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| Mainz streets are quiet and beautiful on Sunday Mornings |
I just want to start every email by saying it's been a week of miracles because it's always true!! Three of my favorite experiences this week:
-Michelle has missed two baptismal dates and didn't want to join the church anymore. but we were able to get another appointment with her and tried to teach simply. Just of testimonies and what was important to us about the gospel. She opened up again and accepted commitments! I'm thinking Heavenly Father was waiting for us for us to be a little more patient with her, but I'm so happy that we have more opportunities to teach her and learn from her.
-We went by a less active for possible the fifth or sixth time and she wasn't home again. We had scheduled time for dooring in the area if she wasn't there so we only had 15 minutes before we had to leave. Those 15 minutes were incredible! A testimony of how planning and executing that plan will help you see miracles. We were buzzed into a woman who turned out to be a member! She was baptized as a teenager in Venezuela but moved to Germany a few months later. She didn't know there was a ward close to her but now that's cleared up and we'll hopefully see her this next week :)
-We had twenty minutes before our train left and it was a five minute walk to Hauptbahnhof. We stopped and tried to talk to as many people as we could but without much success. When it was time for us to go, we started walking and a woman stopped us. Her first words were 'I need to go to church.' Naturally we agreed.
She was baptized as a child in Venezuela and has active family in Utah. She hasn't been to church in a long time but felt that she should when she moved to Mainz a few months ago. She had been looking for missionaries to find out where the church was. Nametags are a blessing.
There have been so many occasions where I've seen the Lord's hand in our work. Reminding us that it's HIs work, to try something new, and who to talk to!
The urgency for this work never ceases!! There's always so much to do and so many ways to do it!!
Part of Presidnet Stoddard's email this week :
On one of my first splits, my sister training leader said that everyone should have at least one companion where all you have to think about is the work.
I love working with Sister Bates! More energy goes into planning and doing the work. I love meeting with new sisters. Sometime within the first exchange they always asking the question - 'So why did you come on a mission?' Never fails, love it haha But it is good to be continually thinking about the reasons I'm here and what I hope to accomplish :)
This week our planning session was followed by the customary story swap. Aka telling all highlights of the mission, embarrassing moments, times you crushed elders at ping pong etc.
Sister Jarrard (part of a senior couple here) loves sharing her experiences introducing JAEs to her American recipes. She said they loved her chocolate cake so much they were putting it on drip towards the end.
Out the door at 7:15am yesterday for stake conference! It was wonderful! Times of peace come so easily at the church. Seeing families and children and members and investigators, all wanting to feel the Spirit that is welcome when we come together, brings such a joy and hope for future generations. The Saints in Germany have so many opportunities to serve and love and they don't waste them! I'm grateful for their examples. I'm grateful that their church callings don't stay at church. Their service becomes a part of their lifestyle.
One of my favorite parts was as someone read the sacrament in the first person, like an invitation to us personally. To remember Him and to be a witness at all times of Him.
I also loved the closing hymn we sang; O fest wie ein Felsen. (How Firm a Foundation) Hearing the whole stake sing about not being moved was inspiring. We had the opportunity to sing as a missionary choir in the Saturday session of stake conference as well :)
This weekend a man came up to Sister Bates, staring at her name tag. He pulled out his phone, checked for a moment, then asked if her father was named Martin. Turns out that he is the son of a woman that her dad baptized 30 years ago!! We got to meet her and she wanted to take a family photo with all her grandkids and Sister Bates so her dad could see the fruits of his missionary labors :) Such a cool experience! I loved that her son was familiar with her conversion story and although she didn't have contact with the missionaries who converted her, she remembered them.
I've heard some great Danglish jokes this week so hit me up, I'm good for at least three :)
Wrote William Shakespeare, ‘They do not love that do not show their love.’
Show Heavenly Father what you're grateful for. Take time to love Him by appreciating and loving the people around you. Don't stop at acknowledgement of blessings but go further to bless someone else's life. Another way to think about it is how we use the teachings we're given.
A fine member of the Church was talking with a neighbor who was not of our faith. When the topic of discussion turned to general conference, the neighbor asked, “You say you have prophets and apostles? And twice a year in a worldwide conference they reveal the word of God?”
“Absolutely,” the member replied with confidence.
The neighbor thought about that for a moment. He seemed genuinely interested and then asked, “What did they say in the last general conference?"
At this point the good member of the Church went from feeling excited about sharing the gospel to feeling embarrassed. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of the details of a single talk.
His friend found this troubling and said, “You mean to tell me that God speaks to man in our day and you can’t remember what He said?”
The brother felt humbled by this exchange. He vowed that he would do better to remember the words spoken by the Lord’s servants in general conference.
I love you family, friends, acquaintances, and people I haven't met yet!
Take note of the blessings you see this week and share them with people around you! Another invitation from stake conference was to find someone that you can be a light to!
Liebe Grüße, Sister Riser
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| I received this gem last week. Nobody makes that face like Sister Goodwin does. |
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