Well.... a lot has happened this week, so I'll do my best
to give the full rundown.
The good news I'm alive...! Really that's been something
I've been incredibly grateful these last few days. The trip over was pretty
rough, but I made it safely and without any hiccups. I do have to say though,
that French people are absolutely terrible at giving directions! Love them.
Anyways, I flew into Warsaw at around noon on Thursday, and totally broke all
the rules and gave Sister Edgren a huge hug. They didn't send me home, but let
me off with a warning, so that happened...! That day we got all my bags to the
mission home, I stretched for forever to try to get rid of the soreness, and
President and Sister Edgren took me to Amrit Kebab to see some of my Sisters
that go home next week! After that, I told President that I wanted to go out
with the office Elders to teach the Valentines, and he let me go with them for
the night! The Valentines are an American family that is adopting 3 Polish
boys, and we were teaching them about Christmas, and translating for the
parents as to what they could and couldn't do in the house... it was pretty
awesome. I felt strongly to ask President to give me a form of a Father's
blessing, and that was really cool. Some of the things I was blessed with, I
really needed to hear. President gave me
a few different options, and I felt REALLY good about going down to Kielce
until transfers next week. So I got to go to KIELCE where I started out the
last time around. It was absolutely AMAZING I was in heaven. I served with
Elder Platter, and really enjoyed it. I did realize something that was
confirmed by the Spirit. Part of the reason I needed to come back to Poland was
so that I could learn just how much I am blessed with. Really there isn't
anything that God hasn't blessed me with in my life, and I really am grateful
for that. In Kielce, we had Wigilia, which is essentially like our Quackenbush
Christmas eve dinner, with some different Polish traditions. We also got to
meet with Karina. She is the reason I needed to go back to Kielce, I am sure of
it! She is literally a saint. Every time I start getting down about my
situation, I just think of Karina, and I realize that I only have a reason to
be grateful instead of sad. I will spare the details of her life for her sake,
but she is the example of who I want to be through my trials.
I'm going to be honest. Coming back a second time has
been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It trumps 2 hip surgeries
by 2 or 3 times. The Lord has also been blessing me with some other challenges
that I wasn't expecting that have humbled me even more. My language is
absolutely dormant at this point. It's in there, but it does NOT want to come
back right now. I've been making a fool out of myself all over again, and it's
been awesome. Also, I'm trying to learn how to respond to all of the questions
and comments from people. I guess while I was gone, like 5 or 6 people came
home, and nobody else came back, so that opens up a whole other side to the
awkwardness of me not knowing what to say to people. The biggest thing happened
just yesterday, actually.
All of the sudden it was coming back. That
uncomfortableness that started it all back up in Szczecin came back. The
uncomfortableness wasn't the problem, it was the psychological side. <This
is what happened to me last time before I died and spent 3 months in hospitals.
Why did I need to come back if I can't even walk well? Is this really going to
happen again?> All of the sudden I was back in a really dark place. My
meeting with Karina brought me out of that, and helped give me some perspective
that I really needed. They brought me back to Warsaw and I'm sitting in the office
with the office elders again. But, this time I have such a better perspective.
I really am here on the Lord's time. He wanted me to come back, He wanted me
here on the 17th of December, and here I am. He now gets to do with me what He
wants, and I will follow! I don't know what's going to happen, but I know it
will be for the best, and I have faith in that! We just got a call from Dr.
Raiser in Germany, who worked with me last time when I was being transferred
inbetween hospitals, and he had some good news...
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It turns our that there is some swelling from the hours
and hours of sitting on a plane. (I'm thinking that that would explain why I
got so swollen last time that went away and we didn't know anything about....)
So I'll be in Warsaw for the next week until transfers, and I'm supposed to
rest, apply heat, and pray a lot! hopefully that should fix things, and would
explain the part in President Edgren's blessing to me that "The Lord
expects me to be a wise steward of my body, and to be smart", and
President Barker's "You pushed forward with courage last time, and that is
not expected during your upcoming service. You are to be smart". So there
it is. I am praying and hoping that it will alleviate the problems, and that I
will get to move on with my mission from here! I have faith in the Lord that
His will will be done, and that whatever has to happen will happen! Everything
is going to be okay, and I'm going to be able to stay here in Poland. It's a
miracle
I love you all so much! Make it the best week of your
life!
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| Elder Quack arrives in Poland and the look on his face shows his excitement to be greeted and picked up by President Edgren! |
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| Great friends and great missionaries get to welcome Elder Q back |
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| Elder Coutu and Elder Campora get to stay the first night with Elder Q in the mission home! |
