We've had a really good week.....

Yes, we've had a really good week apart from the fact that it rained every day. We've managed to do something effective or at least fun each day. For example a few days ago we had a lot of spare time so I decided all 4 of us were going to buy a different coloured poncho and then we'd go contacting. that will explain this picture a little better. I was laughing so much and what made it better is that Elder Asendrych kept his bag on under his poncho and so he looked like a hunchback haha. 

We had a lot of fun in the park on Friday. We went in the rain, didn't expect anyone to be there but felt it was a good idea, we invited some friends and went. About an hour in a young lady walked by us with her 18-month-old son. We were the only people in the whole park. we kicked the ball over to where she was walking to get their attention and that started about a 45-minute stretch in which Elder Wagley and I played with this little lad whilst the others talked to his mum. It was the most fun I'd had for a while, the joy and happiness and light children have with them is amazing! 

General conference is fast approaching. We'll be doing our part in preparing ourselves to receive the spiritual messages that our leaders have prepared for us, will you?

Have a solid week! 

The time is flying now!

The time is flying now!  I can't believe I'm sat in this library again emailing home. The weeks seem to be going by faster and faster, it's funny how time works.

Elder Asendrych is doing really well. I really do hope he's enjoying himself. This country has so much fun and joy to offer, especially when we dedicate our time and efforts to serving and fulfilling our purpose, the blessings of serving in such a beautiful and historic place are ever so clearer and tangible. 

He's got a long time of service ahead of him, I couldn't be more excited for him and everything he's going to learn and experience.

I've been entrusted with the life of a new missionary.

Hey Mum and Dad and anyone else reading.

If you don't already know by now I've been entrusted with the life of a new missionary for my last transfer. I'm serving with Elder Asendrych from Leeds, England, at the trainer/trainee meeting in Warsaw as president was assigning us our new companions..he looked at me and said 'Elder Ashworth will be serving with..of course.Elder Asendrych' I got up and cheered and ran over to him and gave him a big hug, thought I'd lost him too he's that small. He's a good lad though, quiet and confident, and knows why he is here, he has his goals and his expectations.

We were asked to think about things our trainers did good, and also things that they did bad, so we could apply the things they did well into our own training and avoid the bad things. I thought a lot about my first transfer with Elder Taylor and honestly couldn't think of anything I needed more than Elder Taylor to be my trainer.

One funny experience from the week. It was our first morning together. Elder Asendrych gets out of bed and asks me 'what do I do first? shower or exercise or what?', I just said 'whatever you want, the morning is yours'. he went about his morning, at about 7:20 I noticed him start to get dressed, then he brushes his teeth, puts his shoes on and sits at his desk, I walked in and said 'where you off to?' he looked at me, I was still in sweats preparing to exercise, he laughed and said 'nowhere, just force of habit I guess'. 

Scripture from the week, something I found that reminds me of how we should be.

'Albowiem nie wstydzę się ewangelii Chrystusowej, jest ona bowiem mocą Bożą ku zbawieniu każdego, kto wierzy'

Back in Kielce

Here are a few pics from the week in Kielce.

You can call me Gramps.

You're probably all wondering why I chose that as the heading of this weeks post. Well, with the group ahead of me leaving this morning, it means that I am the longest serving missionary in the Poland Warsaw Mission. Kind of a mental thought, it doesn't mean anything, just makes me more aware that my time is slowly but surely coming to an end. Especially with the turn of events that have gone down this week. 

The main one of these being that I'm writing from a computer in Kielce, not Krakow, but the city in which my adventure in Poland started. With Elder Haskett leaving and my Comp Elder McMaster also flying home, that left 2 Elders without companions, so President used his brain and sent me down here for the week until transfers next week. 

Honestly it's been a strange and daunting past day or so. As I was sat eating breakfast this morning in my favourite milk bar, the first place I tried proper Polish food in the country, all these memories were whizzing about my mind, reminiscing on the long 7 weeks I spent here with Elder Taylor and Garrison, and later Elder Weiler. The streets are the same, the apartment is the same, the air is the same, the long walk up and down the Sienkiewicza is the same..2 things that aren't the same though, the mission and myself. The mission has changed both in Leadership and in Focus, we're now at 28 baptisms for the year, a mighty effort put forward from both member and missionary. I hope also that I have changed in some way for the better. 

The best thing from the week was all the preparation involved in helping our mate reach his goal of baptism on the 26th. As I am, you'll all be glad to know that the baptism went ahead, our friend is now a confirmed member of the church with a future of trials and joy ahead of him. We had a total of 4 meetings with him through the week and everything turned out well. Funny story, he came out of the changing rooms in his whites, with his clothes on underneath him, and said 'ok I'm ready!', Elder McMaster had to advise him to take his clothes off so they didn't get soaked haha, he's funny. 

I'm looking forward to a week of work and walking here in Kielce. On and upward! 

have a solid week 

Wroclaw

Wroclaw

Wroclaw

Wroclaw

Elder Groseclose and I

So long mate

Kielce

If we are obedient WE CANNOT FAIL.

Hey how's it going? Hope you've all a solid week. 

I've been thinking about what I can write about this week. Obviously, there's the day to day activities but sometimes I feel as though they can be a bit boring. 

This week we've had a few finding activities, we called them our interactive finding activities. we took a whiteboard down into town, stood in the busiest area and invited people to come up and write on the board. Now you see, we wrote a question on the board, something to lead them into deep thought and reflection, something to open them up a little. It's interesting to see how much a simple question like 'what are you grateful for?' helps us understand what sort of person that individual is, enabling us to know how to go about the contact. Some of the answers we got were the classic and most important ones like God, family, water, oxygen, and others were a little more outside the box. 

On Wednesday we had our conference with Elder and Sister Sabin. Elder Sabin is a member of the Quorum of the Seventy and also served on the Europe Area Presidency. He visited us a while back when Elder Anderson was here, but this time he came along with his wife to instruct us. The journey itself was looooooonnnngggg. The night before we had a 90-minute bus ride to a neighboring city and spent the night there with Elders Huffman and Sommerfeldt. We got into Katowice around 5pm and we did a little splits which meant I got to work with Elder Huffman for a few hours, something I've been missing since our days in Lublin. We had a lesson fall through and so we took that as a sign that we were meant to be on the streets finding people. Before we left we prayed at the door and set a goal of getting two numbers. We hugged it out and then began talking to everyone! We achieved our goal of two phone numbers and met some really solid people, it's all about your mindset and drive, if you have a positive mindset it will lead to an 'anything is possible' way of working, which is never a bad thing. 

To get to the conference which was being held in Wrocław, we had to get up at 2 AM!! our train was at 5 am and we had to walk about an hour across town to get to the train station on time, public transport doesn't run that early. I remember waking up from my 3-hour nap on a yoga mat thinking, it's not worth it! I was shattered haha, and I wasn't the only one.

After the 4 or so hours of teaching, testimony and counsel I can say that the early morning get up was 100% worth it. If he wasn't telling a story from his life then he was quoting from the scriptures, a very capable and learned servant of God.

He taught us of 8 Celestial steps which not only will help lead us to the Celestial Kingdom of God, but 8 steps that will help us live and have a Celestial Life. Here are the first 3 of those steps...

1) TRUE DOCTRINE

2) TRUE IDENTITY

3) PLAN OF SALVATION

True doctrine understood helps us come to an understanding that we are Children of a loving Heavenly, which is our true identity. The Plan of Salvation is true doctrine that shows us our path and enables us to see our potential. Our potential is Celestial glory!

2 more things that Elder Sabin mentioned..

It doesn't matter how deep the water gets! as long as the boat doesn't get a hole in it, it won't sink. which leads perfectly on to the next quote

If we are obedient WE CANNOT FAIL