I don't know about you but I'm feelin....

....like it was a super great week. :)

Last District Meeting!

We had a lot of time for contacting this week, and it was so much fun! We went dooring on this street called Willy-Brandt-Straße because it reminded me of Willy-Brandt-Platz in Frankfurt, and everyone we talked to spoke English! It was so bizarre! But a lot of fun, and we had a really lovely conversation with this super kind lady from Singapore. Then we found some wild Americans and that was cool. And then we talked to this sweet woman from India who said we could come give her a Book of Mormon. 

 

It was a great day. :)

 

As far as other highlights go, we got to go to a Nürnberg street display on Wednesday, and it was cold, but so much fun! There were tons of people just coming up to the tables and talking to us! And then we would go out and talk to lots of cool people and they were all pretty nice! But like always, there were the occasional rude/weird people. I tried to ask one man if he'd ever heard about our church before and he literally started swimming through the crowd to get away from me. I just turned around and laughed with Sister Siems. Later, a very drunk man tried to ask me out to dinner. He was very kind, and very insistent, but he walked away from the street display alone. Another man talked to me for almost 40 minutes, but was then shocked when I told him I was 22 after he asked. He said, "Oh, I'm 32! I'm a bit old for you!" He didn't want to hear about the Restore Gospel, apparently. But he was kind all the same. :)

 

Zeynep and Caroline came to the street display, too! It was so much fun to see them both again. Caroline is so sassy and Zeynep is so sweet but somehow they're best friends. I love them both. :) Zeynep brought me a HUGE box of donuts, but it worked out because we had an appointment with our GML for dinner after the street display, so we took them and shared. Sr. Zink made Sauerkraut, Nürnberger Bratwurst, and potatoes for dinner. It was super yummy, and I was a very happy Sister John afterwards. :) 

 

Sr. Zink also made lemon cake for Sister Yeck and I, complete with frosting and candles. We both had our birthdays this week, so we got to celebrate at the Zink's. Sister Yeck had hers on the 25th of February, so she got sung to first in English, sogar. Br. Zink had the best German accent when he speaks English. Really, it's adorable. I love it. I was sung to in German, which was very nice. :) So yeah. There are now two young women serving in Erlangen, and no teenagers. So it's basically a party every night. ;) Just kidding, but we do have a lot of fun together. :)

 

This week I have been thinking a bit about going home and what that means. Because as a missionary, life has been relatively simple. I am in the world, but so cut off from everything that it's pretty easy to stay focused on the Gospel and the things that matter most. Now with the prospect of going home, it seems like the world is getting closer and closer, and I have to be prepared to dive straight into it. At least, that's how it feels.

 

It's kind of daunting sometimes, trying to be a good Latter-Day Saint while being surrounded by so much bad. The world is so noisy and loud and dirty, and we just want calm, and quiet and to be clean. But one thing that really struck me this week was the story in the New Testament about Peter and the other Apostles going fishing after the Savior's crucifixion. 

 

In the Bible video, Peter and the other Apostles are sitting around, looking aimless when Peter announces, "I go a fishing." To which the others respond that they will go with him. So they go fishing and they are finding nothing. Absolutely nothing. But then Christ appears on the shore and asks them how it's going. Then he invites them to cast their nets on the right side of the ship. When the Apostles do this, they find more fish in the nets than they can handle. Then they recognize that it is the Lord, and they go back to shore. When there, Peter is questioned by Christ three times. Christ asks, "Simon (note the use of his old name), son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these (meaning the fish)?" Peter responds, "Yea Lord, thou knowest I love thee." "Then feed my lambs." This conversation happens twice more, with Peter's answer becoming more, and more heartfelt and meaningful. Afterwards, Christ says simply, "Follow me." To which Peters replies, "And what shall this man do?" Christ's reply is, "If I should that he should tarry here until I come again, what is that to thee? Follow thou me."

 

I love this story, because Peter was an Apostle who served with Christ for three years. He basically served a three year mission. And after he "went home", he went back to what he had done before.  But when Christ came again, He let Peter know that that was not was what was expected. Peter was expected to be an Apostle still, not a fisherman. 

 

For me, I am a missionary right now. But I will go back home and be released and not be a missionary anymore. But I will still be a disciple of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And that means that some things I do are going to change. I'm going to be more prayerful, and have a better scripture study than I did a year and a half ago. I'm going to shun the things of the world more, and seek more after the good things. But there are some things that won't change. I'll still be Sister John, just not a missionary. I'll still love Star Wars and Doctor Who and all of the nerdy stuff, I just won't be as obsessed with it as before. And I'll still be trying be a good daughter, sister, and friend. And I can do all of that as I follow Jesus Christ. 

 

Friends, this is the Savior's invitation to all of us. "Follow me." I want to let you know that it is only by following the Savior and His teachings that we can be truly happy, and find true joy and peace in this life, and the life to come. I hope that you will all take some time to examine how well you are following the Savior, and not worrying about the world. Stay focused on the Savior, and you will never go wrong. 

 

I love you all so much. Next week will be my last letter as a missionary! Ah! Where did all the time go??? Anyways, I hope you all have a fabulous day, and an amazing week!

 

Liebe Grüße,

Sister John

P.S. And yes, I am feeling 22. Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nürnberg sky from last week. :)




Went to a random Dorf again. The lighting was perfect. Germany is very good at that. I propose a Troop 1098 trip to Germany for 2018. All in favor? ;)