MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!

My dearest friends and family,

I hope you're all enjoying the holidays. This is my last pday before Christmas...WESOŁYCH ŚWIĄT BOŻEGO NARODZENIA!!!! I love you all and am certainly thinking of you, particularly during this time of year. And family, I can't wait to talk to you on WEDNESDAY!! I wish I could see your faces, but hearing your voices will be the next best thing! TALK to you soon!

Sister Wendel and I had a great (short) week since Monday. It's been fun to learn from her and get some new ideas as to how I'd like to do things and what kind of a missionary I want to be... she's a wonderful leader and I'm enjoying working with her! We're excited for the Christmas festivities this week, such as Zone Conference on Christmas Eve, dinner in the Jarosz' home, time with the missionaries, and calls to the family. Good time to be in Warsaw!

This past week, one of the sisters in our mission had to return home for medical reasons. I've thought a lot about that, and it's made me value my time here even more. I love being a missionary for the true Church! I really do love Poland. I love the people I'm working with. I feel strongly that I'm supposed to be here and I wouldn't trade this time for anything.

On Thursday evening, we had dinner at the Edgrens' for Sister Packard's last night in Poland! We ate some great food, sang songs (Pres. made me perform!), and raved about how much we love Sister Packard. She and I will be on the BYU intramural flag football field together in no time. :) She's the best.

                                                       (The one and only Sister Packard)

Last night we had "culture night" -- our once per transfer evening "out on the town." This time we met several missionaries for dinner at the big Żłoty Terasa mall, then put our game faces on for some GO-KARTING! It was really fun. My arms are extremely sore today from gripping that steering wheel so tight. You know me... "I whanna whin!" (Nacho Libre reference.)

                                         (Sister Pearson, myself, Sister Mikalouski, Sister Wendel)

I've been learning some neat things in my personal study recently. As I've read the Book of Mormon and thought about my own life and the lives of these people I'm serving, I've learned about the role of opposition in our lives, as well as the role of hope. Without opposition, we can't progress. We can't fully recognize the need for our Savior's Atonement, and we aren't forced to rely on Him for help. I'm so grateful for the things that are hard for me. Really, I am. I'm grateful that I have the chance to become better every day and to grow closer to Jesus Christ and to my Father in Heaven. I'm thankful that He trusts me to overcome the trials I'm given, and that His Gospel provides me with guidance and with hope. In President Monson's talk this last General Conference, he quoted a poem by Douglas Malloch that's been an answer to my prayers and has become a favorite of mine:

"Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.

The more the storm, the more the strength. 

By sun and cold, by rain and snow, 

In trees and men good timbers grow."

Thank you so much for helping me to become better! I love you all and am thankful for your help and love and examples.

I hope you all have a very very merry Christmas and enjoy all that you're doing. Please send some pics of the festivities my way! Thanks again for all your support and love!! My next pday will be Tuesday (I think it's the last one that's on a weird day, then back to Mondays), so I'll talk with you then. KOCHAM WAS!!

xoxo,

Siostra Tobler

PS. Merry Christmas to my ladies on missions: Sisters Bastian, Boseman, Baxter, Coleman, Marks, Higgins, Christensen, Slade.... love you all!