Polish members undaunted by distance
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WARSAW, Poland — More than 50 members of the Church boarded the train from Warsaw to Dresden on Dec. 13, making this the largest group of Polish members to attend the Freiberg Germany Temple.
The journey began in northeastern Poland where members of the Bialystok Branch boarded the train shortly after work. They were soon joined by Bartek Zak, a young man from the only member family in the town of Pulawy.
More members boarded as the train stopped in Lodz, Ostrow and Wroclaw on its way to Germany. Sitting in the open compartments of second class, members renewed friendships and spent the night conversing.
"Many people told me that when we are just about to go the House of the Lord, Satan strives to disturb in many ways," said Karol Zaluski, who joined the train in Warsaw, "They were right. I had a very bad time a week before the trip. It seemed all was going wrong. It was hard and I prayed a lot. Two days before the trip everything changed and I was overcome by great, warm feelings."
Before dawn, members boarded a bus at the Polish border town of Zgorzelec. Some 16 hours after beginning their journey, they arrived in Freiberg. Anticipation grew as the bus wound its way through the narrow streets, following signs marking the way to the temple.
For many, this was their first trip. "I could not wait to get there," said Brother Zaluski. "It was my first time to the temple and I brought names of my family, including the name of my mother. I prayed to be ready to do the work for them."
"The temple is truly a place where you can experience the presence of God," said Joanna Seif, who was among those who received their endowments that morning. "The peacefulness, purity and love emanating from that place and from the people who work there overwhelmed me and my heart."
Others in the group began that morning by being baptized for the dead. "Each time I was submerged, I felt a growing peace. I knew I was in the right place," continued Brother Zaluski.
"Some time later I had the chance to see one of the sisters be baptized in behalf of my mother. I had been waiting a very long time for that moment. I could feel she was grateful for what had been done, and for my membership. It was one of the most fantastic moments of my life. Being the only member of the Church in my family, I felt something had changed, that I was not alone any more, and in the future, we would be together."
Temple workers accommodated the desires of the group by working longer that day to give everyone a chance to participate in all the ordinances. Everyone was pleased. Members spoke of special feelings they experienced as a result of serving in the House of the Lord.
"Being there I made a promise to always be worthy to enter the House of God," said Roksana Maslyk from Wroclaw.
At the end of the day, members gathered to return home. When they reached the Polish border, they noticed how the temple had changed them. They eagerly spoke of their experiences and feelings.
"I received many wonderful and unexpected blessings from the Lord," said Sister Seif. "After returning to Poland I see how all the blessings start to grow."
After spending the evening in a hostel, they took the morning train to Wroclaw where temple participants joined the branch in a special testimony meeting. The small facilities required that many stand, which they willingly did. The meeting lasted longer than scheduled and was interrupted only by the need to catch the next train.
Members traveled the remainder of the day with the last one arriving home at 10 a.m. the following morning.
"My faith grew and now I am waiting for the next time," said Marcin Kmita.
