Monday, July 22, 2013 5:46 AM Hey Fam!

Hey everyone! Our usual library isn't open right now so we're somewhere else and we're not sure how long we'll have, so I'm just going to write quick. But as much as I can. It's all a bit awkward.

So far, everything is great. It's CRAZY how fast this month has gone by! Honestly. I can't even, like, figure it out. July is over half way over. Whaaaat?! I know. It's crazy.

We've doing a LOT of finding the past couple weeks. To znaczę, we have been contacting a lot, and street teaching a lot. Set up lessons? Not so much. Dependable investigators? Not really. This is our life here in Kraków. Woot woot!

Let's see ... What to tell you all ... To be honest, this past week went by super fast, and I don't even remember what happened. Oh! Okay! We taught an investigator about Słowo Mądrości (to znaczę, Word of Wisdom) - always a toughy. And she didn't do ANY of the stuff, except she drinks tea. Like EVERY OTHER POLE EVER BORN. What can you do. So we were like, "Well. Fruit tea's okay! Do you happen to drink fruit tea?" And she was like, "Yeah!" And we were like, "Wait - what?!?" She only drinks fruit tea. She's TOTES keeping the Word of Wisdom. Już (to znaczę, already). How awesome is that! SO awesome! Speaking of Słowo and awesome stuff - we contacted this guy with a beard (because he's a guy with a beard, and why would you NOT contact him?), and he was SUPER cool, and then this homeless man walked up, smoking a cigarette and asking for money, and the guy was like, "Well. You're smoking. You bought that cigarette. I'm not going to give you money so you can buy more cigarettes. Those are SO unhealthy. You know that, right?" We were FLABBERGASTED. Do you KNOW how rare it is to find a Pole who doesn't smoke? It's like, like finding a needle in a haystack! CRAZY awesome. We call him Jan Chrzciciel (to znaczę, John the Baptist). Because he looks like him. Poland is a pretty fun country..

We got to have interviews with President Edgren last week! He is SO great! I love him. Already. He's so awesome. And afterwards we (the sisters) went to lunch with him and Sister Edgren and Babci Maliny. Just to give them a nice weird Polish experience. It was SO fun. I LOVE that place. Their naleśniki are AMAZING. So that was good!

This week is exchanges, and Sister Allen is leaving, and we're not getting anyone. To znaczę, it's going to be Sister Hemming and I running Kraków by ourselves (... Well. With the elders. And actually, the AP's are going to be here with the elders on a weird exchange thing ... So not really. But it's fine - just go with it). We're a LITTLE bit nervous. So if you guys, I don't know, wanted to pray EXTRA HARD for us these next couple of days, we'd REALLY appreciate it. Especially gift of tongues. We need some darem języków going on up in here.

I sent some postcards home last week - I'm guessing they haven't gotten there yet? If they don't make it, SO HELP me. I will not be pleased.

Remember that drop lesson crap fest of two weeks ago? Things are better now. The REALLY ugly drop lesson - yeah. We've talked with our investigator a couple times. We saw her on the street once and talked with her for just a second, and she hugged us and asked us to pray for her brother. We take that as a good sign! And then, today she emailed us (because we emailed her last week), and she said,

"I've recived the e-mail on Monday and rode it like 15 times. This whole situation is really worry me. I will try to expain what I ment to. Our relation has big worth for me and I want to fix it.
Of course i understand the reason You came to Poland. You want to find people who will join Your Church. Your time here is very important for God, for You and for people who want to listen to Your voice and You can't to waste it. I understand it all. I admit that some part of me wanted to meet You becouse of curiosity ( Your languange, Yours stories, Yours lifes in Utha... ) but some of me want to listen what You wanted to say. I liked our discussion. We wasn't agree with everything but i thought my opinion on some religion topics was interesting for You and I gave You maybe different point of view. Anyway Your judgment gave this to me.
I will tell You how my situation in the religion looks like. I told You once that 'I belive but I don't understand everything'. It was becase of You and I thank You for that. I belive that God exist and He cares about us. But I don't know which 'God' is the real one. Mine, Yours, or different religion?! I haven't had someone to talk about it until I met You. You changed my thinking. In my opinion it is a big success to made me thinking about God. Maybe for You is nothing but for me it is a huge progress. I feel sorry that I din't cope Your expectations... But still I think our meetings gave me a lot :)"

Is she not awesome? I love her. Man, she's so great! We're feeling a lot better about that now. And we know we did the right thing. EVEN if it was SUPER hard. And we didn't like it.

The trio thing gets better all the time. We're still working out a few little kinks, but honestly, it's getting better everyday. And I love BOTH of my companions, because they're SO awesome, and I wouldn't trade either of them for anything. We laugh a LOT. It's the greatest.

Fun Fact. We all remember the EFY song, "I Am His Daughter", yes? I sang it with that group for that camp meeting once? It's beautiful? Ah, yes. So fun fact about that. The girl who sings it? She was a Poland Warsaw missionary. She was Sister Allen's companion once. This is a true story, kids. Poland Warsaw missionaries are the bee's knees. The cat's pajamas, if you will.

This Jazz news. It does not greatly please me. How could they have traded the Sapster and El Jeffe?! And His Highness the Earl? And Foye (he never got a nickname ... I guess that's okay. He was good, though). I just don't understand! And I find it vastly interesting that they've got Malone and Sloan back. VERY czekawy (to znaczę, interesting). And why is Sloan back with the Jazz instead of head coaching somewhere? Didn't he have a few offers? I just don't understand ANY of this craziness. And who are the two new guys? There's the French guy, and then one from Michigan? What are their names? I'm just - wow. I am at a loss here.

MUCH LOVE to all of you back at home! I love you all with every ounce of blood in my body! It's kind of like loving you with all my heart, but better. Because I'm figuring I've got more blood than heart. And blood is a truly fascinating substance. And I really like it. That's where we're at here.

Monday, July 15, 2013 5:21 AM Here We Are Again.

Okay. So. Jazz. There was a trade, you say? I need more information than that! Who'd they trade? Who's the guy from Michigan? Details, details!

Also. When is Harry Potter's birthday? I know it's in July. But I can't remember what day.

So. Another week has gone by in Kraków. I am SO sorry if these letters are boring to you people. I try to make them interesting, but sometimes I just don't have the energy, so they end up boring, and then I'm like, "Ah. Dangit. Sorry, friends." So. Sorry.

It was Sister Hemming's birthday on Tuesday, so for dinner we went to this weird restaurant. Just for kicks. It was like walking into the parlor of some house in Pride and Prejudice or something. The waitresses were - I kid you not - wearing Regency style dresses. I don't even know why. But there you have it. And the food was super expensive. And they had boar on the menu. Yes. That's right. BOAR. Also hare, and other such random food. It was one of the strangest restaurant experiences of my life. Right behind Babci Maliny. So we ate there. That was fun. I had chicken. It was SUPER garlicy. Like, I could taste the garlic for the next three days. And this isn't even a joke. I might try writing them a suggestion to take it down a notch on the garlic ...

Besides dinner, we also dropped two investigators that day. Which was THE worst. Because they were our two investigators who were always down to meet, who never flaked us - they were good as gold. Except that they refused to keep any commitments larger than reading the KM. Which was why we dropped them. But it was so hard. Especially with one of them. Because she was our favorite. She was so fun, and so cool. And we loved (love) her. And we went through the lesson, and we gave her a commitment, and she was like, "Yeah, no." So we were like, "Yeah, here's the thing. We can't keep meeting with you if you don't keep commitments." And she was like, "I read my KM all the time!" And we were like, "Yeah ... But something bigger. Soooo we can't meet with you. Which is super sad. And we love you." And then she kinda stormed out of the chapel and pulled out her cigarettes in the elevator and told us she felt betrayed and used and we were like, "Awwww crap." Because that was NOT our intention. AT ALL. Because we absolutely love her, and we just want to help, but if she's not willing to act on anything we teach her, it's going to be impossible for her to progress. So basically, that's where we're at. It was awful. I cried. We sat in the primary room, and I cried.

Sorry this email can't be longer - my comps are pushing me to hit the road. But I just want you all to know that I love you guys - ALL of you.. I think you're the greatest. And thanks for all the prayers and all the support - it means a lot.

Also, Mom - thanks for the pictures of Oregon! SO cute! I love them so much! I have such a cute family!

LOVE YOU ALL! WITH MY WHOLE ENTIRE HEART AND THEN SOME!

Siostra Young

Monday, July 08, 2013 5:31 AM HEY Fam!

Ew. I don't know what the deal is, but today, I am a crier. I'm just sitting at this computer in the library, sniffing and wiping tears, and feeling like a bit of a fruit cake. I don't even know what the deal is. So. THAT'S nice. Hopefully no one's seeing this and thinking, "Gross. What is that strange American girl doing?" That would be awkward for all of us.

So, first, I'd like to warn you all that I'm living on borrowed time. Here's the thing. The water here? It's questionable. QUITE questionable. We have to drink it only out of bottled water or run it through our filtered water bottles. SUCH a pain. And I like to eat oatmeal albo Mleczna Start (it's KINDA like Cream of Wheat. But more delicious. And for children.) albo baby food (Yeah. Um, I legit eat baby food here. Like, baby rice cereal? But it's banana flavored. So it's better. I just feel a little weird about the fact that I eat baby food for breakfast every morning. But it's good, so cóż. It's called Bobowita. It's got a cute little bear of the bag. Anyways. That is NOT the point.) for breakfast. Which all require hot water. But let's be real here - I don't have TIME to be sitting around, squeezing water out of my water bottle with a filter! Ain't NOBODY got time for that. So I just put sink water in the bowl and microwave it. And if it boils for two minutes, it's suppose to be safe, right? Well. Anyways. I haven't been microwaving it, and boiling it, for the full two minutes. To znaczę I could basically drop dead at any second. I mean, it's not likely. But it IS a possiblity. So, you know. You've been warned or whatever.

Another thing. I'm literally always ugly here. It's so unfortunate. But you see, it's blasted hot. And super humid. So if you bother with make-up, you sweat it off in apporiximately four minutes flat. And bangs? They are a thing of the past. Because if I wear them down, they also are plastered to my forehead (gross imagery, I know. I'm sorry) in four minutes flat. You can imagine why this is a problem. So basically I live with my bangs up, if not all my hair (it's so hot!), and wear the bare minimum make-up wise. It's gross. Pictures will be scanty (and I believe that's for the best. Really, I'm doing you all a favor here.) I'm just not quite up to the Temple Square Standard of Beauty. So good thing I'm in Poland ...

The Fourth of July was SUPER weird. For a plethora of reasons. Reason 1 - Sister Allen was in Warsaw for Leadership Training. So it was just Sister Hemming and I on our lonesomes. That was strange. Also, we had to get up at 5 to get her to the train station on time. I am not a fan of that. I mean, if 6:30 isn't early enough, day in and day out, let's get up at 5 every once in a while! I suppose it makes me grateful for 6:30, so that's nice. But at the same time ... it's the bane of my existence. Reason 2 - We're in Poland. To zanzcę our Fourth was NOT very Fourth-y. Apparently they don't really celebrate it here. What's that about, am I right? But we visited a family from the States for a lesson, and they gave us root beer. That felt pretty American. And we talked to this strange old Polish woman who told us about how she LOVES the States and lived there for a little while, and she said "God bless America" about 43 times. That was pretty American. And for dinner we had burgers with the elders at this weird burger place where they had lots of weird paintings of Samuel L. Jackson. Weird. But American. Reason 3 - I wasn't with you people. I've really not been homesick. Except the Fourth was really hard. Because, zwykly, I'm with family on a day such as the Fourth. Not being with family? Boo. Not a fan. Also, knowing that my family is in Oregon? Vacationing? Family-ing and coś takiego? Also a little rough. Ick. I do not like missing home. Of course, that is to be expected. I don't think there's anything unusual about missing home, especially at times such as these. But still. I don't like it. But anyways. Where was I? Ah, yes. So as far as Fourth of July's as a missionary go, not too bad. Definitely nie zwykłe (to znaczę, unusual), but not half bad. And the burger was pretty good. So yeah. That was our Fourth.

We got a baptismal date last week. And then she flaked our next lesson. Because she gave us a bad address. That was unfortunate. We no longer have a baptismal date. But I tend to think maybe it's for the best with that one ... She was a little bit of a strange cookie. And I DON'T think she was all there ... She wasn't playing with a full deck, bless her heart.

We gave Ola a bible last week, and then later in the week she texted us and said she didn't know rainbows were a reminder about the flood with Noah and that God promised to not flood the earth again sort of deal. She's reading her bible! Ah, Ola. She's so great. We love her. We're meeting with her this week (fingers crossed! She's staying with her parents for the summer, but she's back in Kraków every so often), and it's going to be a DTR lesson. Which I am NOT excited about. But she's not really progressing, and she's not super willing to make commitments and try. Beyond reading the KM (she reads her KM and prays faithfully). Dang it! I just really need for this girl to progress so we don't have to drop her. That would be SUPER sad, because we totally love her! She's so great!

Summer is a hard time to be a missionary. Because everyone is on vacation. The people we talk to in Kraków? They're vacationers. Our investigators we meet with regularly? All on vacation. For, like, THREE MONTHS. That's a thing they do in Poland. They go on vacation for the summer, and they mean the whole darn summer. SO strange. Back in the states, you leave for a week. Chyba two. The entire summer? I don't think so.

The trio thing is still going. It's hard, but it's good. And I feel like we get it a little better figured out everyday. It's just got a very different dynamic to it, and I think it'll take a little while to get all the kinks out. But so far so good!

As for an update on the mosquito situation, I believe the high is 38 (well, that was only on my legs. I didn't count any on my arms, so it's actually more than that. How much more? I couldn't tell you. Not that this is all that important ... but whatevs). It's a killer. I'm buying bug spray today. And then I'm going to douse every single thing I own in it. And then I'm going to shower in it. No, not really. Probably I'll just spray it on my legs before we go out in the morning. I don't know why, but those kamary seem to REALLY like me. And my feet. They bit the tops of my feet and my ankles. Ew. So awkward. So I just look like a leper. That, combined with the ugliness of summer? ... Maybe there's a reason our investigators are leaving ... "Oh, yeah. Sister Young. She's QUITE a sight. Let's just leave Kraków for the summer. Maybe when we get back in the fall she won't be quite as horrifying." Coś takiego.

I feel like that's all I've got for you guys this week. So ... Yep. Much love. All that jazz. Have fun in Oregon, family. But - you know. Not TOO much fun. You're not allowed to have TOO much fun until I'm with you. Sorry, kids!

Monday, July 01, 2013 6:14 AM Dearest Family

So. Here we are again.

I gave a talk in church on Sunday. It was SUPES sketch. Because guess what? Polish is HARD. And I think we ALL know how Anna Talks go down. Lots of mumbling, lots of talking too fast, lots of not looking up. It was like that, but worse. And Polish already sounds like mumbling. So that doesn't help anything. Basically, it was a dreamboat of a talk. I mean, I've no doubt that the talk itself was good. I can write a decent talk witht the best of them. It's in the delivery where we find the issue. Ew. I don't like speaking in church. Especially in Polish. But hey, we live and we learn. That's kind of my motto these days. We live and we learn. It's fine.

On the OTHER HAND, yesterday also ROCKED. The morning was sketch (cough cough. I gave a crappy talk. See paragraph above.), but the rest of it was good! Allow me to preface this with a little background info. This week has been ROUGH even with a new trainee (who I absolutely ADORE! Sister Hemming is awesome! Na prawda, she is a fajna misjonarka). Hard week. And I didn't feel like I had the Spirit. Like, Sister Hemming would be like, "I feel like we should go down that street." And I'd be like, "Wait, what? Oh. Um, yeah. Let's do it." And then we'd go, and we'd meet this lady who met with the missionaries 25 years ago, and, I mean, that is NOT a common occurance! That's crazy awesome! Anyways. I was not feeling uber Spirit-y. So we were planning Saturday night, and we were like, "Alright. We've got three hours after dinner. What're we doing?" And I looked on my desk, where sat a teaching record of a former, and I was like, "Hey. Let's visit this Monika chick. She only had one lesson and she wasn't interested, but yeah. Let's go." Of course, I didn't put it QUITE like that, but you know. Whatever. So we went out to visit this girl. So we get out to the building, get let in (that was a mini-miracle. Getting in buildings is NOT easy), knock the door, and this cute girl answers, tells us she's busy studying, but she'd love to meet another time. And then invited us in. And let us give her a lesson. And said she's SUPER interested to read the Book of Mormon. Whoa, what the!? Right, right?! Amazing! She wasn't the former, she was her friend, and she's super awesome! I'm pretty sure God knew I was feeling a little off, and that I was feeling a little disconnect, and he gave me - well, us. But me - that little miracle like a, "Hey - you're doin' alright, kiddo. Just keep going." sort of thing. Man. SO awesome. And then - YES, it gets BETTER! - on the tramwej home, I was like, "Dang. I should contact that girl. I'll just ask her how to say necklace in Polish. That'll work. No. I don't think - ughhh. I should do it. Come on. Get your act together. Okay. Let's do this thing." So I contacted her (yes - asked her how to say necklace in Polish. You know? It works. Tram contacts are SUPER awkward, so if you can work up to the Gospel, it usually works a little better. And if you ask how to say something in Polish and tell them you're learning Polish, they're like, "Oh? How long have you been here? Why are you learning Polish?" HELLO perfect segue - how do you spell that word? - into "I'm a missionary!"), and she was SUPER nice. So I talked to her for a minute, it was chill, then moved into the Gospel, it was still chill, so what do you know? I gave the girl a whole first. Just sittin' on a tramwej. ALL by myself. And then I got her number. And she said she's up to meet and learn more. If THAT"S not a cud, I don't know what is!

On a slightly less awesome note, the mosquitos are out, and they are fierce. I've got 20 bites. ON ONE LEG. Sometimes it's REALLY hard to sleep because the nasty little buggers itch so bad. Ugh. It's disgusting. I hate bugs.

So Sister Hemming and I were at a tram stop, waiting for the tram, and this old man came up to us and was talking to us, and we were talking to him and it was fine. And then he asked us a question, and I wasn't sure what he was asking. So he asked again. Still not sure. So we called Sister Allen over to translate for us, and she was like, "Oh. He's asking if your virgins." AWKWARD question. Why is that a question you would ask? I mean, NO. Weird. Just weird. So we were like, "Yeah. We're for sure virgins." And then - and now it gets weirder - he was, like, wagging his finger and shaking his head at me with this creepy old man grin. Just me. What the heck is that supposed to mean, old man? It was maybe the strangest encounter of my life. Lucky for us, the tram came right then so we had an easy out. Why are people so weird?

In other news, Kraków still rocks. The weather isn't too beastly hot. Yet. I'm sure it's coming. It was super wet last week. And now it's starting to be sunny and warmish. And we all know sunny and warmish turns into blistering heat and blinding sunshine in like, 4.254 minutes. So I'm just feeling the dread of summer to come. It's great.

Fourth of July is going to be freaky weird. In Poland. Wish America a happy birthday for me! And also Grandma Barnes. Wish her a happy birthday too.

Anyways. I think my comps are a little antsy to hit the bricks, and I don't want to make them wait any longer. MUCH LOVE! You guys are all the best! Ancd thanks for everyone who's sent me letters - I LOVE mail, and it really means a lot! Thanks a gagillion!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 New Missionaries and their Assignments

From: http://nielsonsinpoland.blogspot.com/

Sister Hemming with be in Krakow with Sister Allen and Sister Young.  The Sisters were first assigned to Krakow our last transfer. They are setting the pace for the mission with lessons taught and great things going on in the branch.  We are excited for these three great Sisters.