We Went to Adam's Ties this Week. (Feb. 10th Letter)

Adam's ties.
The sign says "That's absolutely senseless, but it looks fun."

Hey family!
Well, it's been another good week here in Poland. Elder Wilson and I had a good time presenting a little bit about member lessons and member relationships during Mission Leadership Council on Thursday. We realized a little bit late that we hadn't prepared all that much, so Wednesday became a very interesting day. Anyway, it was all in good fun.
I'm super glad that you all got a call from the Sheley's! They're so awesome. We had a fun time last Monday. They wanted to get ties from Adam's, but didn't have time to go there. So, they gave us money, and told us to pick out 20 ties for them. We had a good time doing that :).
It's been a good week this week. I enjoyed the opportunity to take part in Mission Leadership Conference and spend time with some great missionaries. Elder Wilson and I haven't seen great results from our labors this week, but we feel that the successes we have had have been meaningful ones. After almost finishing a whole building, we were let in by a young dad who was curious about our message. The message wasn't overly long, nor were we able to explain a whole lot of our message, but this is one of the few times I've been let in while tracting on my mission. When I think that the week before we were also let in and found new people to teach, I'm grateful for the Lord's hand in this work. As we exert our efforts, He helps us to see miracles.
A few of the thoughts I shared in my testimony have been on my mind as of late. I'm learning that the ups and downs of missionary work and leadership is why my mission has come to mean so much to me. If things had been easy or had gone well, my experience here would not be meaningful nor unique for me. I've come to love my mission because it's my mission, and no one else's. Sometimes, I fear that if I don't do everything perfectly, I won't learn the things I need to from my mission nor be able to use my mission as an effective springboard for life. These are the moments, I think, when I am learning to trust the Lord. He knows me, knows my weaknesses, and is incredibly good at predicting what I'm going to do. So, I'm trying to just relax, move forward, do the work I can, and trust in the Lord.
Elder Wilson and I are doing well. He's a great missionary, loves the work, and wants to do his best. Plus, he's a goofball, so we have some good laughs.
I feel like I don't have much to say this week. I don't know why.
This week, the mission is doing a "mini-MTC" for all the polish members who are in the age group where they could serve a mission. That means that B and D (from Szczecin) are going to be coming to the mission home and participating in it. I'm hoping that I'll be able to see them. One of Elder Wilson's recent converts from Katowice is also going to be coming in. His name is D. It's going to be a big old party here in Warsaw. Add into everything that President wants to meet with us to discuss transfers this week, and we have Zone Training. It's going to be a busy one! That's always the best though. I'd rather be busy than have way too much time on my hands.
Hannah bear, Elder Wilson just agreed to be your Valentine. Plus, I'll be it as well. You lucky girl. You have two Valentines! We only placed one copy of the Book of Mormon this week, but we placed it with that young dad, S. It was a well placed book, for sure.
Heath, when do you find out about BYU? Bummer about the AF/LP game. One of the office elders right now went to Lone Peak, so hopefully he doesn't find out and rub it in my face. Speaking of LP, I was talking to one of the american families here in Warsaw yesterday and found out that the wife, went to LP and graduated in 2004. Connections! Anyway, good luck with Sterling Scholar. You'll do great, I'm sure. I don't hear much about the olympics here, so updates would be great. Thanks for maintaining the Vernon legacy at AFHS.
Emms, you lucky dog. I'm jealous you're skiing so much. Tell Coach Ray I say hi. He's the man. Does that mean you decided not to do track? Good luck with lacrosse. Go Poland with gold medals!
Mom, thanks for being awesome. I appreciate everything you do for me, including figuring out schooling and housing and classes and everything. I'd be lost without you. Don't worry, I always try to help with Sister Edgren and do the dishes whenever we're over there. I think she secretly loves cooking for all the missionaries.
I'm not certain whether President Uchtdorf is visiting other missions. I haven't heard much about it. I only know when he'll be in Poland. Pass my love on to Grandma Fernie. I hope she's doing well and I'm glad she enjoyed the chocolate and bell.
Dad, thanks for all the suggestions. I tell you, being a leader is hard work. I don't feel like I know what I'm doing half of the time, but I trust that the Lord is with me. I hope you're enjoying some time in Atlanta and know that I'll be jealous that all of you will be in Iron Blosam this week. I miss that place. Travel safely.
Well everyone, the gospel is true! That's some pretty valuable knowledge right there. I'm grateful for it and for the opportunity to serve here in Poland and help these people come unto Christ. I'm doing my best to strive to help them in any way I can. I love you all. Keep up the great work and enjoy the journey!
Love,
Elder Vernon

Guess who is coming to Poland?

Hey hey hey family!
So, Mom, thanks for getting all the important stuff out of the way first. I'll see if I can't do the same. Don't worry about sending the coat back. Most all missionaries over here prefer european stuff over anything american. I guess american style stuff is just too fat. I'll be fine without the coat. I've got plenty as is. Also, I'm going to be ok without boots. My feet did just fine this week. I just doubled up with socks and didn't have any problems. My ecco's, however, are starting to get holes in the sides of them. They still look nice, but if I step in any sort of water with them, say bye bye to dry feet. So, if it's alright, I'll probably look into getting a new pair of shoes.
As for other things. I've thought of some things that would be nice for my birthday. First, Cheez-its. I had a strange craving for them the other day. Second, I would love to get the CD's of the band that Sister Edgren put on the slideshow she gave everyone for Christmas. The band is called "The Lower Lights." Elder Neuner had two of their CD's that we listened to all the time when we were in a tripanionship for a week. Don't stress out if you can't find them, but if you can and could send them along, it'd be great. Whether it's a physical or electronic copy, it doesn't matter too much. Anyway, I think that's all that I have. Just let me know about registration dates and what not.
In other news, and this is a side note, Steve's home teacher is none other than William Vernon!
Lastly, and this is exciting news, there is a general authority coming to Poland. Not just any general authority, but the one and only President Uchtdorf. Now, there is a chance that they will bump up our release date a week and send us home before he gets here, but President is fairly certain and is trying his best to move our release date back a few days and let us stay until President Uchtdorf leaves. Wouldn't that be some way to end a mission! So, I'm praying I'll still be here when he comes.
Elder Wilson and I have had a solid week. We're excited to see some great things coming up this week with MLC and we're striving to do our best to prepare for our segment. We haven't had the most successful week in terms of key indicators, but I feel we've seen good things happen nonetheless.
I had a great exchange this week with Elder S.. We were able to talk, discuss some things, and I felt like I was able to get to know him a lot better than I did before. I'm impressed with what he does as a Zone Leader. It's obvious that he cares about all the missionaries in his zone and does his best to get to know them all. That encouraged me to do the same thing. There's a lot of missionaries in the mission I've never met. Yet, if I am to be an effective leader, I feel that I should do my best to have at least some sort of a friendship with each missionary. Thus, I'm trying to do so. One of his biggest questions from the exchange was how to be an effective leader. I talked to him about lessons I had learned and what had worked for me. The thing I tried to emphasize was giving positive reinforcement and feedback. It's easy to pick out things that people are doing wrong. Yet, the Savior doesn't need any more judges. What He needs are ministers. While behavior does need to be corrected, I encouraged him to love, serve, and give encouragement. I've seen that be much more effective than anything else I've done as a leader.
A miracle I saw this week was on our exchange. Elder S and I were planning to visit a former investigator and then go tracting in the area where he lives. Well, our visit to the former investigator was unsuccessful. We were told we had a wrong address, but we started tracting. We ran into a college-aged guy who said he wasn't too interested, but his girlfriend, who would be returning in about 30 minutes, would be interested. So, we kept on tracting, then returned in a half hour. As it turns out, while she was the one that was supposedly interested, both stayed and listened to the listen and seemed sincere and open to what we had to say. It was a spiritual lesson and a tender mercy from the Lord. On a very cold day in the middle of the winter, with no lessons planned and a lot of time spent on cold streets, the Lord led us to a young couple who would listen to what we had to say. We scheduled another lesson with them, but they postponed it, asking for more time to read. I don't know what will happen with them in the future, but I have faith that things will go well.
Something I've been realizing this week is how important member relations can be. I think I often forget how much these polish saints are pioneers in this land. We often dismiss doing work with them, thinking that they are members and that everything is fine in their life. Yet, I think they need strengthening more than I realize. It's hard to be a member here, and they need comfort, strength, and faith which we can provide.
Elder Wilson and I are doing well. We're enjoying serving together and trying to make the most of the time we have. I love serving with Elder Wilson. He's a solid missionary and a stalwart leader.
Szczecin is producing huge numbers. The Elders there have 2 baptismal dates, one of which I found with Elder Fotu. Plus, they already had J get baptized a few weeks ago. It's amazing to see the Lord's work go forward. I get excited every week when I take numbers just to see what's going on in Szczecin.
Well, I guess I'll have to break the bad news eventually. Mom, yes, I'm sick again. Nothing major, don't stress out. I just caught a bit of a cold, but I'm under Sister Edgren's protective wing. So, don't stress. I am fine.
In other news, we were able to go pick up a senior couple that was headed home last night. We got them off their train here in Warsaw and took them to the mission home. It was a bit of a stressful situation because President was in Germany for the day, and our car that we drive is too small to fit much luggage, so President had us drive his station wagon. Well, it turned out to be my driving day, so I had the exciting but anxiety filled opportunity to drive President's car for the day. I was super careful. It was fun because President has a nice car. The senior couple is super awesome. I've actually served around them my whole mission. Never in the same city, but they were in Wrocław when I was in Kato, and in Poznań my whole time in Bydogszcz and Szczecin, so I saw them frequently. Thus, it was nice to say goodbye. They're going to be living in Orem, so it'll just be a nice little trip to go say hi as well. They're some of the best people I've met. Elder Sheley is full of puns as well. Grandpa Leo would have liked him. The other bonus about picking them up is that Sister Edgren insisted that we stay for dinner once we had dropped them off. So, we also had a home-cooked meal last night. Sister Edgren's cooking is basically gourmet chef status as well, so we love when she insists that we stay for dinner. Let's just say it was a good night.
L, our recent convert, is really thriving as the choir director. He loves it. He does a fantastic job as well. He's always super energized, is super funny, and is invested in making us all good singers. He's just doing superb with everything going on here in the church. He's one of the coolest new members I've ever met. He was baptized about a week or two before I came to Warsaw, and he's still doing well with all of the transitioning. He's from Slovakia, but speaks hungarian. We have another hungarian in the branch too, named K, so they are great friends. Funny story. K's last name is Szabó. Well, I was pretty good friends with a girl in high school by the name of Jamie Szabo. She told me her name was hungarian, and now I believe it! Her brothers, Andrew and Sam, both played lacrosse as well. One was a coach for AF, and the other played/plays. Anyway, K tells me that Szabo actually means "tailor" and is a super common last name, so he has no idea if they're related. Yet, a cool connection.
I'm kind of running out of time, and I don't feel like I have much else to say. So, I guess I'll just let you all know that I love you. Pass my best on to Grandma Fernie. Hey, is Will dating a violin player? That's what it looks like from the case on her back. I wanna hear details about this one. Tell the Frazier's I say hi. I got a letter from Enoch the other day. Could you tell them thanks for me? I'm still having a hard time believing that Joel is 8. Heath, watch out for them boys. Tell Bro. Anderson I said hi. I love that man. He's a fantastic seminary teacher. Emms, I'm glad you told Mr. Bryson you're thinking about track. He'll lead you in the right direction for sure. He's a great coach. As for math competitions, yeah it's kind of nerdy, but do it anyway. It looks great on applications, and it's a great experience. It gives you a good chance to make more friendships in groups that aren't always super social and you probably wouldn't meet otherwise. I'm very glad I did the competitions I did. Hannah bear, of course I'll memorize the Living Christ with all of you. It is translated into Polish, so maybe I'll try to do it in both English and Polish. That'd be cool. Of course I remember your birthday. It's June 25th! My release date is scheduled to be June 17th, but we'll see what happens.
Mom, Dad, thanks for being awesome. Thanks for all your prayers, temple attendance, fasts, everything. It all makes a difference.
The gospel's true!
Love,
Elder Vernon

I am trying to simply be myself (January 27th letter)

Hey howdy hey family!
It's been a great week. It's so strange. I feel like my memory has been shot as an Assistant. I don't seem to remember much of what goes on during the week, and then when I get to emailing, I just don't feel like I have anything to say. So, hopefully my email this week won't be too bland. Plus, we don't have a whole ton of time anyway for emailing usually, so it makes things kind of hectic. I can't think of too many logistical things that I need to get figured out. Honestly, for my birthday, I can't think of anything that I really want. You don't need to feel obligated to send me anything. There'll probably be a fair amount of things I want to buy here and different things I'll want to take home with me. Hopefully I won't be blowing too much money or anything. I don't know if I have anything else to figure out. Sounds like things are ok with BYU and all, just let me know when registration needs to happen.
We had a successful exchange in Bydogszcz this week with Elders K and W.
A miracle I saw this week was actually on the exchange. Elder W and I were contacting when we talked to a man who wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon but didn't have time to talk to us at all. He simply wanted to grab it and go. I'm always a little bit hesitant to give a copy of the Book of Mormon away so freely, so we gave him a restoration pamphlet and told him to contact us for a free copy of the Book of Mormon. We then went on our way. As we were searching for a certain street in Bydgoszcz, we recognized that we didn't exactly know where it was. We asked a lady for directions, and she turned us down a side street which would eventually lead us to where we needed to go. Well, they were actually false directions, but we ended up meeting our friend to whom we gave a restoration pamphlet about 5 minutes earlier. This time, he had a few minutes to talk, and we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and set up to meet with him the next day. Even though we were led down a wrong street, we still found success. Sometimes, the hand of God isn't so apparent and instant in our lives, but I'm glad it was in this case.
I'm trying to simply be myself this transfer as an assistant. In the past, when I was in leadership positions, I always felt like I had to be a perfect missionary. I am not a perfect missionary but I'm an obedient missionary and I do my best to follow the rules. I guess, I just want missionaries to see that I'm no different than them. I have struggles as well, I feel vulnerable at times, and just because I'm called as an Assistant, that doesn't place me on a pedestal or make me any different than them.
I'm loving working with Elder Wilson. He's a fantastic missionary. We have a lot of fun together. We're excited to have another exchange this week and hope to see some great things happen because of it.
The weather here has definitely taken a turn for the colder. I'm honestly debating about trying to go find a pair of dress boots. I seem to do fine everywhere else, but my feet haven't been all that warm as of late. I don't want to go blow a ton of money on them since I won't be using them a ton, but we'll see what I can find. Elder Wilson and I also plan to go do some clothes shopping today. Dad, I'm looking into getting some new shirts, possibly a new suit, etc. Heather, you're going to have to help me when I get home. I know basically nothing about style anymore. It's weird not having so many women at home, because nobody will stop me and tell me if my clothes match or not. I've missed it.
I don't know what else to say now. I've actually got to run. President just came in with an issue he wants to discuss. I love you all. The gospel is true! Poland loves you all too. Have a great week and good luck with everything. Heath, great job on Sterling Scholar stuff! Dad, thanks for the advice. Mom, keep on being the best mom in the world! Emms, good luck with ballet! Hannah bear, love you lots. Humorous. Beat ya.
Love,
Elder Vernon

January 20th Letter

Hey hey hey family!
Well, another week has come and gone here in good old Poland. There haven't been too many exciting things that have happened, but it's been fun nonetheless.

Life as an Assistant is interesting. We don't have too many things we have to do in the office. President is really trying to let us work in our area as much as possible. Yet, because of transfers and a few other things, our area is pretty low right now on investigators and such. It makes for a fair amount of time spent on the street. It's good though. There's no better way to refine missionary skills than to get on the street and start contacting. Nobody better to do it with than with Elder Wilson.

I started driving this week. It's not too bad. Everything came right back. Polish roads are a little bit different and there's a lot of roundabouts, but it's all good. Nothing too crazy.

Let's get on to some stories, huh?

A miracle Elder Wilson and I experienced this week came during contacting. We went out Wednesday morning ready to go and excited to go find people. Well, it was cold and snowing, no one seemed to be outside, and we had in our back up plans to work in the area book if the weather was too bad. We debated what to do and decided to go down to an intersection, loop back around, and make a decision from there. I should mention that we had planned to go to this intersection the night before and turn around. Well, as we made our way along, we contacted a mother with a baby in a stroller. I won't lie, I've been shrugged off by so many mothers with strollers that my faith was a little low that anything special would come from this one. Yet, something special did come. As we began to talk to this mother about eternal families and the blessings of the gospel which could be hers, it was apparent that the message touched her soul. I don't exactly know what sort of things she's been through or what she's dealt with, but she wanted to have the certainty that she could see beloved members of her family again on the other side of the veil. As our conversation came to a close, we attempted to give her a copy of the Book of Mormon and set up for a meeting with her. She declined to set up and would not take the Book of Mormon. It was the strangest thing. Elder Wilson and I were shocked. She wanted the gospel so badly just a few moments before, but wouldn't agree to learn more or even take a copy of the Book of Mormon. So, why do I list this as a miracle? Because on a day when we felt we wouldn't be effective in contacting, the Lord led us to a mother who desperately needed to hear our message. I don't know how this will fit in to her life or how it will affect this mom, but I have great faith that we did what we were supposed to do and that this mother, K, along with her daughter, O, are under the watchful eye of the Lord. Perhaps the next time the missionaries come around, she'll be ready and willing to meet.

In other news, we have a recent convert we're working with here in Poland. He's actually from Slovakia, but speaks hungarian, since he lives right on the border between the two. Anyway, his name is L and he's the man. Super cool. He's crazy talented musically and was just called as choir director. Anyway, we had his first choir practice yesterday. He's teaching us all how to sing. So, looks like I might be getting singing training out here for a while!

Sorry this email seems short. With an exchange coming up today we're a bit busy and emailing time is getting cut out a bit. I'm excited to go back to Bydgoszcz for a few days though. It's going to be a blast. I love that place. Plus, they have one of the best bakeries on the planet. Yay for baked goods!

Hmm, I guess I could tell you a bit about the branch here. It's possibly the most multi-cultural branch I've ever seen. We have a few people from Hungary, a few from Brazil, a few from Mexico, a solid amount of Americans, a guy from Africa (the Congo I think?) who's happier and even mroe outgoing than Matt Maddix, and of course, the Polish saints. It makes things a little hectic. I never know what language to speak to people in. It's all in good fun though.

Ah, yes, the packages. Well, the overcoat went in purely because I needed something to pack the pottery with so it wouldn't get damaged. Sounds like it worked. Hopefully none of it broke. The pocket planner is actually Elder Mikolyski's last planner from the mission field. I've kept all of my planners to date and I assumed that he had as well. I threw it in just in case he wanted it. As for the flannel shirt, that was also an Elder Mikolyski purchase that he ended up giving to me that I just threw in because I didn't want to be carrying it around. Hopefully you all enjoyed the candy. Mom, feel free to spread out pottery pieces as you feel to do so. I threw in a couple extra ornaments (bells maybe? can't remember) for grandma Fernie and Honey just in case they wanted some.

As for school stuff, I don't think I can even register for classes until early March, so that's not a big stresser yet, but I have no idea what I want to take. We'll worry about it when it gets here though.

Well, I love you all. Keep on being awesome. Remember, we're the Vernon's and we know who we are!
Hannah, we placed 2 copies of the Book of Mormon this week. Emms, good luck with track and congrats on Mia Maid President! Tell Heath she's awesome and good luck with Sterling Scholar. Dad, thanks for the hints. Mom, you're the best Mom ever!
Lots of Love and Faith,
Elder Vernon

We Have Officially Survived Transfer Week! (January 13th letter)

Leaving Szczecin

Hey family!
Well, we have officially survived the transfer week. It was a bit nuts, but we did it.
The trainees had been stuck in Denver due to weather. They would not be able to make it to Poland until Saturday afternoon. Well, this threw off everything. We had to stop everyone in their steps so that none of them would travel unnecessarily and make a ton of changes. We spent basically all of Tuesday working on it. We were going to just pair trainers up in different cities and let them work for a couple of days until we could get them their companions, but we realized that that would leave Sister companionships alone in a few cities for a few days, and we didn't like the idea of that. So, we had to put a couple of tripanionships together and figure lots of travel stuff out. Wednesday was the main transfer day, so Elder Wilson, Elder Neuner, and I all went to the train station and had to direct most of the main traffic there for the first part of the day. We then had to come back and finalize all sorts of stuff for the Mission Leadership Council going on the next day and make sure we had train times all figured out for trainers and such so things would be going ok. Add on to all of this that we're having to contact everyone in the mission and make sure people are aware of everything that's going on. It was a bit nuts. Usually, we just send everything out via email but because P-day had already passed, we were left to making phone calls. Well, we at least got everyone in right places and things figured out for the rest of the week by Wednesday night. We still hadn't figured out what sort of schedule the trainees would have and what to do with trainers yet, but we were way too focused on getting through Thursday to even think about that yet.
Thursday came and went without any hiccups. Elder Neuner actually left us by then to go to Łódź, so Elder Wilson and I were all by our lonesomes trying to figure out what we were supposed to do. It was fun. Throughout the course of Friday we got everything figured out and phone calls made to everyone so schedules were all fixed. Then, Saturday came along. We picked up the big transporter van and got on our way. We were able to pick up the trainees without any problem. Luckily, they all even had their luggage! Well, except for one Elder, but he ended up staying here in Warsaw, and the airport actually delivered his bags this morning, so he already has them in his posession. Anyway, it was quite an adventure. They got in on Saturday afternoon. We took them to the mission office where they got all their legal stuff figured out and started, took them to the mission home for a wonderful meal from Sister Edgren (who's an amazing gourmet cook!) and put them to bed after they all had interviews with President. They were all so tired.  After all this, our jobs weren't quite done. We had to get to the train station where we picked up Elder Raines and Elder Żeleźniak (both former assisants who are both training this transfer). We dropped off Elder Żeleźniak with Elder Saltmarsh and Elder Waszkiewicz for the night, then took Elder Raines back to our apartment. We woke up early and got to the mission home wth Elder Raines in tow to help Sister Edgren with breakfast. We got the trainees all out the door and to the Wolska Chapel. In talking to President, he decided it was best that they experience church here in Warsaw at the historic Wolska Chapel (the only church built building here in Poland). We got them all there, got things settled, put them with their new companions, and then got them all on trains back out to their respective cities. We were so certain we were done looking up train times and everything, but we were just a little bit wrong. We had to stop at the office one last time to update some emailing things for the mission and what not, and realized that nobody had train times for the zone training that is happening this week. Thus, that necessitated our looking up times from city to city for different days and preparing emails to send out to missionaries all last night. So, we officially had no time for normal contacting all week. It was definitely something new. I'm not complaining. I'm plenty busy and love helping missionaries. It just feels weird to not have talked to anyone on the street in the past week. Well, we've talked to people along the way and such, but we haven't had a contacting session since I've been here. In fact, we've only had studies in full once, and personal study twice since I've been here, and probably had to wake up early more days than not. It makes life fun!
Here are some excerpts from my letter to President-
Elder Wilson and I have enjoyed all the excitement with which we've dealt this week. Not that we're dying to have such a busy schedule all the time, but we've enjoyed it. I'm grateful the Lord didn't give me much spare time, because it made the transition easier. The Lord knows exactly what we need and when we need it. I'm sure of that.
Miracles have been ever present this week with all the travel and excitement, but I think one really hit home. As we were driving to church with Elder Taylor, he spoke of the first missionary from Poland to ever serve. He mentioned that his Dad had trained this missionary and that this missionary had predicted that one day, one of his trainer's sons would serve in Poland. Well, Elder Taylor is now here, serving in Poland. After a few quick questions, we determined that this polish member who was trained by Elder Taylor's father was none other than A.B., the branch mission leader in the Warsaw 1st branch. Elder Taylor is now serving in Kraków. It was no mere coincidence that all the missionaries were held up in Denver for four days. Because of all the changes, all these new missionaries attended the Warsaw 1 branch, which has never happened to a group of trainees that I've seen come in. I don't know if Elder Taylor will serve in Warsaw, or even if he'll get a chance to see Bro. B. again the rest of his mission, but I know the Lord had a hand in making sure they were able to meet on Elder Taylor's first Sunday in Poland.
Elder Wilson and I are doing great. I love serving with him so much. He's become one of my best friends, both here on the mission, and will be after as well. He's such a great kid. He knows how to work, he's obedient, and I'm so grateful for the example he gives me. I'm incredibly blessed.
Hannah bear, you make those donuts! They look like they're awesome. And, nice work on the hashtags. I'm impressed.
Heath, good luck with the knee. I know Sterling Scholar can be busy, but I'm sure you're up to the task. Obviously I'd love it if you went to BYU. Come on. We haven't even gone to the same school since forever ago. You haven't had to put up with me and my nerdiness for ages. You think you can handle all of that? I like your comments about music. There are few other mediums that can bring the Spirit so powerfully. It's important to recognize that music shapes a big part of who we are.
Dad, I'm liking these comparisons from Alma's mission. It is quite remarkable. The Lord definitely knows what He's doing. Nice work with the Book of Mormon placing. So, are you going to write this pamphlet now? I'd love to read it if you do.
Emms, I think you'll be good to go with whatever you choose. I don't know much about the girls' lacrosse program over there, and I know that the high school track program for sprinting isn't organized super well. For distance it definitely is though. It's your choice. Don't worry, the Spirit's with you. The Lord is in your life. Look for His hand. You'll find it.
Mom, thanks for being a mom and making sure that I'm doing ok. I appreciate all the work you do at home for me still.  I'm trying to do my best here and realizing that numbers aren't always everything. Visible results, while they are the most pleasing in the here and now, are often replaced by the results the Lord wants to see. I haven't been the most successful missionary in terms of numbers or in terms of people whom I've taught, yet I know the Lord has taught me specific lessons that I need to have. The Lord and I are continuing to develop a more personal relationship. Sometimes, it's hard for me to trust in what He's giving me or trying to teach me, but I'm learning. I told the trainees yesterday in a testimony meeting, I haven't received everything I wanted on my mission, but the Lord has given me everything I've needed.
Now, my mission is still a long way from being over, and I'm not thinking about that too much. Yet, it's comforting to look back and see where the Lord has influenced me and what I've done.
Well family, the gospel is true! I love it and am glad to be preaching it here in Poland.
Love,
Elder Vernon

Oh, I almost forget. J was baptized this week! I guess all it took was me leaving Szczecin haha. I'm super excited for him. He'll be a great member. He's the one I'm with here in this picture.

So, My Head is Definitely Spinning!

Christmas in Szczecin

Szczecin District 

Well hey howdy hey family!
So, my head is definitely spinning. There's so much here to do in the office! We've spent the past few days trying to figure out all the logistics with transfers, and President Edgren just came in and wants to switch up a bit of the traveling, so now we've got more fun stuff to figure out during P-day. Yay for being busy!
I don't even know where to begin with this whole week. I feel like it's been ages since I last emailed. I feel like it's been almost a week or more since I even got to Warsaw, and that was barely on Saturday. So, if my email seems a bit sparse, that's why. Also, as Assistants, our time for emailing drops significantly, so I'll apologize right now if things get short in terms of letters.
So, logistical things first. Mom, thank you for figuring out my driver's license and everything. In any case, I'm a little scared to drive in Poland, but we'll be alright. You don't have to worry about sending it via super speed mail or anything like that. I'll get it when I get it. Thanks for getting all of that taken care of so quickly and being willing to help.
A big miracle that I saw this week happened during a finding activity. With the Sisters we drew with chalk the pattern of apostasy on the sidewalk in the middle of Szczecin. I'm sure you'll want an explanation. I'll try to send a picture as well. Basically, what it is is a pattern showing the different dispensations with the name of the prophet which started each dispensation. Then, it shows each apostasy which happened in turn. It leads up to Christ, shows Him with the 12 apostles, then shows the great apostasy, after which we find the name Joseph Smith along with 12 new apostles. It's a pretty informative picture and helps greatly in dissolving any misconceptions or strange ideas about what we are really teaching. With the drawing we simply talked to people about it and what they thought of it. As we were contacting, I talked to one of the most prepared people I've ever met on my mission. His name was W. As we talked about the picture, he repeated multiple times that the name "Joseph Smith" interested him greatly. As we began to discuss the gospel, he talked about how religions in the world today focus too much on structure and ritual and lose sight of who God actually is. I was able to bring up how we all have two lines to God. One is our personal line, and the other goes through the authority given to man by God. We talked in depth about ordinances and the blessings they bring into our lives, proper authority, focusing on our personal relationship with God, and many more subjects which are rarely covered so quickly in a conversation with anyone about our religion. This came on my last day in Szczecin during my last finding activity, and I felt blessed to talk with such a prepared person right before I left. I don't know if I'll see the effects of that contact, but I have great hope that they will be great.
I'm excited to serve again with Elder Wilson here in Warsaw. I loved serving with Elder Fotu. He's an incredible missionary and will do great things. I'm excited for him. All in all, I'm happy and content to be here and excited for what the future will bring.
Our New Year's was good. Nothing too exciting happened. We all had to be home at 6:00 PM for the night. There was a huge party up the street from our apartment at a public park where they let off fireworks and all sorts of hullaballo. Elder Fotu said it woke him up and kept him up for a while. Same with the Gays (they live right around the corner from us, which makes things really nice). I rolled over and looked at my clock about 12:15 or so, thought to myself, "Hey, it's 2014," and went back to sleep without any problems and without having noticed the music or fireworks that were supposedly going on for about an hour after midnight and for a long time beforehand. So, I guess I still am a very heavy sleeper. It's good to know that some things don't change.
Hmm, I'm trying to think what else exciting happened this week......
Ah, yes, getting my call from President. Well, it was quite interesting. He gave me a call Thursday morning as companionship study started. I saw him calling and didn't think much about it. We had been in contact a few times the day before about various branch issues and such. Anyway, he then told me he had an assignment for me. I told him that I'd be happy to help. He said, "I need you to pack a bag--well, all of your bags actually--and come in to Warsaw to serve with Elder Wilson as my assistant." Well, at that point I almost dropped the phone. I never expected to serve as an assistant this late in my mission. Nor did I expect that my group would have three people who would all be assistants in the mission. Craziness. But, it's been a blast serving for a few days with Elder Neuner and Elder Wilson. I have a much bigger appreciation for all they do now. It's not an easy job being an assistant, that's for sure, but I'm excited for the challenge.
We were trying to get J baptized this past Saturday, but things didn't work out and he ended up in the hospital again on Thursday. If he were to be baptized, I was going to stay in Szczecin until right after church Sunday so I could see everything happen and then travel Sunday afternoon to Warsaw. But, because we lost contact and everything, I ended up leaving on Saturday morning early, which was kind of a bummer because I didn't even get to come to church one last time or anything else. However, I got to say goodbye to most all the members who are active and a few of them even came to the train station to see me catch my train at 8:40 in the morning. That was super nice of them. The Gays gave us a ride down there as well, and the Sisters even stopped in to say goodbye before I headed out, so we had a nice little party on the platform. It was cool and made me feel special. It was hard to leave Szczecin. I really love that city. The members there are incredible, we had a super awesome district, and I was in a position where I was able to help out so many people. I'll be sad that I won't be able to do so much anymore (namely translating, playing the piano, etc.) but I now have plenty of other duties which I'm sure will keep me busy and working hard.
Once I got to Warsaw, we headed straight to a baptism happening in Warsaw 1 where I got to see J again after almost a year! It was so cool to see him. He's still doing great. He gave me a big hug. A lot of the members from Warsaw still remember me as well, which was nice to see. It's fun to be back, for sure.
The branch here is on fire as well. Warsaw 2 is the branch in which I find myself. Anyway, Elder Jensen is the branch president (he's a senior missionary here along with his wife) and he has this place working miracles. Yesterday, we had 96 people in Sacrament Meeting. They had a goal to get to 100 people before the end of the year, and they almost made it. It's pretty incredible to see. Members are giving referrals, the branch functions almost like a normal ward, and things are moving forward at lightning speed. I'm excited to see what good work will be happening here in the future. They've also asked me to play piano in the primary for the near future. It's been a fun job. Yay for little kids!
Well, I'm running out of time. Glad to hear that you all got to visit with Elder Mikolyski. He's the best. I love that kid. Tell him I say hello and that I miss him. Hannah, sorry to hear about your teeth. I hope you're ok. Heath, good luck with the knee. I'm rooting for you. Emms, keep up being awesome. Mom, keep on being the best Mom ever. Dad, thanks for all the doctrinal stuff. It's always great to read.
In terms of where other missionaries are going, Elder Saltmarsh is coming back to Warsaw again. Elder Harris is going back to Katowice (Sosnowiec to be exact, my first apartment!), and Elder Neuner is going to Łódź to be district leader. It'll be an exciting transfer for sure. I just realized that I won't have any excitement for the rest of my mission regarding transfers. I'll know where everyone will be going until I end my mission, including myself. It's ok though, it'll be fun.
Anyway, I love you all. Remember, the gospel is true!
Elder Vernon

Stinky … and maybe not the most well-groomed for Zone Conference

Hey hey hey family!
Well, it has been a pretty good week, if I do say so myself. Busy, of course, but that's where all the fun comes in.
Well, with the start of the new year, I'm excited to make some new year's resolutions, but I'm trying to be wise as I do so. As I've been told now by a few people, I set expectations which are much too high for myself. Thus, I'm going to try to be reasonable but specific in the new year's resolutions which I set. Hopefully that will help me be an obedient missionary, do my best, and strive to magnify my calling even more.
For District Council this week, I'm planning on teaching the role of the Book of Mormon in Conversion. As I've been studying and learning, I've felt it's important to focus on the witness of Christ which is contained in the Book of Mormon. Along with that, our testimony of the Book of Mormon helps us to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which is the true church on the earth. Yet, the Book of Mormon was not solely written just to testify of Joseph Smith and the church. It was written to testify of Christ. That's something I don't think I've emphasized enough lately in my teaching, and that is the focus I'd like to take in District Council tomorrow.
Mini miracles happen every day, and I find it hard to pick just one. The one that I think gave me the most confidence, however, this week was when we were talking to an older man named K. He told us he already had a copy of the Book of Mormon and seemed pretty content with just walking away. We didn't let him go so fast. He skirted around a lot of our questions, didn't seem to have much interest in anything, and his dog was a little impatient. I felt inspired to ask him about his family. As I did, his whole demeanor changed. All I did was ask him if he had one, and he does. He told us about how his daughter died some years ago. We were able to testify of eternal families and the plan of salvation, and our testimonies softened his heart enough that he gave us his number. Now, in the grand scheme of things, one phone number may not seem like much, but to a missionary who still feels like he's struggling and is very unsure of himself, it meant the world.
I've started the Book of Mormon over from the beginning this week. As I have, I've been intrigued with the differences in the behavior of Laman and Lemuel as compared to Nephi. All had to go through less than comfortable circumstances. All left home and went into the wilderness. All left their wealth back at home and liveda meager lifestyle for a number of years. Yet, there are substantial differences. Laman and Lemuel seem to just put up their hands and pout, not wanting to do much, and blaming their father for everything that goes wrong. Nephi sees things differently. He seeks for a spiritual confirmation of the decision his father has made, and he receives one. Thanks to that answer, his whole demeanor and attitude toward the situation changes. He willingly is obedient, does what he is asked, and does so without contention. That is why he was blessed. That is why he was able to see miracles in his lifetime. That is why he progressed.
Elder Fotu and I continue to do well together. I'm grateful to be serving with him. We've had a great time so far, and I'm interested to see what will happen with both of us next transfer. As far as I'm concerned, he's a great missionary.
If I remember right, I kind of gave you a run down of what we did on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so you're already current with all that. So, maybe I'll start with the day after Christmas. We all had a train at 6:55 AM to go to Poznań for Zone Conference. We rode a tramwaj down with the Gays and we got there with about 25 minutes to spare. Well, the Sisters showed up about 6:40, giving us about 15 minutes before the train left. Well, we were all supposed to bring white elephant gifts again this year for a gift exchange (I brought a teddy bear again. It was too classic not to repeat) and the Sisters had bought theirs and wrapped them all nicely and what not. They had forgotten them, however, in their hustle and bustle to get out of the house and make it to the train station. So, this is where Elder Fotu and I enter the story. The Sisters' apartment is probably about a good 10-15 minute walk to the train station. Well, we didn't want to miss the train, knowing that President wanted to do interviews with us before the Zone Conference, and due to the fact that it was the day after Christmas and not too many trains were running. So, we ran. That marks the second time this year that I've been really sweaty after a sprint in a suit. But, we made it back in record time. Elder Fotu was pretty convinced his pants were going to rip, and I thought we were definitely going to miss the train, but we both made it to the apartment and back in a solid 15 minutes, with about 30 seconds to a minute to spare before the train took off from the station. Now, we were both possibly a little bit stinky, and maybe not the most well-groomed for the zone conference, but we didn't have much of a choice. Poland takes the 26th off too, so there would have been no stores open and the Sisters would not have been able to buy any gifts to replace the ones they forgot. Anyway, chock it up on the list of things that have been exciting adventures for my mission!

This picture was taken on the train right after the run to get the Sister's white elephant gifts.

Zone Conference was awesome. It's always a blast to be around other missionaries and enjoy time spent together. One little hiccup in the whole thing was that we had a whole christmas program, and President was expecting me to play the piano for the whole thing. Well, nobody had told me, and President simply asked me about 20 minutes before the whole thing started. Good thing I had been goofing around with all the Christmas hymns all season and knew a lot of them fairly well, or else it could have been bad. Then, in the middle of the program, there was a quick change and they decided to have Sisters Barth and Ott play a violin duet instead of sing "O, Come All Ye Faithful" for a seconed time. Luckily, I had accompanied Sister Barth for the same song in Szczecin for the Christmas program, but it was still a little bit of a stresser. We made it through alright though, with no one the wiser. Like Sister Edgren said, Thanks Mom for making me practice all the time!
Hmm, I'm trying to think what else I can update you all on. I told you all about Midnight Mass. Well, I remembered a pretty awkward/humorous moment that we had as we were leaving. At the hour mark, we all decided that it was about time to go, so we all tried to sneak out the back. As we did, the whole congregation knelt to pray together. Well, we didn't know what to do, so we ended up standing in the corner, eventually kneeling and just waiting out the awkwardness until the prayer was over and we could all sneak out without too much trouble. Yay for awkwardness. All in all though, it was really cool to hear polish singing, enjoy the cultural part, and see what a catholic mass was like. I was just happy I understood basically everything that was going on too. That always makes me feel good.
The Gays have been super nice to us all Christmas long. They let us hang out at their house half of Christmas Eve and basically all Christmas Day. We all had a great time enjoying the season together, playing card games, eating good food, and just being happy. It was a great Christmas. I definitely enjoyed spending it with a small district so we could all do stuff together and enjoy being around good friends.
Mom, I got your Christmas package, so don't worry! I also got the flat-rate envelope with the shirts and ties, so we're all good there as well. Elder Fotu was funny. He made me choose which shirt I liked the best and keeps trying to give me his tie back. He's way too nice of a kid and way too Christlike. He says thanks for the gifts by the way. He feels bad that you went to all the trouble to get him one. But, I told him just to accept it and be happy, so hopefully he will.
We had a few contacting miracles last night. Elder Fotu and I met a guy named A who was born in Sweden and speaks fluent english and polish. Well, he is polish, so of course he speaks polish, but his english was very impressive. Anyway, he is back for the holidays, and we were able to talk to him and give him a copy of the Book of Mormon. We testified to him that it has changed our lives for the better. He said he hopes it can do the same for him. He's been pretty depressed lately and is searching for a way to be happy. Well, if that's not a golden contact, I don't know what is!
Another thing that was kind of cool that happened last night is that we were out and about in a part of town that we don't hardly ever go to. We got a little lost, and found a back way that got us home right in time. But, that's not the miraculous part. We ran into a lady named I. She had been contacted by the Sisters quite a while ago. She never gave the Sisters her number, but she is reading from the Book of Mormon and promises that she will call when she finishes. It's always so cool to meet someone who, while yet a little hesitant, is making progress and learning about what we have to teach.
We've also been back in contact with J as of yesterday and the day before. He was in the hospital again, super sick. He seems to be doing better now and is coming to our Branch Christmas Party tonight, so we're excited about that. Hopefully we can get him into the waters of baptism this Saturday. That'd be a miracle if I've ever seen one. We're praying for him.
Well family, my love and best wishes go to you all. Hannah, keep Tao safe. Emms, good luck with the cheeks! Heath, let me know how the knee goes. Dad, thanks again for the doctrinal papers. I enjoy it. Mom, you're the best Mom in the whole wide world! I couldn't ask for anyone better.
The gospel's true! I was so happy to talk with all of you on Christmas. I couldn't ask for a better gift than that.
Well, keep on keeping on. There's a missionary in Poland who's doing his best, day by day.
And a happy new year!
Love,
Elder Vernon