Anyways, it was such a good week!!! We tried to set up a Skype lesson with the Elders in Romania so they could teach a family that we've been teaching but struggling with because the mother doesn't speak much German. We tried to set up a lesson twice and it fell through both times and it was super sucky. But then on the third time, it worked! Elders Johnson and Christensen were able to Skype us and teach a lesson to Georgiana and teach her about the priesthood and it was amazing! Sis. Knutson and I couldn't understand what they were saying but we were able to watch Georgiana's face and she was so happy! The bits and pieces that she'd understood from what we'd taught came together and she accepted a baptismal invitation! It was so cool! We have another lesson set up for two weeks from now (Georgiana has a lot of stuff to do and is going to be pretty occupied until then) and the Elders are going to try and get a baptismal date set up. I'm super excited. Georgiana loved talking to the Elders and it was so funny to watch her speak to them in Romanian and then turn and talk to us but still speaking Romanian. Then we would tell her that we didn't understand (in German) so she'd switch to German but then try and talk to the Romanian Elders again in German. And then we were speaking English with the Elders and it was just really funny to try and figure out three different languages all at once. But it was super cool and Sis. Knutson and I felt the Spirit so strongly even though we couldn't understand what was being said.
Transfer calls were this week. Sis. Knutson is getting transferred to Alpine, Utah. It's kind of sad, but I'm excited for her. She keeps saying how she doesn't want to leave Germany, but she's also super excited to see her family again. She has a brother who was on a mission when she left and he's married and expecting a child now. It's kind of weird for her, but I think there's enough snow in Utah to make her happy. :)
I'm getting a new companion! Her name is Sis. Montgomery and she sounds super nice from what I've heard. I was kind of hoping for a companion who wouldn't be going home in just a few transfers, so of course I get one who is going home at the end of THIS transfer! I guess I'm just super good at sending people home. But I'm super excited to meet her and get to work with her. We pick her up from Nürnberg Haupbahnhof (the main railway station) tomorrow afternoon. And then we're going to be picking up Sis. Riser (one of the Feucht (foy-ck-t) sisters tomorrow morning as she sends her companion up to Dortmund. Basically, we're going to have four sisters in our little apartment for one night. It's going to be a party! But a good, spiritual, missionary appropriate party.
We had an appointment with a less-active member and his wife. We've met with them a few times but we've always really struggled to get a lesson in. Meaning, we have taught an actual lesson exactly once. It was really frustrating and I had already decided that if this last appointment went the way of the ones before it, Sis. Montgomery and I were going to have to Tschüss (ch-oo-ss), or drop them after Sis. Knutson leaves. Yeah. So we go in, and we sit down and we start talking and we talk about the weather, about a TV show Andrea really likes, and about tea and how we can't drink black, green, or white tea. I was kind of starting to despair about getting a lesson in and just feeling horrible because I love both of them, but we can't teach them if they won't listen. But then Rene' (the husband) said, "Yeah, we just need to keep the Gospel in our lives." It was really cool because for the first time EVER he brought up the Gospel first! And then we had a lesson in which we talked about prophets and how they help us and he basically just taught the lesson in a super easy way that his wife was able to understand and also to understand the importance of gaining a testimony for yourself. HE TAUGHT THE LESSON. It was AMAZING. He has some really bad habits that he needs to break, but he remembers everything that the missionaries taught him and he still has a testimony of it all!!! I thought I might cry after that lesson, it was so good. Rene' is a spiritual giant. He just needs to break his bad habits and I am convinced that he could become an apostle someday. It was amazing.
One thing that I have really come to appreciate is the ability to watch people change their lives as they live the Gospel and follow the commandments. We have an investigator from Russia who came to our lesson and she seemed a lot happier and brighter. We asked her how her week went and if she was able to pray and ask God the questions she had. She said, "Well, I didn't do it every day because I forgot. But I was thinking about it and I was driving to work and I realized that I had some time right then so I prayed as I was driving. I know it's not perfect, but it did help me to remember to say a better prayer later." How cool is that??? She used to be atheist and now she's praying as she drives to work! It is super amazing and I have loved every moment of watching her spiritual development. As you watch people grow and make changes in their lives that lead to make better decisions and be happier, it is impossible to not love them. "Charity is the pure love of Christ" and I have been able to feel that every time we meet with our investigators and get to know them and help them come closer to Christ. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love everyone. They love every single one of us. It doesn't matter whether we're American, German, Romanian, Turkish, Mexican, Asian, or any other nationality. We are all children of God and it is a privilege to be a missionary and to feel that love that He has for all of us. It's a feeling that I don't want to lose when my mission is over. Which is still a ways away, but still. It is amazing and I don't want to lose this perspective.
I love you all, and I hope you have an awesome day and a spectacular week! Find someone to help this week. It could be as simple as helping someone carry their groceries. Sis. Knutson and I did that this week and we're friends with an old lady in our apartment building now. So yeah. Go do some service!
Love Always,
Sis. John
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