Woche 19: Making Eye Contact

In teaching Frau Lange this week, we talked about repentance and how we recognize that we need to repent. Because the mistakes they make aren't always huge or breaking the Ten Commandments, we don't always take the time to ask for forgiveness. We compared it to the straight line of Gods will and we're often the toddler tracing the line. Sometimes it's spot on but a lot of the time, we're right next to the line with a little gap. Repentance helps us move our life and choices directly in accordance with His will. I'm still studying about charity and how most of the sins we commit are sins against charity. Pride, jealousy, overlooking a need etc. Repentance is baby steps to overcoming the natural man and obtaining Christlike attributes. 

I've thought a lot about study habits this week. I didn't have horrible study habits in college but it was definitely sometimes half hearted or distracted. The scriptures are something I can't afford to even think about studying that way. They've become such a guide for me. We had two days this week where we had only hour or none of our studies. Those days were different, we were missing our daily bread. My delicious Sonnenkorn Brot of the scriptures. I grow more and more grateful for the stories I read and particularly how people refer to and talk about Christ in the scriptures. I still think about the quote on my wall every day - You can know about Christ without knowing Christ. Find the difference. 

Transfer calls was hilarious. Sister Godwin got called to serve as a sister training leader a whole 40 minutes away. She's never leaving the Frankfurt zone hahaha but it means we get to split every transfer!! She was on edge the entire call as they announced each set of STLs but they left Frankfurt zone for last so she knew by then and just couldn't believe it haha

At our last zone training, Elder White talked about Thanksgiving and the things we fill our selves up on. The mashed potatoes of the scriptures and the rolls of prayer with the butter of fasting etc I've thought about it this week in comparison to time. Is our time just being filled? Are we spending too much time doing service that won't lead us to more teaching opportunities or having appointments with members without uplifting them? I'm excited for this next transfer, trying new things and FINDING!!! 

My Friday night was made multiple times over. After our weekly planning session, (during which Sister Godwin got her call from President Stoddard and we had a mini pause for a bit  ausflippen of course) we headed to our appointment with Cleide, the less active mother of a family that we're working with. She wasn't home me we couldn't reach her so we doored a couple houses and took a bus to Bahnhof. Our train didn't leave for a while so we decided to stop by their clothing store. She was there!! She had tried to call but had an old number for the missionaries- oh missionary cell phones. I don't even know what to say about the lesson we had with her but we came away with a great hope for her and her family :) On the train home, we sat across from a girl with beautiful earrings. Bingo, conversation starter. I commented on them and asked where she got them. She was explaining how she made them when she took them out and gave them to me! She order the pieces abound put her own design in, really cool. We had a great talk with her and I was reminded of how much I love it when people don't avoid eye contact with you on trains haha Please flick me in the forehead if I ever pay more attention to my phone than the people around me ever again. Biggest pet peeve here haha

But they also knew that “many of the things you can count, do not count. Many of the things you cannot count, really do count.” - Präsident Dieter Uchtdorf

Just an all around good week :) 

Liebe Grüße, Sister Riser

Woche 13: Desiree's Baptism and Transfer Calls

Desiree is baptized!! 

She was just glowing! She looked so beautiful and happy. She has such an amazing support system already and her introduction to the ward and FHV was so simple. We love you, we're all different and we help each other. She's already planning on going with the ward on their temple trip to Switzerland next month! 

Sister Godwin and I had the serious blessing of meeting with Schwester Zdunkowski this week. She's an inactive member because she isn't able to come to church each week. We've been trying to meet with her for the past two transfers but she is the busiest almost 92 year old woman I have ever met. She and her husband moved to Salt Lake, back to Germany, moved again to a tiny dorf, back to Salt Lake and finally moved to Ober-Olm. 

She met her husband when she was serving a 28 month mission in the Berlin mission office the year after World War II ended. Her husband was called up into the German army two days before he turned 16. And soon thereafter was captured as the Russians swept through parts of Germany. He escaped and made his made through Russian territory to Berlin to find his family, who had already fled before the invasion. As soon as her mission ended, he got called to serve in East Germany. Spending any time in East Germany would require them to wait even longer before they were allowed to immigrate to the United States. 

We talked together about hope and how it works with other Christlike attributes. She spoke about remembering times in testimony meeting where people said that they KNEW that Heavenly Father was there and that they KNEW the gospel was true. She talked about having a strong belief and testimony but to her, knowing was something that was evidence and something you saw. It wasn't until later in life that she felt that faith was knowing because there is no other way. Her beliefs are so tightly wound and apart of who she is and what she does that she KNOWS that Heavenly Father is there. She is one incredible lady. 

Some gardening before the Low Country Boil

We had our youth activity!! For those interested, it was comprised of three parts. Gaining the spirit, getting ready, and finding! American youth are great and have fantastic energy but I definitely didn't miss hearing swag and yolo these past few months hahah

We spoke about sacrifice in Gospel Principles and someone brought up Malachi 3 when speaking about tithing. The translation of 'the windows of heaven' into German is interesting to me. The word used -die Schleusen, makes me picture water being poured out the moment the shutters open. With such force that the window can barely hold it in. Obedience brings blessings and be if mindful of Gods will can bring us so much more that we can ever imagine. 

That night we had a Low Country Boil in the Fugals garden to celebrate Sister Fugals birthday. We made apple crisp (turns out there are perks to buying 5 kilos of apples from a Tuekish laden haha) and We had Frogmorestew. Marvelous. I'm making this a tradition. Suellen and David, two investigators, came as well. It started raining so we all ate inside the garden house which doesn't have electricity. So we had candles and jazz music- I had flashbacks to group dates... weird. 

We're going three (transfers) together!! There was some serious anxiety during transfer calls but we're in Mainz for one more!!! So ridiculously excited!!! 

This week is going to be great!! 

Love you all!

Sister Riser ❤️

BONUS LETTER : Woche 3: Fußball the World's Favorite Sport

***The Letter from Woche 3 was an adapted personal letter from Sister Riser.  She realized the next week that she had written an actual group Woche 3 email, but just forgot to send it.  HERE IT IS!***

 

Finally we got to play the  worlds favorite sport: Fußball! We got
shown up by a couple grade schoolers with mad skills before the game
started. We played with the Mainz elders, the ward mission leaders
family and a few investigators and other members. Elder Cloward
sacrificed himself for the ball and has a couple glory scrapes and a
good story to tell now.

There's been so much time for contacting this week!! We already know
that people wouldn't even think about listening to two American girls
talk about religion for two minutes. Thankfully, they have the spirit
to listen to if they stay long enough to feel it :) There's no end to
the Spirit that's invited and the miracles brought when you OPEN YOUR MOUTH!! We're trying to make the best use of our time in between
appointments and we've devoted the first few minutes of our language
study to memorizing German hymns to sing as we walk. I'd forgotten how
much I love that German Gemeinden stand for their intermediate hymns,
it's like a stretch/snack break because the toddlers next to us kept
putting pretzels on my lap ;)

I've spent a lot of time thinking about covenants this week and how we
continue to honor them. One of the qualifications and questions for
baptism is to have a determination to serve Christ till the end- how
do we continue to do that?

We have a temple trip date!!!!!!!!!! One of the first things my
trainer told me I would love about where we were serving is that we're
less than an hour from Frankfurt temple which means we can go once a
transfer! Unfortunately the temple closes for 2 years in September so
hopefully we get in twice before then! In the MTC we went altogether
twice and the on the day that everyone went finding in Manchester, the
three Americans that didn't have visas to proselytize outside Germany
stayed and went to the temple. It was just us and the temple workers
and so incredibly quiet and peaceful.

We're continuing to study attitudes and the powers of desire-
"Become a creator of circumstances instead of a creature of
circumstances." - Elder M Russell Ballard (from the talk "Do Things That Make a Difference"). The way we approach a day
makes the biggest difference! Being proactive can turn the slowest of
days into the most fruitful. Turn your day over the Lord! Don't wait
to be told what to do but be a ready recipient!

We taught our first English class this week! The members that wanted
to teach were on vacation so we had Adrielle- a less active Peruvian
who moved to Germany with his wife a few years, and Martine- a soon to
be Albanian student at the university here who called in from one of
our flyers AND he speaks 5 languages :) something tells me he'll be
teaching us quite a bit too. After class he brought out a bottle of
wine from his backpack to say thank you to us. I'm not sure if it was
the 'subtle' eyebrow raise or what that convinced him but we were
finally able to tell him that no we don't drink and no were not
allergic and yes were as young as we look. Note: contrary to
popular-ish belief, grandma shoes do not make you look more mature.
But it was great! He went from having no interest to wanting to know
more!!

Fun fact: Blue street signs run parallel to the R River, while red
signs point you towards it #themoreyouknow. Thank goodness for my
companion, we would never make it anywhere. I'm growing more grateful
for being geographically challenged, it makes me appreciate her even
more :

Nierstein is splendidly quiet and beautiful. And the sunsets outisde our window are the perfect setting for our daily planning and call ins :) Mainz has been in the high 90s or topping 100 this week and we've been melting just a little so today we're rejoicing in singing patriotic songs and wearing street clothes!! We may be two days late but our zone is meeting up for an All-American cookout and soccer!! We already celebrated with a failed attempt at solar cookers at the Fugels haha

Remember Zig Ziglar!! Opportunity + Preparation = Success!! God gives us opportunities to share the gospel all the time! Be prepared, study your scriptures, be brave, answer questions and BE AN EXAMPLE

We have loads of time for emails today so I can chat with most of you later when you're awake!! 

Side note: American matching was completely* accidental. 
PS- Kannst du mir unsere Familie Fotos schicken??

Surprise Letter: Her last from the MTC!

Bilder Distikt Helaman

{Helaman District Picture}

We fly out in 2 days!!! It sounds like a grand adventure but it's a two hour flight haha

We taught our last lesson in the MTC today and it was great :)

Our teacher is Brother Toropionen that served with Peter!! 

 

I've been studying Christlike attributes and we had a devotional last night that talked about how they build on one another. It's not possible to juggle every attribute in every area of your life until they become a part of who you are becoming. 

Most of my study has been centered on charity, but more specifically having the heart of Christ. Only then can we see others as He did and love as He did. There are no missionaries more powerful than they who have the pure love of Christ for others. It becomes a part of everything you do. It doesn't make negative disappear but encourages you to overwhelm it with positive. 

Also, lots of thoughts on obedience but I'm pushing it with time ;)

The eyes of the investigator will tell you all you need to know.

Goal this week: Maintaining eye contact! It sounds silly but maybe one of the hardest things I've had to do here!!

Liebe Gruesse

Sister Riser

Found a photo of Peter here on the baptism board!!

 **Side Note:  As I was looking for pages to link to this letter, I came across this video on Christlike Attributes and thought I would share.