The Epistle for the Week (Week 47)

Trying to take blood test but veins too small.. this was after one
upper and one lower arm attempt

Treating ourselves after traumatizing German dr experience.

Treating ourselves after traumatizing German dr experience.

Hola from Deutschland!

Happy Dritte Advent! The week always flies by and then it's Monday again.

Monday, we had Familie Heim Abend with our GML's family, and we invited Eunice and it went really well. Then we met up with the Bremen sisters and did a super Tausch in Altona (all 4 missionaries in the same area). I was with Sister Maier for all of Tuesday.. we actually had to take a small break so sister Daines and I could anmeld (we've had this appointment set up since October) but luckily it went quickly. Yay, I'm finally legal here! We did a lot of finding, but it was a good day and we've been really trying to share the Christmas Iniative and it's been pretty cool. It was a pretty uneventful Tausch, except sister Daines accidentally got on a train and went to Pinneberg (neighbor zone). Haha, oops. We also had a meeting that night with our ZLs and Distrikt leaders in our zone and it was good to talk about the transfer together.

Wednesday was another Tausch, but first we had district meeting. We took a ferry (because our Monatskarte works with some of the ferries) to get there and it was exciting. We ran into Ashley Rackham, so that was cool. The elders for district meeting did an object lesson where we basically made a super cool giant snowflake, but talked about how in order for us to become something more, we have to be bent and cut up a little. But God has greater vision than we do. Our trials are not to break us, but to make us into better, stronger people. We went on Tausch with the Elmshorn sisters and I stayed in Altona with Sister Peck. She's super awesome and I really like her. She has been here for just a few months and it was crazy because I still feel like we're the same mission age. But it was cool to see how much I've changed. She had a lot of the same worries/concerns that I had, but I was able to share my experiences with her. I really love being able to work with the sisters here.

Friday/Saturday was Tausch number 3 with the Spanish sisters in Wartenau. I was with Sister Díaz from the Dominican Republic. She's also technically my grandbaby. I love her. We went caroling to help some missionaries in Langenhorn. I spent the entire 24 hours trying to learn Spanish. It didn't work, darn it. We met with this sweet Brazilian lady who is just super stressed. After a while, I realized I wasn't contributing anything, so I played with her very distracting 6 year old on the couch so she could focus while Sister Diaz taught. Haha. She would try to speak French to me, but it was extremely difficult to understand.

After we tausched back on Saturday, we had 3 appointments and they all klappt, so that's a record for me. One with a neu bekehrt who just moved into our ward. She is so cool. Chrisantia is from  Zimbabwe and it was SO COOL to hear her story. She's been through a lot and is still trying to find peace, but we are so excited to work with her. We also met with Frau Byo again. Her faith is growing and I think the gospel is growing brighter in her eyes, but she works on Sundays and has some problems keeping her from getting married, so she is still not really make "progress". I love her and I just want to help her understand why/how the gospel can change her life and her family! Our last termin was with Eunice and our GML, Bruder Lopez. We planned her baptism and then taught her about all of the commandments. I've been pretty stressed about her baptism, but she's pretty excited and the ward is super excited, so everything should go well on Friday. She's super awesome. We talked about the law of chastity and she basically bore her testimony to us. Her mom is not supportive in the slightest, so we've been praying for her heart to be open and to help Eunice, because this is  hard for both of them.

On Sunday, we missed our 2nd bus because our first one was late, so we were barely on time for sacrament meeting. Later in the afternoon, we watched the General Conference broadcast. It was awesome.  Finally, today, we went to a Dr. Appt for sister Daines. It was long, she had to get a blood test, and Germany definitely doesn't have to same rules that America does when dealing with blood. Also her veins are teeny, so it took about an hour and a lot of poking and prodding for them to finally get enough blood. Poor sister Daines. I got a little queasy. Maybe nursing is not for me.. This doctor basically looked like a vampire and charged 300€ for the stupid appointment. It was a memorable last Pday together.

Oh yeah! Transfer calls were Saturday. I had to wait basically all day to get mine (sister D got hers at 11:30 saying she was leaving, but we were on Tausch so I had to wait unto 19:30). Sister Daines is going to be in Neu Brandenburg/Prenzlau to be with my old comp Sister Koch, and I will be staying here with Sister Harger. I'm excited to stay for Christmas and to be with Sister Harger, but I'm going to miss Sister Daines. We've had a lot of fun together and I really love her. Let this be a lesson to y'all not to judge a book before you read it, because I definitely had a different opinion of her in the MTC.

I love being here. This Christmas season is meaningful. I loved the talks in the devotional about Christ and how Christmas wouldn't be meaningful unless we had Easter. I was reading the Book of Mormon this morning and came across this verse: "22 Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people; behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again." (2 Nephi 8:22) Christ has done
everything for us. The way home is prepared, we just have to ask for his help. We can't make it alone, but thankfully, we don't have to.

Well, sorry again for the epistle. My journaling time is basically non existent, so this is my Bericht for this week. Haha. Here's to a new week.

I love you! Frohe Weihnachten!
Sister Simpson

district pic

Wartenau Christmas party (we helped set up)

Sch. Glöyer from Brazil

Training with STLs, ZLs and DLs

Sister Diaz

district pic

Tausch treat (McDonald's.. real classy. I refuse to spend money there)

Ferry ride to DM

Found Waldo

Hamburg

Kung Fu Panda Rock (at wilhelmsburg waiting for our DL)

Making giant snowflake

Check out the Christmas tree dresses in Ritzy Hamburg

Hamburg

Sister Harger (my future companion)

Sister Harger