Unexpected Means:)

Happy P-Day!  I am in EUROPE!!!!

August 4th, 2014

Hello Hello! My lovely Family:)

Well what an action-packed week! I really can't believe how quickly time flies and how crazy it is that this week had so much going on... buckle up;)

70th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising!!

Well I've got to start out the week by saying that I was so blessed this week for a lot of reasons, one of them being that I got to be in Warsaw during the anniversary 70th of the Warsaw Uprising, August 1st.! Oh my goodness how much I love Poland! It was soooo cool. I know that some people see it as a loss and that's true, but so many people showed so much valor and faith! I am certain that the majority of those who fought were faithful and good people! It was so cool I'll tell you what happened that day... at 17:00 there was a moment of silence. The whole city pauses and the air raid sirens go off and all the cars honk their horns for one minute. It was a spiritual experience actually, as the people all around were remembering their ancestors( Malachi4:6  anyone...) A huge group of youth dressed up and paraded down the streets, and then we ended the night during dinner by going to the tomb of the unknown soldier and singing "forbidden songs" from the war. So Lovely! I was so grateful for that.

The next day ( Saturday) we had a really hard day. Well, not for any given reason,mostly just pride(it's the worst)  but basically I was SO grateful that Heavenly Father answered my prayers as Sis. Edgren showed up at the baptism( of another branch) and she offered to take Sis. Blake and I out for dinner! Oh how I love that woman. She is a wonderful example and I love her a lot. She helped us feel a lot of peace and told us to take care of ourselves:) ( insert sheepish grin for mom...) So we've decided that going hard to the end doesn't mean anything other than living with continuous progression to the end of our lives, not just missions!

Sunday was a Miracle Day! Sis. Poklinkowska is back in our group! Hooray! She will be with us for the next few weeks of the transfer... I'm grateful, she is a wonderful example.We met with a woman named Monika who Sis. Blake found on a tram. I felt prompted to share the first vision and as a told about how Heavenly Father loves us enough to send us complete truth, and even to appear in person to a prophet I was struck by the Spirit. It was a lovely experience and I felt the Spirit very strongly. She accepted to be baptized and I am so grateful that she will be able to be free of sin and enter into the fold of God. What a wonderful promise and place to be! The church is true.We taught in such unity and it worked so well!

Fingernail Painting!

Then things got interesting... it was fast Sunday, and we had this new idea from Sis. Blake's friend... to paint fingernails! So we gathered up a heavy table and 6 heavy chairs from the chapel to carry them to ogród saski... Let me paint a picture... Sis. Hemming( 1 heavy backpack, one foam mattress from the mission home brilliantly wrapped up in a giant circle and strung through the backpack handles and then placed on my back, 3 heavy wooden chairs) I looked like a dutch girl with one of those water holders on her back! Sis. Blake with a huge wooden table, and Sis. Poklinkowska with 3 chairs as well and her huge backpack and purse strung around her neck. Pretty hilarious! Let's just say that we looked crazy and were sweating up a storm. yep.. it's pretty hot...

ANyways... From great sacrifice comes great things... WE had a lot of faith in this activity and guess what, we had Killer conversations with tons of moms as they and their daughters came up and got their nails done! Plus it was calming for us. Normally and naturally sharing the gospel! I loved it! By far the most effective finding activity I've ever done!

Cool Polish Gnome

Cool view from the culture palace

Well, those are the highlights of the week. I must say that this week spiritually has been wonderful. It's hard sometimes as I feel a lot of pressure spiritually to know where to go and what to say(I know this makes no sense but just bear with me) but as I was preparing to read Ether( which is kind of a tragic book)I prayed that it would be uplifting to me. I ended up being blessed as the Holy Ghost testified of the power of the atonement. The Book of Mormon testifies of the character of Christ! Ether is a book about how we have free-will and when we choose good we are blessed, when we choose wrong there are consequences. The Savior always forgives, but as we learn we are to remember what He's done for us. I am still learning about how to grow and learn and remember but I'm grateful that the Lord blessed my efforts. I know the book of Mormon is truly from God. It contains His gospel. I hope that everyone reading this e-mail is also reading the Book of Mormon, if not, start now. It teaches pure doctrine of Christ.

I love you all! Pas!

Love, Siostra Hemming