Gutentag!

My district. (Elder Hughes, Elder Passey, me, Sister Hammer, Sister Balls, Sister McCrary, Sister Voigtlander, Sister Darton)

My mitterbeiterin (don't know if that is spelled right), Schwester Hammer. First day.. So tired. Sister Darton and Sister Voitghlander

Look, ma! I found the dutch room!

Gutentag Meine familien!

How are you? Danke danke danke for the letters Mom and Luke! Dear Elder is probably the best because I can get letters during the week instead of just on P-day. I sent you a letter yesterday and I'm sending one for Luke today. My P-days are on Saturday, and I leave March 2 for Germany!

It is so crazy here. There are 6 sisters and 2 elders in my District (Sisters: Darton-B, Voigtlander-F, Balls-F, McCrary-F, and Hammer-B, and Elders Passey-F and Hughes-B. B=Berlin, F=Frankfurt). Sister Hammer is my companion. She's from Brigham City, Utah and she and I were facebook friends from that sister missionary Facebook page because she saw that I am going to the same mission. She is awesome! She is 19 and took german from 7-9th grade, so that is helpful.  Everyone in my district has german experience except for Sister McCrary, Elder Hughes, and me. Sister Wayment, Sister Jones (friend of Rachel and Becky Hansen), Sister Ha (from South Korea and doesn't speak much english and only took a year of german.. I have no idea how she is surviving. But I really like her. Sister Kopischke told me about her, so I've tried to talk to her) are all in my zone. There is an Armenian district that has been here for 3 weeks and has 6 to go. There are 3 elders, (2 who are going to Armenia and one who is going to California, Armenian speaking) and 2 sisters, (one going to Armenia, and one going to the country of Georgia that I didn't know existed). 

BTW, Mom, will you print out a map of the European countries and send it to me. It can be black and white, I just need to understand Europe better. Or at all. I would probably find ireland, GB, France and Italy on a map. Not even Germany. And, can you find sheet music for How great thou art, arranged by Tiffany Hobson and send that to me too?

Also, we asked Elder Hughes about how the internet works, and he told us there are wires in the ocean that connect all the countries. I think that is a bunch of hippy-dippy-bologne (can't say anything else), but I have no way of verifying that. So help a sister out, bitte. :)

It is so hard! They started SYL (speaking your mission language) the first day.. We taught our first Untersucher (investigator) in German yesterday. It was bad. I tried to say what I had written down but I butchered the pronunciation (guess what? German and French are WAY different) and I didn't understand what he was asking us. So I got really frustrated with myself and didn't really say anything for the rest of the lesson. We struggled. Actually, I did understand one question: he asked about das Buch Mormon when and der Bibel, and we didn't know how to answer. I knew the word for "friend" in german (freund) so I was trying to figure out how to say the Bible and Book of Mormon are friends, but I didn't know how to form sentences. haha. I couldn't even say, "Sorry, my german is bad" or "I can't speak german" in german, but I could say it in English, French, and Spanish. Lol. I actually find that a lot of the time, I am frustrated because I can understand-ish the german questions, but can't answer them in German, only french or english. I was really frustrated after the lesson and just wanted to speak something I understand, but I realized that A) I have had 3 days of German. Actually 2.5. And I was expecting myself to be able to speak and understand everything. I think that expectation will push me, but it is also unrealistic. I need to just try my best, have faith that God will help me, and be obedient and it will come.. in 6 months. :) AND B) I have less german experience than most of my district. And it's okay. I was frustrated because they are a lot better than me, but I can be mad about it or see it as a great opportunity to learn from them, because they will push me. So yeah. Also, Sister Voigtlander shared something that I thought was interesting. She has a german who also speaks english and she said that, yes she understands in english, but she reads her scriptures and prays in german, and she feels in german. We are learning german because it takes down another barrier and takes the amazing message of the gospel to the hearts of the people. Well, the spirit does that, we just prepare and invite them to listen to and feel the Heilge Geist (holy ghost). It's pretty amazing. 

Someone is playing Michael Buble (Reganne!!), Piano Man, Jon Schmidt and Harry Connick Junior on the piano in the other room. Imagine "waterfall" and then all of a sudden, the beginning of Piano man, and then back to waterfall. Bizarre. Babylonians. (That's what we say when we quote a song or movie or reference anything from the outside world). Speaking of the outside world, I really miss seeing the mountains. And the Sky. I can normally see some of the mountains through buildings, but the sidewalks are covered and I spend NINE HOURS in a classroom (in 3 hour increments), so I never see the sky. :C (<- Rachel face) We went on a walk around the MTC perimeter earlier today, so that was good.

Mmmmm. I looove cafeteria food. (HA!) It's okay though. I didn't have a waterbottle the first day, and I thought I was going to D.I.E. No joke. I drink so so SO much vasser. I bought a dasani from a vending machine and it has saved my life. I think I will keep it and frame it when I get home. I probably would've spent $100 on it because I was so desperate. All the sisters are hungry all the time, but I wasn't ever, and I was confused until I started comparing our water intake. I drink like 6 waterbottles a day, and a glass at breakfast, lunch and dinner. #sohealthy Sister Hammer is going to be BLESSED for her patience with me because I have to go to the bathroom every break. Like all the time. 

I saw Bryce (one of my FHE brothers) at lunch on Wednesday and he took a selfie with me (is that allowed?) and made me a wrap. It was pretty exciting.  I am so close to my old life, but worlds away. I can literally see heritage halls. Weird. I try not to think about it, because it makes me homesick and miss my roommates. It's okay. I'll be back.

I saw Elder Crawford, I've talked to Sister Wayment a few times, and Sister Fillmore from my BYU ward. I also saw Elder Lamn, and it was good to see him.

We didn't watch the face-to-face fireside. They had a missionary training broadcast that was really cool that we watched the first night. The main focus was on teaching repentance and baptizing converts, because the gospel changes you, but it is only through repentance that we are truly converted. I've learned so much. it's amazing. It is so hard, and I am so aware of ALL my weaknesses and faults. It's kindof crazy. But I thought of a metaphor and hopefully it isn't irreverent. (BTW, I don't like the metaphor of my mission being my death for 18 months, because I still miss people and want to get letters and I don't want to die yet, metaphorically or otherwise. So, you told me so.) I feel like a horseshoe, and Heavenly Father is the blacksmith. I am in the fire and feel like I'm being pounded and it's hard, and sometimes even feels like it will be too hard and that I can't do it, but it is how I change. It's amazing, and I need it so badly. It is how I become the person Heavenly Father wants me to be, the person He knows I can be. He knows that with His help, I can do it, even if I don't. And, get this, he is holding on to us the whole time. I love Him. I can do hard things (with His help). 

I miss you so much! Thank you thank you thank you for your prayers! Ich liebe dich!

Sister Simpson  

P.S. We will try to get on later and send pics.. but I only took one a day, and I don't know how to get them on here, so we'll see. No promises.  

P.S. 2. My nametags just say "Sister Simpson." I guess they call missionaries "sister and elder" in Germany. I heard something about Schwester being for nuns or something. haha. Sister hammer and I both called our blogs "Schwester Hammer/Simpson" so that's cool. We're nuns. ehhh... if anyone wants to call me Hermana or Soeur or something cool, I'd be down. 

Love, your favorite mormon nun

p.s. We went to the temple this afternoon. Guess who I saw? My very own Reganne Cochran (Reganne is one of her roommates from BYU). She had just done baptisms, and it was funny, because I had decided to be obedient and not tell them when I go to the temple and on Sunday temple walks.  Talk about tender mercy, I almost started crying. Makes my heart happy just thinking about it. Such a blessing.

I ran into Reganne at the Temple