This sounds like the beginning to a bad joke, but it's actually my life.
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| Reunited MTC District |
Not really. But actually yes. I have tried to figure out how to title this week's email far too many times because too much has happened in the last week and a half. I can't even pretend to try and sum up because there actually is too much! So let's just dive into the past 10 days and see how far we get!
Tuesday: Transfer Day! In which the first thing I did was put Sister Quain on a train that took her away to Essen.... it was a sad day. I have had far too many good-byes at the Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof. But she will be AMAZING in Essen, and I look forward to hearing about all of her adventures with her new companion there. :)
Also on Tuesday, Sister Young and I fulfilled a dream we have both had since we first met in the Frankfurt Zone: serve together as companions. And we did! For a whole four hours! Which isn't enough to count her as an official companion, but it was a lot of fun, nonetheless. :)
Then Sister Yeck came! And Sister Siems! And Elder Van Dam! And Elder Clemente! And Elder Merkley!!! Basically, a TON of my favorite people all came to one of my favorite zones. It was a great day to just see people (despite having to say so many good-byes) and give and receive lots of high fives and hugs (hugs for Sisters, high fives for Elders (because handshakes still seem a bit too formal for me sometimes))
At the end of all the craziness with transfers (one elder's train was delayed by an hour and a half.... #deutschebahn), Sister Yeck and I went back to Erlangen and got her suitcases into the apartment and then had an AWESOME appointment with one of our investigators. He brought a friend with him, and his friend was SO COOL. To give you an idea of how cool this man is, he speaks four different languages fluently, and his hobby is helping people. He has such a sincere desire to follow Christ and His teachings. We're excited to meet with him and our other investigator again soon. :)
Wednesday: Was a normal day.
Thursday: We had District Meeting! Half of our district changed, so it was fun to get to know the new missionaries who came in. Elder Van Dam is in my district! And in Erlangen, sogar! I am so happy with all of the lovely people around me right now. It was a great District Meeting. :)
But what was even cooler than District Meeting, was the morning before District Meeting. On Tuesday evening, I got an email from the city of Erlangen saying that my Akte had finally been sent from Frankfurt to Erlangen, and I had an appointment with the Visa Office for the second of February. Sister Yeck and I went, I paid €50, and there is now a lovely green sticker in my passport that says I'm legal to be in Germany until the end of April.
10 and a half months and three cities later, I am finally living in a state of legality again. It's a very nice feeling.
Friday: Was normal. I got hugged and my cheek was pinched by an African man who thought we were on a date. *sigh*
Saturday: We went on an adventure! To Oberhöchstadt! Basically, we doored half of the village trying to contact a referral from over a year ago. We met a lot of very friendly cats. I was very happy. :)
Sunday: Elder Van Dam and Sister Yeck introduced themselves to the ward, and it was a good day.
Monday: We didn't have P-Day, and that was okay. We had Zone Training instead! It was way good, and I learned a lot. I'm still freuing myself that Elder Merkley is our new Zone Leader here. It's just perfect.
At Zone Training, we all made a giant poster with sacrifices we had made to come on missions on one side, and the blessings we have received/will receive on the other. It was really cool to be reminded of all the blessings we've been promised. It was a reminder we all needed, I think. I'll tell you what I wrote in a moment.
Tuesday: This day was interesting. First of all, on Monday evening Elder Gilmore and Elder Kramer (who is actually serving in Grafenwöhr, but was on a split) called us and asked if we could help them with an appointment they had the next day. A couple weeks ago, the Elders were called by a teacher who apparently had taught her class about our church, and wanted them to now come and just answer questions from He class because they were interested in what we did as missionaries. Well, fast-forward to Monday evening, Elder Gilmore is in charge after his Trainer has been transferred, but he's on a split so his companion REALLY has no idea what's going on. So we all went on an adventure to a German High school, basically, and answered a bunch of questions from a class about Theology.
It sounded really intimidating at first, but it actually wasn't. It was a ton of fun, and we all got to bear our testimonies about various principles of the Gospel; mostly the Holy Ghost and the Priesthood. The students were very kind and respectful. They asked us why we had decided to come on missions and as we all told our different stories, the Spirit was SO STRONG. I KNOW someone in that room besides the missionaries felt something, and I really hope that they call us about it.
All in all, it was a fun experience. I think most of the kids were interested to learn that we were normal kids just like them. It was good. And the Gospel was preached, so that made it great. :)
Wednesday: We had lunch with the Familie Hartwig. Bruder Hartwig was trained to be a cook, so everything over there is SUPER yummy. We had fish, and it was really good. Wie immer. I love going to their house.
Thursday: Today! Today one of our members took us and the Elders on a hike. To say that Sister Yeck and I were under-dressed is an understatement. We both took light jackets because we thought it would be warmer than it was, but it wasn't. Thankfully, we walked fast so we were kept pretty warm, but it was still a bit chilly. I kept hearing Rick's voice in my head, telling me I should have done a better job at layering. I did take gloves and a hat, though, so I wasn't too cold. And I packed extra hand warmers in my bag for anyone who needed them, which was good because Sister Yeck got pretty cold. It was absolutely gorgeous where we were. Pictures will be at the end.
It's been a pretty good transfer so far. Sister Bakker surprised me at Zone Training by asking me to do a musical number with her at our Leaver's Testimony Meeting. I haven't practiced yet, but it will be fun. We're going to do something on a P-Day with the Coburg District because I really want to try and spend some time with Sister Bakker and Elder Clemente before we all leave. It is such a huge blessing to have all these people around.
As for the spiritual side of this email, I was reading in 2 Nephi 2 this week, and I only got through the first six verses. Actually, I read the whole thing, but the first six verses stood out to me the most, and especially the first two. In this chapter, Lehi is talking to his son, Jacob, and tells him about the Plan of Salvation and the Fall of Adam and Eve. It's a great chapter, and one that we normally leave with investigators to prepare them to talk about the Plan of Salvation.
The connection I made though, was that Lehi tells Jacob that he has, "suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren." But then he goes on to tell Jacob that, "Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."
That last part just hit me so hard this week. Jacob was put under a lot of strain because of his older brothers. Layman and Lemuel were causing problems, Nephi was trying to solve the problems but his brothers just used him as an excuse to make the problems bigger. I assume Sam was involved in there as well, and then Jacob and Joseph, the two youngest, were caught in the middle. I can imagine Laman and Lemuel making life hard on their youngest brothers because they followed the words of their father and Nephi. But through all of this, Jacob learned of the goodness of God, and trusted that no matter what happened, it would be for his good.
That is such a powerful promise, and it's extended to not just Jacob, but all of us. God is our Father in Heaven and He loves us. Even when life is hard, and stress is mounting, and trials just seem to come one right after the other without a break or an end, we can KNOW that it will all be to help us become better. To help us come closer to God. To His Son, Jesus Christ. It is an amazing promise, and I am so grateful that no matter what, I can know that my older brother and Savior is right there with me and is showing me the lessons that I need to learn. It is such a blessing in my life, and it is an even greater blessing to be able to share it with others.
I love you all so very much. Please take some time today or this week to think of some of the hardest trials you've faced/are facing, and think of how you've grown and learned from them. Find the ways that those experiences were, 'consecrated for your gain.' Then get on your knees, and thank Heavenly Father for what He's done. I know He loves to hear from each and every one of you, so don't make Him wait.
I love you. Have a great day, and an incredible week!
Liebe Grüße,
Sister John
Andy Said it Looks a lot cooler when it's warm, or completely frozen. Either way, I want to come do this hike again. :)
The water's source! It literally just flows out from the rock. Which means it's pretty clean. Which means....
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