Week 22: 16 in the field, in Stuttgart: Good times - St Patricks Day

Hello :) 

It's St. Patrick's Day! You know what that means! District P-day... obviously. Actually... every week is a district P-day cause we love each other so much. Really, we're all best friends. 

We just had a brunch :) It was lovely! It is a beautiful spring day here today.. which is so nice because it was miserable on Saturday and half of yesterday. But not today! Whoo hoo! 

So I guess the biggest thing that happened this week was our miracle with family history. 

https://familysearch.org/

So... ich hab eine bitte an Sie.... DO FAMILY HISTORY. Ours is so blank. But IT'S SO IMPORTANT! So important that it's the answer God gave us to how we're going to heal our ward of all it's problems. So... do it. Please? We're working on getting our ward more involved. They have stake temple week this week and ward temple weekend on April 26. So.. we are going to get them so excited between now and then. But what kind of missionary would I be if I didn't tell my family to keep doing it, too? Plus, I really need help filling in all the dates and the people because I don't have time to do it. Too busy teaching everyone how to obtain Salvation... no big deal. :)

Also, could you do a little research and tell me where your family comes from, REICHMANN's  mom? (Dresden) Anyone near Stuttgart? Or Southern Germany? And if there are, could I get areas, dates, and names? 

Thanks :)

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This week. This week has been pretty cool. We really saw God answering our prayers. We got two new investigators... yay! They're sisters from Russia and the sweetest. But it was a really stiff lesson. Then Sister Winters told me that's how most lessons go.. I almost dropped out of my seat. I have NEVER taught a lesson like that. She told me I'm very normal in my work. That's good. I'm keeping it like that. We are called to these places to be ourselves, not a missionary robot. 

Yesterday was also really good. I was really scared to go to church. I don't really know why, but I just don't feel like some of the ward really loves us. Sometimes you just really need to hear appreciation from ward members. It feels good to have someone other than other missionaries to tell you they think you're neat and you're doing well. So we prayed a lot for that. We also fasted, as mentioned in the email I sent mom. 

We walked in, and we immediately got talking to the man in charge of family history *God is a funny guy-well he works in ways we don't expect. He really knows what He's doing*. Then a member we had dropped by on earlier in the week came to us and told us how much she loved our note! That made my day! Then in FHV, we announced the eating list we had hung up. We told them we just really want to know them, and serve them, and spend time with them. Then we said we loved them, and they all told us they loved  us, too! It was so exactly what I needed to hear :) :):)

One of my favorite women in the ward, Sister Gierschke, is finally home from America, and she hugged me and immediately asked to have us over. And... man. It was just really, really nice. The members are starting to be more friendly. God really listens to our prayers. 

Then we had a fabulous night with Shana, one of our investigators. She is the most amazing cook, and she is also obsessed with eating healthy and clean. She's also so so so in tune with the spirit. She always says something I need to hear. I don't know why PMG tells us that we are there to teach them cause I learn more from my investigators than I think they learn from me. They're all awesome. 

I've also gained a pretty strong relationship with Sherri Kelly. She's american and she just moved here about a month and a half ago. She is wonderful. Really. She has been trained to pick up on people's emotions in 2 minutes. She is a recreational therapist. And really so amazing. I want to be a lot like her. I have really shaped a lot of the things I do on my mission and will do for the rest of my life based on things she says and thoughts she has. Her husband also gave me a piece from a book that he's working on writing. It's about introverts vs. extroverts. I am an introvert. And before Sister Smith left, I was really really worried that no one was going to like me because I wasn't like her; I'm not bubbly and outgoing like that and people don't flock to me. I voiced this concern to Jason Kelly, and he was immediately telling me how important I was and how it's not a bad thing to be an introvert. We're just different. She then he gave me this amazing piece he's working on on this exact topic. And man... it was exactly what I'm like. But he showed me that it isn't a bad thing. It was really good. I just really love the Kelly's. I'll need to send you this one day. Maybe just show it to you when I come home. I think I'll forward the book list Sherri gave me. You should look into them for me. I can' wait to read them. 

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The more I live here in Germany, the more I feel like I should live here. (BG BOOOOOO-NO-I HOPE HER FUTURE HUSBAND DOESN'T AGREE)  I have thought a lot about the possibility of me coming back and living. The Lord sends us to places that are so specific to who we are.. and Germany is exactly where I needed to be. I see that now. I see that so much that I really have considered coming back. I would love that. Maybe not forever, but for a little while. (BG: ok, a vacation is fine:)) I really am turning into a German. Get ready family... ;) Everyone says they aren't very nice, but I think they're fine. I really like how strict they are. I love the recycling. I love that everyone and their dog wears a scarf, even when it's 100 degrees outside. I love that everything is so fresh. And everyone rides a bike, even at 6:15 in the morning in the middle of January. There are bakeries on every corner.. .sometimes two. You always see old women with fresh flowers. The people all turn off their cars at red lights... that one makes me laugh. And there are bike trails everywhere. I love the Bahns and the buses. I just love it all. I'm coming back. I have to. 

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So yeah. There's my week. Some random thoughts. I love you all. So, so much. 

The Lord answers prayers. And everything in the Gospel is so much more special than we realize. Cherish it, and cling to your testimonies. Things are going to get hard and that's all that will help us.

I know God lives. I know my Savior suffered for me so I would never have to walk alone. He suffered for everyone that has lived, lives, and will live, here on this world, and in the trillions of other worlds He has created. To think about the immense pain he went through all so we would never walk alone. Think about that the next time you're on your knees praying. Use the Atonement. It's there FOR YOU. 

All my love from Stuttgart, Germany,

 

 

Sister Gilmour

xx