Hallo Familie,
How are things going?
I am sorry to hear about Elder Toma, but if it makes Hunter
feel any better I have been having a lot of drama with my companion too. I won't
go into the details but I can't testify that it takes two hard working
missionaries to make the spirit present in lessons.
So for my week since we last talked, We finished teaching
Erica, she wants to be baptized however she hasn't set a date yet because she
just wants to learn more. Even though it didn't end how we hoped it would it
was good hearing that she felt the spirit testify to her that this was something
she needed to be a part of.
We received two new investigators this week. Jenni and
Renner. Jenni is 17 and her boy friend is semi active in the church and Renner
is 37 his wife is a member, however he is Muslim. Oh my goodness Renner has the
most amazing story from his childhood. His mom had 8 different kids with 8
different dads, his mom left him when he was about 16 and he was left to raise
4 of the kids by himself. His younger brother died when he was four because
people came on a bus to invade it. It is the saddest story but hopefully
through the atonement and learning about the Gospel Renner will come to peace.
Sunday was the most amazing day ever. All our meetings were
so amazing. In leadership training Brother Friestone talked to us about the
Savior at Simon's and the woman coming to wash his feet. Through that we
learned that all the things the woman did were extremely inappropriate for that time period, yet the Savior was so
loving that he turned to Simon and told him to repent because she was doing all
she could to show her love for the Savior even though she was a sinner.
Then we went to Relief Society and Sister Mary Ellen Edmas
came and talked to us. Her talk was amazing, I think cried about four times in
her talk ( I have been doing that a lot lately). Anyways she talked about some
important things for us sister Missionaries.
1. We aren't teaching strangers, everyone we teach has
already at some point in their eternal life has heard this gospel before.
2 I can't go home, no matter how homesick I get. There are
people in Germany who need me and people I will need as well, I need to fill
all the pages of my journal.
3. God knows our complicity perfectly, not one was sent here
to fail.
4. Help the young elders become the best they can be by
- compliments
-praise
-asking them for help
5. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ we have help from both
sides of the Veil.
6. If we try are best the spirit will help us with the rest
7. our Savior is our Redeemer and will help us with anything.
We then had and amazing sacrament meeting and talked about
Faith in Jesus Christ all in German!!!
lol however this week I have truly felt the gift of tongues because I can
Understand everything. (I can't speak perfectly yet but I understand.)
We had our temple walk that day as well and during it there
were a few little kids playing in the pod and splashing each other. One boy
splashed this little girl and completely soaked her!! she started to cry and
ran to her mom, however when the little boy realized that he had made her upset
he started to cry as well. It just made me realize how amazing, humble and meek
little children are. They have so many Christ Like attributes.
We then had Choir practice and that was so spiritual as
well. The director bore is testimony on the importance of the spirit and how it
is the mouth piece of God. we can do anything with its help. Even if we don't
have good German the Spirit will testify to our investigators what we are
saying is true, and translate for us.
Then in devotional we were told we were going to (watch) to
a talk given by Elder Bednar, 2 years ago on Christmas. He talked about the
Character of Christ. there are some of the Amazing things that he said that
stuck out to me. (I also cried like four times in this talk).
1. The work we perform is more about who we are and what we
do than what we say.
2. Three things we need to know
- Accept that God exists
- have a correct understanding of Christ Character
attributes and perfects.
- have an actual knowledge that we are on the life path that
God wants us to be on.
3. Christ is a perfect example of turning out ward to others
as natural man turns inward.
4. Natural man is an enemy to god unless he fallows Christ
and becomes as a little child
5. Satin wants us to deny who we are and turn away from
Christ through temptation by turning inwards.
6. The mission is not about me. I must learn to turn out and
love and help others first
7. even the Saviors most difficult times he was concerned
for the well being of others and not himself.
8. Through testimony I must gain more sure knowledge and
become truly converted through the character of Christ and his atonement.
He also told an amazing story about woman who called him one
day asking him to go to a hospital to identify three girls who had been in a
car accident. During that moment she was notified that her only daughter was
pronounced dead. In the moment she quickly asked elder Bednar to check on the
other girls and make sure that the moms were notified.
During the funeral she only cared about Elder Bednar seeing
her daughter not disfigured like at the hospital, and she took a meal to a sick
lady who had been complaining about a cold she had on the day of her daughter's
death. How amazing that woman was that even during this time of her heart ache
she still was in the service of others.
When the video was over we were about to leave, however
everyone stood up and in the moment Elder Bednar walked in the room.... That
sneaky man hahah. It was amazing though because we got to do a question answer
with him. Such a good experience and I could feel the spirit so strong. One
girls asked why women don't have the priesthood and oh man Elder Bednar just
put her back in her place and answered that question soooo well.
Tuesday we got to hear from Brother Evans and his wife, I
really took what his wife had said to heart about having courage to tell people
about this Gospel. We had an amazing lesson in class on the 3rd chapter in
preach my gospel. I was really surprised by some of the questions that were
asked in the Class by some of the elders like (does god have a body of flesh
and bone) however it just taught me that we are all on different levels of
learning.
Ok so now here are some of the funny moments of the week.
First one is I was standing outside the restroom waiting for
my companion when the elders were asking where she was. In my horrible German I
said Sie ist in die Toilette, (in German that means literally in the toilet)
and my teacher turns to me and ask me why is she literally in the toilet. and
everyone starts to laugh when sister Oliphant came out she didn't even know
what just happened.
So sister Wilson and Sister Gebheart were sitting outside
and a bird flew over them... Sister Wilson is hilarious and starts yelling at the
bird not to poop on her but that it can poop on sister Gebheart. Well about two
seconds later sister Gebheart said she felt something on her foot and looked down
to find that the bird took sister Wilson's advice and pooped on her foot.
So when we got our new assignments for our investigators we
were told that Brother Handly our teacher would be playing Renner (the Muslim)
and brother Handly is blond haired and blue eyed so I asked how that would work
and my teacher sister Judd came up to me and was like No Brother Handly is so
brown, and I blurted out only because he probably fake tans, and she started to
laugh because apparently it was true, and you can definitely see the white
circles around his eyes were he wears the goggles.... it's pretty funny. I told
her though not to tell him I know.
Well Familie that is all for now I miss and love you and
hope you are having a wonderful Time...
P.S. Elder Toma thank you so much for the support you give
me and your advice it helps so much..
Have a good week
Love
Sister Toma
