and now we are 3


DZIEN DOBRY!

This week was so full! Last P-day we went to the zoo with the Elders. We took a billion pictures of animals and none of us at the zoo.. My bad so no pictures. Here in Poland we are having a heat wave! You know me in the heat I die!!! I am ok! Temperature was 35 degrees PLUS humidity!!!! It was like when we were in Florida! The heat is a nice thing but missionary work in the heat is not! It was so gross we would walk outside and just be sweating automatically all the time! We have to shower every morning and night. Looking good didn’t really work out. At least everyone else was all sweaty too! Another problem we faced was that here in Poland, lots don’t use deodorant.. On a normal day that’s bad. You can imagine what it was like all week!!!! Sooo gross!!

I am so glad that you guys are ok! Elder Reed, the senior missionary, calls me up on Saturday morning and tells me if I heard about Calgary.. OBVIOUSLY NOT! So he got me all freaked out and then a member showed me some pictures and gave me updates. I prayed lot and knew that you all and our house would be ok! My Elders are so kind, they called the AP's (Assistant to the President) who talked to president about it to make sure that you were all ok because they didn’t want me to worry! They even sang me the song don’t worry be happy. It was just great :) I wasn’t worried though. I know our area and I didn’t hear anything about it so I knew you would be safe. I cannot believe that happened though! How crazy!!!! Downtown looks so crazy! Nothing like that has ever happened before that I’ve been apart of! So I am relieved to hear that you are all good and well! I hope they can clean it all up and make it nice again!

On Tuesday, Sister Packard and I had a meeting with George, the guy from Kenya. We taught him the first lesson IN ENGLISH it was beautiful. Sister Packard let me teach most of it!! It was the best lesson I have had on my whole mission!!! It was amazing! HE IS SO PREPARED!!! He loves his family so much! He is sort of part of a protestant break off in Africa and tried being Catholic for awhile but he said none of it really felt right. He was very interested to hear about our church because it might be what he's looking for. So we taught him all about the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith and the spirit was so strong! He is just so prepared it is giving me chills just telling you about it! We taught him about the book of Mormon and he is reading it and he is buying a suit so he can come to church!! George said the closing prayer and he prayed for us by name and for our families and thanked God for allowing us to meet him. It was the most beautiful prayer ever! I cannot wait to see his progression! Unfortunately we have to pass him off to the Elders to teach since he's a single man but I KNOW he is going to be baptized one day! I can just feel it!

Wednesday we had zone conference!! My very first one! I got to see Elder Blom! and Sister Blake! and Sister Young!! All from my district in the MTC!! It was like a mini family reunion!! They are all doing great. It was so nice to see them and to see that they are all still in my zone. We are all still a little family! I love them all so much! I got to meet all the people in my zone and that was cool too! It was AMAZING!  As a missionary, you go from the MTC where your just on this spiritual high being taught all the time and always feeling the spirit to coming here in Poland without the friends you made and without the teachers. We are the teachers. The AP's spoke about companionship and Elder Dopp and Nuener (in my district) are the zone leaders. They talked about getting our investigators into the baptismal waters and not just to the edge. President and Sister Neilson gave beautiful talks! They are so great! They spoke about how they don’t want us to be just good missionaries, they want to help us be good members of the church for the rest of our lives. They talked a lot about us in the future. It really made me think about some things. So it was really good! Look at the blog because I will be on there! There will be pictures too. They cut one of each of the elders ties and something from the sisters from every missionary they had as mission presidents and they are going to make a quilt! How cute! (pictures are below) and in return they gave each elder a tie that president designed and its for the temple! its so beautiful and it had our mission on the back and they can wear it when they are married! They gave the sisters each a handkerchief! I can use it when I go to the temple and am married too!! Zone conference was the best!!!! That night we had a fireside (evening meeting) President and Sister Neilson spoke. Sister Packard and I had 5 of our investigators there!!!! it was AMAZING!!

Picture of our Zone
Picture of My District
The Katowice District: Elders Dopp and Neuner (Zone Leaders) with Elder Rittmanic (District Leader); Sisters Packard and Pearson.  Sitting: Elder and Sister Reed.

 Saturday we had a ping pong tournament. Super fun! Sylwia and her boyfriend Kamil came and some of our other investigators. It was a great turn out! I had a lot of fun. Activities are like my favorite! Activities are great for our investigators and members. You know how much I like to talk and mingle! (not sure who I got that from) so they are also fun for me!! It was so fantastic!!

And now... the news you've been waiting for! Last night we had TRANSFER CALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so nervous!!! so here’s the verdict...... Sister Packard is staying here in Katowice and.... I am staying here in Katowice!!!
AND WE ARE TRAINING A NEW SISTER!!!! well Sister Packard is and I will just be helping a lot! We are both very excited and really nervous but it will be great I know it! I really wanted to stay here in Katowice so I’m happy!

This morning we had to arrange like our whole house because its not made for three people.. I will be sleeping on the floor for the next 9 weeks but it will be a great opportunity!!!! (assisting in training) plus its what the Lord wants. It will help prepare me to train on my own. I think it will be good for our new companion too to have me be there and help since were close to the same place in our mission (newbies)!! so YAY!!! IM STAYING IN KATO!! I am very excited!

Last night I cut Sister Packard’s hair! I’ve never cut girl hair before but I cut dog hair and boys hair so she said it was good enough for her!! hahaha it was a blast! It was just a trim. Turned out really nice I was very proud of myself! I hope Amber is proud of me! :)
That about covers it for this week! We will be getting our new companion in a couple days! I am very excited, it’s like a whole new adventure! Pray for us... I love you all sooooo much!!!

Love, Siostra Hailey Pearson :)
 
Sister Packard & Me

Friendship Roses!

The gift we made to hand out to the Relief Society Sisters


A refreshing drink!

Cutting Sister Packard's hair

Viola!

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Monday 17 June 2013

June 17th 2013 - Bringing people closer to Christ

Transfers are in one week!  I cannot believe my first transfer is already done! it went by so fast and I have already learned so much! On Wednesday I have zone conference. I get to see 3 people from my MTC district! Elder Blom, Sister Blake and Sister Young!! It is going to be such a great time! I am so excited! My very first zone conference! I will tell you all about that and where I am going next week! i hope i stay here in Katowice! I love my branch but I know the Lord will have me where I need to be so either way I will be happy. Its sad that this transfers already over! I really grew to love my district! They are so great!

It is getting really hot here!! The rain finally stopped but the humidity is coming!! Kill me now!! Its going to be rough! You just feel hot and sweaty all the time... yuck.

But we had a FANTASTIC WEEK!!! I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot but its so true!! On Tuesday we went back to the kabob man, Menon, (who looks an awful lot like Gerard Butler!) to give him a book of Mormon in Armenian! He is Muslim and sooooo nice! He gave us free kabobs. When you find someone like that here in Poland you don’t let go very easily! So we went and gave him the book and guess what!?
he's Turkish... not Armenian... AWKWARD!! So that failed miserably! but we still taught him and he just explained that although it sounds great and he really likes us he is Muslim and that won’t change. So we respect his wishes :( very sad day! but he is so kind and he half hugged me (by accident! it took me by surprise! it wasn’t my fault!) and then I went to shake his hand and he kissed it but that’s just a European thing. It happens all the time but it was so sad for me because he was just so nice! You never know the influence you will have on someone’s life! Maybe one day he will remember the nice Mormon girls and change his mind!

So I have some news, this week Sister Packard and I.... TAUGHT THE MOST LESSONS IN THE WHOLE MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot explain to you how hard we worked and how much the Lord blessed us this week!!! I was so dead yesterday but it was so worth it!!!! We taught the most lessons in the entire mission! I was so speechless!! AND on top of that the Elders in our area made the list too!! We really encouraged them. Got them excited about teaching too and they did it!!! I am so proud of our district!

We met a man named George on the street the other day! He’s from Kenya! and we are teaching him tomorrow! Sometimes its nice to talk to people who aren’t from here because they are so KIND! Don’t get me wrong there are some kind polish people too but the amount of rejection we face everyday would shock you. When we talk to people like George it really makes a difference! We will be teaching him in English! That will be really weird and yet exciting to not have the language barrier to hold me back! My polish is improving though. The Lord is blessing me tremendously!
We went to visit less actives on Thursday with Sister Reed and we were in the city where Sylwia lives. She was sick and so we thought we would stop by and bring her some fruit. We have never been to her house before but we went and she was home. She was happy to see us and invited us in. Kamil was there!! (her boyfriend that she is living with who is like my age and didn’t want to meet us or take the lessons) we were really nervous because we've never met him but he came out and met us and was actually really nice!! He was able to see that we were kind and normal. it was fun to see them both! He can see how happy Sylwia is when we are there and so i hope that helps. On Saturday we had our open house and guess who showed up!? Sylwia AND KAMIL AND HER MOM!!! This is a huge deal!! Kamil was wearing a shirt and tie and everything!! They went through each room we had, learning about the plan of salvation was held in the relief society room (which we taught) and the restoration room where we showed the Joseph smith movie and then a mormon message room. There was snacks and we talked to them after. He told us we could come back over to there house whenever we wanted!!! Wahooo!!!  We are making progress !! It is very exciting!

We also went back to Virginia’s house for dinner last night! Bless her soul! She is so nice! We were able to teach her and Ambrosza, it was so fun! I just love all the people here so much. It is such a beautiful thing to be a part of! This work is amazing and brings so much happiness to me and to the people I am teaching!

That about covers it for this week I think!! I love you all and I miss you terribly! But I know the Lord is looking out for you all and that is the best thing :) I am so happy to be here in Poland and to share with these people the thing that makes me most happy in this life! Bringing people closer to Christ is the most important thing I have ever done and I am so honored to be here and to be a part of it!

Kocham cie bardzo!!

Love Siostra Pearson

Mission Home in Poland

Introducing the New Mission President & His Wife who will preside over the Warsaw Poland Mission starting on June 28th, 2013 for the next 3 years!
President and Sister Steven C. Edgren will preside in the Poland Warsaw Mission beginning June 30, 2013.   We welcome them with open arms to our great mission.  We love them as you will. These are great and remarkable people.  They are perfect for our mission and the Church in Poland.

Steven C Edgren, 63, and Martha Susan Roark Edgren, six children, Alamo 2nd Ward, Danville California Stake. Brother Edgren is a temple sealer in the Oakland California Temple and is a former regional welfare agent, stake president, high councilor, bishop, counselor in a bishopric and ward Young Men president. Retired vice president of investment management, Goldman Sachs. Born in Livermore, Calif., to Lloyd Harris Edgren and Aileen Belz.
Sister Edgren is a temple ordinance worker and a former counselor in ward Young Women, Relief Society and Primary presidencies, ward Young Women adviser, Primary teacher and seminary teacher. Born in Joplin, Mo., to Donald Love and Sammie Lou Roark