Dear Friends and Family, 

      It has been a learning week for me.  I don't know where to start or what to talk about because there's so much and I don't have it all organized in my head.  I'll start with yesterday.  Church was sure neat.  Our branch President was gone and his counselor and the usual people to bless and pass the sacrament, so we were a little worried about how everything would work out.  What a blessing it was! We had a lot of investigators and members in church and Elder Myler presided and Sister Bezdjian spoke, members passed the sacrament and I taught the Gospel Principles lesson.  It was a great day at church and one of our investigators came for the first time, Bozena, and she really liked it! We are excited for here and her husband.  I also had a great experience as I got to prepare to teach a lesson.  I sure felt blessed because it was in Polish and it was on the Atonement and I really wanted it to come together for the people there, and I know the Lord helped me to teach.  It was a neat experience for me.

     So the other day, we had just eaten dinner on the go at a little wietnamese place and it was so good! :) But we had some left overs and there's always this man that we see at the train station without a home or food. So we gave our leftovers to him and in english he said, "Well how can I pay you back" and we said "No, no, it's free!" and then he said, "Oh I know!" and he started singing "I see trees of green, red roses too.... " and he sang "What a wonderful World!" It was soooooo good! He is just a neat guy.  :) So then we were on the bus, and this man came in with a really bloody face.  I was sitting next to him and had no tissues or any way of helping.  I looked over and two or three fancily dressed women were ferverently searching their bags for tissues.  One found some and gave them to him.  It was really neat for me to see their example and the love and kindness.  I invited him to church and promised him everything would be okay.  His name is Lukasz, he is really cool. 

     So we had Zone Conference for the first time since I've been here.  It was great. It was in a city called Bydgoszcz.  I saw an elder who was in the MTC with me, elder raines, so that was cool! :) It was really uplifting and I really needed it.  Our mission president is so inspired.  He really amazes me.  I feel so blessed to have him as our mission president.  So the other day, there was this cute little boy, like 10 or so who came up and asked if he could help us hand out ulotki (flyers) and we said, Sure! So he went around to people giving out pass a long cards :) He then found out that we do it for free and said, oh. Never mind. Hehe, cute kid. BUT he said we could meet his parents and talk with them about the gospel, so that was cool.  :) 

      So , there are many attributes I am trying to work on and focus on right now in my life as a missionary, and as a person in general.  I have learned that I just can't do it without help.  As much as I give, the Lord will always make up the other half.  Sometimes we may feel like we are not enough.  Like we aren't good enough because we can't do it by ourselves.  But that's what it's all about- learning how to be independent and strong, and yet, completely dependent on the Lord.  It's a huge part of what we are here to experience and go through.  Some days are just.... hard.  Whether on a mission, on a 2 week vacation, in the middle of mid-terms, at the end of a long week, or in any circumstance at all.  We'll have them our whole lives.  Sometimes it is tempting to say, "Oh it'd be so much better IF...." and then fill it in with something in the future or something that we wish we had.  But really, if we remember the WHY of the gospel, like President Uchtdorf teaches, we wont' need to fill in that blank, because we'll feel the hope and reassurance that all will be okay.  That is why I love the gospel.  

     Well, I don't have any more time.  So I just want to testify that I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is here for us to benefit from and to share.  The church is a wonderful way to teach about, learn from and experience the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon is our handbook and can be a great comforter.  Prayer is our communication with the One who knows us best.  I testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

I love you all, have a great week

Love Shelby

The Church is true everywhere!

Shelby looks right at home!

                                   

 

 

Hey Friends and Fam,  

Well I don't have much time this week.  I am in a city called Olsztyn which is a few hours away from Gdansk.  We took a train early this morning to come here for a funeral of a man in our branch here.  Amazing story really.  He was baptized in June this year. He is 80 or so and he and his wife would ride for 3 hours every sunday morning to get to church.  Last week she came and was having some troubles and they had to leave right when they got to church.  Then at the train station she went missing.  She has alzheimers (?) and they couldn't find her all day.  They finally found her and called him and when he found out that she was okay, he passed away.  We don't know how or of what, but what an amazing man! He was so strong and so wise.  So we went to the funeral just now and it was good.  Very different, but I sure learned a wonderful lesson.  It doesn't matter what religion anyone is or what language you speak, the spirit is the same and every single person is a child of our Heavenly Father.  It was a good lesson as we all sang Nearer my God to Thee in Polish together.  

      
 So this week, well, what to say? It was good.  But I can't lie, it was just..... hard.  I can say that I am learning a lot, and I am growing closer to my Savior.  It has been a blessing.  When we pray to be humble, or to be stronger, Heavenly Father really blesses us with opportunities to be humbled and strengthened.  He is so merciful. 
      But other than that.  There were miracles everywhere, like there always are when the gospel is around.  At the end of last week, we had 9 investigators in church!! We felt so blessed and so full of love for all of them.  What a blessing.  Sorry this email is jumping around, but in personal study, I did something kind of fun.  I read all of the chapter headings in Acts and tried to figure out why it is called the book of ACTS. It was really cool.  How does that relate to the spirit?? I will let you all make your own conclusions.  But I learned a lot, and it was really cool.   
     I'm sorry I only have a few minutes on this computer.  But Sister Lewis here in Gdansk shared something great with me today on the train.  She quoted Ralph Parlett and said, "Strength and struggle go together.  The supreme reward of struggle is strength.  Life is a battle and the greatest joy is to overcome.  Following the path of least resisitance is what makes men and rivers crooked."  I loved that.  I know that everything we experience in our lives is for a purpose greater than we may be able to comprehend.  I know that we can find beauty in every situation.  My mission president reminded me to stop and smell the roses.  I think I'll do that a little more.  Have a great week.  I love you all.  Next week's email will be more full of miracles and stories.  I love the gospel and I'm so grateful to be here.  Thank you all so much.  Love you!

 Shelby's 3 favorite things: Sharing the Gospel, playing with children and Making yummy FOOD!!!

     Love, Sister Shelby Ostler :)