Elder Justin Quackenbush's Poland Mission Blog: We CONQUERED THE BEAST of a week! May 6, 2016

It's done!!! The week is over. It's been an absolutely gigantic week, but with innumerable miracles, we made it through!

So monday we really didn't have a pday-just enough to jump on and let y'all know that we were still alive. We spent a lot of time getting ready for zone conferences, and ifnishing up the final touches on a lot of projects. The day flew by, but by the end of the day we felt prepared and ready.

Tuesday morning we woke up at 4:30 am and got on the 5:45 train to Kraków. We raced to the train, made it in good time, and did studies on the train. We got to Kraków at like 8:30, and ran and jumped on this tiny ghetto "bus" to Oświęcim. It wasn't a bus it was a sketchy van that was so dark inside that there could have been someone hiding in there right next to you and you wouldn't have known until it got lighter a little bit into the trip. Elder Cowley and I weren't about to wait, so we bought a ticket into Auschwitz for the next Polish group, and went into the park to "wait for our group". What we realized was that if you took off your listening devices and your sticker, you looked like one of those people who just get to go wherever they want. So that's what we did. I've been learning that if you just act like you know what you're doing, and are walking with a purpose, Nobody is going to say anything to you. So we went to see all of the big things in Auschwitz, and got a bunch of really good pictures(pictures to come). It was eyeopening just to see what human beings are capable of doing to eachother. It was incredible to see. Then, we got on another bus, and went over to Birkenau. that place is HUGE. They really did want to kill the entire world. Man. After that miracles happened and we barely made a bus which allowed us to make another bus, which got us back into Kraków at the perfect time. We went and saw the Wawel castle and its cathedral(we were two of the last people they let in that day). It was incredible to see. It looked like all of the cathedrals in Italy, and was just as old. It was awesome. It is so interesting, though, the difference in the Spirit between our church buildings and temples, and those not of our faith. There really is a tangible difference. That was cool to see. We toured a few of the nearby cathedrals in Kraków( it was one of the only big cities in Poland that wasn't absolutely destroyed during the war because it was too beautiful-which means that it has some of hte most historic buildings in Poland). We also went and got "U Szwagra"-one of the most well-liked kebabs across poland by misisonaries. After that, we even got to go out and work with the Kraków elders. I went on splits with Elder Wood. He's a stud. I love that guy. He's a trainee, and we worked really well together. I think that was one of those small reasons why I needed to come back to Poland. So that was cool, and a really big blessing for me to be able to help out.

Wednesday, we woke up and had zone conference with the south zone. It went really well and the Spirit was there strongly. It was so good to see all of the missionaries, and especially my boy Elder Blunt! That was the first time I've seen him since I got back...! The Daltons are also amazing. They're the senior couple down there, and it was awesome to visit with them. Right after the conference, we jumped on a train and got back into warsaw with just enough time to find something to eat and hit the sack.

Thursday we woke up and went to the chapel and had zone conference with the Warsaw zone. Also directed by the Spirit, and also went really well. Elder Jones bore a testimony at the end that was exactly what I needed to her(we get along great and are usually in the same place emotionally lol) He said something along the lines of: "Happiness doesn't actually mean having a smile on your face all the time. When you're happy, you wouldn't have it any other way". My Mission. It's been so so hard and such a struggle for me every day, but overall... I wouldn't have it any other way. The Lord has plan, and I'm just out here trying my best to follow it. I really liked that. Right after the conference, we jumped in the Edgren's car and drove to Poznań. Again we got in just in time to eat, and hit the sack. We stayed over with Elders Ashworth and Alvarez. They are both studs! It was super fun. Elder Ashworth is from Manchester, and is huge into soccer. You better believe I wasn't about ot miss that opportunity-so we went out early Friday morning and played some ball on a nearby court. It was awesome to get out there and play again. The Poznań conference went super well(one of my favorite conferences ever), and besides that, the north zone has a special place in my heart. It was great. Again... right after the conference we got in the car and got back pretty late into warsaw. Saturday there was weekly planning, a baptism from Warsaw II, and sports saturday. It was super fun!

So probably the biggest accomplishment this week was our kebab excursions. Missionaries all over poland always argue about which kebabs are best... and we realized that all of the famous kebabs were in the cities that we were going to. Soooo we ate all the kebabs lol. Definitive answer: Krashkebab in Poznań took the gold, followed closely by U Szwagra in Kraków. There you have it. We did the impossible. Goodnight Poland!!