From Sis Nielson's Blog - New Missionaries

Meet the newest Missionaries in the Poland Warsaw Mission. They all looked great and are so excited to finally be 'in country'....ready to use what they have been learning in the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah for the past 9 weeks.


President will be interviewing each of them to get to know them better.  They will all have new companions tomorrow and these interviews are essential before those assignments are made.

Their first dinner in the Mission Home.....our traditional "Welcome to Poland" spaghetti served on Polish pottery. (LtoR): Sisters Pearson and Young; Elders Wolfley and Blom; Sister Wendel; Elders Waskiewicz and Allen; Sisters Barth, Lidtka and Blake.

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

Day #2 and #3: New Missionaries and assignments...PLUS, an historic event!

Day #2: After arriving in Poland, our new missionaries walk from the Mission Home to the Mission Office.

 This is about a 9-10 minute walk.  It was a national holiday so there were not too many people out and about.  The few that were outside our missionaries spoke to and contacted them.  They were heading to the Office to receive instructions from our Office staff.

Meanwhile... their Trainers arrived at the Mission Home.

The Training Missionaries will meet with President while the Trainees are out contacting.  Then all will receive their assignments and find out who their new companions will be.  Elders Lanham, Van Bakel, Sisters Allen, Packard, Howells, Bown, Holmgren and Bezdjian, with Elders Harris and Mikolyski.

They were instructed on their responsibilities with the 12-week training course that New Missionaries  begin the first week in-field.  We are at the stage in the mission where all of these trainers went through this course when they arrived in Poland.  They are familiar with this and eager to go through it again.  Only this time, taking the lead role.
The Trainees arrived back at the Mission Home and now it is time to hear where everyone is going and who will be companions....

Sister Young will be companions with Sister Allen,( SARA WAS COMPS WITH SIS. ALLEN WHEN SHE FIRST ARRIVED IN POZNAN SHE WILL BE AN EXCELLENT TRAINER)  They will be serving in...

...the beautiful city of Krakow.  President has not had Sisters in this city the entire time we have been here.  It will be great to have Sister Missionaries in one of our favorite places to visit.

Sister Lidtka will be companions with Sister Bown...(SIS BOWN AND SARA HAVE BEEN TOGETHER IN GDANSK SINCE DEC 19TH TO MAY 2ND-WHAT AN AMAZING TRAINER SIS BOWN WILL BE)

and they will serve together in the beautiful city of Poznan.

Sister Blake will be companions with Sister Bezdjian.  They will be serving in...

Wroclaw.  This will be another great Sister companionship that has served in this strong Branch. THEY WILL BE WHITEWASHING SINCE THE TWO SISTERS WHO WERE SERVING THERE 

(SISTERS SMITHEE AND ENCE) BOTH JUST WENT HOME

After everyone was assigned, the combined instruction continued with everyone sitting with their new companions. We enjoyed a great spirit in our meeting.

Soon, we stopped for a 10 minute break and got better acquainted.

It is always amazing how fast missionaries find out how much they have in common and love each other. The Lord does know who needs to be with who.  We finished the training and had a great BBQ for dinner.  We ended Day #2 with a testimony meeting, nightly planning and then everyone hit the sack. Tomorrow will bring another big day.

DAY #3, Thursday:  Everyone was up a 6:00am, a quick breakfast and then off to the train station.  Our last group picture for this group: Elders Allen, Lanham, Harris, Blom, Van Bakel, Wolfley, Sisters Pearson, Packard, Lidtka, Bown, Elders Waskiewicz, Mikolyski, Sisters Bezdjian, Blake, Young, Allen, Holmgren and Wencel.  What a great group of missionaries. Now, off to their specific areas to do mighty works. (Sisters Howells and Barth left the night before as they are assigned to Warsaw)

President and I said goodbye to everyone and then headed to the Mission Office for Mission Leadership Counsel meeting starting at 10:30am.

On the way he was driving a little too fast, and today the Policja were out in full force.  He was accidentally going 85 kph in a 50 kph zone.  The Policja waved him over (this hasn't happened to him in a long time...) and stopped him for the violation.  This was right across the street from the Mission Office.  In fact, President was honking at two of our Zone Leaders as they arrived at the Mission Office and didn't see the Policja ahead.  It was a bad time to get a speeding ticket... especially in front of everyone! Well, there was a tender mercy extended. The Policja saw President's name tag and asked what that was.  President explained he was going to our office (pointing to it) and those were his missionaries (pointing to them), etc.  The Policja told him, "Bye, Bye" and off President went. 

This was an historic meeting in the Poland Warsaw Mission.  This used to be called Zone Leader Counsel.   It is now called Mission Leadership Counsel.  We had some new members of this meeting...two Sister Missionaries.  Their new calling in the Mission is 'Sister Training Leader'.  They attend this Mission Counsel meeting.  They added so much just in their first meeting with us.  We have three Sister Training Leaders in our mission.  The third is Sister Bezdjian who would have been here; but her train back to Wroclaw with her new Trainee was too late, and she needed to miss this meeting.

A great Mission Leadership Counsel.  Sisters Allen and Howells, with our Zone Leaders Elders Tingey (new Zone Leader in Warsaw), Raines (Warsaw Zone), Vernon (new Zone Leader in Bydgoszcz), Wilson (new Zone Leader in Bydgoszcz), Dopp (Katowice) and Neuner (new Zone Leader in Katowice).  Seated are Elder Tiner (Assistant) and Elder Zelezniak (new Assistant). When the meeting was over, it was time to take the second wave of missionaries to the train station so they can return home and do what they do best...  teach people the gospel.

What a busy and productive day, but it's not over yet. Just wait!