June 21, 2015 (Wroclaw to Krakow, Poland)

It was the Sabbath and we began by getting our bags packed up before heading to church. We walked to the church which was only 10 mins away. It was on the second story of a nice business building. Kendall was greeted by the small congregation warmly and there we saw Sister Malenoska whose home we had visited for dinner and later Ola who we had walked the city with last night. We also met the woman who we would take to lunch after with her son. I distinctly remember seeing photos of her and so fun to see her in person. Kendall credited her for helping her a lot with her Polish when she first arrived. She also in turn had learned English from the missionaries, who offer free English classes. In those classes she also met her husband, which I think is really remarkable. Kendall was asked to speak in the meeting and there was another Siesta that had served her mission there who was also asked to speak. They both, as far as I could tell, spoke great Polish and fun I am sure for the other missionaries to think that one day they would be fluent in Polish and be able to remember it and come back and visit and converse again one day. Kendall translated the rest of the talks to us which included a talk by another missionary from Austria, who spoke English without an accent and German was his mother tongue and now speaks Polish.

Sunday School was given by sister Malenoska and she is just such a strong member and taught in Matthew. After church we met up with Kendall’s friend and her son and took them for crepes for lunch. Since I dont speak a lick of Polish, I wanted to chat with the son. I whipped out my deck of cards and taught him Slap Jack, War, and Crazy 8s. He loved it and learned quickly. The sister spoke some English and was very sweet and spoke of how much she enjoys the missionaries and how I think that missionaries serve also the purpose of strengthening members and the branches they are in. 

Our last visit of the day was to a woman that Kendall had taught several times on her mission. She is not a member of the church, but a wonderful person and  she enjoyed engaging in spiritual conversations. She is an accomplished artist and Kendall had sent photos of her home/art studio. In what should be the living room was an art studio with an easle and dozens of paitnings on the walls and stacked on the floors. She loves to portray light in her paintings. There was one in particular that Kendall especially loved called Joy. It was beautiful of a woman who was radiating joy and light and Kendall just was so drawn to this painting. I asked her how much, she gave me the price and I told her sold! No negotiating the price and included some for shipping and she was equally as thrilled that we wanted to buy it. We had a lovely visit discussing what she likes to paint, how she portrays light in a way that reflects God and I could see that. She was darling and I so appreciated her many talents. 

That late afternoon after we had made our Father's Day calls in the hotel, we said goodbye to Kendall as we hopped on the 3 hour train to Krakow and she boarded a train to Lodz to visit friends there and stay with one friend. We will spend the day tomorrow at Auschwitz and then meet up with her to just tour Krakow, which is supposed to be a beautiful city. 

It is so fun to be visiting Kendall’s mission with her. To see her in action as a former missionary and the love she had for all that she met, taught, baptized, served and those who served her. She seems so happy and is in missionary pace mode where I could hardly keep up, no I couldn’t keep up, with her pace and enthusiasm. What a treat to be here and have a window into the hearts and land of the people through my daughter who is so fluent in her understanding and uttering of Polish. Wish that was my gift.But loving seeing her in her element. 

We took a 3 hour train to Krakow. We sat next to a young man, around 20 years old in Law School in Krakow. He spoke great English and another gentleman that was older and had actually  been a political prisoner as part of the group that rose up against the Russians in the 1980s before Poland gained their Independence. They were both such interesting and engaging train companions and loved getting a Polish History lesson from them and they loved hearing about the places we have traveled. The one gentleman is a writer for a newspaper and wanted to have some of Sam's excerpts from his blog about his travels and his experience in Poland. They even sang us the Polish National Anthem which is a passionate song that has real meaning that talks about being Polish even without a country they carry their country with them. For over 120 years Poland wasn't even on a map. They fought for their freedom during WWII and then after the war those that fought most fiercely for their freedom and for the allies were assassinated by the Russians, under Stalin's demands so that they would not rally against the Russians, since Poland became under Soviet and Communist Rule. This is a country that has suffered much and is finally it's own country under it's own rule. It was a fascinating train ride and they also suggested that we read Warsaw 44, which is more of the younger folks telling the story. I look forward to watching it this summer at home. 

We walked from the train station to our hotel which is right on the main square, Rynek. After settled into our room we went and explored the square. It is huge and has stunning cathedrals and musicians playing, outside one building swing music playing and people swing dancing, there were horse drawn chariots giving rides around the square and many outdoor cafes. We went looking for Italian at Sam's request and after wandering around the many squares around the area we settled on a great spot right next to the big church and across from the horses. It was a great night with Sam.