The Ice was Blue, the Eye Black

So out the door for her 6:00 am run-walk and on the return, about a third of a mile from our Flat, down she goes on her annual head-plant that she has come to expect each year. And she always seems to land on the same side so after bleeding all over the place she finds her way home to phone me at the office because it appears that stiches are needed. Gratefully, a doctor we had located recently was only a 5 minute drive away and would be in the office at 8:00 am. Four stiches later we are on our way home. An interesting side note was that as she is trying to pick herself up off the cement-ice, a woman who was right behind her and of course saw the entire event unfold, walked right past her without even any kind of acknowledgement of what took place. Go figure!
The rest of the photos were taken yesterday at our YSA 'Asian Day' activity at our Branch building. A group of about 16 from Warssaw and other cities around the country came in for a day of fellowship, Orgami, Tai Chi, games and of course some good Asian food. A university student from a city to the north, (Poznan) who was working on his Master's program in film came to learn about the young people in the Church and filmed for most of the day. Out the window you will see something on the school building next to the Church that looks like what many of us are unfortunately getting used to these days.......graffiti! Anyway, it was a fun day had by all which ended up at the Saturday night session of District Conference where a visiting Authority from Italy presided. A really nice weekend and its about the only time we get to see someone else, (besides Pres & Sis Nielson) from Las Vegas, Paul and Nola Harber who we have greatly enjoyed getting to know.

Baptisms

Baptisms are most of the time hard to come by for our missionaries especially in a 95% Catholic dominated country. In January, we had a big 'zero' for all of Poland. Then came this past Saturday where at 3:30 FIVE people from the two Warsaw Branches entered the water. A couple in their late 50's, a young black man from Nigeria and a little eight year old who was coming into the Church alone, with her parents permission, but without them.........until it came close to the day when the mother made the most important choice of her life and joined her daughter in the water. It was a remarkable day and one that will long be remembered as not in the past has a single Branch in Poland, (at least in recent years) baptised this many on the same day. So, while we are over half way through the month, the mission is off to a great start and interesting enough, there just may be 4-6 more before we leave February. These numbers in most missions seem very modest but for us here this is huge as for all of last year only about 47 were baptised. Included in the photos are some recent shots of the YSA activity which Jean and I, (mostly Jean) oversee. Also, it should be noted that Jean and I, (mostly Jean, once again) will be starting an advanced English class this next week. She is excited about this assignment as she loves to teach and is, as many of you know a really good and competent teacher.

Baptism refreshments

A Polish Wedding

But first............a couple other photos. One with Jean and I and Elena Floris from the Church finance office in England who paid us a visit, (at my request) to check out my accounting practices beofre we get to far along in the mission. Better to get a 'check ride' early on rather than wait until it's time to depart and learn that everything that's been done is either wrong or at best could have been done in simpler, more efficient ways. She is a real jewel and just a sweet person who gave me lots of good pointers. While here, she, and a young friend, (Ellie) who was here on a mission 8 years ago and who is now teaching at the British School, (Private) and attends our Branch went to dinner nearby at a place called Vilvano. Quite good; pasta, sea bass, pizza and Elena had a nice serving of veal. As it turned out both Ellie, (who was also raised in England) and Elena attended the same Church Ward in the London area some years ago so they had a nice visit catching up on days gone past. The other non-wedding photo, (which was actually taken in the cultural hall at the Branch during the wedding dinner) shows a young family by the name of Shahay. She is from the Salt Lake area and he is from Tennessee and are here serving in the military. He is a Major, (Artillary Branch) here for a year studying the language, culture, Polish military tactics and so on. His mission, should there be one would be for him to act as a resident Polish expert to the US Army. They will return to the states in August where he will pursue an advance degree for a year before being reassigned, possibly Poland again. Wonderful people, with, as you can see two of the sweetest little angel children, Caroline and Emily. And the computer is turned over to Jean for the Polish wedding..............
Here in Poland you have to be married civally first before going to the Temple and then you have to get to the Temple within the week or you have to wait for a year. I'm not sure why. They are the only members of the Church so they were able to ave a regular Polish wedding forst. A Catholic wedding or civally are the only recognized weddings in Poland. So at 1pm, we joined the 2 Polish families and many from the two branches down in the middle of Warsaw at a Government building. We walked up to the third floor to a waiting area which was nicely decorated and then ushered in to a large room which was also very nice and the Magistrate came in. She had a beautiful burgandy robe on with a thich gold medallion with the Polish insignia on it. The couple, Agnieszka and Rafal Pogorzalski, sat in front of her table and she started speaking. She had a beautiful speaking voice and you could tell she had done this many times before. We didn't understand any of it but learned that she gave them counsel on being good citizens, being an asset to the community, having a strong family with good values. Then the marriage vows and that was it. On the way out of the room, branch members and family threw coins on the floor, lots of them and the tradition was for the couple to get down aand pick up all the coins before someone threw more down which someone did. Of course they got to keep the money. Then it was on to the branch for the reception. All the polish people brought beautiful flowers and it is a tradition showing your love and support. At the branch, there was much food as always and entertainment, the blond long hair singer has a very good voice and entertained everyone. He is an entertainer by trade and loves the opportunity to perform. It's wonderful to see a young couple getting married and looking forward to their Temple marriage and then bringing up a strong family in the Church here in Warsaw.

What's New?

Well, after almost 6 months, we got our car. It's a new Opel and the first one of it's kind in the Mission. (It was ordered 2 months before we arrived) Most cars in Poland, (Europe) come with manual transmissions so it takes a while longer as the Church has particular specifications, including automatic. Upon inspecting the trunk area I noticed there was no spare tire, not even a 'baby' tire. Come to find out that next to the fire extinguisher, and first aid kit there is a compressed air pump with a tire valve and a long pull-out cord to inflate your flat tire. Those Germans, (and G. motors)! Also new, thanks to our dear friends the Gaffins from Las Vegas, a goodie box of "essentials" including as you see in the picture cake and brownie mix, chocolate, herbel tea and even a couple 'comfy' blankets and house socks. What a great surprise! Then there was the recent 2 hour train ride that Jean and Sister Nielson to to a town to the southwest by the name of Lodz, (pronounced Wo0dz). They went on Friday morning to vist the other Las Vegas friends serving in Poland, the Harbers who were giving a baby shower for one of their members and who Sister Nielson had known from previous visits.
What an experience, riding a train through the countryside of Poland to a city of Lodz which in times past was the center for famous stars of the entertainment world. there is a street in Lodz which is being renovated to again reflect that era. the city was not totally destroyed during the war but had one of the biggest extermination facilities on the outskirts. It doesn't take much to see evidences of the grim history of Poland.
The train was modern, comfortable and a great way to travel to another city. the roads leave a lot to be desired, 2 lane and crazy drivers. we made it to Lodz, had lunch, did some shopping went to a baby shower and ran for the last train to return back to Warsaw. The other couple over here from LV are in Lodz. He is serving as the branch President and she is busy with everything else. It was a fun LV girl's reunion. On the train back we had our own compartment and a woman joined us. Very classy and sharp. she knew quite a bit if English so we got to know her. she is with television, she writes documentaries for TV and movies. she had a showing in Lodz of her latest documentaries. We actually talked about the Mormon church. she was extremely curious and wanted to know everything about it. So............ we told her.
I should have gotten a picture of the train and the compartment. Next time. all in all it was great fun!!!!!!!

RISING '44, The Battle for Warsaw

"To Warsaw and to all who fight tyranny regardless" The book title by the above name and the authur's opening salute, (Norman Davies). We paid a visit to this remarkable musuem on a cold Saturday recently along with a few other senior couples who were in town for a conference. It was a great depiction of a very sad and painfull time in 1939 as both the Poles and the many Jews struggled to keep their city, even their country. The 3rd Reich of Germany attacks Poland by land, sea and air and yet another world war becomes a reality. The city and surrounding areas went from a population of a million and a half citizens to less than 7,000 who survived and remained in desolation. The memorial is situated on 3 floors and covers the period before the 'Rising,' the event itself where the population rose up to defend its city in a feeble attempt both above and below ground to stem the outbreak by the German soliders. And then afterwards, the Russians, waiting on the outskirts of Warsaw came in and finished off anything and/or anyone left. All the time the West did little to raise a hand of help while taking the position of 'all is lost.' Some beautifully portrayed photos where some made you laugh while most made you cry. If any have seen the Wash. D.C. Holocaust memorial it this all over again only the Poles were slaughtered as well.
The seniors are seen at the Mission Home for a group picture. We have currently 7 couples and 3 senior sisters, more than most missions our size. We had some time to get to know one another, explain our callings and then enjoy a wonderful meal at a nearby resturant which we walked to in order to work up a little appetite. Burrrrrrrrr! (Excuse any typos, Mr. 'spellcheck'is not feeling well tonight)

TWO WEEKS WORTH!

Welcome from the KeBab capital of the world! So far this is our favorite however there are no less than 500 different ones to try if you could find them. The two workers seen here are standing in front of the 'chicken on the spit' where it is cooked by turning every so often and then just the very outer part is thinly sliced off into a speically prepared pita type flat bread with different kids of ingredients including garlic, cabbage, and hot sauce among other items. They are the best and have found their way on our dinner plate at least weekly. The two young men are from Bangladesh and fix us the 'Missionary Special' which includes melted cheese and a touch of the chicken juice.
Following the food story below is a few photos taken at fireside we had this past Friday featuring Bro. Ryan Millar. He is, as you have concluded the tall one in the pictures, a former BYU graduate who started on the USA gold medal winning team in the 08' Olympics in China. He has actually played in three olympics and will soon begin training for the 2012 games in London. Currently, is playing professionally with one of the better Polish teams where he has a 2 year contract. Further, he has played at this level in Italy and Turkey. They absolutely love their volleyball here, (and throughout all of Europe for that matter) and often play on televison to crowds of 8-10 thousand. He had a wonderful story to tell and kept the young singles and others engrossed for over an hour. The one part that impressed me the most was how, when he was 10 years old he lost his older brother in an auto accident, the divorse of his parents which followed and how his family was torn apart and where he was pretty much left alone to lived in the attic of a friend while he continued his schooling. It was another older brother who got him interested in V-Ball as with his 6'8" height the basketball teams all over the place were wanting him to come and play. He said that in one year he grew 5". But most important was how he made the right choices when his family dissolved by staying in school, off the streets and into sports, where he could have easily gone 'south' since he was mostly unattended to by adults. You can Goggle his name, (ryan Millar) to learn more about him, but let it be know that this is a special young man and a gifted athalete. He and his wife and two young sons live in Alpine, Utah when he is not playing abroad. Jean and I had the priveledge of picking him up at his hotel here in Warsaw after their practice. And of course they were late returning (the snow and Friday night traffic) and we were lost getting there with 'Erma' GPS who was sick and not working, both our cell phones dead and both us having to use the toleta as we were stuck in traffic and snow. Oh, how grateful we are for little prayers of assistance! (At this point, Jean will take over and share some information about the Young Single Adults that we have been called to serve with)
You will see most the YSA in the pictures. We work with them and are with them at least 2-3 nights a week and some Saturdays. They are a great group of the future of the Church in Poland. These YSA all have a story o tell. Kasia who is the short one in the picture with Ryan Millar is the YSA rep. she has a law degree and 2 masters in Law and business. she ia a dynamo and runs on warp speed all the time. her story is too long to tell other than she almost died in delivery as did her mom, mom had ovarian cancer and told to abort or both die anyway. Father had left the family and due to faith and prayer they both survived however mom was in the hospital for months very sick with cancer so Kasio's big brother took care of her. Later they were introduced to the church and Mom and Kasio are dedicated to the Church. I could write pages about each one but it would take too long. They all make great sacrifice to be members of the Church. None of them have cars, they ride public transportation, trams or buses. For some of them, it is over an hour ride and an hour back at least but they come not only for Church but FHE and Institute. They support all the activities.
Interesting thing.... It doesn't matter how small the group is, even if there are only 3, they always have an opening and closing hymn and most always no piano. When they teach a lesson. they teach GREAT lessons. Lots of good discussion.
They arranged the fireside (with our help) and I think it was the biggest thing here in the Church for a long time. Anyway, I love them, they are totally awesome.

WHAT ELSE DO WE DO IN POLAND-------EAT!

To prove it here we are at the Hard Rock Cafe (Warsaw) with Paul and Nola Harber, (Palmyra Ward,Lakes Stake) after a meeting. Don't be deceived by my weight which looks to be about 20 lbs heavier....it's really closer to 30! The Harbers were suspose to be on the same schedule we were coming over but had to delay their departure by a few weeks. He is the Branch Pres in a town calld Lodz, (Woose) and Nola is doing work with the Young Singles among other things. Other photos include some shots taken at the first FHE gathering of the Y. Singles along with more food, of course. I've never eaten as many different kind of cookies and sweets. I know I'm addicted or maybe I always have been but had a mulititude of other things at home to keep me away from this devil food. The couple sitting (and eating) with our YSA leader Kasha is the Irelands who head up the CES calling for Poland. They are from Australia and will be returning in the Spring. The group picture of the Elders and Sister was taken at the Mission Pres. home at lunch break from a training meeting. They were singing a before lunch hymn in the Polish songbook. Absolutely wonderful young men and women. Ask yourself, those of you who didn't serve or who are not members if you at age 19 could leave all you had at home, learned a very difficult foreign language, leave home with two suitcases and come to a country of 95% Catholics and work, day and night searching for people to hear our message. Add to this the weather and very marginal living conditions at times and all of this and more on about $250.00/month. I seriously doubt if I could have done this at that age. The other photos include some of the Warsaw Missionaries also having a 'P' day meal at the 'Cafe'. An unsuspected picture of Jean which shows her "intenseness" and when she she see's that I have included it on the Blog she is very likely to get 'intense' with me. Then the opening of the 'care' package which included some items we found we needed such as Hersheys Chocl sauce, Irish Spring soap, cookie chips and even my Harley-Davidson fleece jacket, among other 'necessities'. Thank goodness for someone at home who can (and does) respond to our needs and wishes and of course Skype which has been really great as we talk to and see the family. Next Saturday, on our Prep day we have set up a go-cart race with Pres Stan and myself against the office Elders and PA's then that afternoon an ice skating outing with the 18-30 year olds. So, if I am unable to Blog next week you will know why.