Well, this has been a great week, Wysoych Swiat!
We worked hard, went through the branch list and found less-actives all over Katowice, Gliwice, Sosnowiec, and Zabrze, gave them banana bread, a Christmas card with the Living Christ on it, and invited them to come to church on Dec 26th. We missed a lot of buses, got lost a few times, and ate banana bread in the dark and cold while we waited for the bus, but we quite a few people came who hadn't been in a long time. (less-actives here are pretty much the same as inactives in the States).
On Christmas Eve we had wrapped copies of the Book of Mormon and rolls of the Living Christ and Family Proclamation and handed them out to a ton of people. Then we went to Pawel (Pah-veh-w)'s house. He invited all of the missionaries over for w'gilia dinner; which is a huge Polish tradition, and we got to have the 12 course feast with the 7 missionaries and senior couple, Pawel, and the branch president. Pawel doesn't live with any family and lives, like most Poles, in a tiny 3 room apartment, but is SO happy all of the time. He loves the church and the missionaries. I said "ty jestesz najlepszy Pawel" (you are the best, Pawel) and in return he says "Nie, Siostry, Jezus CHRYSTUS jest najlepszy!!' Ha, he's awesome.
Anyways. The meal was an adventure. I was full after the first round of beet soup, but then came the fried cod, crazy salad, raviolli, and pickled herring. I took one for the team and helped others finish the huge servings of seconds that Pawel gave them. The herring is raw and called 'sledge'. I still am dealing with repercussions from the choice to eat 6 pieces of it (even though the last one didn't really stay down...) The next course I thought was banana bread, so I took a huge bite of it, ended up being surprise meatloaf/pate business, which isn't terrible except for when you think it is banana bread :). We ate two large desserts that were pretty good and waddled back to the chapel.
My district is awesome and we acted out the Nativity! I was a shepherd of course, and we helped supply costumes for the Elders. I video taped it so I'll try to figure out a way to get it home to you. Christmas morning we made scones and watched everyone open presents. One elder had like 5 different presents that were different kinds of pens or pencils. Ah, missionary Christmas.
We had some great meetings this week, and I am getting the confidence to just speak up and say what input I have, even though it takes a lot of time and corrections to have them understand what I'm trying to say. I am trying to figure out ways to be a more effective missionary, but I feel like a huge part of that is just getting to be proficient in the language. I still am surprised, I thought that missionaries would be fluent and have the language down solid after a few months here, but most of them still struggle a lot. Yikes. That just means harder studying for me. Also, I am starting SYL-ing (Speak Your Language - basically speaking in Polish all the time, even with companions) all of the time starting tomorrow, I'm excited. I think it will help my Polish to improve drastically.
I have also been studying and trying to implement good ways to be worthy of, feel, act on, and teach with the Spirit. It has been going well so far and I think is so necessary especially right now when my language is a weakness. If I can be quicker at testifying and teaching new doctrine to everyone I meet, whether in a lesson, on the street or on the bus, the Spirit can help take over and make up for my lack of ability. I also am trying to be completely ready and out of the house exactly on time so I can qualify more for the spirit and direction (that is rough with all of the layers we have to put on!). Oh, and I get to teach a Stop Smoking program with Sister Brown next week in all Polish to a heavy chain smoking investigator we have, we'll see how that goes.
Adam gets baptized tonight!! It almost didn't happen, the swimming pool we usually use wasn't available which caused some stress, but things worked out, and his dad and whole family are coming to watch and support him. (the Sisters say they have never had a family at a baptism, so its a big deal. We also don't have a single family in the Katowice branch, crazy) It will be wonderful. He is so strong!
This last week I read a talk from the conference Ensign about being being a good teacher, and so many of the points struck out to me. If I can share my passion, attitude of love for this gospel and how much it has blessed me, others will feel my love for it and them and it will me more natural for me to extend bold commitments without them feeling pressured into it. I also came kept coming across the phrase "be thou an example of the believer" and read the talk by Elder Oaks and in PMG (Preach My Gospel) about it in relation to our purpose as missionaries. Missionary work has a lot more 'transit' time and hang time then I thought, we aren't just teaching people every single hour. I think that how I act, what I say at meals, on the bus, in the chapel, at slow times on the street, will make a big difference on the impression that I leave of the church, and success that we will be able to have here. I am trying to always be a good representative of Christ, and not a 21 yr old girl with her friends.
Well, I should go probably, but I love you. P-days are on Mondays now, so I will email then and get pictures to you then as well. It was so great to talk to everybody! Merry Christmas, happy new year, the church is true!
-Siostra Stay
p.s. If people want to write letters they can write directly to my apartment and I can check it daily instead of sending it through the pouch and getting it once a transfer. You just send it in a normal envelope and air-mail stamp and I will write back! I can't write any emails to anyone but the one family email a week. I will have this address until at least March. I love you!
Sister Dominique Stay
ul. Korfantego 22/15
40-127 Katowice, POLAND
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
December 21, 2010
Moja Rodzina,
Arriving in Poland: Well you already know that my trip to Poland was an adventure, but it was fun. My luggage got lost at 2 different locations, I'm not quite sure how that worked out, but it made it possible for me to stay in Warsaw for two days which was great.
Pres and Sister Nielson picked me up at midnight and drove me straight to the Sisters' apartment. We got right to work the next day and on Thursday we had Zone Conference so I got to have that training and a little Christmas devotional which was wonderful. I also got to see Sister Steadman and Sister Marshall, hooray!! It was so great to see them, we talked together the wholetime, they seem happy and enthused with the work. I still don't have a MSF card (the missionary credit card) or an interview or orientation.What a crazy mission it has been already, but I love it!
At Zone Conference they delivered my 2nd piece of luggage, it was a Christmas Miracle :) and the Sisters came to get me the next day to bring me to my new area: Katowice!When I got off the plane in Warsaw, Pres Nielson told me I would be going to Katowice and I freaked out. I never finished telling my story about the 2nd Polish tour to you, but the spirit was so strong and helped me speak the language (in Temple Square) and the grandfather said that he was interested and wanted to have the missionaries come to his home. He said we couldn't call him until Febuary though, because he would be out of town until then. I was excited then and told him I would be in Poland in Febuary and would come visit him at his house. I'm sure that he thought I was crazy, but he agreed. The man lives in my area in a city just outside Katowice! I hadn't told this story to Pres Nielson, but I ended up getting called there. Hopefully he is receptive when I actually get to visit him. Miracles!
Dad-- i have been thinking up great names for rock bands for you, inspired my my life in Poland. One is Crusty Socks ( we have a little washer but no dryer, which equals line dried and very crusty socks and towels) and Fire Shower. In the bathtubs there is a little heater built in hanging on the wall with the shower with a hole in it to heat the water. When you turn on the water it sparks and then flames up huge to heat it. You can look through the hole and see the sweet flames.
Yesterday we had a whole day of finding addresses to visit less/non-actives and to give them a christmas card, banana bread, and invite them to church. When you walk in the snow your feet get FREEZING (they don't shovel any walks) but I have been doing the math, and after walking about a mile and a half, you can start feeling your feet again because they are working hard. I also was sitting at a bus stop (in the pitch black at 3:30 pm) and thought of a specific time when I was laying at night sweating on the balcony in Haiti. I remembered storing away how miserable it was to be that hot so I could remember it when I was freezing in Poland. It is COLD here! At the bus stop I also counted how many layers I had on vs my warmth- I had on 8 layers on my top half and that was sufficient, but only 3 pairs of tights, plus socks boots and skirt on the bottom half. That isn't quite enough to stay warm.. :)
The Work: I love being a missionary! We do a lot of "whiteboarding" which is contacting on the street with questions and then you bridge to the gospel (a lot like Temple Square!). I go wholeheartedly and contact and ask people questions, but once they show interest I don't really understand what they say. I can maintain a conversation for about 2 minutes until I look around desperately for someone to come save the contact from my terrible Polish. We got some great numbers and met some really cool people though! One of the investigators, Adam, just accepted a baptismal date two days ago! Well I guess he didn't really accept- we prayed and were about to start the lesson (the sisters were all nervous about asking him about baptism but were planning on it at the end of the lesson) when he spoke up and said "Hey, so I decided that I want to be baptised. Can I do it next Tuesday or is that too soon?" Sister Brown couldn't stop giggling. That is the last day before she leaves home,it will be great. :)
Well I have to go. Oh, I almost forgot, the quote at the top is from Sister Brown. Every single day crazy things happen and she says, sincerely "Its not normally like this." I don't believe her. I fully plan on my mission continuing to be an adventure, and am so excited tobe here. The church is true, live it and share it! Merry Christmas!
-Siostra Stay
Arriving in Poland: Well you already know that my trip to Poland was an adventure, but it was fun. My luggage got lost at 2 different locations, I'm not quite sure how that worked out, but it made it possible for me to stay in Warsaw for two days which was great.
Pres and Sister Nielson picked me up at midnight and drove me straight to the Sisters' apartment. We got right to work the next day and on Thursday we had Zone Conference so I got to have that training and a little Christmas devotional which was wonderful. I also got to see Sister Steadman and Sister Marshall, hooray!! It was so great to see them, we talked together the wholetime, they seem happy and enthused with the work. I still don't have a MSF card (the missionary credit card) or an interview or orientation.What a crazy mission it has been already, but I love it!
At Zone Conference they delivered my 2nd piece of luggage, it was a Christmas Miracle :) and the Sisters came to get me the next day to bring me to my new area: Katowice!When I got off the plane in Warsaw, Pres Nielson told me I would be going to Katowice and I freaked out. I never finished telling my story about the 2nd Polish tour to you, but the spirit was so strong and helped me speak the language (in Temple Square) and the grandfather said that he was interested and wanted to have the missionaries come to his home. He said we couldn't call him until Febuary though, because he would be out of town until then. I was excited then and told him I would be in Poland in Febuary and would come visit him at his house. I'm sure that he thought I was crazy, but he agreed. The man lives in my area in a city just outside Katowice! I hadn't told this story to Pres Nielson, but I ended up getting called there. Hopefully he is receptive when I actually get to visit him. Miracles!
Dad-- i have been thinking up great names for rock bands for you, inspired my my life in Poland. One is Crusty Socks ( we have a little washer but no dryer, which equals line dried and very crusty socks and towels) and Fire Shower. In the bathtubs there is a little heater built in hanging on the wall with the shower with a hole in it to heat the water. When you turn on the water it sparks and then flames up huge to heat it. You can look through the hole and see the sweet flames.
Yesterday we had a whole day of finding addresses to visit less/non-actives and to give them a christmas card, banana bread, and invite them to church. When you walk in the snow your feet get FREEZING (they don't shovel any walks) but I have been doing the math, and after walking about a mile and a half, you can start feeling your feet again because they are working hard. I also was sitting at a bus stop (in the pitch black at 3:30 pm) and thought of a specific time when I was laying at night sweating on the balcony in Haiti. I remembered storing away how miserable it was to be that hot so I could remember it when I was freezing in Poland. It is COLD here! At the bus stop I also counted how many layers I had on vs my warmth- I had on 8 layers on my top half and that was sufficient, but only 3 pairs of tights, plus socks boots and skirt on the bottom half. That isn't quite enough to stay warm.. :)
The Work: I love being a missionary! We do a lot of "whiteboarding" which is contacting on the street with questions and then you bridge to the gospel (a lot like Temple Square!). I go wholeheartedly and contact and ask people questions, but once they show interest I don't really understand what they say. I can maintain a conversation for about 2 minutes until I look around desperately for someone to come save the contact from my terrible Polish. We got some great numbers and met some really cool people though! One of the investigators, Adam, just accepted a baptismal date two days ago! Well I guess he didn't really accept- we prayed and were about to start the lesson (the sisters were all nervous about asking him about baptism but were planning on it at the end of the lesson) when he spoke up and said "Hey, so I decided that I want to be baptised. Can I do it next Tuesday or is that too soon?" Sister Brown couldn't stop giggling. That is the last day before she leaves home,it will be great. :)
Well I have to go. Oh, I almost forgot, the quote at the top is from Sister Brown. Every single day crazy things happen and she says, sincerely "Its not normally like this." I don't believe her. I fully plan on my mission continuing to be an adventure, and am so excited tobe here. The church is true, live it and share it! Merry Christmas!
-Siostra Stay
POLAND! December 15, 2010
Dominique is in Poland!
She told us that when she arrived, she was going to kiss the ground!
She was supposed to travel with a senior couple, but when they got to the airport, they had overbooked the flight to Chicago out of Salt Lake, so they routed Dominique through Dallas and then she was supposed to meet up with the senior couple in London and travel on the same flight to Poland. However, the flight out of Dallas was delayed for 3 hours and when she arrived in London, her flight and the senior missionaries had already departed. So she was able to arrange a flight late in the evening and arrived about 11 pm in Warsaw.
Unfortunately, no one had informed President Nielson and he spent most of the day waiting for the missionaries at the airport and then when the senior couple arrived (several hours late), he was surprised to find out that Sister Stay wasn't with them. So he had to come back late at night to pick her up. We feel so sorry for President Nielson! He had to go through so much extra work to get this one Sister to his mission!
Sister Nielson writes about their day here:http://nielsonsinpoland.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminalpolish-style.html
Dominique had an incredible experience at Temple Square, and we will send a few last notes that she sent about her experiences there. Dominique will be serving in Katowice, Poland with Sisters Brown and Smith. It appears that Sister Brown will go home at the end of December.
Here are pictures of a recent visit the mission president made to Katowice:http://nielsonsinpoland.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-zone-conferencekatowice.html
Katowice is a city of about 300,000 people in South Poland near the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south. It is one of the main coal mining and steel manufacturing areas in Poland, but it is also the third largest science center in Poland. There are over 100,000 students attending over 20 schools of higher education in Katowice, so there should be a large youth population there.It appears that in the surrounding areas are mountains with a number of ski resorts.We are thrilled that Dominique made it to Poland. She will be transferred to her new area today.
Thanks,
Tim
She told us that when she arrived, she was going to kiss the ground!
She was supposed to travel with a senior couple, but when they got to the airport, they had overbooked the flight to Chicago out of Salt Lake, so they routed Dominique through Dallas and then she was supposed to meet up with the senior couple in London and travel on the same flight to Poland. However, the flight out of Dallas was delayed for 3 hours and when she arrived in London, her flight and the senior missionaries had already departed. So she was able to arrange a flight late in the evening and arrived about 11 pm in Warsaw.
Unfortunately, no one had informed President Nielson and he spent most of the day waiting for the missionaries at the airport and then when the senior couple arrived (several hours late), he was surprised to find out that Sister Stay wasn't with them. So he had to come back late at night to pick her up. We feel so sorry for President Nielson! He had to go through so much extra work to get this one Sister to his mission!
Sister Nielson writes about their day here:http://nielsonsinpoland.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminalpolish-style.html
Dominique had an incredible experience at Temple Square, and we will send a few last notes that she sent about her experiences there. Dominique will be serving in Katowice, Poland with Sisters Brown and Smith. It appears that Sister Brown will go home at the end of December.
Here are pictures of a recent visit the mission president made to Katowice:http://nielsonsinpoland.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-zone-conferencekatowice.html
Katowice is a city of about 300,000 people in South Poland near the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south. It is one of the main coal mining and steel manufacturing areas in Poland, but it is also the third largest science center in Poland. There are over 100,000 students attending over 20 schools of higher education in Katowice, so there should be a large youth population there.It appears that in the surrounding areas are mountains with a number of ski resorts.We are thrilled that Dominique made it to Poland. She will be transferred to her new area today.
Thanks,
Tim
December 11, 2010
Short weekly update:
I am really sad to be leaving Sister Samuel. I have so much to learn from here. She is fiery and bold and I love her! With her personality she can get away with committing or slightly rebuking people without them feeling attacked or offended. She knows every single person who works on Temple Square and has developed a wonderful relationship with them. She is filled with love and has made it a goal to make those around her her family, since no one in her family supports her being on a mission. I showed her my pictures from India and Amristar, and we became good friends already. Oh man. I have been a lot quieter this transfer in contacts since there are three of us, and a lot of talking happens. I also found out that my assignment was to the Humanitarian Center, so I would be there 3 days a week. It was amazing taking the tour, and seeing another outlet and possibility of what I am interested in doing for the rest of my life. When the sisters there aren't giving tours, they are helping with the service projects, how fun!
On Thursday I had an amazing contact with this 50ish yr old man, Jimmy Johnson. He was here from Florida with his girlfriend to ski, and asked a lot of questions about what I did and why I was here on a mission. We had a great conversation and our personalities clicked, apparently I reminded him of his daughter who was pre-med and about to go to Italy on her own for a month. I could tell that his girlfriend (who was in a conversation with Sister Samuel and Peets) was getting antsy and wanted to leave, but they were great companions and kept her distracted. (nice work companions!)It wasn't a preachy or overly spiritual conversation, but the thought came into my head like 5 times during the conversation to ask him if he liked to read. As his girlfriend had had about enough and was trying to get Jimmy to come, I asked him the question, to which he responded that he did. I asked him if I could send him a copy of the Book of Mormon to read, since it was why I was on a mission, and read the 2nd to last paragraph in the introduction of the BOM. He had mentioned before that he loved Temple Square because of this warm peaceful feeling he felt here (when he mentioned it I followed your advice, Dad, and identified it as the Holy Ghost) . I promised him that as he read the Book of Mormon he would feel that feeling, the Holy Ghost, and that it is something that could be available to him always. He accepted the book and missionaries happily and left. The Holy Ghost helps us out so much to know what to say to those who are prepared!
I forgot that something available to us as missionaries on Temple Square now is to be able to teach the referrals that we get here (over the phone) until the missionaries come and was sad I didn't ask him. Later on in the night, we were in the South Visitors Center and he approached me and asked me to explain to him about temples. (hooray!) We had a great short lesson, and Sister Peets and Samuel had some wonderful things to say, and he was very receptive and interested. Again, his girlfriend called and wanted to leave, but this time I remembered to extend the invitation to teach him, which he was thrilled about. An hour later I found out I got the clearance to leave to Poland. All I could think about was how excited I was to teach him and see him progress and those others that I was going to call from the referral center. :( Hopefully I will get some updates on how he and the others are doing.
I guess everyone knows that I'm leaving on Monday. It will be crazy but amazing to have a Poland Christmas. I love you so much, thanks for your advice and help in getting me out there. I am so happy to see my Polish district soon! Sister Steadman and I joked when I was delayed (for what we thought would be 2 weeks) that she would get called as my trainer, and 2 months later we'll see what happens. :) It has been uplifting to get her emails, thank you so much Sister Gale!! Thank you family and friends for your letters and prayers, they help more than you could imagine.
-Siostra Stay
I am really sad to be leaving Sister Samuel. I have so much to learn from here. She is fiery and bold and I love her! With her personality she can get away with committing or slightly rebuking people without them feeling attacked or offended. She knows every single person who works on Temple Square and has developed a wonderful relationship with them. She is filled with love and has made it a goal to make those around her her family, since no one in her family supports her being on a mission. I showed her my pictures from India and Amristar, and we became good friends already. Oh man. I have been a lot quieter this transfer in contacts since there are three of us, and a lot of talking happens. I also found out that my assignment was to the Humanitarian Center, so I would be there 3 days a week. It was amazing taking the tour, and seeing another outlet and possibility of what I am interested in doing for the rest of my life. When the sisters there aren't giving tours, they are helping with the service projects, how fun!
On Thursday I had an amazing contact with this 50ish yr old man, Jimmy Johnson. He was here from Florida with his girlfriend to ski, and asked a lot of questions about what I did and why I was here on a mission. We had a great conversation and our personalities clicked, apparently I reminded him of his daughter who was pre-med and about to go to Italy on her own for a month. I could tell that his girlfriend (who was in a conversation with Sister Samuel and Peets) was getting antsy and wanted to leave, but they were great companions and kept her distracted. (nice work companions!)It wasn't a preachy or overly spiritual conversation, but the thought came into my head like 5 times during the conversation to ask him if he liked to read. As his girlfriend had had about enough and was trying to get Jimmy to come, I asked him the question, to which he responded that he did. I asked him if I could send him a copy of the Book of Mormon to read, since it was why I was on a mission, and read the 2nd to last paragraph in the introduction of the BOM. He had mentioned before that he loved Temple Square because of this warm peaceful feeling he felt here (when he mentioned it I followed your advice, Dad, and identified it as the Holy Ghost) . I promised him that as he read the Book of Mormon he would feel that feeling, the Holy Ghost, and that it is something that could be available to him always. He accepted the book and missionaries happily and left. The Holy Ghost helps us out so much to know what to say to those who are prepared!
I forgot that something available to us as missionaries on Temple Square now is to be able to teach the referrals that we get here (over the phone) until the missionaries come and was sad I didn't ask him. Later on in the night, we were in the South Visitors Center and he approached me and asked me to explain to him about temples. (hooray!) We had a great short lesson, and Sister Peets and Samuel had some wonderful things to say, and he was very receptive and interested. Again, his girlfriend called and wanted to leave, but this time I remembered to extend the invitation to teach him, which he was thrilled about. An hour later I found out I got the clearance to leave to Poland. All I could think about was how excited I was to teach him and see him progress and those others that I was going to call from the referral center. :( Hopefully I will get some updates on how he and the others are doing.
I guess everyone knows that I'm leaving on Monday. It will be crazy but amazing to have a Poland Christmas. I love you so much, thanks for your advice and help in getting me out there. I am so happy to see my Polish district soon! Sister Steadman and I joked when I was delayed (for what we thought would be 2 weeks) that she would get called as my trainer, and 2 months later we'll see what happens. :) It has been uplifting to get her emails, thank you so much Sister Gale!! Thank you family and friends for your letters and prayers, they help more than you could imagine.
-Siostra Stay
Update on Sister Stay, December 10, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
Sister Stay is on her way to Poland! She will leave Salt Lake on December 13th and arrive in Poland on the 14th. She will be arriving to a lot of snow and one of the coldest winters on record (drat that global warming:) ) and be there to have a Polish Christmas!
On Wednesday of this week, Dalita and I picked up Nikki up from Temple Square at 6 am and brought her to Utah Valley for her third IVP. She was x-rayed every few minutes for about an hour as thick goo made its way through her system till it showed up in her kidneys and flowed into her bladder. Most people only have one ureter on each side, but Nikki is a mutant and has two on each side (she gets that mutantcy from me!). Her appointment with the urologist wasn't until the afternoon, so after the morning lab work, and with permission from her mission president, Nikki ran a few errands with Mom and Ali and then we had all the kids come home from school and we had a family lunch, took a family photo (thanks Sister Major), and decorated the Christmas tree together.
Then we went to the urologist appointment. He looked at the x-rays and said that she was all healed and cleared to go. We got him to put that in a letter and had him talk to our Stake President who is also a doctor in the same hospital. We then took the letter to the Stake President so he could send it to the Missionary Department. We stopped at home and I wrote a letter to the Poland Mission President saying Nikki cleared her exam and was good to go. We then took Nikki back to Temple Square where Dalita walked her in to Temple Square and dropped her off with some of the sisters there. We had a wonderful time with her.
It was an unexpected blessing to be able to see her and spend time with her. She is doing great and has not had any health issues of any sort. Her Temple Square mission president says she works hard and is a very effective missionary. She seems to be in good spirits and has liked the time she has spent on Temple Square.When we got back home, I had received two emails from the Poland Mission President saying he was trying to work out her travel schedule and today I received a call from the Missionary Department informing us of her travel plans. She will be traveling with a senior couple that is also going to Poland. Thanks for all your prayers and support.
Tim
Sister Stay is on her way to Poland! She will leave Salt Lake on December 13th and arrive in Poland on the 14th. She will be arriving to a lot of snow and one of the coldest winters on record (drat that global warming:) ) and be there to have a Polish Christmas!
On Wednesday of this week, Dalita and I picked up Nikki up from Temple Square at 6 am and brought her to Utah Valley for her third IVP. She was x-rayed every few minutes for about an hour as thick goo made its way through her system till it showed up in her kidneys and flowed into her bladder. Most people only have one ureter on each side, but Nikki is a mutant and has two on each side (she gets that mutantcy from me!). Her appointment with the urologist wasn't until the afternoon, so after the morning lab work, and with permission from her mission president, Nikki ran a few errands with Mom and Ali and then we had all the kids come home from school and we had a family lunch, took a family photo (thanks Sister Major), and decorated the Christmas tree together.
Then we went to the urologist appointment. He looked at the x-rays and said that she was all healed and cleared to go. We got him to put that in a letter and had him talk to our Stake President who is also a doctor in the same hospital. We then took the letter to the Stake President so he could send it to the Missionary Department. We stopped at home and I wrote a letter to the Poland Mission President saying Nikki cleared her exam and was good to go. We then took Nikki back to Temple Square where Dalita walked her in to Temple Square and dropped her off with some of the sisters there. We had a wonderful time with her.
It was an unexpected blessing to be able to see her and spend time with her. She is doing great and has not had any health issues of any sort. Her Temple Square mission president says she works hard and is a very effective missionary. She seems to be in good spirits and has liked the time she has spent on Temple Square.When we got back home, I had received two emails from the Poland Mission President saying he was trying to work out her travel schedule and today I received a call from the Missionary Department informing us of her travel plans. She will be traveling with a senior couple that is also going to Poland. Thanks for all your prayers and support.
Tim
December 7, 2010
Dear Family and friends,
I am on the fast/liquid diet for the 3rd time in as many months. Yelch. This along with the P90X (Thanks Josh and Regan!) which I've been doing in the mornings will surely keep me fitting into my skirts :) Sister Ku and Sister Martinez (one of my roommates) sometimes join me, and then we are all sore as we walk around on Temple Square. I like it. It feels great to be active and sore, especially in the winter. Mom, did you ever check it out?
Temple Square is cool because we get to meet and talk to people with so many different beliefs and backrounds every single day. They are at least somewhat interested in the history and beliefs of the church so 1/2 the battle is already over (I feel like in Poland that will be a hard fight) . This week I had several great experiences with people from each of these backrounds:
1. In the R/C (Referral Center) a 7th day Adventist, who was reading the Book of Mormon, called in and wanted to talk (sincerely) about why we worshiped the Sabbath on Sunday, and not Saturday. We had a good discussion, and with some quick learning from the Bible dictionary ( I love the Bible dictionary!) I found that the time that worship switched to Sunday was after Christ's resurrection, since it was on a Sunday.
2. Heather Gilliland, the girl I was in Haiti with, came to Temple Square and I got to see her. She gave me the number of her friend Andrew from Colorado who was moving to the East Coast to work at a Space Camp. We talked about religion and his beliefs making decisions, and I shared with him a scripture and he was really excited to have the missionaries come over and teach him. hooray!
3. On Wednesday I met an inactive member named Autumn who was there with her 2 kids. I started the conversation by telling her how much I loved her red scarf. We ended up talking for a long time, she had been going through some really hard things with the dad of kid. I thought of that forgiveness talk that you sent me, Dad, (thank you for that!) and shared with her some things I had learned from it. We connected really well and she recommitted to start going back to church- I am going to call her today and she how that is going. At the end of the conversation, she took of her scarf and gave it to me. I tried to refuse, but she was very persistent. I had just been thinking earlier that day how I wanted to buy a scarf to be from Temple Square, but now I have something much better!
4. In the RC I called the friend of Mike, this way sweet inactive motorcycle man, who had referred his friend. His wife answered, and went off on me forever about how we weren't Christians (she used to be a Mormon) and how we don't believe in Christ enough, b/c we try to earn our salvation through ordinances, etc etc. I tried to not Bible bash, and simply explain my beliefs, bear my testimony, and get off the phone, but it took a while.
5. Sister Ku and I had the chance to teach the whole first lesson in a discussion we had with this couple from Missouri. They came to us asking about why there were so many religions, how it doesn't seem to make sense (can you believe it!) and how they had been searching from church to church, but none seemed to be right. I have been becoming increasingly more bold with how this gospel is important, and the husband was stuck on her beliefs, but the wife was very reflective and interested. It came to my head like 5 times while we were talking to show the special witness clip from Elder Bednar about the Priesthood authority, so I hope its what they needed. As we finished, I realized that we had hit on every point except for focusing on how God is our loving Heavenly Father and how the gospel blesses families. Right at that moment, Sister Ku stepped up and bore the most powerful and passionate testimony I had ever heard from her, and the first words out of her mouth were how God is our loving Heavenly Father and how the gospel blesses families. She didn't even realize it. I wanted to stop and give her a high five.
6. We have been trying to get through to Poland in the R/C but the program has been down. I finally got through, and in my surprise was connected to a member in Poland. She spoke only Polish, but her son in the US spoke Polish and English. I was trying to get his number. It was a humiliating and humbling experience. I could not understand, or explain myself very clearly, and the woman angrily (and quickly) spoke back in Polish and when I said "przeprasem, nie rozumiem..." she hung up on me. I was frustrated at my lack of ability and the struggle to even be able to reach someone to be able to teach them. I still was in the process of hanging up the phone with it rang from an inbound phone call. My screen was broken, as was my spirits at the time, but the person on the phone immediately said "What do I need to do to be able to have the missionaries come teach me?" Miracles.
7. I made a guy cry yesterday. I met this kid named Colton, who was studying his scriptures by the Christus statue. He had been home for 6 months for medical leave because of anxiety. He was now trying to make decisions about if he should try to go back, go to school, where to go to school etc. He had to come home before he left the MTC. It was amazing talking to him. I related with so many of his frustrations, of just wanting to serve and not being able to control the circumstances, of difficulty in making decisions and discerning answers. I have been amazed at all the things i have learned already from being on a mission, especially in regards to those specific things. I thought of this whole last year how I had tried to learn how to recognize the Spirit and answers to prayers. I wrote a whole list of scriptures, talks, and books that had helped me with situations like that. In having that discussion with him, I thought of 2 Nephi 2:2, where Lehi promises Jacob that his afflictions will be consecrated for his gain. I think the wording of that is so unique. I was so grateful for the things I've gone through, especially the feelings of anxiousness, inadequacy, indecision, and frustration in discerning answers; because they are things that I had to overcome (and I still am definitely working on...) . I have learned so much because of trying to find answers and results to those weaknesses and they allowed me to relate and help Colton yesterday b/c of the things I had learned. I told him that and honestly felt so gratitude for those hard things, and we both cried a little bit.
Well that's enough of the experiences, but there are plenty more, the mission is awesome. we had transfer conference yesterday, and I have 2 new companions! Sister Ku will be training someone new, and I will be with Sister Peets ( who is one of Crystal Stay's best friends) and Sister Samuels ( who is coming home a transfer early from outbound to help us out, she is from Pakistan) . The change happens Wednesday. Oh and I'm moved to Extended Zone, which means I'll be at Beehive house, Welfare Square, and the Humanitarian Center. Its great that in my short time here I still get to do some of everything!
I love you, life is great, thank you so much for your prayers, letters, and thoughts, they help so much! Grandma and Grandpa, I LOVE the ancestor stories you have sent, I tell them all the time as I'm taking tours. Amber, the anniversary book is beautiful! It stayed in the lunchroom for 2 days while 200 Sisters all looked through it and ooh-ed and ah'd over my family. I was proud. One of the Sisters was looking at it and said to me "This really is such an incredible blessing. Look at this family and how much they love one another, spend time with each other, and are firm in the gospel. That is my life dream is to have a family like that. Thats why we are doing missionary work, to be able to help make families into something like that. " Her comments really touched me, thank you so much family for being amazing and such great examples to me. I love you!
-Sister Stay
I am on the fast/liquid diet for the 3rd time in as many months. Yelch. This along with the P90X (Thanks Josh and Regan!) which I've been doing in the mornings will surely keep me fitting into my skirts :) Sister Ku and Sister Martinez (one of my roommates) sometimes join me, and then we are all sore as we walk around on Temple Square. I like it. It feels great to be active and sore, especially in the winter. Mom, did you ever check it out?
Temple Square is cool because we get to meet and talk to people with so many different beliefs and backrounds every single day. They are at least somewhat interested in the history and beliefs of the church so 1/2 the battle is already over (I feel like in Poland that will be a hard fight) . This week I had several great experiences with people from each of these backrounds:
1. In the R/C (Referral Center) a 7th day Adventist, who was reading the Book of Mormon, called in and wanted to talk (sincerely) about why we worshiped the Sabbath on Sunday, and not Saturday. We had a good discussion, and with some quick learning from the Bible dictionary ( I love the Bible dictionary!) I found that the time that worship switched to Sunday was after Christ's resurrection, since it was on a Sunday.
2. Heather Gilliland, the girl I was in Haiti with, came to Temple Square and I got to see her. She gave me the number of her friend Andrew from Colorado who was moving to the East Coast to work at a Space Camp. We talked about religion and his beliefs making decisions, and I shared with him a scripture and he was really excited to have the missionaries come over and teach him. hooray!
3. On Wednesday I met an inactive member named Autumn who was there with her 2 kids. I started the conversation by telling her how much I loved her red scarf. We ended up talking for a long time, she had been going through some really hard things with the dad of kid. I thought of that forgiveness talk that you sent me, Dad, (thank you for that!) and shared with her some things I had learned from it. We connected really well and she recommitted to start going back to church- I am going to call her today and she how that is going. At the end of the conversation, she took of her scarf and gave it to me. I tried to refuse, but she was very persistent. I had just been thinking earlier that day how I wanted to buy a scarf to be from Temple Square, but now I have something much better!
4. In the RC I called the friend of Mike, this way sweet inactive motorcycle man, who had referred his friend. His wife answered, and went off on me forever about how we weren't Christians (she used to be a Mormon) and how we don't believe in Christ enough, b/c we try to earn our salvation through ordinances, etc etc. I tried to not Bible bash, and simply explain my beliefs, bear my testimony, and get off the phone, but it took a while.
5. Sister Ku and I had the chance to teach the whole first lesson in a discussion we had with this couple from Missouri. They came to us asking about why there were so many religions, how it doesn't seem to make sense (can you believe it!) and how they had been searching from church to church, but none seemed to be right. I have been becoming increasingly more bold with how this gospel is important, and the husband was stuck on her beliefs, but the wife was very reflective and interested. It came to my head like 5 times while we were talking to show the special witness clip from Elder Bednar about the Priesthood authority, so I hope its what they needed. As we finished, I realized that we had hit on every point except for focusing on how God is our loving Heavenly Father and how the gospel blesses families. Right at that moment, Sister Ku stepped up and bore the most powerful and passionate testimony I had ever heard from her, and the first words out of her mouth were how God is our loving Heavenly Father and how the gospel blesses families. She didn't even realize it. I wanted to stop and give her a high five.
6. We have been trying to get through to Poland in the R/C but the program has been down. I finally got through, and in my surprise was connected to a member in Poland. She spoke only Polish, but her son in the US spoke Polish and English. I was trying to get his number. It was a humiliating and humbling experience. I could not understand, or explain myself very clearly, and the woman angrily (and quickly) spoke back in Polish and when I said "przeprasem, nie rozumiem..." she hung up on me. I was frustrated at my lack of ability and the struggle to even be able to reach someone to be able to teach them. I still was in the process of hanging up the phone with it rang from an inbound phone call. My screen was broken, as was my spirits at the time, but the person on the phone immediately said "What do I need to do to be able to have the missionaries come teach me?" Miracles.
7. I made a guy cry yesterday. I met this kid named Colton, who was studying his scriptures by the Christus statue. He had been home for 6 months for medical leave because of anxiety. He was now trying to make decisions about if he should try to go back, go to school, where to go to school etc. He had to come home before he left the MTC. It was amazing talking to him. I related with so many of his frustrations, of just wanting to serve and not being able to control the circumstances, of difficulty in making decisions and discerning answers. I have been amazed at all the things i have learned already from being on a mission, especially in regards to those specific things. I thought of this whole last year how I had tried to learn how to recognize the Spirit and answers to prayers. I wrote a whole list of scriptures, talks, and books that had helped me with situations like that. In having that discussion with him, I thought of 2 Nephi 2:2, where Lehi promises Jacob that his afflictions will be consecrated for his gain. I think the wording of that is so unique. I was so grateful for the things I've gone through, especially the feelings of anxiousness, inadequacy, indecision, and frustration in discerning answers; because they are things that I had to overcome (and I still am definitely working on...) . I have learned so much because of trying to find answers and results to those weaknesses and they allowed me to relate and help Colton yesterday b/c of the things I had learned. I told him that and honestly felt so gratitude for those hard things, and we both cried a little bit.
Well that's enough of the experiences, but there are plenty more, the mission is awesome. we had transfer conference yesterday, and I have 2 new companions! Sister Ku will be training someone new, and I will be with Sister Peets ( who is one of Crystal Stay's best friends) and Sister Samuels ( who is coming home a transfer early from outbound to help us out, she is from Pakistan) . The change happens Wednesday. Oh and I'm moved to Extended Zone, which means I'll be at Beehive house, Welfare Square, and the Humanitarian Center. Its great that in my short time here I still get to do some of everything!
I love you, life is great, thank you so much for your prayers, letters, and thoughts, they help so much! Grandma and Grandpa, I LOVE the ancestor stories you have sent, I tell them all the time as I'm taking tours. Amber, the anniversary book is beautiful! It stayed in the lunchroom for 2 days while 200 Sisters all looked through it and ooh-ed and ah'd over my family. I was proud. One of the Sisters was looking at it and said to me "This really is such an incredible blessing. Look at this family and how much they love one another, spend time with each other, and are firm in the gospel. That is my life dream is to have a family like that. Thats why we are doing missionary work, to be able to help make families into something like that. " Her comments really touched me, thank you so much family for being amazing and such great examples to me. I love you!
-Sister Stay
November 23, 2010
This has been a week of miracles. I can't believe that I have only been here for 1 week, oh man. I don't even know where to start.
It took me a few days to get over the shock of the sudden move to Temple Square, but now I am settled in and I feel like I can actually contribute. I 'passed off' yesterday, which means that I know the history and can bridge it to doctrine well enough that they aren't terrified of letting me lead a tour in a different language without saying all sorts of apostate things (Jake, I know how you feel about visitor center missionaries). Apparently this usually takes alot longer than one week to do, but that leads to the next great news...
I have had two Polish tours! The first one was Thursday, and was one of the first times that someone had come up to the information desk specifically asking for a Polish tour. But here I am, with my extremely limited capabilites, and the Poles have started to come. Apparently there has never been a Polish sister here. Sister Steadman in the MTC said that she felt like Moses. Polish is awkward and she said "I am slow of speech, but I know that God will make up for my lack" I thought of her as I started the tour. There were 2 Poles, Catholics, one who spoke a tiny bit of English, one who didn't speak any, and then an American, an inactive member, who was showing them around and knew no Polish whatsoever. He kept chiming in on difficult things to explain to his friends like polygamy and how he used to be able to go to the temple, but now he can't. My Polish was broken and awkward, but they were so kind and very interested. Together we got across the message and our beliefs. It took me half the time to figure out the word for pioneer. I kept asking the woman, and she would shrug, until we got to the handcart monument and she read it "oh! Pionier! " it sounds almost exactly the same! The tour was fun.
Usually visitor center missionaries have a week of training about being a visitor center missionary at the MTC and all sorts of orientation and training when then get here, but I came mid-transfer, so I just got thrown into the pot. I was feeling a little lost, because I didn't know what my objectives were or how to be useful. I would just try to approach people and everything seemed to be wrong, awkward, or focused on the wrong things. Another little blessing; this was a week full of training. We had Zone Conference, a mission meeting, a special "1st transfer" training session with the Mission President, and other smaller activities on other days. They did a lot of training this week because it is slow and will get a lot busier once the lights go on. It definitely helped me be able to understand how to be a good missionary here.
We got to clean the temple yesterday for a long time which was a blast, and I went through a session this morning. It was really cool to see a live session, I never have before.
Sunday was a miracle day. I had another Polish tour and I was praying so hard that they would be able to understand me and be able to feel the Spirit. My Polish was way better and much more fluid. I spoke completely in Polish the whole time. (I just got approval today to study Polish for 1/2 hour most days) Dang, I have to go. Maybe I will write it in a letter and mail the story to you.
I love you so much! have a great day and a great Thanksgiving!
-Sister Stay
It took me a few days to get over the shock of the sudden move to Temple Square, but now I am settled in and I feel like I can actually contribute. I 'passed off' yesterday, which means that I know the history and can bridge it to doctrine well enough that they aren't terrified of letting me lead a tour in a different language without saying all sorts of apostate things (Jake, I know how you feel about visitor center missionaries). Apparently this usually takes alot longer than one week to do, but that leads to the next great news...
I have had two Polish tours! The first one was Thursday, and was one of the first times that someone had come up to the information desk specifically asking for a Polish tour. But here I am, with my extremely limited capabilites, and the Poles have started to come. Apparently there has never been a Polish sister here. Sister Steadman in the MTC said that she felt like Moses. Polish is awkward and she said "I am slow of speech, but I know that God will make up for my lack" I thought of her as I started the tour. There were 2 Poles, Catholics, one who spoke a tiny bit of English, one who didn't speak any, and then an American, an inactive member, who was showing them around and knew no Polish whatsoever. He kept chiming in on difficult things to explain to his friends like polygamy and how he used to be able to go to the temple, but now he can't. My Polish was broken and awkward, but they were so kind and very interested. Together we got across the message and our beliefs. It took me half the time to figure out the word for pioneer. I kept asking the woman, and she would shrug, until we got to the handcart monument and she read it "oh! Pionier! " it sounds almost exactly the same! The tour was fun.
Usually visitor center missionaries have a week of training about being a visitor center missionary at the MTC and all sorts of orientation and training when then get here, but I came mid-transfer, so I just got thrown into the pot. I was feeling a little lost, because I didn't know what my objectives were or how to be useful. I would just try to approach people and everything seemed to be wrong, awkward, or focused on the wrong things. Another little blessing; this was a week full of training. We had Zone Conference, a mission meeting, a special "1st transfer" training session with the Mission President, and other smaller activities on other days. They did a lot of training this week because it is slow and will get a lot busier once the lights go on. It definitely helped me be able to understand how to be a good missionary here.
We got to clean the temple yesterday for a long time which was a blast, and I went through a session this morning. It was really cool to see a live session, I never have before.
Sunday was a miracle day. I had another Polish tour and I was praying so hard that they would be able to understand me and be able to feel the Spirit. My Polish was way better and much more fluid. I spoke completely in Polish the whole time. (I just got approval today to study Polish for 1/2 hour most days) Dang, I have to go. Maybe I will write it in a letter and mail the story to you.
I love you so much! have a great day and a great Thanksgiving!
-Sister Stay
November 16, 2010
Moja Rodzina,
Well, what a surprise, here I am, in Temple Square! I have received more hugs and hellos than I knew what to do with. For people who haven't heard the story, I found out yesterday that I will be serving in the Temple square mission for 4 weeks, then I will take another IVP test and be off to Poland! I'm excited for the experience, and to learn all of the history. I dropped off my bags, walked to meet my companion, and we went straight to Walmart to buy real food! My companion, Sister Ku, from South Korea, made fun of me for having 3 suitcases, but I made fun of her when we packed up her things (2 suitcases, 2 shopping carts FULL and a huge box) and we both moved into an apartment with 6 other girls... Craziness. It also happened to be one of my roommate's birthdays, so a huge gathering and party was happening. Every Sister that I met yesterday somehow knew that I was going to Poland and were extremely confused as to why I was in temple square, or why I had learned Polish to come to temple square or every possible variation on the story. I felt like I had snuck into a secret club, though everyone was super friendly. I asked Sister Ku how everyone knew about me, and she said "You are in one square block with 200 girls, how do you think they know?"
My whole day was filled with a lot of funny tender mercies, and Sister Ku was a big one of them. Mom, don't worry, one of the things that Sister Ku had me help her move was her medicine ball! She is 27, born in S. Korea and lived since she was 10 in Hawaii and was a convert at 19. She loves rock climbing and hiking, and warned me the first day "I'm sorry, but I'm not super affectionate..." She is more likely to give me a little shove and attitude then to squeal and envelop me in a hug. I love her already. This is her 4th transfer, and I am her first trainee. I foresee some great adventures together.
Today we also got to go to the BYU MOA exhibits on Christ. I know, right? I took the trip back down to Provo this morning, and helped our extremely lost bus driver find his way to BYU and the MOA. We talked the whole way back to SLC about how he is a bike skiing instructor... "There's something following them..." "I want my 2 dollars!" Better Off Dead. I was happy when he got the reference, his mission, and his wife who is investigating the church. It is great to talk to real people, but a new experience to think of ways to be a good missionary without being awkward or super pushy. I feel that people in Utah either are members or have been exposed to the Church many times. I realize I am fine talking about the gospel since that is what I am here doing, but I'm struggling on figuring out the best way to bring it into the conversation. I would love any advice. I still have a lot to learn, and a long way to go.
The art exhibit was great, they had a lot of the altar paintings from Denmark, Mom and Dad, aren't that the paintings you went to see when you were there? Mom, your favorite Garden of Gethsemane picture was there as well. I thought of you, looking at it. There also were a whole bunch of watercolors about the life of Christ. (I'm sorry, but both painters' names have escaped my head)
I still feel like I am just wandering around floating from place to place, I haven't spoken with the mission president yet, and it seems like a different world here with a lot of unspoken expectations. I am so grateful for doing Jr. Miss, I think it has helped me to be a lot more comfortable in this foreign environment. I look forward to the day when I can be an asset to the work here. There are no Sisters who speak Polish here, but they said that there have been a good number visiting lately. I'm not quite sure what the plan is for maintaining my language here... it is very highly emphasized that this is an English-speaking mission, and that is what should be spoken. Every sister who is here with another language is a native from that place, so they already speak it fluently. I will find a way.
I need to learn how to 'pass off' the tours, and then I will also work on doing it in Polish, so I can explain and maybe even lead tours in Polish. It will be good to work towards.
Love,
Siostra Stay
Well, what a surprise, here I am, in Temple Square! I have received more hugs and hellos than I knew what to do with. For people who haven't heard the story, I found out yesterday that I will be serving in the Temple square mission for 4 weeks, then I will take another IVP test and be off to Poland! I'm excited for the experience, and to learn all of the history. I dropped off my bags, walked to meet my companion, and we went straight to Walmart to buy real food! My companion, Sister Ku, from South Korea, made fun of me for having 3 suitcases, but I made fun of her when we packed up her things (2 suitcases, 2 shopping carts FULL and a huge box) and we both moved into an apartment with 6 other girls... Craziness. It also happened to be one of my roommate's birthdays, so a huge gathering and party was happening. Every Sister that I met yesterday somehow knew that I was going to Poland and were extremely confused as to why I was in temple square, or why I had learned Polish to come to temple square or every possible variation on the story. I felt like I had snuck into a secret club, though everyone was super friendly. I asked Sister Ku how everyone knew about me, and she said "You are in one square block with 200 girls, how do you think they know?"
My whole day was filled with a lot of funny tender mercies, and Sister Ku was a big one of them. Mom, don't worry, one of the things that Sister Ku had me help her move was her medicine ball! She is 27, born in S. Korea and lived since she was 10 in Hawaii and was a convert at 19. She loves rock climbing and hiking, and warned me the first day "I'm sorry, but I'm not super affectionate..." She is more likely to give me a little shove and attitude then to squeal and envelop me in a hug. I love her already. This is her 4th transfer, and I am her first trainee. I foresee some great adventures together.
Today we also got to go to the BYU MOA exhibits on Christ. I know, right? I took the trip back down to Provo this morning, and helped our extremely lost bus driver find his way to BYU and the MOA. We talked the whole way back to SLC about how he is a bike skiing instructor... "There's something following them..." "I want my 2 dollars!" Better Off Dead. I was happy when he got the reference, his mission, and his wife who is investigating the church. It is great to talk to real people, but a new experience to think of ways to be a good missionary without being awkward or super pushy. I feel that people in Utah either are members or have been exposed to the Church many times. I realize I am fine talking about the gospel since that is what I am here doing, but I'm struggling on figuring out the best way to bring it into the conversation. I would love any advice. I still have a lot to learn, and a long way to go.
The art exhibit was great, they had a lot of the altar paintings from Denmark, Mom and Dad, aren't that the paintings you went to see when you were there? Mom, your favorite Garden of Gethsemane picture was there as well. I thought of you, looking at it. There also were a whole bunch of watercolors about the life of Christ. (I'm sorry, but both painters' names have escaped my head)
I still feel like I am just wandering around floating from place to place, I haven't spoken with the mission president yet, and it seems like a different world here with a lot of unspoken expectations. I am so grateful for doing Jr. Miss, I think it has helped me to be a lot more comfortable in this foreign environment. I look forward to the day when I can be an asset to the work here. There are no Sisters who speak Polish here, but they said that there have been a good number visiting lately. I'm not quite sure what the plan is for maintaining my language here... it is very highly emphasized that this is an English-speaking mission, and that is what should be spoken. Every sister who is here with another language is a native from that place, so they already speak it fluently. I will find a way.
I need to learn how to 'pass off' the tours, and then I will also work on doing it in Polish, so I can explain and maybe even lead tours in Polish. It will be good to work towards.
Love,
Siostra Stay
November 15, 2010
Note from Tim, Nov 15:
Dominique was able to get clearance last week from the doctor that did the surgery, but the Mission medical doctors wanted to give it a little more time, so Sister Stay was assigned to the Salt Lake Mission assigned to Temple Square to work with Polish visitors, so she will get some chance to use her Polish. We got a call today about noon informing us of this and asking if we could transport Sister Stay up to Temple Square. So we picked her up from the MTC around 3 pm this afternoon. Dalita and I felt like we were busting her out of her long imprisonment and we even took a picture of us with bandannas dragging Sister Stay away from the MTC. We picked up 2 sisters from Temple Square who showed us where Sister Stay's apartment would be and we dropped her off there and said goodbye.The doctors want her to run some tests in 3 more weeks and if everything is ok, she should be able to leave for Poland! She is excited to be preaching the gospel and the sisters we met said that they spend the entire day teaching and that the day is filled with miracles.Thanks for all your prayers and support. It is nice to have her moving to the next stage, even if it isn't the path we expected!
Tim
Here is her letter from November 9th:
This week has been a good one. My district is awesome. On Sunday after the devotional we played signs together, it made me miss our family get-togethers and game nights. I stole Chris' 'go-to' knee sign, it was a blast. There may or may not have been some signs passed around during class the next day :D.
So turns out God is blessing me and everyone around me because I am still stuck in this place. Last Tuesday we had our third General Authority (in a row!) come to the fireside. Elder Ballard gave a great talk about becoming a master communicator. Sheri Dew also came on Sunday and spoke about fulfilling our life mission. It was a subject already on the minds of me and my companions because of that great talk from Women's Conference that mom sent earlier that week. She said that there were three abilities Satan would try to keep from you to paralyze you and keep you from fulfilling your mission. On the opposite side, if we had a firm knowledge of them, nothing could stop us from being an instrument in the Lord's hand and succeeding in everything we were sent here to do.
1. Who we are
2. a personal witness that Jesus is the Christ
3. the ability to receive instructions from our Heavenly Father
I"m pretty positive that since I am still here today, I will get another apostle tonight. I'll let you know ;)
It is hard to stay as driven and feel that I am progressing as fast as I was before the last district left, but I am still working at it. I was able to teach Stasha, the only Polish lady who comes to TRC every week. I taught her the third lesson in Polish by myself, but it was great! It was so nice to be teaching and personalizing, and applying the things I have been learning. For the first time here, I was able to just have a conversation with her about the gospel and how much it has blessed my life and will bless her life. This week if I'm still here I will be teaching the first lesson, I'm excited.
I help the new district with any questions they have about Polish, since we have a lot of time without teachers. It was fun to teach them Mianownik plural, and all the weird little things I do to remember the rules and order of things. After practicing together a lot, they seemed to understand it a lot better. Hopefully I was some help. It has been strengthening my grammar knowledge as well, having to answer why things work the way they do.
I love you so much and am excited to have answers tomorrow, and maybe leave (somewhere..) this week, although I will be sad to leave my new companions and district. Thank you everyone so much for the letters, prayers, and thoughts. They strengthen me and cheer me up. I have been able to see so much how many people care for me and are aware of me. I love you! Kocham cie!
-Siostra Stay
Dominique was able to get clearance last week from the doctor that did the surgery, but the Mission medical doctors wanted to give it a little more time, so Sister Stay was assigned to the Salt Lake Mission assigned to Temple Square to work with Polish visitors, so she will get some chance to use her Polish. We got a call today about noon informing us of this and asking if we could transport Sister Stay up to Temple Square. So we picked her up from the MTC around 3 pm this afternoon. Dalita and I felt like we were busting her out of her long imprisonment and we even took a picture of us with bandannas dragging Sister Stay away from the MTC. We picked up 2 sisters from Temple Square who showed us where Sister Stay's apartment would be and we dropped her off there and said goodbye.The doctors want her to run some tests in 3 more weeks and if everything is ok, she should be able to leave for Poland! She is excited to be preaching the gospel and the sisters we met said that they spend the entire day teaching and that the day is filled with miracles.Thanks for all your prayers and support. It is nice to have her moving to the next stage, even if it isn't the path we expected!
Tim
Here is her letter from November 9th:
This week has been a good one. My district is awesome. On Sunday after the devotional we played signs together, it made me miss our family get-togethers and game nights. I stole Chris' 'go-to' knee sign, it was a blast. There may or may not have been some signs passed around during class the next day :D.
So turns out God is blessing me and everyone around me because I am still stuck in this place. Last Tuesday we had our third General Authority (in a row!) come to the fireside. Elder Ballard gave a great talk about becoming a master communicator. Sheri Dew also came on Sunday and spoke about fulfilling our life mission. It was a subject already on the minds of me and my companions because of that great talk from Women's Conference that mom sent earlier that week. She said that there were three abilities Satan would try to keep from you to paralyze you and keep you from fulfilling your mission. On the opposite side, if we had a firm knowledge of them, nothing could stop us from being an instrument in the Lord's hand and succeeding in everything we were sent here to do.
1. Who we are
2. a personal witness that Jesus is the Christ
3. the ability to receive instructions from our Heavenly Father
I"m pretty positive that since I am still here today, I will get another apostle tonight. I'll let you know ;)
It is hard to stay as driven and feel that I am progressing as fast as I was before the last district left, but I am still working at it. I was able to teach Stasha, the only Polish lady who comes to TRC every week. I taught her the third lesson in Polish by myself, but it was great! It was so nice to be teaching and personalizing, and applying the things I have been learning. For the first time here, I was able to just have a conversation with her about the gospel and how much it has blessed my life and will bless her life. This week if I'm still here I will be teaching the first lesson, I'm excited.
I help the new district with any questions they have about Polish, since we have a lot of time without teachers. It was fun to teach them Mianownik plural, and all the weird little things I do to remember the rules and order of things. After practicing together a lot, they seemed to understand it a lot better. Hopefully I was some help. It has been strengthening my grammar knowledge as well, having to answer why things work the way they do.
I love you so much and am excited to have answers tomorrow, and maybe leave (somewhere..) this week, although I will be sad to leave my new companions and district. Thank you everyone so much for the letters, prayers, and thoughts. They strengthen me and cheer me up. I have been able to see so much how many people care for me and are aware of me. I love you! Kocham cie!
-Siostra Stay
October 27, 2010
Dear Family!
Oh man, tons to say and no time to say it. This was a super crazy week (I seem to say that every week). My district had been looking forward to the 'Halloween surprise' that Mom mentioned a few times and we got it right in time on Saturday night. Everyone laughed so hard when they pulled out the eyebrows and Elder Krzyminski didn't have one. Oh man. Everyone's mustaches also fit their personalities PERFECTLY. I could just see you and Ali sitting in the kitchen planning who got what mustache. Don't worry, pictures will come. We took pictures all night. Needless to say, you won the coolest mom ever prize. Hands down. I never told you how amazing the caramel apples were either. We had them after a TRC and they were delicious and perfectly fall-ish.
Ali- because I know you've been dying in anticipation. The General Authority that came on Tues was Elder Nelson. He gave a great, very simple to the doctrine talk and ended 20 minutes early. THEN, this Tuesday, I was sitting and singing before the devotional when the choir director ( who I honestly think is the actor from 'the music man' his voice is EXACTLY the same. Find out his name and I will investigate....) said "We don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion (yes he speaks like that) unless we are directed to by the MTC presidency or an apostle of the Lord walks in the room." 30 seconds later in came Richard G. Scott. Craziness.
His devotional was one of the most moving things I have ever heard. It was about the precious truths he had obtained about the Spirit throughout his life. He gave us all a handout of the points he spoke about. I know, awesome. I am going to the copy center and will send one home to you. He also used very strong language and spoke directly to the sisters several times during the talk.
Here is what he said "Sisters, I know exercise my divine apostleship and invoke a protective shield on you. As you serve and act in faith with that shield, I promise that you will be protected.Other promises he gave using the phrase "Under authority of my apostleship I invoke a blessing on you.."
- the gift of tongues. I am installing the capability. You have to use it, develop it.
-blessing of confidence, and guidance of the Spirit
-a blessing that the lessons you lear on your mission will be retained throughout your life, and you will be about to use it. You will have an understanding of gospel truths.
It was like a priesthood blessing on each of us, it was crazy. His testimony as an apostle was also the most powerful testimony I have ever heard. He aslo stopped and gave a requirement to the sisters to watch our health, and rest when we need it. His wife had to go home for several months from her mission b/c she didn't slow down when she needed to. She lost that time of service b/c she didn't take care of it.
Even if this was the only reason I stayed back it was worth it. My scripture of the week has been D&C 98:1-3 I love the action words and promises in there. I was companionless for 2 days which was crazy-- I went to the health clinic w/ the Finns, temple with the Ukrainians, breakfast with the Russians, lunch w/ the Italians, dinner with the bulgs, and slept in a room w/ the Greeks.
I feel healthy and fine, and have been studying super hard the grammar. It has been a great experience. Oh! and I saw SUZY Q! I was her host and showed her around. She lives 2 doors down. I love you thanks for the letters and emails. Send Dear Elder if you can!
I have also really felt the fasting and prayers on my behalf. Thank you! I love you and am fine and healthy.
-Siostra Stay
Oh man, tons to say and no time to say it. This was a super crazy week (I seem to say that every week). My district had been looking forward to the 'Halloween surprise' that Mom mentioned a few times and we got it right in time on Saturday night. Everyone laughed so hard when they pulled out the eyebrows and Elder Krzyminski didn't have one. Oh man. Everyone's mustaches also fit their personalities PERFECTLY. I could just see you and Ali sitting in the kitchen planning who got what mustache. Don't worry, pictures will come. We took pictures all night. Needless to say, you won the coolest mom ever prize. Hands down. I never told you how amazing the caramel apples were either. We had them after a TRC and they were delicious and perfectly fall-ish.
Ali- because I know you've been dying in anticipation. The General Authority that came on Tues was Elder Nelson. He gave a great, very simple to the doctrine talk and ended 20 minutes early. THEN, this Tuesday, I was sitting and singing before the devotional when the choir director ( who I honestly think is the actor from 'the music man' his voice is EXACTLY the same. Find out his name and I will investigate....) said "We don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion (yes he speaks like that) unless we are directed to by the MTC presidency or an apostle of the Lord walks in the room." 30 seconds later in came Richard G. Scott. Craziness.
His devotional was one of the most moving things I have ever heard. It was about the precious truths he had obtained about the Spirit throughout his life. He gave us all a handout of the points he spoke about. I know, awesome. I am going to the copy center and will send one home to you. He also used very strong language and spoke directly to the sisters several times during the talk.
Here is what he said "Sisters, I know exercise my divine apostleship and invoke a protective shield on you. As you serve and act in faith with that shield, I promise that you will be protected.Other promises he gave using the phrase "Under authority of my apostleship I invoke a blessing on you.."
- the gift of tongues. I am installing the capability. You have to use it, develop it.
-blessing of confidence, and guidance of the Spirit
-a blessing that the lessons you lear on your mission will be retained throughout your life, and you will be about to use it. You will have an understanding of gospel truths.
It was like a priesthood blessing on each of us, it was crazy. His testimony as an apostle was also the most powerful testimony I have ever heard. He aslo stopped and gave a requirement to the sisters to watch our health, and rest when we need it. His wife had to go home for several months from her mission b/c she didn't slow down when she needed to. She lost that time of service b/c she didn't take care of it.
Even if this was the only reason I stayed back it was worth it. My scripture of the week has been D&C 98:1-3 I love the action words and promises in there. I was companionless for 2 days which was crazy-- I went to the health clinic w/ the Finns, temple with the Ukrainians, breakfast with the Russians, lunch w/ the Italians, dinner with the bulgs, and slept in a room w/ the Greeks.
I feel healthy and fine, and have been studying super hard the grammar. It has been a great experience. Oh! and I saw SUZY Q! I was her host and showed her around. She lives 2 doors down. I love you thanks for the letters and emails. Send Dear Elder if you can!
I have also really felt the fasting and prayers on my behalf. Thank you! I love you and am fine and healthy.
-Siostra Stay
Friday, October 22, 2010
October 15, 2010
Hello family!
Well it has been a crazy week (like every week) but I feel like I have been able to communicate with you a lot, so not a ton is new :) Ah, but I have GREAT news, I got my travel plans!!!! I will be leaving Monday morning 6 am, and flying to Chicago, London, and then POLAND! It finally seems real. My whole district is bursting with excitement. We are definitely ready to leave the MTC. I will miss them though, we really became a family. Apparently we can call during layovers, should I just get a phone card? I still have to get cleared on Thursday by the doctor to leave.
Speaking of doctors, surgery went well, it was fine that you weren't there; I was out of it the whole time anyways. It definitely wasn't worth you staying home from the trip. It sounds like you had a great time! Thank you so much for the letters, flowers, and treats. (I definitely got a ton of junior high 'oohs' and teasing 'ahs' when flowers were sent to me, asking what boy had sent them) Recovering from the surgery isn't what I thought it would be. I have stopped taking all of the pain pills except for the antibiotic and some ibuprofen because the side effects were so bad. However, I still am really nauseous, bloated, and feel like I'm going to pass out. I thought this might have been the Lortab, but two days later it is still lingering... I feel the pain a lot, especially at night, but at least I have a bit more of my mental capacities than when I was on the drugs. I am feeling a bit better today though, and hopefully everything will be back to normal by the end of this week. I don't like not being able to function!! I just am trying to make sure that the things I am experiencing is normal for after surgery, and to avoid having to deal with complications in Poland. Thank you for your prayers, I have definitely felt them. :D
On Thursday after surgery I slept all day (in a place in the health clinic called "sick bay"-- 100% it reminded me of the Space Center. Zach, you should work there :D ), but then was able to teach in the TRC that night. It was awesome. I could recall everything I had studied, answer the questions of the investigator, and for the first time, I was able to teach with the spirit in Polish, instead of just reciting my memorized lines. It makes me very excited to teach real people and actually get started on the work.
Now that I'm not on the Lortab it is really hard to sleep at night (I got 3 hours last night :( ) but when I was on it, I had CRAZY dreams. In one of them, our whole Twin Lakes family was in it! Which reminds me, I see Elder Hunt here all the time and we talk about Twin Lakes. He's way jealous that I'm only going to miss 1 year of it.
On Tuesday we had a devotional by Bishop Richard C Edgley, he is a very good speaker and teacher. He talked about being a successful missionary and how we are a peculiar people. One of the quotes that he said that I really enjoyed was "Faith is the power, obedience is the price, love is the motive, the Spirit is the key, and Christ is the reason" (from Pres Faust). On Sunday Susan Tanner spoke to us in Relief Society (she was in the old YW general presidency) She gave a great history of Relief Society and how Joseph Smith said it was a restored organization, not a new one. She spoke a lot about Charity and our role as women of the church. I also watch Music and the Spoken Word every Sunday. I think of you kids getting ready for church watching it. I liked the phrase "Great achievements are made up of hundreds of mundane acts", talking about Louis and Clark this past week.
Well I love you, here are your Polish phrases of the week:
"Wiem ze mozes to zrobic' " which means "I know you can do it!" Sister Steadman and Marshall and I say it to e/o ALL the time. I think it will continue to be a phrase of the mission.
z byka spadl/es', czy co? --> did you fall off a bull or what? it is a Polish saying which means are you crazy or something? I thoroughly enjoy saying it.
Heath Count:
18 visits to the health clinic and 20 outside visits to different doctors. No joke, we have kept tally.
I love you family, I think about you all the time! Thank you for your prayers and letters, siblings, you will get letters soon!
-Siostra Stay
PS I cleared Physical Therapy for my shoulder, and I’m not worried about it being a problem in Poland.
Sister Stay's Medical Issues
Sister Stay asked me to clarify what she's been dealing with medically, so all of you wouldn't worry.
There's a tube that goes from the kidney to the bladder, and it was partially blocked and causing infections. Sister Stay had outpatient surgery on 10/14 to clear the obstruction. She had a few days of nausea, but has since recovered very well.
She has also had some shoulder pain, and has been working with a physical therapist, and that seems to have helped.
Sister Stay is still planning to leave on Monday for Poland.
October 5, 2010
Dad, thanks for the email :) And thank you for the medical information! It has been extremely helpful!
I'll address the fun stuff first. I have an appointment to see the urologist on Friday, but apparently there is a uro/gynocologist that works at the hospital who is amazing. It would be sweet to see him since I have a cyst+ ureterocele and he would know if things influence e/o etc. His name is Dr Justin Lee, and when the MTC health clinic called they didn't have an appointment until Dec, but the health clinic doesn't try hard at all to make things work out. If you think it would be much more beneficial to see him instead of a regular urologist, then try to get an appt and I think you or Dr Johnson would have a lot more success.
I am working really hard on not getting frustrated by the number of doctors’ appointments I am going to. My companions are a huge help to that. They are both so supportive and cheerful about the whole ordeal. Sister Steadman and I have had tons of adventures and studying together waiting for shuttles/appointments, and Sister Marshall stays in class with the Elders and teaches us what we've missed. I guess this is what I get for complaining about lack of adventures. :) I have felt the Lord help me SO much this week with the language even though I have missed a ton of class. Words and phrases stick easier then they ever have before, and I can speak and say what I want to say.
We taught the first lesson together 100% po polsku (in Polish), and it went great! My companions both were also more fluid and confident in the language. They’ve improved by leaps and bounds compared to any other week. I can't express how amazing it is to see God taking your limited abilities and making them work to serve his purpose. We were watching the RS broadcast on Sat night and it reminded me of that same thing. We all were just singing the melody, and in the last verse, the choir joined in with harmonies, descants, and the organ filled out the sound. That's exactly what I feel happening, it is incredible. As I give everything I have to sing my simple melody; it is taken and filled and made more powerful. I truly am learning about the enabling power of the Holy Ghost.
Last night as we were going to bed the fire alarm went off and all of the sisters had to evacuate our Residence Hall. My companions and I are good missionaries though; we stopped and looked around to make sure we had our nametags before we left. I felt like we should have been a little more urgent about leaving when I smelled the smoke in the hall. It turns out that one of the Sisters had burnt popcorn and set off the fire alarm. The poor sisters in the shower! We were kept up all night w/ instructions of opening and closing windows and doors to get the smoke out of the building.
I have been reading Jesus the Christ and looking up all of the references to things I find interesting. I have been learning so much! I also have been working on gratitude (especially with frustrations dealing with the MTC health clinic) and it has made a huge difference. My companions and I always share our tender mercy of the day as we walk home from class. It makes the day much more positive as I focus on the small or amusing things that went well. I am constantly reminded of the Bible study group that I would go to in Delhi. Marium was so aware of God's hand in her life in the smallest ways, even living in poverty. She shared a story about how her son had injured his finger, and they were really worried b/c they didn't know how he cut and injured it (with no tetanus shots and high risk of infection, even small cuts must be such a big deal!) She said that they prayed really hard that Abhi's finger would heal well, and she knew that thanks to the love of God it was all right.
On Wed I had the ultrasound. It was an awesome adventure. I woke up at 5:30 to drink the 40 oz of water they said I needed to drink (on an empty stomach) 1 1/2 hrs before my appointment. The shuttle driver was late, and paperwork took a long time, so it was 8:30/9 by the time I actually had my ultrasound. I was going to die. I was positive that my bladder was going to explode; even going up the elevator seemed like a dangerous thing to do. I told the radiologist that I needed to use the bathroom some or I else I wouldn't make it through the appointment. As she was doing the ultrasound (which was WAY cool to see all of the organs of my body) she said she was impressed at how much water I could hold.
Well, I love you, I need to go. Thank you, Savannah for the scriptures. I loved them. I think of you every day!!
-Siostra Stay
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
September 28, 2010
Drogi Moja Rodzina,
I had an excellent chance to practice missionary composure during the missionary conference on Sunday. Every fast Sunday all of the missionaries get together for a 2 hr conference, and Starzsy Sorn and I were asked to give the prayers. This meant that we were able to sit on the stand for the conference along w/ our companions. However, both of us are in a trio, so where 4 missionaries usually sat, 6 chairs were squeezed onto the stand. This resulted in my chair being directly in the view of the camera for the ENTIRE 2 hours. The camera man tried to zoom in as close as he could to the speaker, but in front of the black screen was my grey suit, blonde hair, and smile as I tried to be an attentive and non-distracting missionary just to the left of the speakers elbow. Ever since that conference I have been getting tons of stares and people coming up to me thanking me for my apparently epic prayer. I feel bad that they had to look at my face for that long! The worst part is that I had a cold, and I would have to strategically cough, wipe my nose, and readjust myself when the screen was showing a scripture or picture.
When I was on the stand I got to meet the Mission Presidency and of course found Stay connections. The mission president's wife Elizabeth Roth Smith said she knew Randy and Sharon from High School in Spain. J. Halvor Clegg, the 1st Counselor said he was a cousin of Jesse's and that his sisters swooned over him. He respected him very much. I said something about trying to live up to him, and Pres. Clegg replied, "Nonsense, you just have an advantage! Those Stays have good genes!"
I also got called on Sunday to be Coordinating Sister. As of today the only sisters in our zone are me and my two companions but we have been coordinating extremely well :)
Thank you so much for the packages and letters this week! (Mom, Amber, Josh, Ali, Greg, and Jake you all have letters coming I promise!!)
This week I studied about Light. If any of you are looking for a topic to study, I highly recommend it. I read in the Bible Dictionary as well as in D&C 88 and 93. Here's a pattern that I thought was cool. As you learn (though the spirit) you gain knowledge and (though faith) it becomes truth (if you apply it in your life) it then becomes light. We all can be filled with light, and bring light to others, depending on how we are living our lives. There are some sisters on my floor that are so filled with light that you can't help but be cheered up as you come in contact with them. I also watched a great talk about "knowing if an answer was from the Spirit or your own thoughts.” It was great, and reminded me of the many talks I had with Sarah. What it came down to was that if you were living your life the right way, it didn't matter. As we become more like Christ, He trusts us to make the choices He would make and He lets us make them on our own. As we live righteously we will have promptings w/o realizing they are from God and can answer others' prayers.
I love you!
Siostra Stay
Friday, September 24, 2010
September 21, 2010
Dear Family,
Thank you so much for your letters. I know how busy you are and (Mom) what a pain it is to pick away at the keyboard. Just think, it is training for all of the other missionary kids you are going to have :D The Salt Flats sounded awesome! That is cool that you got to go see it. I talked to Aunt Becky for a while, I saw her in the dressing room. She had just been through a session with some Elders from my Zone. They came up to me and said that Becky told them how incredible and smart you are, Dad. It was nice to see family, but I saw her talking on the phone when I walked out of the temple and I knew she was talking to you. It made me want to run over and say hi on the phone, I'm glad I was too far away to do so.
We had a devotional 2 Tuesdays ago all about choices, and how the choices you make determine who you are. Elder Lowell M Snow said, "Choosing becomes Becoming. Our choices reveal our true nature... There is something about choosing and the lessons we learn from choosing that defines us." It was a very good talk, and one that led to a lot of introspection
District Goals of the week:
SYL: We speak every lunch, only Polish. Today was our first day trying it. It was a very quiet meal :) We will get better and I think it will help a lot though
Hall of Fame: On Sunday we ended up in the back row of the gym and found a hidden treasure that I had never noticed: A Hall of Fame! I feel like I have a shot at 2 of them. The standing long jump was 8 ft and the wall sit was 7 min, the mile was 6:36. I don't know how to measure my standing long jump, but I tried after the devotional outside with some of the elders and I won :) A 6'7 Elder from Denmark saw me the next day as I was doing Polish laps on my floor and he said "Sister, are you always happy? I saw you jumping with the other elders yesterday and you always seem to be smiling and having a good time. " It meant a lot to me since I feel like I am tired and in my own world more than I should be, so I challenged him to a jumping competition. He went first, I won. Is this not missionary appropriate? I don't do it a ton, but every once in a while you just need to move. Dan, thanks for training me with Twin Lake Olympics, the stair hop is next!
The wall sit is only 7 min and I feel like I have the potential to dash this record. I have been training at night (for 2 nights haha) and did 8 min yesterday. Mom, you should train with me!
This is a very non-spiritual email, but oh well.
Polish phrase of the week! Ciesze sie z~e ty sie cieszysz! It means 'it pleases me that you are pleased!'
Sister Dalton said last week "one virtuous woman can change the world". I was talking to Sister Nothum and she said, ' I know that is what you are and I want more than anything else, to change the world. I would give ANYTHING for it." Then she stopped and said, "...But would we really give anything for it?" We set goals together to give up our pet sins.
I love you! Out of time!
-Siostra Stay
September 14, 2010
Thank you for your letter, I didn't receive it before my email time, but it is nice to have a hard copy! Mom, thank you so much for the packages, they brighten up my (and the district's) day every time.
Mom, I have more stories for you, but I will just write them in a letter after this. Thank you for your letter, it's almost like sitting at the edge of the bed talking with you :)
This week was one of amazing spiritual growth for me. I was really frustrated at hit a wall on Wednesday as I was trying to prepare my part for the first lesson. I was awkward and couldn't express or even come up with what I wanted to say. The worst part was that it was in English! I was very discouraged. The next day, I prayed, acknowledging fully that I couldn’t communicate or "teach with authority and power" (my goal lately as a missionary) without the help of the Lord, and as I studied the lesson and ran through it again with my companions the thoughts and transitions and direction I should take were much more clear to me. If He will help me out when I am not even teaching real investigators, I am so excited to teach the people of Poland with God surrounding me.
Sister Dalton (the YW pres) came and spoke to the RS on Sunday and gave an amazing talk. So many of the things that I identified at my weak spots of my testimony have been strengthened and I've gained more knowledge on these last few days. She was down to earth, full of charity, but very assertive and taught w/ power and authority. She mentioned how excited she was to teach women who knew who they were, she started to recite the YW theme, and slowly every Sister stood together and joined with her. The power in the room was unbelievable. It was not reciting memorized words; it was a declaration of who we are and how we are living our lives. Savannah and Mica, think carefully about those words when you say them next Sunday, they are very powerful!
I also taught the District on Sunday and was assigned the 1st lesson, which is the topic we had been eating and breathing for the last 2 weeks. Again I didn't know what I was going to say or how to not have it be extremely redundant, but after praying and then studying, thoughts and approaches came to my mind. It was a completely different lesson and materials, focusing on if we are truly converted, more of a self-evaluation on how we are living and applying the things we are teaching investigators. It went well and I learned a lot, and everyone participated and shared some great insights.
I'm almost out of time, but I love you so much and I will write a little more in my letter. I got to go to the temple this morning, and it was such an incredible experience. I learned a lot, and talked with the women working there. I love you, am praying for you and think of you always.
-Sister Stay
PS thanks Hank, Val, Josh, and Jake for the letters!
September 7, 2010
Moja Rodzina!
How are you! Thank you for the emails, I always love to get them. I am very jealous of the fun activities you got to do this week. I was thinking about the Storytelling festival and how much fun it always is to go with everyone. I would probably rather get the letters through Dear Elder just so I can have more time to answer your questions! Plus then its a boost in the middle of the week instead of a stressful 30 min, and when I'm missing you I can read it again :D.
This week has been wonderful; I still am just fired up to learn as much as I can. On Thursday we approached and bore our testimony to volunteers in the TRC and then taught the first lesson in English. We had been nervous and it was difficult for us to find a good balance and be fluid, but when we taught, the Spirit was so strong. I got to teach about the Restoration and when I testified about Joseph Smith I felt the power of the Holy Ghost one of the strongest times in my life. (Sorry my English is going, I am pounding my head with Polish all day and its already affecting me!) The rest of the lesson we weren't as structured and we just went 100% by the spirit. The room really was pulsating with the feeling and spirit, I can't describe it very well, but we were all very moved. It is so nice to teach real people (even if they are pretend investigators) because it makes it a lot more personal.
I have been working on how to be able to teach with the Spirit, and I think a big key to that is just studying enough to have a wide knowledge base so that things can be brought to my remembrance when it is needed. I'm picking up Polish pretty quickly (thanks Dad for Rosetta Stone!! It truly has made a world of difference, coming into the MTC being able to pronounce letter combinations and how to read for the most part.) I am the best and memorizing the phrases that we need to say--> I do this by doing laps around our floor while just saying it aloud over and over again. By the time I leave I fully expect to see tread marks on the carpet. After I know the phrases, I really study the vocab that is in the phrases, it sticks much better that way. I am much slower at grammar, but Siostra Marshall is a machine at it. I help Siostra Steadman with reading PMG aloud and she drills me with Scripture Mastery references any time we are walking somewhere or waiting for a meeting to start. I love it, it is a ton of hard work, but whenever I start to feel unmotivated, I realize that I'm going to be in Poland very soon, and I feel so unprepared. I want to be able to teach and be an effective missionary as soon as possible when I get there.
Polish phrase of the day! I like to rock climb = ja lubie wspinac' go'ry (accents above the letter) I remember by thinking that if you eat spinach you will be strong enough to climb mountains, but if you fall, it will be pretty gory :D
I feel like I’m getting closer to my companions which is great. We are very different, but I'm so glad it is all three of us, because we balance e/o out.
Caleb, I had a dream about you the other night! I miss you so much! We were having a big battle with pretend weapons and we had to run and hide in all of these different houses and a pirate ship. Congratulations on selling those books! Was the money machine fun? The elders in my district play a funny game where they try to slip spoons in other people's suit pant pockets while they are standing in line for food. What is your favorite game to play with your friends?
Savannah, that is awesome that you are reaching out to your non-member friend. Sometimes the best sort of missionary we can be is just to be a nice person and good example of someone who is living the gospel. Let me know how it goes, I'm praying for you every night :)
Lily, one of my best friends from Saint George is here in the MTC too, her name is Allie Nothum. She is even living on my floor and we have meals together so I see her all the time. She is a really good friend because she listens to the things that are frustrating me, but then encourages me to be better. We both set goals w/ each other and check up on them daily. You make friends so easily; try to be a good friend who makes people want to be a better person. I love you!
Dad, thanks for the letter! We made a goal as a district to always use all of the Polish words that we know, but at the moment, it’s pretty minimal. We learned during mission conference some good ideas on how to find investigators. I'm excited to try them out. After the language, finding people and being creative is my biggest concern right now. I heard you studied Alma as a prophet in scripture study so I studied the difference of his missionary attitude vs. Jonah. They both had to teach people who didn't want to listen, but they handled it very differently. I also studied Abinadi. He taught and gave his life and didn't know that he had a single convert, but he converted Alma the Elder who taught many others, and then Alma the Younger who converted thousands. I just need to work really hard, be bold, be focused on the people, and speak with power and authority like in Mosiah 13:6.
Mom, I’m stoked about the cookies! Thanks for your example that you've always been to me. I'm so lucky to come from great parents who both taught me a lot of the things that I need to know to be a good missionary. I can feel your love and support, I'm going to try to print off pictures and mail them this week. (Apparently it doesn't work over the Internet here). Thank you!
Well I got extra time this week, but I need to go. I love you family!
-Siostra Stay
August 31, 2010 part 2
Family!
It is so good to hear from you! The MTC is wonderful, it is amazing to feel the Spirit so strongly for almost the entire day. It feels like a huge absence when it is gone, and I quickly evaluate what I need to change to get it back, what an amazing gift we were given. The best word to describe this week is excited. I am just filled with ambition and this huge desire to study, conquer and share everything that is thrown my way. All of a sudden I have this endless capacity to study and focus on the scriptures, I think it definitely helps that all the studying of the language and doctrine isn't for my benefit but for someone else. I haven't been stressed out at all, just aware of the huge responsibility ahead of me. I have two companions, Siostra Steadman who is short and blonde, and Siostra Marshall, who is about my height with curly brown hair. We have very different personalities but get along well. Siostra Marshall is very creative and constantly laughing which always lightens the mood. Siostra Steadman works really hard, and balances Siostra Marshall and I out really well.
Mom, I go to the early morning aerobics, and I'm so excited that my companions always want to go. We have pilates, yoga, toning, step, etc.. We also play soccer during gym even if its only 4 of us sisters (we can't play with the boys) I love it! Zach, we used to go ice blocking, but never slip and slide w/ trash bags. Yesterday I slid like 4 ft on my back though. I was playing soccer and the grass was extremely wet and slippery.
Caleb, Mica, and Lily, thank you so much for your pictures and letters. I just got them today and I showed them to everyone around me. Mom, the skirt fits perfectly, and I shared my Limonata with my really good friend Allie Nothum from St George. She is here in the MTC and lives on my floor so I get to talk to her every day. Already we have helped e/o out a lot. Oh! She was wondering if she could get a scripture case just like mine, I got it at the BYU bookstore. If you ever happen to be there... if not don't worry about it. Supposedly shipping is really cheap there to the MTC so I don't know if you want to look into that.
Ali has the polish word of the day for you, I'm out of time. :(
I have a funny story for you, but no time to tell it, so maybe I'll write it and mail it to you. I love you so much, I know that this Church is true, I am getting a stronger testimony of it every day. Dad thank you so much for your advice, I love my district.
-Siostra Stay
August 31, 2010
Dear Ali,
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sending Packages to the MTC
For anyone in Utah:
If you want to send Sister Stay a package, The UPS store in Orem (51 West Center Street, by Ridley's Market) delivers to the MTC daily. The package must be there by 1:30 pm. If it is under 10lbs, it is only $2.00 to send!
You will also need this information:
Sister Dominique Stay
Poland Warsaw Mission
Box 111
Departure Date - 10/25/2010
If you want to send Sister Stay a package, The UPS store in Orem (51 West Center Street, by Ridley's Market) delivers to the MTC daily. The package must be there by 1:30 pm. If it is under 10lbs, it is only $2.00 to send!
You will also need this information:
Sister Dominique Stay
Poland Warsaw Mission
Box 111
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604Departure Date - 10/25/2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Receiving the Call
Dominique was called to the Poland Warsaw Mission on May 12th, 2010. She goes into the MTC tomorrow morning.
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