Christmas Time!!!!

Note from Mom: This letter made me cry because I could feel her spirit so
 strongly. Wow! what a message to get for Christmas. 

So on the list of things I learned this week, I learned that I am actually learning to speak Frankisch. It's an accent/dialect of German, and it's actually kind of cool. So I currently live in the state of Bayern (Bavaria for all you English speaking friends) and I was told that in Bayern, everyone speaks Bayerisch. Turns out that's wrong. Bayern used to be two states, but is now one after some wars and Napoleon messing around with borders and all of that. The short version is that the northern part of Bayern used to be "independent" and had it's own dialect and then was forced into Bayern. So, if you live in the north, you speak the old dialect which is Frankisch. If you live in the south, you speak Bayerisch. And if you live in 
the middle, you get in a lot more arguments about who should speak what. It's kind of cool. Also really confusing because the word for 'roll' (like a bread roll) is 'brötchen.' But in Frankisch, it's 'weckla.' They're not even close to each other, but that's how it goes. Also, of somebody tells you that weckla is actually a Swedish term, they're wrong. It's Frankisch, thank you very much.

Anyways, it's been a really good week. The Bayreuth Elders had a baptism in our church building on Saturday that started an hour late because nobody knew how to start the water in the font. But, we got it figured out, and there is now a new member of the church here in Deutschland! His name is Prosper and he's African and super cool. It was a really special thing to get to see him dressed in white and be so excited to be baptized. Unfortunately, Sis. Knutson and I had an appointment and couldn't stay for the baptism. But we found out from our lovely investigator, Zeynep, that his first words after coming up out of the water were, "I made it! I made it!" How cool is that??? It brings me so much joy whenever I hear about people being so excited for baptism, and truly understanding that it is not just a thing we do to make you a member of our church. It is a remission of your sins and a chance to start all over with a clean slate. It's amazing, and if I'm so happy for Prosper without knowing him that much, I can't imagine our Heavenly Father's joy right now. His son has found the truth and is now on the path that will take him back to God. That is amazing. There really is no other way to describe it.

Sis. Knutson and I had a fantastic lesson with Zeynep the other day. She asked us about tithing and how do we pay it and what is it used for. SHE asked US. The law of tithing is usually a really hard thing for a lot of investigators, and she requested a lesson with us so she could ask about how to pay it! Then, she told us that when she gets paid next, she wants us to help her pay it since she's never done it before!!!! It is super crazy!!!! Really, that girl just needs to enter the waters of baptism. That's all she needs. She even asked us about callings and how they work and if we have to have a calling in the church. This girl melts my heart every time we meet with her. She brings us snacks when we have street displays, and she goes street contacting with us. She is absolutely, 100% amazing. Speaking of amazing, we went caroling with the young adults on Wednesday. Oh. My. Goodness. It was, without a doubt, the best experience on my mission thus far. We were just going around the Christkindlesmarkt and singing and handing out cards. It wasn't anything too special. But, it was special because the Spirit was SO strong. There were a few people who were really touched and they waited until after we finished singing and then waited for us to go talk to them. There was one man in particular who I remember who just kept telling me that we had sung beautifully and it "Really was beautiful." It was amazing, and I loved it. Never before have I heard a group of people who most of whom have never really sung in a choir setting before and have limited musical experience, sing so well so fast. We had divine help, and it was beautiful.

While we were caroling, I got to help one of our new converts give out a card. It was really cool, because he is a native German speaker, and I am not. But I managed to say everything correctly and help him give out his first card! It was so cool! Plus, he is a super cool guy. He's taught a few Sunday school lessons and for being so new, he tackles hard doctrines and teaches it clearly, and simply. He is super cool. Also Turkish. Like literally everyone here. I'm hoping by the end of my mission I might actually teach someone German. But, I'll teach whoever the Lord needs me to. And love every moment of it. Because I do. :)

The only thing I do not love right now, is Star Wars. It's kind of hard to focus when on December 17, you are doing a street display and one of the stores right across the way from your street display has two MASSIVE posters for Episode 7 on the front. It was kind of distracting. BUT, I contacted more people that day then I have ever before. Mostly because the best distraction is work. And missionary work is work. So it ended up working out okay, and I am officially tided over until March two years from now.

Sis. Knutson has her flight plans for when she goes home. It's weird. We're trying not to think about her going home, but then we end up making lots of jokes about it. So.... I don't know. She is super awesome, and I'm going to miss her. But this kind of how missions work. You get to know and love someone, and then they leave. It's fine. This is why email was invented.

I love you all, and I hope you know how much I appreciate your love and prayers. I can feel them and I know there is no way I could have made it this far without them. Also, God is amazing. We learned at Zone Conference this week that we should remember to be humble and not brag or compare ourselves to others. But we can brag about God. Alma 26:11-12 - 11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

Ammon said I can brag about God, so I will. There is no way I could be here without relying on Him. I am eternally grateful for His hand in my life. We've run into a few of our investigators at such seemingly random times, but I know it was Him. It's amazing, and the longer I'm here, the more I recognize His influence. It is a very humbling thing as well as a very hopeful thing. God is literally giving us help all day, every day. If that's not love, then I don't know what is. I love you all, and I hope you have a wonderful day, and an amazing week!!!
Love Always,
Sis. John

P.S. Thank you, family, for the Christmas package. Sis. Knutson made me have someone else open it to make sure that the things inside were wrapped and that I wouldn't get to peek at what get were. But now the presents are under our tiny tree (courtesy of Sis. Knutson's sister) and our apartment is looking more and more festive. Thanks a ton, and I'm sorry all of your gifts will be late. But I really can't speak German well enough to even buy a stamp, much less send a package. I'll get on it really soon though. Promise.

Speaking of Speaking in German ...

As her mom, I want to thank those who follow Sierra's letters. I appreciate hearing from you and that you enjoy reading this, that you're interested in what she is doing. Please feel free to comment in the blog. This will be a record for Sierra after she returns home as well as an update for us while she is serving.

No descriptions with these pictures, and no Sierra, but the scenes are pretty.

Some people have been asking about my language skills and how they are coming. I think I neglected to mention last week that I had to give a talk Sunday. As in yesterday. As in, I am lucky to be alive. I found out two weeks ago when Sis. Knutson volunteered me when our Second Councilor in the Bishopric asked if one of the missionaries would like to give a talk. So, I ended up preparing a talk. Apparently I looked sick this morning because two people in the ward asked if I was feeling alright this morning. Fun fact: I wasn't. But, it was okay. I said some (a lot of) prayers, and fasted that I would be able to get the spirit of message of across.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I believe in the Gift of Tongues. And I believe that there is no way that I could have given the talk I did without divine help that came through the Gift of Tongues. It was truly amazing, and I'm super glad it went okay. I got to talk about the second great commandment, love one another, and I related it to service. I read a primary song, read a bit out of the Liahona (because the Ensign doesn't exist in Europe), and then bore a very quick testimony because my courage was running out and my vocabulary with it. All-in-all though, it was so good, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully, I won't have to repeat that experience anytime soon. But if I do, I know it will be easier because I did it today. That's all the proof I need.

This week, I have a picture. The woman in this picture is Schwester Falk. Let me tell you a bit about this woman. She is the German equivalent of Aunt Connie, and I love her. Every appointment with her, you automatically add at least 45 minutes, if not a full hour onto the appointment time. She loves to talk and she will talk about everything. She talks about her grandkids, her husband, her past, her health problems (of which there are many), and everything in between. But she is so spunky, and honest, and loves meeting with the missionaries. Which works out because we love meeting with her! Because of her health, it is hard for her to leave the house. She recently got a statement saying that she is 80% handicapped because of her health. She can't see very well, and had to go to the hospital for a kidney stone that was causing some serious problems. She has a lot of health problems that make it very easy for her to ask God a lot of "why me?" questions. But does she ask these questions? Yeah, sometimes. But she always asks them knowing that she'll understand later. If you want a physical definition of faith, I would say it is Schwester Falk. Because even though her life is hard, and her health is not the greatest, she always has time to meet with us and tell us stories about her life and how she came to know the church and the gospel are true and how holding the standards of the church have helped her life (She told us a story about when she worked with the army after World War 2. She had soldiers staying in her home and they could have parties but no alcohol. A lot of the soldiers that she stayed in contact with told her they were the most fun parties they had while in Germany.). Most of the time after we've met with her, I feel like we're the ones who were uplifted and not her! But, I know it goes both ways. She is just super cool, and she really does remind me of Aunt Connie. When Sch. Falk asks you for something or asks you to do something, you say, "yes ma'am" and then you do it. No questions asked. But really, she is super cool, and I love meeting with her.

Speaking of awesome lessons, we had a super cool one with a less-active couple in the ward. They're called the Foster's, and they're super cool. The lesson we had with them was great. We brought he Relief Society President, Sch. Kirzinger, with us and we taught the Restoration. It was so cool though, because when we got to the end of the lesson and Sis. Knutson, Sch. Kirzinger, and I were all bearing our testimonies, we put so much emphasis on the Book of Mormon even though we didn't focus on that this lesson. Sis. Foster's son, Kai, was there and he's not a member. Last week he was there for the lesson and we challenged him to read one verse out of the Book of Mormon every day. He didn't do it, and he tried to play it off as "whatever" and like it was no big deal. But after Sch. Kirzinger shared her conversion story and how much the Book of Mormon has helped her life and helped her be a better person (which is what Kai is trying to do right now), I think he really started to pay attention and feel the Spirit. It was so cool. So, we recommitted him to read one verse a day. 7 seconds. By the way, when you tell people it only takes 7 seconds to read one verse and that they only have to read one verse a day (to begin with, of course), it makes them feel really embarrassed for saying they didn't have time or couldn't find time to read their scriptures. Elder Hatch, our illustrious District Leader, said that the best missionaries are sneaky. So, we are sneaky. Ha ha ha. :) Anyways, back to the Foster's. I am super excited for our appointment next week. It's going to be so good!


Well, I think that's it for this week. Sis. Knutson and I are going to spend today walking around the Christkindlmarkt again. Last week, since so many missionaries were leaving because of transfers, we ended up standing on a bridge and talking to everyone whilst waiting for the Zone Leaders for 45 minutes. It was kind of boring, but also fun. We did buy some tiny snowmen to decorate our apartment. They are adorable. And they're handmade and were only like, €5. That was super cool! I love it here. The food is delicious (which is a problem because we do go running in the morning but not nearly enough to make the difference I need to counteract all of the delicious chocolate), the buildings are beautiful, I can kind of speak German, and the people are actually super nice. They don't look nice all the time. In fact, most of the time they look angry. But when you actually talk to them, they're really nice. It's really great, and I really love that.

I also really love the opportunities I've had to feel God's love for His children while I've been here. Some of the new Elders in my district are kind of hard for me to get along with and I was really struggling to love them which was a problem because we had a street display and spent a lot of time working with them and when you don't love someone, it makes it really hard to work with them and not be angry. So, with a lot of prayer and asking for help, I have been able to see how special they are and how much they matter to our Father in Heaven. Which, doesn't change them. It doesn't change their personality, or the things they do and say that bother me. But it does change me. And that's what this Gospel is about. Working with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, to change ourselves and become better so that we can come closer to Christ and return to live with our Father in Heaven. Which, ultimately, is the goal. And I am so thankful for that and the opportunity I have to share that knowledge with others. Even if it a little bit hard sometimes. I just do my best, and God makes up the rest.
I love you all, and I hope you are having a great day, and a fantastic week!
Liebe Grüße!
Sis. John

P.S. When I say "sister" before someone's name, that means that they speak English and are a member of the church. When I say "Schwester" it is because they are German. I will try and specify when the sisters are member or sister missionaries.

SO MANY WEIHNACHTSMARKTS

She sent a couple of pictures of her advent calendars (chocolate, of course) but I don't feel the need to post them unless I get requests.

But we're not actually going to a Weihnachtsmarkt today. We're going to the Christkindlmarkt in Nürnberg. I am so excited! I have developed a deep love for Kinder Punsch (kid punch) which is a spicy, warm drink that is delicious! Imagine how Christmas smells, and then imagine that smell in a warm, delicious drink, and that's Kinder Punsch. Plus, every Weihnachtsmarkt has a different cup that you get when you buy a drink. So far I have mugs from Rothenburg and Ansbach. Today I get the Nürnberg mug! I am so excited!

This week was.... Really slow as far as work goes. We had to drop a few people because we've been trying to meet with them for over a month now and they keep ditching us at the last minute. It's really sad and I wish we didn't have to do it. But, it will be okay. I know that the Lord has a plan for them and that they will find their way to the knowledge of the restored Gospel eventually. It just seems that they're not quite ready for it yet, and we're not the right missionaries for them. That's okay. Some missionary in the future will see their name and teach them and then they'll be baptized and it will be great!

Transfers were this week. One of our Zone Leaders, Elder Taylor, is leaving. He got called to go be a Zone Leader in Frankfurt. I honestly can't remember the name of our new Zone Leader, but we should get to meet him on Wednesday at District Meeting. Which will be interesting with two new people. Elder Hatch (our lovely District Leader) is getting a new companion because Elder Keck is getting transferred to Michelstadt which is it the Frankfurt zone. It's fine. I was warned by my teachers that a mission is basically a year and a half (or two years) of endless goodbyes. It's fine. This is why email was invented.

We had breakfast with Zeynep and Caroline this week. We had a good, German breakfast and it was delicious. Lots of bread, butter, and jam. Caroline is from Kenya and tries to go back to visit her family every year. She also goes to restock on spices and her favorite foods. One of them being a delicious strawberry jam. I have altered my shopping list, and Sis. Knutson and I got rolls and jam this morning so we can have some for breakfast instead of just cereal and/or yogurt. Not that either of those is bad. It's just that the rolls were better.

Anyways, we haven't had lunch yet. I think that's why I keep talking about food and such. We did get some apples today, but they're so we can make more apple crisp. We've made it twice this past week. Once for the ward picnic, and then again so we could give some to the Ansbach (On-s-bock) Elders at their street display on Thursday. We also gave some to the Zone Leaders, and they returned the favor by giving us a pan of pumpkin spice muffins. They were super good, and I think we should keep the good food chain going. Though now that Elder Taylor is leaving that might be hard. He is the best cook out of all of us.

We have a few member appointments set up this week so we can encourage them to use the new initiative and invite friends to our ward party and Christmas Eve service. What we're planning on doing is asking them to think of one or two people they can talk to, and he writing down those names while we watch the video for this year. The, we give them a few cards and challenge them to go and ask those people to come to the Christmas Party or watch the video. It can be kind of scary, but it's also really good.

If I may, I'd like to invite all of you to do the same. Watch the video, then share it with a friend. It can be as easy as just sharing it on Facebook (though I do consider that cheating), or going and talking to someone about what you believe and what Christ means to you. Don't be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone and take a chance. I know the Lord will give you the words you need to say the moment you need them. Just believe that He will help you and do it. We just have to start the process. Then the Lord and the Spirit make up the rest.

I love you all so very much and I hope that you are enjoying this Christmas season as much as I am. Have a great day, and a fantastic week!

Love Always,
Sis. John