Brief Notes Before The Beginning Of The Actual Email:
1. This Christmas season has been FLYING. Which I am CRAZY grateful for. Homesickness hasn't even been an issue, and that rocks. God is good, my friends. God is good.
2. Who here knows about The Great Chipmunk Adventure? The greatest movie ever made? Yeah - that movie rocks. And is a little obscure. But guess who's seen it? And quoted it yesterday? Sister Montesinos. You guys, she ROCKS!
3. We also talked about Recess and Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. CLASSIC.
4. IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!
And now ...
So. I don't have a WHOLE lot to say, since I was just emailing, like, three days ago. And so. I've been thinking about what to say. And this is what I want to say. (Not, like, what I'm about to write. The next sentences are the lead up to what I want to say. Be patient.) Last week, Mom asked me to write a paragraph about my mission for a lady in our ward to put on the ward bulletin board. That's a pretty tall order to fill. One paragraph. About my mission. At first, I was like, "Sheesh, where does one even BEGIN? I have SO much to say!" And then, as I kept thinking I was like, "Wait. No really. Where does one even begin? Because I can't think of one single thing to say." So I gave her a rain check, and promised to write said paragraph today. Which I did. And it took a REALLY long time. But it's done, and I feel like in one paragraph, this is the best I could do. But here's the thing. As I was trying to decide what to write, I had a pretty rough time thinking of things people might find interesting. And maybe this paragraph is more about my personal mission than the Poland Warsaw mission as a whole, but this has been my experience. And it's not as "sunshine and daisies"-y as I wanted it to be.. But as I kept thinking about it, I was like, "Well, what's wrong with that? My mission hasn't been sunshine and daisies. So what?" And then I was like, "Well, maybe I should edit it down so it's not so dark. I don't want to scare the old babci in the ward." But that's not the point. I don't want to edit my experience as a missionary to make it sound all sunshine and daisies. That's not my mission, and that's not what I want anyways. Whatever. I'm sorry. I'm rambling. Without further ado, this is the paragraph.
*WARNING: THIS MISSION HAS NOT BEEN SUGAR COATED. THIS PARAGRAPH IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART*
I don't know what other missions are like - I've just been here in Poland. And I know they say that every mission is hard (just as they ought to be) but the Poland Warsaw Mission? She is a tough one. Poland is a VERY Catholic country.. And by Catholic, I mean that they're all baptized as babies and attend Mass for Christmas and Easter. Religion is much more cultural that religious in this country. Which makes preachin' the G a little difficult. Not impossible. But difficult. I've heard that in some missions, people have appointments and lessons all the time. And they actually get referrals. And if they don't get a baptism one transfer, that's abnormal. Such is not the case in Poland. Or at least for me in Poland. Finding investigators - SOLID investigators - is not easy. Which means we don't have very many. Which means we don't have very many lessons and appointments set up. Which means we contact a lot. To znaczy, talk to people on the streets. And a lot of times, they're not super excited to listen. And so they don't. Baptisms? I've heard the average number of baptisms for a Poland Warsaw missionary is two. Personally, I think that guess is a little high. It all sounds so horribly depressing, doesn't it? See, that's where it gets interesting. Because guess what? I love it. I really love Poland. I love the stubborn people, and the lack of customer service, and the smelliness of the public transportation. And I know - this all sounds like sarcasam. But I'm serious. I love it. These things just make Poland Poland. But there are also things that are easier to love. I love when I wake up to the sound of bells from the cathedral next door and I look out my window to see the city settled beneath a layer of mist (it's so thoroughly European). I SERIOUSLY love it when you're speaking Polish and gift of tongues is going full force, and people ask, "How long have you been here?" and they can't BELIEVE how well you speak. Those things are all great. But what I love VERY most is teaching someone who cares. When you FINALLY find someone who wants to learn more - somebody who gets it. That's what I love the most. And if takes a little longer to find them in Poland than it does somewhere else, well, alright then. So be it. I can't imagine serving anywhere else. So yeah - I'll take the stinky trams and the grumpy people and misty mornings and the IMPOSSIBLE Polish, if it means I get to teach someone person who cares, and if it means I get to watch somebody change their life because they catch the vision of the Gospel and begin to understand it's importance in their lives. I love that these people are stubborn. I love that it takes them a while to accept the Gospel. And I love that when they do accept it, and they do understand it, they're in it 110%. I love Poland.
So anyways ... That's that ...
Merry Christmas, dzieci! I'll talk to you in 5 DAYS family! And I cannot WAIT! Woo hoo!
Love you all!
Siostra Young
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