As long as there's Christmas

Our wonderful Zone! Love them all!!

December 9th, 2013

Hello my lovely family!!! I can't believe that Christmas traditions are already underway... time is so crazy! We had a great week this week and I am so grateful for the people and the work that is here, what a great time of year to be a missionary serving the Lord!

I can't lie, it's also super nice to be able to spend a long time to e-mail, for the past while I've been so rushed, and I'm super grateful!

So we started off the week with going to Aushwitz, I loved that experience. To be able to learn about the strong and wonderful peope of Poland again was so touching. It was odd, I felt that there was a spirit of reverance there even more so at this time of year, and I was able to have my testimony of the power of the Atonement grow. Then we went as a zone to Katowice and went caroling! What an experience, I was able to talk to and meet some amazing people and it was wonderful! I LOVE our zone, the sisters in our zone are so powerful and lovely, I love them all! There will be some lucky men who someday get to marry these sisters! I got to talk with Prezydent Edgren and Sister Edgren for some time, and I just love them! Then we came back and put our experiences to work!

We were able to find three new investigators this week, and they were all such miracles. People being in the exact right place at the right time! It is the work of the Lord. Both times we put our trust in the Lord and did what He wanted and we were led to these people! I have been trying so hard this transfer and last to establish the relationship between missionary and others. There have been some experiences where we've met people who were investigators and they really were just the missionaries friends. They had absolutely no idea why the missionaries were actually here in Poland, and I don't like that, so it's been a bit of an endeavor, but I think that as we use our time wisely, follow the rules and love the people, they will know that we are here to help bring them closer to Christ. We have no other purpose.I think it's so important to show them love and care and obey the rules of times and such. I remember often what dad said about leaving right after you finish the lesson, I think that makes a HUGE difference!

Auschwitz...what a sad place but SO important to remember!

Sister Moncur and I have just been learning from each other and trying to figure out how to work better together, I have been trying to learn more about how to not take it all on myself. I think that I have the tendancy to take everything on myself and feel like I have the responsibility to make everything work out exactly right and make sure that everyone's happy and I have been realizing this week that I am called to take advantage of my talents, work hard, have faith, and leave the rest to the Lord. I can't do everything, and I'm not supposed to. Elder Raines told me this week that when he was AP Prezydent Edgren would ask them to do all of their work and still have the model area, and he said that he told Prezydent that he couldn't do it, and prezydent said, " that's right, you can't, but the Lord can, and you have to go to Heaven for help". That helped me a lot, and I want to work on it this week! I need to work on the basics, prayer and dependency on the Lord! I'm just super grateful that He's patient in helping me learn the same lessons time after time:)

We are listening to Christmas music as we work out and really any other time we're allowed! I love it! I think I've just realized that I only get one Christmas on my mission, so I'd better use it well! I can't wait to share the message of " good tidings and great joy" with everyone in my path! whoo hoo! We are also buying a tree today, and I just love it!

Sorry this is so long, but just so you know there was a hurricane in Northern Poland and it was a pretty crazy week this week with super cold wind and snow, but i'm healthy and well! We are trying to find new ways to find people even in the cold weather!

I love you all so much, please be safe and have a wonderful week this week. Bask in the Spirit of Christmas, which is really just the Spirit! I KNOW that the Savior lives. He is our Savior and He loves us all more that we can even comprehend. This church is His church, which means that through it we can be closer to Him than through any other way. Any other way.

I love this work!!!! so much love from Poland:)

Thank you for the package!!!!! It brought me so much joy to see all of my lovies! ( I got that word from Aunt Kathy, but the Polish people totally use it!) What a sweet family I have been blessed with.

~Sister Hemming

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