This week's blog...finally!

One heck of a busy week meant Mom not writing a post from this week's email.

But, I have repented.

I mailed off his package this week, which included his voice recorder.  I'm excited for him to get it!  That means I might get more details...and I get to hear his voice.  Plus he promises to record some of his penny whistle music to share with us.

Lance became an uncle for the third time last week!  It's weird to think that the new baby will be over a year old when Lance gets to meet him.  So many changes in a child's life when they're as young as his nephews are.

Things are going smoothly for Lance in the Poland mission.  He and his companion seem to have a great friendship and they work well together.  He apologized to me for all his years of "being a slob"...it appears his mission has been the best learning environment on the importance of being clean.  I am thrilled at this new understanding!

Their Chinese friend and recent convert will be going back to China soon, but Lance assures us that she will have a supportive group of Saints there to greet her upon her return.  They are teaching her chapter 3 out of the Preach My Gospel manual and he encouraged us to look it up ourselves to know what is being taught.  She is also reading in 2 Nephi, which is the Biblical equivalent of Isaiah.  They are praying for the Spirit to help her make sense out of the writings, which has helped their own understandings.  If you've read either book, I'm sure you can relate.  

Though we don't know this wonderful woman personally, through prayers and God's love, we feel connected.  May God bless her in all her endeavors!

Lance and his companion have others they are meeting, as well.  They met a young woman that appears to be very interested.  So far, their encounters with those of the dominant faith in Poland have been positive.  Though, there are those of another less dominant faith there who seem to want to argue.  Lance says they have decided to just sing hymns to the argumentative people next time to help soften their agitation.  He shared that they get approached by drunk people regularly.  The people will often ask, "Hey, you boys got cigarettes?" and "3 zloties for a beer?"  He says they just smile and keep on walking.

Before closing his email, Lance encouraged us to read our Patriarchal Blessings.  Which I find ironic considering I had recently been inspired to advise someone else to do that very thing.  Lance says that he has been reviewing his blessing and writing down anything that comes to him.  He says it has been a very powerful experience.  So I took his advice.  I'm very glad I did.  So often we find the answers to our own prayers through our service of others.  Charity truly never fails!

He closes his email by stating that his testimony is rooted firmly in the soil of the Gospel.  He is grateful to be a missionary and a member of this church.  He knows God lives and loves us and thanks to the Savior, we can live with God again.  He says everything there is truly amazing and he loves his mission more than he can describe.  He says it's "the most fulfilling work" and brings him so much happiness.  He shares that by keeping a journal, study journal, and spiritual journal, he has learned so much more and will always be able to remember it.  He says that "God will give you more because he sees that you are sacrificing time to write it down."  He knows this Gospel is truly the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we are partakers of this divine gift.