Monday, August 11, 2014 5:04 AM Into The West

This morning, I was singing in the shower. Because why would you NOT do that? And I tell you what, Into The West has taken on a WHOLE new meaning in my life.

But first!

A rundown of my week!

Mondee

I HAD THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! It was flipping beautiful. As previously discussed, my morning rocked. Balloons, streamers, pancakes, email, a pink whale who has been named Bernice - what more could a girl ask for? After that we went to see a castle called Gniew (which means Anger, so that's fun) with Stanley and Elder Jourdan and Elder Jaeger. Then that castle was small, so we went to Malbork. By the time we got there, we didn't have a whole lot of time, so we didn't actually go in. But we DID walk around it! And that was fun. We had a GRAND old time! Castles are SUPER cool. After that we had a meeting as missionaries in the chapel. But first we ate, because we were starving. Okay. So. Meeting. We were about to start, and then Elder Jaeger was like, "Okay. Let's go into the big room for a second." So we were like, "Uh. Okay." And we get out there, and Elder Jaeger was like, "We know it's not a normal pole, but we had to keep up your birthday tradition." So I got bungee corded to a pillar by the elders. Don't worry. There are pictures. Birthday = COMPLETE. It was fabulous. Honestly, it was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER (that could happen to a person on a mission). I am feeling CRAZY flipping blessed.

Tuesdee

We had District Meeting. Yay! We went to Manekin with the Tufties and elders for dinner to celebrate my birthday. Yay again! It was SUPER delicious. I'm going to miss Manekin. I mean, I can make naleśniki at home, easy peasy rice and cheesey. But Manekin just does it SO MUCH BETTER than I could! Oh life. What am I going to do?

Wednesdee

We went to Gdynia. Then we got flaked. Then we preached the Good Word on the streets and no one listened. Yaaaaaaaay.

Thursdee

We vacuumed at Marinella's. That was fun! She's adorable.

Fridee

Planning. Preaching. Eating. ... Not a whole lot to write home about. (And yet, here I am. Writing home about it. Go figure.)

Saturdee

We went to Ines' mieszkanie and took wallpaper off her walls. That was fun! She talked about polygamy the whole time because she found out I'm Brigham Young's great-something granddaughter. She told me to tell someone important (because naturally I have connections, being the granddaughter of a prophet) that the church needs to be more open about Brigham Young being a polygamist. Apparently she's under the impression it's some kind of great secret. If only she knew ... We had dinner at the Tufts with the elders and Bohdan and his wife Basia. And a random Ukrainian member named Sergei who showed up at the chapel this morning. That was nice! I love those Tufts.

Sundee

We visited less active Basia, bless her heart. She's the sweetest thing! Then we went to the Harker's house for dinner with the Tufts and the elders. It was SUPER delicious. And fun. Bless those American members. They are SO handy.

And now, your feature presentation ...

This morning, I was singing in the shower. Because why would you NOT do that? And I tell you what, Into The West has taken on a WHOLE new meaning in my life.

Take a looksie at these lyrics.

Lay down,
Your sweet and weary head.
Night is falling,
You have come to journey's end.

Sleep now,
Dream of the ones who came before.
They are calling,

From across the distant shore.

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?

Soon you will see,
All of your fears will pass away,

Safe in my arms.
You're only sleeping.

What can you see,

On the horizon.
Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea,

A pale moon rises.
The ships have come,
To carry you home.

And all will turn,
To silver glass,

A light on the water,

Gray ships pass.

Hope fades,

Into the world of night.
Through shadows falling,

Out of memory and time.
Don't say,

We have come now to the end.

White shores are calling,
You and I will meet again.

And you'll be here,
In my arms,

Just sleeping.

What can you see,
On the horizon.
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea,
A pale moon rises.
The ships have come,
To carry you home.
And all will turn,
To silver glass,
A light on the water,
All souls pass,

Into the west.

(If the lyrics aren't EXACTLY right, my bad. This is from memory. And my memory isn't perfect.)

Basically, I'm in a state. A state of emotional confusion and exhaustion. And I don't know what to feel anymore. I have spent so long waiting for this moment. I've spent so long being excited to go home. But now that it's here, I don't know. I'm not sure I'm ready to let go. I don't want to leave Poland. I don't want to leave my mission. I don't want to leave behind all these people that I love - all these wonderful people and members and missionaries. I don't think I'm ready. But what are you going to do? I can't stay here. I just - I don't know. I don't know what I want. I guess what I want is to feel at peace with all this.

And I think I do.

I was freaking out hard on Saturday. I was crying. Monty was crying. We were a mess. And then a blessing sounded like a REALLY good idea.

So yesterday, before we went out to the Harker's, I asked Elder Jourdan to give me a blessing. And it helped. A lot. It was beautiful, and it's really helped me to be at peace with everything. I'm still sad, and I'm still excited, and I'm still a little scared, but overall I feel okay about everything.

Even though it's hard. It's hard to say goodbye to your life, you know?

It's funny. Leaving home was hard. Super crazy hard. But I knew I was going to come back and see my family again and life would return to a relative sense of a normal and it would be fine. And I was going to be really excited to be home again. Which I am. PLEASE don't get me wrong. I am CRAZY excited. But it's funny, because I'm finding that leaving Poland is MUCH harder than leaving home was. I don't know if I'm ever coming back here. And I know I'm never going to go back to this life. This is kind of it. It's the end. Like, a real end.

I hate endings.

They are dumb.

But I'll get over it.

With all that being said, this is my last email home. (As far as I know.) And I want you all to know - I want EVERYONE to know - how much I love my mission, how much I love the Gospel, and how much I love my Savior. This church is true. It's His church, and it brings more happiness in this life than anything else. This church is about eternity. In eternity, there are no endings. And right now especially, I'm really grateful for that.

Chciałabym podzielić się z wami moim świadectwem po polsku, bo teraz czuję że język polskiego jest językiem wszystkiego duchownego (tak się dzieje, jak służysz na misji w Polsce). Ja wiem że Jezus Chrystus żyje. On jest naszym Zbawicielem, Odkupicielem, i Bratem. On nas kocha, a On nas zna. On dał swoje życie dla nas, abyśmy mogli żyć. Dzięki Niemu, możemy się zmienić - i dla tego jestem bardzo wdzięczna, bo dużo mam się zmienić. Dzięki Niemu, możemy przezwyciężyć śmierć. Dzięki Niemu, możemy wracać do naszego Ojca w niebie pewnego dnia. Kościół Jezusa Chrystusa Świętych w Dniach Ostatnich jest jedynym prawdziwym kościołem na ziemi. W tym kościele, znajdują się kluczy kapłaństwa Boga. Jestem bardzo wdzięczna za te kluczy, bo dzięki nim mogę żyć z swoją rodziną po tym życiu, i przez wieczność. Kocham moją rodzinę. Kocham Jezusa Chrystusa, i naszego Ojca Niebiańskiego. To wszystko mówię, w imię naszego Zbawiciela, Jezusa Chrystusa, amen.

Have fun Google translating THAT puppy. (... Also. If Google translate doesn't work because the Polish is imperfect, don't be hatin'. A year and a half is NOT enough time to speak perfect Polish. I'm sorry. I wish it were otherwise!)

I love you all, and I can't wait to see you all! (Because let's get real here, the ones I don't see in Utah next week I'll definitely see SOMETIME soonish! It's fine. Just go with it.)

Siostra Anna Lin Young

Monday, August 04, 2014 3:38 AM The Great Tczew Adventure

Tczew.

By raise of hand, who has heard of Tczew?

Right.

Better question.

Who knows how to SAY Tczew?

Okay. T-ch-e-v. Now. Say it all together, nice and fast. Tczew.

Ah. There it is. Good job.

On Monday night, I had the great pleasure of exploring Tczew with my friend Elder J. Yep. That happened.

And now, wihtout further ado, THE GREAT TCZEW ADVENTURE.

It was Monday. We had P-Day (we wandered around Jarmark Świętego Dominika - it happens here in Gdańsk every summer, and has been for the past 754 years. Quite the history). It was delightful. After that, Elder J and I went to catch our train. We were both scheduled to go on exchanges to Bydgoszcz last week. So. We went to buy our ticket. I was at the machine, trying to buy our tickets, and they didn't have the train we were supposed to take as an option of trains to take. So I was like, "Ummmm ... Okay." And I bought us tickets for the next available train - about 30 minutes later than the train we were told to take. We went up to the peron, J and Monty and Elder Ja and I. We were waiting and stressing. Well. All of us waiting. I was the only one stressing. But we had the wrong ticket and there was confusion and we weren't sure what train we were going to be on and so on and so forth. Stress.

Meanwhile, a train pulls up. The original train we were supposed to take. So Elder Ja grabs the ticket from me and walks up to one of the train people and was like, "Hey, is this our train?" And he was like, "... No." So Elder Ja took our ticket and walked up to a DIFFERENT train guy and said, "Hey, is this train going to Bydgoszcz?" Um. We already KNOW it's going to Bydgoszcz. Dumb. And the guy was like, "Yeah." So Elder Ja was like, "Cool." He handed me my ticket, took my suitcase, and threw it on the train. And then basically pushed Elder J and I up the stairs. And I was like, "Excuse me, this ISN'T OUR TRAIN." And Elder Ja was like, "It's going to Bydgoszcz!" And then the door shut, and I said, "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill him - Elder J, I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill you!" Elder Ja couldn't hear me. The train was already pulling away. But I was upset. It was stupid. I was stressing HARD FLIPPING CORE. Elder J was really chill though. That was nice. One thing led to another, things were CRAZY, and Elder J and I had to get off in Tczew - one stop south of Gdańsk. Because we had the wrong ticket. More stress.

So. The two of us were in Tczew. We walked into the train station to buy a ticket to B-Town. I went up to the window to talk to the lady, and asked for the next train to Bydgoscz, and she was like, "Okay. The next train is at 21:30." That translates to 9:30. At night. And I was like, "Ummmm ... What? That's the next one?" And she was like, "Yep. Do you want tickets or not?" And I was like, "Uh. I'll get back to you." So I went over and explained the mayhem to Jourdy, who mostly thought it was HILARIOUS, and we decided we needed to call B-Town. We didn't have a phone. More stress. So we went phone hunting. I told people we were lost and asked if we could borrow their phone for a second. I don't know - I've never been on the other end of that onversation - but I like to think I'd let some poor sucker borrow my phone for a second. Not these people. RUDE. So finally this one lady - after telling us we couldn't use her phone - helped us find a pay phone and a place to buy a phone card. That was nice of her. I guess. I'd rather she just lent us her phone, but alright. It's fine. I was still freaking out, so Elder J volunteered to call. Bless his heart. So he called. He did a stelllar job. Bydgoszcz freaked out a little bit, because we weren't going to get in until about 11 at night. And then, we waited. An hour and a half. For our train. It was a great time.

We wandered around the mall in Tczew. It was SUPER lame. We got hungry. We found a decent kebab place and ate.

Then we got on our train with a bunch of other late night travelers. We stood the whole way to Bydgoszcz in the back near the party of drunkards by the bathroom. That was nice. Then we finally got in and everything was fine and I slept like a ROCK.

The exchange was nice. I LOVE Bydgoszcz. I'm going to miss that city.

The train ride home wasn't nearly as interesting. We were on the right train and everything. But it was fun. I love train rides.

The rest of the week has been pretty mediocre. In a good way.

So. That's it! Pretty exciting stuff!

Oh. And this morning, my BEAUTIFUL companion Monty blew up balloons and put up streamers for my birthday. And we made pancakes during comp study. We're buildling comp unity, so it's okay. And she also got a me a cute pink whale stuffed animal and a scarf that is my exact favorite color of coral. I LOVE MY MONTY. It was lovely.

And after email, we're going to go see a castle with Stanley and the elders. It's going to be a GREAT day.

Love you all SO MUCH!

Sent: Monday, July 28, 2014 4:34 AM The Most Uninteresting Week Ever.

Sooooooooooo. Head's up. Next week, we're probably going to Hel. And the next week, we're probably going to Malbork. And the next week, I'm probably going to Warszawa. And the next day, I'm probably going to America. So the emailing is all a little questionable from here on out. I just wanted you all to be aware so if the emails are short (or if they don't happen at all, but I'm going to try REALLY hard to not let that be a problem) you don't freak out. Consider yourselves warned, chillin's.

Let's see, let's see.

What happened in my life last week.

...

Not much, apparently.

Monday: Sopot date. JADWIGA.

Tuesday: Zone Conference.

Wednesday: English is cancelled until September. So.

Thursday: PIONEER DAY! But that means nothing for us in Poland. Bohdan.

Friday: Magda and service. Planning.

Saturday: Wio and Klaud. JADWIGA TEMPLE PREP. Stanley and pierogi.

Sunday: Lunch at the Tufts with Marinella, Janina, and the elders.

Yep. That's it.

Exciting stuff.

Shoot, I don't even know what else to say! Sorry, this is the MOST BORING EMAIL EVER TYPED. Seriously though. Apologies. I can't even think of any funny stories.

Pathetic.

But.

I LOVE YOU ALL FREAKING A TON!

Oh - guess what?! On Saturday, for Culture Night, I'm going to the POLISH SUPERBOWL. It's probably the only Superbowl I'll ever go to. It's going to be big.

That's all.

Much love!

Monday, July 21, 2014 5:19 AM It Was Hel.

Well. You know, we had a beautifully planned P-Day for today. It was going to be beautiful. It was going to be Hel. To znaczy, there's a peninsula north of Gdańsk, and it's cool, and it's called Hel. And we were going to go there today. But alas. Our plans were foiled - as so often happens - and we are NOT going to Hel. So we had a plan. And it was Hel. And now it is not. So instead we're having a date in Sopot, Monty and I. It's going to be beautiful. Just not as exciting as Hel. ... And it doesn't lend itself to as many jokes as Hel does, if I'm being honest. I've gotta say, we've definitely been living the whole Hel thing up.

But enough of that.

You know what's really awesome? Gratitude. Mmm hmm. Gratitude is the best. Last week, Monty and I were having a crummy day. Nothing was happening. We were both a little grumpy. It was lame. So we decided to play the Gratitude Game. Czyli, we took turns saying something we were grateful for. And what do you know, it worked like a charm! After that, we were both happy as clams can be! It was great.

So I've been thinking about gratitude. And things I'm grateful for. And if you feel A List Of Things Sister Young Is Grateful For coming on, you're a genius.

1. MY FAMILY

Well, shoot! I've got the best family in the world! Who WOULDN'T be grateful for that? I've been spoiled silly with family. I'm so grateful to have a family strong in the Gospel. I'm so grateful to have a family with so much love for each other. I'm so grateful to have a family that rocks. What can I say? God loves me.

2. EMAIL

What would I do without email? How would I talk to you guys? Letters? Meh. That would take FOREVER. And the Polish mail system isn't even that great. That would be tragic. Email is the handiest thing ever.

3. OPPORTUNITES TO LEARN
Cough cough TRIALS. They're not fun, but dang are they important. And without trials, where would be anyways? I wouldn't know jack squat. Trials are important.

4. GDAŃSK

I love this city so much. I feel SO blessed to be able to finish my mission here. And I also feel EXTREMELY lucky that I got two transfers here - especially coming off two transfers where I only got to stay in my city for one. It's really hard to come to city and love it and then get snatched out of it after a few weeks. I feel REALLY lucky that I got to stay here for longer than that. I love this city, and I love this branch.

5. GRATITUDE

How original, right? But I am really am grateful for gratitude, and the way it turns our focus to the things we've been blessed with rather than the things we lack. It's fabulous! It makes me happy. And I like to be happy, so it all works out quite nicely.

6. TRAINEE

You guys. I am SO lucky. I'm SO glad that I get to spend my last transfer with a trainee. It's so cool to see his beginning, and to be living my ending. It's like the whole mission is splayed out before me. And it's so fun to be able to help him. Seriously. I love it. And I love it even more, because guess what? My cute brother William is off in the world being a missionary right now, and I don't get to be with him, and that's kind of a bummer. But I DO get to be with Elder Jourdan, who's in a very similar stage of his missionary life. So it's almost like being with Will. And I can help Elder Jourdan in the way that I hope someone is going to help my brother when he gets to Oregon. Cute, right? I love it.

7. COMPANIONS

Glory be, I've been spoiled silly again. This time with companions. I have had the best companions ever! I've been SO SO blessed! I don't even know why. Apparently, God still loves me. I have met the most wonderful people, and learned so much from them, and they are amazing.

... Well. I could go on LITERALLY for forever. But I don't have time. Also, my fingers are tired of typing. Co zrobić? Life is hard.

But.

I LOVE YOU ALL OODLES AND OODLES!

Siostra Young

Monday, July 14, 2014 4:54 AM Nature. Mm Mmm. Not A Fan.

So what else is new? I'm still not a fan of nature. Or creepy crawlies. Or slimy things. And yet. My life is fraught with disgusting experiences with those things. What is THAT about?

On Tuesday night, we did a whiteboard with our starsi. That was nice. Except for the part where A BUG FLEW INTO MY EYE AND THEN GOT STUCK THERE. That was fetching disgusting. And it freaked me out. So naturally I freaked out. I was just sitting there, minding my own business, talking to Monty and Elder Jaeger for a second, and then he says to me, all matter of factly, "There's a bug in your eye." And then I said some angry loud things for a second (because there was a bug in my eye! What the flip would YOU do in a situation like that?!) So then Monty had to extract it's small corpse from my eye. It was every bit as gross as it sounds. Ugh. I'm getting ill just reminiscing about it.

On Saturday, Monty and I were in a park. And it was VERY wet. It rained from sun up to sun down. But we've got to contact, and we've got to contact somewhere, and there aren't really people anywhere, so a park. That is what happened. Anyways. We were in the park. And then she was like, "Oh look, a toad!" And I was like, "WHAT?! Gross! ... Pick it up!" She said no. But then we found another toad, and she picked up that one. So as she's holding the toad, I pulled out my camera to take a picture (because what else would you do?), took a picture, then I was taking another one, and she was like, "Oh!" So I look at the picture I just took, and there's no toad in her hands. It had literally JUST leapt from her hands. So I freaked out, and screamed, and ran halfway down the path in case it was coming after me. GROSS. But I survived, so it's cool. Also, later down the path, we found the TINIEST FROGS ON THE PLANET. They were literally half the size of my pinky fingernail. It was CRAZY! They were adorable. (Well, as adorable as slimy nature can possibly be). I made Monty hold one of those too. And then, we found a GIANT snail. It was disgusting. But Monty held it. She's a trooper, that comp of mine!

Okay.

So.

I know this was a SUPER lame email. But I gotta run.

LOVE YOU ALL like CRAZY a lot!

Monday, July 07, 2014 5:27 AM I Blinked.

Dear Everyone.

Welcome to the fastest week of my entire existence.

Monday. P-Day. Shopping.

Tuesday. Bydgoszcz.

Wednesday. Sister Swenson. English. Jadwiga. MY BROTHER WENT TO THE MTC.

Thursday. Chalk and Talk. Grill. Sopot. Lena.

Friday. Magda. Manekin.

Saturday. Sister Swenson. Wioletta and Klaudia. Banana bread.

Sunday. Church. Magda. Stanley.

And that, my friends, is all she wrote.

This week was crazy flipping fast. I don't even know where it went! I'm sitting here, looking at my planner and the things crossed out and circled and all the arrows and numbers, and flip! I don't know when all of it even happened! It's weird. REALLY weird. I don't think I've ever had a faster week in my whole life. Which is saying a lot, because I WAS once an elementary school student, and summer as an elementary student literally flies. I feel like I was emailing you all, like, two days ago. Which, I'm not gong to lie, is pretty nice. I'm definitely not complaining. It's just freaky weird.

So that's nice.

Let's see ... Can I possibly expound on ANY of the above listed happenings of my life ...

Bdygoszcz! Duh! Oh lands. I love that city. It was so fun to go back again! We had Zone Training on Tuesday. It was really nice. And guess WHAT!? I'm possibly probably going to Bydgoszcz for exchanges again this transfer! And I'm possibly probably going on my exact birthday to that beautiful promised land! It's not for sure (as far as I know), but it's looking pretty likely! What I wouldn't GIVE! Ah. Please bless that it happens. It would rock my whole world.

Oh. Sister Swenson. Because that's possibly confusing. So! On Tuesday night Sister Swenson came up and hung out with us (hung out? Okay. Well. We did missionary work. We didn't just hang out. But you get the idea) for the week! It was super fun! And we got to see a bunch of members, and that was cool! So that happened this week. ... Alright, I just reread this explanation, and it makes a total of 0.00071 sense. So. I'm going to try again. Once upon a time, there was Sister Swenson. She started her mission in Gdańsk, and she was here for forever basically, and now she's going home in two weeks. So. For reasons that are too complicated to explain, she had to come up for something, which ended up not happening. But she was here. And she spent basically forever here, so it means a lot to her, so she wanted to see a bunch of people while she was here. So we did. The three of us saw a bunch of people while she was here. Then she went home to Warsaw. It was nice. Oh. Er. Not the fact that she went home. The fact that she was up here. We had fun while she was up here. THAT is what I'm trying to say. Ugh. Words. They're so ... difficult.

And we totally had the Fourth of July last week! It was a good time! We did normal missionary life things, and then we had Manekin with the fam and Stanley (who's basically part of the fam anyways). It was delicious. Of course. I'm not sure why Manekin was the restuarant of choice for Independence Day. Naleśniki aren't really very American. I feel like Billy's American Diner (which does, in fact, exist - I haven't tried it yet, but there's no way I'm leaving this country until I do) would have been a more appropriate choice, but there you go. I like naleśniki as much as the next kid.

MOM. I GOT MY PACKAGE THAT WENT TO WROCŁAW ON TUESDAY. And I've been eating Sweet Baby Ray's on literally EVERYTHING ever since. It rocks. Thank you SO SO MUCH! How I have missed BBQ sauce! It's delicious. I've never been happier. And everything else - it's all delicious! The Cheese It's, the marshmellows, the peanut butter, the Fruit Roll-Ups - I'm living the dream! THANK YOU times a thousand. God bless America, and her delicious American foods available only in America. (William, Annlie - treasure your lives. You are lucky, beautiful people.)

In other news. (I'm sorry - I think I overuse that phrase, but I REALLY like it, and it always seems to be indispensable as I'm emailing. It's just such a good change-of-topic-er.) MY BROTHER WENT TO THE MTC LAST WEEK. Yeah. THAT happened. I'm dying here. I don't even know if the kid's going to read this, but William. If you are reading these words. I LOVE YOU. (And if you're not, I still love you. Don't worry about it. You just won't know it, because you aren't reading it ...) And I'm REALLY proud of you. And I tell you what, I think about you basically all the time. Because you rock, and I miss you.

I made some banana bread on Saturday. As previously stated. Guys, it was really good. Like, REALLY good.

So. Um. Yeah. That's it. That's my week. It was very exciting. (I think ... it was so fast, I can hardly remember what happened. But as far as my memory allows me to remember, it was very exciting.)

Much love!

Siostra Young

Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 4:51 AM I Freakin' Love Gluten.

Hello my lovelies! How are we all doing today?

Me? I'm doing alright. I'm having a slightly emotional day. Because duh. My brother is leaving for Mexico in two days. So, naturally, I'm a wreck. Mostly because I couldn't be there for his farewell. And because I won't be there when he leaves. And because he won't be there for a solid two years of my life. That's a LOT of life. Especially when we add on the year and half (give or take 7 weeks) that I've been absent from his life. You know. I am not a huge fan of this. I couldn't be prouder of my cute brother William. I really couldn't. But the absence is SO MUCH! Bleck.

Anyways.

I love gluten.

Sister Montesinos lets me eat gluten all the time, and I don't even have to feel guilty about it. I love it.

I'm going to miss all my Polish pastries. They are beautiful. What will I do without them?

Dumb question. I'll eat AMERICAN pastries! I'll be okay.

I'll still miss them, but I'll be okay.

Anyways.

My life.

So. There's this member here. I've mentioned her before. Her name is Jadwiga. You guys, she is my FAVORITE HUMAN ON THE WHOLE EARTH. I love her. And she loves the Gospel. It's a big circle of love. We went over last week, and she had her two granddaughters over. She explained who we are and what we do as missionaries, and then she asked us to introduce ourselves and then share our testimonies. It was SO ADORABLE. And then, we were getting ready to eat (because she LOVES feeding us), and she explained about what prayer is and why we pray, and then had me say the prayer over the food. It was so stinking cute. She is WONDERFUL. I wish everyone in the world knew Jadwiga. I want to take her to America with me. That's how much I love her. Lands. She's wonderful.

The weather here has been SO WEIRD. I'm wearing sweaters still. SWEATERS. It's the last day of June, and I'm wearing a sweater. Not gonna lie, it's rocking my world. I am SO happy. Everyone else is a little upset because they want sunshine and heat, but I'm like, "Psh, forget that! Bring on the rain!" Okay. Actually, the rain is SLIGHTLY annoying. Because contacting in the rain is not the most fruitful of contacting. But still. I am a fan. I'll take rain over searing heat and blinding sunshine any day of the year.

I LOVE MONTY.

Last week Łeba was SUPER fun. It was cold. But it was really fun! We took a two hour drive with Stanley and the elders out to the city of  Łeba, and from their we took a ride - in the pouring rain, mind you - on a little golf cart dealio out to these HUGE-O-MONDO sanddunes that exist up be the seashore. It was so cool! It was also freezing and wet, but it was so cool! It's like, you're in this Polish forest, and then all the sudden your on the set of Hidalgo, because there's just sand, and it's everywhere! It was a good time.

Yep.

That's about it.

Love you guys!

Siostra Young

Monday, June 23, 2014 3:07 AM Bromance City

Um, yeah. The past week of my life, I've been living in a Bromance City. I'm a sister, and I've been living in a Bromance City.

Brief Explanation:

There are different sized cities in this mission. Different sized cities and districts have names. For example, I'm currently serving in a Double Date City. One elder companionship, one sister companionship. (I know. Don't read too much in to it, okay? It's just funny.) When I was in Bydgoszcz, I was in a Third Wheel City. There were two elder companionships, and one sister companionship. Cities with only elders are called Bromance Cities. There's only one of those left these days. Oh. Correction. There are two. There used to be more, but the sisters are taking over. Anyways. Now, all Bromance Cities have two companionships. But it used to be, in days of yore, that Bromance Cities had one lone companionship. Since I'm a sister, I'm never going to have to experience that agony. But I've served around enough elders who have survived such a city to know they are NOT fun.

We were elder-less basically ALL week. Elder Jaeger and his trainee (Elder Jourdan) had to stay in Warsaw Monday to do legal work. And then, it didn't work, so they had to stay Tuesday too. And then that kept happening for A GAZILLION DAYS. And they finally got back on Friday night. Sister Monty and I discovered that we would NOT survive a Bromance City. It's not that we don't love each other. We're pals. This companionship is beautiful. But sometimes, you need more than just your comp - especially because you're stuck with your cmp 24/7. Even with a companion you love, that's a LOT of time. So. That was nice. We were both excited to see our elders return.

Oh hey guess what? We have a fun investigator these days! Her name is Barbara. We call her Barb. (When we're talking about her. Not to her face. She might not love that as much as we do.) She's SUPER cool though! She asks a bunch of questions. And she's easily distracted. And she talks a lot. ... She sounds like a four year old ... Okay. I promise, she's cooler than a four year old. We love her. It's a good time.

We also met with Jadwiga. Bless that woman! She's so cute! I love her. Lands, I love her. She had us sing for her, and made us pierogi in broth for dinner. She's literally the most adorable woman on the planet.

Um. Yeah.

Our week wasn't super interesting ...

Also. I gotta run.

Because guess what? We're going to ŁEBA today! I don't exactly know where or what that is, but I'll let you know next week! Stanley (... Um. ... Stanisław. Because we're in Poland) is taking us out there with the starsi. Gonna be FUN!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Siostra Young

Monday, June 16, 2014 5:34 AM Yeah. Um. I'm His Favorite.

Well, guys. I've got some good news, and some bad news. (The good news is for me, and the bad news is for you. ... Sorry about that ...) The good news is this - I'm feeling PRETTY confident in the fact that I'm God's favorite child this week. Which means that bad news is that you aren't ... Sorry, fellas! I don't make the news, I JUST report it.

This was maybe one of my favorite weeks of my whole entire mission. It was INCREDIBLE.

Okay. Well. It actually started out a LITTLE bit grumpy ... I wanted my transfer call on Saturday (to znaczy, two Saturdays ago, not the Saturday we just barely had). As I was promised I would receive it. But then on Friday (to znaczy two Fridays ago, not the Friday we just barely had) Elder District Leader Elder Jaeger called and was like, "Yeah. Um. That's not happening until next Wednesday." And I was like, "What?!" And I demanded to know why, and he just laughed at me and said he didn't know. The man thoroughly enjoys laughing at me. Bless him. Moral of the story: I spent the first three days of the week wanting to know what would be going down the last three days of the week, because everything was mass hysteria. But good news, it all turned out fine.

Fast forwarding to Wednesday.

We were sitting in English, Toby and I and Ines (she was our lone student), and then the phone rang, Sister Tobler said, "Hello, President!" and walked out of the room, and I freaked out. It was weird, but Ines knows us well, so it was fine. Then Toby walked back in and gave me the phone, and I talked to Prez, and whaddaya know, he said I'm staying in Gdańsk! And whadlsedaya know, I'm serving with Sister Montesinos again! I know. It's crazy! Monty is sitting right next to me, as I type, in this punk little internet cafe! It's a good time.

(In other news, Sister Toby went back to Warsaw, but to Warsaw II this time, as the Overlord. She's going to be AMAZING! But I miss her already. Baby Weggs ... Ooooh. I mean, Elder Weggersen. Rest assured I never call the man Baby Weggs (... at least to his face. ... Usually.) Elder Weggs also went to Warsaw, but to Warsaw I as DL. Elder Jaeger is staying up here with me, and he's got a trainee! (I've been informed I'm not allowed to call his trainee his baby. He said it's demoralizing. ... He's ridiculous.) The trainee seems cool. I don't really know him. And I don't remember his name ... In my defense, I've only talked to him twice, and we were never formally introduced, so I'm under NO obligation to remember. And that is the transfer news from Gdańsk!)

So yeah. That happened.

And then on Thursday, we got a phone call from Elder Jaeger, and he said, "Good news! We're going to Wawa TOMORROW!" And then we were like, "Uh, what? Woo hoo!" So then we had to do LOTS of packing (and by we, I mean Toby) and get ready to head out, so that was a good time.

It was actually SUPER weird to be in Warszawa. I discovered that I missed that crazy place. I missed the metro, and the branch, and the Carrefour Express about five seconds from our house - I missed it. That was a pleasant discovery. I am a fan of Warsaw.

And then. My life got significantly more exciting and crazy and beautiful.

Saturday morning we got up and got ready, and then. We went. To a baptism. Yes. A baptism. Of one VANESSKA [insert forgotten last name here]! A Reminder: Vanessa is one of my favorite children in Poland. Sister Mik and I taught her when we were in Warsaw to prep her for baptism. And said baptism happened! That beautiful, BEAUTIFUL girl got baptized! And I GOT TO GO! Holy flip. That is the best Tender Mercy of my entire mission RIGHT there. I love that little girl so much, and I wanted to go to her baptism SO BAD. Everything worked out absolutely perfect for me to be there. It was amazing. Holy flip! It was so cute - when we were on our way out there in the morning, Vanesska called me using Sister Mik's phone, and she was like, "Hey, are you coming?" And I was like, "Yep! On my way!" And then when I was there she hung out and talked with me for a little bit and gave me a gazillion hugs, and it made my whole flipping life. I LOVE HER. Her baptism was absolutely beautiful. She is the sweetest thing on the planet.

And THEN. A thousand (okay ... Um. 70 or 80 or something ...) missionaries showed up to the chapel in preparation for the arrival of the Silver Fox (more commonly - but only barely - known as President Uchtdorf. As in Dieter F. Yeah. That went down). So that was lovely. Oh my snap, it was SO LOVELY. It was so fun to see EVERYONE! And talk to people I hadn't seen in a gazillion years! It was also a bit of a sensory overload, because there were SO MANY PEOPLE. By the end, I kind of wanted to hide in a small dark coat closet or something and treasure the dark and the quiet. Which is weird. ... I'm scared about America now ... But for the most part, it rocked! I got to see my cute little MTC district, and we took a cute little picture together! That was fun.

And THEN. UCHTDORF. It happened! He came! He spoke to us! I sat in the same room as that man - I BREATHED HIS AIR! And when he first came in, he and his beautiful wife shook everyone's hands! THE EXACT HAND WITH WHICH I AM CURRENTLY TYPING HAS BEEN SHAKEN BY PRESIDENT UCHTDORF. I feel like a celebrity. President Uchtdorf is so incredible. The spirit that he has - it's incredible. He's such a genuine and wonderful person, and he says the most beautiful things. He is so obviously called of God - you can't be near him and not see that. He didn't say anything new - but everything he said, HE SAID, so it was automatically beautiful and inspiring. For me, the message that I took away, is to do your best every day, and to live in the day and the moment that you're in. Which I'm not especially good at. BUT I'm trying, and I'm going to do better! So life goes on. And it's grand.

And THEN. The next day. We got UCHTDORF PART II. With all the members! That man - bless him! He's the best. Everything he said was EXACTLY what this Gdańsk branch needs to hear. He talked a lot about love and forgiveness and patience - it was beautiful. I wanted to hug him. It was seriously incredible, to be in that room, with so many members from Poland, with so many missionaries, and to listen to a prophet of God. That was probably one of the highlights of my LIFE (all joking aside. It was that incredible). And guess what? As soon as it ended, I felt a tap on my shoulder, so I turned around, and who should be standing there but ANIA MUCHA, my favorite person in Kraków and maybe Poland and maybe the world! She was like, "Sister Young!" And I was like, "AH!" And then we hugged and it was beautiful, and she was like, "I saw Sister King and Sister Hemming, but I didn't see you and I was scared you weren't here!" It was beautiful. I almost cried. I love that woman! She told me about Kraków, and how it's doing AWESOME - that city is seriously exploding, and it was probably the best few minutes of my life. I also talked to Vanesska some more, and I told her I missed her, and she said she missed me too. It was cute. I LOVE HER.

And THEN. We waited for a really long time for a really long train ride, and after a gazillion hours ended up in Gdańsk, Sister Monty and I.

Yeah. It was clearly a beautiful week. But. Lemme tell you why it was REALLY special.

Reason 1: Vanessa.

I love her. So much. (As you've read.) I can't believe that I got to go to her baptism. The timing on everything was perfect. The fact that she happened to get baptized the weekend of Uchtdorf conference - that her BIRTHDAY was the day she got baptized, that I was in Warszawa at the time, that we got to go down on Friday instead of waiting until Saturday like most of the other missionaries had to - that was crazy. I lucked out hardcore. Which translates to, God Loves Me Hardcore. And the fact that she didn't forget me - yeah, that rocked. I love that child!

Reason 2: Ania.

Oh my flip. I love her. It was SO GREAT to see her! And to know that she's doing SO good in the Gospel! She teaches Institute, for heaven's sake. The woman is teaching Institute! I LOVE HER! Also. I was talking to Elder Allen (for the first and last time since being in the country), and he told me that when he first got to Kraków, he asked her if she knew Sister Young, and she said I was a "super misjonarka". She's so cute! And Sister Swenson told me that Ania always talked about me and how much she loved me, and always checked up on where I'd be at transfers. Is that not beautiful? I thought maybe she forgot about me. But she didn't! And she's doing SO WELL! Glory. God loves me so much. I don't deserve to be so blessed!

Reason 3: Uchtdorf.

I can't even EXPOUND on that one.

Anyways.
Love you all!  Happy day!

Siostra Young

Monday, June 09, 2014 5:34 AM Polish Mexican Food Is Not Ideal.

Well. My children. I had QUITE the week. It felt like Field Trip Week. It was so fun! On Thursday we went out to Sopot and Gdynia, then on Friday we went to Sopot, then on Saturday we went to Stutthof, and then on Sunday we went to - you guessed it - Sopot! It was SO MUCH FUN! I love weeks with lots of adventures. So. From the top.

THURSDAY

... It wasn't actually all that exciting. We went out to visit a couple less active members in Sopot and Gdynia. That was a delight. BUT we got to ride the train, so that made it an adventure! Trains = Adventures. Easy as that.

FRIDAY

CULTURE NIGHT! Oooo OO! It was SO MUCH FUN. We went to Sopot. Explanation. I live in Gdańsk. Just north of Gdańsk you find Sopot, and just north of that you find Gdynia. It's called Trojmiasto. To znaczy, there are three cities, but all kind of one-ish city. Anyways. Sopot is the more touristy city of the three, so we went there for the night. And it was SO lovely. We had a bit of a scare, because an hour before Culture Night was supposed to start it started raining HARDCORE. So we were going to have to change our plans a little bit. And by change our plans, I mean order pizza at the chapel and play games. NOT cool. But it cleared up RIGHT before we left! Yay! We had dinner at this restuarant called The Mexican. ... Yeah. That was a bad decision. Mexican food in Poland is a bad idea EVERY TIME. And yet, I keep going back. I don't know WHY this keeps happening! Actually. I do. It's this: I AM MEXICAN-FOOD DEPRIVED. I just want a quesadilla. Is that so much to ask? A simple chicken and cheese quesadilla. Or even a burrito, for pity's sake! I would KILL for nachos. Or salsa. Anything. I'd take anything at this point. And because I'm so deprived, every time I see a Mexican restuarant, I think, "This time! This time it'll be different! I just want a quesadilla!"  And then ... It's bad. When do we LEARN? How many times can this continue to happen before I finally learn that throwing myself into every Mexican restuarant I see in desperation and hysteria is NOT a good idea? It's heart breaking. So. After THAT nightmare, we went down to the beach! WE WENT TO THE BEACH! And then, we just sat, and we talked, and it was beautiful. The end!

SATURDAY
We went with our cute little member Jadwiga (yah-d-vee-ga) out to Stutthof - a concentration camp in the okolice of Gdańsk. It was ... nice. It was good. It was SO great to spend time with her and the elders and those cute Tufts. It was a good experience. But I've got to be honest with you - I don't know how much more WWII/concentration camp/Holocaust stuff I can do. It breaks my heart. It makes me physically ill. Reading about the way that people treated other people - the things they did - it's a lot. It's A LOT. I can't even retell the stories of the things that I saw and read, because it's that horrific. It's important to know about the things that happened. I'm SO glad I've seen the things I've seen. It's important. BUT. I don't think I can do it anymore.

SUNDAY

We had a lesson with Agnieszka and her three crazy children Kasia, Tomek, and Ania, and Brat Harker. That was nice. I ate salmon. Yes. You read that correctly. I, Anna Lin Young, Ate Salmon. I don't even know myself anymore. I didn't like it, but I ate it. Don't expect it to happen again. It was a fluke. Other than that, it was a nice evening!

Let's see. Other news.

I LOVE SISTER TOBY and I already miss her. This has been the fastest transfer of my whole life! It's blowing my mind. And I'm going to miss Sister Toby.

PRESIDENT UCHTDORF IS COMING TO POLAND THIS WEEKEND AND I'M GOING TO SEE HIM AND POSSIBLEY SHAKE HIS HAND. I couldn't be more thrilled. Unless they also gave me a million dollars and 80 pounds of Milk chocolate and my family for the weekend. THAT would be heaven. ... Oh. And a private One Direction concert. Now that - THAT would be heaven. But that's okay, because PRESIDENT UCHTDORF IS COMING TO POLAND THIS WEEKEND! I'm content with that.

That's all.

Love you guys!

Monday, June 02, 2014 6:01 AM Wait. What?

My mind is running SO WILD right now.

Time. This freaky weird thing called time is freaking me out right now.

Because guess what? This Saturday we have transfer calls. I just barely got to Gdańsk! I got off the train, like, yesterday! And now, all the sudden, we have TRANSFER CALLS HAPPENING SOON.

And guess what else? This is the last time I get a transfer call. THE LAST TIME. Let that soak in.

Time is making me CRAZY. How does this happen? Where does the time go, when it sneaks off like that? Is there some backroom where it's hiding out? I don't even know. All I know, is that my mind is running seriously wild today.

Anyways. Enough of THAT nonsense. I'm going to stop being weirded out now.

Do you people want to hear a beautiful story? Good. This is the story of Mateusz.

The Story Of Mateusz

One day last Monday, we were contacting our way along. Minding our own business (which is the business of Saving Souls And Talking To Everyone). So we're doing this, and talking to these two girls. They didn't seem OVERLY interested, but we were talking. It was fine. They were going to GET interested. Meanwhile. This guy walks past us, staring at us, kind of in a hurry. Then he stops a few yards away from us, watching us talking to these two girls. He looks like he wants to talk to us. But we're in the middle of a conversation. Finally he gives up and comes over, and he's like, "Hey, could I get an ulotka?" And we're like, "Dude, for suresies!" So we give him an ulotka. And then he says, "Do you guys have, like, any meetings I could come to during the week?" And we were like, "Um, what? We've got English on Wednesdays ... Are you interested in English, or the G?" And he was like, "Well, English too, but the G." And then, we paused our lives, and we FREAKED OUT because it was beautiful. This man. He contacted us. And he wanted to learn about the GOSPEL. Then we unpaused, and said, "Cool. Let's meet!" And then he was like, "Cool! Let's do that!"

So on Wednesday we met. And he loved EVERYTHING we taught him. It was beautiful. He ate it right up! And we asked him if he'd get baptized, and he was like, "Yeah!" Yeah? YEAH! And after the lesson he was like, "Do you guys have a few minutes? I'd love to read from the Księga with you guys for a minute." And we were like, "YES SIR! WE CAN DO THAT!" And he wanted to meet again on Friday. TWO DAYS LATER.

So we met with him on Friday. He was sad. But it went well! He's awesome.

And THEN. He came to a grill we did with the branch on Saturday! And he had a GRAND old time! And he brought bananas! Bless that man. You should have seen him. It was beautiful. He walked in, and he was like, "Hey!" And we were like, "Hey!" And then - oh, it was beautiful, you're never going to believe it - he walked around, shook EVERYONE'S hand, and chatted it up with all the little wardies. All of 'em. He fit right in! And he even stayed after we left! This man is SOLID GOLD. He's so getting baptized.

Oh. And now he's not ours anymore. Because he's a man. He belongs to the elders.

The End.

Also.

I LOVE THE TUFTS. They are the most beautiful senior couple. I love them. SO MUCH. They are incredible. They do SO MUCH for this branch in Gdańsk. I don't know what's going to happen here when they leave. Thankfully I'll never have to find out (they leave two days before I do - but even so, it's not for sure that I'm staying up here next transfer). I just want to hug those beautiful people every day of my life.

We had Zone Training in Bydgoszcz this week! It was good. Prez came up with the apes for it. So that was nice. I'm about to say it again, and I know - the fact is VERY well established, but I just love Bydgoszcz so much! It's so magical!

The other day, I was standing on a loose brick. And then I somehow flipped that brick up onto my leg. It hurt like a mothah. And scratched me up pretty good. It looks like my leg has been mauled by a baby dinosaur. It's kind of exciting, actually. I feel like I should earn a few battle scars in Poland, you know?

Last week we went on a BOAT! Out to see Westerplatte (I could try to explain what that is, but it would probably be historically inaccurate because my memory is a little kipsko ... sorry)! It was so great! I decided I miss boats. Didn't think THAT would ever make the list of Things I Miss. But there you go!

Oh yeah. We had that branch grill! That was fun. We had a pretty good group out for it! And the food was really good! Except ... Well. The meat they had ... It was only on the bone. And I don't really LIKE meat on the bone. It grosses me out, and it's hard to eat. So I had to overcome that little trial in my life. It was difficult, but I did it. Please, hold the applause.

I got to weed in a member's yard for about an hour. That was ... You know, it was actually REALLY nice. Mom - I need for you to not get TOO excited about this, okay? But. I think. I think I miss gardening a little bit too. My mind is running wild.

Alright. That's all!

I love you, you crazy people!

Siostra Young

Monday, May 26, 2014 5:25 AM Merp.

Dearly Beloveds.

Today, I am short of two things. Those two things would be time, and writing ability. Actually, make that three things. And thing three is interesting things to write about. And so. This isn't going to be my best work. You've been warned.

Things Of Note.

Polish Week.

Sister Toby and I are crazy people. We decided to speak only Polish last week. (And we MOSTLY did it - except when English was necessary.) Congrats to us! It was good. Because you know what? We can speak a little Polish! We certainly aren't FLUENT or anything (wouldn't THAT be nice!) But. We can speak a little Polish. Enough to survive! Let there be rejoicing.

Peanuts.
I may or may not have an allergy to peanuts. They make the back of my throat itchy. So. We can throw that one on the list of Very Minor But Still Annoying Allergies Of Sister Young right next to canteloupe and watermelon and honeydew.

Rain.

It rained a LOT the other day. And I forgot my umbrella. Hence, I was very wet. I may as well have gone swimming. That's how wet I was. Also, after the rain stopped, my bag broke. The strap just broke. It was sad. So then I had to carry my bag around in my arms like a baby the rest of the day. That was awkward. This same day, I ended up quite by accident by myself in the elevator with the elders coming down from the chapel (awkwardness), and I tripped over a chain in the parking lot and fell on my face. ... It wasn't my proudest day.

English Kasia.
We have a new English student. Her name is Kasia. She's really cool. And really funny. And she feeds us salad and chocolate. We love her. She also calls us by our first names. I'm not supposed to like that. But I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I LOVE being called Ania. It's so cute. Sometimes I miss my first name.

Contacting.
We talked to a bunch of crazies this week. That was a delight. You know. Crazy people - they're crazy. But they’re also INSANELY hilarious. So I actually don't mind talking to a crazy every now and again. It keeps things interesting.

Summer.
It's getting hot. You guys, I do not like it. I do not LIKE heat. I like sweaters. You can't wear sweaters during the summer unless you've got a death wish. Hence, I'm about to be hideous again. The bangs are going up, the hair is going in a ponytail, and the make-up is stopping. Gross. I feel gross just thinking about it.

Spiders.

We've got a lot of spiders hanging out around (and sometimes inside) our apartment. I don't really like that very much either. Spiders are NOT my favorite of God's creations.

Mercy River.
We listen to those ladies all the time. We love them.

Yeah. Um. That's basically it. MOST BORING EMAIL EVER WRITTEN AWARD goes to me. Sorry, guys.

But. Good news. I LOVE YOU ALL! (As if that made up for a boring email - it's no excuse, I know. I'm sorry.)

Siostra Young

Monday, May 19, 2014 5:25 AM B-Town Love.

I canNOT keep myself out of Bydgoszcz. I can't do it! And - let's be real - I don't really WANT to anyways. Who would voluntarily leave Bydgoszcz?! (... Elder Swicegood would. He's been there for eight months, end of this transfer. He wants out. But he doesn't know what he's asking for! Mark my words - the man will leave next transfer, and then he'll spend the rest of his mission missing that Zion of Poland.) Anyways. Bydgoszcz. This lady right here - this sister typing at the computer wearing the blueish-greenish sweater and the gold watch with her hair in a ponytail because the Heat of Summer is arriving in Gdańsk - went to B-Town TWICE this week.

Yes, my children.

You read that correctly.

Twice.

Glory, it was the best week of my life! (Except for those weeks I actually spent in Bydgoszcz 100% of the time - those were pretty good weeks.) I love Bydgoszcz SO MUCH.

B-Town Take One.

I went on exchanges! Woot woot! That was QUITE an adventure. I arrived in Bydgoszcz, hopped off my train, and was greeted by the Bydgoszcz District in full (minus Elder Swicegood who was going on exchanges with Poznań, and Sister Barth. For obvious reasons. ... She was in Gdańsk. That was the obvious reason.) And they were like, "Hey, you made it! We're so glad you made it!" And I was like, "Uh, yeah, me too ..." Confusion. And they were like, "Well, Elder Fogg didn't - we've got no idea where he is. So we're glad you're here!" And then, I had stress. WHAT?! Elder Fogg was LOST? Somewhere in POLAND? And no one had heard ANYTHING from him? Glory! THAT is not okay! Stress. SO MUCH of it. But we were like, "Well, good luck, fellas. Hope he turns up soon! We're going home to plan. Peace." And then we left. So we get on the tram. Sister King, that cute little missionary, gave me a bilet. I stamped said bilet. The bilet checkers checked said bilet. And then, they got out their ticket writing tools. And I was like, "Um, przepraszam. CO TU SIĘ DZIEJE?!" It turns out the bilet I had stamped had been previously stamped, and Sister King had given it to me by mistake - bless her heart. So they hit me with a fine for 180 zlots. THAT hurt like a mothah. That is SO MANY ZLOTS. But it's fine. (Bah! Get it!? Fine? Because it's got a double meaning - meaning one being okay, and meaning two being a ticket. I didn't even do that on purpose!) We got home, Elder Fogg finally showed up (apparently there was some confusion in Inowrocław - that city is NOTORIOUS! At least when I was stranded there, I had Elder White for company and a phone. Elder Fogg was stuck there with a Larry. For two hours. With no way to call anyone. ... That poor kid) - life goes on, wiesz? Tuesday was far less interesting. But that's probably for the best. We did missionary stuff. You know. It was a LOVELY day, but nothing out of the ordinary. And Wednesday I got home without too much trouble, so it was also uninteresting. But it was a really nice exchange! It was so much fun to be with Sister King for a couple days! She is SO much fun! And she's a great missionary - I learned so much from her! She's a doll.

B-Town Take Two.

GUESS WHAT, GUYS? THERE'S A THIRD DISTRICT IN POLAND NOW! Yes! That is a TRUE STORY. (To clear up any confusion, a district is to a branch, what a stake is to a ward.) And we got to be there for the creation of it! Yesterday we went in to Bydgoszcz, with a bunch of people from our branch (we had 24 members/missionaries from Gdańsk there! That is INCREDIBLE!), and saw a bunch of people from the Poznań, Szczecin, and Bydgoszcz branches and their missionaries, and boom! Just like that, they made a district! Ooo OO! It was so exciting! There are things happening in Poland, guys! Glory, I love this country. It's so beautiful! And there are now THREE DISTRICTS HERE! I'm so excited. It was SUCH a great meeting. All the talks were SO beautiful. There are such solid members here, in this part of Poland. It's amazing. I love 'em. And I got to see them! I got to see Karolinkuśku! And the Kagele's! And the Zalewski bunch! And a gazillion missionaries I love! It was a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL DAY.

Bydgoszcz. I'm TELLING you! I don't know WHAT it is about that city, but it's INCREDIBLE. I would DEFINITELY go back there for my last transfer. I would actually request that. ... I'm going to request that. The branch, the members, the city, the missionaries - I love everything about that blessed land! SEND ME BACK, PREZ!

In Other News:

Sister Toby and I have a problem. It's called - according to Elder Tufts - "the giggle bean". We are SO GIGGLY. This past week - I tell you. We have been struggling. Why is everything so funny? (A Hint: Because we are funny people.) We laugh at literally everything. We're having a grand old time. It's sometimes awkward though, because other people - they can't quite appreciate it the way we do. We were talking on the phone with Sister Overlord Sister Barth, and we were laughing so hard I had to leave the room, and Sister Toby had to tell her we'd call back in a minute. We couldn't keep it together! Oh - and YESTERDAY. Glory, it was embarrassing! We were talking with Elder Wegs and Sister Edgren, and Sister Tobes made a face at me, so NATURALLY I burst into uncontrollable giggles. Naturally! What else was I supposed to do? ... Sister Edgren was not overly impressed. Well, alright then. I can't live my life to impress other people. It's just really awkward when we're giggling, and people are like, "Oh, did we miss something?" and we're like, "Yeah, nope. We're just easily amused." Live your life, am I right?

This lady asked me if my parents are white this week. That was a first. I'm used to the confusion that comes with the last name of Young. I've gotten that enough, I'm used to that now. ("Young? That sounds Chinese. Are you Chinese?" "... Am I Chinese?" "Yes." "... Really?") The other day, we were talking to this really cool lady named Barbara, and she was like, "Young? Are you Chinese?" And I was like, "Um, no. The name is actually from England." And then she was like, "Oh. Hm. Czy twoje rodzice są biali? Are your parents white?" I beg your PARDON? Are my parents WHITE? What? I don't get it. Do I LOOK like my parents could be anything but white? I'm not being racist here when I say that - I'm just being confused. Honestly, do I look anything but white? Confusion. I experienced a lot of confusion.

Last Saturday was Norway Day! Hooray for Norway! (The Resident Norwegien Elder Wegs informed us. We didn't do anything to celebrate. However, in our defense, we aren't Norwegien.)

I've become addicted to Snickers. Because they're delicious.

Ines came to Bydgoszcz for the conference! It was really good for her. I love that woman. She is SO SWEET! She just needs to learn to doubt her doubts, and not her faith. How do you teach someone that?

Talking to people on the streets about baptism is kind of awkward. But you know what? It's kinda cool - it's like, either that contact ends REALLY quickly, or you get into a really good Gospel discussion right off the get-go. So it's nice! We like it!

Sister Toby is a hoot. I love that girl.

I also love Poland.

And Bydgoszcz.

And Gdańsk.

And Snickers. This has GOT to stop!

Peace, kids.

Siostra Young

Monday, May 12, 2014 5:56 AM The Great Christmas Epiphany.

You know what? I love Christmas. And I sort of live for Christmas. I'm a generally happy person. I love my life. And I can appreciate my life in the moment that I'm in. BUT. I maybe sort of live for Christmas. It's like I have a clock in my head eternally ticking on a Christmas countdown. I'm okay with that. Christmas is a good thing! I can appreciate Easter, and the Fourth of July, and Halloween, and Thanksgiving. But I love Christmas!

Sometimes as I get closer to Christmas, I get to thinking about it. I think about how it's almost Christmas, and then I wonder what it will feel like to actually BE IN Christmas! It gets SO much build up, and I look forward to it for SO long, and I wonder, "Wow - what's it going to be like being in the actual moment of Christmas! What's it going to feel like when I wake up early? What's it going to be like to see the tree all lit and hear the Christmas music playing and smell that evergreen candle we have going every year?" And then, when it finally actually IS Christmas, I try to take a second to think about it - to be aware of the magic that is that moment, and to take some time to really appreciate Christmas day. I want to be able to remember every second and every feeling perfectly, for some day in the future that isn't Christmas.

As I've been on my mission, I've been counting down to Christmas. Christmas being the moment I get to be with my family again and live a normal human life. I've had my little clock in my head, keeping me informed of the days and weeks and months until Christmas. Not that I haven't been enjoying my life where I'm at now. Not that I haven't been loving my mission for everything it is. But I'm just aware of the time. I do that.

So the other day, I was thinking about Christmas. And how much I love it. And how beautiful it's going to be when I'm home again. I was thinking, "Wow. What's that moment going to be like, sitting on the plane? And then - coming down that escalator in the SLC airport, and seeing my beautiful BEAUTIFUL family down there - what's that going to BE like?!" And then, this thought just exploded in my brain. "This Is Christmas Right Now."

I AM LIVING IN CHRISTMAS RIGHT NOW. A whole entire year and a half of it! Granted, it didn't get as much build up as a normal Christmas day (we all know I wasn't planning on being a missionary EVER in any life ever), but it's Christmas none the less! It might not always FEEL like Christmas, BUT this is Christmas! And I only get this year and a half of it! Someday in the distant future, I'm going to be at my house, and I'm going to look back and think, "Wow. I was a missionary. I was in Poland. What exactly did that feel like? I wish I could feel that again." And glory be, I'm in that moment right now! I'm in Poland. POLAND, folks. I'm a missionary. This is Christmas. And I'm never going to get another one! I want to memorize every single feeling (even the bad ones), because someday I'm going to want to be here again, and I'm not going to be able to do that. Time travel DOES NOT EXIST (I tell you, if I had a zlot for every time I've mentioned time travel in an email ...).

Alright. Elephant in the room. We all know it's there. My Christmas is winding down. It's not over yet - but it's getting close. And I'm scared I'm not going to have enough memorized from this time of my life. Hence. It's time to really appreciate this moment for what it is. It's time to love this Christmas for what it is and what it isn't, and make EVERY SINGLE DAY the best it can possibly be. This is all I've got! I've got a whole life of normal human living ahead of me, but only a few more months of Christmas. I have a whole life of normal human living ahead of me during which I can think about all the magic that was this year and a half, but only a few more months to actually make the memories I'm going to be thinking about. STRESS. Stress is happening.

But also excitement! Because Christmas is a VERY exciting thing. I love it.

The End.

And now. Funny Stories. Buckle up, kids!

Funny Story 1.

Hubert The Confused.

We were walking down the street, and this man called to us, in a English with a British accent, "Sister! It's me! It's me!" Ummm ... what? We've NEVER seen this man before. But he was calling us, so I stopped. And then I started praying that Sister Tobes was going to stop too, because I did NOT want to talk to this crazy alone! (And thankfully she did.) So he was like, "It's me! It's Hubert!" And we were like, "Uh huh..." And he was like, "Hi, Sister Young (cue him trying to read my name tag), and Sister ... (cue him, trying to read Sister Tobler's name tag) - hey, where's your name tag? Mine's in my backpack. I'm an elder!" What? He was SO WEIRD. And then he went off for a while on how you, "can't lose your book, or you're out of the club forever". Whatever THAT means! And then he said, "Hey. Whatever you do after your two years - be it business or marriage or kids - DON'T LOSE THE BOOK. Keep it close to your heart and under your bed." So then we decided to get out of there, and as we were walking away, he was like, "Go get 'em, tigers! JW's rock!" ... Huh?

Funny Story 2.

Mr. Frog Man.

I gave this guy a Mormon.org card, and he was like, "Oh, what's this?" So I was like, "It's about our church. Have you heard of it before?" Yeah. Heard about the church. Impressed by my Polish. Blah blah blah. And then he's like, "What do you think about sex before marriage?" And, naturally, I was like, "Um, I beg your pardon?" And then, naturally, he repeated his question. I wanted to tell him we don't do that in our church. Because we don't. But instead, I told him, "We will NOT do that." Face palm. What? Did I really just say that? Oh gee. Polish is hard, okay? Awkwardness ensued. He asked me why not, and I told him that it builds trust in a marriage to wait, and then he said it's okay to make a few mistakes before marriage, and then I shut him down pretty hardcore and sent him on his way. It was NOT my most spectacular moment, Polish wise.

Funny Story 3.
We were trying to find a member's house. We thought we were at the right the building. We tried the door. A man walked up behind us, and asked us what we were doing. At this exact moment, the member's child calls after us from two buildings down. Oops! So Sister Tobes was like, "Oh, sorry!" And then we just ran away. We literally ran away from that train wreck. The poor man thought we were breaking into his house! We are TERRIBLE missionaries. But it was hilaroius!

THE END FOR REALS.

I love you all, and I wish you everything the best! You're beautiful people!

Siostra Young