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| Sis. Knutson and Sis. Jackson |
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| Sis. John and Sis. Knutson |
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| Our Root Beer Tower - So Proud! |
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| Elder Wiley - Being himself |
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| Sis. John - also being herself. |
Monday, November 30, 2015
Thanksgiving Pictures
Ein Erretter ist Geboren
Sierra sent some pictures from her Thanksgiving. I will put them in a separate posting.
Okay. If you haven't watched the Christmas video from the church for this year, GO WATCH IT. It is absolutely amazing. All the missionaries are super excited because as of yesterday, we get to start using the video and the cards in our proselyting efforts!!! It's super cool. I'm really excited.
Yesterday, I got to spend some time playing with three little girls in our ward. They're the daughters of the old GML (Gemeindemissionsleiter - Ward Mission Leader) and the oldest is Maria Agnes and she is 5 years old and her best friend is Emily and she is excited to get to play with her tomorrow. She and her sisters are adorable. And we spent about 15 minutes sitting in the missionary office (which we lovingly refer to as the Fishbowl because there is a wall made of windows where all the ward members can look in and see how clean (or messy) the missionaries are and whether we're actually working right not. We work. So much. But we try not to do it there because missionary work is not office work.) passing a ball back and forth and in a circle between three of us. The youngest wandered off at one point after helping me clean up a stack of pamphlets. She was super adorable, because she's about 1 1/2 - 2 years old, but she had to make sure the stack was perfect and that all the right pamphlets were together in the right places. Then we talked about how Mary was the Mama of Jesus because she started pulling the Joy to the World DVDs off the shelf and giving them to me. Then her sisters came in and started playing ball and she didn't want to, so she wandered off and found her mom. Those little girls made my day. They taught me how to play Peek-a-boo auf Deutsch (you say Cuckoo instead of peek-a-boo), and they were super cute, and thought it was really funny when I would ask them the name of something in German. It was so great. I love them a ton.
It's snowed a few times. It's always been less than an inch and then it melts and just leaves everything wet and sad. Supposedly there is actually a lot of snow out in the world around Nürnberg, but that's outside of where we live and actually go. So for us it's mostly just a ton of rain. Like today. Everything is wet and there are rivers running down all the sidewalks. And we're going back to Rothenburg for Weihnachtsmarkts today. Yay! It's going to be so much fun! *She said with absolutely no sarcasm whatsoever* Really, it will be a ton of fun because a ton of missionaries from our district are going to be there and we're going to walk around together and talk and I'm going to go buy a letter opener and life will be good. Elder Wiley and I will geek out together and Sis. Jackson will join us. Sis. Peterson and I will have a deep conversation about Percy Jackson, and then we're all going to write The Hitchhiker's Guide to Having A Nerdy Companion. Because Elder Morris (Elder Wiley's companion) and Sis. Knutson just don't get it so I offered to write a guide to all the things we talk about. The title was actually Sis. Knutson's idea, so that's fantastic. She is nerdy, but in a computer science way. She really enjoys programming and learning and giving people the Myer-Biggs Personality Test. She is one of a kind, and she is amazing.
We talked to the Bishop and his wife. Mostly his wife because she's English and speaks English so that makes it really easy. She's also the Young Women's president, which is why we talked to her since Zeynep is starting Personal Progress. If she really gets into it, we're going to see if she can get called as Young Women's secretary to help keep her involved, and help her to get to know ,ore of the ward. She loves the missionaries, and we love her! But she needs to know that if something happens and she can't live at home anymore, or something bad happens and her family isn't there to support her, the ward is. Because they will be. She just doesn't know that yet. But she will. Starting next week we're going to start having dinner with families in the ward eve week and Zeynep is going to come with us. Because she mentioned she wants to serve a mission so it's going to be "training." But it's actually to help her get to know the ward and feel more comfortable with the members. I have faith.
Speaking of the ward, there is this fantastic lady named Sis. Kreuzmair. She is the Family History consultant, and she loves her job. She also has a super strong testimony. We asked to come to a lesson with Elena, our favorite no-longer-atheist. Sis. Kreuzmair was super bold and was really great about telling Elena that the reason she wasn't getting answers was because she wasn't open to the answers God was giving her. She also testified super strongly about how you need to be baptized so you can feel the Holy Ghost all the time. We were afraid that she might have offended Elena, but it was actually really good. Elena is just the kind of person who needs someone to tell her and not take no for an answer. And Sis. Kreuzmair was the person. I'm really excited for our next lesson with her. Overall, this week wasn't super eventful. A lot of our lessons fell out, and it was kind of frustrating, but it's okay. This week will be better. We have some new goals set, and lots of good things planned. We have a lesson every day this week! It's going to be so good!
I love you all, and I really hope that you're having an amazing day. I would encourage you all to watch the Christmas video, and to think of how the knowledge of our Savior has changed your life. Because starting on Sept. 16 of this year, that's what I get to do every day. I get to go and tell people all about how He has changed my life and made it better. And the answer is that there isn't a way He hasn't made my life better. I know that when I make a mistake, I can repent and do better. I know that because He died for all of us and was then resurrected, that I can be resurrected and live with my family again. And because He was born, we get to share this incredible message with the world and help them to know and develop a relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ. I think that's pretty darn cool. I love you. And I really truly hope that as we all go into this Christmas season, that we can feel the love that our Savior has for each and every one of us.
Have a great day, and a fantastic week!
Love Always,
Sis. John
Okay. If you haven't watched the Christmas video from the church for this year, GO WATCH IT. It is absolutely amazing. All the missionaries are super excited because as of yesterday, we get to start using the video and the cards in our proselyting efforts!!! It's super cool. I'm really excited.
Yesterday, I got to spend some time playing with three little girls in our ward. They're the daughters of the old GML (Gemeindemissionsleiter - Ward Mission Leader) and the oldest is Maria Agnes and she is 5 years old and her best friend is Emily and she is excited to get to play with her tomorrow. She and her sisters are adorable. And we spent about 15 minutes sitting in the missionary office (which we lovingly refer to as the Fishbowl because there is a wall made of windows where all the ward members can look in and see how clean (or messy) the missionaries are and whether we're actually working right not. We work. So much. But we try not to do it there because missionary work is not office work.) passing a ball back and forth and in a circle between three of us. The youngest wandered off at one point after helping me clean up a stack of pamphlets. She was super adorable, because she's about 1 1/2 - 2 years old, but she had to make sure the stack was perfect and that all the right pamphlets were together in the right places. Then we talked about how Mary was the Mama of Jesus because she started pulling the Joy to the World DVDs off the shelf and giving them to me. Then her sisters came in and started playing ball and she didn't want to, so she wandered off and found her mom. Those little girls made my day. They taught me how to play Peek-a-boo auf Deutsch (you say Cuckoo instead of peek-a-boo), and they were super cute, and thought it was really funny when I would ask them the name of something in German. It was so great. I love them a ton.
It's snowed a few times. It's always been less than an inch and then it melts and just leaves everything wet and sad. Supposedly there is actually a lot of snow out in the world around Nürnberg, but that's outside of where we live and actually go. So for us it's mostly just a ton of rain. Like today. Everything is wet and there are rivers running down all the sidewalks. And we're going back to Rothenburg for Weihnachtsmarkts today. Yay! It's going to be so much fun! *She said with absolutely no sarcasm whatsoever* Really, it will be a ton of fun because a ton of missionaries from our district are going to be there and we're going to walk around together and talk and I'm going to go buy a letter opener and life will be good. Elder Wiley and I will geek out together and Sis. Jackson will join us. Sis. Peterson and I will have a deep conversation about Percy Jackson, and then we're all going to write The Hitchhiker's Guide to Having A Nerdy Companion. Because Elder Morris (Elder Wiley's companion) and Sis. Knutson just don't get it so I offered to write a guide to all the things we talk about. The title was actually Sis. Knutson's idea, so that's fantastic. She is nerdy, but in a computer science way. She really enjoys programming and learning and giving people the Myer-Biggs Personality Test. She is one of a kind, and she is amazing.
We talked to the Bishop and his wife. Mostly his wife because she's English and speaks English so that makes it really easy. She's also the Young Women's president, which is why we talked to her since Zeynep is starting Personal Progress. If she really gets into it, we're going to see if she can get called as Young Women's secretary to help keep her involved, and help her to get to know ,ore of the ward. She loves the missionaries, and we love her! But she needs to know that if something happens and she can't live at home anymore, or something bad happens and her family isn't there to support her, the ward is. Because they will be. She just doesn't know that yet. But she will. Starting next week we're going to start having dinner with families in the ward eve week and Zeynep is going to come with us. Because she mentioned she wants to serve a mission so it's going to be "training." But it's actually to help her get to know the ward and feel more comfortable with the members. I have faith.
Speaking of the ward, there is this fantastic lady named Sis. Kreuzmair. She is the Family History consultant, and she loves her job. She also has a super strong testimony. We asked to come to a lesson with Elena, our favorite no-longer-atheist. Sis. Kreuzmair was super bold and was really great about telling Elena that the reason she wasn't getting answers was because she wasn't open to the answers God was giving her. She also testified super strongly about how you need to be baptized so you can feel the Holy Ghost all the time. We were afraid that she might have offended Elena, but it was actually really good. Elena is just the kind of person who needs someone to tell her and not take no for an answer. And Sis. Kreuzmair was the person. I'm really excited for our next lesson with her. Overall, this week wasn't super eventful. A lot of our lessons fell out, and it was kind of frustrating, but it's okay. This week will be better. We have some new goals set, and lots of good things planned. We have a lesson every day this week! It's going to be so good!
I love you all, and I really hope that you're having an amazing day. I would encourage you all to watch the Christmas video, and to think of how the knowledge of our Savior has changed your life. Because starting on Sept. 16 of this year, that's what I get to do every day. I get to go and tell people all about how He has changed my life and made it better. And the answer is that there isn't a way He hasn't made my life better. I know that when I make a mistake, I can repent and do better. I know that because He died for all of us and was then resurrected, that I can be resurrected and live with my family again. And because He was born, we get to share this incredible message with the world and help them to know and develop a relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ. I think that's pretty darn cool. I love you. And I really truly hope that as we all go into this Christmas season, that we can feel the love that our Savior has for each and every one of us.
Have a great day, and a fantastic week!
Love Always,
Sis. John
Monday, November 23, 2015
A Month in Gerrmany and It's Still Not Christmas!
Mom's note: She is asking for recipes, so feel free to email her recipes. I will send the biscuit recipe. Who knows, she might even be able to get lard in Germany. Oh, she sent her mission address last week for any packages or special letters. I will add it into the blog.
Speaking of winter clothing, please do not send me Ellie's coat. I have a coat now and I like it very much. It has a nice, warm hood and lots of pockets. It's fantastic and long(ish) and warm and I like it very much. It was also less than €80, so that was even better. Okay, so this week we invited one of our investigators to be baptized on the 26th. She told us she would pray about it and get back to us after church on Sunday. Well, we talked to her after church and it basically turned into the three of us (Sis. Knutson, our investigator, and I) all crying. Our investigator is so nice and so good and has such a strong testimony. And she wants nothing more than to be baptized. But her family and home situation sucks. There is no other way to explain it. So for the time being, she can't be baptized. Not yet. But because she isn't baptized, she feels like she isn't worthy
to come participate in church. When someone asks if she will give the opening prayer in Relief Society, she says no because she feels like she shouldn't just because she isn't baptized. Which is crazy! She has a stronger testimony than most people I've met in Utah! Which, sorry friends, but it is true. If you could meet this girl, you would understand. And maybe you will. Because she wants to serve a mission after she's baptized. Can you believe that??? She is incredible. And even though her family situation is not good, and she doesn't know what to do, she KNOWS that God has a plan for her, and her family. And
she knows that He is watching out for her and that everything is happening for a reason because it is part of His plan. That's how strong her faith is. That's how amazing she is.
But, she has a hard time believing that she is that amazing and that she really is a beautiful daughter of God full of divine potential. So, Sis. Knutson and I are going to start working through the Personal Progress Program with her. Which is great, because Sis. Knutson never earned her medallion, and I always wanted to earn my Honor Bee. I know
I really can't now, but it will be fun to do again. Especially since we'll still be focusing on Preach My Gospel and the lessons there. But I just know that she'll love it. I'm so excited for her.
to come participate in church. When someone asks if she will give the opening prayer in Relief Society, she says no because she feels like she shouldn't just because she isn't baptized. Which is crazy! She has a stronger testimony than most people I've met in Utah! Which, sorry friends, but it is true. If you could meet this girl, you would understand. And maybe you will. Because she wants to serve a mission after she's baptized. Can you believe that??? She is incredible. And even though her family situation is not good, and she doesn't know what to do, she KNOWS that God has a plan for her, and her family. And
she knows that He is watching out for her and that everything is happening for a reason because it is part of His plan. That's how strong her faith is. That's how amazing she is.
But, she has a hard time believing that she is that amazing and that she really is a beautiful daughter of God full of divine potential. So, Sis. Knutson and I are going to start working through the Personal Progress Program with her. Which is great, because Sis. Knutson never earned her medallion, and I always wanted to earn my Honor Bee. I know
I really can't now, but it will be fun to do again. Especially since we'll still be focusing on Preach My Gospel and the lessons there. But I just know that she'll love it. I'm so excited for her.
Along with the Personal Progress, I was wondering if maybe you could get the ribbons for it and then send them to me? Zeynep is the kind of person who really likes those sorts of things, so it would mean a ton to her if she could get a ribbon every time she finishes a value. If not, it's fine. We could get them over here, but since the temple is closed, the temple store is closed. So that makes it hard to get a lot of things. Like scripture cases and paper scriptures (auf Deutsch) and all that stuff. It's possible. Just a little bit slower than I would like. But that's just because I'm impatient, so that's not new.
Sis. Knutson has a flash drive with tons of music on it that we play all the time because we can plug it into the DVD player we use to watch the church DVDs we use for lessons and comp. study. There's this one song that we have been listening to like, 20 times a day. It's so good. And I want to write a guard show to it. Seriously, I have uniforms picked out, and a spot for the flag feature and props and dance features. It's crazy. But it's great. Sis. Knutson keeps laughing at me every time I talk about it, but it's fine. It's good to get it out. Plus, I might be leading a youth activity regarding color guard for the young women here when it gets a warm again. It will probably just be a dance thing because we don't have flags or anything (you cannot send my rifle, Dad), but it will be good.
I've started stretching every day in an attempt to try and keep my flexibility. Also, Sis. Knutson really likes running. I do not. It is literally my least favorite form of exercise. But, we go running in the mornings. It's easier because we run to the river (because there's a river that runs through the middle of the city. That's a thing) and then run around the park there. It's really pretty, and not too far. So it works out. I still don't like running, but it's good for me. And with all the chocolate we've been eating, it's necessary.
Hey Mom, can I have your recipe for biscuits? There's a less-active couple we've been teaching and Brother Foster mentioned last time that he couldn't find any self-rising flour to make really fluffy biscuits for biscuits and gravy. So I told him I'd ask for your recipe and then try it out and maybe bring some to Thanksgiving. So yeah. I would super appreciate it.
Hey Mom, can I have your recipe for biscuits? There's a less-active couple we've been teaching and Brother Foster mentioned last time that he couldn't find any self-rising flour to make really fluffy biscuits for biscuits and gravy. So I told him I'd ask for your recipe and then try it out and maybe bring some to Thanksgiving. So yeah. I would super appreciate it.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we already have two appointments for that day. One with the the Fosters for a lunch, and then dinner with the Young Adults and investigators at the church. I am so excited. But I don't know what to make because we are supposed to bring a side dish or dessert to share. Ideas? If you have any ideas on what I should make, I'd love to hear it. I'd also like a recipe to go with it. I've realized that I can cook and do stuff and alter recipes. But I need a recipe to start with. So yeah. Please feel free to send me some
recipes. Please. Elder Taylor and I are having a competition to see who can cook better and I can't let a 19 year old punk show me up. Even if he is Zone Leader. I have to prove that even though I can't speak to people, I can do some useful things. So please send me some recipes.
recipes. Please. Elder Taylor and I are having a competition to see who can cook better and I can't let a 19 year old punk show me up. Even if he is Zone Leader. I have to prove that even though I can't speak to people, I can do some useful things. So please send me some recipes.
I'm planning on actually sending some pictures today. If I remember to use the computer/have a chance to before we leave. I took a few from our trip to Rothenburg the other day. It was so cool!
We went to a museum that was all about medieval torture. To be honest, I did not like it. The entire place felt off and it made me feel actually sick. Then they had a real Iron Maiden and that was the creepiest thing I have ever seen in my life. Like, twisting limbs off and crushing fingers wasn't bad enough, here's a glorified box of sadness, murder, and evil! That part was not good. Thankfully, we finished walking through shortly thereafter and left. After that, the trip got a lot of fun. We walked through a bunch of different shops. Rothenburg has a lot of tourist shops, but it also has a lot of super cool specialty shops. Like a four story Christmas shop. We didn't have time to go through that one, but we're going back in a few weeks. One shop we did get to go through was this super cool
medieval shop. They sell swords, have a Sword in the Stone, and are super cool! There was even a dungeon with a display of knights playing dice games. It was so cool. I'm going to go buy a letter opener next time that looks like Robin Hood's sword. I would buy the sword, but it's too big to fit in my suitcase. It's fine. I'll just get the letter opener. And possibly a pocket knife. Almost definitely a pocket knife. I haven't had one for almost 3 months now and I don't feel right without one. Good thing Swiss Army knives are literally
EVERYWHERE here. And now they're tons cheaper. It's fantastic. So, this is super long. But it's fine. This week has been really good. It's finally cold and that makes me kind of sad, but that also means that Christmas is coming and it's going to be so good! We got to watch
the Christmas Initiative video from the church this year at Zone Training. I am so excited for you to see it. November 29! It's coming!
I love you all, and I hope you're having an awesome week. It has been so cool to see how he Gospel helps the people we teach. Whether it's by providing comfort through the knowledge that everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan for us, or by helping us making better choices, or just knowing that God is there and He really does
care. It's so cool to see these people come to realize that the things that we teach are true and then see how that changes their lives for the better. It's so great. I love it, and I love the people we teach. I also love Germany, which is pretty good considering I'm stuck here for a little bit. ;)
I love you! Please have a fantastic day and an even better week!
Love,
Sis. John
Love,
Sis. John
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Just a Quick Note from Mom
Sierra sends things in bits and pieces, so this picture came through after the letter. Those who know her will totally understand the expression, for those who don't quite understand, that is a Kinder Egg she is holding. Chocolate, toy, totally unavailable in the U.S., - what's not to be excited about?
Monday, November 16, 2015
The Weekly Norm is.... Miracles, Apparently
This week I learned that what Sis. Knuston and I have been doing is miraculous. I just thought it was normal. We had our weekly call-ins with our District Leader last night and we talked about our goals and our numbers this week in comparison with our goals. Elder Hatch (the District Leader) said that he is super impressed with what we've been
able to accomplish amd how many people we've been able to teach in the last 3 weeks. He and Sis. Knuston agreed that it has been miraculous. So..... Now I'm left wondering what a regular week looks like? Because we've had a lot of days where we only teach one lesson a day. And that doesn't look like success to me. But, apparently it is for his area.
So yeah. That's been a thing.
Speaking of miracles, here's something that isn't. We had Stake Conference this weekend and our investigator, Elena said that she would totally come with us. Then we called her the morning of to double check what time we would meet at the church and she said that she had changed her mind. Yeah. That sucked. But! We met Maxine, one
of our other investigators, on the train over to Erlangen where the meeting was! We hadn't even gotten a yes or a no from her on whether she was going or not, so it was super exciting! Then she kind of fell asleep during the first hour of the meeting.... But she paid attention for the rest of it after I woke her up. Sis. Knuston and I are really hoping that she got something out of that meeting. Hopefully.
It was a really good week. We got a surprise lesson with Gabriella and her mom that we weren't expecting. But it was so good, and Sis. Teleraru said that she would be really busy for the next little while as they're moving, but that we should call and she will do her best to find times for us to meet. It was so good, and I actually understood her this time! Last time we meet I'd only been here for a few days and it was really hard. Now it's still kind of hard, but tons easier than it was.
The rule at Sis. Knuston and I have come up with is that if they speak German and I can understand them, we know that German is not their first language. But it's alright. I talked to this cool guy from Italy the other day. He asked me where I was from and how long I'd been learning German. I told him I'd been learning it for just over 7 weeks and he was super impressed. Elder Taylor was actually able to give him a Book of Mormon because of that, so it was super neat.
Street displays are tons of fun. Also, chalking. Which is exactly what it sounds like. We go out, find a nice spot and then draw the Plan of Salvation or a question that we're focusing on asking, or whatever on the sidewalk in chalk. It's a lot of fun, and it gets a lot of people to stop and look at what you're doing. Then another missionary comes in and asks them if they've heard of the plan of happiness and then they're hooked. It's a lot of fun. It's just getting too cold to go
out and do it. Next week is supposed to be really cold, so I'm excited. Elder Keck and I had a conversation at the street display two days ago when Sis. Knuston and I had to go buy her some tights because she was freezing. I was fine, and so was Elder Keck. We had a great discussion about winter camp outs gone awry and how much we love layering. I've discovered I can wear socks underneath my tights, so that's super helpful.
All-in-all, it feels like we haven't done much this week. I know that we're working, but it really doesn't feel like work. It just feels like Visiting Teaching on steroids. Which really isn't that hard. The only hard thing has been trying to figure out how to get Zeynep baptized. But we're going to have a lesson on temples and how we can't go to the temple until after we're baptized. So hopefully that will help.
I love you! Each and every one of you! You are all amazing, wonderful people. Never forget that you are doing better than you think you are.Because you are doing wonderfully well. Don't forget that.
Love Always,
Sis. John
able to accomplish amd how many people we've been able to teach in the last 3 weeks. He and Sis. Knuston agreed that it has been miraculous. So..... Now I'm left wondering what a regular week looks like? Because we've had a lot of days where we only teach one lesson a day. And that doesn't look like success to me. But, apparently it is for his area.
So yeah. That's been a thing.
Speaking of miracles, here's something that isn't. We had Stake Conference this weekend and our investigator, Elena said that she would totally come with us. Then we called her the morning of to double check what time we would meet at the church and she said that she had changed her mind. Yeah. That sucked. But! We met Maxine, one
of our other investigators, on the train over to Erlangen where the meeting was! We hadn't even gotten a yes or a no from her on whether she was going or not, so it was super exciting! Then she kind of fell asleep during the first hour of the meeting.... But she paid attention for the rest of it after I woke her up. Sis. Knuston and I are really hoping that she got something out of that meeting. Hopefully.
It was a really good week. We got a surprise lesson with Gabriella and her mom that we weren't expecting. But it was so good, and Sis. Teleraru said that she would be really busy for the next little while as they're moving, but that we should call and she will do her best to find times for us to meet. It was so good, and I actually understood her this time! Last time we meet I'd only been here for a few days and it was really hard. Now it's still kind of hard, but tons easier than it was.
The rule at Sis. Knuston and I have come up with is that if they speak German and I can understand them, we know that German is not their first language. But it's alright. I talked to this cool guy from Italy the other day. He asked me where I was from and how long I'd been learning German. I told him I'd been learning it for just over 7 weeks and he was super impressed. Elder Taylor was actually able to give him a Book of Mormon because of that, so it was super neat.
Street displays are tons of fun. Also, chalking. Which is exactly what it sounds like. We go out, find a nice spot and then draw the Plan of Salvation or a question that we're focusing on asking, or whatever on the sidewalk in chalk. It's a lot of fun, and it gets a lot of people to stop and look at what you're doing. Then another missionary comes in and asks them if they've heard of the plan of happiness and then they're hooked. It's a lot of fun. It's just getting too cold to go
out and do it. Next week is supposed to be really cold, so I'm excited. Elder Keck and I had a conversation at the street display two days ago when Sis. Knuston and I had to go buy her some tights because she was freezing. I was fine, and so was Elder Keck. We had a great discussion about winter camp outs gone awry and how much we love layering. I've discovered I can wear socks underneath my tights, so that's super helpful.
All-in-all, it feels like we haven't done much this week. I know that we're working, but it really doesn't feel like work. It just feels like Visiting Teaching on steroids. Which really isn't that hard. The only hard thing has been trying to figure out how to get Zeynep baptized. But we're going to have a lesson on temples and how we can't go to the temple until after we're baptized. So hopefully that will help.
I love you! Each and every one of you! You are all amazing, wonderful people. Never forget that you are doing better than you think you are.Because you are doing wonderfully well. Don't forget that.
Love Always,
Sis. John
Monday, November 9, 2015
Still Alive! And Well! Ish!
Note to future missionaries: When writing to your mom, it really does not matter how many times you tell her not to panic, especially if it involves blood, she will anyway, so just get to the point - quickly! (I will admit she did a good job of telling the story however.)
Okay. So. Mom, do you remember that time when you made me promise not
to get hurt at the MTC? The good news is, I did not get hurt at the
MTC. Now stop panicking and just listen/keep reading because I can't
actually tell you with my voice to stop panicking.
I am fine. But, to "celebrate" being out of the MTC for a week, I
guess I decided to go and trip and then hurt myself. It's actually a
really funny story, and it has a good ending, so just bear with me for
a minute.
Last Wednesday, our Zone Leaders were stopping by our apartment to
drop off a box of Books of Mormon for us to give out. Now, we had a
pile of trash by our front door because we hadn't figured out where
the garbage bins were yet for our building. So the Elders show up, and
they klingeln (ring the doorbell/push the button that let's us know
they're here so we can open the door to let them into the building)
and then we realize that we have this pile of trash and we can't let
the Elders see it because that's super embarrassing. So I run over to
go and move the bags into the kitchen so they don't see it. As I'm
running, there is a small (like, less than 2 inches) step between our
study room/living room and the hallway to the front door and me, being
the klutz I am, basically kick it as I run to move our garbage bags.
It hurt. Quite a bit.
But I figured that I just stubbed my toe and decided that the garbage
wasn't important and then went and sat back down at my desk. A minute
later, I moved my foot and noticed that the floor was very slippery.
That's a bit unusual. So I looked down and there is my foot, covered
in blood, with a nice pool of blood surrounding it on the white tile
floor. Yep. It was lovely. So then I hobble to the bathroom, trying
not to get any more blood on the floor because I don't want to have to
clean it up once I've patched myself up. Then, of course the Elders
get to our door and knock. So I'm in the bathroom washing my bloody
foot and trying to figure out where all the blood came from int he
first place, and Sis. Knuston is talking to the Elders and laughing
and pointing out my pool of blood and the Elders are kind of worried
but then I poked my head out of the bathroom and was laughing because
the whole situation was just kind of absurd. It was great, and it was
actually really funny and there was a lot of laughter to be had by all
of us. Because, you know, that's how I deal. I laugh. And really it
was a funny situation and it would only happen to me. Anyways, to wrap
it up, I just cut my toe a bit and it decided to bleed an awful lot.
It's fine now, and I'm counting it as a mission miracle because it's
already healed and is perfectly fine. So yeah. That's the exciting
story of the week.
The rest of the week was really dull and mildly frustrating. We have
made 3 separate appointments with Gabriela and her mom and all of them
have fallen through. I think it's because we decided we wanted to
recommit her to baptism. But, part of why all the appointments have
fallen through is because they have a new apartment! So now Gabriela's
dad can live with them and we can finally meet him and he can realize
that Gabriela can be baptized and maybe he will want to be baptized
too by the time we're done and I am super excited. It's going to be so
good.
We're planning on asking Zeynep if we can meet with her family to talk
to them and maybe explain what baptism is and what it means to be
baptized in our church. I'm really hoping that goes well.
Today we're going to Rothenburg for P-Day, so I'm excited. Once
December hits we're going to ALL of the Weihnachtsmarkts we can for
all four P-Days in December and maybe for the last one in November
depending on when all of the markets get set up. It's going to be so
good. I'm really looking forward to finding something special for Sis.
Bakker because I know she really wanted to come to this area because
of all the Christmas markets. Also, I'm going to try and find you a
super nice nativity set, Mom. I know you have the crystal one and it's
amazing. I just figured that while I'll technically have two chances
to get a German nativity, I might as well do it now rather than later.
Also, Elder Smith was telling me how his mom's only request from all
of his siblings who have been on missions was that they bring back a
nativity from the country they served in. I just thought that was kind
of cool. But if you want something else, let me know and I'll look for
something else. I am going to send Ellie some chocolate. I just have
to figure which kinds to send first. I'm not allowed to send Kinder
Eggs out of the country so that's out. I'll figure something out.
Sorry this letter is kind of short, but it was a really slow week.
Almost all of our appointments fell out, and knocking on doors is
good, but it doesn't always work out the best. But it's okay, because
this next week is going to be so much better! We already have 5
appointments set up with less-active members and two potential
investigators, so it's going to be so good! I'm really excited!
That's it for this week. So have a fantastic day, an even better week,
and don't forget that you are a beloved child of God and He loves you!
I love you too, but that doesn't sound quite as cool as God loving
you. But both of those statements are true. That's pretty neat.
Love you!
Love Always,
Sis. John
Okay. So. Mom, do you remember that time when you made me promise not
to get hurt at the MTC? The good news is, I did not get hurt at the
MTC. Now stop panicking and just listen/keep reading because I can't
actually tell you with my voice to stop panicking.
I am fine. But, to "celebrate" being out of the MTC for a week, I
guess I decided to go and trip and then hurt myself. It's actually a
really funny story, and it has a good ending, so just bear with me for
a minute.
Last Wednesday, our Zone Leaders were stopping by our apartment to
drop off a box of Books of Mormon for us to give out. Now, we had a
pile of trash by our front door because we hadn't figured out where
the garbage bins were yet for our building. So the Elders show up, and
they klingeln (ring the doorbell/push the button that let's us know
they're here so we can open the door to let them into the building)
and then we realize that we have this pile of trash and we can't let
the Elders see it because that's super embarrassing. So I run over to
go and move the bags into the kitchen so they don't see it. As I'm
running, there is a small (like, less than 2 inches) step between our
study room/living room and the hallway to the front door and me, being
the klutz I am, basically kick it as I run to move our garbage bags.
It hurt. Quite a bit.
But I figured that I just stubbed my toe and decided that the garbage
wasn't important and then went and sat back down at my desk. A minute
later, I moved my foot and noticed that the floor was very slippery.
That's a bit unusual. So I looked down and there is my foot, covered
in blood, with a nice pool of blood surrounding it on the white tile
floor. Yep. It was lovely. So then I hobble to the bathroom, trying
not to get any more blood on the floor because I don't want to have to
clean it up once I've patched myself up. Then, of course the Elders
get to our door and knock. So I'm in the bathroom washing my bloody
foot and trying to figure out where all the blood came from int he
first place, and Sis. Knuston is talking to the Elders and laughing
and pointing out my pool of blood and the Elders are kind of worried
but then I poked my head out of the bathroom and was laughing because
the whole situation was just kind of absurd. It was great, and it was
actually really funny and there was a lot of laughter to be had by all
of us. Because, you know, that's how I deal. I laugh. And really it
was a funny situation and it would only happen to me. Anyways, to wrap
it up, I just cut my toe a bit and it decided to bleed an awful lot.
It's fine now, and I'm counting it as a mission miracle because it's
already healed and is perfectly fine. So yeah. That's the exciting
story of the week.
The rest of the week was really dull and mildly frustrating. We have
made 3 separate appointments with Gabriela and her mom and all of them
have fallen through. I think it's because we decided we wanted to
recommit her to baptism. But, part of why all the appointments have
fallen through is because they have a new apartment! So now Gabriela's
dad can live with them and we can finally meet him and he can realize
that Gabriela can be baptized and maybe he will want to be baptized
too by the time we're done and I am super excited. It's going to be so
good.
We're planning on asking Zeynep if we can meet with her family to talk
to them and maybe explain what baptism is and what it means to be
baptized in our church. I'm really hoping that goes well.
Today we're going to Rothenburg for P-Day, so I'm excited. Once
December hits we're going to ALL of the Weihnachtsmarkts we can for
all four P-Days in December and maybe for the last one in November
depending on when all of the markets get set up. It's going to be so
good. I'm really looking forward to finding something special for Sis.
Bakker because I know she really wanted to come to this area because
of all the Christmas markets. Also, I'm going to try and find you a
super nice nativity set, Mom. I know you have the crystal one and it's
amazing. I just figured that while I'll technically have two chances
to get a German nativity, I might as well do it now rather than later.
Also, Elder Smith was telling me how his mom's only request from all
of his siblings who have been on missions was that they bring back a
nativity from the country they served in. I just thought that was kind
of cool. But if you want something else, let me know and I'll look for
something else. I am going to send Ellie some chocolate. I just have
to figure which kinds to send first. I'm not allowed to send Kinder
Eggs out of the country so that's out. I'll figure something out.
Sorry this letter is kind of short, but it was a really slow week.
Almost all of our appointments fell out, and knocking on doors is
good, but it doesn't always work out the best. But it's okay, because
this next week is going to be so much better! We already have 5
appointments set up with less-active members and two potential
investigators, so it's going to be so good! I'm really excited!
That's it for this week. So have a fantastic day, an even better week,
and don't forget that you are a beloved child of God and He loves you!
I love you too, but that doesn't sound quite as cool as God loving
you. But both of those statements are true. That's pretty neat.
Love you!
Love Always,
Sis. John
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Welcome to Nürnberg!!!!
I'm in Germany!!!!! How cool is that??? It's actually not that
different so far. Just no mountains (I keep looking for them, but
they're not there. :( ), different food (I might have a problem with
bretzels (German pretzels that you buy on the street) but I'm not
taking the first step and admitting I have a problem because they are
way too good to give up), and TONS of people. But all in all, it's
really good, and I like it here.
Apparently, I did something right by not sleeping at all on the plane
ride over, because I have not had any jet lag. Elder Van Dam and I
couldn't sleep, so we just stayed up and talked to each other the
whole time. Which worked out, because I actually had two seats all to
myself. The seating on the planes was weird. I never once had a seat
next to my companion. But it's fine. It was a good trip. Just a really
long one. But I got to talk to Elder Van Dam for 4 hours straight so
it was fantastic. I also got to know Elder Fugal better. That was
interesting. He's an interesting person. We gave the guy sitting in
front of us on the way to Atlanta a pass-along card because we saw him
reading the Wikipedia page on our church. That was a weird
conversation.
Our first lesson in Germany was NOT learning how to contact people on
public transportation. It was actually a street display in Frankfurt.
At a place called the Fuss (foos). The actual name is the Fussgang
(foos-gah-ng), but everyone shortens it. It's just the city center. It
was kind of cool, kind of cold, and lots of intimidating. But after
about an hour and a half, it got a lot easier asking people if they
wanted a pass along card. Then asking if they wanted to talk about the
gospel. It's not easy, but it's easier.
We did a street display in Nürnberg on Saturday, and that was a lot of
fun. We actually had two investigators that we met there come to
church on Sunday, so that was fantastic. I also met one of her
investigators, and she is adorable! Her name is Zeynep, and she
brought us donuts. She's a dry Mormon. She wants to be baptized, but
can't because of reasons. It's fine. She's super cool, super amazing,
and has a super strong testimony which is most important.
Speaking of Sunday, that has been the biggest culture shock. The
Gospel is the same everywhere, but the way it's taught and talked
about is a little bit different. Sunday was fast and testimony
meeting, so everyone bore their testimonies and holy heck. They don't
even need me here. The members are fantastic. Seriously. Also, the
Bishop is interesting. He looks really big and intimidating, but he's
actually pretty nice. He invited Sis. Knutsen and I over for dinner on
Sunday, so we went there and kind of lost all our study time. But it
was great. His wife is super cool, and their daughters remind me of me
and Ellie. Which is bad. They don't get along right now. But they're
sweet, and Elisa (eh-leez-ah) is super funny and smart. We get along
really well.
Ah! So much to tell! My trainer is Sis. Knusten and she's super cool.
I'm her last two transfers though, so after she trains me she goes
back home to Salem, Utah. Which is sad. But these first three months
are going to be great. So far, we get along really well, and she's
always finding new food for me to try. Which is great, but also bad
because I already have a problem with street food. Like Döners
(duh-oo-nerz). Although it wasn't as good as Elder Clemente promised,
Sis. Knusten promised that it wasn't the best and that we'll find a
better one next time.
As far as investigators go, it's kind of weird because both of us are
new to this area. They pulled both of the old sisters out, and put us
in. It's called Whitewashing an area, and we're not sure why they did
it to Nürnberg, but it's working out okay because we have so many
investigators! Like, 12!!! That is a ton, and I'm super excited. So
far we've only met with two of the, but they've been pretty cool. The
first was a 9 year old named Gabriela. She lives in a home with her
mom who is from Romania. It seems like her mom doesn't want to learn
the Gospel, but she's okay with Gabriela learning and being baptized.
She had a baptismal date, but then her dad said no and so we have to
meet with him before she can be baptized. I feel like we could teach
Gabriela's mom, but we need to figure out what she wants to hear from
us. And I don't know what that is yet. Hopefully Sis. Kristen and I
can figure it out.
......Elder Taylor just told us about his 40 different chopsticks that
he brought with him. His favorite is the Dr. Pepper one, but he
doesn't wear it because it makes his lips sparkly. He is n interesting
zone leader.
I guess I should tell you about the people that I get to work with.
There's my trainer, Sis. Knusten. Then there are the other Elders and
Sisters. I don't know where they're all serving so for now you just
get names. Elder Wiley is super cool. We talked a lot on Saturday at
the street display and got to know each other. He is from Arizona, and
we basically like all the same games as each other. So we had an
awesome conversation about Steam, Magic, and League of Legends. He's
pretty cool, and he's going to help me build a Magic deck so I can
play with the rest of our zone on P-Days. Then there's Sis. Watkins,
we were actually one. Split for part of the day while her comp, Sis.
Hyatt, showed my comp around the city for a bit. She's super sweet,
likes Dr. Who, and is a very kind and gentle person. Her comp, Sis.
Jackson, is kind of loud, but is super nice. She bought me my first
bretzel so I guess she's my dealer now. It's all good, I really like
her.
Oh! Before I forget, my first year at Kodiak there was a kid named
Kevin Butler there. He's here! He was my travel leader when we rode
the bus here on Thursday!!! He's in my zone!!! It's super cool. The
world is a lot smaller than we think.
I honestly can't remember anyone else. Maybe I'll send pictures later.
Speaking of which, that got a ton easier because I have an iPad! It's
owned by the mission, so it won't come home with me. But Sis. Knusten
helped me get all the training done on Friday so I can carry it around
instead of my super heavy scriptures. So yeah. Pictures here are a lot
easier, but I'm still using my camera. I'll use that when we go visit
castles and stuff, probably.
I've made food!!! I actually made batter and fried some fish we had in
the freezer last night and it was super yummy! I splashed oil on my
favorite skirt though, so that was sad. But it's okay because one of
the big department stores here is having a huge sale, so maybe I'll
look when we go later today. We're going to find a coat and maybe some
boots. We get to find out if my card works in Germany. Yay!
All in all, it has been amazing here. We have a fantastic view out of
our apartment, the city is beautiful (you literally turn a corner and
bam! Huge, gothic church. And that's not even counting the rest of the
architecture) and everything is interesting. Turns out there are still
Nazi's around. They don't call the,selves Nazi's, but that's what they
are and everyone knows it but them. There was an anti-nazi
demonstration like, 40-45 yards away from our street display on
Saturday. They're protesting all the refugees from the Middle East.
Yep. That was in interesting last hour of the display.
Okay, I'm running out of things to say so I guess I'd better wrap it
up. Plus, I promised Elder Wiley a game of Magic where he will
probably beat me. It's fine. It'll be fun.
I love you all, and I hope you're as happy as I am because I am so
glad to be here. I can't understand German, I never know what to say
to people, and I have no idea where I am half the time. But the days
are beautiful, the Gospel is true, and I have been called to teach it
to the people here. And that's pretty darn cool.
All My Love,
Sister John
P.S. It was super hard to say goodbye to my MTC district. I cried. So
did Sis. Bakker, but that wasn't new. At least Elder Smith and I are
in the same area, so we'll maybe see each other once sometime this
transfer or next. Elder Clemente is going to get called to Heidelberg
at some point because there's a Spanish branch down there. There's a
lot of different languages here. We have Japanese, Polish, Arabic,
Portugese, Swahili, and like, 10 others in our apartment in the form
of pamphlets and Books of Mormon. It's crazy. But it's interesting at
the same time. So it's great.
different so far. Just no mountains (I keep looking for them, but
they're not there. :( ), different food (I might have a problem with
bretzels (German pretzels that you buy on the street) but I'm not
taking the first step and admitting I have a problem because they are
way too good to give up), and TONS of people. But all in all, it's
really good, and I like it here.
Apparently, I did something right by not sleeping at all on the plane
ride over, because I have not had any jet lag. Elder Van Dam and I
couldn't sleep, so we just stayed up and talked to each other the
whole time. Which worked out, because I actually had two seats all to
myself. The seating on the planes was weird. I never once had a seat
next to my companion. But it's fine. It was a good trip. Just a really
long one. But I got to talk to Elder Van Dam for 4 hours straight so
it was fantastic. I also got to know Elder Fugal better. That was
interesting. He's an interesting person. We gave the guy sitting in
front of us on the way to Atlanta a pass-along card because we saw him
reading the Wikipedia page on our church. That was a weird
conversation.
Our first lesson in Germany was NOT learning how to contact people on
public transportation. It was actually a street display in Frankfurt.
At a place called the Fuss (foos). The actual name is the Fussgang
(foos-gah-ng), but everyone shortens it. It's just the city center. It
was kind of cool, kind of cold, and lots of intimidating. But after
about an hour and a half, it got a lot easier asking people if they
wanted a pass along card. Then asking if they wanted to talk about the
gospel. It's not easy, but it's easier.
We did a street display in Nürnberg on Saturday, and that was a lot of
fun. We actually had two investigators that we met there come to
church on Sunday, so that was fantastic. I also met one of her
investigators, and she is adorable! Her name is Zeynep, and she
brought us donuts. She's a dry Mormon. She wants to be baptized, but
can't because of reasons. It's fine. She's super cool, super amazing,
and has a super strong testimony which is most important.
Speaking of Sunday, that has been the biggest culture shock. The
Gospel is the same everywhere, but the way it's taught and talked
about is a little bit different. Sunday was fast and testimony
meeting, so everyone bore their testimonies and holy heck. They don't
even need me here. The members are fantastic. Seriously. Also, the
Bishop is interesting. He looks really big and intimidating, but he's
actually pretty nice. He invited Sis. Knutsen and I over for dinner on
Sunday, so we went there and kind of lost all our study time. But it
was great. His wife is super cool, and their daughters remind me of me
and Ellie. Which is bad. They don't get along right now. But they're
sweet, and Elisa (eh-leez-ah) is super funny and smart. We get along
really well.
Ah! So much to tell! My trainer is Sis. Knusten and she's super cool.
I'm her last two transfers though, so after she trains me she goes
back home to Salem, Utah. Which is sad. But these first three months
are going to be great. So far, we get along really well, and she's
always finding new food for me to try. Which is great, but also bad
because I already have a problem with street food. Like Döners
(duh-oo-nerz). Although it wasn't as good as Elder Clemente promised,
Sis. Knusten promised that it wasn't the best and that we'll find a
better one next time.
As far as investigators go, it's kind of weird because both of us are
new to this area. They pulled both of the old sisters out, and put us
in. It's called Whitewashing an area, and we're not sure why they did
it to Nürnberg, but it's working out okay because we have so many
investigators! Like, 12!!! That is a ton, and I'm super excited. So
far we've only met with two of the, but they've been pretty cool. The
first was a 9 year old named Gabriela. She lives in a home with her
mom who is from Romania. It seems like her mom doesn't want to learn
the Gospel, but she's okay with Gabriela learning and being baptized.
She had a baptismal date, but then her dad said no and so we have to
meet with him before she can be baptized. I feel like we could teach
Gabriela's mom, but we need to figure out what she wants to hear from
us. And I don't know what that is yet. Hopefully Sis. Kristen and I
can figure it out.
......Elder Taylor just told us about his 40 different chopsticks that
he brought with him. His favorite is the Dr. Pepper one, but he
doesn't wear it because it makes his lips sparkly. He is n interesting
zone leader.
I guess I should tell you about the people that I get to work with.
There's my trainer, Sis. Knusten. Then there are the other Elders and
Sisters. I don't know where they're all serving so for now you just
get names. Elder Wiley is super cool. We talked a lot on Saturday at
the street display and got to know each other. He is from Arizona, and
we basically like all the same games as each other. So we had an
awesome conversation about Steam, Magic, and League of Legends. He's
pretty cool, and he's going to help me build a Magic deck so I can
play with the rest of our zone on P-Days. Then there's Sis. Watkins,
we were actually one. Split for part of the day while her comp, Sis.
Hyatt, showed my comp around the city for a bit. She's super sweet,
likes Dr. Who, and is a very kind and gentle person. Her comp, Sis.
Jackson, is kind of loud, but is super nice. She bought me my first
bretzel so I guess she's my dealer now. It's all good, I really like
her.
Oh! Before I forget, my first year at Kodiak there was a kid named
Kevin Butler there. He's here! He was my travel leader when we rode
the bus here on Thursday!!! He's in my zone!!! It's super cool. The
world is a lot smaller than we think.
I honestly can't remember anyone else. Maybe I'll send pictures later.
Speaking of which, that got a ton easier because I have an iPad! It's
owned by the mission, so it won't come home with me. But Sis. Knusten
helped me get all the training done on Friday so I can carry it around
instead of my super heavy scriptures. So yeah. Pictures here are a lot
easier, but I'm still using my camera. I'll use that when we go visit
castles and stuff, probably.
I've made food!!! I actually made batter and fried some fish we had in
the freezer last night and it was super yummy! I splashed oil on my
favorite skirt though, so that was sad. But it's okay because one of
the big department stores here is having a huge sale, so maybe I'll
look when we go later today. We're going to find a coat and maybe some
boots. We get to find out if my card works in Germany. Yay!
All in all, it has been amazing here. We have a fantastic view out of
our apartment, the city is beautiful (you literally turn a corner and
bam! Huge, gothic church. And that's not even counting the rest of the
architecture) and everything is interesting. Turns out there are still
Nazi's around. They don't call the,selves Nazi's, but that's what they
are and everyone knows it but them. There was an anti-nazi
demonstration like, 40-45 yards away from our street display on
Saturday. They're protesting all the refugees from the Middle East.
Yep. That was in interesting last hour of the display.
Okay, I'm running out of things to say so I guess I'd better wrap it
up. Plus, I promised Elder Wiley a game of Magic where he will
probably beat me. It's fine. It'll be fun.
I love you all, and I hope you're as happy as I am because I am so
glad to be here. I can't understand German, I never know what to say
to people, and I have no idea where I am half the time. But the days
are beautiful, the Gospel is true, and I have been called to teach it
to the people here. And that's pretty darn cool.
All My Love,
Sister John
P.S. It was super hard to say goodbye to my MTC district. I cried. So
did Sis. Bakker, but that wasn't new. At least Elder Smith and I are
in the same area, so we'll maybe see each other once sometime this
transfer or next. Elder Clemente is going to get called to Heidelberg
at some point because there's a Spanish branch down there. There's a
lot of different languages here. We have Japanese, Polish, Arabic,
Portugese, Swahili, and like, 10 others in our apartment in the form
of pamphlets and Books of Mormon. It's crazy. But it's interesting at
the same time. So it's great.
 |
| My first Döner, |
 |
| last Sunday at the MTC, |
 |
| Halloween candy from a member, |
 |
| the fry bread that was a bit exciting. I forgot to take a picture of the fish before we ate it. |
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