Still loving Krakow (and a TON of pictures!)

Dear Family,

I have been in Krakow for about 6 months now.  It's rare to be in an area in our mission for that long.  And I just found out that I get to stay in Krakow for another 9 week transfer! That will be 8 months here.  I'm super excited about it!  And when President Edgren told me that Elder Hon will be staying with me, I literally jumped up and down because I was so happy :)  He's a really great companion!  He will continue to be a district leader and I am now a zone leader.  I'll get to go to Warsaw next week for a missionary council (aka Jedi Council) where the zone leaders all meet with Yoda (well, President Edgren :) ) .  Elder Hubbard is a zone leader,  also, so I'll get to see him there!

It will be great to stay in Krakow with the people that I love so much.  Just one month ago, Marcin was baptized.  And this Friday, Marcin will be the one to baptize Romek!  That is just amazing.  

That's super fun that you got to meet the Jensens and Aleks! They are so awesome.  Aleks helped me SOOO much with my Polish and the Jensens are just wonderful.

Here are many pictures from the past few weeks:

Pawlik's Cobra Factory -- We went there again on a P-Day

Elder Dodge joined our companionship -- a trio!

Elaine S. Dalton came to Poland to speak at the Eastern Europe Young Single Adult Conference.  She & her husband wanted to spend time in Krakow and we met up with them and the Edgrens in the Rynek.  She is super nice!

Marcin with a new haircut!

Branch Luau -- During the Spiritual Thought

We bought some Hawaiian shirts at a thrift store for the Luau
Romek is the one on the far right;
he is the one getting baptized this Friday.

Everyone else did the hula while I played the ukulele

We made a Title of Liberty and wrote the things that would 
motivate us to want to stand up for what is right. 

Biking in the rain -- a total blast!!!

We got caught in a storm while riding bikes across the city and just kept riding 
and riding because it was so much fun!! :) 

 and we rode on bumpy fields which reminded me of riding my bike 
in our yard in Fieldbrook when I was growing up :) 

    Elder Vernon came back to Poland with his family post-mission.  

It was so great to see him!

Elder Vernon's family (& you've already met them, mom :) ) 

We offered "free paintings" at our street display.  The Polish people were not interested for some reason, but the Chinese tourists were!  :)

We went up to the Ogrodzieniec castle to play capture the flag during our Zone Conference for P-day (click to see it bigger)

Me at the castle ruins  

Capture the Flag -- Our companionship

Our District

Kielce, Kraków, and Katowice Districts at the ruins

P.S. While in Utah, our family went to visit the Jensens, who were in Krakow with Drake for 4 months, as well as Aleksandra (who is from Poland), who served a mini-mission in Krakow for 3 months.  They loved James so much that they wanted to keep him!