Lieber Familie und Freunde,

 

Today we went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for p-day with the Elders from Erlangen and Bayreuth. We walked around a the top of a castle wall that is older than America, visited a couple shops, bought letter openers that looked like swords, and cried gemeinsam when we realized that the really cool medieval store was closed today. But, we all bought a sneebällchen (snow balls - They're a local pastry that is just dough strips rolled into a ball and fried and covered in chocolate. It's really good.) and drowned our sorrows that way. All-in-all, it's been a good day. A bit cold, a bit slower than normal, but good. Next week all of the Elders in our district are going to wear ft their Lederhosen and come to Erlangen and we'll all play games at the church. I will probably wear my Dirndl, but I promise to take pictures no matter what. 

This week was a really good week. In the list of things I've learned in Erlangen, one is to be happy with whatever we're given from God. And this week, we were given a lot. 

 

Sister Quain and I had a goal to talk to ten people during some of our finding time, so we were just trying to talk to everyone to try and get it over with (we're not perfect, and finding is hard sometimes). So then we talk to this one guy, have the most awkward first contact conversation of my life, and then he asks if he can meet with us. 

 

What?

So to make a quasi long story short, we have a new investigator! He's so sweet! We basically did an overview of the first three lessons with him when we met on Saturday, and we didn't ask him to commit to anything other than meet with us again. He committed himself to do everything else! It was way cool, and he even came to church on Sunday!!!! It was a super great day, and he is incredible. We're hoping to set a baptismal date with him on Saturday. :)

 

Other cool things from the week include: I made dinner. We had pasta with a tomato sauce that I made. I mean, I MADE a tomato sauce. With tomatoes and zucchini and everything. It was way yummy, and I was very proud. I made gingerbread pancakes. Then we added some chocolate chips and buttermilk syrup (which I also made) and it was DELICIOUS. It is officially my favorite recipe. Over brownies, even. 

I bought an intense German scarf. It is very warm, and lovely. 

 

There is a lot of selfishness in that last bit. Sorry. 

 

We also met with a former investigator this week named Annemarie. She is kind of older, very sweet, and very knowledgeable. We talked a lot about the Bookmark Mormon with her and she didn't really have any serious doubts about it, she just thought that she didn't need it. She doesn't need a church to believe in Christ. It was kind of sad, but all we could do was bear testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, which we did. By the end of our visit, she had promised to keep reading and to pray and ask God if it was true. It was a cool moment, and I have hope that she will become a progressing investigator someday. 

 

It really has been a good week. We met with a family in the ward for dinner and did an activity with them about asking God our questions. They have two kids, ages 9 and 7, and the older one asked if he would ever get married. It was a cute moment for us and his mom. It also made me think about how much we do think about the future, and how much we sometimes do wish we could know what will happen. But really, we do know what will happen. We know the Plan that God has laid out for us and where we want to go. The truly hard part is doing what we need to do to get there. And even that isn't that hard. We just need to do our best to be like Christ and trust in the Plan. I'm doing a horrible job at elaborating more on this subject right now, but I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. It really is a plan of Happiness. One thing that really seemed to resonate with our new investigator friend this week was that God loves us, and He wants us to be happy. That I something that I know without a doubt. "Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have JOY." (emphasis added) Our Heavenly Father loves us, and He gave us a wonderful plan to help us return to Him. 

 

I don't know everything. I have no idea what the next seven weeks will bring. I have no idea what will happen during transfer calls on Saturday. I have no idea if our investigators will continue investigating and choose to be baptized. 

I am only a person and I do not know a lot. 

But I know that there is a God and that He loves each of us. I know that He is my Father in Heaven and He will always listen to me when I need Him (which is good because sometimes I talk a lot and He is the only one who will listen). I know that the Plan of Happiness is for each of us, and that while the plan is general, it is very individual in application. We choose to believe it, and whether we trust in it's creator or not. We choose to let the happiness in this life, overcome the sadness. We choose to let our beliefs influence our actions or not.

 

This is really ramble, but I choose God, and Christ, and the Plan. I will choose them every single time. 

 

I love you all. I hope that you are having a great day, and an amazing week. Even if it is a normal day and week, look at it with an eternal perspective. Try to figure out how this moment in your life is a part of your Plan of Happiness. And then go and spread the happiness. Spread the love. Life is hard enough without us doing anything to make it harder. So let's all be a bit kinder. 

 

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

 

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John 

 

P.S. Transfer calls are on Saturday and I have no idea if I'll stay in Erlangen or not. Whatever happens, I'll be happy. Sister Quain and I are just trying to get her completely ready to potentially take over the area. She is great. I love Sister Quain. I'm going to miss her when this crazy adventure is over. 

 

 The fluffiest of scarves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            

I heated the pan too much when I made pancakes.... So I tried cooling it off by sticking it outside where it was cold. It kind of worked.

 

 

 

 

The Iron Rod is the Word of God

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

 

This week has been so good. First of all, it has been FREEZING all week. That was actually not so good. That was actually bad and made me kind of sad because I do not like the cold at all, but we bundled up and it was bearable. 

 

The good parts from the week were that we had a split with the STLs, Zone Training, AND we found a new investigator all in the same week! Much goodness was had, and the Spirit was felt by many. :)

 

My split was with Sister Meure and we were in Nürnberg. Splits there are still incredibly weird. It's not my area, but I still know everything and everyone and it's just a weird mix of feelings and feeling the Spirit and not feeling Spirit. It's hard to explain. The best way to explain it is that I know that it is not my area anymore, because the Spirit doesn't feel the same as it did when I was serving there. I've gotten used to that feeling when we go for District Meeting and Zone Trainings and such, but splits are just weird because I just have to live through it for a whole day. It's weird. Moving on. 

 

Sister Meure is absolutely lovely and she's from Tasmania! We had so much fun on our split. She really helped me with my contacting by helping me to stop thinking about it so much and just start doing. When I think about talking to the next person, I psych myself out. So now I just smile, and then open my mouth and testify. It's been working pretty well because Sister Quain and I have found quite a few more potentials this week, and we even got a new investigator!

 

He is from Africa, and he is so cool. We met with him for the second time on Thursday evening, and he had already read a bit in the Book of Mormon! He has been through some really hard stuff and wants to try and understand why. We introduced the Plan of Salvation at the end of our last lesson and he said he was really interested to know more about it, so we're excited to meet again which should be on Tuesday. He is so humble! We're really excited to help him really understand the Spirit he's been feeling. Things are looking up in Erlangen. :)

 

Zone Training was great. This month we are studying the Book of Mormon as a mission and as such talked a lot about that at Zone Training. President Stoddard had a set of gold plates that he used for part of his talk. We talked about all the plates used in the Book of Mormon (small and large plates of Nephi, Plates of Mormon, Plates of Moroni, etc.) and in what order all of the books were translated. I didn't know that first and second Nephi were translated after the rest of the Book of Mormon was translated. That must have been a relief for Joseph Smith to see after the 116 pages of the Plates of Lehi were lost. 

 

As far as Thelma's go, I really liked an activity that we did with the Sister Training Leaders. We were divided into small groups and were each given a piece of paper. On the paper, we wrote down a question that we had (about doctrine, about a problem we'd been facing, etc.) and then we each took turns opening the Book of Mormon to a random page and then reading the two pages it was open to and looking for an answer in those two pages. It was really cool, and I can honestly say that I felt the Spirit super strong and received an answer to my question. 

 

The Book of Mormon is just so cool. One recurring theme from Zone Training was that the Book of Mormon was written for our day, and our time. It was written to help us overcome the problems and challenges that we face. It was written for our problems, and our concerns. It is for US. I don't know if I can adequately convey just how much that means to me, but I'll try. 

 

There is an article in the October Ensign/Liahona called 'Converted for Life.' In this article, the author relates an experience he had on his mission where he and his companion shared the Book of Mormon with a hostile man who promised to read it just to point out the errors so he could show the next missionaries who showed up at his house. The Elders left, and chalked it up to another seed planted that would probably sprout in several years. It actually only took five minutes. The next morning, the man was waiting on their doorstep, apologizing for his behavior and then asking to be baptized. That is INCREDIBLE. The author then says that he knows it wasn't him or his companion who converted that man. It was the Book of Mormon. 

 

In the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith is quoted, saying, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." 

 

I know that is true. Everything that the Book of Mormon does brings us closer to our Savior, and therefore, closer to our Father in Heaven. Whenever I read the Book of Mormon, I may not always find the perfect solution to my problem, but I do feel peace. I feel God's love. I feel the truthfulness of the Plan of Salvation and that I have a part to play in it. 

 

I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon and the restored Gospel. I love the Gospel with all my heart, and I am so grateful to be able to share it with others as much as I am able. It is a blessing to be a missionary, and I wouldn't trade my experiences here for the world. 

 

I love you all. Have an incredible day, and a fabulous week!

 

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

 

Sister Meure had to go to the dentist during our split. This was when the Novocain just started to take effect and paralyze half of her face.

 

And this is several hours later, and she could still smile only half way! It's okay, we had a spectacular split with lots of fun times anyways. :)

 

 

The sleepiest new missionary. :)

 

 

A Weekly and Some Rambles

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

 

Sometimes on a mission, weeks go by really, REALLY fast. Other times, they pass by so slowly that if you breathe too hard, it will stop. Thankfully, this week wasn't super slow, but it wasn't super fast either. 

 

It was just a week. 

 

But Sister Quain and I can honestly say that it was a good week. Why? Because we taught a lesson!!!! Never in my life have I been so happy to teach just one lesson in a week. And it even went well! This man had met the previous sisters and they had given him a Book of Mormon in Amharric and he had a lot of questions about where it came from, what it was about, and why it is like the Bible. So we talked about the Restoration of the church and it was a way good lesson. The Spirit was so strong during some parts as we talked about Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon helps us today. It was so good. It's proof to me that God loves us, and no matter where we come from or where we are, we can feel the Spirit. I know that's true because I spent a summer working at Subway and trust me, feeling the Spirit there is easier said than done. :P But we did it! And he felt the Spirit! We're calling him today to set up our next appointment! 

 

Miracles, friends. 

 

Apparently you can now download the church's Youth Album through the LDS Music app. It works on Sister Quain's iPad, but not mine.... It's probably better that way, honestly. It's almost impossible for me to even cook dinner without listening hymns or other mission-appropriate music. And singing along. I apologize to all my companions who have had to listen to me make up random harmonies as I go along. Thankfully, Sister Quain is pretty okay with it. She even sings along, sometimes. :)

 

This week I've thought a lot about enduring to the end. It's been on my mind a lot because honestly, the first half of this week was pretty rough. It was just really cold (not as cold as you friends in Utah, but it's a wet cold so it's not nice either way :P ) and we weren't seeing the success that I wanted to, and our GML misunderstood some things that I had said so he thought I was mad at the ward for "not doing missionary work" and had a long talk with us all at Gemiko, and it was just a lot of stuff all at once, and I was feeling not so great about it all. It affected everything that I had to do, and it was not fun. And by not fun, I mean "like unto how I felt when I left Nürnberg" not fun. 

 

In the midst of this, I was so grateful that I still felt the Spirit. I still felt loved by my Father in Heaven and I knew He was helping Sister Quain and I even though I couldn't see it. It was an interesting feeling to have while I was feeling so miserable. The only thing more interesting was the thought that kept coming into my head that I needed to choose to be happy. Turns out some of what Sister Robinson said during my year and a half in her Sunday School class stuck. 

 

We get to choose our attitudes. Yes, life is hard. Sometimes things happen that make us sad, frustrated, or even depressed. But ultimately, the choice is ours. At District Meeting, Elder Wallentine mentioned that his greatest joy honestly comes from his knowledge of the Atonement and he Resurrection. He knows that no matter how bad things may get, it won't last forever and he will be happy again. He just has to do his best and keep pushing forward. 

 

That thought has stuck with me this whole week. We just have to do our best, and keep moving forward in the Gospel. We have to endure, yes. But we can choose to endure grudgingly (like I did at the beginning of the week), or we can endure joyfully and make the most of every moment we have been given, good or bad! President Nelson said it perfectly last conference, "Life is filled with detours and dead ends, trials and challenges of every kind. Each of us has likely had times when distress, anguish, and despair almost consumed us. Yet we are here to have joy? Yes! The answer is a resounding yes! ...That’s it! Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!"

 

How cool is that? No matter what happens, we can have joy in this life! That's incredible! And it all comes through our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the source of this great happiness, and we should always remember that. I love Him, and I am so grateful that even when I am so prideful as to forget why I'm here on this earth in the first-place, He helps me turn back to the real reason and repent and become better. That is true joy. 

I want to invite you all to look for the blessings in your lives, think of how happy they make you, and then go and share that joy with someone else. You could take a sibling to a movie they wanted to see, go on a picnic with a friend, or write a letter to your parents. Just do something to make someone else smile and let them know you care. Everyone is fighting a tough battle. So let's all help each other out, okay?

 

I love this Gospel, and I know it's true. I am grateful for the opportunity I've had to come and serve a mission, and I am so grateful for everyone who has helped me along the way. Thank you for your love and prayers. 

 

I love you all, and I hope you have a fantastic day, and a fabulous week!

 

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

Frohes Neues!!!

Mom Note: This is from Jan. 2, 2017

 

Again, there's not much time. We're in Bamberg because we got invited to lunch by the Bishop and his wife brought a series of circumstances that started because of New Year's Eve. So let's go through the week!

 

On Sunday, we were reminded that there was going to be a ward party for New Year's on Saturday. On Monday, we were at a member's house and they asked us if we were going too to the party and told us we should try and stay if we could. Well, we emailed President right then and there because they wanted us to ask, and President said we could, if we got a ride home. Well, our GML is great, and the short story is that we had a great time at the ward party and got home just before one in the morning. It was a lot of fun, and we got to know a lot of the members on a less professional level than member and missionary. It was great. :) We didn't light any fireworks, but it was so much fun to see them. Just like last year, the city EXPLODED!!!! It was so cool! I love fireworks in Germany. It's great. :)

At the party, the Bamberg Bishop and his wife were there but they left before midnight. Well, Sis. Wolf left her favorite scarf so she called a member so she could ask us if we could get it back to her. We offered to just come to Bamberg for P-Day to give it to her, and she and her husband offered to take us and the other sisters to lunch to thank us. It was way sweet of them, and the Indian food was WAY good. It was tons of fun. :)

 

As far as work goes, the week was great. We had an appointment with a super cool potential investigator, but she never showed up. So that was kind of disappointing. But we did make contact with a lot of cool people is week, and a random inactive member who we met at the bus stop this morning! That was a fun time. Miracles are happening. :)

 

This week I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to share the Gospel with people, because sometimes it's hard. Especially as missionaries, we want every member to share the Gospel with their friends and bring the people to us so we can teach them. That is not how it works, though. Sharing the Gospel can be really hard, but we all do it every day just through our examples. The hard part is hat we oftentimes just don't see everything our example does. There's not a ton of time to expand on this subject, but I want to challenge you all to make a list of all the people who have ever influenced you for good, and then thank them for doing whatever it is they did. Let them know how much you appreciate their example in your life. 

 

Once you've done that, write a list of all the people you know, and think of ways that you can influence them for good. Maybe it's something you're already doing or have already done, but think of something you can do, and then do it! Spread your light, and let it shine! I promise that as you do, you'll feel the Spirit of the Lord more strongly in your life, and you'll be happier. I promise. :)

 

I love you all. Have a great week, and an incredible day!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

 

P.S. It snowed today!!!! We only have like, 2 inches, but we had a snowball fight with the Bamberg Sisters and Elders and built a snowman. It was great. :)

Frohe Weihnachten!!!

Mom note: I'm late, again. This is from Dec. 26, 2016

 

 

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

 

This is not a super great letter, because it is late and we have no time. But I'll do my best and everything should be great. 

 

Today was a great P-Day. We spent the day with the Familie Molnar from our ward, and they are amazing. They have the two youngest kids living at home right now, and the next oldest is also there for the holidays. Joshua and Jasmine are twins and they're both eighteen, and Jerome is like, 23. So it was a lot of fun with a lot of games and SO MUCH FOOD. Seriously, Brother Molnar asked if he could put some potatoes on my plate and I asked him for just a few and he said okay and theN PILED them on. And that was just dinner. After that, we still had dessert, then cookies, then fruit, and then brezel's with melted cheese and ham on top. Everything was SUPER yummy, but I have been fed so much food this week. I'm ready for a nap and then some good exercise. 

 

This week was Christmas, and since I can't remember what I said about Christmas last year, I'm just going to tell y'all about German Christmas now!

 

First of all, Christmas is on the 24th. Why? Because it's Christ's birthday! And He is the one who brings the presents, which is absolutely true. We have SO MANY gifts because of our Savior. One quote Sister Quain and I have been telling each other over and over this week is that, "without Easter, there would be no Christmas." So we celebrate Christ's birth because it was His sacrifice that meant so much to us. And it is the Christ Child (Christkind) who brings all the presents for the girls and boys. And of course family members give each other presents, too. But they don't open the presents until the evening time. Like, after dinner evening. The parents will shut the door to the room with the tree and the Christkind will then come and decorate the tree and leave gifts for everyone. It's very magical, and I like it a lot. 

 

We were invited to our GML's house for dinner and Christmasy things in the 24th, so that was a ton of fun. I also talked to my family! And the Internet was kind of bad so we really just talked instead of being able to see each other.... but it's okay. I'll see y'all in the Celestial Kingdom at the very least. But the next least is three months, so that's not too bad. ;)

 

The 25th of December is another Feiertag (Holiday), but it's not anything super special. Just kind of a general "we're celebrating Christmas and not doing anything!" Sort of day. But it's good. We were at the Araùjo Family's house because as Brother Araùjo said, "I wasn't invited anywhere for Christmas on my mission, and that sucked.  I don't want that to happen to you guys. So come on over and we'll have some food and play some games and it will be good." And it was. They have tree kids aged 5, 3, and almost 2. We played with them while mom and dad cooked in peace (though we did offer to help a million times) and then we watched a couple movies. 

 

I know. It was great. 

 

We watched the Muppet Christmas Carol (it was so good, and I still quoted most of the movie. The Elders only thought I was completely weird), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and arose of the Guardians. I still had to try and not cry at the end of the last movie. I just love it too much. But it was a ton of fun watching and playing with the kids. The youngest one, Felipe, came and cuddled with me on the couch for a bit and then we played with play dough for a while afterwards. It was way cute. He is way cute. All of their kids are adorable and speak Portuguese, English, and a tiny bit of German. They were way nice to us, and it was a lot of fun. 

 

Today, we were at the Familie Molnar's house. We listened to Christmas music, watched/learned some Magic tricks, and played Ligretto. It's a German card game hat I have never actually played in Germany. It was a ton of fun, and we discovered that Sister Quain has a talent for it, much to the actual German's chagrin. It was way funny the first time she won because no one American had won up to the point, and then she finished the round way fast. It was brilliant, and the American takeover started from there. We were just a bit competitive. Can you tell? ;)

 

All-in-all, it has been a great Christmas Season with a lot of time to reflect on the birth of our Savior. There's a tradition among the German saints to have a small devotional on Christmas Eve and that's what we did on Saturday. It was super great to listen to songs sung by the Tabernacle Choir, and to hear the Bishop's son read the Christmas Story out of Luke 2. On Sunday we only had Sacrament due to it being Christmas, and it was still super spiritual. The Bishop's wife gave a talk about Christ being the true present of the season and how we always spend so much time getting ready for Christmas, but how much time do we spend getting ready for Christ? How much time do we spend getting our presents for Him ready? What do we even give Him for presents? Brother Araùjo answered that with his talk by saying that this year, he is going to spend more time with his family, and do his best to lay all of his pride, anger, and frustration on the sacrificial altar so that his family doesn't have to get any of it. It was a super spiritual talk, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve in this ward and learn from all of them. 

 

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is our Savior and Redeemer and He knows each of us personally by name. He forgets no one, and He wants to help us. He wants to help us accept the gift that He has given. I challenge every one of you to get on your knees and ask God what it is that you can do to be more prepared for the Savior's coming, and then go and do it.  Ask Him who knows all, "what Lack I yet?" I promise you will get an answer, and if you really act on it, you will see incredible blessings come from it. 

 

I love you all. Thank you so much to everyone who sent me a Christmas letter, email, package, prayer, or nice thoughts. It all makes a difference and I really wish I had time to email everyone. Please accept my apology for this week, and know that you are all in my prayers and I am thankful for each of your examples. I have learned so much on my mission, but I am always so thankful for the incredible examples that I was able to learn from before my mission. Thank you all for the part you played in that. 

 

With all my love,

Sister John

Frohe Weihnachten!