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.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Dzien Dobry
Yesterday was Memorial Day for us here in the States. Poland celebrates a similar holiday, but it was about a month ago, according to Lance's memory on the subject. Interesting how many holidays are shared by cultures world wide.
Several of Lance's missionary buddies recently came home for medical releases. It sounds like they all plan on coming back to Poland as soon as they're healed from their injuries. He was able to speak on the phone with two of them before they left for home. One of the elders was Lance's first companion in the MTC and a former class mate. Lance said, "He is the man!". Lance says that he and the other elder laughed about how their respective parents raised them on the same type of music..."the best music in the world!!"
Everything is going well for his new Chinese friend. Lance says she is faithful and an amazing example. He and his companion met with a man recently who seems to be very interested. They also knocked on the door of a young Catholic family that were very receptive. They invited the missionaries in and had a great discussion. Though Lance doesn't know if they'll want to follow through, he believes the seed was planted.
He says they meet "awesome people" every day.
I've got another package ready to send off this week. This package contains a voice recorder, some good soap, a small yoga book, and some homemade sunscreen. The only thing he asked me to include are more healthy food and more pictures. He says that he and his companion are very good about getting some yoga in everyday.
I passed on some recent messages from his Facebook page. He was happy to "hear" from these friends and know that they care!
He closes by thanking everyone for their prayers and well wishes on his behalf. He confirms that he loves God and knows that God loves all of us.
Several of Lance's missionary buddies recently came home for medical releases. It sounds like they all plan on coming back to Poland as soon as they're healed from their injuries. He was able to speak on the phone with two of them before they left for home. One of the elders was Lance's first companion in the MTC and a former class mate. Lance said, "He is the man!". Lance says that he and the other elder laughed about how their respective parents raised them on the same type of music..."the best music in the world!!"
Everything is going well for his new Chinese friend. Lance says she is faithful and an amazing example. He and his companion met with a man recently who seems to be very interested. They also knocked on the door of a young Catholic family that were very receptive. They invited the missionaries in and had a great discussion. Though Lance doesn't know if they'll want to follow through, he believes the seed was planted.
He says they meet "awesome people" every day.
I've got another package ready to send off this week. This package contains a voice recorder, some good soap, a small yoga book, and some homemade sunscreen. The only thing he asked me to include are more healthy food and more pictures. He says that he and his companion are very good about getting some yoga in everyday.
I passed on some recent messages from his Facebook page. He was happy to "hear" from these friends and know that they care!
He closes by thanking everyone for their prayers and well wishes on his behalf. He confirms that he loves God and knows that God loves all of us.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Czesc = honor
Once in a while, I get a translation with the Polish words and phrases Lance uses regularly. Czesc is one he uses frequently to close his emails. Now that I know what it means, I wish I knew how to pronounce it!
As I updated last week, Lance was blessed to baptize and confirm his Chinese friend. Now that she is official, Lance and his companion will begin teaching her the "new member" discussions. I remember 23 years ago when my husband and I were first married, my husband encouraged me to have the missionaries come teach me and answer questions I had concerning the Gospel and the church. I can imagine that the new member discussions are similar to what I experienced with those fine young men. I wish I remembered their names now so I could try to find them and thank them for their patience with me!
Besides my Monday email from Lance, we also had a nice update on Sister Nielson's blog to read....
"We arrived in Szczecin and found these Elders talking with people just outside our chapel."
Knowing my son like I do, I can see by the look on his face that he is very intense at this moment. I mentioned that in my email and he said that yes, at that moment he was being "very bold" with this man. He said it was a good meeting and they gave him a brochure in hopes that he will want to meet again.
Here are some more pictures from Sister Nielson's blog:
This final one is a celebration for Lance's birthday. They're holding ice cream bars.
Lance comments that he thinks his companion is awesome and always has his back. He also comments that his new Chinese friend is righteous and honorable and is so glad to have known her. He states that they are always teaching those they meet on the streets and hope to find those who are ready for the Gospel message and thanks us for our prayers.
They are getting a lot of rain in Szczecin right now, which is similar to Utah's weather. He bought a penny whistle not too long ago and says he knows how to play it now. He has two at home, but didn't really pick them up. He says that he makes up songs and bounces around like he's doing an Irish jig, to which his companion just laughs and shakes his head.
He says that right after doing a white board discussion on Saturday, several girls that had been watching them from the bar came to them and asked lots of questions. Finally they asked where Lance and his companion live and if they would like to go there to party. Lance says he and his companion just walked off laughing and continued teaching the people down the street. He says he thought to himself, "Good try, Satan, but it's not going to work on me!"
He closes by saying that he loves this mission. He prays for and sends his love to all of his family and friends.
He included this picture and asked me to send it on to his brother Russell.
As I updated last week, Lance was blessed to baptize and confirm his Chinese friend. Now that she is official, Lance and his companion will begin teaching her the "new member" discussions. I remember 23 years ago when my husband and I were first married, my husband encouraged me to have the missionaries come teach me and answer questions I had concerning the Gospel and the church. I can imagine that the new member discussions are similar to what I experienced with those fine young men. I wish I remembered their names now so I could try to find them and thank them for their patience with me!
Besides my Monday email from Lance, we also had a nice update on Sister Nielson's blog to read....
"We arrived in Szczecin and found these Elders talking with people just outside our chapel."
Knowing my son like I do, I can see by the look on his face that he is very intense at this moment. I mentioned that in my email and he said that yes, at that moment he was being "very bold" with this man. He said it was a good meeting and they gave him a brochure in hopes that he will want to meet again.
Here are some more pictures from Sister Nielson's blog:
This final one is a celebration for Lance's birthday. They're holding ice cream bars.
Lance comments that he thinks his companion is awesome and always has his back. He also comments that his new Chinese friend is righteous and honorable and is so glad to have known her. He states that they are always teaching those they meet on the streets and hope to find those who are ready for the Gospel message and thanks us for our prayers.
They are getting a lot of rain in Szczecin right now, which is similar to Utah's weather. He bought a penny whistle not too long ago and says he knows how to play it now. He has two at home, but didn't really pick them up. He says that he makes up songs and bounces around like he's doing an Irish jig, to which his companion just laughs and shakes his head.
He says that right after doing a white board discussion on Saturday, several girls that had been watching them from the bar came to them and asked lots of questions. Finally they asked where Lance and his companion live and if they would like to go there to party. Lance says he and his companion just walked off laughing and continued teaching the people down the street. He says he thought to himself, "Good try, Satan, but it's not going to work on me!"
He closes by saying that he loves this mission. He prays for and sends his love to all of his family and friends.
He included this picture and asked me to send it on to his brother Russell.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Happy Mother's Day!
We called Lance yesterday for our bi-annual phone call. We get to talk to each other on Christmas Day and Mother's Day. It was, as he put it, quite a "coinkidink" that his birthday is also on Mother's Day this year. He says this was the best birthday he's ever had.
You could hear the excitement and happiness in his voice! He wanted to know about everything at home, and we wanted to know about everything in Poland. One insight he shared was that people are the same everywhere, only the language is different. I would've thought that cultural differences would be more apparent. But isn't it beautiful that we are all God's children, no matter where we happen to live???
Lance was honored and privileged to baptize his friend from China on Saturday. He also confirmed her to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday. He says that those who are converted outside of China are allowed to continue in their faith, but they are not allowed to proselyte or hand out teaching materials. I'm certain she will be a good example and influence on those around her when she returns to China in July.
With her permission, here are the pictures Lance forwarded to me via email today...
I have been privileged, too, to get to know this lovely woman through Facebook. As Lance put it, "she is incredible and such a powerful example of faith!" I would have to agree. Oh, and props to Lance's companion who is really good at making sure there are lots of pictures taken!
During our phone conversation, I made sure to ask him how to pronounce some names of the people and places. The Polish language has a few letter variances from the English language:
There is no Q, V, or X. The Ł is pronounced "woo". So the town in Poland spelled Łodz is pronounced similar to "woo-dj". The town where he is serving now is spelled Szczecin, and the pronunciation in English would be something like, "sha-che-cheen". I still think Welsh is trickier!
Lance reaffirms that he is in the right place at the right time. He bares testimony that God loves us all equally and has not left us alone to wander aimlessly. He states that he is learning more about himself and his fellow man by being in the mission field.
I am very proud of him and the man he has become!
You could hear the excitement and happiness in his voice! He wanted to know about everything at home, and we wanted to know about everything in Poland. One insight he shared was that people are the same everywhere, only the language is different. I would've thought that cultural differences would be more apparent. But isn't it beautiful that we are all God's children, no matter where we happen to live???
Lance was honored and privileged to baptize his friend from China on Saturday. He also confirmed her to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday. He says that those who are converted outside of China are allowed to continue in their faith, but they are not allowed to proselyte or hand out teaching materials. I'm certain she will be a good example and influence on those around her when she returns to China in July.
With her permission, here are the pictures Lance forwarded to me via email today...
During our phone conversation, I made sure to ask him how to pronounce some names of the people and places. The Polish language has a few letter variances from the English language:
Lance reaffirms that he is in the right place at the right time. He bares testimony that God loves us all equally and has not left us alone to wander aimlessly. He states that he is learning more about himself and his fellow man by being in the mission field.
I am very proud of him and the man he has become!
Laser Tag
Monday, May 6, 2013
Fun fun fun fun, Monday comes after Sunday
If you haven't been subjected to the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black on youtube yet, I won't suggest you look it up. It's very annoying! And Lance was always sure to make me listen to it when we were out on wheatgrass deliveries, just to torment me. Being the funny guy that he is, he would sing HIS version of the song whenever the occasion arose, which has become an endearing memory of our time spent together before he left. And he is sure to reference it in his emails...thus the title of today's post.
Mother's Day is next Sunday and we have our scheduled time to call him. 12:30 p.m. our time, which translates to 8:30 p.m. his time. He says that this week will be the best considering he will be baptizing and confirming his Chinese friend, celebrating his 20th birthday, and speaking with his family. He says, "I love life!"
No surprise at all, Lance absolutely loves his new companion. Lance says that the companion reminds him a lot of his cousin Ross. Though he misses his last companion, he knows they have a lasting friendship that will carry over when they are both back in Utah.
I am so thankful that all of his companions have been wonderful, strong, and faithful young men.
Lance is very excited for the baptism scheduled for Saturday! He is so honored that she has asked him to do the ordinances. He describes her as a strong person and very solid in her faith. He adds that she has been such an amazing example for him. He vows to always be in contact with her for the rest of his life.
There are two different Elders in Szczecin now, one of which he knew from his time in Warsaw. Lance says they had an instant friendship. It appears this young man is into the same type of music Lance is and due to the fact that they're both from Utah, they had friends in common. That elder's companion has only been in Poland for 6 days and Lance says he told him that, "he is starting in the best town! You learn Polish the fastest and you get punched in the neck your first week!" I truly hope Lance didn't scare him!
He says he is finally feeling like he knows the Polish language well. They recently did a method called "white boarding" where they stand out in a busy area with a white board and write a Gospel topic at the top. In this case, they wrote the phrase, "What is the purpose of life?" and began asking everyone who walked by to write on the board what they think. He says it is a very effective way to create a conversation with someone.
This past Saturday, I was able to visit the local renaissance fair that Lance used to perform at. So many of the regulars remembered me as his mom and asked how he was doing. Before Lance had left for his mission, we decided that he needed to buy a hurdy gurdy to bring home since we never see those around here. Well, there was a lady playing one at this ren fair! So I took a picture to send to Lance...
If you've never heard this instrument played, please look it up on youtube! It's an interesting sound...similar to bagpipes.
Saturday evening, we were able to celebrate his grandpa's 85th birthday. It was a great time to visit with our loved ones though it makes it more painfully aware that Lance isn't here. But everyone is supportive and has such encourages words and thoughts to relay to Lance. I am so very grateful that Lance has such support in this endeavor. It isn't easy to leave your home, job, school, friends, etc., for two full years.
Mother's Day is next Sunday and we have our scheduled time to call him. 12:30 p.m. our time, which translates to 8:30 p.m. his time. He says that this week will be the best considering he will be baptizing and confirming his Chinese friend, celebrating his 20th birthday, and speaking with his family. He says, "I love life!"
No surprise at all, Lance absolutely loves his new companion. Lance says that the companion reminds him a lot of his cousin Ross. Though he misses his last companion, he knows they have a lasting friendship that will carry over when they are both back in Utah.
I am so thankful that all of his companions have been wonderful, strong, and faithful young men.
Lance is very excited for the baptism scheduled for Saturday! He is so honored that she has asked him to do the ordinances. He describes her as a strong person and very solid in her faith. He adds that she has been such an amazing example for him. He vows to always be in contact with her for the rest of his life.
There are two different Elders in Szczecin now, one of which he knew from his time in Warsaw. Lance says they had an instant friendship. It appears this young man is into the same type of music Lance is and due to the fact that they're both from Utah, they had friends in common. That elder's companion has only been in Poland for 6 days and Lance says he told him that, "he is starting in the best town! You learn Polish the fastest and you get punched in the neck your first week!" I truly hope Lance didn't scare him!
He says he is finally feeling like he knows the Polish language well. They recently did a method called "white boarding" where they stand out in a busy area with a white board and write a Gospel topic at the top. In this case, they wrote the phrase, "What is the purpose of life?" and began asking everyone who walked by to write on the board what they think. He says it is a very effective way to create a conversation with someone.
This past Saturday, I was able to visit the local renaissance fair that Lance used to perform at. So many of the regulars remembered me as his mom and asked how he was doing. Before Lance had left for his mission, we decided that he needed to buy a hurdy gurdy to bring home since we never see those around here. Well, there was a lady playing one at this ren fair! So I took a picture to send to Lance...
Saturday evening, we were able to celebrate his grandpa's 85th birthday. It was a great time to visit with our loved ones though it makes it more painfully aware that Lance isn't here. But everyone is supportive and has such encourages words and thoughts to relay to Lance. I am so very grateful that Lance has such support in this endeavor. It isn't easy to leave your home, job, school, friends, etc., for two full years.
Monday, April 29, 2013
New companion, same town
Lance's transfer time is here and he has been assigned to stay in Szczecin but have a different companion. He is very excited to stay in Szczecin and to get to know his new companion better!
He received the calling directions for Mother's Day. We get to call him at Noon our time and we are looking forward to hearing his voice! I have a short list of questions for him but we're hoping to hear more details from him. Our weekly emails and occasional letters and packages are great to share with each other, but they just don't compare to a phone call!
Last week, he suggested he would like to have a voice recorder, which would make it easier for him. I'm hoping that he will know how to attach the files to his email...maybe his companion will be able to tutor him! I would then just transcribe his recordings in order to save them in his scrapbook. So I'm looking at amazon to find him a good recorder.
Things are great with his Chinese investigator. Lance says she is "super funny" and "truly sincere". He says she loves to learn and is reading the Book of Mormon with enthusiasm. She is scheduled to return to China in July, so they have been working on finding her a congregation. We are praying for her to have supportive members and leaders who will care about her as much as Lance does!
The other investigators are progressing and he feels that our prayers on their behalf have been helpful. They met with a man who is deaf and though they are having a challenge in communicating, he can feel that he is excited to learn the Gospel message. He shared with Lance and his companion that he feels the Gospel is true and can feel the good spirits of the missionaries.
He is always glad to hear our news from home. He gives us many encouraging and uplifting words and tells us he prays for us everyday. It seems that he is always learning something new, making weaknesses into strengths, becoming closer to God and our fellow human beings.
He received the calling directions for Mother's Day. We get to call him at Noon our time and we are looking forward to hearing his voice! I have a short list of questions for him but we're hoping to hear more details from him. Our weekly emails and occasional letters and packages are great to share with each other, but they just don't compare to a phone call!
Last week, he suggested he would like to have a voice recorder, which would make it easier for him. I'm hoping that he will know how to attach the files to his email...maybe his companion will be able to tutor him! I would then just transcribe his recordings in order to save them in his scrapbook. So I'm looking at amazon to find him a good recorder.
Things are great with his Chinese investigator. Lance says she is "super funny" and "truly sincere". He says she loves to learn and is reading the Book of Mormon with enthusiasm. She is scheduled to return to China in July, so they have been working on finding her a congregation. We are praying for her to have supportive members and leaders who will care about her as much as Lance does!
The other investigators are progressing and he feels that our prayers on their behalf have been helpful. They met with a man who is deaf and though they are having a challenge in communicating, he can feel that he is excited to learn the Gospel message. He shared with Lance and his companion that he feels the Gospel is true and can feel the good spirits of the missionaries.
He is always glad to hear our news from home. He gives us many encouraging and uplifting words and tells us he prays for us everyday. It seems that he is always learning something new, making weaknesses into strengths, becoming closer to God and our fellow human beings.
We are truly blessed!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Lots of pictures!
We received a nice package in the mail from Lance this week that included two CDs and his SD card with more pictures...hooray! No explanation for what the pictures are, though...
I sent off his birthday package on Friday with the items he had requested plus some healthy treats, almond butter, two MoTab CDs, and some other odds and ends. No word on the calling instructions for our Mother's Day call yet, though.
He says that their investigators are amazing, especially the woman from China. Her baptism is scheduled for early next month. He says she is so strong! He loves to hear her prayers because they are so heartfelt. He has learned a lot from her. Their next meeting is about the Word of Wisdom, which he knows she will have no problems with. There is another young couple they are meeting with and Lance says they are incredible! Not everyone they meet with is receptive, but as a whole, they are treated kindly. One person who wasn't interested in the Gospel bought them pizza!
Lance has made a few Polish friends. One of his new friends, in particular, has been very helpful and kind to all the missionaries. He takes them to see things and makes them dinner occasionally. He posted these pictures to Lance's Facebook page recently...
Lance closes his email by sharing his testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. He reaffirms his belief that God lives and recognizes His hand in all things. Lance shares that he loves being a missionary and appreciates all that he has learned. He asked me tell everyone "Hi" and asks for prayers on his behalf and all of Poland.
As his mother, I am noticing through his emails and letters that he has been sanctifying his life through this mission and I am so proud of him!
This appears to be his view from his apartment in Warsaw
His companion in Warsaw
Lance is the one with the "normal" face??? That's not like him!
I'm guessing this is showing the spot where a drinking party took place?
Looks like Warsaw
A monorail?
Some investigators
Looks cool
Soldiers from WW2, I think
Looks kinda sad
Interesting!
Awesome
I've seen this in a few of his pictures
Looks like saag paneer...
It MUST be good!
WW2
WW2
I recognize this! Represents the Polish Uprising!
Catholic church
Wish I knew what was going on here!
Ready to leave
Leaving for Szczecin
Szczecin
Catholic church
View from his apartment in Szczecin
Szczecin
Looks like the harbor nearest him
Planking
Companions and friends!
I sent off his birthday package on Friday with the items he had requested plus some healthy treats, almond butter, two MoTab CDs, and some other odds and ends. No word on the calling instructions for our Mother's Day call yet, though.
He says that their investigators are amazing, especially the woman from China. Her baptism is scheduled for early next month. He says she is so strong! He loves to hear her prayers because they are so heartfelt. He has learned a lot from her. Their next meeting is about the Word of Wisdom, which he knows she will have no problems with. There is another young couple they are meeting with and Lance says they are incredible! Not everyone they meet with is receptive, but as a whole, they are treated kindly. One person who wasn't interested in the Gospel bought them pizza!
Lance has made a few Polish friends. One of his new friends, in particular, has been very helpful and kind to all the missionaries. He takes them to see things and makes them dinner occasionally. He posted these pictures to Lance's Facebook page recently...
The look on Lance's face reminds me of his older brother, Russell
As his mother, I am noticing through his emails and letters that he has been sanctifying his life through this mission and I am so proud of him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)