I am Staying in Bydgoszcz!

Hey hey hey family!

So, I'm super excited to talk to you guys this week. That's so cool that you met a missionary going to Poland! I'll keep an eye out for him. Elder Saltmarsh is actually training this transfer, so Starszy Fotu might be his new companion. We'll find out!

Note from mom: this is a picture of a missionary going to Poland this week. We ran into him at the Marriott center after the training meeting on Sunday afternoon.

I love this work and am so grateful to be a full time representative of the Savior. One thing President stresses frequently is that the character we will have stepping off the plane to end our missions is the character that will remain through the rest of our lives. It will be very hard to change our attitude toward the Lord, His work, and the church at the end of our missions. That being said, I want to come home with the best attitude of humility, hard work, diligence, and obedience I can. So, I've now got to go set specific goals to do so. 

Mom, Dad, I need to give you a big thank you for teaching me how to work hard and to set a plan and go to work--especially with regard to cleaning a house. We have cleaning checks today and Elder Wilson and I more than prepared, thanks to making a list, doing deep cleaning, and getting to work. I know I may have grumbled and complained then, but I appreciate the value of hard work I have now.

Well, I'm sure you all want to find out about transfers. Elder Wilson and I were almost sure we would be staying together, but alas, it was not to be. Elder Wilson is heading to Katowice (I'm just a little bit jealous. I love that city and miss it badly.) to be a zone leader there with Elder N, another missionary from our group. I'm staying here in Bydgoszcz as a senior zone leader and my new companion will be Elder R. He's from Provo, UT and is a group ahead of me. In other words, he's in Elder Bokinsky's group in the mission. He also served in Kato my first transfer there, so I know him decently well. He's super fun, and I'm excited to serve with him and work hard! I'm super sad to say goodbye to Elder Wilson though. It's ok, we'll be doing lots of hanging out at BYU when we get home. As for now, there's work to be done. In other news, another Elder I've become really good friends with, Elder R, has been called to be an assistant. I'm super excited because he speaks polish really really well, and now I can talk to him about polish questions all the time. I'm doing my best to be a real student of the language. Every day I realize just how much I don't know about this language. It's crazy.

Sister Nielson and President Nielson taking something to remember Elder Wilson and Elder Vernon

Mom, now to answer some of your questions. Yes, it was hard to say goodbye to the Nielson's. Sister Nielson was funny. She was trying to get away with just shaking the Elders hands. Well, Elder Wilson and I went first to say goodbye, and by the time she was halfway through the handshake with me, she said, "Alright, that's it, I can't do this!" and gave first Elder Wilson a big hug, then me, then all the Elders down the line. We all had a good laugh about that. She's a mom, through and through. Mom, you cursed with me with my emotional genes. I shed a few tears in saying goodbye to the Nielsons. It's ok though, I'm lucky to have a mom like you, and I can deal with a few tears. The play, My Fair Lady, was awesome! It was super fun to watch and just enjoy. A nice break from things as well. I forgot how much I love My Fair Lady as well. It's a great play. Hopefully I can find some good plays to watch too in polish in the near future!

Our final Zone Conference with the Nielsons was so good! It was a blessing to hear from them one last time. Of course, we had the tie-cutting. I'm glad you guys like the tie, and the suit. I thought I'd be gutsy and get a blue one. Hopefully I chose well. I don't know if the Nielson's talked about this too, but one of the coolest parts of Zone Conference was the ties we received from the Nielson's. When every missionary goes home, Pres. and Sis. Nielson give them a white temple tie (from Adam's of course--Pres. Nielson designed the tie) with the years of the mission on the back. We weren't sure if we were all going to get one as well, but we did. Pres. talked about how when we go to the temple, to flip our tie over, look at the insignia, and think about our missions. It's a cool tradition they have. As their final bit in zone conference, President talked to us about 3 things he knows will be most helpful to us in life. First, obedience, second, faith, and third, sacrifice. Sister Nielson talked about choices and consequences. I love the Nielsons. They're like second parents to me now. I know the Lord wanted me to learn specific things from them. They're incredible people. I'm so grateful to have served with them for this year.

As for other news this week, let's move on to some stories.

Last Bydgoszcz zone conference with President and Sister Nielson

Elders Vernon, Wilson, Allen, and Harris

The Bydgoszcz zone

My plans to achieve goals this week are focusing on one day at a time and prioritizing. I've decided to make a list of things that are most important that need to be done in the next day every night during planning. Then, I will prioritize those things from most important to least importance. In doing so, I will determine what will involve my full efforts first the next day, and then once completed, I will move on to the next thing. I've planned to do this both with personal items and with items dealing with investigators. Focusing on one day at a time will also be helpful. Lately, I've found myself either looking to the future too much or feeling overwhelmed by all that I need to do in a week's time. By focusing on one day at a time, I will be able to exert all my effort into only that day, and worry about the next day when it comes. As the Lord Himself said, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."
A principle I learned this week was valuing every contact. Elder Wilson and I were talking with a man named P last night around 7:05. I was anxious and wanted to get inside and get planning because we had numbers to take and transfer calls to prepare for. P looked a little bit rough around the edges and I was doubting that anything would come from the conversation. I mentioned to him that we were lacking time and asked if we could set up a meeting or at least exchange information to keep in touch. He responded by saying that it's very hard to get in touch with him. That was when the overwhelming feeling hit me that if we didn't do all we could to help him understand and accept the Gospel, he might not ever get another chance. I don't want that hanging over my head. So many people simply do not recognize the importance of the message we bear. I'm humbled that Heavenly Father trusts me to bear such a message. I know that as I do my part, Heavenly Father will help me and lead us to the people who are prepared. As I was thinking about the fact that people do not understand how important our message is, my mind turned to the Savior. I'm not sure how many people in His time understood the importance of His mission, but surely it was not many. If He, however, could press on through the trials that He faced, I can deal with people not understanding the importance of what we share and being negative toward it. It's an honor to be a defender of the truth. I feel blessed to be a missionary in this day and age.
A miracle that we experienced this week was on our year mark. On June 20th, Elder Wilson and I decided that we were going to work as hard as we could all day. We only spoke Polish, spent 8 and a half hours on the street, and were absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. Yet, I'd never felt more content at the end of a day. We had great success. We were able to help 6 different people come closer to Christ by introducing them to The Book of Mormon and giving them a copy. We also taught 3 different lessons on the street. That wasn't all. We had a meeting planned with a recent convert, but while we were en route to the chapel, she called and canceled on us. That caused us to take an unexpected back road to match up with our back up plans. As we did, we ran across A, an investigator who we had lost contact with, but who we felt needs this gospel badly. We were able to talk to her and set up a meeting for the next day. The more I am on my mission the more I am convinced the Lord is in this work. He knew that our recent convert would cancel on us, where A would be, and how we could get in contact with her. As we are obedient and strive to do our best, He blesses us with these miracles and experiences.I'm running short on time, as usual, but I'm freaking out that I've already been on my mission a year. I can't believe it. I'm having a mid mission crisis. Dad, how do I deal with such things? It's not like I can buy a car while I'm on my mission. Haha, I'm just kidding, but it is weird that time passes so quickly. As Sister Nielson says frequently, we have two years to serve, and an eternity to think about it. I'm trying to do my best to make the most of every day here so that my mind won't haunt me in eternity.

Emms, have fun at EFY! Your testimony will grow immensely. It's a great place. Love you, and congrats on Lacrosse!

Heath, I'm glad you loved EFY. Studying the scriptures is definitely different from reading them. The scriptures have real power. I've learned that on my mission. Enjoy the time you have with farewells. They pass quickly. Oh, and give Parks--Elder Farnsworth--a big hug from me when you see him. He's the man. Anyway, love you!

Grandma! You're the best. I'm excited to be able to help James mow your lawn and spend Sunday nights at your house in a year! I love you.

Mom, the journals are great, thanks! Any updates on that email address? As for blog updates, you can send them if you like. Maybe once a month or so. You don't have to do it so often. Now, I'm not saying to send a month's worth of updates, just a little update on my buddies once a month. Anyway, you're the best mom. I love you!

Hannah bear, Keep having fun and being awesome! I love you small, I love you tall, I loved you back when you could crawl!

Dad, you're the best. Thanks for being a stalwart example and always following Christ. I'm grateful for your example. Keep working hard and being awesome. I hope I can watch this broadcast soon. President told us about the internet policy now. I'm shocked, but excited to see what it can do for all of us missionaries. We'll find out next week how soon we get to use it here in Poland. It will be interesting. Love you lots too.

I love you all! The gospel is true. I'm glad to be a representative of Christ.

Love,

Elder Vernon

One Year This Week! (June 17th Letter)

Family!

I'm so happy that I get to email you guys once a week. It's the best. We've had a pretty good week here. Nothing absolutely crazy has been happening as of late, but missionary work is always exciting. Anyway, a few logistics first. I did receive my package this week, and it was so great! You guys definitely packed it very full! I was impressed. Elder Wilson and I have been taking down the graham crackers. We missed those. In other news, we also bought European suits last week! We were very happy about that buy. They are sharp too! Maybe when I grow out of this one I'll give it to Justin as well. He is looking good in my old one. Anyway, I bought a dark blue suit, and Elder Wilson bought a black. We'll be wearing them tomorrow for Zone Conference, so keep an eye out for them on Sister Nielson's blog! As for a tie I've chosen to get cut, I'm going to cut one that I bought here in Poland. It's a black and blue paisley tie, and everyone in my district agrees that it suits me well.

Note from mom: Cousin Justin in Elder Vernon's old suit

This is a picture we sent to Elder Vernon of our family on a pioneer trek

Another picture of our ward/family pioneer trek

It looks like you guys had a wonderful time on trek! Dad, way to go on sharing the gospel! We never know when the opportunity might arise and when we need to take advantage of it. We are always missionaries, in all we do, in who we are, and in our everyday life. In reality, a missionary is simply a special witness of the Savior. We all, however, can be witnesses of Him everyday in all we do. We took upon us His name during baptism, and we promised to be witnesses of Him in all time and in all things and in all places. Every member a missionary! Now that I've ranted long enough, I am excited that you guys had missionary experiences. Elder Wilson and I have really been trying to help these Polish members learn how to be missionaries. It's not an easy thing. I'm glad that you, Dad, made sure I knew that as I prayed and fasted for missionary experiences, they would happen. They do happen as well. I still remember our trip back east last year. I was scared to pray for a missionary experience. I didn't want to step out of my comfort zone. I knew, however, I did need to learn to be a missionary, since I would be leaving so soon for my mission. Then, I was able to give a copy of The Book of Mormon to someone on the plane ride home.  When we pray for these experiences, they happen. That's what we're trying to help these members understand, and then to help them in inviting their friends to learn more. It's good to talk about the Gospel, better to share it, and best to invite others to learn more.

Wow, I'm really on a soap box today. Missionary work is the best though. It's scary from time to time, but it is the Lord's work.

Now on to some stories from the week, alright?

A miracle we experienced this week was contacting Monday after P-day. We were set up to have a lesson on the island in the middle of Bydgoszcz, but the man unfortunately did not show up. We were contacting when we noticed a father with his daughter a little way off of the path. We decided to go contact him, even though it was a little way off the path. I'm so glad we did. We were able to teach him a lesson on the street and give him a copy of The Book of Mormon. His name was D and he is very concerned about raising his daughter with good morals. We were able to promise him that the morals and things found in The Book of Mormon would help him to do just that. He told us he would read and we set up to call him the next day to set up a meeting. Unfortunately, when we called his wife answered and was a little bit less than nice on the phone. I do know, however, that D has an understanding of how he can use The Book of Mormon to help him in his life. I hope that he will do so. Having a lesson fall through and teaching a different lesson thanks to some "fill-in" contacting may sound like a coincidence, but I know the Lord wanted us to find and talk to D that night.
President Eyring's words have stuck with me recently. There truly is danger in someday when it is not this day. The more I learn about this, the less time I have to waste. A mission passes fast, and it scares me that I'm already a year into mine. I just hope I can utilize every day, show the Lord my love for Him, and do all He expects me to do.

We also got sent on a wild goose chase this week. We had a meeting set up with a potential investigator, and when we made it to the address that was given to us, no one answered. Thus, we gave him a call, and we told him we were outside his door. Still, nobody came to the door. We called him again, and we appeared to be in front of the wrong door, but the address that we had and that he confirmed was the address of the door in front of which we were. So, we went outside the apartment building, went back to a landmark, and followed his directions, which led us directly back to the same door. Well, that still didn't work. Throughout all of this he kept saying, "Where did you guys get off to?" We had no idea what was going on or where we could have been. Finally, we asked him if we could just meet at a landmark and then go to his apartment. He agreed, and we waited in between a tennis court and a pre-school for his arrival... which never came. We're not sure whether he was just pulling our tail, got much too fed up with us to come meet us, or what exactly happened, but Elder Wilson and I did our best.

Wednesday was a long, hard day. It's probably the hardest working day of my mission I've had so far. Elder Wilson and I were on the street walking around for 7 and a half hours, with only a placed Book of Mormon to show for it. We had some longer contacts, but most of them were people who only wanted to argue and such. When Elder Wilson and I got home, utterly exhausted, we looked at each other and said, "Well, if every day of missionary work were like that, life would be rough. You know what though, it'd still be worth it." And it totally would be.

I can't believe I'm going to have been on my mission a year this Thursday. Where is time going? I'm freaking out about it. Elder Wilson and I have been talking about it, and we're scared to come home. Not like out of our minds scared of it. We definitely want to see our families. We're just scared to have to face real life. It's so nice to not have anything to focus on out here but the gospel. We're celebrating our year mark well too. We're having culture night on Friday, going out to dinner, and then seeing My Fair Lady in Polish. It will be a fun time! We're excited.

Hannah-bear, it sounds like you were a regular old pioneer! I'm glad you were able to pull the cart and wear a pink dress. It sounds like you had a great time! Elder Wilson and I had a good week. I also love you little, love you big, and love you like a little pig.

Emms, good luck with your tourney! I'm glad you were able to go on trek. Lacrosse tourneys are good, but a chance to learn about the gospel and go on trek is definitely better. I'm sure you were a big help pulling the handcart. By the way, when did you get so tall? Have I been gone that long?

Mom, good luck making it to Vail! You'll do it, I'm sure. I'm praying for you too. You're right. Trek brings out special memories and a better recognition of how remarkable the pioneers were. They set a wonderful example for us. It's something we need to remember. What's happening to all these grand kids? Bryce looks like he's my age. Nathan, Josh, and Trevor all look like they grew a ton! I'm surely getting old by now. This is weird.

We had a family reunion this week and this is the picture we sent to Elder Vernon. His cousins are getting older! 

Dad, thanks for the insights on what you teach. I'm glad to learn from you and to have a Dad who is so versed in all gospel aspects. It's a real blessing. Keep sharing the gospel. I use your scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 often. It's been a real help to me, as well as Alma 38:12.

Heath, Have fun at EFY this week. Remember amid all the flirting, there are great spiritual lessons to be learned. You'll have a great time, I'm sure!

Anyway, time is unfortunately short. I love you all. I forwarded President's weekly message. He's the best. He has some great insights into life, and not just missionary work.

Remember, above all else, the gospel is true, and because of it, we can be together forever someday!

With lots of love,

Elder Vernon

What a Great Time to be a Missionary. (June 10th Letter)

Family!

You guys are the best. I'm so lucky to get an email from all of you every Monday and be able to hear from all of you. I'm very grateful for it, and I think you should know that. I know summer will be getting busy, but please keep it up!

Tell Bryce congrats! That's so awesome. He'll do a great job in Canada. The Lord has some great things in store for him. Entering the MTC on his birthday? That's his 18th birthday, right? He's going to be the youngest kid in the MTC for sure. Crazy!

Wish Grandma Honey and Aunt Shawna a belated happy birthday for me! Sorry I didn't wish them that last week. I'm glad Grandma likes the pottery!

Anyway, let's get some logistics out of the way really fast, like always. First off, we have Zone Conference next week. I'm sure you all have seen on the blog that Sister Nielson cuts a tie off of every missionary who is going home. Well, the Nielsons are going to do the same thing for all of us who are staying, because they are going home. Thus, I assume it will happen next week at Zone Conference. I still have no idea which tie I want to get cut. Any advice? The charge that has probably already come up on my bank account is for My Fair Lady tickets. For culture night we're going to go see it in Polish, just figured I'd give you a heads up about that.

Now, on to the fun stuff for the week.

Let's start off with some non-spiritual stuff. Last Monday, we went go-karting with Kyle Kagele (Sister Kagele's son-he's 20 and was here for a couple weeks before he went back to the states). That was a blast! We were all so sore the next day though. Elder Wilson and I also bought a 25lbs. watermelon this week and ate it. Well, not all of it yet, but we're getting there. We had an adventure cutting it up though. We've got a long way to go before we're master chefs, but we're getting better!

A spiritual experience I had this week was when we were teaching a referral we received from the office. M is his name, and we had a lesson with him on Friday. It was a good lesson, and he seems sincerely interested. The spiritual part of the lesson came for me when I was testifying about the first vision. As we began to describe the Joseph Smith story, phrases came to my head in Polish that I hadn't used before. I'd seen them in Preach My Gospel or in the Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith pamphlet, but I had never strived to memorize them or even use them before. Then, when we were teaching M, they just came. I know the Spirit was who prompted me to say these things, and it was He who brought them to my remembrance. I'm so grateful that the Holy Ghost is here to guide us and help us in these situations. I may not understand why M needed to hear these things expressed in such a way, but the Lord does, and as long as we are willing, He will use us as tools in His hands. We taught M on Friday night and invited him to R's baptism the next day. Amazingly, M came. Elder Wilson and I were happy, because we knew that if M was willing and truly searching, he would feel the Spirit at the service. We unfortunately didn't have a great chance to talk to him after, but we hope he felt something there. He's also committed to coming to church next week, and we are excited to help him understand the importance of it and what it truly means.
A principle I learned this week was last night with Elder Wilson. I feel so blessed to serve with him. Together, we've been having all sorts of uplifting experiences, and we can see the Lord influencing us line upon line and precept upon precept. This week, the Lord raised our minds and showed us just how important love is in everything we do. Our attitude toward everything, whether it be keeping a clean desk, or teaching a lesson, can be and should be a reflection of our love for the Lord. I've seen great examples of it in my life from my Dad and other Priesthood leaders around me, and now I'm realizing that I need to improve to show the Lord just how much I love Him. I guess, if I tried to put what we learned in a nutshell, it would be the what, why, and the how of the Gospel. The what is obedience. Obedience is the first law of heaven, and without it, we cannot progress. The why is love. The plan of salvation was created because God loves us. We are obedient to Him because we love Him. The how is the atonement. Without the atonement, none of this possible. We could never progress or obtain exaltation without the atonement. We are simply not capable of doing so alone. We are human and will make mistakes, but with the atonement, we can overcome both spiritual and physical death. I'm continually amazed at how the Spirit can inspire us and lift our minds. The gift of the Holy Ghost truly is one of the greatest gifts that God could give us. I'm grateful for it in my life, and hope to use the things I've learned to help those around me, even if it just be a small smile.

As for our teaching pool, we really don't have many investigators right now. We've been trying to find, and we feel we're on the verge of doing so, but it just hasn't quite happened yet. We do teach a lot of lessons with recent converts.

Hannah Bear, We only placed 3 copies of The Book of Mormon this week, but we hope for a better week in this coming week. We're working hard and going to do our best. Wow, I'm excited for you guys to go on trek! Push hard. You're going to be a real pioneer. I love you!

Emms, wow! You're a busy girl! Have fun with all these activities this summer. Find some time to relax too. Tell Megan I say hi! Heather definitely loves you. Loves you lots!

Heath, I'm glad to hear you had a great time at Laurel's camp. What a neat experience. I remember Helaman's camp well. It's a special thing for sure. I'm so grateful that I've had leaders that have taken the time to make sure I understand the gospel and to understand how it should be applied in my life. I'm sure you're learning that too. A few comments about conversion. I assume you read the talk by Elder Bednar from November 2012 Conference. He gives us great insights about it. I'm not nearly perfectly converted to this gospel yet, and I don't know when that will come, but I can say I am much more converted now than I was before my mission. Conversion is a process of a lifetime, whereas testimony can come in an instant. Our testimony can and will strengthen over time, but if we truly seek it, we can receive a confirmation from the Holy Ghost quickly. Conversion, however, is a little bit different. It's a process of diligence. Constantly being true to what you know won't come in a second, but will be proven over time and with trials. The beauty of the gospel is, when we do our best and strive to become converted, the atonement will take over. That's where the mighty change of heart comes in. The Lord will help us if our desires our righteous. Anyway, I hope I haven't rambled too much. If anything, I've learned about conversion as I've made comments about it to you. Keep me updated on what you're thinking about a mission. It's definitely an option. Love you.

Mom! Have fun at Sundance. Lucky you to get a couple of days away from everything. You and Dad will have a great time, I'm sure. Keep me updated about how this trek thing goes. Yes, babies and toddlers will be a very interesting experience. You will get a real feeling of how the pioneers felt, that's for sure. I'm sad I have to miss this trek. It would have been a really cool experience. I'm jealous! Anyway, love you lots!

Dad, I'm literally laughing out loud from your document. That is priceless, and definitely needs to be a Vernon family staple. One thing is for sure, Polish has helped me correct my grammar. I'll explain it all to you one day, but in Polish, there's no possible way to dangle a participle. It just doesn't work. Nice huh? It's also helped me learn how to use whom. I'm not perfect yet, but it is nice to be getting better. Thank you for your gospel insights, and for keeping me updated on Mom's teaching. She sounds like she is a very skilled teacher and does a great job. Of course she does, she's Mom. I've felt for a long time that I've needed to study the Savior's life more fully, and your comments have made me decide to do so, starting this week. Everything we do needs to be in accordance with His example. Thus, to truly follow Him, we have to know Him. Like he says in D&C, "Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you." In other words, He's saying "Abide in me" which is what the parable of the true vine is all about. Restoration scriptures are so incredible. We're so grateful to have them.  Anyway, you're the best Dad and I love you. 

Well, I love you all! The gospel is so incredibly true. I love having a chance to serve the Lord out here in the field and to be doing His work. What a great time to be a missionary! Keep reading the Book of Mormon. It's the word of God!

With love,

Elder Vernon

P.S. Elder Wilson says hi!

Another Good Week Here in Poland

Bydgoszcz

Exchange in Gdansk

Polish pastry

Storm rolling in

Hey hey hey family! Wow. Another week is come and gone already. How does this happen so fast? Anyway, it's been a really good week here in Poland. We may not have seen the best numbers ever, but we are enjoying the time we're spending and doing some great work. Hannah-bear, we gave out 3 copies of the Book of Mormon this week. I know, a little low, but we are hoping to have some more success this next week.

First off, I need to tell Dad that I have now officially tried Vegemite! I can't remember if I ever told him that before. It was actually a few weeks ago, when I went on exchange to Gdańsk. Elder Ż, who is from Australia, served up there and left some behind, so I got to try it. It's some interesting stuff. That's about all I have to say about it too. 

Secondly, good to know about the suit and the backpack. I think I'll buy a suit for my year mark.

A principle I learned this week is the importance of love in this work. Elder Wilson and I, during our weekly planning, took a moment and simply talked about how we feel the work is going and how we are doing as missionaries. We both agreed that something was missing, but we couldn't quite put a finger on it. Eventually, we came to the conclusion that our motives were just a little bit skewed. We both have a love for the Lord and we are striving to serve Him, but that wasn't our main reason behind striving to become master planners, teachers, and finders. Our natural man had gotten the better of us a little bit. We realized that we had wanted acclaim for how good our Polish was, for how well we did everything. It may not have been our main motive, but it was still there. We then realized that God wants none of that recognition. everything He does for us is purely out of love. Even in creating the Plan of Salvation and the Earth, everything was purely because He loves us. Acclaim of man, fame, none of it had anything to do with it. I realized that I've got a long way to go in loving the people among whom I serve. I realize now more than ever just how deep the sin of pride runs. I've got a lot to overcome and work to do. I'm so grateful for the atonement in my life and that I can overcome human attributes like this. I now realize even more why Mormon exhorted us to pray for Charity with all energy of heart. If charity can become our motive as missionaries, we will be so much more powerful as missionaries. And we won't be doing it to look good in someone else's eyes, but because we love God and it is Him whom we strive to serve. I'm so prideful, and have so much work to do, but I'm grateful that God doesn't give up on us.

Standing in the spot where President Kimball dedicated Poland for missionary work

Mission leadership council

The Mission Leadership Council was incredible. I was so grateful to be there, to learn from President and Sister Nielson one last time, and to see the spot where President Kimball dedicated Poland for missionary work. It's a special place. The Spirit was strong there, and it was a very refreshing moment. I have a story from earlier that day as well. Our train into Warsaw was running late, and because of it, we thought we were going to be late to the meeting. The Assistants were supposed to pick us up at the train station, but because they had a schedule also and wanted to get the meeting going on time, they had to leave us to take a taxi. Well, I was a bit grumpy about that. I shouldn't have been, but I was. It turned out, the Lord was in all of it, as He always is. The taxi driver was a really nice guy, and as soon as we started talking, we were able to bring up the gospel. Nothing life changing happened, but we were able to leave him a pass-along card and introduce him to the gospel. I'm such a proud little sucker, but the Lord does a good job of humbling me and showing me that I can be a great tool in His hands if I just trust Him. We also got to the meeting on time, which was a relief. No one likes being late.

We also helped the Kageles move this week. We spent a lot of Wednesday helping them move boxes, furniture, and such over to their new house. They're simply moving from one side of Bydgoszcz to the other, nothing super major. Well, a move is always major, but it's not like they're moving to a whole new country or something wild. Anyway, it felt nice to get into some normal clothes for a while and to do some physical labor. I miss that sometimes. I will admit though, I felt so weird in jeans and a t-shirt. I felt like I needed to put a tie or something on the whole time. That'll be a weird adjustment when I get home, but that's still over a year away. I'm not worrying about that yet. The Kageles also fed us and gave us root beer floats. Root beer is like liquid gold in Poland.

Helping the Kageles move

Enjoying root beer floats.

Grandma Fernie, I'm glad life is good and things are going well. I'm glad you like the pottery too! Tell James hi for me and keep him out of trouble.

Hannah, for dinner last night we had pasta with veggies, tuna, a special sauce we bought, and cheese. It was super good. I haven't received my one-year package yet, but I hope to get it soon! I did get Grandma Honey's moon pies though. They were so good! Thanks for those.

Emms, enjoy summer and tell everyone at Showcase I say hi! Crazy to think you'll be at AFJH next year. I hope you enjoy it. It's a great place. Keep up the road bike riding!

Dad, I'm excited to go study D&C 107 better. How are Shauna and Brett preparing with everything regarding their mission? 

Mom, you're the best! I'm excited to go take a look at all this temple trivia some more. Thanks for the weather forecast. Elder Wilson is not going to be happy about this weather forecast though. He's not a big fan of rain. It'll be interesting to see what he says about that. 

Heath, you're a senior! Weird. That means I'm old. Yuck. Graduations are always bitter sweet. Hopefully you had a fun time though. That's cool that Logan got to walk as well. How did that work with everything regarding the MTC? Anywho, can you get me some more info on who all the pennies went to? I want to give Elders Hall, Maddix, Farnsworth, Clarke, and others updates about it. Thanks.

Well family, the gospel is true! This is the Lord's work! I love you all and have a great week! Make it the best week ever!

Love,

Elder Vernon

Weather forecast for the week