Week of January 11

1/11/2016

God is so good to us missionaries. Oh my goodness this week has been one of the craziest weeks of my LIFE! So many miracles are happening, and so many people are changing, and so much is getting done!

I'm going to have to take this chronologically since SO much happened and I don't want to miss it:

Monday: We met with Aleksander-actually Олег-(who came to fhe), and talked with him about the restoration! We actually did something really sneaky! Elder Cowley and I have this goal to use less-actives to strengthen our investigators, which in turn strengthens them...

it's awesome! So we had a member talk to Aleksander for 15 minutes while we ran and met with Władek(wearing the blue sweater in the pictures I sent home). We strengthened him and helped prep him for the meeting, and then we brought him right back in and we met with Aleksander. Władek is a miracle because he is PERFECT for Aleksander bc he speaks Russian and Ukrainian, and is remembering his testimony.

Plus, he just randomely showed up for the first time on Sunday, the same day Aleksander showed up... dont try and tell me that's a coincidence...! Well Aleksander accepted it all, took a Book of Mormon in Russian, and promised to read it and pray about it! We then went to the YSA fhe and spent some time with the YSA trying to strengthen them!

Tuesday we had random meetings and preparation for zone training on Wednesday, and calls... but SO MANY of our potentials actually wanted to meet... we were getting so stoked!

Wednesday: Zone Training. it was intense. We had been preparing and prepping for zone training for a while since we have one of the biggest zones in the history of the mission... so that was a bit scary...! I had a solid 25 minutes straight of the microphone, talking about being on time and then exercise and how that helps us be able to prepare ourselves for the day! It was so much fun! The Spirit was there strongly and we were able to say the things that we needed to say, and it was pretty great! President and Sister Edgren told us multiple times how much they enjoyed it, which was good to hear! I got to see Elder Berlin, Elder Wright, Elder Weiler, Elder Sidwell, and so many more of my boys! I sent the pictures that I have... so hopefully that's enough! After zone training we had to fly out of there and head to a meeting with Olek! We taught the first half of the plan of salvation, and he got stopped up at the resurrection... he didn't think that people got resurrected... and our polish/russian barrier wasn't allowing us to explain it perfectly... so we ended and talked about it next time. THEN, we met with Paweł, this super super less-active guy! Spoiler alert: He promised to come to church, then did, and then told us not to worry because he's not going anywhere. It was beautiful!

The monitor just told me I have 5 minutes left... so speed round!  We met with Paweł about the restoration... it was awesome and he really wants to come to know!The Frączek family... they're the best!

Jan 4, 2016...

So this week was a rollercoaster of a week. I had some pretty high days and some pretty low days. I think I'm finally on the uphill after a long battle with the negatives, which is SUCH a blessing because that was getting way old.

This week was the craziest week ever. Elder Cowley and I had a bunch of different random things to do this week because we're zone leaders, and it was transfers. We ended up having the weirdest week ever because every day something different would come up that we had to deal with, and we were so busy.

On Wednesday we found out about Elder Wilcox. He has been struggling for a long time with depression(I told you guys it was a real thing(lol) and it finally really got to him. He came into Warsaw on Thursday to have his last Pday before he left on Thursday. Elder Jourdan and I both simultaneously called president, and president wanted us two to spend the day with him and make his last day enjoyable. That wasn't hard because those two are two of my best friends in the World! We had an awesome time, and I think I was able to help with the situation a little bit because I had done it before and I could relate a little bit. I think that was one of those reasons why I needed to come back to Poland when I did. that night was new years eve.... and Poles go absolutely insane on new years eve(Sylwester) with fireworks and alcohol.... so us missionaries were ordered inside at like 16:00.  Elder Jourdan and I got Elder Wilcox off, and then we spent the rest of the night catching up. It was very needed.

I've been feeling a lot better about where I'm at on my mission at this point. These last 2 weeks I have been absolutely fighting to find myself again-I haven't been as happy or energetic, and doing missionary work has been the biggest struggle for me... .and that's been killing me, because at the end of my time in Poland last time, I was at the peak of my mission. szczecin has exploded since that transfer, and it feels so good to see it.(We took the stats from that transfer with E. Jourdan Blunt Berlin and I and it was pretty cool to

see!) But I was comparing that point where I was just absolutely loving it-to now when I'm struggling... and that was hard. I got a priesthood blessing, and the main thought was that I was "admonished to be patient". So I've kept praying, and being patient, and everything has gotten so much better. I feel good phyhsically and emotionally and spiritually, and I'm ready to get GOING this week.

Unfortunately the next day Elder Jourdan was reassigned to Katowice and Elder Mulder went to Kraków... which means that Elder Cowley and I are now both zone leaders and district leaders lol.... so we're working with that. We have a huge zone training(we have one of the biggest zones in the history of poland) on Wednesday, that we're preparing for with the STL, and also District Meeting, and DAR meeting and everything else to plan. today was the first day since the beginning of the transfer that we actually got to take meals and take studies... so that's pretty great! I'm talking about Being on Time, and Exercise(hahahah go figure), so I'm really excited about that!

I've been trying to call all of the companionships in my zone to check in on them and let them know they're not along(it gets lonely out there all by yourself and I remember being ecstatic when the zone leaders called), so that's been fun! I've gotten to talk with Elders Berlin and Weiler, which was super sweet and something I had looked forward to!

Mom and Dad I found the sickest suit I've ever seen in my life at the store for a steal so I had to buy it. It looks super good, and it's European, so it's just one more thing that will help me remember not to gain a ton of weight... :)

We moved apartments this week without telling President. Elder Cowley and I felt really good about it(it was the Spirit and we just rolled with it). It will also save us betyween 3-6 hours a day riding on trams that we can be doing other things). So we moved and I'm going to call this week and tell president, and show him how much time we've saved and all the good things that have happened. he loves when missionaries just fix a problem, and THEN tell him about it... he's such a businessman and I love it.

So Sunday was one of the greatest days ever. We met at the Warsaw chapel(kinda a big deal), and had fast and testimony meeting. I was praying for othe gift of tongues because I really wanted the members to know what kind of missionary I am so that they will trust us, come on lessons with us, and share their friends with us.... and I was freaking out because my polish speaking isn't ANYWHERE where it was before I left. I waited until I felt the right time, stood up, and straight up gold just started flowing. The Spirit was there and I knew what and how I wanted to say everything, and I only made one casing error (zwrócić=return an item. Wrócić=to return oneself), and the members loved it. Do you remember Ula? She was the member I ate with on the train last time I was here, who gave me the Poland Warsaw tie??

Well she's in my ward and she started crying when we were talking and I just about hugged her but I couldnt... but I'm really really excited to get to work with her. She has two sons who want nothing to do with the church and I really want to change that.

Oh... so miracle moment.... We were just about to leave church, and straight up this Ukranian guy walks into the chapel and wants to meet.His name is Aleksander(Olech) and he speaks ukrainian, russian, and a tad of polish. We grabbed a member and took him on a chapel tour and had a meeting with him. We taught a first, and challenged him to baptism, and he accepted. He's planning on the 13th of February. He's also coming to FHE tonight, meeting with us Wednesday, and coming to the baptism on saturday(hopefully). The meeting was a product of the gift of tongues... because this guy doesn't know much polish... but can speak in russian and ukrainian. So he was using russian and ukrainian, and we were using polish, and he got everything(with just a little bit of charades). It was the coolest thing ever. I love the gospel and I love speaking polish.

Health: Everything is going so much better. My back is doing alright, pelvis and associated areas are definitely improving, and my legs are doing perfectly. It is SUCH a miracle. I love it.

Well that's all... I sure love and miss you guys, but I'm doing good here and I'm loving it!

Christmas.....or was it? Dec 29, 2015

Well.... It was really great to talk to y'all this last week, I really enjoyed that! Not much has changed since we talked... I'm serving as ZL in Warsaw with Elder Cowley and I LOVE it. He is such a stud. We're so different as people, but we're like EXACTLY the same missionary I love it. We get so fired up about the work and all the things we're going to do, and we think about different things in the exact same way. It's going to be an amazing transfer. Also, Elder Jourdan is my district leader! I'm so excited to have him back, and we're going to have t TON of fun out here in Warsaw!

So health. My hips and legs are doing alright. I'm still walking well and having to stop and rest from time to time, but I'm loving it. It's hard to hold myself back and not let myself walk too far too fast.

It's taking a lot of humility to have to stop, and ask my companions to wait up, or carry my bags or things like that, but it's been really good for me. Everything else with the ender.....litis is going okay.

I'm about in the same place where I was when we skyped... meaning I'm still swollen and it's still hard to walk... but I can do it. I am being smart and I realize that I'm not invincible, and I realize that this just might be something that I need to deal with for a while and rely on the Lord... so that's what I'm doing. I hope and pray that it can go away and let me Really get to work, because I'm dying to get out there!

This transfer is going to be so awesome. We have some big things in mind and there  are LOTS of cool people to meet with. I'm so stoked.  I sure do love you guys! I'm sorry if I don't have that much time to email all of you... I had transfers today, actually, and don't really have a ton of time to email... because it's not even really my pday.

Next week I hope it'll be better... but we'll see! I've heard that we get kicked off the library computers where we email after 45 minutes-1 hour generally... so we might have to make that work lol...

I love you guys so much! Thanks for the prayers and help-they really make a difference!

Love y'all

My FIRST week back in Poland...Dec 21, 2015!

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.

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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...

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!

     

Elder Quack arrives in Poland and the look on his face shows his excitement to be greeted and picked up by President Edgren!

Great friends and great missionaries get to welcome Elder Q back

Elder Coutu and Elder Campora get to stay the first night with Elder Q in the mission home!