Stepping in

Of the six senior couples who serve in Poland, three of us are assigned to help with young adults, along with supporting our individual branches. Four of the six senior Elders serve as branch president as well. We've been blessed to work with Elder and Sister Murri who have led the YSA efforts so well and are now returning home (Eden, UT). We met with them and Elder and Sister Womack (Vancouver, WA) to learn all that they know and figure out how we will carry on in that assignment.

Elder and Sister Murri in Toruń
near a section of the old city wall

We had to find a centrally located city to be fair, so Toruń was chosen and we had to wear p-days all day and take in the picturesque old town. Just one of those sacrifices you make as a missionary.

Elder and Sister Womack listening intently
whilst enjoying some refreshment

Interesting contrast in styles

The Vistula (Visła) is the longest and most
important river in Poland, flowing from the south
all the way to the port city of Gdańsk

Elder Olschewski navigating to a good spot to baptize Karol

Among the three YSA couples (now two) we have a goal to support new young adults by attending their baptism whenever possible. Baptisms don't happen every week or month, so it's special to be a part of it. We traveled to Katowice in the south to witness Karol, a fine young man, accept baptism. They had found a pool to rent at a rehabilitation center to do the ordinance after meeting at the branch. The branch members gave great support with a dozen people attending. It was also a treat to meet the pair of Elders and Sisters there and see a little bit how the work goes in that city.

Elder Silski and Elder Wagley with Mateusz and Natalie
changing their family history

Today is transfer day and all around the mission people are crying. There's also excitement for the changes and new challenges. We are so sad to see Elder Wagley leave us in Gdańsk. He has been a solid support for us during our time here and he's just a great young man and missionary. He'll spend his last 4 weeks re-opening an area before returning to Ohio. All the missionaries are great, of course, and saying good-bye is a fact of missionary life, but that doesn't make good-byes easier.

Exactly one transfer ago (9 weeks) the Elders received a phone call from a Facebook sister in England who's serving her mission there from Germany. She gave the name of a man who lives north of Gdańsk who made contact through FB and wanted some questions answered.  Thus they met Mateusz and his wife Natalie.

I could write much about Mateusz and Natalie, but to condense who they are I'd say they are golden. Mateusz is a real manly man who thinks deeply about the things that really matter. Natalie is a strong, independent woman originally from Czech and a great mom to their daughter (1). 

He researched all sides of this Mormon religion before the missionaries even met him, so that the Elders were amazed at what he and Natalie already knew and all the expected concerns were already resolved. One telling bit is that they were listening to the Mormon channel! Incredible.

Finding the right spot where we could be undisturbed.
Interesting sight at the beach with two dressed
in all white and the rest in the
kind of suits and dresses you wouldn't expect.

Being the kind of man he is, Mateusz determined to be baptized in the Baltic Sea. I mentioned before how cold that sea is, I mean, colder than ice cold. Seriously. We knew he could handle it, and Elder Wagley too, but we were concerned for Natalie, because she is more than eight months along. They eventually decided that she would be baptized next week in a pool that we hope to arrange. A nice bonus is that Mateusz received the Aaronic priesthood Sunday so now he can baptize her.

Real men

When Elder Wagley ventured first into the water to find a suitable spot that was deep enough, we all watched in anticipation for his reaction to see if this could actually work. He said, "This is really not bad, it's kinda pleasant." It was a given that Mateusz wouldn't flinch, and he didn't. The two zone leaders waded in with their suit pants rolled up to be able to hear the ordinance. Afterward we enjoyed a picnic with the family, us missionaries, and Mateusz's mom. The day had been forecast to be cloudy and cold, but was sunny and warm, beautiful.  We were alone on this long strand. While we were enjoying lunch and the great day, Elder Wagley was looking at the sea, reflecting on this experience at the end of his mission and rolled up his pants to dip his toes in one more time. He yelled "This water is freezing!"

The hits keep coming

It's no mystery that none of us really get what's going on in each other's lives, but that won't stop us from telling you and from saying that new experiences just keep coming at us and it's awesome!

We loved getting to video chat with all our kids on Mothers' Day last Sunday. So glad to see them and be "together" as a family again, at least for a little while. We feel blessed that they are all blessed.

Happenings this week: the mission schedules apartment checks (for young missionaries, not us because I guess they figure if we don't know how to keep an apartment clean and safe by now, there's no hope for us anyway, which is kinda how they are about all the missionary rules, come to think of it) each transfer so one day this week we got to go to the other city in our district, Bydgoszcz, a two-hour drive, and visit the set of Elders and set of Sisters there. We are always impressed with the quality of missionaries we get to work with. Every one of them seems exceptional. They have an amazing capacity to show love for all God's children and do so in ways that are mature beyond their years. We always learn from them.

With the great sisters in Bydgoszcz.
Jean invariably decides to fix her hair
right when the photo is snapped.

The excitement around the mission is that the young missionaries just got smartphones at the last zone conference. Their response has been, in some ways, expected, they're in their element to get that little device again that they've missed. However, one simple question the mission president instructed them to ask changes everything: "Am I using this to help others come unto Christ, or am I using it for my own desires or distraction?" 

We've been watching and it's a beautiful thing to see the difference in how a phone is used. They're sincerely trying to find ways to help other people using the technology and it's kinda strange---so opposite to how most of the world views it. Makes us want to change too.

Sisters in their work

We had a good plan for church meetings this last Sunday, our leader's turn to speak in sacrament meeting which is about right since we haven't heard him yet and the STP get regular chances to take their turn. Then, we still have a couple of sessions of conference to watch so that takes care of the second hour. At 10 minutes before start we learned that our keynote wasn't coming, so Sister Bridge stepped up to the plate. She hit a home run. She gave a super talk about Christ and His atonement and had the help of a willing interpreter. She chose and led all the songs and except for the sacrament, she was the entire meeting. Ain't she great?

I admit I was feeling a little miffed and disappointed in people as we got the meeting going with the less-than-normal turnout and through the sacrament song. I moved from the piano to sit by the Elder who was conducting the meeting and watched as our one young married member and our one Aaronic priesthood holder stood by the uncovered single bread tray. At that moment, unexpectedly the Lord told me He was there. 

(See Matthew 18:20)

These pics really have no point in this message, but we wanted to include them.
This is looking down the stairway we descended to the first level of the salt mine near Krakow.

One of many, many chambers that were excavated from the mine which has been worked for 400 years.
As impressive as the excavation itself are the massive timbers used as supports and stairways.

The largest of the chapels that have been made in the mine.
All the walls, sculptures, altars, floor and steps are carved from the salt.

Not sure who Moniko is, but good to know Ulka loves him.
A bridge we came "across" in our city.

With our awesome Gdansk Elders and Mateusz while casing the location for him and his wife to be baptized (miracle),
in the Baltic (see previous post "Divine Orchestration" for more about being in the Baltic).
I can't explain my pose except that the picture was taken before I could point.
We've always wanted to visit this village north of the city,
it's named Mosty, meaning "Bridges"

Green

It helps me to get some perspective on distances, so this superimposition of Poland on Utah might give that. Last weekend we had a country-wide YSA conference in Zakopane in the south. So we drove what would be from Preston, ID to Kanab, UT. On this map, Warsaw would be about where the word Provo is.

The first week of May has two different national holidays, so we traveled south to the mountains with half of the Poland populace and the other half passed us going north to the Baltic. As we passed one toll-booth I clocked the stopped northbound traffic at 3 miles. A fun start to your vacation. I guess it's good for road building because they get the tolls plus the tax on all the spent gas from sitting to pay the toll. The roads are pretty good, thanks to the EU, but a lovely freeway suddenly becomes somebody's farm within 100 meters. You learn quickly how good your brakes are.

Twice a year the young adults from across Poland get together for a conference. The 13 small branches are spread around the country so they really look forward to these events. Many are the only young adults in their branches, and they're on their own and sometimes they're even more isolated from family because of their Church membership. Sharing fun and spiritual experiences with like-minded people becomes very important. We had 28 there and they originate from Ukraine, Taiwan, Thailand, Denmark, Holland, Spain, and of course even Poland.

The Carpathian mountains were green and beautiful and we were lucky to place our hike during the hours of the week with the heaviest rain. A dollar bought you a lovely rain poncho so the trail was covered with Teletubbies 

There are several of these shepherd cabins in the mountains and they're happy to sell you some smoked cheese made from the sheep there

Bridges on a sort of bridge

The young adults stayed in a hostel and we held our activities there as best we could, though there were other guests so we had to respect their use of the place too. One dinner we ate at a nearby restaurant. The lady who owned it was very accommodating and someone asked if we could use her restaurant to hold our Sunday meeting. She agreed and asked if she could sit in. During our sacrament meeting she asked if she could take the sacrament with the rest of us. She sat mesmerized as so many of these strong young people bore testimony of their love of the Savior and what the gospel means to them.

Not every day was dreary. This is the view from our room.

We completed our first transfer (9 weeks), which made us proud. We stopped in a small city on our way home to see another senior couple and also an Elder who was with us when we arrived in Gdansk. He had to inform us that "you're pretty much green through your third transfer."  Sigh, we're still as green as the countryside.

Beautiful gardens in our city of Gdansk. The building is a "bishop's palace." 

There's also a well-funded church next to it. We were lucky enough to visit right when an organ recital happened, showcasing the instrument built in the 1700's. 

We were walking and talking with our local friend about some of the symbols at the church and its abundant iconography. Jean pointed out the Greek symbols on the side of this building. 

If you look at the symbols on the open door you can get a clue to what these symbols mean.

(common symbols in Europe for the Ladies' and Men's)