1. My trainer, Siostra Slagowska and I at Zone Training

2. Siostra Dalton and I at Zakopane
​

Cierpliwość, Siostra Herrera, Cierpliwość

I have come to understand who Christ is and what He's done for us so much more than before, and I know that knowledge will just keep growing. I think my new favorite word in Polish (right up there with samochód (car) and dziobak (platypus) is zadośćuczynienie. That's how we say the Atonement po polsku.I just can't believe it. And yet I know it's true. I know that Christ paid the price for our sins and He understands us so perfectly and so completely and so wholly. When I ponder about what He has done, I just feel so humbled and kind of like a small grain of sand on the California coast. I know that without our Savior Jesus Christ, we are nothing. And yet to Him, we are everything. He knows us and understands us. We have one person in this whole entire world who looks at us and sees who we really are and who we are to become. He knows me and because of that infinite knowledge He has of who I am, He has an infinite love for me. That's one reason why it's so important for us to love others if we wish to share the Gospel. When we really spend the time to understand and know our fellow brothers and sisters on this earth, we can't help but love them. When we learn to really and truly love them, we can't help but want them to see the happiness that comes only through knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ and who He really is. He's not just a prophet, He is our redeemer. He hasn't just taught us the way to live, He hasn't even just shown us how to live, because of Him we do live. I am so grateful for Him and if I gain nothing else out of the entire months I immerse myself in this service, the testimony and understanding of Christ that I've been able to grow will be sufficient.

Siostra Bąk and I taught a lesson to Tim and Agata's family and really interacted with their son. Since Tim is a violinist, we thought it would be appropriate to share the General Conference talk, "The Music of the Gospel".

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-music-of-the-gospel?lang=eng

I love what it says here:

"We can invite our children to sing along with us in unison as we practice kindness toward a neighbor who is in need.

It won't come all at once. As every accomplished musician knows, it takes diligent practice to perform beautiful music. If early efforts at making music seem dissonant and discordant, remember that dissonance cannot be corrected by criticism. Dissonance in the home is like darkness in a room. It does little good to scold the darkness. We must displace the darkness by introducing light.

So if the basses in your family choir are too loud and overbearing, or if the string section in your family orchestra is a little too shrill or a little bit sharp, or if those impetuous piccolos are out of tune or out of control, be patient. If you're not hearing the music of the gospel in your home, please remember these two words: keep practicing. With God's help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy."

I think this applies to missionary work in that we need to have patience (cierpliwość) to work with our companions, our districts and the people we're teaching. It's the good times we remember when we're on our missions and how hard we worked to bring others that same joy. That joy is what I've felt whenever I've walked into an LDS home. It doesn't matter if the house is spotless, if there are children or pets running around, the Spirit is the same. It's love. This is one of the many things I'm learning on my mission. I love it! I love you all!

'till next week,

Siostra Herrera

1. Elders Everett and Jackson - Elder Everett goes to Łódź and Jackson stays in Kraków. I am compensating for my lack of height

2. We ain't got no can opener! Let's improvise!

Pictures, sorry I forgot!

1. Siostra Holden is going to my first area, Łódź! Yeah! Best city in the world!

2. Ah, Elder Mulder, we were both born in Łódź, and he is now going to Kielce

Letter from the Stuckis

Can someone tell the Stuckis that I got their letter and thanks so much? I forgot to write down their email in my planner! I am sending a letter to them!

4th Transfer in Wonderland

Dzień dobry, Rodzina!! Jak się macie? I am happy to report that I am staying in Kraków and Siostra Bąk is my new companion. She is in her last transfer (in missionary terms, this means I get to "kill" her), I just love her spirit. Exciting, no?

Also, my MTC companions, Siostry Sloan i Larcade have made it to Poland! Our entire district is here now! Words cannot express the joy I feel of having our district whole again. I know that each one of us has a refiner's fire. These last six months have been mine, but I am so glad for it! I know that our trials are meant to build us, and that Heavenly Father knows best. Always! I know if we just pull through our trials, hard transfers, addictions, strained relationships, distractions, whatever they may be, Heavenly Father will bless us tenfold. I have seen this miracle for myself. I have made sacrifices, and I know that I can do hard things. We can to hard things. He who has suffered for us all knows our hearts. My trials have built not bitterness in my heart, but love. I have love and a desire to be the person G-d wants me to be. I don't fully know who she is yet, but she is a better person than I can ever hope to be, and that is only possible though our brother, Jesus Christ. I love my mission!

I love you!!

Do widzenia!

Siostra Herrera

Re: Transfer calls next week!

I almost forgot! If I move cities, I will email on Tuesday.

On Mon, Aug 17, 2015 at 3:38 PM, Cindy Herrera <cindy.herrera@myldsmail.net> wrote:

I have seen  how much my heart has been given to God. I just feel it, I feel a yearning and a desire to do what He wants me to do. Before my mission, I was maybe slightly influenced, consciously, by what my Father in Heaven wanted me to do with my life. Though He may have been unknowingly guiding me, I still felt like it was my life, my decisions.

Well that has changed in me a lot as I don't want my life to be for me anymore. I really want my life to be for Him, for my G-d. I have found so much peace and happiness as I have put my wants second and His wants first. I mean, just so much peace! Sorry, there is a fly flying around and bothering me. Okay, yes, peace.

I don't think I really understood what it meant to consecrate my life, to really be a member of the Church. In a way, I made some of my covenants sort of innocently, unknowingly. I mean, I had a knowledge when I made them, but now I understand them more completely. And I have really come to learn that those covenants mean so much more than I ever thought. Those covenants mean everything. God means everything to me now.

I just want to live my life so that I can continue to be His tool, so that I can continue to let Him work through me no matter what that call may be. I just know that if I do that, then I will become a better person than I ever expected, and I will do more good than I could ever know. So I think that is the biggest change I have seen inside myself. My desire to continue to do His will the rest of my life. And the ability to recognize and follow that will.

Another thing I have learned is that that will is different for everyone. Yes, some things are the same for all of us. Christ has laid that out clearly to us in His Gospel. But all of the details are individual, the Gospel is for everyone individually. I have learned so much about that. We are individuals with individual talents and strengths.

I think also, this sense of consecration and this strengthening with my Father in Heaven has caused me to also chill out. I just feel less stressed. I have really learned that the things which I don't need to control, I don't need to control! I can just trust in G-d. The only choice I need to make, is to trust Him. I can feel it in my heart, too, when I am trusting Him. There is always a very prevalent peace that comes when my heart is trusting Him. Some days I do better than others, but that is okay, because improvement is a part of this Gospel.

I just feel like my eyes have been even more opened, and I know they will continue to be for the rest of my life. It's just so cool, though. My mission has cultivated within me a yearning to learn more, to search for truth and to understand my Father and the things of God better. I really feel like the path in front of me is as long as ever, but I can see it clearer now. Maybe not the details clearer, but the direction of the path is clearer. I have no idea what the future holds, but I have learned how to handle the fact that I have a future.

Man, missions are the best.  The Gospel is great. I love being a missionary.  I love sharing this happiness with others, no matter what form that may be. I love it, I love all of it! And I know that that love comes from God because all that is good comes from God. All that is not good, God allows to happen, yes. He allows it to happen. But if we learn of Him and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we can also learn why he allows it to happen. We just have to search and ask and pray and search some more!

Well, I love you all. Keep smiling and keep praying. Praying helps you keep smiling. I have a definite testimony of that!

Transfer calls next week!

I have seen  how much my heart has been given to God. I just feel it, I feel a yearning and a desire to do what He wants me to do. Before my mission, I was maybe slightly influenced, consciously, by what my Father in Heaven wanted me to do with my life. Though He may have been unknowingly guiding me, I still felt like it was my life, my decisions.

Well that has changed in me a lot as I don't want my life to be for me anymore. I really want my life to be for Him, for my G-d. I have found so much peace and happiness as I have put my wants second and His wants first. I mean, just so much peace! Sorry, there is a fly flying around and bothering me. Okay, yes, peace.

I don't think I really understood what it meant to consecrate my life, to really be a member of the Church. In a way, I made some of my covenants sort of innocently, unknowingly. I mean, I had a knowledge when I made them, but now I understand them more completely. And I have really come to learn that those covenants mean so much more than I ever thought. Those covenants mean everything. God means everything to me now.

I just want to live my life so that I can continue to be His tool, so that I can continue to let Him work through me no matter what that call may be. I just know that if I do that, then I will become a better person than I ever expected, and I will do more good than I could ever know. So I think that is the biggest change I have seen inside myself. My desire to continue to do His will the rest of my life. And the ability to recognize and follow that will.

Another thing I have learned is that that will is different for everyone. Yes, some things are the same for all of us. Christ has laid that out clearly to us in His Gospel. But all of the details are individual, the Gospel is for everyone individually. I have learned so much about that. We are individuals with individual talents and strengths.

I think also, this sense of consecration and this strengthening with my Father in Heaven has caused me to also chill out. I just feel less stressed. I have really learned that the things which I don't need to control, I don't need to control! I can just trust in G-d. The only choice I need to make, is to trust Him. I can feel it in my heart, too, when I am trusting Him. There is always a very prevalent peace that comes when my heart is trusting Him. Some days I do better than others, but that is okay, because improvement is a part of this Gospel.

I just feel like my eyes have been even more opened, and I know they will continue to be for the rest of my life. It's just so cool, though. My mission has cultivated within me a yearning to learn more, to search for truth and to understand my Father and the things of God better. I really feel like the path in front of me is as long as ever, but I can see it clearer now. Maybe not the details clearer, but the direction of the path is clearer. I have no idea what the future holds, but I have learned how to handle the fact that I have a future.

Man, missions are the best.  The Gospel is great. I love being a missionary.  I love sharing this happiness with others, no matter what form that may be. I love it, I love all of it! And I know that that love comes from God because all that is good comes from God. All that is not good, God allows to happen, yes. He allows it to happen. But if we learn of Him and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we can also learn why he allows it to happen. We just have to search and ask and pray and search some more!

Well, I love you all. Keep smiling and keep praying. Praying helps you keep smiling. I have a definite testimony of that!

Guess who learned how to ride a bike...

in a pencil skirt and on cobblestone! That is what our district did for Culture Night, today, we went to Zakopane, Tatra National Park and crossed the border into Slovakia! Don't worry, we had permission!

We do service every week at a Catholic soup kitchen and it is really awesome!

I've run out of time, so sorry! I will write more next week!

All my love,

Siostra Herrera

"Nie bój się, tylko wierz!"

Hey everyone!

What a great week it's been! We have been able to teach 3 less-active lessons this week, and one of our recent converts, Sylwia brought her mother to Open House and she helped us teach her mother about the Plan of Salvation. We were missing the Daltons this week because they went to the YSA conference in Romania, but it sounds like everyone who went had a great time and made new friends! We are currently working with President Kucia and Brat Tudor-Hart on working better with our members, I am so grateful for the dedication that the Kraków branch has, the Open House was a success!

Siostra Herrera