Loving Krakow

I love my mission. I feel very happy and at peace this transfer. I’m still super motivated and I’m working just as hard but I have more faith in Christ now and His work. I’m consistently happy, not just when things are going good with the work because I’m not going to lie I would love to have some investigators to teach and baptize!! But I just enjoy ALL the work now not just parts and I’m much happier this way!

So Kraków has been amazing! I just love it here. Sister Swenson and I just oh man.. We have a blast and we work so well together I love it! There’s so much that has happened I don’t even know where to begin! So I’m going to give you just a low down on one day.. Thursday. It was amazing day! We had a meeting with Przemek. He’s the man who lived in Calgary for 6 months and it was so awesome we made some soup and practiced English. After, we talked about the gospel, life and happiness and we gave him a Book of Mormon that we wrote our testimonies in and he loved it! So we should be meeting again to pass him off to the Elders this week. Then after that we went with the Elders to this park and we did a free table with a white board display and it was AWESOME! All of us were just talking to people the whole time! Sister Swenson and I met and taught a young women named Kasia. She was so interested she asked a ton of questions and was so cool! Then this other girl came Agnieszka and I talked to her for a while about the Book of Mormon, why we are here and invited her to English class she said she would like to meet as well! Then the best thing of my life, most of the missionaries were teaching someone and these 2 kids ride by on skateboards so I say hi and you could just tell they were interested in the free stuff so they come back and start talking to Elder Brown and me. I loved them! I don’t know why I just loved them so much! They were 13 and their names were Ben and Matty. Ben lived in New Jersey so he knew English they were sweet kids. They talked to us and asked us why we were here in Poland and we talked about being a missionary and asked them about school and skateboarding and just talked it was so fun! It was my most favorite contact I’ve had in a long time. We gave them a restoration pamphlet and a mormon.org card and just talked! They made my day. After the white board we went and got some ice cream and Sister Swenson and I headed out to find Piotr's house. Piotr is the guy you sent the package to years ago and gave me all their information and the letter. Well I’m in KRAKÓW! So I’m going to find them! We found the house on the map and headed out and on the way there we passed this really cool fort so we decided to take a minute and go see it. It was a very interesting building! It was beautiful and we had this awesome adventure and I have some pictures for you. It was just a beautiful moment. Then we continued on our journey to find the house and we found it!! Unfortunately they don’t live there anymore but I’m not giving up! I feel like I am going to find them!

I have just been having so much fun here. I love Kraków! My favorite thing has been my studies! I’m reading the Doctrine & Covenants, the Book of Mormon and the New Testament all at once. It is so amazing!! I’m getting so much out of my studies! It’s like boom missionary work and revelation in the Doctrine & Covenants and then I learn all about the Savior and how to be more like him in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.. I just get everything I can from it I love it so much!!! There’s just not enough time in the day!!! An hour to study is not enough! It’s like there’s always something I need to be doing. Journal, letters, working out stories with my companion, eating and now I’m going to have to take some time and study more throughout the day on meals or at night. I know the Lord will help me fit it all in :) My studies have been really good lately though. I think focusing on charity is the coolest and because I have decided that it’s something that I want to develop and learn more about I am noticing it a lot more in the scriptures and just seeing more opportunities for it in my everyday and its just amazing! I love it so much!!!

Zone conference is tomorrow and it’s in KATO!! It’ll be my first time back since I left and I am so excited!! I talked to Adrian and we are going to see him so excited!! And Sister Stratton will be there!! It’s going to be the best zone conference ever! I can’t wait to tell you all about it next week! So pretty much life is just amazing. I just feel so blessed and happy. My life is just so good!!!

Siostra Pearson

 

Elders Brown & Salmrash, Sister Swenson and me

at the park, our first picture

The cool fort we found

The Rynek

Elder Brown and I talking to the cool boys

Just finished with contacting

The Elders after the water fight

Found Canada Dry!

Sister Swenson and I celebrating Amber's Birthday

Us after the water fight (Polish tradition last Monday)

The Rynek

Because of Him

Well I am now in Kraków! I love it so much! It’s beautiful here and its been a crazy few days! The craziest part of Krakow so far is Sister Swenson and I. We are pretty much the same person. It’s CRAZY! We're just so unified already and it’s only been a few days! It’s so cool. The other day we were talking (because that’s all we do) and we were talking about our missions and what we wanted to accomplish in this little bit of time we have left of them and, of course, we both have similar things we want to do. For example, I just love things. Like people and my mission and life and I’m just so happy and I love being a missionary and doing what I’m doing. I love the people but I just want to love them MORE and my mission and Poland, everything. I just want to love it all even more. So Sister Swenson and I were talking about this and she starts talking about how she wants to really have charity just be a charitable person and all of a sudden my head exploded with revelation... IT WAS SO COOL!! I thought about last transfer and the lesson I learned about faith and how crucial it is that we have our faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else and how everything is possible through Him this is key. He is the key and so when my head exploded it was because I realized I love people I really do and my mission. It’s easy for me to love but what I was missing is charity, the PURE LOVE OF CHRIST!!!!  We need to take that love we already have and connect it with Jesus Christ and make it into charity. If I can do that I can love people like He does, like He loves me. This is my goal! I want to love like Christ does and have it never ending . It’s like another piece of the puzzle fell into place. This time I recognized what I want to achieve and the Lord is already blessing me in this process. I am so excited to see how this transfer goes with a big goal like this. But I know it’s what I need and I know that through Him I can do this.

This realization couldn’t have happened at a better time because it was Easter weekend. Poland doesn’t celebrate Easter like we do; no eggs, no dinner. But it was so special mostly because I watched this video http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694 

I’m going to type out my favorite part but EVERYONE needs to watch it. It's from the video called "Because of Him"

“He lived, and He died. But unlike all who preceded him he rose from the dead. He lived again. He lives and because he lives you, you and you and she and he and they and we, all will live again. Because of Him death has no sting the grave no victory. We can start again and again. Because of Him guilt becomes peace, regret becomes relief, despair becomes hope. Because of Him we have second chances new beginnings. There is no such thing as the end. Because of him. “

This video, “Because of Him” changed my life. I’m serious!! I’ve watched it a billion times. Everything Christ has done is so we can be happy, so we can be better and live with our families forever. It’s all because of Him. I am so grateful for a loving Savior!! If we could all just take a step back and realize all we have and all we can have because of Him. It’s the most amazing thing of all. I had a really good week. Life just seems better and full of hope! 

The work here is going good. We are teaching 2 men right now and they are so cool! Piotr is older and has a pony tail and kind of looks like he’s in the mafia but I just love him so much! He was being so stubborn and was asking a million and a half questions. We tried so hard to just get him to slow down and let us teach him but we ended up teaching him a little and, of course, we watched the “Because of Him” video. We bore our testimonies of the Savior and why we are here and what the gospel can do for his life and the spirit was so strong. I am so excited to see how it goes for him. 

We had pancakes for Easter dinner with my district and yesterday was Smingus Dingus!! Its on Easter Monday and I don’t know the history behind it but its pretty much a giant water fight so Sister Swenson and I got 2 of the Elders pretty bad.. it was awesome! and then they got us back.. worse.. So it was a great day!

I’ve only been in Krakow for like 5 days but I feel really good about being here. Oh, We taught a man who lived IN CALGARY!! what are the chances! We bonded over Canada. .I love that place! Anyways that’s about it! Not much just life changing revelations! It really is all about Christ. I love Him!

http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694 here’s  the video incase you haven’t watched it yet. 

Siostra Pearson

Transfers and a crazy adventure!

Well hello! Alright so here’s the news... IM BEING TRANSFERRED TO KRAKÓW!!! WITH SISTER SWENSON!!!!

So I was really shocked but yes I’m going to Krakow and I already know it’s going to be so awesome! I’m going to miss Bydgoszcz so much because I love it here but I feel really good about it! And I don’t know if you remember

Sister Swenson but here’s the story. I always heard that we were like the same person and that we would be best friends. So she’s one group ahead of me and I’ve never had the privilege of serving serve with her until Warsaw when I was switched to Warsaw 2. I was in a Tri-companionship with her for 3 days and it was awesome!! We were best friends! AND NOW! I get to be her last companion, she returns home next transfer! I know it’s going to be amazing!! I’m so excited!! AND to make it even better Sister Stratton got transferred to KATO!!!!! My dang Katowice so I will be able to see her and most likely see Kato!! I feel really good about it! Of course I’m sad to leave Bydgoszcz and I’ve never served in an area for so short of a time. I’m not Sister Training Leader anymore but I feel like I did everything I needed to do here especially as Sister Training Leader it was extremely cool because I got to go on exchanges with great sisters 3 of which were my former companions and we had SUCH AN AMAZING TIME! We were able to help each other and be companions again and I know that I needed them when I was going through such a hard time and I know that they needed me too. So I know I did what I needed to do and that is the best feeling ever! And KRAKÓW!! It’s like prettiest place in the whole mission and I can go find the family of the man that wrote you from the holocaust!! It’s going to be beautiful and wonderful!! I can’t wait!!! So there’s the big news!

My week was awesome! I got to go on an exchange with Sister TOBLER!! We had so much fun it was just like bouncing right back into our companionship! and a crazy experience! i don't know if you remember my time with her in Warsaw BUT we always had the craziest things happen to us! I don’t know why but it was always crazy. So this time on our exchange we were going to contact this office referral. We get to the bus and its full of people and I’m trying to hold my backpack and stamp put tickets in the machine and Sister Tobler is trying to help me balance on the crazy moving bus. She was holding all of our mormon.org cards and me because the bus turned and I almost fell into the lap of this old Babcia and so I grabbed onto the pole and she dropped all of our mormon.org cards like at least 120 of them all over the bus so you know me I start laughing. Then I sit down and go to grab the map so I can find the ladies address we are contacting and well.. I forgot the map! So we were disasters just like we always have been. So we just asked some Poles for directions and got off the bus I have a pretty good sense of direction so I knew we would be ok. Well we get to the area and I have never had to pee so bad in my entire life!! Seriously IT HURT! and now Sister Tobler had to pee too like really bad! So were walking to the ladies house well kind of waddling and we FINALLY get there and ring her door bell.. She lives in a real HOUSE! It was so cool they were all houses out by this forest and we were so excited cause we could go and well teach her obviously but also use her bathroom!! We ring the doorbell and there’s no answer. We ring it again and then I call her and nothing.. NOTHING! I started to panic looking for a washroom anywhere but the houses are too nice there’s no where to go! So Sister Tobler goes to the neighbors house and we ring the doorbell we were so desperate! An old lady answers the door and we were like, "hey! We’re missionaries and we were wondering if we could use your bathroom!?" with really cute big smiles on our faces and the old lady said.. NO and shut the door... it was HORRIBLE!! We were freaking out and laughing because it was so ridiculous and we had to go so bad!  A car pulls up and a man gets out and she’s like hey! can we use your bathroom!!? and he’s like.... umm let me ask my wife.. and so he did and she said yes! So we went into these strangers home and they let us use their bathroom and then we left :) I’ve never had to ask to use a stranger’s bathroom before in my life never mind on my mission what an adventure! Anyways we visited members who were really good friends with Sister Tobler’s grandpa they fed us and we talked it was a good visit! Oh we also finally found the forest! 

So needless to say it was an amazing exchange and we had so much fun together it is these types of moments that brighten your day!!

There are big things ahead for me and I’m excited! Krakow.. It’s going to be GREAT!! We’re saying goodbye to some of my most favorite people in Bydgoszcz Monday and Tuesday so I’ll make sure to send some pictures! That’s about it though. I’m excited and I have a lot of faith that this is what I need. I feel at peace and the peace gives me a lot of comfort.

Siostra Pearson

My District

A not so serious picture of my District

The neighbourhood with real houses

We really needed to go!

The beautiful forest

Thumb wars, Zone Conference and General Conference Blessings

Not much happened this week except it was my first time teaching at zone conference!!! It went so well! It was so fun to be up there teaching with Elder White and Elder Kotter (the zone leader's) and to be up there sharing the message that changed my mission. It was a great experience to witness what I was teaching be exactly what they needed to hear. It was just so cool to be teaching and have the confidence that the spirit brings! It was so cool to just teach my fellow missionaries by the spirit, a truly wonderful experience!  So ya my week was really good! It was kind of slow until conference! GENERAL CONFERENCE BLEW MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because of the time difference, We got to watch the Saturday morning session of General Conference on Saturday evening and then Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning on Sunday with the Kagele’s! First off.. Saturday morning. I don’t think I have ever been to a better session of General Conference in my life! I received so much personal revelation!

First of all, Elder Hollands talk. That story with the sister missionaries.. yup been there and the fact that he delivers his message so powerfully.. Let’s be real he was yelling at my soul and it was so needed! It’s not on the website yet so I can’t tell you what he said but all of it was about being strong through our struggles and having faith in the Lord's timing. It’s so interesting that you said that during Elder Holland and President Eyring’s you thought about me because those were two of my favorites! Really the whole first session blew my mind.

Then there was Elder BEDNAR that blessed man. These talks were so awesome!!!

I made a whole list of questions for conference and well my list of questions was a little hefty this time and almost all of them are already answered!! I still have one more session to watch! I know that the Lord knows us! He cares about us individually and speaks to us! There was so much in that general conference that I felt was in there just for me! I've been doing so much better at handling struggles that come from being a missionary but that conference taught me so much! In a nut shell I learned that God loves me, and because He loves me He’s going to let me struggle a little bit to give me opportunities to grow and be stronger. My faith in Christ can get me through anything! He gives us so many things every day to help us get through life and He will never leave us alone.

I thought that the talks on the family were so inspired!! I know I’ve still got some time on my mission and some more time after that until all of the family stuff will come into play but my goodness, it was amazing! I learned so much and it’s just so cool to know that the things that I am learning and going through on my mission now are preparing me to be the best wife and mother I can ever be. When I was listening to conference I learned a lot about communication. You know me.. Sometimes when I’m hurt or upset instead of bringing it up and working through it I hold it in and hope that it goes away. Since being on a mission I’ve learned so much about communication. We need to be able to be open with the people we love and trust them and trust God. It puts us in a more vulnerable state but the blessings and happiness that follow are worth it.

We are here to gain eternal life and be with our families forever. I LOVED what President Uchtdorf said about endings here on earth and how we are eternal beings. Endings are not a part of us, we need to always keep an eternal perspective that although something may come to an end here we have so much more in our life than just things here on earth. Like my mission for example, I had a freak out this week that its been going so fast! I mean 4 months left... 4 months in the mission goes SO FAST! And there’s a lot to life when I get home. I have to actually apply and act upon the things that I have learned here on my mission and even though I love my mission and will be so sad to have it end there is more in my life to accomplish. When you look at the Plan of Salvation and the plan that God specifically has for me I know that my mission is a beautiful part in that plan, but only a part, there is so much more ahead after my mission and my mission is helping me prepare for it all! I am so grateful for all of it. :)

We're still looking for more people to teach and trying to meet with the people that we have found! It'll happen :) this week we are going on exchanges with Gdansk so Sister Tobler will be coming here with me! Ma Sista Tobes! I just love her. It’s also the last full week of the transfer! Man that flew by! Next week I will know what’s happening!! I’m nervous so pray for me!

Love,

Siostra Pearson

    Alright so funny story I forgot to put in.. we were on a train to Poznan and we found the sumo wrestler thumb war guys in my back pack so for like a solid hour on the train we had thumb wars and I was the champ!! They got really intense we had so much fun!!
Elder White & Me

Round 2 Thumbsies competition with Elder Kotter

Sister Companions I have served with all together at Zone Conference

Bydgoszcz along the river

Me with Sister Petherbridge

Sister Lidtka & I, reunited with my MTC companion

Me with Sister King

Sister Lidtka & Me

Contacting in the streets with Elder White & Elder Kotter

Thumbsies Round 3 Elder White & Sister King, you can see the sumo guy on his thumb!