Miracles! (Week 51)

Snow!

Dear dear family,

This week was awesome. Lots of learning, lots of growth, lots of tausching. Lots of planning on the go, which, according to the personality test Sister Harger made me take, I'm good at. Who knew?

We started Monday off by going on Austausch with the sisters in Stade. Sister Jackson and I were together and it was super fun. We taught FHE to an awesome family in our ward, and then made the cutest little memory jars with them out of old jam jars. Sister J and I are good friends and pretty similar, so it was great. We had an amazing lesson with Gina, the lady from America, Schwester König and Sister Lopez. It was awesome. Schwester König made this amazing Haitian bruschetta with tomatoes and avocado and olive oil. We talked about Jospeh Smith and the Book of Mormon, because she had questions about it. It was so cool to see the spirit work on her, because she committed herself to read in it and to pray about it. Sister Lopez was an awesome joint teach and the spirit was so strong. Later Tuesday, we had an appointment with Peggi. She's doing fine, a lot better now that she has her own place and her own life, but she still has a lot of other responsibilities and concerns. We're still trying to explain prophets and the priesthood, but we read in the Book of Mormon and she told us that she believes it's the word of God. So she's making some progress.

Wednesday was an interesting day. We didn't have any lessons planned (doch, we had one, but she cancelled). I was not excited at all, and was just trying to endure.. we had a long list of people to go by on. It was so cold and rainy and windy. We walked around all day, no one was home/interested. But, Sister Harger had been in Stade the day before, and her old branch president gave her a referral. So we decided to go by on this person before we went home. We stopped by and she let us right in. She told us Präsident Kahrs told her he was sending two sisters by and that they had something to share with her. She told us about how her husband had passed away a few months ago, how Präsident Kahrs has helped her a ton. and how she had always believed in God. She had been religious her whole life, but now just prays to God at home. Johanna is so cool! We told her about the Book of Mormon and she was so excited and thankful that we would give it to her as a gift. (We had been trying to give the Book of Mormon away all day, but no one wanted it.. turned out to be because Johanna needed it.) We read a little bit in it and she got so excited. She hugged us when we left and we're going by this week. It was such a blessing to meet this amazing woman who is so prepared. She just picks out gospel truths in everything! It was so cool.

Thursday, we had interviews with Präsident Fingerle and District Meeting. It went well. For district meeting, we practiced teaching lessons in a specific way and our district leader had a little too much fun dressing up, but it was solid and it was awesome to practice. I'm not a huge fan of role-playing in front of other missionaries, but it was great.

Friday was verrückt. We had weekly planning, then went on Tausch with Sister Rose and Smith in Delingsdorf. I stayed in Altona with Sister Smith, who is super awesome. I love her. We met with Peggi, I got a freak bloody nose that night (German tampons are good for something.. will send picture [well, you can maybe take this out, Mom] :),

and then we had another miracle day on Saturday. We went out to Wedel, which takes forever to get out there, but it was awesome. We went by on this less-active lady who I had never met before. She was amazing. She told us she never lets people in and didn't even know why she let us in. She visited with us, and then told us that she knows she should start coming back to church. Then she started listing all the things that she needs to do in order to do so. The spirit totally changed her heart. It was so cool. We're going back this week, and hopefully she'll come on Sunday! After we tausched back, sister Harger and I went by on my black family, the Blanksons. We were awkwardly writing them notes as they showed up with their groceries. We had a good discussion with Sister Blankson about service, and will hopefully get to teach the girls next time. I love them.

Sunday was amazing. We had ward Conference, and actually none of our investigators or the people we invited came, which was sad. I had to translate, which I am actually getting better at. The talks were amazing, our bishop and one of the stake president counselors played an amazing piano/violin duet to "I know my redeemer lives", and the women and men were all combined for this awesome Sunday school class while the rest of the stake leaders took care of the youth/kinder. Präsident Jensen talked about how we can share the light of the gospel through serving and loving others. He showed clips from the Joseph Smith movie, about how service and good works are our religion. I'm thankful for good, humble leaders.

 I was thinking about this week in general. Majorie P. Hinckley said, "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." This week, I was kind of just enduring, but Heavenly Father showed me that there are always shining moments. Life can get you down. But it can't keep you there unless you let it. I love the verse in Ether 12:4 that says, " Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." We believe in a better world because we believe in God. Because we believe in God, we have hope. I love this gospel. It brings me hope! I know God blesses us when we obey Him.

I am so thankful to be here.

Love you,
Sister Simpson

Random music store we went to today in a giant concrete bunker