We all started the day well rested with one of the best night sleeps I had had while traveling. Kendall had the day well planned. We first started the day by meeting up with the missionaries and "contacting." We met up with two of the sister missionaries that were serving here. Later I found out one Sister Lillywhite was the daughter of one of my first friends and people I met when I was at BYU. I asked her if she knew of someone named Todd. She said yes, he was her father! That was so fun and great to hear about her family and what happened in his life, hadn't seen or been in contact with him for 29 years. The other sister was from American Fork, Utah and she was new and very cute but still learning the language. We said we would like to be a part of whatever they had planned for the next couple of hours. We went with them to several parks, which I might add were so lovely, natural and had nice paths and benches and were tree lined. We divided up and went with Kendall first. It was so fascinating, never seen Kendall as a missionary speaking Polish, she would approach people and ask if they spoke any English since she was with her brother and mother and then let them know that we were with the Mormon Missionaries and she had served a mission here and the proceed to ask if we could give them a card that gives them more information about our church, about a book, another testament of Christ. She had a nice conversation with an elderly woman sitting on a bench. She spoke briefly with others, but as expected most weren't interested in talking. It made me realize, you have to have tough skin as a missionary. They are really engaging with hundreds over their mission to find the one that is looking for answers, that is looking for greater truth and has a desire to know more. Not everyone is there yet or has the time or desire to want to search their faith. But as we found it at dinner that night at a member's home...it is all about the one that is searching and finding them.
We walked through several parks and it made me realize the reason missionaries walk so much, is that they are really searching for those that want to hear their message and they have to cover a lot of ground so that they may find that one. We walked for an hour and a half. As we were walking to where we were going to take them to lunch, we were walking next to a woman. After a bit, I said to Kendall you should speak to her. Kendall then turned to her and asked her if she spoke any English, no one really had to this point. She said she did and had a lovely face and a gentle disposition. Kendall said my mom would like to share something with you...on the spot! I just said we were in Wroclaw visiting the area where my daughter had served mission for the LDS church, the Mormon church. It was a great experience and something that helped make her who she is today and a faith that has blessed my life. We are with missionaries that are now serving and would like to know if she would like to know more about our faith and this Book of Mormon that we have which tells us more about Jesus Christ? She then engaged with me how I liked Wroclaw? I told her I was loving it. I asked her if she had children. She said she had one 7 year old son. I introduced her to Sam. I said as a mother I can't imagine raising my children without our church. I told her it gave me a community to help raise my children that shared similar values and standards and for any family I know the Mormon church would be a huge strength to her. She accepted a pass along card that has info about the churches website and the missionaries contact info. She said thank you and to get somewhere but we all shook her had, she had a great light about her. The missionaries really leave it up to those they contact to reach out to them. They will if they want more. We aren't here to force it on anyone but offer an invitation and then they on their own efforts need to them make the call. It felt she was the reason for our morning and felt good to have made a connection with a lovely person of Wroclaw.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch under a bridge, reminded me of some of the restaurants in Berlin under bridges. We said goodbye to the sisters and then rented some bikes and toured the city on bikes. We went over to Church Island, which is covered in churches and probably the tallest one in Wroclaw. We took an elevator to the top and were able to get a great view of the city. There was also a Seminary on the island and we saw several priests and nuns around. One sweet nun came up to Sam and asked if he was ok, when he was leaned over his bike. We asked her about the events going around town and she and Kendall spoke in Polish. It seemed like a unique encounter where two people that have both committed time to the sole purpose of being a servant of Christ, engaging in conversation in Polish. She pointed us to the way there was a special festival going on. There seemed to be many this weekend, including some cultural festivities going on on many of the bridges. When we got to the spot it began pouring down rain. We ditched our bikes and ducked under a tent with about 20 others that were hiding from the deluge. A gentleman asked me where I was from. I said the USA. He asked me about the city and I said how much I loved it and how beautiful the architecture and parks were and reminded me a bit of Germany. He explained some of the history of Poland and was well informed and rather interesting. When the rain had let up I told him thank you so much, you must be a historian. No not really, but I am the Major of Wroclaw. I thought that was great. How fun to meet the major under a tent and get a little history of the country from him. Kendall said that he spoke to his companion after in Polish and said, "Isn't that great that we Americans visiting our city."
We took a rest in the afternoon back at the hotel before regrouping and having some struggles catching a tram and then a taxi to Sister Malenoska's home. Kendall had warned me that she will feed us tons and don't eat much today because you will never see so much food. We arrived at her small apartment and she warmly greeted us. She doesn't speak a lick of English but Kendall translated for her and us. She had fed Kendall and her companions many times. She was darling, single, about 75 I would say and grew up in Poland, but the area she lived in is now part of the Ukraine after the war. She was little and so friendly and so happy to see Kendall and so nice to feed us. She made this delicious mushroom, dill, dumpling soup which I thought was dinner, despite Kendall's warnings. Then came out a goulash over boiled potatoes and then a polish meat and rice dish wrapped in some kind of cabbage then shredded carrots and almonds. Each one of those things was a meal in itself. For dessert she brought out a plate with maybe 75 small date pastries on it that she had made and then 3 tubs of ice cream and then a large platter of fruit. Holy smokes, I have never been fed this much in my life!! She excepted Sam to eat tons, since he is a strong man ;) Kendall said we have to eat a little of each, we had to straight up turn down the third round of ice cream, which she looked disappointed. hahaha.
I asked Sister Malenoska has she always been such a cook and she said no. She began cooking when she joined the church so that she could feed the missionaries. It is her great contribution to literally nourish the missionaries in Wroclaw. She said she has stayed in Wroclaw because she loves the church here and she is needed here. She shared her story how almost 30 years ago she was working at a bank in the Rynek and there was a booth setup with information on it and a book she hadn't seen. She was an avid reader and had been searching for truth and for the right church for many years. She had been a Jehovah's Witness for a while and then a Seventh Day Adventist for many years, but had never joined any of the churches because she hadn't received a confirmation in her prayers that they were the ones to join. But she worsted with them and was still looking. She offered to pay for the Book of Mormon that the sisters had, they said no it is for free. She insisted but they said really it is for free. She took the book home and read it for the next 3 days and then came to church the following Sunday. She wanted to know more. For a few months she had missionary lessons and one day she said she just felt a change, an answer to her prayers for the past 10 years, that she had found the church the one that she was supposed to join, that she felt a warmth, a comfort, a peace she had been searching for and a confirmation that this was the church. She was baptized and since then you could tell it had changed her life. As she told her conversion story, her spirit was so strong yet humble it brought me to tears. It was so touching. It confirmed to me that the Lord is looking for the one, the one that is searching and He will not forget them, he will send someone, and usually that is a missionary. So the earth is currently filled with missionaries, they are searching for the Sister Malenoskas that are praying for this truth that our church offers in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Book of Mormon as a record and a testament of it's truth.
After dinner Sister Malenoska walked us to the tram. She was just spry and cute and full of goodness. She sent us on our way to the Rynek where we were meeting another member Ola that was another student that Kendall had been friends with that had joined the church before she came but Kendall and her companions had spent time with. We walked the city with her for another couple hours and taking in the night's events: a half marathon, concerts and events on several of the bridges in the city and the festival in the Rynek. I was so tired and when I checked my app on my phone, we had walked just about 13 miles that day. I was ready to get off my feet and so Sam and I returned back to the hotel while Kendall grabbed a hot chocolate with Ola, which she knew she had liked. It was a wonderful day, a taste of what it would have been like to be a missionary in Wroclaw. Kendall said they probably averaged 12 miles a day on their missions. No wonder her shoes were all worn out after a couple months! It was a day where we experiences, sun, rain, clouds, and still nights. We had walked the city and spoken with local, ate with friends,... wonderful taste of Kendall's mission.
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