Eine witzige Woche

Dear Family and Friends. 

This week has been a wonderful one for sure. We are enjoying the nice weather. It was surprise for us, we are so thankful though because it really helps the work!! :) 

Honestly this might be a boring email, I have been thinking all week what I could share, and I got nothing' ha-ha. 

There have been some pretty funny things going down though. I thought maybe you could use a good laugh! Here are a few highlights. 

Gifty: this week we went to go visit our friend Gifty who is super pregnant, but her baby wasn't due till the middle of august. When we went by on Tuesday she told us her washing machine was broken. We took a look to see if we could fix it, but as soon as we turned the washer on buckets of water started flying out from the top. She wanted us to call the store where she bought it from, because she can't speak German. As we described in our simple German that the washer was broken, all we could say was "there’s water coming out, from the top right corner. We can't describe how or exactly where! All we know is there's water coming out!! It's broken!" We never got anywhere with them so we just gave Gifty the number of a handy man in our ward and hoped she could get things figured out. A few days later she called us to tell us she needed us to go to the store with her to tell the people that the machine was broken and she needed a new one. We couldn't go that day so we planned to go the next day and told her a time and everything. When the time came to go help Gifty we were running a little late so we just decided to call her to let her know. When we called the first thing she said was, Sister sorry I forgot to call you, I can't come I am giving BIRTH! Ha-ha we started laughing a little just because that was the only good excuse I have heard my entire mission for why an appointment fell out lol. Gifty is doing fine, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl ❤️

Lydia: We were heading out to an appointment to visit our friend Emma, when we got a phone call from Lydia, I asked her how she was doing, and she calmly replied, "I'm fine, how are you.." After a few seconds of greeting she then started yelling in my year with her thick African accent about how she was locked somewhere in her apartment and needed us to do something with her keys and something, something.. I couldn't quite catch it all, but I just told her we were on our way and would be there in a few minutes. When we showed up she was basically hanging out of her 5 story apartment window dangling her keys. She yelled "CATCH!" And threw them out almost hitting a car, but by a miracle it didn't. We ran upstairs and opened her front door, and realized that she had locked herself (or the door handle fell off her bedroom door) in. All we could hear was her panting and grunting in the other room, so we quickly fixed the door and opened it for her. She came running out to give us the biggest hugs, she kept repeating "I love you, I love you," Sister Stacey then asked her how long she had been in her room for. She said "since morning". It was now 4 in the afternoon!! She ran out the room supper mad and Sister Stacey and I couldn't help from laughing our heads off. Lydia went off for about 10 minutes it was sad I felt bad, she had nothing in her room, except water, and she hadn't eaten breakfast or gone to the bathroom and she is pregnant!! She is doing good now though, and she is so excited for her baptism next week :) 

Elders: Now my companion seriously is a total babe. Literally every elder is in love with her. The other night we got a call from one of the zone leaders in the mission. We exchange with some of their sisters, so we thought that he might be calling for that reason. But after about 10 minutes of him going off about how he knew Sister Stacey before the mission we were wondering the point of the phone call. After about 20 minutes he pretty much told Sister Stacey is whole wedding plan for them, and then ended with how much fun they will have in Australia together!! Ha-ha, we literally tried to end the phone call 20 times but he just kept going and going. I guess not every Zone leaders follows the rules!! I was seriously losing it the whole time though!! It was transfer week so there were a bunch of elder picking their trainees up.  One of them of course just happens to also be in love with Sister Stacey and had to come through the Hannover Train Station in order to catch his trains to Freiburg. But every time he literally found every excuse to see Sister Stacey there. The first time was on Tuesday, but luckily we had an appointment. But on Thursday his train was coming through again right when we would be at the train station after our weekly eating appointment. We almost missed him, however "his train was late to his city" so they ended up having to overnight here in Hannover. It doesn't help that our Zone leaders are best friends with this Elder. Ha-ha so we ended up seeing him! It was funny! He is a good elder though, just in love with my companion! ;) 

Scavenger hunts for chocolate: We were at the train station and Sister Stacey was craving chocolate. They have a million vending machines in the train station. Pretty much on every platform. However, we literally had to walk up every set of stairs, and search every platform just to find a vending machine who's first chocolate bar ready to drop wasn't expresso or coffee Rittersport. Finally found one on the last platform, and it just happened to be her favorite. Miracle!!  

Eating cow tongues: The Africans love to feed us! I don't know why. They have no money to do, however it is their pride and joy!! So Lydia invited us to come and eat with her this week, I was praying it wouldn't be something nasty and when she brought out only rice I was stoked. However s few minutes later she brought a little bowl out with her homemade stew. She put some on our plates and at first it just looked like some beef, but was we started digging in I realized there was one piece of meat that just didn't look like the others. I turned it around, and realized it was fuzzier than normal meet... It didn't take me long before I realized we were eating COW TOUNGE. mm yummy. So I just cut mine up into tiny pieces and tried to eat it without chewing. Ha-ha are you proud mom that eat All my food now! 

No P day: This week we were so busy, we just didn't have any time for an actual p day. We spent most of it in appointments and running around for other people. It was so good though during that day we saw countless miracles. We ran into less actives who we haven't been able to get in touch with for weeks. Two people even found us! We were sitting at a train station, when two ladies from Afghanistan came and sat next to us. They started up a conversation and we ended up talking on the train all the way until we had to get off, where they quickly shouted out we want to know more please come and visit us. And then yelled their address us. There were so many other wonderful miracles we saw that day, but working that much with no brake got to me on Wednesday. I woke up and couldn't walk straight. I was so dizzy the room was spinning during my whole personal study. It was like that till around 3 in the afternoon, until I finally told Sister Stacey we were going home for lunch and I was taking a nap. When I woke up it was gone, but man oh man was I exhausted. It feels so good to be working hard, but the mission takes a real toll on you. However, even though we sacrifice all these things, the Lord gives us so so so much in return. He truly knows our every need, and our every prayer. I know that will all my heart! 

-- Mosiah 2:17

"17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

I miss you all so much!! Please keep Linda and Lydia in your prayers this week. They will be getting baptized hopefully on Sunday! Have a great week, 

 Liebe Grüße, 

Sister Toma