Sczesliwego Nowego Roku!!!

Hey Family :) - So good to hear your voices! Goodness gracious- you all sound like a little piece of heaven. Ha, I wish I could've talked to you guys all night, and I could have. Spencer kid, your voice is so deep now lol. I think it's hilarious. Maybe I just haven't heard it in so long it seemed really deep, I dunno? Sarah and Annie, you sound pretty much the same- so happy and so good. I loved talking to you all. Dad...I mean "Your Honor" - I can't believe your going to be a Judge so soon! That blows my mind! Are you excited? I'm sure it's a bummer to have to say goodbye to the lack of work and good family time, but I can imagine your excited to tackle this next part of life. It'll be SWEET! to hear about :) Who's in the Bishopbric now? Ma, you sound way good :) It was funny, right when I heard your voice, it was like I talked to you on the phone everyday ha. Funny eh? The days do fly by here....I know that before I can even realize it I'll be back home, so I really do need to make the very most of this I can- I loved one time this week Elder McRae said, "I'm almost at my year mark! That's ridiculous!" and I asked him "Why?" and he replied. "Cos that means I have less time left on my mission! And less time to learn Polish!" Ha i love it :) I want to hear ALL about Christmas, and ALL about your awesoem Ski trips! Be safe, ya hear? Good :) This week, since I've talked to you has been a bit slow. It's WAY tough to meet with people because all of the Holiday madness that is going on, so that was a tad discouraging...and it has been wicked cold still- today we were blessed with some sunshine :). But we spent some time contacting and tracting, with no major success, BUT we tracted some craaaazy houses. I'm talking, ancient looking, and feeling. One of the apartments consisted of a narrow, spiral, old wood staircase, with small little flat landings with a couple doors. It had an eerie feel to it and when we finally went outside, we felt like we had jumped back into the future. Some of these apartments are just...old and European. The elevators here are a trip to...we must ride one when you come, just to experience it lol. A lot of them haven't changed since communists times...very small, and very rickety feeling. We did get to serve quite a bit this week. We helped Richard and Asia deliver some packages the ward had put together for some members. It was sweet! This one lady, Janina, is one of the funniest ladies I've ever met in my life. She has droopy, dog-like cheeks and is addicted to TV- stayed up til 6 in the morning watching the American Elections. And her laugh is so funny! So silly....o jeez, I'll have to record it somehow. SO - Elder Mehner and I went over there (cos we had to split up and we just changed it up) and she was not expecting us, so when we rang her apartment, she got way excited and let us in, but she had just woken up. We went up there, gave her her package, and than said we had to leave. She said "ok" and then continued to talk for 5 more minutes. We tried to leave 6times! and eventually had to resort to walking towards the door. And she finally let us go, but only after bestowing some cookies and candies :P She is so cute and kind and she's a less-active lady the Zone Leaders meet with- hopefully she comes back to Church soon.We had a meeting with Irina, in which we gave her son a guitar to borrow, to try to get him hooked on that, and Elder McRae gave him one of his ties, to wear to Church. The meeting didn't go the best , mainly because her dog was running around with his cast on, trying to bite everything. Eventually I took it in my arms and held him kinda like a baby...and he calmed down and the lesson finished decently. Irina drove us home and then we hadn't heard from her since that day, cos she was going to her boyfriends family's house for Christmas. We wanted to set up her Baptism, but she wouldn't answer her phone on the 26th or the 27th and we were a little worried...so yesterday, before we tried to call her, we prayed that she would answer, so we could get it all set up. We called- and she answered! It really was pretty amazing, cos we had been trying pretty persistently, and the Lord helped us out there. :) We got everything all set up, and he baptism will be the 3rd of January. And it will actually happen! I will tell you all about it- we want to have a member baptize her, because then she will always have a solid friend in the ward- the person who baptized her, even when we are gone. That is one of the major problems- less - actives are way to common here, so we;re working on building the members relationships. So yeah for Irina :) Please continue to pray for her. We had a great meeting with Edyta and with Tomek. The spirit was quite strong on both meetings, but Edyta's I particularly enjoyed, because I feel like she actually has the intent to learn and to change. Not that Tomek doesnm't, I just truly feel the sincerity in Edyta. She's a very kind and calm, mild person, but very funny at the same time, and she wants to be good. She holds us in such High esteem- we told her how Poland kind of feels like home now and she replied "I bet every place can feel like home when you have the kind of Spirit you both have." It was humbling and for sure too generous of a comment- but something to live up to undoubtedly. She will be baptized soon, no doubt there :)Church was awesome this Sunday - Elder Whipple, Antczak and Sis. Thacker all bore their testimonies and it was way good. I was very straightforward and I understood it all :P (I feel like i'm actually starting to see how all the grammar works a lot mroe fluidly...I can understand a lot more, even if I don't necessarily know the word...and I'm starting to get into learning the deeper harder words, so I'm feeling good there). Brat Hapgood, a member of the Mission Presidency spoke next. That man knows deep doctrine...and it's great to hear him speak. Very powerful. Primary was so funny and just good. There were only 3 kids there- the Banks kids and one Polish/Mongolian boy who left 10 minutes into it with his mom. And Sis. Banks is the Primary president, so it wasn't too hard. We played a game of memory and sang tons of songs- I play on a little electric piano in there. Sis. Banks told a great story about how she lost her wedding ring in a lake, right around the same time her husband had Cancer and was possibly going to die. (He is stil alive and is the Mission Presidency.) She searched so hard for it, and prayed and knew that the Lord could help her, and he did. She related it to the Parable of the Woman seraching for her valued coin in her house, or the Lost Sheep and then again to the Prodigal son. She said how she knows that however lost we are, or how we feel that sometimes we mess up too bad, the Lord always welcomes us back and is so so happy to see us. It was powerful for me. I feel like a lot of people forget that aspect of our Loving Father. Sidenote- this lady really reminds me of Aunt Jolene for some reason...it's nice :)Well I have to go- got cut on my e-mail time a bit, cos have to take a Zone Leader to the Train station. But I love you all so much. That phone call was the best and I can't wait to hear about your trip! And tell me about Christmas! and what you got and what you all are up to! And Spence, fill me in on life man. I don't want to have to wait to years to know what's going on. Ya know ; ) Your my best friend kid. I love you family. So darn much. The work is going on good here in Poland. I feel like we're doing good things here. I love it. I rejoice in the people i get to work with cos I know you would love them all. I look forward to e-mailing next week :) Milosc! - Starszy Michael Joseph Rushton Junior :) (still Spartacus!) p.s. Happy 2009 :)