Dearest friends and family, 

This week I’m so full of gratitude! For the amazing people in Gdańsk, for the mission, and for wonderful family and friends! I spoke in church yesterday (my theme was the Come Follow Me lesson for this week) and I loved these verses from Phillippians 4:

“4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

No matter what, we can always find something to be grateful for! 🙂 

This week: 

-One of the people we’re teaching decided they want to get ready to be baptized and we set a date!! We’re so excited for them! 

-We received a referral to visit a hospital and visit the sweetest lady there. She loves God and we got to share our favorite scriptures from the Bible and the Book of Mormon about Christ’s love for her. She really resonated with the scriptures we shared and was so excited to take a Book of Mormon and learn more! 

-We had zone conference this week all about setting better and more faith driven goals–if we can believe it, God will achieve it! I know this is so true, in missionary work and in life! I heard once that we tend to achieve just under our goals–low goals will always mean low achievement, but high goals motivate us to be better and really achieve our potential so we can become who the Lord knows we can become😊

Love you all!! Kocham was tak mocno!! ❤️ 

Siostra Baldwin

Pics:

1. Survey Street contacting!

2. Zone conference 

3. ZUPA

Halo halo cześć!!

This week was another good one!

We finally finished watching conference this week and WOW. All I can say is that God has things to say to us today, and I am so grateful he speaks through prophets. I had written down a couple of questions to think about as I listened to conference, and every. single. one. was answered.

I am so grateful for conference and for the opportunity to gain new perspective and insights on life, faith, and everything in between. If you want to watch conference, you can find it at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org. You can also find and study talks from conferences throughout the years!! 

For our advanced English class this week, we had a poetry night! Everyone brought They’re favorite poems and we read and discussed them. Some were spiritual, some were funny but all were so good! 

A favorite of mine:

” this is a subtle truth; whatever you love, you are.” 

-Rumi

We also had a ping pong tournament this week that ended being SO successful!! So many friends we invited came!! 

I love you all❤️ I hope you have a wonderful week!! 

Siostra Baldwin

Elizabethinpoland.wordpress.com

pictures:

1. Lechia Gdańsk’s BIGGEST FAN

2. Quote from conference!

3. Found my favorite childhood book in polish 

4. C.S. Lewis is very popular here!

5. All Bundled Up

Dearest friends and family,

Hej cześć!! This has been such a good week 🙂 I already love Gdańsk and I love my new companion, Siostra Emett! She’s so much fun!

This week:

– Met M!! She’s a student at one of the universities here and is absolutely the sweetest. We talked about the Creation of the world and about life before we came to this earth—when we lived with our Heavenly Father.  It’s one of my favorite lessons to teach and one that I feel so strongly about—God does know us, and he has specific, beautiful, and glorious plans for each one of us!!! 

-Two cute ladies stayed after our free English class to learn more about the Book of Mormon.  We were only going to read the first couple verses of 3rd Nephi 11, where Christ visits the Americas, but they were so excited and wanted to read the whole chapter!

-If you haven’t checked out the new Book of Mormon videos yet, you’re missing out!! They are SO GOOD!  They come out every Friday (there are 3 of them so far) and each one is between 15-25 minutes long.  Gorąco polecam!! You can find them at churchofjesuschrist.org!

-Got to help with ZUPA (making food and giving it out to homeless people) here!! SO MUCH FUN 

Also, a quick thought for this week: I’ve been thinking a ton about Nephi 1:1, a verse that I’ve read probably hundreds of times. 

“I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.” 

That nevertheless stood out to me so much this week!  Nephi understood better than anyone that sometimes the Lord asks you to do what seems like literally impossible.  Sometime life is hard.  And yet, Nephi recognizes that through it all, the Lord has been so present.  And I think that’s so important–to always remember the nevertheless in our own lives!!! 

Love you all! 

Siostra Baldwin 

Dearest friends and family,

It’s been a good long while since I’ve sent out a group email! This week we had transfers, and after 6 wonderful months in Poznań I have been transferred to Gdańsk, which is situated right on the Baltic Sea!!

Gdańsk is one of the most northern parts of Poland and I understand it gets quite cold here in the winter. The weather is already starting to turn. Since some of my ancestors come from the coastal Netherlands, I am going to experience firsthand what life is like living on the coast of northern Europe. Early this morning, I took a 3-hour train ride northward to the Baltic coast. I was warmly greeted at the train station by Elder & Sister Bridges (the Senior missionary couple), the Elders, and my new companion Siostra Emett!! I am so grateful to be here 🙂

Gdańsk is beautiful!!! Not only is it the largest Polish trading port, it played an important role as one of the world’s capitols for the amber trade. I look forward to learning the unique history here.

My last week in Poznań was fulfilling—we held our cultural activity at the Palmiarnia, a kind of greenhouse in Poznań where they grow all kinds of tropical plants straight from the Amazon rainforest.  It’s the coolest thing!!  They even have an aquarium section with piranhas and all kinds of tropical fish.

Also this weekend, we participated at Zupa, which of course is the service project where we help prepare and give food to homeless people.  We had a great time!  One of our members Brother Martin—who is an officer on the U.S. military base here in Poznań was able to join us.  We helped the Zupa staff wash dishes, prep the food, we taste tested the soup (traditional polish pickle soup.  YUM!!) and then we went to the train station to distribute the food. 

Afterwards we went to a Korean restaurant for my last dinner in Poznań. We experienced an amazing coincidence (or tender mercy!) when Brother Martin who served his mission in the Philippines and who speaks Tagalog, noticed one of the cooks whom he had by pure chance met elsewhere. The cook being from the Philippines also spoke Tagalog and Brother Martin invited her to Church while speaking in her native tongue. And she is so excited to come!! I think it is wonderful how one person from the United States might serve a mission in the Philippines and then be assigned to work at a military base in Poland. Another person from the Philippines would come to work in Poland in the same city as the military base. And God can put it all together! To me that was just another example that God is so present in every part of our lives!!!

I will miss Poznań. The memories I have made are profound and the growth experienced was what I needed. I look forward to staying connected with all my friends here, celebrating their life events, and keeping updated as the Church continues to make strides here.

And finally, I wanted to share one of the scriptures that stood out to me this week. I appreciate the power of true principles to help us make sense of our lives and give us the ability to change our lives for the better.

I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week 🙂

Siostra Baldwin

I wanted to first say thank you to all of you for the love and support I feel from back home.  The letters, e-mails, and thoughtfulness you regularly extend to me is now and will forever be greatly appreciated.  I have hit an important milestone on my mission – I have now been serving in the Poland Warsaw Mission for a year as of this past Thursday.  I expect to return home in the Spring and have been forever changed by this experience.  It is highly probable that this is my last week in Poznań as transfers are coming this weekend and I have been here for quite a while.  I am grateful for the many friends I have made here. 

Here are a few highlights from this week:

We were walking home from teaching English and it was already dark, and we saw our friend Pani Lidia walking up the street.  She’s the sweetest little 94-year old babcia who we always see walking up and down the street near the chapel. We always stop and say hi when we see her.  We were getting closer to her; and all of a sudden, we saw her stumble and fall!  We ran over to her and started checking her to make sure she was okay.  She fell on her wrist and it looked like it hurt.  She kept on insisting she was fine, but we recruited the help of a really nice guy who was also walking up the street and helped her get up a couple minutes later.  We walked her all the way to the apartment and she really wanted us to stay and have some tea, but we had to get home!  She invited us to come back soon though. Before we left, though she kept on telling us she just needed to eat more cabbage so her wrist would feel better haha!

-Met M, the coolest blogger mom who lives out in a beautiful little foresty Polish village an hour from Poznań! She is wonderful, and we’re going back this next week to meet her kids :)))

– Had zone conference! It was fantastic. I love learning how to do missionary work better!!!

– We had TEMPLE NIGHT (Noc Świątyń), the event we’ve been preparing for the last couple of weeks. Basically, churches of all denominations all over Poznań (and in several major Polish cities) had open houses where the public could come visit.  Ours was big success!  Lots of people came, and we shared our knowledge and testimony on the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Plan of Salvation, and the Book of Mormon. So many people took copies of the Book of Mormon!

I don’t have a ton of time today, but it’s been a couple of weeks since I wrote a group email and I just wanted to update you all! I am still in Poznań and it is still absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Fall is on its way, and the weather has been cool and rainy this last week. Here are a couple highlights from these last few weeks-

– Someone I was teaching when I was in Katowice got BAPTIZED!!

– Ola and Babcia(my polish grandma) came to visit us in Poznań this week❤

Started volunteering at a new service, Zupa na Głównym where we sort clothes and help make food every week for the homeless 🙂

-the BOOK OF MORMON videos are coming out!!! They’re going to be amazing–keep an eye out for the first one being released on Sept 20!!

This weekend we were in Katowice for legal work, so we got to take a 6-hour train down and back and wait at the legal office for 6 hours! But luckily all went well😊

Here’s a few thoughts!

And quote for the week: “Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed; and some few to be chewed and digested.”

I have this written in my Księga Mormona because it reminds me how important it is to read and study out of the best books!!!

1. Tosia was in Poznań😊
2. The Katowice sisters and us in Katowice!
3. Ola❤️❤️
4.kebab! Yum!

We recently received a silly video from Elizabeth, in which she simultaneously plays the piano, conducts a hymn, and sings in the choir.  Her video is a great metaphor for any of us who are trying too hard to do too much without properly renewing ourselves.

Should there ever be instances in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by the demands of life to the point that we feel run down, Elizabeth reminds us that we don’t have to do it all, we just need to do our part.  We need to take better care of ourselves by seeking out support and counsel first from the Lord and then from those trusted, qualified individuals around us.  Isaiah affirms this principle (Isaiah 40:31):

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

King Benjamin counsels (Mosiah 4:27):

“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” 

It’s hard to believe Elizabeth has been gone for a year.  The journey is more than halfway done.  Good job Elizabeth!

Dearest friends and family, 

It’s been a busy week! We’ve had area book meetings, I attended a Catholic mass for the first time, our progressing friends are still progressing, the sun is shining, and it’s a great time to be a missionary! 

This week I want to share a few things I learned as I read the story of Ammon, one of the great missionaries in the Book of Mormon! Over the past several weeks, our mission has continued towards our goal of reading the Book of Mormon in 40 days and as I have done so I have seen it with, what feels like, new eyes! I learn so much every single day! So here goes:

How to be a Great Missionary (or in other words, how to make and achieve high goals): Observations from Ammon’s mission to the Lamanites 

1. Be prepared. (Alma 17:2-3) If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear! And as a great missionary I know once said, ‘proper prior planning prevents poor performance!’
2. Be patient. Consistency is key. (Alma 17:11)
3. Look for opportunities to share your talents. (Alma 17:29)
4. Be an expert. Give the things you want u do your very best! (Alma 18:3)
5. Remember your purpose. Don’t get distracted. Be humble. (Alma 17:25)
6. Be wise, but harmless. Be an example. (Alma 18:22)
7. Always be ready to teach simply (Alma 18:24)
8. Use your connections (Alma 20:14)
9. Be BOLD! (Alma 18:24)
10. Always be grateful (Alma 26)

I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the Bible and for the great lights they can be in our lives.  God speaks to each of us differently—and I know and can testify that He has answers for you! When we want to speak to God, we pray.  When we want him to speak to us, we read the scriptures! They are literally the words from His holy prophets directly to us.  And yes, the times may change, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  God’s love for us will never change, and He has important things to say to each one of us!  If you aren’t doings so already, I encourage you to start reading the scriptures daily, even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day!  Even 5 minutes can make a huge difference. 

I love you all ❤️ Thank you for your continued love and support! 

Z miłością, 

Siostra Baldwin

Dearest friends and family, 

Hello! I can’t believe it’s already been a week! This week has been a total whirlwind and I can’t believe it’s already Monday. We are BUSY BUSY BUSY here!! 

This week:

Met with O and A. They are the nicest mother and son from Ukraine, and we’ve been meeting every week to help them work on English and then teach them the gospel. In the couple weeks that we’ve met, they have gone from knowing little about the Bible, to starting to have an understanding of why the Bible and the Book of Mormon are so important, and how prayer can change our lives. I am so excited for them! 

Met with M and talked about the importance of family and good friends. She’s absolutely wonderful and is still reading the Book of Mormon daily.  And this last Sunday she conducted one of the hymns at Church during Sacrament Meeting! 

So, we have a new service opportunity here in Poznań called Zupa Wolności, where the people in this organization get together and make soup and other foods at someone’s house.  Then everyone goes to the train station and gives the food to homeless people for an hour every Sunday. The last couple of Sunday afternoons we’ve been going to the train station to help serve the food and talk to the people there, and it has been one of my absolute favorite parts of Poznań yet. 

Yesterday, while we were at Zupa Wolności, we met a woman named Laura from Scotland who has been homeless for the last several months.  She shared her life story with us and as she shared some of the hardships she has had, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelming love for her. She has been literally physically, spiritually, and emotionally beaten up many times, and yet she keeps going.  And after everything she’s been through, at the end of her story she pulled out a little crumpled up picture of Jesus and said, “this.. This is what keeps me going.”

Our faith is Christ can literally carry us through anything life throws at us. I know that Jesus Christ knows us individually. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to be happy. And I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has provided us with a plan to find true and lasting happiness. Life is not easy, and we will get knocked down over and over again, but every single time we get knocked down, the Savior is there to help us get back up and keep going. He loves us endlessly. In Jacob 4:7 we read:

“The Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know by his grace that we have power to do these things”

We, by ourselves, are weak.  But the Lord has endless grace and mercy for us.  And I know and can testify personally that He will pick us up when we fall.  As we trust Him, He will help us see beyond what we ever thought was possible.  I love this gospel.  I love Poland.  I love the people here. I love my Savior. And I love you all!!

I hope you all have a wonderful week. ❤️

LOVE,

Siostra Baldwin

Hejka cześć!!!

This last Saturday we received transfer calls, and the news is in… I’m staying in Poznań, and my new companion is going to be Siostra Eberting and she’s coming up from Katowice and I’m so excited!!

This week has been on full of MIRACLES. I am so grateful to be a missionary and to get a front row seat to God’s hand in the lives of so many people in Poznań. God’s love is so powerful!!!

A couple happy moments/miracles from this week:

-A week ago Sunday, Sister Godfrey and I played a duet Beautiful Savior in our Poznan Sacrament Meeting. I love the inspiration and strong Spirit that flows through the playing of sacred music and I’m so glad to have played one last duet with Sister Godfrey before she returned home.

-On Thursday we only had one man come to English class.. We were a little disappointed until he said “Honestly, I already know English. Can we just talk about the Gospel?” We ended up talking about the Book of Mormon and the Bible for an hour and half, and he’s excited to learn more!

-Meeting with M and N, not being able to teach the original lesson, but them coming with us to service and then to the chapel where we had a impromptu chapel tour… they’re the absolute best ❤

-The new service opportunity we have here giving food to the homeless every Sunday (I’ll have to write more about it next week because it’s AMAZING)

I love you all SO MUCH and I hope you have a wonderful week!!!

XOXO,

Siostra Baldwin

Pictures:

1. VEGAN FOOD!!!

2.From our trip to Malbork, the castle near Gdańsk. Malbork was originally built in medieval times and was the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights of Royal Prussia. The Teutonic Knights are a militaristic Catholic religious order that was known as staunch proponents of Christianity.