Transfers

Dzień Dobry!

My first first transfer comes to an end this week. It's frightening to realize, my mission is already going by so fast. So here is the big news:

I am staying here in Wroclaw but with a new companion, Elder Meherg (nobody here knows him so it's a mystery.) Sister Bown is staying and there will be a trio of sisters including Sister Wood from my MTC group. (Sister Bown goes home in February hence the trio) In addition we are getting another set of elders so we will have 7 missionaries and the Llyods! sidenote: our transfers are nine weeks long, most of the world has six-week transfers/ also this next one is a mega-tranfer of fourteen weeks because of the number of weeks per year.

I am really happy about things, I'm glad about staying in Wroclaw - I love it here and I feel like I just got started. Continuing the work here is a great blessing. However, I am also glad to change things up. I generally don't like change or groups splitting up so it's going to be difficult to say goodbye to Elder Godwin and Sister Poklinkowska. We will have new areas, I will be switching apartments, and I will be learning from different missionaries. Everybody here says that each transfer is a new beginning and those I do like. A new chance to recreate who you want to be. Especially since I was new I think it's important to switch people up so there aren't cemented perceptions. I feel like that limits me sometimes, being around people that know me and my weaknesses no matter how deep or superficial they may be. I feel like with this new transfer I will be able to work on different parts of myself, which is often hard to do when people already associate certain traits, habits, whatever with you.

Another huge reason I am grateful to stay is because of the branch. Yesterday, being fast Sunday, our sacrament meeting was devoted to testimonies. Our members are incredible. Their testimonies are strong and rooted in Christ. I was able to understand more than ever, which was great. I've probably said this before but our members are all about quality. Our mission is small, hard, has little success compared to the rest of the world BUT we are finding people who are searching for truth and they change their lives, devoting their time and priorities to Christ. Most of the members are converts themselves and they give me such hope, faith, and motivation to work harder to find others like them who want to come unto Christ. I am excited to find those people!

People:

We met with M this week, the sisters found him on a group contact, he came to church and they met with him for a little while but since elders teach men we started to meet with him. He is crazy smart and intellectual. He's a philosopher and knows a lot about beliefs of cultures from all around the world so I am really excited to get to know him and better.

While talking to people on Świdnicka, a street near the chapel (where we go a lot), I stopped this woman who believes in yoga philosophy, which shares a lot of Buddhist ideology. She was going off about self enlightenment and how God is this being that expresses Himself through feelings of peace, understanding, and light as we meditate. She had firm faith in her "Eastern Beliefs" and was closed off to anything else so we didn't talk to long. A little later she came back to find me and gave me a paper with the names of her favorite gurus. She was sharing her beliefs and what brings her happiness. It was touching and kind. I learned a lot from her. She had a profound understanding of truth that she has come to know by personal experience. Sadly, because of the way she viewed things she completely rejects "Western religion" as she called it. I don't understand why many people think that truth must be mutually exclusive amongst different religious sects. As I have learned about what different groups of people belief I love to connect the truth each has. There is no monopoly on truth, you can find it all around. M said that he loves learning about different perspectives to build his own belief. The great thing that the gospel of Jesus Christ offers is the fulness of truth with understanding of God's plan for us. Thanks to friends that accepted me, I learned from them to be open. That has been helped me be patient and understand where others are coming from. It's always hard to see rejection because of the joy I know others can experience as they choose to learn for themselves more about Jesus Christ and His gospel restored again on the earth. 

I always thought the examples of family and friends were to help to get me on my mission. Now that I'm here, everything they have taught me and their past and current examples are most pertinent as I carry out my missionary service. 

This next transfer I have a vision with many goals to accomplish a lot but I really want to focus on small and simple things. I used to hate that idea, all I wanted to do was the great and impressive things but my testimony of growing "by degrees" (Mosiah 21:16) has developed as I focus on improving and doing the little things.

I love you all. I love this work. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I wish you all a great week!

z miłością,
Starszy Kimball