Quiet & Peace

We can't tell you anything new about the state of adjustment we are all in. Like you, we wonder what changes will be permanent. Will social distance be the reality that TSA has become? 

Will we eat at home more. 

Will we go to the store less often. 

Will we connect with those we care about most.

For our part, we are happy and healthy and hanging in Poland. 

Our little mission doesn't have the challenge of sending out hundreds of missionaries, but with no commercial travel we've worked every angle to get our six returning young ones home this week, the first leaving Sunday, the last finishing his boondoggle to northern Italy just hours ago. It's been a marathon of stress for us in the office. Makes us so happy to see each of their pictures in the arms of their families.

We had the joy of being two of the 5-person limit attending a baptism live, others connecting via technology. A young mother with specific challenges that would be hard to imagine. I don't know if those are why, but I know this, she is very humble and kind. Next day she asked if others had a similar experience to hers: After getting out of the font she was cold, as cold as ever in Winter, but she didn't feel the usual anxiety about the cold making her sick. She felt warm—not physically.  

Another day she explained that a heavy burden or shadow that has always been over her life is somehow gone. 

Though her trials likely will not end, she has peace.

The relatively large gathering we enjoyed on our first no-church-meetings Sunday is now history. We worshiped that time with the mission president's family. The living room became the chapel, the coffee table became the sacrament table, the Spirit became tangible. Five investigators (can't say that anymore), potentials, (no), friends experienced that spirit with us. One responded to How did you like the meeting with "When the missionaries first met with me a year ago I felt a fire inside. I felt that same fire for 30 minutes today." Two weeks later we watched his baptismal service remotely. 

Won't get to be in this setting again for a while.

3 people per cash register in the store. This was the third store we tried. Our piece of tape marking off 1.5 meters of space was number 120 before winding back around to the entry you see in the background. Gave up. We'll risk it with the TP we've got.

Quiet center court of our apartment complex.