"Comforting those that stand in need of comfort"

I was rushed last week so unfortunately feel like I missed a lot but it was sort of in line with the rest of the week. It was a transfer week, full of excitement and fun. I am officially in Wola with Elder Garrett and we are excited. He is only one group behind me so we are even in skills and experience around the board, which is fun. This week was a check for my mission. Groups going home and coming in always create a stir. I am officially old. I have been here for nearly a year, the new missionaries are so young - sisters who graduated from my grade and elders who graduated 2014 are already here - and at MLC (the missionary leadership meeting) we had 5 missionaries from my group there. It's ridiculous! This new group of trainees looks so good though! We just get the best missionaries here and as sad as I am to see some missionaries go I am filled with excitement to work with these new faces (there are two new missionaries here in Warsaw I: Elder Wright and Sister Smith). 

This new Warsaw I group is great! So much energy and excitement. MLC was focused on diligence and answered a ton of questions I have been having. We talked about the difference between diligence and hard work. It reminded me about advice my dad gave to me about not just working"hard" but working "smart". It gave some good guidance of how to hone this energy into being effective in not just working hard but reaching the outcomes we are shooting for. Zone training this week is going to be great! 

This week we enjoyed a fun miracle. We were talking with a young mother, Marta, who was accompanied by her son when a man came up who appeared to be a member by how he was greeting us members. I didn't recognize him, which made sense when he said that he was in "Warsaw II" the other branch or congregation here in Warsaw. He joined right in the discussion and shared his personal feelings about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. We had a great meeting there on the street and I was grateful to see how precise Heavenly Father is when we crosses our paths. 

We are currently working with Andrzej, he met with missionaries about 7 years ago and then Elder Platter ran into him on a whiteboard. He is funny and interesting and it's just fun to meet with him. He came to church and I look forward to our meetings this week and see his experiences as he applies what we teach.

As missionaries we focus on helping others come unto Christ through baptism. Baptism is a covenant or promise between us and our Father in Heaven. We are promised forgiveness, a remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide and purify us. In return we promise to be disciples of Christ and something specifically we claim we will do is to "comfort those that stand in need of comfort." As we were discussing the needs of the branch the sister missionaries mentioned is that comfort is what everybody needs, the way to do it is to give and receive. We are all busy and all have trials, we all need comfort and little reminders of love. Yesterday in church Małgorzata Rzeczycka spoke basing her talk off of President Eyring's from October 2013 General Conference. She relayed the same story he did of the Good Samaritan. She noted that we often say that we want to help others, we may even pray for or seek those opportunities but she then asked a vital question: are we prepared? The Good Samaritan was not only willing but ready to help. I thought of that a lot. Not that we need to be perfect or that we should wait to act and to serve but it's an excellent evaluation to see if we are ready to serve others. I know that Heavenly Father will put those in our paths that we have the ability to help but in order to gain His trust we need to prepare ourselves to serve. Christ is our perfect example of this and I am looking to be ready to serve others and execute those little acts of love that we all need to give and receive. 

Have a good week, searching for those you have the influence to help.

Trzymajcie się,

Starszy Kimball

Led by my heart

Transfers come this Wednesday and we all just got the news. I am staying here in Warsaw and Elder Garrett is coming up to join me as zone leader. He was trained in Wrocław right after me so it will be fun to serve together and see how we have progressed. Warsaw is an exciting place to be right now, there is going to be some change and I can feel that a lot is going to happen soon. 

Elder Blom and I went down to Lublin this past week to do appartment checks - at the end of each transfer we have checks to make sure everything is still in order where we are living. Usually the senior missionary couples do the checks but we have lost quite a few recently due to illness, it's been sad to see so many go, especially when they help out so much here. Missions need more senior couples! Lublin is in our zone so we went down, checked the apartments, grabbed a kebab for lunch, and then did some finding before catching our train. Unfortunately, our train was delayed two and a half hours because of a crash, luckily for us it just meant waiting at the station for longer and making it home a little later. It was fun to see those elders and see Lublin again. When we our train finally did pull into the station a guy came to one of the doors of a wagon we were walking past and yelled out "Księga Mormona?" (Book of Mormon?). I thought he was maybe trying to mock us so I was about to turn away but then he introduced himself. He said that he was Robert and lived in a small city inbetween others where our church was established. He said that he loved to read the Book of Mormon but had lost it. He has a ton of religious literature but feels so good when he reads the Book of Mormon that he was hoping we had one. Luckily, we did so Elder Blom handed him one. We were able to give him info to our website and our number before he went back in his wagon but just retelling the story it is a blessing to see the Lord's hand and planning in the work of serving others. 

The missionaries here in Warsaw had quite the experience this past week as we all journeyed to Dennis' house, a member living here from Congo. He makes a dish called "fufu" and loves to have missionaries over to cook for them so last week at the wedding reception I was talking with him, using the little French I remember, and he invited us all over. "Fufu" is kasha manna with a few dishes of chicken, pork, macerole and veggies. We only ate with our hands and it was fun. Dennis has a bunch of cool African masks and pictures, I loved it. He is full of energy and love. 

Elder Finch shared the spiritual thought during dessert. As he was talking it was crazy to realize that this was one of the last times he would be taking this role on as a missionary. A huge group of missionaries goes home this week including: Elder Finch, Elder Lanham, and Sister Blake. These missionaries have been great examples to me, teaching by example and leaving their personal imprint on my experience here. I've hit the time where the missionaries going home are those that I have had quite some time with, have gotten to know, love, and respect. The mission goes on, changing and progressing.

This past weekend was spectacular, not only because my English students (Michał and Karolina) brought oponki (fried dough tires), but because yesterday we had the Carters and Daltons here. It was so much fun to see them both again and have a little but of time to talk with them. There were two firesides, one for just the missionaries and the second was open to all the members. A lot of missionaries and members were around yesterday, there was a lot of friendshipping and getting to know people, a lot of fun. The firesides were powerful. The most significant thing I received from the meetings was a renewal of enthusiasm for the work of which I am a part. It is too easy to forget the divinity and significance of what I am called to do, but I was reminded of my God sent and guided path. Motives have been on my mind a lot recently, I have discussed this topic with others (missionaries, members) and have gained some knowledge from them. While studying the scriptures and modern-day revelation recently, I have noticed that the source of motivation, the stem of the actions of many of my examples is the heart. Far too often have I gone forth relying on my mind, thinking that was the wiser option. In Sunday school we learned about the difference between knowledge and wisdom. The strengths and priorities that really matter come not from the mind but from the heart. I hope to lead a life that isn't so worried about thought but is more focused on being led by my heart. Love has been a major part of my mission, the heading of it. In an interview with President Edgren recently in response to his inquires about anything he could do for me I asked him about his experience in gaining great love for others. He talked a bit about charity and there were a few points I recorded, the one I would like to share is this, that charity is a gift to followers of Christ. During a lesson with Filip, the second councilor of the branch presidency, we were discussing what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Recently, I have been finding frustration in finding the answer to the question "what would Christ do." I have had thoughts about how different His experiences were, especially considering His role, causing Him to be almost impossible to relate to. In Polish there are many ways to say "follow" one that we often use when referring to Christ is "naśladować" meaning to imitate. He commented that in a sense that isn't what we are to do at all, we aren't supposed to do exactly what Christ did because our experiences are different, rather we should do what christ would do in our current situation. This is a principle I knew, even thinking about it during this frustration, but as he talked a new enlightened understanding came. As followers of Christ we are to take Christ's mentality upon us, that will allow us to be true followers of Him. This will enable us to receive the gift of charity empowering us to lead our lives with our heart. 

This is a bad week to be rushed because there is so much more to share but I would like to share my gratitude.I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's reality and love. I am thankful for those that He has placed in my path to lift me up. I know that when we follow our hearts relying on Him we will reach our potential. There is so much possibility out there, so many great paths but Christ leads us to the very best, the one richest in happiness and full of the sweetest experiences. 

Słuchaj swojego serca i ufaj Chrystusowi.

s wyrazem miłości,

Starszy Kimball

Bóg - Honor - Oczyzna (God - Honor - Homeland)

ŁAŁ another week come and gone.

There was a wedding this week. Monika and Tadeusz from the second branch here in Warsaw (I am in the first but I know them a little bit). Our members are few and it is hard to be a single member of the church here, especially when trying to find a husband or wife but it was so special to be a part of it. 

We missionaries helped prepare for the reception (at the chapel) while the actual wedding took place and were able to be at the reception for a while. Missionaries from all of Warsaw were there and we had some time before we assumed the event would end and we would be needed to help clean up so we went out contacting. Because there were so many of us and a more various group than usual we decided to mix up and go out on mini-exchanges for a couple hours. I had the chance to go with Elder Retallick. It was so much fun. We had the opportunity to go out for half an hour during our first transfer when the zone met up in Katowice but now, nearly a year after we met it was fun to go out and see how much has changed. We had a good lesson with Marzena, a lady who was a little sassy at first but then warmed up to us throughout the conversation (I love it when that happens). We were able to catch up and exchange thoughts and experiences. Whenever I meet up with those I have worked with before I am reminded of the friendship we have. Elder Retallick is a great example and missionary.

I also had the chance to work with Elder Platter again on an exchange in Żoliborz. It was fun to go back and enjoy the memories as well as notice the progress. Elder Platter and I have different strengths and weaknesses and have different mission and life paths but despite that it is cool to see him experience so much of what I did as he progresses in his missionary service. It's great to serve near him still and continue to learn from him. We were able to meet with Jacob too - he is the young linguist that I met when I was serving with Elder Wilson. He is busy but is making time to meet again. He mentioned the change he has seen in himself and I am so grateful to have heard that. Jacob is an incredible guy, I feel so lucky to have been able to meet with him again. 

During a white board this week I had the coolest conversation of my mission. Wojtek is a young guy working here in Warsaw. I just felt comfortable, fluid in communication, and engaged - as was he as he asked a bunch of questions and continued the conversations. In Polish the formal way to say "you" is to use Pan/Pani (Mr. or Mrs.) so it's put in the third person ex. Cyz pan ma wiarę w Chrystusa? = Does the sir have faith in Christ? As the conversation progressed he asked me if we could stop using the "pan" thing and just use "ty" (you). I think that was the first time I had been asked that, being young and all. I am not even sure what it was but it was such a cool conversation. 

This week I was reminded of a key principle. True, we should do the right things but even more - if we want to really reach our potential - we ought to do the right thing for the right reason. Teresa (a recently baptized member) taught the Sunday school lesson about charity. She has us read from 1Corinthians 13 which says that all other virtues are meaningless without charity. Love gives the sincerity behind our acts of service. it gives our words and actions power and meaning. The work I am a part of is all about helping others grow closer to Christ. It often requires a lot of hard work: going out on the streets for hours at a time and trying to find people interested to talk. It can be easy to go out lacking a clear focus or vision, just to run through the motions of what I know I should. Of course sometimes the love comes as we act and that is a divine law. At the same time, I know that when I prepare myself and am empowered with love, peace, and clarity from my Heavenly Father that I am more effective. Also, my time is more fulfilling to me personally. In order for us to aspire to what we can become it is infinitely more efficient to do what we do with love and joy. If we don't have that then let's take a minute, reevaluate and seek that happiness so that we capitalize on the blessings in store for us. 

Beata from our English class taught us that Poland has a motto highlighting its three priorities. God, honor, and homeland. I love Poland and learning more about the history here. I know that when we make Heavenly Father our first priority He will guide us so that all others will lead to our happiness and eternal progression. 

Modlę sie dla was wszystkich,

Starszy Kimball

"For the Spirit is the same" -2 Nephi 2:4

This week was full. It seemed pretty empty while living it but that's why perspective is helpful. 

I love my mission. I have sought a new love for Poland and I found. I just feel so connected to this land. This previous week passed the first of August - 1 sierpnia - the 70th anniversary of the commencement of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. At godzina 'w' (w hour - the code name for when the urprising began) which is 17:00 an alarm sounded all over Warsaw and everybody stopped. I was on exchange in Żoliborz so went to Plac Wilsona where there was quite the wydarzenie(event), a huge group of people were gathered. When 17:00 struck and the alarms rang cars, buses, and people stopped. Everyone was dressed in Warsaw Uprising T-shirts, a bunch specifically for Zoliborz, and had hands filled with Polish flags. Some younger guys raised smoking red things and we all paused in remembrance. In remembrance of those that fought, those that died. I love the history of Poland and I cannot wait for the time when I have the opportunity to study more about it! 

While Elder Blom and I were coming home last night from visiting less active members we stopped by a memorial by our house. It was for all of the Polish citizens killed by German soldiers during the uprising. It was specifically for Wola (the dzielnica we live in.) There were names under lists of streets representing the places of death. It was surreal to notice the streets we walk each day, the ones we recognize so well have such history lying in their depths. We saw familiar names we had heard before marking individuals and families that had been killed. I feel a personal gratitude to those who fought and gave their lives, sacrificing for others. I also mourn with those that passed with their children and parents as I try to appreciate the devastation that occurred. The effects of World War II and the Communist regime live today here in Poland. Their meaning and significance are felt and seen in the lives of many. 

I love Poland. I love the people. I love our church members. I love what I do. I love the missionaries I serve with. I love the situations that I am placed in because I know that my path is guided. 

You are probably wondering why I am a on a bit of a high. Well this past week was a tough one. As you have noticed by reading my posts I am prone to crises now and again. Well I had another this past week. Again, different from past ones but I experienced difficulty as always. With my new vision to learn how to combat difficulty rather than not have any I realized that sometimes in life I will just be weak and struggle but I was thinking this week about how I was going to react since I was in the situation. The answer is hope and a reliance on God. I had a lot going through my mind this week. A lot of questioning about balance. Balance. One of the hardest things to attain. I also felt lonely. I want so desperately to build relationships with others but it is hard. I have difficulties often. With these feelings of loneliness came a lack of love for others as I closed off. The reason I am so happy right now is because I am feeling the redeeming power of the Atonement of Christ. Despite my disastrous situation I have been filled with love and hope. I have been focusing greatly on the companionship of the Holy Ghost recently. I love the verse in Nephi where we are reminded that our messages from the Godhead are communicated by thy Holy Spirit. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism is such an inspired proceeding organized by our Father in Heaven. The Holy Ghost purifies and lifts us. He literally lifts us. Not only does He raise us out of spiritual, emotional, or mental turmoil but when I feel the influence of the Holy Ghost I physically experience a weightless, light wave of warmth and love.

My love for the work has also been renewed this week. Of course there are many with whom we speak that do not believe but it has come to my attention that my calling (in a general sense) is to the believers. So many of the people who stop to talk already have faith in Christ, those who don't often note that most of this country does. I feel so blessed that my work to which I have been called is, greatly, to the believers. I get to talk with those that already have so much light and truth in their lives, often they already have a relationship with God. My message is one of change. Not to change your spirituality but share what I have experienced with Christ. I want to share restored truth, which was lost but we have again. I am grateful for the personal nature of our message. That each person must choose to experience and seek for themselves in order to understand. I feel anxiously engaged in the work, something I have been struggling with a little. I am loving it. 

Here is a talk by President Monson, I read it this morning and I couldn't help but think of how blessed we are to have a prophet of God called today. Luckily, this talk applies to all: believers and non-believers alike. If you want to learn how to love more in your life then watch/ read this and apply what it says:https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng

I always reach this point. Every transfer. I make new goals and plans and then by the third quarter of the nine weeks I fall apart a little. Just disorganized and a little scattered feeling. This is a habit I definitely want to break.

Luckily this week was one of the best! 

It started with an invitation from Katie and her boyfriend Gab for sweet and sour chicken. I started an exchange with Starszy Weggersen Monday so for P-day (our day off) we went over and had a really good time. Relationships are something that mean the most. I usually forget how much they mean until I am reminded, by seeing them, hearing from someone, or even a fond memory. It was great! 

The exchange with Elder Weggersen was super fun. He is from Norway so we have a euro bond. I am sort of the outcast because neither the Europeans not the Americans truly accept me as theirs. We had an incredible time together. We worked hard, had fun, and it was good to be with somebody I could connect with and talk to. We were able to have a lesson with Zbyszek. Elder Wilson and I started teaching him at the beginning of my stay here in Warsaw and met pretty regularly. Since I am not in Żoliborz anymore I haven't seen him for a while and there hasn't even been a meeting for awhile anyway. It was a miracle lesson. Zbyszek is just so cool. I feel like we actually have a relationship, we are friends. I felt like it made the atmosphere of the lesson comfortable and effective. We just talked. It was real, honest, bold, but normal. I have been praying to feel the Spirit while teaching. I frequently feel directed but rarely do I feel like burning feeling in my heart, that strong confirmation of Heavenly Father's love during lessons. Often during personal study I do but I want to feel it when I am meeting with people. I felt the Spirit during the lesson with Zbyszek in a way I haven't before while teaching. It was a great blessing. Elder Weggersen is one transfer behind me so we are comparable in our mission timelines. It was just fun and a motivating experience. Elder Weggersen is driven. I have been working hard not to compare but I feel like it has caused my determination to fall a little. I regained some hope and focus of the things I can accomplish. 

When President Uchtdorf was here he made a comment about studying the language together. It is hard to do. We are all trying to learn Polish but have different techniques and styles, how can we learn together? Well I spoke with some other missionaries here in Warsaw and we decided to have language study together twice a week. I wanted this to be productive and not a waste of time to just hang out with other missionaries. I am happy to report that so far (for the past two weeks) it has been a huge success! We teach each other principles, we roleplay teaching and it is a lot of fun. There is a lot of support and knowledge as we all get together. I love Polish. I am still a long way from feeling comfortable but slowly I am becoming more confident. These study sessions were extra productive this past week because Cindy Call from Wrocław is here with Sister Poklinkowska on a mini-mission. (Sister Swenson extended but could only stay half way through the transfer so Siostra Call is now here) It has been a lot of fun to serve alongside her. It is fun to see the progress I have made from my first few months in Wrocław to now. 

We had zone conference this week - of course, so so good! They combined Warsaw I and Warsaw II zones so it was huge - about half of the mission (since there are four zones). It was so much fun. President and Sister Edgren are powerful and loving. There was a big focus about working with members and this has kickstarted to work in our branch. It was a terrific meeting. The testimony meeting at the end was great. It was crazy to hear the last declarations of faith from those missionaries about to go home - now all the groups going home have missionaries I know and have served with, it is intense to say goodbye to so many. The highlight of the conference was a presentation on Polish history and culture. A church member from Bydgoszcz, Karolina, came down and spoke. It was heaven. It was fascinating and fun! It gave me a lot of understanding. She explained topics from the poor tooth care many of the older population struggles with due to the lack of tooth paste during communist times to the significance of the political connection the churches have here in Poland. I was able to relate to the Polish rebellious dislike of authority as well as learn how to politely yawn in public (by placing the back of your left hand over your mouth). I just love Poland. It is the greatest. 

On Friday we met at the chapel with members and missionaries alike. Missionaries split off with members. We had a lesson from Preach My Gospel (the missionary manual) and then went out and taught with the members. Elder Blom and I were with President Jagard and it was fun. Having Sister Call here and then working with President Jagard ("normal people" - not missionaries) gave a great sense of normalcy to our work. Often it can be easy to fall into this missionary bubble but having non missionaries to work with helped me to have more understanding and connect more with people.

I went to Białystok again this weekend with Elder Garrison. This time there were no church leaders from Warsaw coming in so we caught a train on Saturday and stayed the night. Białytok is the closest city to East where we have missionaries, it's right on the boarder with Belarus and you can hear it in the accent. The church is very small still in Białystok. I conducted and presided, as well as administering the sacrament, conducting the music, and giving a talk. It was thrilling. The meeting started about 10 minutes late with Dorota (the relief society president) and us two missionaries. Part way through Evelyn came in, she is from Nigeria living in London and came to stay for just a month. After Patrycia came for Sunday school, she raced over from the train station as she was coming back from Warsaw. It was a small group but so good. Elder Garrison taught the Sunday school lesson and it was so good. Everybody contributed a lot and even though we were few in number we were still reading the same material from Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon that we would have anywhere. We sang the same hymns and partook of the sacrament. It was a super experience. 

After the church meetings Dorota drove Patty and us to the hospital to visit Helena - the third active member in Białystok. She is sick but we were able to administer the sacrament and give her a blessing (my first one in Polish). Dorota washed her hair and seeing the loving bond and service of these faithful sisters was empowering. I am grateful for the diligence of those who are faithful despite difficult circumstances. It was a fun trip.

Another fun little Polish culture extra: everybody always says a general "Do Widzenia" (goodbye) whenever they leave anywhere. I was reminded today as we left Helena's hospital room and Patty (Patrycja) said Do Widzenia to the room of bed ridden women. Then on our train ride home i noticed it again. Whenever it was their stop a passenger would collect their baggage and then leave the compartment with a "Do Widzenia". It's done in elevators to. It's not really directed at anyone, there is no eyecontact or other conversation but a fun little custom. 

Have a great week.

w pokorze,

Starszy Kimball