Gdansk

It seems like my last email was so long ago because so much has happened this week. Sister Garcia and I left our area over to the Elders. It was sad to leave. We had a great last meeting with Hania. She made a promise in her prayer at the end to read the Book of Mormon and really search for the right road for her. It was amazing to see how at first she just thought we were fun people to meet with but now has found a need to read to find truth. It is like we read in Preach my Gospel---she was finding answers she didn't know she was searching for.

Saying Goodbye to Bydgoszcz.
Sister McAdams came up the night before so all three of us had to make to the train station with all our stuff. We had a taxi(van) come and pick us up. And he thought we were crazy. Luckily the elders met at the train station and helped us get all our bags on the train. And Sister McAdams and I started off on our way to Gdansk and Sister Garcia to Warsaw. Gdansk is a pretty city. I haven't been able to see much of it, but it is pretty. The Elders left the apartment actually very clean. The only food left was ketchup, but it was clean. No fish this time. We also caught the prank the Elders wanted to pull before - they set our phone to go off in the middle the night but luckily we stopped it. Our apartment is really big, and I have a real bed this transfer. It is amazing. The Elders left great instructions on everything including tricks like how to get hot water.

Sister McAdams and I have already been lost a couple of times (The 8 tram does not get us home) and we also have been separated. Coming home from church Sister McAdams got off the tram and I didn't. But we found each other again. The branch here is really small but the have a great kaplica. This week at church the Branch President was out of town and the first counselor, the Relief Society President also wasn't at church. We have an American couple (Lewises) here for work (they weren't at church) we also have an American family (Bergises). He is a basketball player (6'11) and his wife and four kids are here with him. Sister Bergis plays the piano. In Gdansk we have some of the oldest members. And at the tram stop we were greeted by most of them. They are so excited that sisters are here. Most of the branch consists of grandmas. So at church on Sunday we had Ania (newly baptized member) young single adult, Bogan an older man, 5 babcias and Magda, one investigator and the Bergis family. With all the leadership gone that left the missionaries doing everything. Elder Waits conducted sacrament meeting, I led the music, Sister McAdams translated, Elder Berry blessed the sacrament, then Sister McAdams, Elder Berry and I gave talks. In Sunday School Elder Waits taught and Elder Berry translated. And in Relief Society Sister McAdams taught and I translated. I guess we just came on a good week---normally other members teach. Anyway I already love the members here and Sister McAdams and I are scheduled with most of them to meet this week. They keep expressing in their prayers gratitude that the Sisters are back in Gdansk.
Sister McAdams and I have been doing tracking and contacting, and it is going to be a good transfer. Sister McAdams is like a fireball and doesn't let anything stop her. We already had some really amazing experiences. For example, it took three times calling someone on the domophone and then finding a hidden staircase to meet her. But she promised to read and we scheduled to meet her this week. It isn't going to be easy, but it will be good.

Yesterday we had zone conference. It was fun to be in Bydgoszcz again. But that was a lot of trains this last week. Zone conference was great. We talked a lot about using our time wisely. President Nielson also talked about how Lehi's family travel is very comparable to our mission. We are asked to leave our worldly possessions and trust the Lord. "We are sent into the wilderness." Well we are in the wilderness but who are we becoming? Anyway Zone conference was amazing and I learned a lot.

I just wanted to thank you all for everything you do and how you keep working hard. You all help me keep going when it hard and cold. I couldn't make it without all your prayers. I love you!

Siostra Steadman's Top Ten Gratitude List

As it is thanksgiving I wanted to write my gratitude list. I have so many things to be grateful for-

1. Prayer- gdziekolwiek(whereever) and kiedykolwiek (whenever). I know that our Father listens and answers in his own time. Thankful that He is patient with me.

2. Technology! I can read everyone's email and not have to wait for the mail that may never come. It also saved the day yesterday. Do you remember Sister Sue from Lodz? She is still striving to be a good missionary. Well I got a phone call from her saying that her friend (member from Thailand) was coming to church. She wanted us to meet her at the train station. Somtee speaks less English than
Sister Sue speaks. And she told Sister Sue she didn't understand anything, but Sister Sue told her to come to church anyway. So now she has "free day" so she can come to church every Sunday. We were in a Polish branch where we translate it to English and than Sister McAdams, by the help of google translator, was able to translate to Thai.
3. The Church is the same world wide. No matter if you are Polish, American, Thai or whatever, the sacrament means the same thing.

4. I am only having to try to learn Polish. After watching Somtee type in Thai, I am grateful that I am not trying to learn all those crazy characters. I working on being more confident. I had an old Babcia call me out on that yesterday. So I am grateful for that---people care enough to help me.

5. Amazing new converts. We had a meeting with Ania this week. When she met the missionaries she was Hindu and didn't believe that Christ was our Savior. Now, she has the most powerful testimony.

6. Warm weather. I might be ruining it, but the weather has been great.

7. Finding the one. This past week, we went contacting and we were not having any success. Until we found Ola. Definitely a tender mercy from the Lord. She has been to Temple Square and taken a tour. She also had talked to missionaries in Romania. Yet, she hadn't talked to any missionaries in her own city. We are so excited to meet with her.

8. This week we had a lot of meetings cancel or disappear, but we had one. It was amazing. We taught a family. They had recently moved here and they all just stopped going to the Catholic church. It was a great meeting and we are excited to meet again with them this week.

9. Things to laugh about. This week we have had a lot of things to laugh about. I don't know how many times we have gotten on the wrong tram.

10. Service. This week we were able to help the branch by raking up all the leaves at the church.

Basically I have so many things to be grateful for but especially for all of you. Thanks for all of your support. I love you. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. I will miss not seeing everyone. Send pictures!


Love Siostra Steadman

Everyday I have been trying to find my tender mercy of the day. It is a great way to stay grateful.

Goodbye to Big Ghost

I have sad news. They are closing Bydgoszcz to sisters. I have seen the rise and fall. I am not sure what it really means that I served here the whole time it is was open. The thing is that we are losing two sets of elders so they are sending sisters to other areas to replace them. Well so that means both of us our moving. A hint of where I am going. . . when we talk this christmas, you will be able to find something in the tour guide about this city. I am moving north to Gdansk! Once again I will be opening that area to sisters. However, I am not training, and it has only been closed for a little under a year. I am excited for a change and the new city.

Saying goodbye to Bydogszcz on the famous bridge.
Five months ago Sister Jones knocked on a door and talked to a girl through the door. Evenutally the girl openned the door and accepted the Book of Mormon. After being gone for the summer, and moving apartments she finally had time to meet. We met in the old square. It is a good thing there wasn't very many people out because I had no idea what she looked like. She recognized us by our name tags. We had a great meeting with her. She read the entire Book of Mormon and was really curious about prophets.  This meeting was just proof that you can't give up. If anything about my stay in Bydgoszcz is that it is always when you least expect it miracles happen.

This week  our upstairs neighbor told us he wants to invite us to tea so we can talk about the plan of god. We have had only small talk as we have passed each other. But he told us he is interested in us and him and his wife have talked and want to know what we believe. Those are the best contacts. Hopefully we can find a time to meet before we leave.

Also banana bread was a hit in English class and I gave some to our neighbor this morning. This afternoon she is teaching us how to make Polish food.

Well I love you all!
PS no fudge yet. I hope it makes it or it is going to make a mess in the mailbox.



Happy Halloween!

First, If it would taste good at all I would tell you to send me a scone but I am still waiting for the much expected fudge so I guess I will have to wait on the scones. We don't have anything too exciting planned for halloween. We were supposed to have a branch party on Saturday but because a failure in comunication it was a no go. Today I think we are going to eat candy and play games.

In Poland, they celebrate the Day of the Dead on November 1 and place candles in cemeteries to honor their deceased relatives.

Candles at the Statue celebrating the Uprising in Poland.

This has been a good week. We have SURPRISE done a lot of tracting but every door is an adventure. We meet a really cool guy last monday night. It was one of those times were we were just guided to where we needed to be. After tracting several doors where just old people were answering the door, telling us that we were too young to preach to them, we were about to try a different building. However we decided to finish the floor when we met him. He even said it was a miracle that we found him home. He is excited to read the Book of Mormona because he loves the Bible.

We also had a great lesson in English class. Right now we have two students and Sister Garcia and I decided that we were tired of always saying the prayers. So we taught them about why and how to pray. At the end one of the ladies prayed and the other volunteered to pray next week. Small steps but steps!

Who loved the extra hour of sleep? I did! Although that means it is now dark at 5 oclock. But the weather has been pretty good so far. We still have nice fall weather. We were contacting in a park on saturday morning and it was beautiful.


Today I finished the Book of Mormon again. I love it! I love Moroni 8:3 Perfect love casteth out all fear. That is my goal right now to get rid of my fear so that I can do all I can do as a missionary. Time is flying by. I actually got an email from my mission president today about my release date. CRAZY! He told us the three of us Sisters that our date to be in the country expires the 25th of Feburary but he has contacted the mission board and has asked to extend our mission. So I will be released on the 16th of March. Oh I can't believe how fast everything is going. Next weeks is transfers, any guesses what will happen?

In Poland, the Day of the Dead is celebrated similarly to our Thanksgiving/Memorial Day with lots of food eaten together as families and then decoration of graves.