Getting caught up
We have been out of town for a couple of weeks so I will attempt to get thing caught up today.April 27
It was
a crazy week and nothing like normal, but also really amazing and I
have learned a lot. Last p-day was really fun to go hiking with a
member and the elders. We had a ton of fun and it is always so nice to
get out and see the world a little bit. To just take a day and see the
beauty of where you are. It was the same castle that I have been too
before. I will keep you posted with pictures soon. So don't get too
disappointed. :) Tuesday was really great because we met with a less
active that we have been trying to contact for ever since I have been
here. He finally called us up after we left a card in his mailbox and
we went and had a meeting with him and a member there. It was really
great to finally meet him, and we really want to go back and help him
more to come back to church. We also met with another less active that
we have been working with lately. She is starting to read in the book
of Mormon again and she was doing family history in the church the other
day. It was really great because she now has more time to do things
since her friend was moved to a place where they can take care of him
better. So that has given her a lot more free time and we are really
hoping that she will come back to church soon. But she has work as well
so we are now trying to work on getting her the days off so that she
can come. But she is awesome and doing great so we are really hopeful.
We then went and I played a song for the young men and women to sing
that they will do in Church in a few weeks. I am not sure exactly
when. I have been able to play the piano a bit here in Graz and it is
awesome. I really love it and I am sad that I lost so much of it when I
went to school. I really am excited to come back and just take time to
play again. Right now I am a little busy with more important things.
:) And we had ward council which was really great. We were able to
talk with them about all the people we have been visiting and see if
there is anything that they need us to do. I am really excited for the
things that are happening.
Wednesday was wonderful. :) We ate lunch with a great family. They are an awesome older couple here who invites us
over often and we love to go there. We just help to build them up and
bring a spirit there with them.
We had a great English lesson on Thursday. We teach English about
1-2 times a week.
We also met with a great woman who is a little less active. Her
mom is in the ward and is really faithful, but she has fallen away a
little bit. So we are working on getting her to come back to church.
And for awhile we thought that her relationship with her mom was really
bad, but a miracle happened and her mom was there for our lesson!! It
was a surprise to us and we were stoked about it. And it went really
well. We are really grateful for the spirit in the work. Without him
we don't do anything.
Friday was a long day of travel. We are on the outskirts of the
mission and had to go to Salzburg which takes about 4.5 hours and then
we went from Salzburg to Munich which is about 2.5 hours. So a long
time on the train and many hours later, but we made it to Munich and we
stayed in a hostel there for the meeting the next day. That was
exciting and I am super glad that we go to do that. I got to stay with
the sisters who re-opened Passau. So that was really cool to talk with
them about who they are teaching there and how the members are doing
there. Also the Vienna sisters stayed in the same room as us. Such a
party. That never happens. But we went to bed on time and all 6 of us
were able to get ready in a timely manner which I thought a miracle. :)
Saturday was defiantly the highlight of the week for sure. Elder
Bednar is amazing. Really you can just feel the spirit walk into the
room with him. It was really great to be there and to hear from him and
all that he had to say. We talked about technology, but not really
about ipads. We talked about how we can better fulfill our purpose as
missionaries, and how a new tool is coming to help us do that. It will defiantly be an adjustment that is for sure. But we really just were
able to be taught by Elder Bednar. He did a question and answer session
with us which was amazing. I forgot my notes back at the apartment,
(opps) but I didn't really take too many on what was being said, only
what I was feeling/thinking anyway. And that I will never forget. It
was amazing to sit there and just be taught by one of the greatest
teachers. He really knows how to bring you all into the conversation
and also how to make it so we all benefit from the spirit. Not just
taking notes that we may never look at again. But we talked about
Agency and how when we choose to make covenants with God, our agency is
changed. Our choices have changed. We made a covenant and now we have
to stick by it. So really we can't choose to not obey the commandments,
because we have made this covenant. Our agency is different from those
who have not made covenants with God. But we entered into the covenant
willingly. We made the choice. And we stick with the consequences.
And when we do what is right we are richly blessed. It was amazing. I
learned and felt so much. Even if I don't remember all that he said, I
will always remember how I felt sitting there. I know that he is a
prophet, seer, and revelator. He speaks from God and all that he says
is true. He teaches us how we can come nearer to God and he is also not
perfect. He is just a normal person with a mantle to hold and he does
it with a lot of grace. I am so glad that we had this opportunity to
learn from him and to feel of the great power that he brought to us. I
know that this church is true and that what we are doing as members and
missionaries is right. We have made these covenants with God, because
we know what they will bring. And I can testify that I am happy because
of this gospel. It is amazing the difference that it makes.
Because of the timing of the meeting and how long it takes us to
travel, we only headed back to Salzbur and stayed the night with the
sisters there. We were going to be home so late and also a train back
to Graz was just really not a good option. So we stayed in Salzburg
which was super fun. :) and then went to church with them on Sunday.
It was really great because one of our investigators moved to Salzburg
this past month, so I was able to talk with him and he came to church
and I got to see him. It was really great. He is still not ready to
make the covenants, but he knows how serious they are. He is working on
it and one day I do believe he will be there. It was really great to
see him and to go to church there. But it was also really weird. To go
to church and not know anyone there, and to know that we are not
staying... It was something that doesn't happen very often in the
mission. And now I feel strange because we missed church in our own
ward and that was something that also never happens. Just strange, but
fun all at once. So then we traveled home Sunday
night and finally got to sleep in our own beds again. It was wonderful
to be home. But we really had no time to do much before heading to
bed.
Then yesterday we turned right back around and got on another
train. This time to Vienna. This is the most I have ever traveled on
the mission. It is crazy. But we headed there for interviews and it
was really great to see President again on a personal level and just
talk with him. I was great to get his advice on certain things from
Elder Bednar and also on what we should try to do better. It really
made me feel better to talk with him. This next week is going to be a
little hard to get back into the swing of real missionary life. We have
a pretty normal week now and then next week I think we will have
exchanges again. Which means back to Vienna. But it will be fine.
Like I said, I love trains. :)
Mom, Dad, keep up the good missionary work in Panama. I am so
proud!!! That is awesome!!! Glad you are having fun. Also glad that
your trip is going well. Can't wait to talk to you all in a bit. Have a
wonderful time and keep working hard. Remember that the church is true
and I love you all!!!
Sister Poll April 13
I found out this week that our new member is getting
ready to head to the temple for the first time!!! I am so stoked for
her!!!! I really wish that she would send me a letter back. All the
info I get is through the missionaries that are serving there. But I am
really excited for her. The temple really is an amazing place. I know
that you all know already, but if you don't realize what a great
blessing it is to have a temple right in our back yard, just think of
those who never have the opportunity to go. It really is a great
blessing that I plan to take more advantage of when I get home. We are
so blessed.
Also we just started a new transfer and it will go 6 weeks and then
our next transfer will be 5. I will probably leaving Graz after that,
but who knows.
Things this week have been really busy. We had transfers on
Thursday and I got my new companion. She is 19 (my first 19 year old
comp) and is from Lindon Utah. We get along ok, but we have only been
together for a few days now. She is young on the mission as well so I
am helping her figure things out a little bit. She loves theater and
singing and she sings really well. We are doing great together. For
that I am grateful. She speaks pretty great German. She took it in
school for about 4 years before the mission and so she can speak it
pretty well. But she is wonderful. We are going to baptize all of
Graz together. We have been doing a lot of finding this past week and
trying to get some people to teach. We were out on Saturday and it just
started pouring rain. We didn't have any jackets or anything because in
the morning it was really hot. And we had a umbrella because a member
gave us one as we were leaving her house. So we had to change plans and
run home so that we could grab rain coats and another umbrella. It was
really cold. I am glad we were able to come home. The elders weren't
as lucky. They were soaked through and had no umbrella and were really
far from home. Sad day... But we had fun anyway. This next week will
be busy. We have some appointments with some less actives. We are also
teaching English to this amazing person that we will meet with as
well. It is going to be great. And then on the 25th we will have Elder
Bednar come and talk to us.
We had a really cool experience happen last week. We got a
referral and we called him up and he said that we could come any time.
He is a manger for a hotel so that is where we met him at and talked for
a little bit. He said that he is looking into a bunch of different
religions so that he can be educated when his guests ask about it. He
found us on the internet. We talked to him a little and he took a book
for the hotel, (in case someone who is staying there asks for it) and
also one for him personally. He said he would read it and let us know
if he has questions. We are going to give him a call later this week.
Miracles happen. There are people who are searching for the gospel.
And we are here to give it to them. No better work than that. :)
Please keep us in your prayers that we can find God's children who
are prepared to receive this gospel. They are there, we just need to
listen to the spirit tell us where to go. Thanks for all your support
and love. I couldn't do this without you. You make all the difference
to me. I pray for you always!!! Keep on going, nothing in too hard
with God on our side. :)
Sister Poll
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