Peaceful Heart (Week 69)

So pretty (on our way to Gemiko- the meeting with our ward mission leader)

The yellow fields are my favorite.. apparently they make canola oil

So a lot of interesting things happened this week. We met with the Hansen's on Monday and did FHE with them. We had an awesome discussion about faith and the role it has played in their lives.

Tuesday was a white day, and our first that we've had in a long time. So we went finding. We were about to cross the street and a random guy came up to us and said, "Schwestern, can I buy you lunch?" We didn't know him so we said that we didn't have time and went to get on the bahn. But then we felt like that wasn't quite right, so we went back to this Thai restaurant where he was sitting with a Latina woman and said we have a couple minutes. Turns out, they are members of the RLDS church. They had recognized us as the sister missionaries (their church got shut down so they go to the LDS church in Dahlem when they go to church). We got to know them and it was awesome. He told us about what they believe and where we differ from each other and it was cool because I visited their temple when we were in Independence Missouri for Spring Break a few years ago. We tried to convince them that they should just come to Marzahn because it's way closer (they go to Dahlem because they feel at home there but can only go every once in a while because it's far away).

We finally contacted a referral from online who wanted a Book of Mormon. We went by earlier in the week and she want home so we klingled her entire street. Then Saturday we went by again and the dog was outside but no one answered. We were finally about to leave when she looked out the window and ran outside. I guess her Klingle was broken. We have an appointment tomorrow morning and are really excited!

We went on Tausch with the STLTs in Dahlem (Berlin). I was with Sister Baldwin, who came out with me and it was fun. We klingled a student building and had some good conversations and visited a newly baptized member. She wanted the elders to come do a service project (or so we thought), so we all made the trek out there. The bahn line was down so we had to take a bus and we go there an hour late. She lives in a refugee home in Glienicke, and we had to take off our name tags to go in. We showed up and she went out and talked to the elders (she didn't want us to know whatever they were talking about). We were super confused the entire time, but she came back and we visited with her.  She told us that she was not doing well, so we talked about trials and how God never leaves us alone. Anyways, the elders came back in, we said a prayer and then we left. They told us that she had asked them to translate a letter that she got from the government saying because of her sicknesses, she has to leave within the week and go back to Africa. We were all pretty fed up about how unjust that is to send a poor sick woman back to freaking Africa, but they contacted the bishop and another guy in the ward who is a lawyer. He read it, and turns out, there is a lawyer fighting for her so if she has a pretty good chance of staying in the country if it goes to court. Thank heavens for awesome members who are willing and ready to serve. Seriously, it touched my heart how they responded, and I'm glad it wasn't as bad as we thought. And I know that everything we talked about with her was true: no matter what happens to her, God knows her and won't leave her alone. He never leaves us alone, we sometime just don't recognize it.

Friday we had Zone Konferenz with Berlin and Neubrandenburg zones. It was pretty good and lots of fun to see people. We then came home and did weekly Planning.

Sunday was great. We ran into the bishop on the bus and had a good conversation with him and he gave us people to go by on, which is progress. Then we (the elders and sisters) had to do a musical number to "I'll go where you want me to go".. one of the elders was a bum and wouldn't sing with us, so we were a trio and we convinced my favorite young man, Vincent, to play the piano for us, it went okay, I was super nervous because I don't really sing but oh well. Hopefully it invited the spirit. But the greatest thing about Sunday is that the Hansen's came to Sacrament Meeting! I sat by Aidan (the 6 year old) during the sacrament and talked with him about Jesus, then sat behind Mark and Leslie and attempted to translate for them... I'm really out of practice. But hopefully they got something out of it and more importantly, felt the spirit and listened. They left after Sacrament Meeting but it was just so good that they came! We had a hellfire and damnation lesson in Relief Society about preparing for the sacrament every week. It was awesome. Schwester Winkler basically called everyone to repentance for being late to Sacrament Meeting and said, "if Jesus were to visit our Sacrament Meeting, y'all would be seated and reverent an hour before! It's the same thing! You should get everything ready on Saturday so you can be here on Sunday and partake of the sacrament." She's very bold. After church, we had an eating appointment, had some time to go by on some less-active ladies, had Gemiko at Bruder Rathke's, and did family history work.

Well, that's pretty much it. It got pretty hot this week. Also, at Zoko, all of my companions made fun of me for my very low heat tolerance. Haha. Also, I found a four-leafed clover. No one wanted to meet with us this week but we still saw a lot of miracles and I know Heavenly Father is blessing us. I'm thankful to be here. I know He supports us and lifts us up if we let Him. True peace is only found through him because he is our only source of redemption from all sorrow, sin, guilt, betrayal, hate and despair. And it's egal (no matter) what is happening around us because His peace comes not from a peaceful (or comfortable, ignorant) life, but rather from a peaceful heart.

Ich habe euch lieb!!
Sister Simpson

finding selfies

finding selfies

I illustrated our day in Sister Haynie's journal

our district lunch a few weeks ago when Elder Ausobsky made us schnitzel

Tausch with the STLTs (sister APs)

we made good food

giant spider outside our apartment... I walked around the corner and screamed

also from a few weeks ago, when I was in the drit and we visited
Happiness (I'm behind elder Ausobsky's head)