Day #2 and #3: New Missionaries and assignments...PLUS, an historic event!

Day #2: After arriving in Poland, our new missionaries walk from the Mission Home to the Mission Office.

 This is about a 9-10 minute walk.  It was a national holiday so there were not too many people out and about.  The few that were outside our missionaries spoke to and contacted them.  They were heading to the Office to receive instructions from our Office staff.

This is where they sign documents and learn how to access their MSF cards.  Sisters Wendel, Pearson, Lidtka, Blake, Barth,  Sister Jensen, Sister Hutchinson and Elder Hutchinson, Elders Bokinsky and Register with Sister Young, Elders Wolfley, Waskiewicz, Blom and Allen.

Meanwhile... their Trainers arrived at the Mission Home.

The Training Missionaries will meet with President while the Trainees are out contacting.  Then all will receive their assignments and find out who their new companions will be.  Elders Lanham, Van Bakel, Sisters Allen, Packard, Howells, Bown, Holmgren and Bezdjian, with Elders Harris and Mikolyski.

They were instructed on their responsibilities with the 12-week training course that New Missionaries  begin the first week in-field.  We are at the stage in the mission where all of these trainers went through this course when they arrived in Poland.  They are familiar with this and eager to go through it again.  Only this time, taking the lead role.
The Trainees arrived back at the Mission Home and now it is time to hear where everyone is going and who will be companions....

Sister Wendel will be companions with Sister Holmgren, and...

They will be serving in Lodz.  We have not had Sisters in this great branch for a number of transfers.  It will be great to have the Sister Missionaries here again.

Sister Young will be companions with Sister Allen.  They will be serving in...

...the beautiful city of Krakow.  President has not had Sisters in this city the entire time we have been here.  It will be great to have Sister Missionaries in one of our favorite places to visit.

Elder Blom will be companions with Elder Lanham.  They will serve in ...

...Kielce. What a great place for these two wonderful Elders.  Elder Lanham is the new District Leader there, and they have lots of great investigators they are working with.

Sister Blake will be companions with Sister Bezdjian.  They will be serving in...

Wroclaw.  This will be another great Sister companionship that has served in this strong Branch.

Sister Barth will be companions with Sister Howells.

They will be serving in Warsaw I.  They love each other already as you can see.

Elder Waskiewicz will be companions with Elder Mikolyski.

They will be serving in Szczecin.  Elder Mikolyski was our first assistant and is now going back out in the field to train and serve as District Leader there also.  Elder Waskiewicz will have a great experience in this small branch.

Elder Wolfley will be companions with Elder Van Bakel.

They will be serving in Lodz.  Elder Van Bakel is the District Leader there.  These two Elders are so excited to serve together.  They have many things in common.

Elder Allen will be companions with Elder Harris.

They will serve together in Bydogszcz.  What a great city for these great Elders to serve in.

Sister Pearson will be companions with Sister Packard.

Together they will be serving in Katowice where the Sisters are teaching some great investigators.

Sister Lidtka will be companions with Sister Bown...

and they will serve together in the beautiful city of Poznan.

After everyone was assigned, the combined instruction continued with everyone sitting with their new companions. We enjoyed a great spirit in our meeting.

Soon, we stopped for a 10 minute break and got better acquainted.

It is always amazing how fast missionaries find out how much they have in common and love each other. The Lord does know who needs to be with who.  We finished the training and had a great BBQ for dinner.  We ended Day #2 with a testimony meeting, nightly planning and then everyone hit the sack. Tomorrow will bring another big day.

DAY #3, Thursday:  Everyone was up a 6:00am, a quick breakfast and then off to the train station.  Our last group picture for this group: Elders Allen, Lanham, Harris, Blom, Van Bakel, Wolfley, Sisters Pearson, Packard, Lidtka, Bown, Elders Waskiewicz, Mikolyski, Sisters Bezdjian, Blake, Young, Allen, Holmgren and Wencel.  What a great group of missionaries. Now, off to their specific areas to do mighty works. (Sisters Howells and Barth left the night before as they are assigned to Warsaw)

We hired taxis and drove our transporter in order to get everyone to the train station.  All companionships got to the station and their specific trains on time.  (Whew!)

Same day, 8:45am: Since we have 5 missionaries transferring to Lodz, we recruited Elder Jensen to drive them there.  He drove to Lodz and back (quickly) because we needed our transporter for two other important events going on today.  Elders Wolfley and Van Bakel, Sisters Holmgren and Wencel.  As they headed out they stopped at the Wolska Chapel and picked up Elder Manwill who is transferring to Lodz as well.

President and I said goodbye to everyone and then headed to the Mission Office for Mission Leadership Counsel meeting starting at 10:30am.

On the way he was driving a little too fast, and today the Policja were out in full force.  He was accidentally going 85 kph in a 50 kph zone.  The Policja waved him over (this hasn't happened to him in a long time...) and stopped him for the violation.  This was right across the street from the Mission Office.  In fact, President was honking at two of our Zone Leaders as they arrived at the Mission Office and didn't see the Policja ahead.  It was a bad time to get a speeding ticket... especially in front of everyone! Well, there was a tender mercy extended. The Policja saw President's name tag and asked what that was.  President explained he was going to our office (pointing to it) and those were his missionaries (pointing to them), etc.  The Policja told him, "Bye, Bye" and off President went. 

This was an historic meeting in the Poland Warsaw Mission.  This used to be called Zone Leader Counsel.   It is now called Mission Leadership Counsel.  We had some new members of this meeting...two Sister Missionaries.  Their new calling in the Mission is 'Sister Training Leader'.  They attend this Mission Counsel meeting.  They added so much just in their first meeting with us.  We have three Sister Training Leaders in our mission.  The third is Sister Bezdjian who would have been here; but her train back to Wroclaw with her new Trainee was too late, and she needed to miss this meeting.

A great Mission Leadership Counsel.  Sisters Allen and Howells, with our Zone Leaders Elders Tingey (new Zone Leader in Warsaw), Raines (Warsaw Zone), Vernon (new Zone Leader in Bydgoszcz), Wilson (new Zone Leader in Bydgoszcz), Dopp (Katowice) and Neuner (new Zone Leader in Katowice).  Seated are Elder Tiner (Assistant) and Elder Zelezniak (new Assistant). When the meeting was over, it was time to take the second wave of missionaries to the train station so they can return home and do what they do best...  teach people the gospel.

What a busy and productive day, but it's not over yet. Just wait!