June 26, 2015 (Warsaw, Poland)

Last day in Warsaw. Let the kids sleep in before we went and rented good city bikes so we could cover some ground today. Once we grabbed the bikes our first stop, not surprising, was at a Polish donut shop. Kendall’s last thing she was really craving. Despite the grumpiest donut lady dishing donuts, they were exceptional. Kendall was known for being the master of scoping out good food spots in whatever city she went. As a matter of fact she even had a reputation for it and when we were in Wroclaw when we asked the Sister Missionaries where they wanted to eat, they both said we heard Kendall knows where all the best spots are ;) She seemed to have them nailed and still remembered how to navigate the city to get to them all….so funny! 

We carved out a big part of our day to go to the Uprising Museum. This museum is dedicated to Warsaw’s last stand and battle for freedom from German occupation, and their last battle for their independence from what would soon be Russian occupation immediately following the war. The insurgents led by and collectively made up of Polish army and mostly civilians including women and children gathered all that they had, all the weapons they could find and fought for their freedom. After 2 months plus, Germany had completely destroyed Warsaw, literally turning the city into rubble. A city that had over 1,500,000 at the start of the war was reduced to around 1000 people after the Uprising. Almost 140,000 people were killed in Warsaw during the 2 month battle. Nazis under direct orders of Hitler systematically killed all the Poles starting with one town which every man, woman and child they came across they shot, killing around 50,000 people in one district called Wala in Warsaw. They had children running mail between groups of insurgents and they used the sewer system as a way to travel. The way many left the city was through the sewers, since above ground was too dangerous to travel. The only ones left in the city after were pretty much Jews that had hid among the Aryans who had fought with the insurgents, some had fought in the Ghetto Uprising too. They lived among the rubble in Warsaw until after the war, since it was too unsafe to leave the city for fear they would be caught and transported to the death camps. 

One of the most upsetting parts of the Uprising was that there were Russian troops literally on the other side of the river. They did not offer help, they literally watched the city and it’s people burn. As told by the Poles, the Russians lay waiting for the Nazis to destroy the city offering only token help at the very end. It is interpreted that the Russians wanted to squelch any possibility for the Poles independence since the Russians had every idea that they would control Poland after the war and wanted to rid them of their fierce sense of independence. This is exactly what happened. When the war was over Poland became the People’s Republic of Poland, under the control essentially of Russia’s Communist Party for 40+years. Russia came into Poland right after the war and had those leaders of the Uprising that had survived imprisoned and some sentenced to death for treason against their country. Through Russia’s propaganda they negated the efforts of the many heroins and all those that had sacrificed their lives for Polish freedom and said they were rebels who had been actually working with the Germans and were against the Political rulers of Poland. They completely retold the story and without freedom of press or speech the brave insurgents and the story of the Uprising was squelched. It wasn’t until 1989 when Poland was free from Communist rule that the story was properly told by the Polish and the accounts recorded and the truth revealed. The symbol of the Uprising can be seen all over Warsaw, looks a bit like an anchor with a P on top, and is an event that they celebrate and recognize with great National and City pride each year in August. Kendall was in Warsaw last summer when the Uprising Celebration occurred and said the whole city was filled with enthusiastic remembrances. The museum was very thorough and although very confusing to navigate, maybe that is the intention since that is what it must have been like going through the sewer systems of Warsaw, it was excellent. It confirmed what I have already come to know that the Poles who lost 6,000,000 people in the WWII, 3,000,000 of those were Jews, suffered the greatest of all the nations in the war.

For lunch we went searching for a Milk Bar, almost a Polish institution for food. Most of all the items on the menu are milk based products and we found a couple places. I was looking for Perogi, a typical Polish food almost like a ravioli with onions and potatoe inside. Sam had pasta with strawberry sauce (normally served with cream) and Kendall had these fried potato pancakes with cream and sugar. Having met the last of my things we wanted to see, since we were able to see part of the brick wall that was built around the Jewish Ghetto. we decided to ride our bikes to the LDS Chapel that was a few miles west of the main city. The weather had turned nice and it was fun to ride on the many nice paths they had through the city, with hardly anyone on them. Along our ride Sam was making a pass and his bike switched gears unexpectedly on him and it made his swerve and then wipe out, hitting his chin on a rail on the way down. It scared me since he was entangled on the bike with a bloody knee. We untangled him and after catching his breath he was ok. His chin started swelling up right away along with his forearm shortly thereafter. We washed his bloody knee and he hopped back on and we rode the rest of the way to the church.  The Mormon church was located right next to a huge green forested park, it was one of the most beautiful settings for one of our churches I had seen with a large grassy lawn surrounding the church and set back from the road. 

At the church we found a dozen women and a few men helping prepare food and cleaning the chapel for the 25 year reunion of the church in Poland. Barbara was one woman who Kendall had taught and who was baptized when she was in Warsaw. When Kendall walked in she grabbed her and kissed her and then grabbed Sam and myself and kissed us. She was hilarious and just exuberant and full of energy and you could tell just loved Kendall. Kendall showed us around the church which was very nice and you can tell they had gone to great lengths for everything to look perfect. We went outside and found 5 other woman cutting vegetables on a table in the grass. It just looked like an image from one of the Russian Impressionist paintings. One hilarious woman with slices of cucumber on her face and what looked like her 95 year old mother was slicing cucumbers with bits of cucumbers under her eyes and on her nose. She gave us a big hug and her mother got up and gave us big hugs. We offered to help and right away we had knives in our hands and were cutting cukes. Sam was in charge of grating carrots and things picked up when they brought a cuisinart like machine and then he was grating like a mad man. It was really fun to help and visit with the women. We helped cut, slice and grate for a couple hours until we noticed it was after 6 and it looked like it was going to rain. We had a 30 min bike ride back and we gave our hugs and donned our rain coats and hopped on our bikes, despite the fact that it was pouring outside and the women didn’t want us to go out in the rain. . Kendall said, "That is the thing about the Polish, they take such good care of you. They are always looking after you." It was so true, we had felt that all week, such generous people, especially the elderly women. 

It was actually pretty fun, it was pouring down rain for most of our ride. We had hoods up and heads down and had fun splashing through puddles built up on the sides of the road. When we arrived at the hotel my pants were totally sopped and Sam’s shorts were soaked. After changing and showering Sam opted to lay low and rest. His arm was starting to swell and he was just tired. We let him hang back at the hotel and Kendall and I headed out to her favorite restaurant in Warsaw again for dinner. We had eaten there the day before with the Edgrens, but she wanted one last meal there. 

It was so nice to visit together as mother and daughter and recap our week in her second home of Poland.As a mother, I couldn’t have been more proud of her. She spoke the language so fluently which allowed her to develop really close relationships with those she met and served in Poland. She had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ before but serving a mission but I could  see how much she grew by living it, by sharing it and how much it has blessed the lives of those she taught and shared the gospel with. I could tell she was greatly loved  by all those she served and that she had many other mothers in Poland. I was so grateful for the love and care they offered her while she lived here. I am so grateful for an inspired mission presidents that loved Kendall and prayerfully advised her and situated her with different companions and areas so that she could grow. I really felt like I got to see Kendall as a missionary and see her at her very best. The Lord has the ability to shape us into the best possible versions of ourselves if we but let Him. It made me so grateful for missionaries, the enormous sacrifices of time and pride and self to go serve. They gain as much as they give, which is always the case isn’t it? We had a great night talking and when we retuned to the hotel we found Sam tucked into bed working on his blog. 

We are ready to meet up with the rest of our family in Croatia for a week long bike trip. Kendall will spend the day at the LDS/Mormon reunion tomorrow in Warsaw and then meet up with us in Croatia tomorrow afternoon. I have a much greater understanding of Poland and as a result a greater respect for the Polish. I don’t know if I would have visited Poland otherwise and I am so glad I did. Wroclaw and Krakow were my favorite cities and I think Wroclaw above them all really because of the winding rivers and so many bridges and paths. I have loved this country, and it’s people. 

June 25, 2015 (Warsaw, Poland)

The day began with a museum that we could have spent a week in, there were so many displays and so much information. It is the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It is a beautiful large modern structure which stands in an open courtyard which also holds a large monument to the Jews and the Jewish Ghetto. Here is also where part of the Jewish Ghetto was where estimated 400,000 Jews forcibly lived inside a 10' walled area. Jew were forced to wear arm bands and forced to work in work camps and were rationed food by the Germans while they were here. Under such circumstances thousands starved to death, many lost their lives in the ghetto uprising and most others lost their lives at concentration camps where most were taken and worked to death or gassed. Some escaped, they estimate around 20,000 went and hid or lived as an Aryan outside the walls. The museum tells their stories. It is an interactive museum which more than half is devoted to 100 year history of Jews in Poland. Before WWII Poland had the largest number of Jews in Europe. During the war 3,000,000 Jews from Poland were killed, and another 3,000,000 non Jewish Poles were also killed.

The museum documents when Jews began moving to Poland. The reason for so many Jews immigrating to Poland was they had a history as a country from it's founding in the 11th century up until the 18th century of being the most religious tolerant of the countries in Europe. When the Reformation began happening around Europe in the early 18th century that really became the beginning of the end for most Jews and finding places of tolerance. The story of their immigration says it began when they were searching for a place to reside and POLIN meant a place of rest. They took that as a sign and established themselves in Poland. 

The Museum documents how many Jews were money changers, merchants, had close relationships with the Kings and although didn't hold all the rights of other civilians for most of their history, they were given more tolerance and allowed more professions and free worship than most other countries. They document how different sects of Judaism developed in Poland, they recreated a beautifully painted colorful interior of an old synagogue, they recreated an old street in Warsaw in the Jewish quarter and then the bridge that goes between the ghettos in during war times,... There is so much to see and learn and if you are Jewish and had any ancestors in Poland it would especially fascinating. It is so well done and built by completely private donations. 

For lunch we met up with Kendall's mission presidents, President and Sister Edgren from CA that have been here now 2 years as mission presidents. They treated Kendall so well and were part of her loving her mission. They really are like parents to all these missionaries and they listen to all the concerns and successes of the missionaries. They were so kind to take the time to meet with us, because they are so busy and especially since transfers were being assigned that day and President Edgren had to call all the 70+ missionaries serving in Poland and let them know if they would be moving to different areas of Poland and/or with new companions. He also acts as the Stake President for Poland. There is no Stake President called since they only have "Branches" in Poland, since they have fewer than 500 active members. So we were delighted that they took the time. We ate at one of Kendall's favorite restaurants near their home and it was so fun for Kendall to ask about the mission, for her to tell them about those she had visited while we were here, for her to get updates on all those that she taught and who joined the church.We also spoke about bike trips and before their mission they loved to do big bike rides and trips and have done many in the US. We also have many common friends and I enjoyed asking about what it was like to be mission presidents. Their time is flying since they are so busy. President Edgren has also learned Polish, which isn't always the case for mission presidents but he has made big efforts to learn and I think that goes a long way when you are also the Stake President and speak to people that mostly just speak Polish. 

We enjoyed our visit so much and later we met up with Sister Edgren again and she took us to a spot that Kendall had wanted to buy some Polish ceramics at the end of her mission but decided to wait until she came back with her family. She picked out some serving dishes that were beautifully painted and shipped them home for her to have in her home one day to remind her of her mission. She was so excited!

We grabbed a taxi from there and went to a spot where we were going to do a private Segway tour. Sam was ready for some action, he had been so patient all day with all the conversations and then shopping and we also went to the mission home and visited with some of the missionaries there. So he was ready for something fun. The segway tour was fun. It was just the three of us with a cute young guide. It was perfect, we got to see other parts of the city we hadn't seen and fly around on the seaways in some of the open park areas. We visited really the only two buildings that still stood from what Warsaw was like pre- war. Literally all the others were destroyed, hard to imagine a whole city in complete rubble but it was. The two buildings were the Palace of the President, which was used as Germany's center for control in Poland,  and the church which was right next to it, since it was too close to headquarters to bomb.  The Palace will have the new President of Poland residing there soon, since they just held a Presidential election. Which brings to mind, I have had many people in Europe ask who will our next President be. It is interesting, whomever is our President still affects all these countries. Does our President chose to go to war, what will our economy look like,... all these things do affect these other countries. We are still an influential power in the world. 

I asked our guide, how did they rebuild a whole city of rubble? Did the Russians help since their country was run essentially by the dictatorship of Russia and their Communist Party. She said no. After the war many of those that had left Poland as the war began and those that had survived, returned and helped to rebuild the city. They made collections from the people, and the Polish people, not the government,  literally paid for the reconstruction of their city. The shear moving rubble is unbelievable and the costs I can't imagine. Can't wrap my head around where people lived as they began to rebuild. No wonder their is so much national pride. This is a country that has had to fight for their freedoms and literally when they weren't on the map for over 300 years, they kept their Polish heritage alive through language and their own national pride and they on their own funds and own backs rebuilt and reconstructed Poland which finally is a truly independent country. (Although they did have a 20 year  stretch between WWI and WWII where they had been their own sovereign nation). I have a greater understanding and respect for Poland after this trip. 

In the evening we took a taxi over to where Kendall used to live, walked around the corner of her apartment and there was an outside Mozart concert with an orchestra and several opera singers performing. We were supposed to meet one of the members of the church there but she got confused and thought it was another night. We walked over to a monument which marks where the bridge between the two Jewish Ghettos were and they have markers for where the bridge stood and then you can look through view finders and see images of the bridge that was constructed so that Jews didn't walk among the "Gentiles" between the Ghettos. The only spot where Jews could see into what was happening in the rest of the world, what had been their world before the Germans enclosed them.

At the concert we weren't able to find a spot to sit, since it was just in a small square and it was packed so after listening to a few pieces we made our way for sushi again. We asked Sam since he had been a great sport all day what he wanted and we made our way to a great sushi restaurant before heading back to our hotel.

Monument to the Jewish Ghetto Uprising

Beautiful undulating architecture on the inside of the History of Polish Jews Museum

A recreated synagogue inside POLIN

Bridge between the Jewish Ghettos

Literally a sea of rubble after the Warsaw Uprising

Outside POLIN

Kendall outside the mission home with Sam

This image of Christ is in several churches in Poland. Kendall said many Poles she knew had this image of Christ on a card they carried. This painting is in the only church in Warsaw that wasn't damaged during the war.

Inside the only remaining original church in Warsaw.

Mermaid, the symbol of the old town of Warsaw- a protector of their city

Sam takes laps around the bell for good luck

Uprising symbol graffitied

In the New Town, still hundreds of years old next to a small fountain which has the symbol of the Unicorn, symbol of the New Town

Outside the home of where the Polish chemist and physicist was born who won 2 Noble Prizes one in Chemistry and one in Physics. She discovered radioactive elements I believe and later died from her exposure to those elements in Paris. She had moved to Paris to study in Sorbonne, since in Poland she wasn't allowed to attend University.

Priest depicted as part of the Warsaw Uprising

Outside the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a large square in the middle of the city. This monument was built from the only remaining part of a palace that stood after the war. They have inscriptions of all the wars and battles that have been fought in Poland for the past 1000 years and an urn that has soil from every battlefield where Polish men lost their lives fighting for freedom. There is also the remains of one solider buried here below the eternal flame which is guarded by military men 24 hours a day.

Across from Kendall's apartment building, her favorite shop full of cookbooks which she would visit often

Kendall next to the street sign where she lived

Below the apartment Kendall lived in for several months in Warsaw

Looking through peep holes into the past of what used to stand here, a bridge linking the two Jewish Ghettos. They showed images of Jews crossing the bridge that had stood there, over the walls that encamped and encircled them during WWII.