Sorry for anyone who is following this blog. I haven't updated it for a couple of weeks, so you will be 3 letters this week for the price of one and if I get my act together you will get some pictures too!
Mar 7th letter:
Liebe Familie und Freunde,
It has been another fabulous week here in Halberstadt. Not a day goes
by without many miracles. This is definitely the Lord's work, and
when we let him, he definitely takes control and makes things happen!
On Monday we went on another fun hike through the mountains. We found
some cool caves and climbed around for a while. We took some fun
pictures too! It was definitely a good time! Our investigator with a
tauftremin is still going strong! I think he will schaff (accomplish)
the 20th of March! He did want to wear black underwear under his
white baptismal suit...we told him that probably wasn't a good idea.
:) he is a really funny guy! I finally anmelded this week! We are
supposed to do that in every city. It just means that you have to go
to the city office and tell them you moved in. I finally got my visa
so I was able to do it this week.
We found a cool new investigator this week! He is a little older but
he is a musician! He is going to show us some of his songs next time
we go over. He also feeds us tons and tons of really good German
chocolate when we go over! Yum...but its not helping the fat
situation :) He is a really really educated man who is kind of
conviced that there is no God, but he knows that he can't prove that
there isn't. He was intrigued a little by the experiment in Alma 32
and he told us he would try it out! So I hope he opens his heart a
little to find out that we truly do have a loving Heavenly Father. On
Thursday we had our Tausch (exchange) for this transfer. This time I
stayed here and Sister Lanctot came to me. She is a really cool
Sister. She is a lot more bold and straight forward than I am so I
learned a lot from her! I want to be more like that! Its not so easy
for me...I think she was born that way. It was also my first time
driving our car this week! And I had to drive to Hannover and back
twice! We were planning on taking the train but all of the trains
went on strike friday morning so we couldn't get to Hannover by train.
Strikes have quite an impact on the country because that is the main
source of transportation. So it was quite the ordeal! But driving
wasn't too bad! The European roads are a lot skinnier than American
ones. And driving on the Autoban is crazy! We have a mission rule
that we can only drive 120 kph, but on the Autoban there is no speed
limit so cars FLY past so fast! It takes some getting used to. But
I'm still alive and the car is in one piece! SUCCESS!!! I was happy
to exchange back though, I'm attached to my missionary mom (Sister
Jensen). I'm going to be sad when we get split up, which could very
well be in two weeks...schade...but I know that the Lord is in charge
and he gives us wonderful opportunities on a mission to learn how to
work with many wonderful different people!
We found 4 wonderful new investigators this week! It was wonderful!
I have been praying so hard that we would find some new golden
investigators because we went two weeks without a single new
appointment going through. So it was a good week! It got our hopes
way up and now we are ready to find at least three more this week!
I didn't have to eat anything crazy this week! I did have some
awesome German food! Like this thing called Rouladen....mmm...it is
meat wrapped around pickles and cabbage and marinated for a long
time...it was amazing! I was offered brots made from horse meat
though...ugh...I couldn't do that. That just seems wrong!
Overall I had an amazing week! I also gained a stronger testimony of
fasting and I know it brings us closer to our Heavenly Father and
helps us overcome our weaknesses! Our Heavenly Father truly has given
us everything we need to come close to him and return to live with
him. He has a wonderful plan for us! And the potential for each and
every one of His children is truly to become like He is! I will work
every day to make him happy! As well as to make my family and friends
proud :) I love you all! Thank you for the support and love! Hope to
hear from you all soon!
Liebe Grüße,
Sister Smith
Liebe Familie und Freunden,
Hello everyone! I hope you are all happy and healthy! It has been an
absolutely amazing week full of miracles here in Halberstadt. Me and
Sister Jensen have been working a lot on having more faith that the
Lord will lead us to the people who have been prepared for us. We
have started making goals for our finding time every 20-30 minutes and
it has made an amazing difference! Almost everytime we accomplish
what we set as a goal through prayer and diligent work! So here is an
overview of our week.
Monday: We had a fun P-day and we went running in the mountains. We
found a cool tree house and climbed up and looked over a cool green
valley. Then we got lost and spent about a half an hour finding our
way back to the car. It was really good to get out into nature
though, Heavenly Fathers creations are so spectacular! We did some
doors on Monday night and we found a really cool guy. He let us in
and we talked to him a little about that Book of Mormon. He is a
little handicap but he still does a lot on his own! We saw him two
more times this week and he came to church! He is really cool and we
are excited that we found him!
Tuesday: We met with our investigator who has a baptismal date and he
is still going strong! We are so excited for him and excited to see
him baptized this upcoming week!!! YAHOO! We also went to another
investigators house and he is also really friendly. But he thinks way
too much...he has a lot of theories about why people believe in God
and that he isn't real. He told us that he doesn't think he is ready
to open his heart to believe, he enjoys the time with us but has no
interest in the church. But he is a musician and he showed us some of
the stuff that he has composed. It was really cool! He let us take
the cds he has made to copy them. So I will have some fun music as
souveneirs (?) after my mission! We were also doing some OYMing and
we saw a black lady and Sister Jensen knows I LOVE black people! She
she grinned at me and we went to talk to her. Of course she is
AWESOME!!!!! He name is Sandra and she agreed to meet with us! She
said she had three kids! YAHOO BLACK KIDS!!!!!!!!
Wednesday:We went to Braunschweig for DCM and me and Sister Jensen
made an amazing lunch for everyone! Then we came back and we had a
Geneology evening with the Branch. It was really cool! We learned
how to read old German script...which is nothing like it is now. It
is a whole nother language! I was really excited about it! I know I
have ancestors from Germany and I can practice and maybe be able to do
more work for my ancestors from Germany! During the meeting I felt
like this was one of the reasons I was sent to Germany to learn the
language and become acquainted with their writing, so I can do work
for my German ancestors! I love when the spirit lets you in on little
secrets like that :).
Thursday: It was Sister Jensens one year in German celebration! So
we got ice cream of course!! We also had five appointments! AWESOME!
We met with Sandra again and it was just as amazing as I expected!
She has three ADORABLE black children and they were EVERYWHERE during
our lesson. So I took it upon myself to keep them a little
entertained so Sister Jensen could try to teach Sandra about the Plan
of Salvation. The kids ever gave us kisses on the cheeks! It was
wonderful! Sandra absolutely loved the lesson!
Friday: We did our Service project at the old folks home and had some
fun with the old people! Did our weekly planning and met with
Schwester Munke for dinner! We had a wonderful Abendbrot together!
(In German the main meal is lunch and in the evening they just have
Abendbrot or Evening Bread. They eat bread, cheese, hard boiled eggs,
meat, and stuff like that, but not a ton like Americans for dinner.
Although we still seem to eat way to much when we have Abendbrot with
members!)
Saturday(normally a little slower day): We had 5 appointments!!! 7
planned but two fell out. We met Sandra again :) her kids were
asleep this time and she had read through the Plan of Salvation
pamphlet and for half an hour SHE TAUGHT US THE PLAN!! It was so
cool! She even told us about the Celestial Kingdom and how she wanted
to go there. She also told us about how she had received revelations
from God and when we are close enough to him and pure in heart that he
can speak to us and tell us things we didn't know she also said that
with enough faith we can see God and His angels! We taught her about
the Restoration a little bit and how Joseph saw God and Jesus Christ.
It wasn't hard for her to believe because her faith was already so
strong! We left feeling like our faith was nothing compared to hers
and we needed to go repent for our lack of faith! It was AMAZING!!!!
Besides 5 wonderful appoinments we had amazing finding time in
between! We made our FOUR APPOINTMENTS! We were so blessed and
miracles are coming from left and right!
Sunday: I gave a talk in church about Faith. I didn't have to write
it all out word for word this time! I felt like I was helped a lot to
say what I needed to say and Sister Jensen said I did well! I was
glad! (I was asked to speak again at the baptism this week) We had
four members at church this week, the other half of the branch was
traveling or sick. But we had four investigators and three visitors,
so still a good turn out! We were struggling to figure out who would
sit with the investigators :) But we figured it out! We had another
eating appointment with Schwester Munke and she had a friend over. We
talk for a while and then we gave a spiritual thought which lead to a
discussion about the church. Before we left Schwester Munke was able
to give her a Book of Mormon. It was a great experience!
Well that is a long but brief overview of a week of so many miracles!
I feel so so blessed to be a part of this work! I feel like Ammom in
Alma 26 when he boasts of Heavenly Father. I know too that as of my
strength I am nothing, but I do boast in my God, for with Him all I
can do all things! The church is true! I know that without a doubt.
It is so perfect in every aspect except the imperfect people who are
trying every day to be more like Him! I am grateful He is patient
with me and helping me in my weaknesses. I am so grateful for the
opportunity to be a missionary! I love the work and there is nothing
like seeing the lives of people around me change because of their love
for the Savior! I hope you are all happy and healthy! Keep looking
for the miracles in your life and I know you will find them! Heavenly
Father blesses us with His tender mercies every day! I love you all
and hope to hear from you soon!
Liebe Grüße,
Sister Smith
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