Mrongoville! (That's what we thought!) Believe it or not, it's a western village tucked in the forest in this 'land of lakes'--the region we were in. Being from the 'West' ourselves, we had to take a peek!
It was set up like an old western town...ghost town really... and someone had put A LOT of money into this attraction. Everything was painted, clean and very well kept up....but no one was in sight!
We stumbled into these 'Polish Cowboys' who live on the premises. They take care of the animals (horses, wolves, goats), and they told us that this was the 3rd season this park has been open. They have restaurants and put on cowboy and Indian shows. You can shoot guns, ride horses, sit by a campfire, even ride a mechanical bull!
When you see signs like this, you understand why we (English speakers) have such a hard time with the Polish language..."Mail Pony Express" instead of "Pony Express Mail". OR...
...why Polish people may struggle with English spelling...."Pacyfic" instead of "Pacific". It's all good!
All in all, it was a very good replica of an old western town. But I can't help but think that someone is 'losing his shirt' on this investment! Good Luck!
As we traveled through small towns, we came across this 'parade'...
It was a group of Catholic youth who were on a 'pilgrimage' celebrating the Catholic holiday, Boze Cialy. It reminded me a lot of a girl's camp hike....leaders in the front with a megaphone leading the songs they were singing...
...and the Priesthood in the back making sure everyone was OK. I guess some things are universal!
Passing through the countryside, it looked like they were 'growing' giant marshmellows!
Harvesting them and taking them to market!!! (I told you this day was full of interesting events! I think it is bales of hay...but don't tell my grandkids that!)
This is the town that we were looking for....the one we wanted to visit before getting to Bialystok. This small village is located in what was once East Prussia, Germany and was called Selbongen at the time. It was home to the only Church owned chapel in Germany in the year 1929.
The church began in this area when a young man, Fredrick Fischer, left Selbongen to find work in Berlin. After joining the church in Berlin and serving a mission, the Mission President asked him to return to his hometown and preach the gospel there. With some 'creative' missionary work, the gospel spread throughout the village. A chapel was desired, land donated, construction started and was completed in one month in 1929. It was built and funded by the members--about 75 of them. Just about the entire village became members of the Church and everyone in the community knew about the Mormons.
To the side of the church is this grave belonging to Adolf Kruska, the only son of the Branch President. He had been serving in the German army and had returned home still wearing his German uniform. Even though the armistice had been signed, Russian soldiers who had seen him enter his home knocked on the door and asked to see him. They told him he needed to register at the local headquarters. When the young man left the house, he was shot and killed on his doorstep. The members dug a grave by the side of the chapel and buried him here. (1944)
At the end of WWII, this part of Germany became Communist Poland. All public buildings became the property of the state. In other words, this chapel no longer belonged to the church. The saints continued to meet here until 1971 when the Polish government, under Communism, finally issued a formal order forbidding the use of it for religious meetings. It later became a Catholic church, was added on to, and the front door of the church was put on the side of the building. The Saints that met here were faithful and courageous during a time when freedom was only a dream. There is still a sweet spirit that abides on this property. This is a sacred place in Europe and Poland Church history.
Then heading on because we still have a long drive ahead. Mikolajki....a lively lakeside town and full of action on this holiday weekend! It was beautiful!
The lake was packed with sailboats.
A pot-pour-ri of watercraft was all about! I admit, it made me miss our 'lake days'! Look out for the guy in the little yellow rental....
WEIRD!!! (Had to put it in! I wasn't sure what it was at first!) Just one of those things that stand out at the Centrum and where people are having fun.
Passing a Lutheran church (which is unusual in itself!), we recognized this familiar looking statue. If you have been to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, you know what we are talking about! This statue is very familiar to the one in Temple Square.
Heading on down the road, the scenery was beautiful. Fields of flowers.....this is Poland! A few months ago there were yellow flowers everywhere, now red.
We are finding that this is a common sight. These workers, use 'weed-eaters' to cut the grass on the sides of the road....'weed-eaters'! These guys are out in the middle of nowhere with miles and miles of weeds on both sides of the road. It would take 100 men their entire lives to cut all of this. There must be a reason why the government doesn't buy a tractor to do this....maybe job security?
As we were driving out on this small narrow country highway in the distance we saw this. This was a sad sight...someone's house was burning down. Luckily, it was only a few kilometers from the nearest town that had a fire station.....and we could hear them coming!
OK...I told you this was a 'road trip', right? And when you go on a 'road trip' you look for unusual things, right? Well, this church has my vote for 'ugliest church in Poland'! It was a montrosity! With all the beautiful Catholic churches in this country, they should have taken an architechural lesson! It looked very out of place. No Homeowners Association with an architectural review committee here!
About 45 minutes out of Bialystok, we found "Pentowo"...Poland's Stork Village. Storks are a common sight in the towns and villages of this area. But this is a special place, and you'll see why.
The owner's home on the property is worth the visit. It is over 100 years old and has been the property of the same family since it was built.
These lanky white birds are notoriously inept at building their homes, so the locals lend them a hand and build platforms for them to start their nests on. This Stork Village is home to 31 nests and 62 birds this year.
"Don't walk under the nests!" Great advice....and you only have to be there for a short time to understand why!
The best time to see these nesting birds is between April and August. By September, they begin their 'road trip' south to Africa for the winter!
BIALYSTOK!!! We finally arrive for our last stop on our interview trip!
Before meeting the Elders for dinner, we see this strange 'merger' of two churches: a small 17th century parish church...and attached to it, a huge Gothic cathedral! The cathedral was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century as an 'extension' of the small white church. This was the only way the Poles could get around the Russian bureaucracy that officially forbade them to build new Catholic churches.
Interesting sidenote: We asked about the flags that we have actually seen all over the country... because of the holiday. A Pole told us that the 'red and white' signify Poland...the colors of the national flag. The 'yellow' color symbolizes the Catholic church. Needless to say, this is a very Catholic nation!
We finally meet up with our Elders (Smith and Waits) and two great members of the Bialystok branch...Zoja and President Libert. We had a very nice time visiting....and we will see them in the morning at church!
It was a group of Catholic youth who were on a 'pilgrimage' celebrating the Catholic holiday, Boze Cialy. It reminded me a lot of a girl's camp hike....leaders in the front with a megaphone leading the songs they were singing...
...and the Priesthood in the back making sure everyone was OK. I guess some things are universal!
Passing through the countryside, it looked like they were 'growing' giant marshmellows!
Harvesting them and taking them to market!!! (I told you this day was full of interesting events! I think it is bales of hay...but don't tell my grandkids that!)
This is the town that we were looking for....the one we wanted to visit before getting to Bialystok. This small village is located in what was once East Prussia, Germany and was called Selbongen at the time. It was home to the only Church owned chapel in Germany in the year 1929.
The church began in this area when a young man, Fredrick Fischer, left Selbongen to find work in Berlin. After joining the church in Berlin and serving a mission, the Mission President asked him to return to his hometown and preach the gospel there. With some 'creative' missionary work, the gospel spread throughout the village. A chapel was desired, land donated, construction started and was completed in one month in 1929. It was built and funded by the members--about 75 of them. Just about the entire village became members of the Church and everyone in the community knew about the Mormons.
To the side of the church is this grave belonging to Adolf Kruska, the only son of the Branch President. He had been serving in the German army and had returned home still wearing his German uniform. Even though the armistice had been signed, Russian soldiers who had seen him enter his home knocked on the door and asked to see him. They told him he needed to register at the local headquarters. When the young man left the house, he was shot and killed on his doorstep. The members dug a grave by the side of the chapel and buried him here. (1944)
At the end of WWII, this part of Germany became Communist Poland. All public buildings became the property of the state. In other words, this chapel no longer belonged to the church. The saints continued to meet here until 1971 when the Polish government, under Communism, finally issued a formal order forbidding the use of it for religious meetings. It later became a Catholic church, was added on to, and the front door of the church was put on the side of the building. The Saints that met here were faithful and courageous during a time when freedom was only a dream. There is still a sweet spirit that abides on this property. This is a sacred place in Europe and Poland Church history.
Then heading on because we still have a long drive ahead. Mikolajki....a lively lakeside town and full of action on this holiday weekend! It was beautiful!
The lake was packed with sailboats.
A pot-pour-ri of watercraft was all about! I admit, it made me miss our 'lake days'! Look out for the guy in the little yellow rental....
WEIRD!!! (Had to put it in! I wasn't sure what it was at first!) Just one of those things that stand out at the Centrum and where people are having fun.
Passing a Lutheran church (which is unusual in itself!), we recognized this familiar looking statue. If you have been to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, you know what we are talking about! This statue is very familiar to the one in Temple Square.
Heading on down the road, the scenery was beautiful. Fields of flowers.....this is Poland! A few months ago there were yellow flowers everywhere, now red.
We are finding that this is a common sight. These workers, use 'weed-eaters' to cut the grass on the sides of the road....'weed-eaters'! These guys are out in the middle of nowhere with miles and miles of weeds on both sides of the road. It would take 100 men their entire lives to cut all of this. There must be a reason why the government doesn't buy a tractor to do this....maybe job security?
As we were driving out on this small narrow country highway in the distance we saw this. This was a sad sight...someone's house was burning down. Luckily, it was only a few kilometers from the nearest town that had a fire station.....and we could hear them coming!
OK...I told you this was a 'road trip', right? And when you go on a 'road trip' you look for unusual things, right? Well, this church has my vote for 'ugliest church in Poland'! It was a montrosity! With all the beautiful Catholic churches in this country, they should have taken an architechural lesson! It looked very out of place. No Homeowners Association with an architectural review committee here!
About 45 minutes out of Bialystok, we found "Pentowo"...Poland's Stork Village. Storks are a common sight in the towns and villages of this area. But this is a special place, and you'll see why.
The owner's home on the property is worth the visit. It is over 100 years old and has been the property of the same family since it was built.
These lanky white birds are notoriously inept at building their homes, so the locals lend them a hand and build platforms for them to start their nests on. This Stork Village is home to 31 nests and 62 birds this year.
"Don't walk under the nests!" Great advice....and you only have to be there for a short time to understand why!
The best time to see these nesting birds is between April and August. By September, they begin their 'road trip' south to Africa for the winter!BIALYSTOK!!! We finally arrive for our last stop on our interview trip!
Before meeting the Elders for dinner, we see this strange 'merger' of two churches: a small 17th century parish church...and attached to it, a huge Gothic cathedral! The cathedral was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century as an 'extension' of the small white church. This was the only way the Poles could get around the Russian bureaucracy that officially forbade them to build new Catholic churches.
Interesting sidenote: We asked about the flags that we have actually seen all over the country... because of the holiday. A Pole told us that the 'red and white' signify Poland...the colors of the national flag. The 'yellow' color symbolizes the Catholic church. Needless to say, this is a very Catholic nation!
We finally meet up with our Elders (Smith and Waits) and two great members of the Bialystok branch...Zoja and President Libert. We had a very nice time visiting....and we will see them in the morning at church!
