This week so full of fun experiences:
Katowice zone training
I traveled down to Katowice (first time in over a year, it was good to be back) for zone training. Elder Burdick is one of the zone leaders there right now so I got to see him among the missionaries from Kato, Kraków, and Wrocław. They had us do a few interactive exercises to up unity, later Sister Holden had all of us go out and walk along the Polish streets for 10 minutes. We had three instructions 1. stop 2. look 3. listen, so we went out and didn't talk but instead quietly observed the world around us. It was such a good experience. Something that I have struggled with as a missionary is stopping to smell the flowers. It enjoyed it and want to stop, reflect, be grateful for and love my mission everyday.
Kraków exchange
After the zone training I rode to Kraków and spent a couple of days with Elders Jackson and Ahlander. It was a lot of fun, I love Elder Jackson. President Edgren has been encouraging us to get away from the chapel and explore new areas to find families. Elders Jacksn and Ahlander found a spot right on the border of Kraków that we visited in the evening. We spent dinner hour up there too and at the little local grocery store we bought some sandwich makings for dinner. As we were looking around for a spot to eat we passed a church. The priest was outside and beckoned us over. He asked us who we were, he had heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before but didn't know much. He asked us what we were doing in this small town. A little hesitantly - unsure how we would be received in a small Catholic town in southern Poland - I said that we share a message helping others to deepen faith in Christ. He immediately congratulated us and thanked us for our service. We ended up having a wonderful conversation in which he repeated that we should always feel safe with him. There were some benches outside the church with a beautiful view of the sunny Polish country, he invited us to sit assuring us that we are "safe here". He gave us some little books about the history of the church building. It was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had in a while. I love meeting others who are true disciples of Christ, who follow the Savior's example of love and service. Others in the town were extremely kind, it wasn't a huge place and we stand out with our bright white shirts.
I fell in love with Kraków. It is absolutely beautiful there, the sun was out, and I had an incredible exchange with some missionary friends.
The train home
So many of my favorite experiences are when I traveling on trains. There was a mother and son in my compartment on the train from Kraków to Warsaw. The son was 25-30 and had grown up in Miami. The mom was Polish, married to a man with the opposite upbringing I had - French born growing up in the United States. It was a pleasure to talk with them, about so much.
Mother's Day
I had my last skype session home yesterday. I was glad to be able to have seen everyone. It is sad not being there but the next time I talk with them it will be in person. I am excited to have this beautiful Polish summer to enjoy and then see my family.
Life is full of hiccups, there is still so much to figure out. I want to make sure that I accomplish all that Heavenly Father has for me in the next few months. I'm excited!
Starszy Kimball
Nadzieja umiera ostatnia (last weeks post)
Yesterday in Elders' quorum (the priesthood meeting, the third hour of church when men and women split up) some of the members quotes a Polish saying, "nadzieja umiera ostatnia" - "hope dies last". Hope has been a reoccurring theme of my mission and I have a lot of hope for this country. We were able to enjoy some Polish holidays, including the anniversary of the Polish constitution - the second in the world after the United States (everybody takes a lot of pride in it here). I was reminded of my love for Poland and had it grow. During MLC (a missionary leadership council) we had the chance to share our personal testimony and conviction of our beliefs. I focused on love. I shared that the advice from my father before leaving on my mission was very simple and very powerful: love the people. As missionaries when we receive our call we are promised that the greatest joy awaits us as we serve the Lord. I have come to know that the love I have experienced, received as well as possessed for others, has brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.
I am quick to create enmity between myself and others. President Benson (a former prophet) in his talk, "Beware of Pride", explained that enmity is a manifestation of pride. I am so quick to create a "me" and "them" mentality. I learned another lesson yesterday in church. The Moszczyńscy have three adorable children, Ewka and Helenka (twins) and their baby brother, Kristian. They seemed to be a little more tired and restless than usual. They were making more fuss than we have experienced for awhile. It can be so easy to notice their disruption and be annoyed. It isn't hard to wonder why the parents are not handling the situation better or just focus on the burden we face as we try to have a spiritual experience despite the noise. Towards the end when the kids were getting really rowdy Sister Czesak discretely walked over and picked one of the twins up. Later as Kristian started to cry she picked him up and took him out, cradling him in her arms until he calmed down. I have been reminded of the power of small and simple things. The little things we do matter, whether we make a small sarcastic comment or if we make a simple compliment. Sister Czesak could have justified sitting her place being annoyed for not being able to focus especially if she was looking for some guidance or help but what a different attitude to get up and help. I am grateful for the small daily acts of love that I see. It inspires me to be better.
Love is powerful. As Elder Oaks, an apostle, said, "kindness is powerful."
Pozdrawiam,
Starszy Kimball
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