Young Women Conference in Poland

These beautiful Young Women in Poland found themselves all gathered together at the Warsaw II Branch last Sunday. How did this happen? Well, let me tell you.....

 A Young Women Conference was announced, and they started gathering at the mission home in Warsaw from all corners of Poland...from Szczecin to Wroclaw to Poznan to...

 Bydgoszcz! Young girls (ages 12-18) came together to make friends and learn more about the gospel.

They all settled in....all over the Mission Home!

The first night, the group was brought together by having fun trying out their karaoke skills!  

The girls loved it and had such a great time singing together.  We have some very talented YW and YSA's.

Our YSA's finally got their chance at the microphones when the younger girls went to bed. (We love and appreciate all the YSA's who helped make this Conference a success. They were a great help and an even greater example to the younger girls!) Everyone had a full schedule the next day and needed some rest.  Somehow some of the YW thought they could operate on only a couple of hours of sleep...sounds just like "girls camp" worldwide!

The next morning, everyone was up early for scripture study with President Nielson. These young girls are truly growing strong testimonies of the gospel. They love the scriptures and love studying them.

 After scripture study, Sister Jarosz (Warsaw District YW President), announced that today was a very special day.  It was CHILDREN'S DAY in Poland! (Every American child I know has always asked why there wasn't a 'kid's day' in America.. The usual response....."because EVERY day is Kid's Day!") But in Poland, there actually is a celebrated Children's Day where children receive presents.

 Scripture Study was followed by a hearty breakfast......

 ...by one and all....

 And then it was time to catch the local buses and head to the Wolska Chapel where more great activities and instruction would be given.

After the girls left, I went downstairs to grab something out of the pantry. Hummmm.....looks like girls camp to me! :) So, Bishop Call and President Teshima (my local leaders in Las Vegas), it seems I have already attended Girls Camp for the year!

 The Wolska Chapel: The theme of the Conference was "Stand ye in Holy Places and Be Not Moved". Here everyone is gathered together for a great discussion/lesson on this topic.

Julia (Warsaw I Branch) was the guest teacher with Marta (Poznan) translating. (I love how the Church prepares our young people for the challenges of the day...)

 As part of the lesson, they played the scripture game "Faith Factor" where teams competed to find answers from the scriptures to some very important life questions.

It was a great way to 'liken the scriptures' unto themselves. (I Nephi 19:23) 

 There were 'challenges' given to teams for extra 'points', such as...who could eat the whipped cream off their plate the fastest!

 Or, I guess you could just eat it this way!   There were games that emphasized teamwork and the importance of working together. (Strength in numbers!)

 And games that the only purpose was to get to know one another!

The Young Women also had an opportunity to make 'Value Bracelets' from beads the colors of the eight Young Women values...Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.

What was going on as the girls were getting ready to return to the Mission Home? A Grill was being prepared for some very hungry YW. And who better to make it happen than Brother Jarosz!

Everyone was back at the Mission Home....

...and it was time to eat!

Afterwards, everyone changed into Sunday clothes where they practiced for the song they would be singing in church the next day. We had a great fireside ending with a testimony meeting.  I can tell you that even in Poland where our Church numbers may be small, when the spirit is in our meetings the church is as strong as any place on earth.  

And that's how we came to take this picture. The next morning, everyone left early to be at the Warsaw II chapel for church. The Conference was truly a highlight and a faith building activity for all of the YW in Poland. Testimonies AND friendships were strengthened. 

A VERY special 'Thank you' to the Jarosz family for ALL the work they did to help this Conference be a success. We appreciate their willingness to help the church in Poland grow! We love you!