Zone Conference Galore-April 23, 2010

Dearest family of mine :)
It's a beautiful day today, and I am fully enjoying my day of preperation and relaxation ha, and the opportunity to write to you all. I'm sitting in the same library from whence I sent my very first e-mail of my mission. It's relatively close to our house, and much closer to Centrum then the office is, so we decided to take advantage of it today. It's still as peaceful and enjoyable, and free, as ever. It's amazing to think that all those months ago, I sat here for the first time, not having any idea what the Lord had in store for me, how many amazing people I would meet, or all the lessons I would learn, and more then anything how much I would come to love being a missionary, and seeing people change their lives and become happier. It's been the most amazing ride of my entire life- somedays I can't even comprehend how blessed I am to have this opportunity, to be here in Poland at the pioneer stages of the church, seeing these men and women (members) do the most superhuman things I can imagine in building the church here in this beautiful country. It is a blessing to be here and to serve them, and the Polish people.
Happy anniversary ma and pa! How amazing is that. 22 years ha. You, my parents, have always given me such an amazing example of what a marriage is supposed to be about, always supporting and loving eachother, and doing your very best to love us and help us as your children be the best we can. I love the story of how you met and were married, and now 22 years later the story lives on. I pray that someday I will find someone I can love as much as you love eachother and that I'll have a marriage just like yours. I know of course that the Gospel is the foundation to a happy family, and that is obvious in our family. 22 years is such a long time. Ha it's a litlle bit more then my entire life ha :P I've seen so many times here how marriages can fall apart, how people can find fault with eachother if they want to- for so many a happy family is nothing less then an extravagent fairy tale. I'm so glad to know that it's more than just that, that because of the Gospel, and it's guidance we can have the most amazing and happy families, forever. Yes. :)
I have the strange feeling that I sound like an old man sometimes when I write these letters ha. I'm waxing boring in my old months here ha. The thing is, crazy junk happens all the time to me, I just am not half as phased by it now as I was once upon a time ha. I need to do better at remembering the little neat things that happen....this last week in general was something completely new and different than anything I have experienced thus far on my mission- allow me to digress.
Zone Conferences are one of the things that I always looked forward to, because they are always so inspiring and building and I felt like I always gained some new and life-changing perspecitve from them. They were always amazing, but never did I really take into consideration how much planning and meticulousness goes into planning those bad boys. In this week, we had three Zone Conferneces - one for the Katowice Zone, one for the Bydgoszcz Zone and one for the Warszawa Zone. Monday, Wednesday and Friday each with it's own conference in a different city.
Monday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to make it to Katowice on time. We made it, with a few minutes to spare. Elder Mehner and I did the brunt of the driving so President and Sister Engbjerg could finish preparing their thougts. (Side note- President's car hauls. It is insane ha.) It always is refreshing as can be going back to that city. I just love it. That's all there is to it.
The Conference went so well, I was amazingly pleased by it all. President and Sister Engbjerg both spoke about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and it was very powerful. We as a mission are going to begin a 2 month study of the Atonement. It'll be really neat :) Elder Mehner and I presented a new teaching tool, called Heber C. Kimball firesides. The basics of the Gospel are taught by four missionaries, and at the end everyone present is invited to be Baptized. They did it all the time in President Engbjerg's mission, and we flet it would be an amazing thing to try out. We are working on being much more bold in inviting everyone to be baptized, because afterall we know that for a man to enter into the Kingodm of God he must be born of water and the Spirit. So, we're not doing anyone favors not inviting them to be baptized. It's something the mission is embracing really well, and I thinik the results with be widoczny. Visible.
Elder Beaty from my group is one of the Zone Leaders there in Katowice, and he gave a short thought about how Dan Jones was called of God to preach the Gospel and he knew it. It was the last prophecy uttered from the mouth of Joseph Smith, and when some weeks later the call was issued to him, he knew it was from God, without a doubt and he was there to preach and baptize. Our calls are, in the exact same way issued from the mouth of God, through a Prophet, and there are people here, and everywhere who need to here this message. It really hit my hard.
It'll take me 35 years to explain each and every amazing part of each Zone Conference, but as a disclaimer, they were all brilliant, and uplifting, because of the missionaries and their input and desire to embrace everyhting being taught.
The Katowice Zone especially just jumped on everything and were so excited to try out the Firesides, and also to embrace the new Mission Standard of Excellence which was the result of an challenge given by the Area Presidency to all mission presidents in Europe to create standard of excellences. President Engbjerg has had them in this mission since 2 weeks after he got here, but a Mission Standard of excellence was never erected, until that last Zone Leader Meeting we had, and then it was presented this Zone Conference. AGH! So much happens, the days just blend into one sometimes. Forgive me iff something is unclear.
I had the feeling being in that Kato Zone, that they could really be a Consecrated Zone, where each and every missionary is giving his all to serve the Lord and these people, striving each day to be better. I felt like my South Central District here was "consecrated" in hat way, as well as my Katowice district. There is no better feeling then to know that everyone on your team is leaving it all on the field. When the game is over, that have to be taken away in strechers. I hope my family, that they take me on that plane in a stretcher.
The Bydgoszcz Zone conference was held in Gdańsk. the beatiful city by the bay. We drove up the night before and stayed in a hotel. It was so pretty, and in the morning we went running with President on the Beach. It was the best. The breakfast was something out of this planet. We have to go there when we come back. You will love it :)
The Zone Conference in Gdańsk was also incredibly uplifting, and enjoyable as can be. It's so good to see all these missionaries, and the desire they have to serve and be good missionaries.
A recent convert, Kazimierz Kempa, spoke during the conference, and it was really neat. Everyone really enjoyed hearing about his experiences, and it is always inspiring to see a recent convert with so much fire and desire to help with missionary work.
At the end of the Bydgoszcz Zone conference, I was feeling simply exhausted. It amazes me so much how President has done this for 3 years, traveling all over this entire country to support and love these missionaries, me included. He is a super hero. Standing up and talking to people, driving, and organizing really took the energy right out of me. I was done for, and loved the little break we had on thursday to teach our investigators back here at home in Warsaw.
We're meeting with Tomek tonight- he's a good man and really loves meetings with Brat Herman. WE're going to see how he's doing with his concerns- he knows the Gospel is true, just worries he won't be able to live up to it I think. Be he too will be baptized- he's got another month to prepare :)
Yesterday was the last of the 3 conferences, and it was a very good one. We had it in the Relief Society room because the Zone is so small these days. It was kind of bizarre, but really cozy, and enjoyable. Agnieszka Kowalska, another recent convert, spoke to us and it was really building and inspiring. I loved it :) SHe has such a sweet spirit and is helping us a lot with teaching Bogdan.
I feel really close to all the missionaries in the Zone, especially in the 2 warsaw distrticts, which is really nice. I love being around them all and they really are good good missionaries. I hope not much changes in terms of transfers happen before the end of my mission. Everyone is really really working well with eachother. We'll see what the Lord has in store.
I admit I felt amazing relief a the end of them all- it was an amazing experience, but so exhausting. I loved each day though. I learned a lot, was very inspirited from just sseeing all the missionaries, and I really look forward to the next two months. There is so much to do. So little time.
The mission is really doing well, people are teaching often, and there are several people commited to baptism, who are doing their best to prepare for that. I know there will be several miracles before the end of President's time here.
Family, I pray this next week is amazing for you all. It sounds like all is well, and everyone is loving life. I pray for you each and everyday and I can feel the effect of your prayers here. These people need them. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power it has in our lives when we will simply live by it. It is so simple, and brings so much peace. I love each one of you with all my heart. Enjoy the sun :)
z miłością ogromną,
Starszy Michael