Christmas Initiative, Christmas Markets and Christmas Miracles :)

Mom note: This was a day late getting sent to us due to the circumstances she talks about.

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

It's another late email from a train, and I'm going to try and keep it short because I am exhausted and have a headache. 

We went to Frankfurt (again) to try and figure out my visa. We went on Sunday evening, arrived in Frankfurt, went to the STL's apartment, realized we forgot to tell them we were staying over, then went to bed. Today, we woke up at 4:30 and went over to the visa office. We waited in line for two hours and froze, and were then told that yes, I should theoretically be able to get a visa, but they had no waiting numbers for that day and were only accepting people with appointments and I should try again on Wednesday. 

Yay. 

So, we went to the Mission Office and had a chat with Elder Markle and decided we're just going to try and sort this whole mess out in Erlangen now. Which should hopefully work out. The proximity to Nürnberg has me a little bit worried, but I think it will work out okay. I'm pretty convinced at this point that there is someone in the Erlangen visa office who has been so prepared for the Gospel and has just been waiting for Sister Quain and I to come and introduce it to them. There's no other logical explanation. So yeah. I guess we'll just have to find them and baptize them. I think that's not too bad a trade-off for all the problems I've had. 

As far as the week goes, THE CHRISTMAS INITIATIVE CAME OUT!!!!!!!! Oh my GOODNESS!!!!! I love it so much. It is SO good. If you haven't seen it yet, you can find it on Mormon.org. It's called Light the World, and it's great. It's all about service and helping others and really just doing what Christ would have done and being even more Christ-like in our day-to-day activities. It is so lovely, and I feel the Spirit so strongly every time I see it. I highly recommend that you all go and watch it. :)

So.... Yeah. That was kind of the week. Well, not all of it, but the theme of the week was definitely Christmas. We saw our first Christmas Miracle! We had stopped by the church house to download the new video and do some other things, and then we walked outside and the first person we see see's us and smiles and then walks over to us. He said, "I know you! You were at my house about 3 or 4 weeks ago and you talked about Jesus Christ and then left me a card and told me to look at the website. But I don't have internet, and you never came back! Do you have time when we can meet and talk more about Christ?"

MIRACLE.

So we're going to meet with him on Tuesday morning and talk about Christ and it's going to be great. I am super pumped. :)

Also, the Christmas Markets opened this week!!!! 

This is Frankfurt, but it was the first one we went to, seeing as we were in Frankfurt for the whole p-day. It just seemed like the natural thing to do. Especially seeing as our plans for basically the whole day fell out at like, 8 in the morning. So yeah. We did studies! We took a nap! We went to a Christmas Market and bought Kinderpunsch! Seriously, my favorite thing about Christmas is Kinderpunsch and the special mugs it comes in. It's great. 

After walking around the Weihnachtsmarkt in Frankfurt for a bit, we headed back to Hauptbahnhof, and now we are on another train that will take us home. 

I'd just like to say that I really appreciate all of the prayers that you all say for the missionaries. I know some of them are meant for me, and some of them are for missionaries in general, but I appreciate all of them just the same. Prayer is a powerful thing. With it, we can ask the Creator of the Universe for help with problems that to Him, probably seem incredibly small and inconsequential. But He helps us anyways because it's important to us, and we asked. 

Through prayer, we can literally call down miracles and angels and the powers of heaven to help us here on our earthly journey. Prayer is  Iggy and powerful and I am so grateful for the chance that I have to speak with my Creator, and tell Him how thankful I am for all of the many blessings He has given me, and the many prayers He has answered for me, and for the investigators I've been privileged to teach. 

My challenge to each of you this week, is to make your prayers more meaningful. If you're struggling to say your prayers every day (because I know there are always some who are), start by saying just one prayer a day. Just talk to your Father in Heaven. He wants to hear from you, and He is waiting for you to just ask Him for help. You just have to start the conversation. 

For those who already say your prayers regularly, evaluate how much time and real intent you have when you pray. Do you take time to talk to you Heavenly Father? Or are you rushing through just to be able to say that you said your prayers? Think of your personal prayers as personal interviews with God, and speak to Him as you would speak to Him if He were sitting across from you. God wants to hear from us. He wants to help us. He knows us perfectly, but He wants to hear from us how we're doing. Don't hold that back from Him. 

I love you all. I hope that you had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and that you remembered to make a list of five things to Thank God for in prayer. If you haven't done it yet, there's always time, and there's always repentance. ;)

Have a fantastic day, and a wunderbare Woche!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

P.S. I hope y'all are staying warm. Frankfurt was FREEZING today. Both in the morning, and in the evening. We napped for part of the day, so that was warmer. 

P.P.S. I am not writing any other emails today. I am too tired. But thank you to everyone who did write. You are amazing, and incredible, and I am grateful for your friendship/familyship/Teil in meinem Leben. I'm just going to be a bit selfish and sleep for a bit before we get to Erlangen. 

My Zeil. It's a mall in Frankfurt, and the glass makes a tube thing through the whole building. It's the perfect size for lighted reindeer to go flying through. :)

Christmas lights in Germany. I love how much light there is. It makes a perfect introduction for talking about the Light of Christ. :)

The MASSIVE Christmas tree at the Frankfurt Christmas Market. It's gigantic!

We made Adventskranze for a Relief Society activity this week! Sister Quain and I aren't too good at it yet.... But once we get some candles it will look a little better. :)

A cool tower we found in a random little city in our area. Oh! We totally had a member appointment for Thanksgiving! With an American family!!! It was so good, and they had baked yams with marshmallows on top! They were way kind, and we had a great talk about the Gospel and some of the things they've experienced. I'm excited to meet with them again sometime soonish. :)

P.P.S. I bought a hat and gloves today. It was too cold without them. While trying on hats, the lady at the shop was trying to help me put it on correctly. Apparently I don't know how to do that, and she helped me out. Then the other woman at the stand came and helped her because I have, "So much hair!" And they didn't know what to do with it all. In the end, it was super cute of them to teach me how to put my hat on correctly, even though I still don't do it right, and they told me to come back tomorrow and they would see if I actually managed it without them. Probably not, but it was cute of them all the same. :)

Also, we learned that when your hands get really cold, you can't grip things properly. Which is a problem when you're holding a cone of pommes and you don't want to spill them all over. Everything worked out though, and life should be a bit warmer from now on. :)

Visa Adventures, Finally Meeting the Ward, and Being Thankful

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

To start with, I am writing this email from a train. That will be important later.

This week was pretty great. Sister Quain is ready to go out and talk to everyone and it is so cool! The only problem is that she can't speak the language yet! We're working on it!

But really, her German is progressing and she has gotten good at starting contacts which is great, because that is the hardest part for me. And she loves it! So she starts conversations and I keep them going and then invite her to bear her testimony and life is good.

This week we finally got to meet our ward! Church was super great, and I got to see some people that I had met before when I was in Nürnberg! It was funny to see their faces as they saw me and went, "What? Sister John, what are you doing here?? Did you get transferred? When did that happen???" Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter, and a lot of smiles as I realized this ward isn't so foreign after all.

We had Zone Conference this week. Oh my goodness, it was so good!!!! Elder Adler (who is an Area Seventy from a city called Bielefeld) and his wife came and spoke to us about finding and having the faith to find, especially with the Christmas season coming up. It was so spiritual. I wish I could tell you some more, but I left my journal at home. We did some practices at inviting people on the street to watch the upcoming Christmas Initiative video from the church (Nov. 24 friends.... Get pumped ;) ), and talked a lot about casting out our fear of talking to people. It was exactly what I needed, because quite honestly, talking to people on the street terrifies me. It has since the beginning of my mission and I would rather teach the law of chastity fifty times in one day than have to go out and talk to people all day.

Which is what we do in Erlangen.

Every day.

You see the problem?

Elder Merkley talked a lot at the beginning of the conference about casting out our fears. He challenged each of us to write down two things we were afraid of, and then kneel down in prayer and ask for Heavenly Father's help in overcoming them. Elder Evans talked about the faith and really knowing and believing that there are people that the Lord has prepared for us to find and teach, and also that everything we do is helping to prepare someone else to be found and taught. They both shared very powerful testimonies and scriptures, and their talks were exactly what we all needed to hear.

Sister Adler talked about how the Gospel is so great and so huge, and it is for EVERYONE. Not just the sinners or the wayward black sheep that we help to come into the fold, but also for the white sheep who sometimes get stuck or lost or need a bit of cuddling sometimes. I would have to say that her testimony resonated with me the most, and I am so grateful that she was so willing to share it with us. Sometimes I forget (really it's all the time. You'd think I would have learned by now) that when my companion and I teach people that God and Jesus Christ are there for them in EVERYTHING and in EVERYPLACE, that that means that They are there for me as well. I do a really bad job at remembering that, but it's true! The Gospel works, and it works wonderfully.  We just need to remember that it also works for ALL of us. All it takes is WORK. But that's another thought for another time.

So yeah, Zone Conference was AMAZING. Plus, Sis. Preis and Sis. Ochs made all of us lunch. It was SO GOOD. We were all very happy Elders and Sisters afterwards. And we had Sauerkraut!!!! I am pretty sure that it was the first time on my mission that I've had actual sauerkraut fed to me by a member. Oh well. Better late than never. :)

So for P-Day today, we have a very special day planned. Because we are on a train. And that train is heading to.... Wait for it.....

FRANKFURT!!!!!! 
(Please forgive the face, it was late and we were on a train for 3 hours)

No, we did not get President's permission to go to Frankfurt for a P-Day. That is way too far, and too expensive. But, we do have permission to try and go and get my visa!!!! Which.... Didn't actually work. My papers from Nürnberg FINALLY got sent to Frankfurt (right as I left), so we get to try and get my stuff all done in Frankfurt and it did not happen. Apparently I'm still missing some papers and they're upset because some of the papers I need just happen to be in English. I'm sorry the company that is providing my medical insurance coverage is an American company and therefore speaks English.   There really isn't a whole lot I can do about that. 

Anyways, to make a long story short, Elder Markle and I decided that I'll just have to come to Frankfurt again another time to try and get my visa. If it doesn't work that time.... We'll try and process things in Erlangen, and I might get an unanticipated extension to my mission. Mal schauen. 

It really has been a great week. Church was great, Sister Quain bore her testimony for the first time in German, and we got to come to Frankfurt for a very stressful, but also good P-Day. I know that the Lord knows what we need. He knows us perfectly, and He wants to help us. Sometimes, He helps us learn and grow by giving us challenges and trials that stretch us seemingly past our limits. But no matter what trials we may face, we have a promise that He ",giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7) We just need to look for His hand and the ways that He is helping us. Sometimes we have to look hard, but it there because He will never ask us to run faster than we are able. He will ALWAYS give us help. I know that to be true. 

This week, make a list of the ways the Lord has helped you in your life. With the big, and the small things. Make a list of at least five, and then get on your knees and thank Him in prayer. It's perfect, because this week is Thanksgiving. So let's all give a little bit back to God. :)

I love you all. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Have a great day, and a fantastic week!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

   

We were tired. I am still tired. We got up at 4:30. Have a great week.


Splits with Sis. Young. We had so much fun!!!              

Winter, New Missionaries, Bus Rides, and Spiders

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

It has been a crazy week, but a good week. Last Monday I spent the day packing, and this Monday I get to spend the day unpacking and cleaning the apartment. It's nice to finally have time to do all of these things.

Tuesday we welcomed all of the new missionaries into the mission! Sister Jameson, Sister Siems and I didn't get to go to the airport to pick them up, but we did see them at the street display! It was a lot of fun, but very cold. Thankfully, we weren't there for too long because we had an appointment that morning. At the end of the street display, we went to the chapel and had the Pairing meeting! It would have been more dramatic, but I already knew who my new missionary was. Perks of there being only one sister.

After the pairing meeting, our new missionary companions went to the hotel to sleep, and all the trainers went to another meeting to prepare us for being trainers. In case you were wondering, being called to be a trainer is inspired. Everything in missionary work is inspired, but especially the call of a trainer. Your trainer helps set the course of your mission. Hopefully, it is through their good example that you start to really develop those good habits of missionary work that will help you throughout your mission. Sometimes, it's not always like that. But there is something you can learn from every companion. Whether it is through their good, or bad example.

The the Train the Trainers meeting we went to the hotel and went to bed. I got to bed at 9:30. That NEVER happens! Missionaries are to be in bed by 10:30, and sometimes you're scrambling to get everything you need to done by then. If you get to bed by 10:15 you feel pretty good about yourself for being so early. But 9:30 just doesn't happen! If you're lucky you get to actually finish daily planning by then. So yeah. It was a good night.


Wednesday morning we woke up and went to breakfast and then had a meeting with President and Sister Stoddard, the Assistants, and all the trainers and new missionaries. After that, we went to Frankfurt Hbf, and waited for our bus to come. Yep, we took a bus down to Erlangen. Remember what happened the last time I took a bus down to Nürnberg? A two hour trip took five hours instead. This time, our bus was an hour and a half late, and we finally pulled into Erlangen just after 5:00. It wasn't too bad, and we got to have an awesome conversation with a man from Prague before the bus came.

The rest of the week has been spent getting to know the area, having Gemiko, and meeting with one investigator. Also, Stake Conference was this weekend, so we still don't know a ton of people in our ward yet. But we know our GML, and our Bishop so that's a good start. :)

Our one investigator lesson was with a woman named Martha. She is a scientist and has met with the missionaries for quite a while. When we met with her, we were actually planning to Tschüß her because she hasn't made any progress for a while. When we got there, though, it was a way different story.

We taught the Restoration and  it was kind of scattered, to tell the truth. But then Sister Quain recited the First Vision, and it was so good. The Spirit just entered the room and you could tell that Martha was feeling it. As we talked with her some more, we learned that she's not even sure if there is a God and if there is then what is He? How can she know if He's there is she doesn't know what He is? We talked more about Joseph Smith and she kept saying how she can relate to his story. She wants to know the truth! So we shared Moroni's promise with her and told her she can get answers to all of her questions through the Spirit. When we said that she asked us if we had ever gotten those answers and we said yes. She then told us she's never gotten an answer to a prayer so we talked about that for a while and what she could do to invite the Holy Ghost to come and give her answers. It was a way powerful lesson, and at the end she agreed to pray every day to know if God is there, and if He knows and loves her. She kept trying to say that she doesn't even know what God is, but we told her to simplify and just ask if He's there first. It was so powerful, and I look forward to meeting with her again. :)

As far as Stake Conference goes, it was great! All three Stake Conferences that I've been able to attend on my mission have been in the same stake, so that's kind of cool. In the Saturday evening session, one of the speakers talked about how he used to catch Black Widows as a kid and keep them in glass jars in his bedroom. Of course, his parents didn't like it and warned him about how dangerous Black Widow spiders are. But that just intrigued him more, so he went on catching them.

He talked about how one time he caught one of the biggest spiders he had ever seen, and he was so excited so he ran home to put it in a jar. But in his excitement, he forgot to put the lid on the jar. When he woke up the next morning, the first thing he saw was this huge spider, staring at him from on top of his bedsheets, right by his face. Terrified, he threw the covers off, and ran down to the kitchen where his family was eating breakfast. At first, no one believed him, but after a careful search of his room with thick gloves, the spider was found, and promptly removed from the home with all of the other spiders.

The speaker said that as he thought back on this experience, he was terrified at what could have happened. He was young, and a spider bite could have seriously injured him and sent him to the hospital. But what was more terrifying was the thought that if the spider had gone into the room next to his, it would have found his baby sister. A spider bite to her would have had far more devastating consequences. The analogy he made was that he had allowed something dangerous into his home because he had thought he could control it. He could admire it and have it close by, but not be affected by it. As his story shows, that is not the case.


How many spiritual Black Widows do we let into our homes and into the lives of our family members because we think we can control it? How many times do we say, "One time won't hurt," or "It's not even THAT bad,"?
Satan tries to deceive us by presenting these tiny little spiders that appear harmless,  but actually have a deadly bite. We need to watch out for these deceptions, and not be fooled by what Satan says is alright and harmless, and instead trust the Lord and His rules and principles. When we fill our homes with what is light and good, it will permeate every aspect of the home, and good thoughts and feelings will dwell.

Uwe and Brigitte

I hope you all look for the Spiritual Black Widows in your lives, and do everything you can to get rid of them. They may not even be that bad, but through "small and simple things are great things brought to pass." And that includes a fall from righteousness.

I love you all! Thank you so much for your love and encouragement. I definitely could not get by without it. I hope you remember how great and wonderful you are, too! Have a great day, and a fantastic week!

Liebe Grüße,
Sister John

Elder Merkley! We were in the same district for seven transfers!!!! That is almost a year! It was way hard to say goodbye at bahnhof, but he's still an Assistant so we'll see him at Zone Conference on Thursday. He is a way cool Elder who has a lot of love for the missionaries he works with. It's been an honor to serve with him for so long. :)






Elder Evans! Our other illustrious Assistant in this mission. :) He is seriously one of the most consecrated missionaries I have ever met. He is way sweet, and a SUPER hard worker. #givepamphletstoALLthestoppedcars We will also see him at Zone Conference so I'm excited. :)

Really Repentant and Completely Converted

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

This week was, without a doubt, the most stressful week of my mission. Everything that could have gone wrong, did. But! It was also one of THE COOLEST weeks ever, because Satan did NOT win the battle. God did. And it was awesome. :)

SAHAR AND HELEN GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!! 

Friends, let me just tell you a thing really fast. 
Last January we had a broadcast to all the missionaries in the world called, "Teach Repentance, and Baptize Converts." I am here to tell you that the two women in this photo were converted long before they were baptized. Helen has such a sincere desire to follow God, and she knew that baptism was a part of it long before we met her. Sahar has been through so much and no one would have blamed her for giving up, but her testimony of the Book of Mormon is strong enough to get her through all of the trials she's faced, and more. 

These two are MIRACLES, and they are CONVERTED. They know and understand repentance and they had gained such a light in their eyes like you've never seen before, before they were baptized. I wish there were words to express how bright they were shining after their baptism. They are incredible, and they are strong. They are beautiful daughters of God who entered the gate that will lead them back to Him. 

I'm just rambling right now, but it has been an emotional week. Literally everything that could have gone wrong this week did, and we had to fix it all. Stress has been high, sleep has been little, and there was definitely an excess of chocolate to try and compensate for it all. But if there is one thing I am grateful for, it is the Spirit. He helps us when we need Him the most and He directs us to help others. It was only with His help that Sahar and Helen could be ready for baptism. It was incredible. He Spirit at the baptism was AMAZING. More things went wrong, tears were shed, and stress was very high. But then they went into the water and when they came out they were shining and it was incredible. 

I love Sahar and Helen. I love Germany. And despite me trying not to, I really love Frankfurt. I love the missionaries here and the people and the culture. It has been, without a doubt, the best six months of my mission and my life.

"But Sister John, why are you building up to this very badly done climax? You're not leaving Frankfurt." 

Actually, I am. And I'm training on top of it. 

The District!

Transfer Calls were on Saturday and President called me in the morning before the baptism and released me as a Sister Training Leader and asked me if I would train again. Every call is inspired and designed to help us help others and learn and grow in the process. Being a Sister Training Leader has been the most fulfilling thing I have ever done in my life up to this point, and I have loved and enjoyed it so much. To say that I will miss the sisters is an understatement, but I know that Sister Jameson and Sister Siems will do an excellent job at teaching and training them. They'll be great, and the mission will move on. 

As for me, I am going to be traveling to Erlangen! It's a mildly mid-sized city in the state of Bayern. Which is conveniently the same state as the city of Nürnberg. 

Oh yes Friends, I am going back to Nürnberg. ;)

Okay, technically, I am twenty minutes away. But that is with a train and there are definitely worse travel times in that zone. Believe me, I know. :P

But, I am super excited. I am so sad to leave Frankfurt and the sisters and my companions and my district. But the Lord has called me to Erlangen and I'm going to go. Also, there is only one sister coming into the mission. Every single trainer and new missionary companionship is divinely appointed, but there is ONE SISTER. There is no way the Lord messed this one up. 

Training is scary. I am excited, and feel more ready than last time, but I am also worried. Prayers are helpful. 

Anyways, sorry this is long and scattered. Call-ins last night were very emotional. But all the sisters gave me some great tips for training. I'm going to miss them. 

I love you! Have a great day, and an amazing week!!!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

Sahar is just a little bit shorter than me. :)

Another Week in Frankfurt :)

Sometimes (all the time)

 we see other Frankfurt

 missionaries at train stations.

Mom Note: I'm getting her Christmas package ready to send. Not much because I don't want her to have to worry about getting it back home in March. If you want to include something, contact me asap.



Lieber Familie und Freunde,

To start with, there is a fair amount of rambling in this letter. I'm more awake because day light savings was Sunday for us, so we got an extra hour of sleep which was fantastic. But my brain has decided to make organizing thoughts into recognizable sentences and patterns really hard today. So yeah. I'm sorry you have to deal with that this week. I hope you can get something cool out it.

It is a blessed day to be a missionary in Germany. 
One, it is P-Day and we actually have time to do all of our emails.


Two, the weather is BEAUTIFUL today. The sky is beautifully blue and the sun is shining and coats will not be necessary until the sun goes down. 

I saw Sister Bakker at MLC!!!

Three, we received permission from Salt Lake to use the Area Book app this month, and now we have it. I am excited and a bit sad at the same time. I've gotten used to having a planner with me all the time. But, as President Stoddard said when we talked about it at MLC, "There will always be a bit of separation anxiety, won't there?" So it may be different, but I know that it will ultimately help our missionary work be more effective and help us help these souls come into our Savior. So I think we can all get over the loss of planners. :)

This week was a busy one, but it was wonderfully full of miracles. MLC was on Friday and it was so good! We talked a lot about speaking German more and really doing everything we can to show how much we love the people we are serving by learning their language. It really does make such a difference. Language is such a big part of a culture, and Germany has an absolutely lovely culture that I have come to love so much. Plus, serving with Sister Siems is so much fun because she always helps us with our German and teaches us fun new phrases that we can use every day. The Denglisch in our apartment hit an all-time high this week, but it's hilarious so I think it's fine. :)

This week we witnessed a miracle of the Priesthood and it was incredible. :) One of our investigators who should be getting baptized on Saturday fell down the stairs and broke her tailbone. On Saturday evening we show up for our appointment and she is in a ton of pain. So we give her some ibuprofen with specific directions of when to take it, and then proceeded to have a Mormon message movie night on her bed instead of teaching a lesson. But we wanted to help with her pain, so we explained what a priesthood blessing was and asked her if she wanted one.

The MLC crew. :) I love all of 

these Sisters and Elders a lot.

She said yes, so we called all the Elders in Frankfurt trying to find someone who didn't have an appointment and could come at last minute. The Tech Elders luckily had some time and a car, and came out to our investigator's apartment and gave her a blessing. It was so cool as Elder Blanchard anointed her and Elder Stiles gave her a blessing. The peace in the room had been steadily increasing since we got there, but as they gave her a blessing and talked about the blessings that Heavenly Father wanted to give her, it was incredible. She said afterwards that she felt totally at peace and that God had given her the peace she needed. She has such faith that she will be completely healed. We're meeting with her tonight to see how she's doing and talk about her baptism. I can't even explain how much I appreciate the presence of the worthy priesthood holders that I have been blessed to serve with. I am so grateful that they are able and willing to respond when we or our investigators need them. It has been such a blessing to be blessed by them and see them bless the lives of others. I wish I could explain it better! I just love the Elders here in Frankfurt. They are exceptional. :)

I just asked my companions what happened this week and Sister Jameson said we almost killed ourselves with thirteen lessons. That is a lot of lessons in one week because it takes FOREVER to travel anywhere. So she's not wrong. Unterwegs contacting. Yay!

A less-active member who we meet with often had her birthday yesterday! She invited us over to celebrate with her and we thought it would just be her and her dad who was visiting by we were SO wrong! She invited a ton of her neighbors and we shared a spiritual thought and it was way cool! I talked to her dad for about 30 minutes and he was way interested in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir because he had heard their arrangement of Amazing Grace and loved it. We had a great talk about that, and I invited him to come to church next time he comes to visit his daughter. Mal schauen, but it was a way great conversation. :)

Anyways, it was a great week. I'm glad we're done with splits for the transfer because we kind of died after our last one. It's all good. We just took some recharge time and ate a bit more chocolate this week. 

I had a thought while sitting on a bus this week. The leaves have all changed colors and the sidewalks are covered with leaves so you can't always see the uneven cobblestones. It's quite hazardous for people like me who trip just walking over a perfectly flat surface with nothing in the way. But my thought was that all the trees and leaves and cobblestones and everything is normal. But then the next thought was, "No, it's not. You live in a desert, remember?" I love Germany. I love the people. I love the sights, sounds, places, smells, and everything about it. It made me think about my thoughts about this country at this time last year, and I was wondering if it would ever feel comfortable to be living here. It was so different, and I couldn't speak or read anything and it was so hard! But now, I feel like this is my home more than home ever was. I love it here and I never want it to end. I am so thankful for the blessings that God gives to us to let us do hard and challenging things. Because at first, they are terrifying. But when we work at it and just do our best with what He has given us, we grow and learn things we never could have learned otherwise. After that, the fear goes away and the whole experience is turned into a beautiful collection of experiences. A few transfers ago, a Sister who was going home said that she was asked on a split to describe her mission in one word. She used the word, 'sacred.' Since then, I have tried to make my mission sacred, but the word I keep thinking of is 'consecrated.' This is one of the only times in my life where every moment has literally been consecrated to Him and His work. My job is to live up to that expectation He has set, and learn and help His children learn in the process. It's a great experience.

I love you all! I hope you're having a great week and that you remember that your Heavenly Father loves you so much! And if you've forgotten, or think you might have forgotten, just get down and ask Him if He loves you, and how much. I promise you that you will get an answer. It might not be enough answer that you are expecting, but you will get one.

I love you. Have a great day, and a fantastic week!

Liebe Grüße,
Sister John

A nice couple offered to take our picture in Mainz on a split. We said yes and tried to contact them, but they weren't interested. But at least we got a cool picture. :)
















Sometimes life is stressful, so we give each other massages. I promise that Sister Siems is not dead in this photo.