Hoppy Ostern (Week 64)

Zoko last week

Our favorite tree in our neighborhood

District pics

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

What even happened this week? We went on Tausch with the sisters in Leest, so I served with Sister Hammer (not my MTC comp). She's awesome. We spent a good portion of time on Tuesday trying to hang up Fürst des Friedens posters in Berlin.. not easy I tell you. Also a great deal of time at a german version of Lowe's trying to find poster glue and tape. We only ended up hanging up one poster, on a cigarette dispenser at an Asia Imbiss because that's the only place that said we could.. lol. The elders said to leave it, so we did. If anyone wants a giant german Jesus picture, we have a few. We hung one up on our apartment door again with a sign saying "Frohe Ostern", aka I dare you to draw on this picture. So far so good.

Wednesday we had district meeting, which is always good. We tried to really share the Easter video this week. We were able to share it with a cool convert in our ward.

We had a Skype MLC this week and we had planned to do a street display in Glienicke as a district right after. So we Skyped in from a McDonald's.. haha. It wasn't even open for the first half hour, so we were just sitting outside waiting and probably looked a little strange. Naja. The glienicke Elders forgot their pass along cards, but thankfully we had grabbed a bunch that morning. So we handed out Marzahn cards in Glienicke. We had some cool conversations and met some cool people.

We also had two appointments with the Stratmann family. They hadn't read in the Book of Mormon, so we talked about the God's plan and assigned them a chapter to read. We came back on Friday and they hadn't really read, so we read it with them and they really liked it.  They also came to church on Sunday! It was so awesome! We had 100 extra single adults at our church because they had a conference in Marzahn this weekend, so Sacrament Meeting was so full. Everything about Sacrament Meeting was amazing: the talks, the music, the sun streaming through the windows. It was an incredible day. Because of all the JAE (YSA), the ward only had Sacrament Meeting, but we stayed for relief society with the JAE and got to eat lunch with them too. It was fun to see some people that I know.

Other than that, I got to go do a street display with the awesome Sister Wacker and her district. She and elder Castillo played the viola/violin like champs in the freezing cold for a few hours, and the rest of us either sang or passed out cards. I had some interesting conversations and was so cold that I was literally shaking. Haha. Good times.

Also we got transfer calls this week and sister Haynie and I are both staying. We're excited. Only one transfer call left! CRAZY. Time flies.

I've been reading through the New Testament, and this week I finished the gospel of Mark. It was incredible to read the account of Christ's last week on the earth this Easter week. I read His last words to His disciples, of His suffering alone in the garden, the maltreatment and abuse He endured, His ignominious death on the cross as He was filled with love for the very people mocking Him as He atoned for their souls. The veil in the temple was rent in twain as He finished His Atonement that bridges the gap between us and God. He overcame what we cannot and fulfilled His essential and central role in God's plan for us, so that we may return to our God and Father in Heaven again. And on that Easter morning, those two Mary's were met by an angel who delivered the greatest message to ever be known to mankind: "Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here" (Mark 16:6). I don't understand how or even exactly what the Atonement fully encompasses, but I do know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He wants to save us and He suffered all the pain and sickness and aloneness and anguish in the world to do so. I love Him. I have felt His unbeschreibliche constant support and love throughout my life and especially throughout these last 15 months. My heart has been full of gratitude and love for my Savior, especially this Easter.

He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered; man is free.
Christ has won the victory.

He is risen! He is risen!
He hath opened heaven’s gate.
We are free from sin’s dark prison,
Risen to a holier state.
And a brighter Easter beam
On our longing eyes shall stream.

I know that my Redeemer lives. I believe in Christ; He stands supreme.  So come what may, with Him I'll stand at that great day. That is a song I will always be able to sing.

Love you.

Sister Simpson

Isaiah 53:3-5

Our District Frau got dear Johned, so we made him a punny care
package made of random items in our Wohnung

Hansen's

Oatmeal from this cool hipster place

Our brillant DL (we were late to District meeting and one of the
elders got dear johned, so this happened)

Killing elder Allen

District pics

Reunion with our favorite Brit aus Hamburg, The lovely Phillipa

Marzahn missionare (elder skidmore is leaving us)