:)

I had 0 clue what to put for a subject so yeah. This week has been eventful, to say the least. In terms of missionary work it's actually been quite boring haha, but like the world is going crazy because of coronavirus. Poland has shut everything down, nothing is open apart from Lidl which is actually super useful as we were able to do our weekly shop this morning. Besides that, we haven't really done much this week. The work has been pretty slow here in Łódź so we'll see what we can do now that we're kinda stuck in our apartment all day. 

Overall though I'm happy. There's not much else to say. I'm the happiest I've been for a little while, I feel calm and peaceful about everything, I know Heavenly Father is in control and He won't forsake His people. That doesn't mean life is perfect, it just means that we can have the surety that God is with us in all things and it brings comfort to the soul. I love my Saviour and I'm grateful for Him, I'm coming closer and closer to Him and for me, it's been the best thing about my mission. 

Poland is very cool.

This week has been really good, probably one of my best since I've been here. I've had a couple of tough weeks but this week I've really focused on being happy and trying to find joy no matter what my circumstance is. My mum sent me a really good quote from President Hinckley about happiness, about looking deeply and searching for the good in life, and that's what I've done, and it's helped me to realise that happiness is a mindset. Of course we're not going to be happy and bouncy and smiling every day, but we can always be grateful for something, and we can see all the good in life that God has blessed us with. It takes time too, but all things that are worth it require work and time and effort. If we want happiness we have to seek it, we cannot wait for it to show up, it has to be something that we look for.

 I've been making a lot of friends here in Łódź. I'm really growing a love for the people here. There are 2 people in my ward who I adore, they're both a bit older but I just love them so much! It's a funny thing really, but when Heavenly Father let's you catch a glimpse of what He sees it just changes everything, these people are children of God, we all are, and when we see people that way our love for them grows and grows. Łódź is my home now, it's a funny place, sometimes scary, sometimes I feel like I'm back in the 60s or whatever but I love it! 

We're still going to the handicapped school as well, I love going there and seeing the smiles on people's faces, they're usually quite happy to see us but I think I love it more than they do. We had zone conference this week too, it was really good and I'm glad I got to see all my mission friends, especially my boy Starszy Jensen. It was also tłusty czwartek which is fat Thursday and the whole nation just eats donuts haha. I only managed 5 but as a mission we ate a total 655 donuts. These things aren't small either.

 My Polish is alright as well, but all thanks goes to Heavenly Father. I've been having good conversations with people, and I can understand maybe about 50-60% of what people say lol. Still scares me but it's actually quite fun being new to something. 

To finish off, I wanted to share something from the scriptures that really touched my heart, and grew my love and adoration for the Saviour. It's in the book of St. John in the New Testament. It's after Christ's resurrection and He appears to Mary as a resurrected being. The account says,
"And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master."

I loved this account because of the way that the Saviour reaches out to Mary. He appears to her as a resurrected being after doing what no man had ever done before, or ever could do, and rather than introducing Himself as the Risen Lord, proclaiming Himself and His glory, He simply calls Mary by name. This is when the realisation hits, and she recognises that it's her Saviour that stands before her. She recognised the love in His voice, the care, the kindness, the compassion and His gentleness. He reached out in the most Christ-like way possible, by ministering to the one. The Saviour teaches us a lesson here on how we should reach out to others and how we should minister. We need to do it in the same loving, caring and individual way. Let people know that they matter, let them know that you love them, and know them and care for them.

In short, try to be more like your Saviour because He's the best.

Love you all and speak to you all soon.

Starszy Ashworth x 

The city of murals.

So Łódź is the city of murals and it's actually living up to that reputation. The murals are awesome and there are always people doing wall art, and it's not just kids doing graffiti, they get the scaffolding out and everything and they go to work. I'll add some pictures for you because I saw a few cool ones this week. 

Łódź is starting to feel like home now, it's a funny thing really, but I'm starting to love the place and the people. I've realised it doesn't all happen in a day, and I can feel my love growing for them each day. I've also realised that it all starts with a love of God though. If we love God it only makes sense that we'll love His children also, and as we Love God and develop our relationship with Him, we'll start to see His children through His eyes and through the eyes of our Saviour.

This week has been a blur, which is kind of becoming a common theme haha, all I remember is having an interview with the mission president, and also this one day where we did like 4-5 hours of contacting on the streets. We walked forever and I spoke to a loooootttttt of people and about only 2 stopped to speak to us, but I had so much fun, because I'm on the Lord's errand, and I know without a doubt that His angels are round about me lifting me and strengthening me and supporting me. 

Also my Polish is getting better which is always fun to see. I did my first street contact on my own, teaching the person about the restoration of the church and the prophet Joseph Smith. The guy kindly declined the message but I felt so good, and I made sure that I gave all the thanks to my Heavenly Father because you know, we have to stay humble. In all honesty though, we're promised in Doctrine and covenants as we open our mouths that we'll know what to say and the spirit will guide us, and I have felt that promise being fulfilled, it's the coolest thing ever. 

I have a little funny story today as well, at least it's funny for me anyway, also pretty scary though haha. So in like my second week, I was strolling down this street and I saw this really scary guy and he made eye contact with me but it felt like he was literally staring right into my soul, it gave me the chills. Then I turned around to get another look at the guy, and when I turned around he was walking backwards while still staring at me and it was terrifying. I turned around about another 5 times and everytime I did he was still staring at me. Fast forward to this week, I'm walking down the same street and at the same point on the street I look up and he's walking past me and staring right at me and it freaked me out, it gave me the shivers hahah. Honestly it hasn't left my mind, but at the same time it makes me laugh.

For the Come Follow Me study this week of Lehi's vision, I watched a video with good insights on the scriptures and it really opened my eyes to things that I hadn't noticed before. In the vision, the tree of life is a representation of the love of God, and how is the love of God made manifest? it's made manifest in His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and from and Elder Bednar talk we learn that the fruit is a symbol for the blessings of the atonement. That's why the fruit is so sweet and 'desirable above all other fruit.' And in the vision there are 2 groups of people who partake of the fruit. 1 group partake of the fruit and eventually fall away from the tree, and another group 'fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.' Now remember how the Love of God is made manifest in His son Jesus Christ. These people aren't just falling down at a metaphorical tree, they are falling down at the feet of their Saviour in gratitude, awe and love. This brought whole new meaning to these verses for me. I know that God loves us, I know that He cares for us and wants for us to return to Him and enjoy all the many blessings He has in store for us. Just trust in Him, and love Him and all things will work out for your good.

Enjoy your weeks everyone!

Starszy Ashworth x

Łódź - The Manchester of Poland.

So, it's been my first week in Poland, and in all honesty it's been pretty hard. I was super excited to be here, and I still am, but it's taking me some time to adjust. What's giving me comfort is knowing that the Lord is with me, he's mindful of me and he knows how I feel and this brings me comfort. Also, the Lord won't ask me to do anything that I can't do, so I know that as I continue to work hard and have faith that I'll do alright.

 As far as Łódź goes, (pronounced woodge) it's a really pretty place, there's a huge street that runs for like 4.3 km, it's huge, and I've spent most of my time there lol. Also the name of the city means boat, but there's no water near it whatsoever which is confusing. 

My only funny story from this week was that while contacting in the streets, I went up to someone to just say hi, but I panicked and said thank you instead and they just laughed at me and walked off, quite awkward but ah well.

 I've heard some really uplifting things this week and have had many moments that have given me strength and reminded me of where I am and who it is that I am serving. My favourite though was that God doesn't care about how many people I baptise, He doesn't care about numbers, He just cares that I give my will. The one thing I can give to my Heavenly Father that is truly mine is my will, and so long as I submit my will to my Heavenly Father then I'll be okay, and my Heavenly Father can't ask for anything more. As well, when I serve and I go forth, Christ has promised us that He is with us, He is on our right hand and on our left and His angels are round about us to bear us up. This brings me great strength and I am so grateful for this knowledge.

Another thing this week that I've realised how important the Book of Mormon really is. Of course I knew this before but I know it even more now. It really does provide us safety for the soul, it is the word of God and gives us the guidance and direction we need, and it also teaches us of Christ and his Love, and reminds us that we are Children of God. I've found comfort and peace in it's pages, and I know that it will bring peace to your lives too as you read it. I promise you.

Lastly, I want to just testify of the power of prayer. This week I've really had to rely on my Saviour and His atonement, and I've had to turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer. We should always have a prayer in our hearts, always keep our minds on the things that bring us peace and joy. As we always have a prayer in our hearts, we keep our feet on the ground, but we have our minds in Heaven. 

I hope to hear from you all soon, do widzenia!

Starszy Ashworth x