Final Testimony! Final Week in Poland!

Final testimony

Well this is my last email I will be sending home! It still doesn't feel real.

 I love my mission so much. I have loved everyday and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to be called of God and to share the most important things to me with the people of Poland. I love them so much and although I feel like a part of me is breaking having to leave these people and this work

I KNOW that God has a lot of things in store for me when I come home and for the rest of my life. I am so excited to continue on and jump in to the next part of the plan God has for me. My mission has taught me and changed me so much. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had here. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained and to see it strengthen while I’ve been here. I know that the Restoration did happen. That Joseph Smith did see God and Jesus Christ, and he translated the Book of Mormon, restored the priesthood of God and that he was a Prophet of God.

I know that thanks to the Restoration of the gospel we can be sealed with our families for the eternities. God loves each and every one of us and He has great things in store for us. I know that He knows me and loves me and He sent His Son Jesus Christ so that we can live with Him again.

I know Christ gave us the perfect example of how to live and be happy. I know that he atoned for all of us and that with Him we can become something greater everyday. I know that this gospel is true. It has changed my life immensely and I have love every minute that I have been able to share it with others. I am grateful for all of my family and friends who have been such a great support to me. I couldn’t have done this without you. I love you all and I will see you in a week.
z milosca,

Siostra Pearson

his is capture the flag at the castle Ogrodzeniec!

Best Culture Night of my Mission. . . 2 weeks left

I had a really awesome week!

Well it’s 2 weeks left now. I think it’s starting to become more real; but I’m mostly still in denial. I kind of had a mental breakdown yesterday but I cried it out on the streets when we were at a white board and then I was fine!! Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but after I talked it all out I felt fine! Sometimes it’s scary because this has just become my life. But I know that there is so much more I need to learn and I can’t do all of that here on the mission. I have to come home, progress and learn more. I really want to do that! I know Heavenly Father is taking care of everything and I feel very happy and at peace all the time. I just love my mission!

This week we were really busy! We had lots of meetings with 3 recent converts this week! My favs! Danka, Klaudia, and Anna! It is so fun and beautiful to work with these wonderful YSA women. To be friends and strengthen them in the gospel! It was really amazing. Danka decided to go to the YSA conference!! I am so happy!

It’s my last week here so I won’t get to see her as much but I am so so so happy for her! It’s exactly what she needs! We also had the opportunity to meet with a family here. He is from England and she is Polish. We are doing a new thing where we meet with members to teach them the lessons and help them know how to do missionary work. We met with them and taught them the restoration and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever done!! Just teaching the gospel to a family and seeing how much it has changed their lives!! It was so beautiful!! We worked a ton with members this week. Guess what!! Marta came to church! It was so good! She was really nervous but I think she liked it a lot. It was testimony meeting and I translated for her. I talked to her a little after and she seemed to really like it! We talked to her a lot this past week about her concerns and questions she is really prepared and it’s amazing to be able to teach her! 

We also had culture night this week!!! IT WAS THE BEST CULTURE NIGHT OF MY MISSION!! We decided to actually do something cultural! So we went to a Milkbar and ate some really good polish food. Then we went and rented bikes!! We rode all over Kraków it was so fun! It started raining a little and then a little more. We saw the castle and the hills and we went through the city center and by the river it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Then it started to rain a lot,.. We were soaked! Or so we thought! Then we went to a park and decided to head back to the center of Kraków again. It started raining like crazy!! There was a huge storm and a flash flood it was a monsoon!!!!!! I felt like we were in the jungle! I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants! We just kept riding through it all in a cute little line and we were all laughing and completely soaked head to toe!! It was the best adventure of my life!! I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so alive! I couldn't have asked for a better last culture night! 

That pretty much sums up my week! I also finished the Book of Mormon and the New Testament this week!! It was beautiful. It was really amazing to see how much they strengthened my testimony in Christ! I love the scriptures so much and I’m really excited to start them again!

Siostra Pearson

All ready to go! The Before shot!

The After Shot!

Doing the work

I had a really good week. We are having such a blast! Seriously I love my mission so much! We are trying to meet with members of the church and strengthen them and get our YSA's (Young Single Adults) to go to the YSA conference. 

We are encouraging members to find new investigators to teach, baptize and keep!!

We had the most amazing first lesson I’ve ever had on my whole mission!! She is a Polish girl named is Marta. She is our branch president’s assistant from work and she is interested in the gospel. I am in awe of her humbleness and desire to learn as she is searching for the truth. It was the most amazing part of my week! I will keep you posted!!

Boldly Testifying of Christ

So let me tell you about my week. Well I’m not going to really tell you about my week, but the things that I have learned!

So approaching the end of my mission I thought certain things would be easier. I mean I’ve been doing all of this for so long. Sister Petherbridge and I are reunited at the peak of our missions and we thought everything would just be perfect! The plan is to teach people the gospel and change lives and hope to kind of glide through it. Well that’s not exactly what has happened.

This week was an interesting one. Interesting because I am so happy! Really though Sister Petherbridge and I have so much fun and we just love everything we do First, because we are doing it together and Second, because this is our mission you know?!

I have a greater appreciation for all of it now! But this week we had some really rough "contacts" czyli conversations with people mainly on the streets and stuff. What’s interesting is normally, to be honest, not everyone jumps for joy at the news of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! Even though I feel like they should. This week there were a ton of people who were mean and hurtful and it made it rough. Most people here belong to another faith and some like to tell us that we are wasting our time because we are in a catholic country, and they just can get very rude about it sometimes. Interestingly enough it’s been DAYS of these people.

On Saturday I stopped a young man who turned out to be from America! He was super nice. We talked for a while and then Elder Caskey came over and we started talking about what we believe and it was really cool. Then after talking for about 40 minutes he turned on us a bit. It doesn’t matter what he was saying but Elder Caskey and I felt the need to defend our faith. The world can take such beautiful things and try to change it and really bring it down. Honestly it hurt me. Here was this nice guy our age that we talked to and opened up to so much and he just turned and starting saying horrible things about the church and our beliefs. Maybe he didn’t realize how hurtful it was BUT don’t worry this is where it gets good. Through it all it was amazing to stand next to my friend and fellow missionary and testify with love and boldness that we knew with our whole hearts that this gospel is true. I don’t need proof that the Book of Mormon is true or that Joseph Smith was a prophet because I know with my whole heart that it is true. The spirit I feel when I read the Book of Mormon, testify of its truthfulness and it’s restoration is proof enough for me. I know without a doubt that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and I'm grateful for it everyday. I am also grateful for the wonderful opportunity I have everyday to share the knowledge that I have with the people here REGARDLESS of how they accept the message. Sometimes it can really get us down here as missionaries. We just want so bad for people to find the truth like we have and experience the happiness that we enjoy. It hurts when they don't want to listen and even more when they are mean to us. But when President Uchtdorf visited Poland he said, " Poland is not lost". Sometimes we have to just remember that. There is hope here and in the world. If Poland is not lost then we can't give up because there ARE people here who will accept the truthfulness of the gospel. I know that they are being prepared. 

Siostra Pearson

My District

Elder Hon, Elder Allen, Elder Dodge, Elder Casky, me and Siostra Petherbridge

Painting nails with Danka

Studied at the Rynek

Crazy Picture of our District

Making the most of time!

This week was a really good one. To start it off we went laser tagging which has become one of my favorite fun things to do as a missionary. It’s so much fun! A lot of good things happened this week. We are still working hard and trying to find new investigators! It was a rainy week this week and poles are like cats in the rain.. They disappear. But we are going to find the prepared! Speaking of the prepared. Marcin got BAPTIZED THIS WEEK. It was one of the most beautiful days of my mission. He was baptized at a lake!! JUST LIKE JESUS (sort of)!

I gave the talk on baptism. I was nervous about it but it went really well. Marcin's parents were able to be there, and I got to talk to his mom like the whole time. We talked about my life and the church and we are pretty much best friends now Marcin’s baptism was beautiful I loved it so much. It’s so amazing to witness someone change their life like that.

I just love my mission so much. Sometimes I wonder if people think I’m crazy or faking my love for my mission, but Sister Petherbridge and I are having the best time of our lives. I’ve never appreciated time so much before. This last transfer is going really fast and it’s scary, but we just appreciate everyday so much. It seems the struggle with finding people, getting rejected and normal things that are hard sometimes doing missionary work seem to be a little easier because we are happy to be working together. I want to use every day, love everyday and enjoy this time I have as a missionary because it has went by so fast. Studying is still my favorite part of the day. THE GOSPEL IS SO TRUE! I love learning more about it. There isn’t much to talk about this week. My district is amazing and we had a dance party this week. I’m glad I am ending my mission with such great friends! I feel like everything I have is a gift from Heavenly Father and I’m just so happy!

Check out the pictures, I have one of me giving the talk on baptism right at the lake for Marcin's baptism!

Siostra Pearson

Marcin getting baptized in the lake

Klaudia, me & Sister Petherbridge

The gathering at the lake for the baptism

Klaudia & me

Me, Marcin & Sister Petherbridge

Me speaking at the baptism

Elder Hon, Marcin and Elder Allen