Woche 15: Make every day the best 24 hours of your life!

the view behind Desiree's

Busy busy week! We were in Frankfurt for a few days so we didn't have as much contact with our investigators as we wanted but it worked out alright. Some nights we get home with so much to do that I barely have time to write in my journal and prepare for the next day's lessons. It's awesome. It's wonderful to have every day packed to the brim with the Lords work! There's no better place to see miracles than while doing missionary work. And revelation comes best when you're on the move!

Zone conference this week! It was my first and was so incredible. I loved getting to know the missionaries in our zone and hearing so many themes. Those who spoke continued to emphasize being BoLD! That inviting others is not a burden to them but a blessing. 

For me, most hesitancy to approach someone comes from me thinking that I'm bothering them or that they have no interest. I need to remember that it doesn't matter! The gospel is the best thing in the world! It's like having found out how to cure the common cold and wanting to tell everyone you know. Some people won't believe you or some don't want to do what it takes but sooner or later everybody wants to free from that cold haha 

One other thing that I took from conference was change.  Sometimes you need a smack down to tell you "hey you can be better" and "hey I made you to be more than this." Everyone has something they're holding back. (The elders teaching sang Frozen (Jetzt lass los! Ich lass los!) as they invited us to let go of what we're holding back and seek the confidence of being exactly obedient, fully participating missionaries. 

We also had splits with our sister training leaders! I love splits, they're hilarious. Sister Funk and I were here in Mainz and were able to spend some time in Waldalgesheim. She's served in big cities her whole mission and it was funny to see her stare out the window the whole time hahah Bingen area is beautiful with quite a few churches, so many vineyards and some pretty decent sized hills. (No mountains sadly, but hey it's not the alpine mission) 

Mainz Moments:

-lunch at the church with the Hirsch family. 

-Desiree teaching with us! This lady is on fire!! In the appointments after her baptism she asked if now that she was a member, was she allowed to teach with us! Yes yes you can!

-WE FOUND RITZ CRACKERS. Germany has delicious bread but they're lacking the cracker front. 

There is indeed a secret to becoming a successful gospel teacher, to teaching with the power and authority of God. I use the word secret because the principles upon which a teacher’s success rests can be understood only by those who have a testimony of what took place on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820. --Teaching with the Power and Authority of God by David M. McConkie 

There is no substitute teacher for the Spirit. 

There are no words more powerful than that of a sincere testimony. 

Such a simple principle. 

Our focus is to plan and teach lessons that they can have a spiritual experience. There's such power in kneeling prayers. I helps us be more open to guidance. You can feel the Spirit so strongly as someone you're teaching kneels with you in prayer to ask if what they're learning is true. 

We're getting geared up for general conference with living prophets contacting! Those are my favorite questions to ask, it gets people thinking. Because of the ward split two years ago, they've never shown conference here in Mainz. People have had to go to Wiesbaden or watch at home. But we'll be showing it all day Sunday this time! Huzzah for technology. We've been working with a few less active families and it'll be great to have something like this to invite them to :) 

Remember the Lord’s counsel: “And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.” Well might each of us ask himself: Today, have I increased in faith, in hope, in charity, in love? When our lives comply with God’s standard and we labor with love to bring souls unto Him, those within our sphere of influence will never speak the lament, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” -- President Monson: Missionary Work

Make every day the best 24 hours of your life! 

Liebe Grüße, Sister Riser ❤️