Nowosolna

July 13, 2015

Gift of Piano Playing much like the Gift of Tongues

On Tuesday we sat down to plan in the evening when all of our appointments for the next day canceled. I would say that pretty much 80% of our appointments cancel on us these days, not that we have very many to begin with haha. I always wrestle with trying to find a balance in what we do while still being obedient and fulfilling our purpose. I sat at the kitchen table trying not to despair because an empty schedule meant probably another 8 hours of contacting the next day, Luckily my comp calmed me down and offered that we go and try to keep finding outside of Lodz tracting. We ended up going out to a little area called Nowosolna to the north east of Lodz. After tracting for about an hour and a half I was surprised to find that I was actually enjoying it. Before my transfer in Lodz I had never been let in before, but now I have been let in several times and taught a lot of lessons in yards and at gates. We had started in some little neighborhoods and then progressed steadily down this long country lane with cute little houses and farms along the side. We were doing good, tracting along, then an older Polish woman in this beautiful Polish country house just ripped into us, as we were walking away she just followed us down the fence still yelling at us. Moments like that always shake me up, I sometimes struggle having love in my heart when experiences like that happen, it has been harder and harder as my mission has gone on. But we kept going. Then the last house we stop at on this long country road, this grumpy mean looking older man came out, his two dogs were trying to eat us through the fence and he thought we were Jehova Witnesses. That is how we met Miroslaw. Our only current investigator is a 70 year old Polish man, and dang is he awesome! In that one day of tracting we were able to teach three lessons, including Miroslaw, and then bake cinnamon rolls and meet with an active member and a less active all in one day. The Lord proved to me that if I would work, he would come through on His end, He always does. I shouldn't be so excited about our Polish grandfather but he has helped me love the Polish people more this transfer than anything else. He was an answer to our prayers. I felt the gift of tongues and the spirit work through my companion and I. We are praying for more miracles to come.

The country went from strangely hot and humid to freezing and rainy this week, meh anything but the heat. On that whiteboard we taught around four lessons. There was a man who stopped on his bike and was just staring at our question of the day, "do you believe that God still speaks to us?" I ended up talking with him only briefly but he told me that he has been living in England for the past 6 years. When he moved to England he forsook his faith in the Catholic Church, but upon returning to Poland he is trying to find it again. He prayed just days before to see if God was there, and said that our conversation at the white board was an answer to that prayer that God was speaking to him, and it was time to take up his faith again. It didn't really lead anywhere new other than encouraging him to go back to the Catholic Church, but alas, God works in mysterious ways.

I played the piano in Sacrament meeting yesterday. The chorister called me the night before and gave me one night to learn three new hymns. I butchered the first but then apparently there is a gift of piano available to missionaries because I somehow pulled the last two out of the gutter. My district said the first one wasn't so bad because the old bapcia singing drowned it out. I am grateful for my mission and the lessons I am learning here. Like Elder Holland has said, my mission may not be my best two years, there are better years ahead, but it was the best for me. Hopefully I can cram it all into a year in a half! Well love you all, I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. His plan leads to so much more, follow the Father's plan. My parents were always right anyways, I can admit that now because I am self governing in Poland right now, anyways I guarantee His plan is better than anything we could piece together or comprehend.
Love,
Siostra Benson