It is so great here in Stuttgart! Everything is so so good! The people, the wards, my COMPANION!! She is so wonderful! She is a total answer to my prayers and she is so much like me.
We work so so well together and I learn so much from her daily. She is 100% obedient to everything and let me tell you… it is so refreshing. I love it. We are definitely being so blessed for it, too. We have had so many miracles come to us in the past few days and I know its through the diligence and obedience that we show to our Heavenly Father. It really is so amazing to see how there is a bigger picture behind all that we do.. I am so grateful for all the rules we have.
Oh yeah.. my companions name is Sister (Eve) Smith J J she really is so good. She and I are going to be really good friends- I can already tell. She’s 20 and she’s from Orem..
GO UTAHNS! (Everyone here is from Utah. I know so many people its ridiculous).
Okay.
So here are the way things have been… minus a lot because we’re really busy and always have somewhere to be and something to do. So I’ll give you the rundown of the majors:
I arrived in Munich on Wednesday after waiting for hours and hours for our plane. Turns out we were never actually booked on a flight. So that was bad. They almost sent us back to the MTC, but I think they knew none of us would actually go back. We got a flight, and then had to wait 5 more hours because it was delayed 2 hours- MEINE GUTE! It was a crazy day. We arrived 8 hours late in Munich, and then they took our things, and sent us on a bahn! We got to contact and guess what? It was the most incredible feeling. Sister Smith and I worked together with this lady that we asked to help us with our German. We ended up practicing our message with her and we read Heleman 10:5 (I think). She didn't quite understand it when we read it to her, but she read it again and the look she had in her eye after reading it… it was incredible. SHE GOT IT. You could SEE something change within her. It was amazing. We had to then get off…. And we didn’t even leave her with a card! WHAT WERE WE THINKING! We even took the Book of Mormon from her…. What?! I pray that she has a chance to run into missionaries again.
So my first moments were so great.
We then got to the mission office! I actually went in this time!! (Hehe.. I’ve been there before). Everyone was so nice and we got ushered in to get oriented with everything. I got my packages: THANK YOU MOM!! I loved the “Greenie” idea! It was so cute! I accidentally opened the other one too, but then I realized it was for Christmas and closed it. It's now sitting in my flat with an open top. But there it will stay until December 25 J and I got Ali’s letter, too!! THANK YOU!! I gave the chocolate to a starving elder on our way to Stuttgart… he was leaving die Schweiz, so I think it helped calm his nerves a little. Chocolate always helps J
A lot has happened. Really a lot. We went straight to thanksgiving dinner with an American family from the American ward. They had three nonmembers there, one of them is an investigator… and she is AMAZING!!! Her name is Shana and she is soooo ready to be baptized! She just can’t seem to give up the social part of alcohol. We’re working on her. Her daughter, Olga, told us yesterday she wants to be baptized and Shana started crying because she was so proud of her. She’s really working towards a date. We’re meeting with her and her nonmember friend on Thursday. This friend is visiting from the states and really loved what we were doing here and agreed to come to church and to meet with us again. MIRACLES HAPPEN, PEOPLE!!
I’m all settled in and everything is so great. We live in a really NICE apartment… like way nice. It’s so cute and so homey J I love how Sister Smith is so organized… it’s so great. She’s a HUGE runner- like runs 100 miles a week. She’s insane. We run every morning and I love it J she doesn’t even care that I’m a health freak. She’s a gift from the heavens if I ever saw one. I love her SO MUCH!!!!! She’s always so happy and she’s the absolute cutest thing ever!
Okay, I really like her and I think I’ve established that J
I saw the pics of the Ironman!! WAY TO GO DADDY!!!! I thought of you and the family every second I could free up some space in my head. I was so sad that I couldn’t be there with you to cheer you on, but you were in my fast and in my prayers- you always are. I am SO PROUD of you!!! I’m so lucky to be able to say my dad’s an IRONMAN!! Seriously dad, I love you so so much!!! I look up to you and you are definitely one of my heroes J I’ve come to realize just how special and important it is to have an eternal family- I get to be with you wonderful people until the end of time. I am so happy about that and I give it thought all the time (what time.. .there is none ;) ). Really- I love you all so much : ) I have the best family ever : )
Yesterday was my first day of German church. Meine gute…. I was asked to give the opening prayer….. WHAT?! I said I wasn't quite ready to embarrass myself but that I would next week. I was asked to bare my testimony… and I did. This ward is so loud, but once I got up there… no one made a sound.
Okay cool… you can’t listen to people with perfect German, but you’ll listen to someone who can’t speak anything correctly? Makes perfect sense.
It was a really amazing day. We saw so many miracles. We had the chance to meet with two families in the ward. The first, the Kieffers, we broke the fast with them. Talk about member missionary work- I was incredible how on board they are.
(By the way, that’s how we do missionary work here… 100% through the members. It is so efficient!! I love it J )
We broke the fast with them and then headed to another appointment. Die Familie Happel are also very good MM’s… so cool!! They fed us, too, but they fed us German dinner… so I ate apples and carrots and this cool fruit I’ve never seen before yesterday. Its my new favorite.
Long story short: yesterday is exactly what good missionary work looks like. Its so rewarding!!
So we get fed a lot here. Like… we have an eating appointment every day. And that’s really good because they always have nonmembers with them and we always get to teach. But I am determined not to gain weight, so I’ve got pretty good at no having to eat a lot. On Christmas and Christmas Eve, we have 3 appointments per day… WHAT. I know.. Crazy, huh??
Hmmm… what else??
I guess there’s a good chance that I could be transferred after 6 weeks instead of 12 because there are a lot of people “dying” (leaving to go home from their missions) and they need people to fill their places. But who knows. I don’t want to leave my companion that fast! Fingers crossed I don't!!
Its pretty cold here. Not overly bad, but two-jackets-worthy. I’ll be buying another one, I think.
The German is coming along. Not fast enough, but coming a lot faster now that I’m in Germany and always surrounded by it. I can’t wait until I can say whatever I want!!
I think that’s it! I love you all so so so much and I pray for you every time I pray… which is a lot J
All my love,
Sister Gilmour xx
Note, I have a new address:
Deidesheimerstrasse 2
D-70499
Stuttgart, Germany
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