Deja Vu- May 31, 2010

Dearest Family!
I swear I write to you all from a different city every single week haha. Today I'm writing from a library in Łódź, where Basia, an investigator that Elder Mehner taught while he was here, will be baptized. I interviewed her last night, and it was an amazing experience. She is a very spiritually in-tune woman, who is sincerely trying to do her best. I felt blessed to have that chance. We spent the night last night, and now I write to you from the library, on a beatiful sunshiny day. Absolutely perfect weather :) Gotta love it. Later today Michael, the Sisters investigator, will be baptized in Warsaw- he asked Elder Mehner to baptize him too ha. And then we'll teach Bogdan, and the deal is that he will tonight tell us when he will be baptized. He is so ready, he just needs to do it.
Your letters were so much appreciated parents. It is crazy that these letters are slowly coming to an end. I can't even believe that. I have lived for these letters from week to week. It's amazing how faithfully you all have written me, not that I expected anything less from my ridiculously amazing family, but still. It's pretty fantastic.
I don't have lots of time today, but this week was an amazing one. Last Tuesday, 2 new missionaries came in to Poland. Having new missionaries come in is one of the neatest parts of this calling. I love seeing their fire, the sparkle in their eyes and their awe at coming on to the Rynek. Elder Bucker and Elder Crittenden came in, fresh from the MTC, and it was great to see them. The other side of the medallion (is how they would say it in Polish) is that the prepration for new missionaries is usually pretty extensive. These 3 days in the mission home are their first taste of the mission, of the experience and it has to be top notch. It started out pretty rough when driving to the airport, a semi truck knocked President's car pretty good - no one was hurt, but we definitely had to call the Police to sort it all out, and the truck driver was Romanian, and didn't speak a lick of Polish, English, French, German, or Russian. Just Romanian. We had some trubs because of that ha. But we got it all figured out- Elder Mehner and Sister Engbjerg had gone ahead to at least make sure there was someone there when the Newbies walked out of the gate, and President and I drove there (the car only underwent cosmetic damage) to finally greet them. From there it went great!
We went to the Rynek with them, and they made a goal for how many contact we would get in an hour and a half. They decided on 10, and that's what we went for. For some reason, contacting on the Rynek with newbies leads you to golden, really rad people. We got our 10 contacts, and even taught lesson. Almost every single contact was a younger, amazing seeiming person, which is what the church really needs here to continue to grow. One of those contacts, Bartek, has really been golden since then. I'll explain a bit later.
We took them for Pizza, and then they crashed. Elder Mehner and I attended the last district meeting we would have before Transfers went out. It was great.
Wednesday, there was the normal orientation meeting, but then everything became a little more complicated because President's daughter, Maria, is graduating too (and going to BYU, staying in Helaman Halls....i'm betting her and Spencer are in the same ward, because life is simply like that.) and President and Sister Engbjerg had to be at a certain event for her that evening, so the schedule was thrown off. Elder Mehner and I helped in the kitchen early afternoon, and after the amazing dinner, the Trainees were in our hands. We did something that Trainees have never done before, and took them on a couple of real lessons. Elder Bucker and I met with Bartek, the kid we had met the day before on the Rynek. Bartek has since then met with us twice, and came to institute. He's ubelievable ha. The experience was so good for them- they were on meetings with Tomek, Marek who both have baptismal dates, and Siostra Górniak was on one of the lessons (she's one of the first members in all of Poland) and it was just amazing. We went to E.Wedel (the life changing hot chocolate place) and then called it a day. The two trainees are amazingly cool, and their stories are wonderful. I can't wait to tell you all about it someday.
Thursday they found out who would be training them, and then they were sent off. I remember so well that day in my own mission, and it blows my mind to see them at that stage. I remember it like it was yesterday, but I feel as if it was 2 years ago. It was a very long time ago.
Elder Mehenr and I ate in the same milk bar I ate in with Elder Henrie for the first time ever, about 3 days after I was in the field. I hadn't been back since, and then nostalgia was intense as I looked at the cheaply drawn menu, and recalled how I couldn't understnad a single word on that board, but now it was just normal to me. So much has happened since that time 21 months ago. Missions really are the greatest adventures ever.
We've been doing lots of planning for the mission conference that will be coming up. It'll be such an amazing experience. We'll have a mission picture taken, Elder Kerr from the 70, who also served as a missionary with President under Elder Hales will be there and will speak to us. It'll just be the best. Lots of planning left to do, and I do feel the stress a bit. There is just so much to do with our investigators, and with the Branch, and with everything. It's a little overwhelming sometimes, but I know the Lord will make everything that's supposed to happen, happen.
Everyday is so sweet for me. I'm trying to be the example I should be for these missionaries. I'm trying my best to be the missionary the Lord nees and wants me to be. I love missionary work with all my heart. I love reading the letters of my bretheren out in the field and to feel of their energy and fire. It brings me so much joy. This Gospel does change lives. I've seen it too many times to not know of it's power. It has changed my own life and I am so grateful for it. I am grateful for Parents and Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles (even those not of this faith) who have always been examples to me of consistent faith and dedication and goodness, and I grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. I've got to go. We're meeting an investigator and going to Manekin to eat with him. Yesz. :)

much love,

Elder Michael