God is the Gardener here.

Dear Friends and Family,

First of all, HAPPY LATE MOTHER'S DAY to all the wonderful mother's I know!! :) I am seriously so grateful for you all, and I hope you had the best day yesterday! I was able to skype my 5 best friends, along with my amazing grandparents, and it was the best day ever. :) I love my family so much, seriously.

Well, as far as thing week goes, not too many super exciting things happened besides me loving my life! :) haha! But really, even as I sit here in this little old run-down library and look out the window and see all the Polish people with their little ice-cream cones, I am just so grateful to be here. :) I'm seriously the luckiest girl in the world! 

My favourite memory from this week was this past Saturday! I got a little taste of home that day, because we were able to go out with our lovely Agata to her little farm in the countryside of Bydgoszcz! It was amazing :) We spent the day with her, cooking, helping with her raspberry farm, and just spending time with her! Her baptism is next week!! Can you believe that?! Just as anyone would, she has been a little nervous lately about taking that step, and has had her doubts. But when Sister Craig and I went over to her home, Agata took us up to her room, and we were able to give her a little gift we had prepared for her, and read some scriptures with her. We read some wonderful scriptures about peace and comfort from the Book of Mormon, and as Agata read she got teary-eyed and said, "I forgot this feeling..." She just smiled, and hugged Sister Craig and I. As she did, I just felt so much peace, and I know she did as well. Agata told us that she had spent countless hours, even days, praying and praying to know if her being baptized was the right decision. She told us that no matter how much she doubts, each time she prays, she gets the same answer... This is true, and the Lord has a plan for her. 

As soon as she said that, I thought of my own experience with that... Being on a mission. I remember a year ago, praying and praying to know if I should go on a mission or not. Up until that point, I had never wanted an answer to a prayer so much in my life. I still remember the day I got my answer. :) But, despite how clearly the answer came to me, and how confident I felt in my decision to serve a mission at the time, doubts crept into my mind. I remember after I had submitted my papers, I doubted my decision. I was scared, but I said a prayer again, and I got the same answer - I needed to serve a mission. Then after I got my mission call, I was even more scared. I felt inadequate, I doubted my decisions, and I was really scared. But - I prayed. And I got the same answer - I needed to serve a mission. Now, even being on my mission, here I am! I'm 6,000 miles away, doing the very thing I got the answer that I was supposed to do. But sometimes, I still have those moments where I get scared, and I question that answer I got a year ago. But, each time I do, a prayer fills my heart, and I bet you all can guess what the answer I get is. :) I don't think I can count the number of prayers I have said, asking my Heavenly Father to reassure me that this is where I am meant to be. There have been countless times. But I have come to realize that God has a plan for me, and this mission is part of that plan. I prayed about it, and I got my answer.  I got my answer, and it's not going to change. God is not going to change His mind. I know now that God knows everything. He can see my life so much more than I can. He knows where I should be, but it is up to me to trust Him in that.  

It was amazing, because I was able to share that experience with Agata, and as soon as I finished, she said, "Sisters... I already got my answer. I got it, and I know I will get it again and again. It will never change. I know that, and I love it." :) She is so incredible. What did I do to get blessed with such a wonderful friend, and amazing example? I ask myself that question literally every day. I love Agata, and I just look up to her so much. Her baptism is going to be the most amazing day... :) 

Miracles are happening in Poland every day. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be able to experience a little part of it all. :) 

Well, that was definitely the highlight of my week! There were others, of course, but I think I'll just end with a quick scripture that has been on my mind a lot recently. 

"Yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

(Alma 56:47-48)

I am so lucky to have my mom like these mothers of the stripling warriors. A mom who taught me to pray, to read the scriptures, to serve my neighbor and love them as myself. A mom who taught me to love the Lord, and to trust in Him with everything I do. Who is a constant example of everything a true disciple of Christ should be. I love my mom, and I am so grateful to the Lord for letting me be her daughter. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week, everyone!! Thank you all for everything you do for me! I really can feel your prayers, and I am so grateful for you all. :)

Kocham was!!

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp


Skyping home on Mother's Day!

Cooking Mother's Day dinner for Kelley and her family. 

My little crazies:  Annafleur and Ella

Balloon art for FHE.

Our baby trainee, with his first Kebab!  Welcome to the Bydgoszcz crew, Elder Rowley!

The world championship slack-lining competition was in Bydgoszcz this past week!!  So cool!!

Santa Claus came early to the Chapel this year!!  (Or some random person just dumped all their unwanted clothes on the stairs...in the pouring rain...) haha!

A little taste of Agata's BEAUTIFUL, HUGE, AMAZING, raspberry farm!! :)

Agate's little pond :)

I love this lady!!!!!

"God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in."

Dear friends and family, 

Happy Monday!! :) It's crazy to think that I've officially been a missionary for 6 months! This has been the hardest most incredible and rewarding 6 months of my life, and I can not wait for this next year :)

This past week was a little weird, with it being the beginning of the new transfer and all! Siostra Craig and I were the only missionaries in Bydgoszcz for 4 days, and that was WEIRD! haha! We didn't have any Elder's, or our wonderful Senior Couple the Tufts! It was kind of fun to take on the world by ourselves for a little while though! But now, everyone is back, Elder Coutu has his new little trainee (Elder Rowley! He's awesome!) and things are back to normal :)

We did a lot of tracting and street contacting this past week, which was a blast! We're trying to come up with new ways to talk to people instead of just the usual, "Hi! We're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Do you have a moment to talk?" Because that just gets boring :) And it has been REALLY fun! haha! We've come up with some awesome "less-awkward" conversation starters, and this past week we had the BEST conversations ever! I just love the Polish people! 

Side note before I get into my favourite part of the week: ....Elder Coutu and Siostra Craig made me TRANSLATE in Sacrament meeting on Sunday!!! With me translating, there was a lot of, "Uhh... Okay, now he's saying something about a mosquito...", and "She says there's a quote by Elder Holland that she really loves, that says...... something..." and, "Okay, now he's using a lot of really complicated medical terms that I don't understand, but... you get the jist!"  hahaha. Oh my GOODNESS, it was so hard/nerve-racking/crazy/ahhhh!! But... thankfully I made it out alive, and the English speaking members didn't hate me after!

 Anyway... Onto the best part! 

The highlight of my week was definitely a meeting we had with our lovely red-headed friend Małgorzata :) I just LOVE her! This week, we met with her and were able to show her the film "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration". It was seriously an incredible experience. I love seeing how our investigators react to the story of Joseph Smith, because it is something so new to them. It also worries me a little, because Joseph Smith's experience is something that has come to mean THE WORLD to me while I have been on my mission, and I am always worried that it will scare our investigators because they don't yet have a testimony of it. But sitting there, watching that film, all of the worries I had about that completely melted away as I looked over and saw Małgorzata - sitting there with tears in her eyes. I felt the spirit just looking at her. By the end of the movie, she had gone through almost a whole package of tissues... It was one of those moments where you can't help but smile and think, "It's true. All of it, it's true." The film ended, and she sat there just crying for a few minutes. When we asked her what she thought about it, she just stared at her hands for a minute, then looked right at me and said, "...I want a Book of Mormon." I got teary-eyed, and in that moment, I couldn't help but think of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, hearing Małgorzata say those words, and just smiling. We all hugged, and cried together, and it was amazing. She just glowed as she left that meeting, and Siostra Craig and I just sat there in awe of the spirit that had touched us all. 

When moments like that happen, I'm reminded why I'm here. I can seriously feel the spirit of the Lord as if He is in the room with us, sitting right beside us. Little moments like that happen, and I marvel at how I could ever have doubted that His hand really is in everything. As we walked home, I smiled to myself as I thought of the scripture I had read just a few hours earlier during my studies: 

"Blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us: wanderers in a strange land.

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. 

Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." (Alma 26:36-37)

I love this gospel so much, and I really hope that you all know that. Joseph Smith really did see God, and His Son Jesus Christ. He restored the gospel of Jesus Christ in it's fullness, and how grateful I am for all he went through. Everything he went through for us to have this truth, for us to truly know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, for us to have the fullness of His gospel, for Małgorzata to have that little Book she desired so much... It isn't just a story to me anymore. It's real, and I know that with all my heart. 

I hope you all have another amazing week! I'm praying for you every day, and I hope you can feel the love the Lord has for you! He really is there. :)

Kocham was!

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp

Sister Craig's Birthday Breakfast!!! Our lovely friend Sister Kagele gave us some corn syrup to make homemade buttermilk syrup... best thing ever. 

The cutest little Polish jazz band on the bridge! 

Polish cars. My favourite. Ever. :)

There is {everything} in this.

Dear Family and Friends,

I've just been feeling super blessed this week to have such wonderful friends and family, so I just want to thank you all for everything you do for me. :) I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be a missionary, and to have such wonderful friends and family. You all mean the world to me!

I had another amazing week here in Bydgoszcz!! We got our transfer calls on Saturday, and GUESS WHAT?! Siostra Craig and I both will be staying in Bydgoszcz for another transfer!!!!!! I could not be more excited! I have just fallen in love with this place and the wonderful people here, and I feel so blessed to be able to stay here for the next 8 weeks! :)

This week was so wonderful. We had so much fun! We were able to have dinner with some of our favourite branch members (Ewa and Alicja), and our lovely red-haired friend Małgorzata, and that was so much fun :) I love them all! We watched a mormom message with them that I had never seen before called, "Mountains to Climb", and it was amazing. I got a little emotional, because I have such a strong testimony of our Heavenly Father, and the love He has for each of us. He loves you, He knows you, and He is with you every step of the way, even when it may seem like there is only one set of footprints in the sand. (If you haven't read the poem "Footprints", I really recommend it. :) I love it.)

We also had "Culture Night" this weekend, and were able to go to the beautiful (and gigantic!) Opera House here in Bydgoszcz and see an Opera called "Don Carlos"! It was AMAZING!! It was really entertaining for me, because the Opera was in Italian, so obviously I couldn't understand that! But! They did have subtitles, so that was lucky! :) The only catch was that they were in Polish, and they went a million miles an hour I swear! hahaha! So... I had a really fun time trying to keep up with what was happening! ;) But it was amazing, I loved it!!

We met with our lovely Agata again this week, and I LOVE HER. Her faith and testimony seriously touch my heart every time we meet with her. This week we were able to talk to her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ again, and it was an amazing lesson. I love listening to Agata talk about the Gospel, and read the scriptures, and pray because when she does, there is such sincerity in her voice that you just can't help but feel the Spirit. Every time we meet with her, I go into our lesson thinking, "Okay, today we are going to teach her about [this]". But I always leave those lessons having learned so much more from her than I could ever teach her. :) She is incredible. She is still as excited as ever for her baptism, and even told us during that lesson that she knows "100% that this church is where [she] belongs, and it is everything [her] heart longs for." If that doesn't make your heart swell, I don't know what will. :) Her excitement for her baptism is contagious, and I am SO happy for her!! Her aunt is even sewing her a beautiful hand-made baptism dress for her special day. My word, I just love Agata!!! My heart is so full! :)

We were also able to meet with our beautiful friend Ewa again, and talk to her more about the Book of Mormon. Sometimes as a missionary, you plan out the lesson you are planning to teach, then as soon as you walk into the meeting the Spirit says, "Whoops! Sorry Sisters, I've got something a little different planned for today!" And it's great :) As soon as that happens, you just kind of look at each other and think "PLOT TWIST!", then move on! haha. I actually love when that happens (as crazy as it is), because their is no one that knows the needs and desires of our investigators more than the Lord. So, when He tells us to teach something different, we definitely don't question it! But anyway, we had a wonderful discussion with Ewa about the Book of Mormon, and it turned out to be exactly what she needed. She talked to us about her concerns, and questions, and it was amazing just to be able to listen to her. We were able to share our testimonies with her about the Book of Mormon, and it was such a little tender mercy for me. Every time I have struggled with something on my mission, or have had a hard time understanding something, I have found that my testimony is always found in the bearing of it... It's amazing for me, because I feel like sometimes the Lord gives me the opportunity to bear my testimony not just for my investigators to hear, but also to remind me - To remind myself of what I already know, and I love that. My favourite part of our lesson with Ewa though, was at the end. Ewa grabbed the Book of Mormon and held it, and said, "There is something in this... Something in the Book. Something in this religion, that I have only dreamed could exist." That really hit me. (It really hit everyone.)... And as soon as she said that, I realized how precious my beliefs really are to me. I remembered the first time I really opened up the Book of Mormon, and read it with real intent, really longing to know if it was true... and I thought the same thing. There is something in this. Now, as I look back on my life, and everything my beliefs have helped me through, I realize... there is everything in this.

The gospel I talk about every day on the streets of Poland isn't just something I believe in anymore. It has really become who I am. I know it is true.

I love you all, and I hope you have an amazing week! I hope spring is in the air in America like it is here! :) You're in my thoughts and prayers every day!

∞,

Siostra Kamp

Sister Craig and I with some of our lovely branch members, Ewa and Alicja!! They're the BEST!! :)

Getting ice-cream with Fryderyka and Gosia! :)

The Elder's and the Tufts brought Sister Craig a birthday cake to celebrate her birthday!!! :) (even though it isn't until this Thursday, we wanted to celebrate it early just in case we got transferred!!)

All of us at the Opera!! :)

We love the Tufts!!!! Cutest Senior Couple EVER. :)

I LOVE AGATA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Coutu's birthday cake at English Class :) Małgorzata put a "candle" (aka a flare! I swear! haha) on his cake!

Ewa!! I love her! We walked her home from work, and the walk was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! :)

Dinner with our favourites!! :) L to R: Małgorzata, Me, Alicja, Sister Tufts, Sister Craig, and Ewa!!

My lovely "Dom Polski!"! ("Polish House!") Poland - My home away from home. :)

At the Opera!! :)

My lovely friend Wacek and the BEAUTIFUL Polish Book of Mormon he made me... He is amazing!!! Love him! 

Błogosławieństwa po błogosławieństwach!! (Try pronouncin' that! ;) )

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was amazing! :) (Jak zwykle!) I have so much to tell, so I'll just jump right into it! Everyone aboard the "weekly novel of Sister Kamp" express!! Haha.

Fryderyka! Last week, Sister Craig and I met the cutest girl named Fyrderyka, and this week we were able to set up and meet with her! It was honestly such an incredible experience. Especially because of the events of the previous day...

So, the day before our meeting with Fryderyka, Sister Craig and I had a meeting with another girl we had met a few days before. We met her on the bridge here in Bydgoszcz, and went to a beautiful park for our lesson! We sat on a park bench and taught her the Restoration, which was great! Then at the end of the lesson, we bore testimony of the Book of Mormon, and offered her a copy for herself. She all of a sudden got really wide eyed, quickly returned it to us and literally FLED from us, saying "I... I'm sorry! I have to go!" Well, Sister Craig and I watched her flee the general area, and then just sat there - not knowing what had just happened, or whether to laugh or cry. So, we decided to read a scripture story. It was amazing, because that whole day we had just been so discouraged. No one stopped on the streets to talk to us, (they didn't even look at us when we tried to talk to them!), and then our lesson had literally just fled the scene! haha. It was such an off day, and I didn't really know how to feel. So, we got out a Book of Mormon, and I just kind of said, "Alright, Heavenly Father... What did you want me to learn from this?..." Then we opened up the a random page - Alma 26, where we read this:

"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the [Poles], and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.
 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.
 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.
 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many."

I could not help but feel the Lord's love as we sat on that bench and read that. He knows us, and He knew that we needed that. Call it a coincidence, but to me - that was a miracle, and exactly what I needed. The Lord has a plan. All we have to do is trust in Him, even when things don't go the way we want them too.

So, we brushed ourselves off, and then carried on our way.

Well, the following day we met with Fryderyka - it was an amazing meeting. She is 17, but is so beyond her years. She reminds me of Joseph Smith in a way. She's so young, but is so concerned about her faith. We spoke of her Faith, and she told us she had recently started to wonder a LOT about God, who he was, about the Catholic Faith, and so many other things. She felt she was losing her faith, and this seriously concerned her. We were able to tell her why we are here as missionaries, to help people increase their faith, and she just loved that. We talked about the Restoration, and read Alma 32, of the "Seed of Faith" and she just smiled and smiled. The whole meeting she was smiling from ear to ear. And this time, as we handed her the Book of Mormon, she got big eyes too (just like the young girl the day before) but she said: "Really? For me?! Oh my gosh..."  and her face just lit up. It was such a tender mercy - she held it like a priceless treasure. She has the most tender and wonderful Spirit about her, and I am just so excited to see her again! :)

This past Wednesday, we were also able to meet with our beautiful friend, Ewa! This time, we were able to speak with her about the Restoration with our senior couple, the Tufts! She just loves them. :) We have had some wonderful meetings with her, and I just love meeting with her. We watched the Joseph Smith Restoration Video with her, and it was an amazing experience. Her face lit up as she watched it and it was beautiful to watch. At the end of the video we spoke of Joseph Smith and she had some really incredible questions. She expressed how unlike Joseph Smith, here in Poland, there has never really been this time of "Religious excitement". Never before has she had to question which church was right, as the Catholic church has always been there - And it never occurred to her that it could not be the "One Church". She again expressed how much she admired our sacrifice of coming to Poland. That we were here, and for all we left behind. I bore testimony that we had come to know this was true for ourselves, and that was why we had come, leaving behind our family and friends. We testified that if she was to pray to know, God would answer her prayer. She spoke of the serious consideration she must take before asking this question. She said that she wasn't afraid to ask God if what we teach her is true... She is afraid of what the answer will be, because her Catholic faith has meant everything to her and her family. I just love this woman! After she told us that, she said that for a moment and said, "But... everything you say stays in my heart, and it grows in me like nothing I've ever heard... and I love it." :) It was an incredible lesson. I will never forget it.  

Agata!!! - This week we were able to meet with Agata, along with our friend Ewa (a member from our branch, not the Ewa I just talked about! ;) ). It was AMAZING. Ewa was able to answer a lot of her questions and Agata told us she feels at peace - She is still preparing to be baptized on May 20th, and we could not be more happy for her. She told me at the end of our meeting (in English): "Sister... I don't think I ever stop being afraid. But, that is okay. I know with whole heart, this where I'm supposed to be." I love her so much. Her testimony strengthens mine every day, and I am just so grateful for her. 

Agnieszka and little Albert are still doing well. It has been a tough time for her with a lot going on, and so we have not have the opportunity to meet with her this week, but were able to talk over the phone, and she is just so incredible! I have been so blessed here in Bydgoszcz with the most amazing people :) 

On another side note, we have an English Class, which we provide for free, and some of our closest friends have come from that class! That is how we met Agata! :) Usually it is really funny, we teach them slang words and such and they teach us new words and it is a TOTAL perk to being in a "non English" speaking mission - SO fun! Well, there is a woman in the class, who just loves Sister Craig and I! Her name is Małgorzata. (Good luck pronouncing that! ;) ) Well she became curious about church and what we believed in - so we met up Sunday morning, and she came to Church with us! It was so so so incredible. She got emotional as she heard the various talks and I could tell she was feeling the Spirit very strongly. She expressed afterwards the distinct difference between our meeting and any Catholic church she had been to. It just felt different to her, and she expressed a desire to keep coming back, perhaps over the next few weeks regularly. Later that evening, Elder and Sister Tufts, our Senior couple (Whom I adore) invited her over for Dinner. We all came and Her and Elder Tufts were able to talk in German, as he served his mission there over 50 years ago. It was so fun! I am so excited for her and hope I am around to see her start to blossom in the Gospel. We will start meeting with her this week after English to teach her more about our church, and I am just so excited! I love her! Cutest little lady ever!

Well, you are all probably going CRAZY if you have read all of this... But I promise I'm done now!! haha! This week was awesome :)

Transfers are next week, and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me! I've learned that trusting him only brings miracles. :)

I love you all!! Have an amazing week! Serve someone, and smile! :)

Love,

Siostra Kamp

Us, Anna, and Małgorzata on the Rynek!! Happy Birthday, Bydgoszcz!!!!!!! :)​

Małgorzata!! We love her!!

Małgorzata!!

Tracting! (Thanks Elder McMaster for the behind the scenes pic!)

Elder Coutu always makes fun of me for my "signature pose"

Fish wall!

Elder Coutu, at his finest. Starring: Sister Craig and I, trying to take a normal photo! haha!

We went to the zoo last P-day... But it was closed... So we decided to be the animals ourselves. Except Elder Coutu...

Sunsets and Cathedrals

The river and view from by our apartment. :) I love Poland.

Yes. That's a hedgehog. In the middle of the sidewalk. They're everywhere!!

My lovely friend Ewa and I on our walk home from our lesson! :) (Isn't Poland beautiful?)

Our lovely friend, Małgorzata, from English took us out to ice cream!! I love her!!

District adventure in the woods!

​

Sunshine and Smiles - they go a long way.

Dear Family and Friends,

Witam, wszystkich! :) Welcome to this week's version of "How many details can Sister Kamp cram into this weeks email"! hahaha. 

I miss you all so much! I hope everything is going well in the US, and that it is warming up and blooming as much as it is here! Polish springtime is my new favourite thing. :)

This week was another amazing one! I had so many experiences that just made me so grateful to be a missionary, and reminded me that I am exactly where I need to be. 

We have been spending as much time as we can outside this past week, because the weather has been nothing short of perfect! So, we've been doing a lot of activities like "whiteboarding" and "chalk talks" to talk to people on the streets. :) It's been so much fun! This week Sister Craig and I met so many wonderful people. I'll mention a few of them! 

So first, we were doing a whiteboard on the beautiful bridge we have in Bydgoszcz, and it was the nicest day! I was just as happy as ever to be here, and it was one of those days I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. :) So, I was talking to this cutest old man, when I saw this woman walking towards us. I was in the middle of a conversation, so I couldn't stop her and talk to her, but I just got this prompting that I still should do something. So, not thinking much of it, I smiled at her, and gave her a little wave! I think it caught her off guard a little bit, because she kind of stopped and stared at me like, "Do I know you?" then smiled back, and kept walking. BUT! It gets better. She walked past us, and then looked back, stopped, and went to the side of the bridge looking over the water. Deep in thought as to whether or not it would be a good idea to talk to us strange mormon's I'm guessing ;) But, to my surprise, even though I was still talking to the cute old man, she walked back toward us and Sister Craig approached her and started talking to her!! :) Well, come to find out Sister Craig had the most wonderful conversation with her, and she wanted to meet with us again! MIRACLE! 

So, fast forward a couple days, and we met with her!! Her name is Hania, and she is amazing. We got some little baked rolls from this little bakery, then went to the cutest park by our apartment and talked with her about our beliefs. It was an amazing meeting. I feel like sometimes since my Polish is not exactly "top knotch" yet, I just stick to the memorized phrases that I know how to say, and I'm not really able to connect much with the person we meet with. But with Hania, it was different. We were able to have the most amazing conversation with her, and by the end of our meeting she was sharing her personal struggles with us, and we were able to just be there to listen to her. Sister Craig is incredible at following promptings of the spirit, and she was able to ask Hania some questions that Hania had been searching for the answers to for so long. It was incredible! So, it was just an amazing lesson, and when we asked her at the end if she had time for us to meet with her again, she said, "Oh, I have SO much time!" haha! But anyway, Sister Craig asked me if I would be willing to say a prayer to close our meeting, so of course I said yes! We taught Hania how we pray, and she just absolutely LOVED the fact that we pray with our own words, like a conversation. So, I said a prayer (in the simple Polish I know), and when we looked up after, Hania was just starring at us. We just smiled, and she said, "I've never heard people pray with such gratitude before..." It was a wonderful experience for me, because I didn't even give thanking God for all our blessings a second thought, it's just what we do, right? But to her, it meant absolutely everything. 

It was an incredible lesson. :) And to think it all started with a smile! Never underestimate the effect that a smile can have on someone's day. :)

With the weather being so perfect here, the Polish people are always outside! Just them and their ice cream cones, what could be better? :) (Polish ice cream?... yeah... It's to die for!) But anyway, while we were doing a whiteboard on the bridge, I was trying to explain in my broken Polish to a woman that we are not in fact Amish, or racist, or polygamists, we don't hate the Bible, we don't have our "own Jesus Christ" we worship that lives in Utah... Let's just say it was an interesting conversation ;) But while all that was going on, my companion noticed a woman with a baby stroller, just sitting on a bench enjoying her ice cream! So, being Sister Craig (she's amazing), she went right over and asked to share a message with her! The woman immediately told her "Of course! Please, sit down!" (MIRACLE), and Sister Craig talked with her for over an hour! The woman, named Agnieszka, told Sister Craig that she had just gone through a divorce, and was having a very difficult time in her life, and Sister Craig was able to testify to her that even though we may not know exactly what she is going through, Jesus Christ does. It was an amazing thing for me to look over and see. :) They both cried a little together, exchanged numbers, and Agnieszka and her little boy Albert went on their way. :) (While this was all happening, I was still on the bridge, stumbling over my Polish, but having some Amazing conversations as well! It was a miracle to me that I was even able to talk to people for an hour by myself! Miracles!! :) But I just absolutely love this woman Sister Craig met, and I seriously find so much joy in my companion's miracles - so I thought it was worthy of sharing. :) )

Well, Sunday morning came, and guess who came to church?! Agnieszka and little Albert!! Oh man... It was amazing to see her there! :) We were SO excited!!!! This Sunday was an ADVENTURE, that's for sure! There has been a bit of a flu bug going around, so a lot of people were sick and not able to come to church this week... So, Sister Craig and I got to teach Primary and Relief Society! Whoo! :) We were feeling stretched beyond our abilities trying to juggle everything at once, while trying to make sure Agnieszka knew what was going on, etc. The time came for Relief Society, and hardly any Sisters remained, except for an Older woman, named Danuta, who just LOVES to talk. We became increasingly nervous. We brought Albert in some coloring crayons and all sat down with the manuals and talked of the topic today - The Atonement of Jesus Christ. We asked Danuta to help us along the lesson, and we opened with a prayer. We proceeded to read aloud from an experience given by a prophet, of losing a loved one, and how the atonement strengthened him through that time. As we read of the Savior and His love her us, Danuta, the member, testified of her experience of recently losing her beloved husband, and how the Gospel has been such a strength for her. As she testified, all my worries seemed to melt away, and I heard a voice come clearly: "Do not worry. She is in my hands." Despite all my inadequacies, and feelings of responsibility, it all melted away in that moment. I knew everything was going to be alright. Danuta testified sweetly to her, and Agnieszka was brought to tears. Agnieszka said her Sister, only a year younger than her, had recently passed away - How difficult it had been for her. Danuta put her arm around Agnieszka and whispered to her: "You are in the right place". It was one of those moments... You know what I'm talking about. The one's you wish you could just bottle up and keep forever. The one's that make you realize everything you worry about is in God's hands, and He will never fail you. 

I really wish I had more time, but I feel like I have already written you all a novel... So, I'll save the other stories I have, but some time down the road I may tell you all about another miracle I experienced this week. :) It was something so small, but meant the absolutely world to me. Her name was Zuza.  

Anyway, I love you all so much, and hope you have an amazing week! I'm still loving it here in Poland, and I'm still absolutely in love with being a missionary. :) I'm the luckiest girl in the world

Kocham was! 

Z miłością,

   Siostra Kamp

A homeless man stole our whiteboard.... haha! So, lucky for us - we got a new one!!!! (And of course, knowing us, we had to pretend we were thugs.)

I never sent these, but... ZONE CONFERENCE! I got to see my favourite Sister D!!!!!! :)

A photo starring some of my favourite people in the world :) Zone conference edition.

Upside down house! :) Coolest thing ever! 

Last P-days "picnic in the park" adventure! Poland is so beautiful... :) (and our Elder's are super talented!)

Our beautiful friend, Monika! I love her!! (and it was freezing... haha!)

My favourite part of spring. :) All the trees look like this!! "Pink popcorn popping!"

Do you believe it, or not?

Dear Family and Friends,

Hellllllloooo! :) How are you all? I hope you all had as great as a week as I did!

This week wasn't as action packed as last week, but it was still amazing! :) The Elder's from Szczecin came to Bydgoszcz on exchanges for a few days this week, so I was able to see my pal Elder Einfeldt again! That was soo much fun! ​We did a few street contacting activities with them, and it was such a highlight to my day!

So... one of my miracles from the week! Our friend Hanka!!! We met her on March 13th, when we were out tracting apartment buildings! No one had been answering their doors, but we kept going until we knocked on the last door of the last floor of the last apartment building... That's where we found her. :) God gives us the opportunities for miracles, but we have to do the work to find them, right? :) So, anyway, this week we dropped by to see if we could set up a time to meet with her, and guess what? She told us she was just leaving to take her dog for a walk, but that we could come over in a half an hour! Whoo!! So... We did! :) I just love her. She's so real, and just so down-to-earth. (And she speaks very clearly so her Polish is easier for me to understand than most people, which I really REALLY appreciate! haha!) But anyway, she welcomed us right in and hugged us, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Alright, lovely girls, now... You know I love you, but I am not a woman that can be easily convinced. So, don't try to convince me of anything, okay? You are very interesting to me as people, but I'm not interested in church. I believe in God, and that's enough for me. So... let's talk!" See what I mean by "She's so real"? I LOVE HER! That's totally something I would say if I wasn't a member of this church, and missionaries came knocking on my door... haha! It was so funny though, because we told her that we are not here to convince people, and she just said, "Well why on Earth are you here then? Why would you leave your family, and your education, and your friends, and your jobs, and your life back home, to come to a foreign country if you didn't plan to convince people?" I love that question. Why on Earth am I here? That's pretty simple, I think. I didn't come here to convince people. I'm here because I have found something worth sharing, something of eternal importance. It's like, when you find a really good song, or recipe, or movie, and you just want everyone you know to experience it, so you post it on Facebook, or Instagram, or you send it to your friends over text. It's a little like that I think. :) But this is SO much bigger than just a Facebook post, and I couldn't imagine not sharing that peace and comfort I have found in this gospel with others. I was able to tell Hanka (in my super limited Polish...) that I am here because I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. In a very literal sense, we are His children. I know that He loves us, and that because He loves us, He did not create us to be sad, He created us to feel joy. This gospel has brought me more joy than I could ever imagine. And I couldn't imagine not at least TRYING, to share that happiness with others. That's why I'm here, and I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. :)

Soooo as usual, long tangent of words brought to you by Siostra Kamp! But really, after Hanka heard our testimonies, she kind of stood there for a moment, and thought about all we had said, then she turned to us with tears in her eyes and said, "You are so brave... You know what? If you would leave everything you have, just to come here and share a message with me, that message must be something pretty special." That just made me so happy. :) This message IS special. The message of this gospel means absolutely everything to me, and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have of it. :) So, we taught Hanka a lesson about the Restoration, and she had a hard time believing what we told her about Joseph Smith, as I'm sure we all have! But she loves the thought of the Book of Mormon. She told us, "The people in Jerusalem had God. They knew Him, and they knew He loved them because they had prophets, and the Bible. So... what about the people of the rest of the world? God didn't love them? There's no way that's right." She's so real! I love it! So, it was amazing because we were able to give her a Book of Mormon, and promise her through our personal experiences, that if she read it and prayed about it, her doubts would be swept away, and she would know for herself that it is of God. And if the Book of Mormon is the word of God, then Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord, and he truly restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in these latter days. It was an amazing lesson, and she asked us at the end to come back again! I love her so much, and am seriously so grateful to know her! :)

Well, GUESS WHAT THIS WEEKEND WAS?! GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!! :) This is quite possibly one of my top 3 favourite Times of the year. I just love being able to listen to our prophet and His apostles, and all the other leaders of our church. There is a spirit in that Conference that is too wonderful to describe! I've always loved being able to watch it. It's a little different here in Poland, because we're 8 hours ahead of you all! :) So, Siostra Craig and I, the Elder's, and some of our members got together yesterday and were able to watch the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions, and we also watched the Sunday morning session LIVE!!... Right before we went to bed.... haha! It was awesome. :) I'm hoping we'll be able to watch the Sunday afternoon session today! But, I absolutely LOVED this Conference. There were many talks on Our Eternal Identity, which I absolutely loved. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and we should see others with the pure love that He does. It was an incredible conference. I don't have much time, but I'll share with you a few of my favourite quotes from it. :)

"You can have what you want, or you can have something better." -Jeffrey R. Holland

"Open your arms, and your hearts, a little wider."

"In today's world, no matter where we live and no matter what our circumstances are, it is essential that our pre-eminent identity is as a Child of God. The knowledge we have of our eternal identity is extra-ordinary. Knowing that will allow our faith to flourish, will motivate our continual repentance, and will provide the strength to be steadfast and immovable throughout our mortal journey " -Donald L. Hallstrom

"I looked at them, and I saw them as they were. They were Sons and Daughters of God, who knew it." -Donald L. Hallstrom

"Christ will always go after His lost sheep, until He findeth them. The sheep is worthy of being found, simply because it is loved by the Great Shepard." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I just loved this Conference. One thing that really stuck out to me was the talk by Bonnie L. Oscarson. In it, she said a simple line that really struck me... "Do you believe it, or not?" I just finished reading the Book of Mormon yesterday, and this is the first time in my life I have read every single word of that entire book- from the introduction pages, to every footnote. It took me a while, but I honestly cannot describe the testimony I have gained from those 531 pages. I have read that book cover to cover, with such real intent, and I have knelt in prayer asking sincerely if that book is true. I can promise my investigators that they will receive answers if they do this, because I have done it myself. I finished the Book of Mormon early yesterday morning, and immediately following I went to my bedroom and knelt in prayer. I told my Heavenly Father that I had been told by so many people that the Book of Mormon was true, and I believed it was. I had prayed about it before, but I wanted to know again. Was that book true? I can't describe the peace I felt as I prayed that morning... But all I can say, is that when Sister Oscarson asked that question, "Do you believe it, or not?" I looked down at my notes, smiled, and started to cry...

I believe it. I really believe it. This gospel is true, the Book of Mormon is true. Jesus is the Christ. We are sons and daughters of an Almighty God who loves us, and knows us each individually. I'm so grateful to be a missionary, and to be able to tell people this everyday. I'm the luckiest girl in the world!

I love you all, and hope you have the best week. Find someone to serve this week. :) We're all children of God, right? :) If He loves that neighbor of yours that always lets their dog poop all over your nicely cut lawn, you can too. ;)

Kocham was, i jestem tak wdzięczna Bogu za twoją miłość!

Z miłością,

Siostra Kamp