Guten Morgen all ya alls..
How are you doing? Wow I can't believe winter is almost over...
even if it doesn't really feel like it for you in the east ha-ha... little cold
I have heard... Sorry, I can't complain it hasn't been bad here in Germany a
very mild winter... we had a little snow for a few days but that was it! I have
heard though that the west is already in summer pretty much... Crazy!!!
Wow sorry for last week and not
sending a good email! I haven't been very good the last few weeks about
managing my Internet time..Ha but I have a lot to do this week so I will be
better at sending out a good letter.
Well to start off a new
transfer today... I will be staying with sister Wiborny, at least for one
more... President has said that one of us will be for sure leaving the next
transfer, we will see who it is... Sister Wiborny thinks it will be her, so I
just hope so because I am not ready to leave this beautiful and wonderful city.
We had some crazy changes though in the mission... a ton of the STL's were realized
and the Berlin zones was made into one Big zone... so we lost the other elders
in our ward and now we are just down to 4 missionaries here. Because they have
opened up the new missions there will not be as many missionaries coming to the
Berlin mission, it is a little sad but will be good, especially because we will
be getting a new mission president here in the next few months. Big changes
coming our way, we were also informed that there will be I pads coming in April...
It is going to be so weird... little bitter sweet because I enjoy there
missionary work we do now... however I know that there is need for change and
that technology is a good thing to spread the gospel.
So enough with the boring stuff...
here are some cool and funny things that happened this week.
We had some great lessons with
our new members... Olga is doing great she informed us she does not want to get
baptized though so that was a little sad and broke our hearts... however she
came to church on Sunday and was asking about the baptismal clothing and so we
know she is thinking about it, I think she can still do it but please pray for
her because she only has 3 more weeks left here in Germany. Anar gave an
awesome testimony about baptism though and our goal is that he can baptize here
before she goes... What a cool experience. He also was talking about how excited
he is to go to America this year and do baptism for the dead in the temples
there... We have some amazing new members!!
Bucky and Dong are doing
wonderful... It was so cool this week because they both taught there first
lessons in church this week. Dong was called as the Sunday school teacher and
Bucky taught priesthood... all I heard from the ward was how amazing they both
did. We are so proud of our new members... and the amazing progress they have
made the last few months. 
The ward just freaks out about
how amazing Dong is because of his diligence... Let me tell you a little bit
about Dong, So Dong is from China he is 31 and has come to Germany to continue
his studies about cardiology. He is a heart surgeon in China and has a family
there a little boy about 1 years old... So for 90% of the year he doesn't
actually get to be with his family... so sad, but it is such a blessing that he
is here because he learned about the church. When he was 8 he had a dream about
God and ever since he has been listening to voice to tell him what is right and
what is wrong and to find the truth. When he came here he was in the Lab one
day and cut his figure when his boss told him to go home and take a week off...
One of his friends who was staying with him ran into the missionaries and they
gave him a card, his friend then passed the card on to Dong and he heard the
voice again tell him that this was his chance to find a church! He then came to
church met with the missionaries and was baptized... Dong is an amazing member
of the church... He is so busy studying and working us never can see him, but
he makes time for church every Sunday and magnifies all his callings as a
priesthood holder... He loves going to the temple too and when he went back to
china for Christmas he asked if he could baptize his wife and child ha-ha...
Dong is such an amazing example to me of someone who is dedicated and truly
converted to the Gospel. 
We had another really cool
miracle this week as we were doing our weekly planning a lady who was referred
to us called us. We actually received the referral for here about 2 months ago
but she said she was very busy and couldn't meet. But this week when she called
she wanted to meet right away! We hurried over and taught an amazing lesson
with her and her man! A family... they have no children but they are both
really great people... Super busy but have so much potential, and they are
prepared and would be a great and wonderful help to the ward!! We have been
praying for and investigator like this for this whole transfer! Please pray for
Natilie and Maximilono that they can make progress... We are so excited!! 
So some funny stories of the
week... We left our apartment this week and were about 30 minutes out when I
realized I had totally left my backpack with all my stuff in it at home, the
only things I had were an umbrella and my planner, it was so embarrassing,
however sister Wiborny could not stop laughing the rest of the day... by the
end of the day I was laughing about it too.. But I felt so naked without it...
haha... Another funny story is as we were leaving our apartment I had grab a
huge trash bag to through away... haha when I realized we were almost to the
bus stop and that I was still caring the trash bag.. AWKWARD... I have been
pretty bad about forgetting things this week.na
ja! 
I had some really good personal
studies this week. I am in Mosiah now just started it so I have been reading
from King Benjamin’s talk... as I was thinking about how he was able to change
the hearts of his people and that he was able to bring them unto baptism I
though and pondered a lot about what is one thing that really needs to be
talked about more here.. I thought about it for a while and I was talking to
brother Speck our ward mission leader about the activity in the church here...
it is only 30%... so sad then I was thinking about how there is only 14% home
and visiting teaching done in the wards here in Germany.. It breaks my heart. I
have such a strong testimony of Visiting and home teaching and doing it right.
Really caring for and about the people we teach... and how much it really does
work! I really think if the people here would understand the significance of it
there would be so much more activity in the church!! I just hope that I can
influence people through my testimony of it really does have an influence...
we can't change Germany all at once... but I think it really does start with us
missionaries and members who know and have a testimony about it..
Well family and friends that is
all for this week!
Liebe Gruße,
Sister Toma
