Are you ready for the jam packed email that always follows my email droughts? I feel like I have three weeks worth of stories and developments to write about and share with yall. But as always I will only be able to write about one. So I guess I will just jump in, trying my best not to bore you souls.
On monday since we had a month and a half of catching up to do with Harriet, our very favorite jta akiea (also known in english as) ysa we went to her house after our p-day hours were over. We had a great time with her and her friend Maddie. It is amazing to me to really feel see the change in relationships as you get to know a person more. I have been thinking about this a lot this last week as the potential of me leaving this area approaches. I have grown to love the members soo much. We visit them, sure but the love that is developed because of the concern we have for them is 100 fold, as we serve them the love grows. It reminds me of a seminary lesson we had with Bro. Summter(?) about how our hearts are set where our service and time are given. Or better stated by President Uchtdorf, "In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship.” and when you really think about it there is a reason we call each other Brothers and Sisters in the Church. It is because we are all family. We have only one Heavenly Father and Mother. Sunday School is like our family scripture study. I have grown in my love for the people here in Kaiserslautern because I have been spending time with and serving my brothers and sisters. "Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.”
On Tuesday after study, we went to the church so that Sis. Prince and the Zone Leaders could plan zone training. I typed up all the questions from the youth fireside, and started to answer them with the Elders. When the second shift of babysitters came in (the german Elders) I did some family History. It is so great to get on and find little treasures. I found the headstone pictures of some ancestors and attached them to my family tree. I think it is so easy for us to separate our current lives from those of old. But really we are living in the same world, both literally and figuratively. Where you are standing right now there have been hundreds of steps taken by others. There is no difference in their lives and our own. We as a human family have such common emotions and wanting and fears. There is no change in the root of all of our challenges. We fear the unknown, we fear the change that we are faced with. We pray to the very same father. He has lifted all of us. We conquer our fears with the faith in Christ. We walk with trust and hope. There is no difference in their lives and our own.
After they figured out their themes and worked out all the kinks, we did some last minute planning for our survival. Then we helped the Relief Society women set up for the quarterly activity. It was a dinner and then two workshops on how we can organize our lives, temporally and spiritually. It was such a great fantastic night! so much fun being able to talk to the women of the ward and really get to know them as friends. Beyond that it was incredible to watch the women of the ward take the less actives and those families that we as missionaries have been working with, under their wings and really fellowship them. The presidency was expecting 30 people to show up so they planned for 40. SIXTY women were there! There were at least 10 there that were women that we and the Elders have been working with. And there really wasn't a need for us to go and fellowship anyone because all the other women got there first! to see the act of friend-shipping is a sweet sweet blessing, a tender mercy of watching others demonstrate love.
There was a clothing swap at the end of the activity. There were 6 tables full of clothes to go through! The women helped each other find the 'jackpots". They would see a cute skirt and go and ask someone that was that size if they wanted it. Sis. Romero had 3-4 people looking at the tables for her, so that she could have a skirt to go to church in.
The next day, Wednesday, Sis. Kropushek invited us over for lunch with two of her neighbors. She has got to be one of my very favorites. She is so funny and just cute. She does so much and tries so hard but doesn't think that anything is going to work out. haha its sweet and funny in a shake-your-head kind of way like, "oh sis. kropushek, Don't worry haha" While we were waiting for them to show up, she really opened up and told us about her family, about how her and her husband met. She gave great advice to us on dating and marriage haha (a weird common thing on the mission). Her neighbors are both German, It was really cool actually because I totally understood everything that they were talking about I just couldn't contribute.
After our lunch with her we went to do an introduction lesson of family history with her because she is a family history consultant. We taught Sis. Sweet, who lives up to her name. We were talking about filling out your tree and she was saying how she started right when she got married and then life got busy and that now she will do it tonight. She was probably the most pumped for FH since we have been giving out these lessons. It was really cool to see.
We taught the Lovells about the Plan of Salvation. They have really been moving along. Romona the 22 year old daughter started reading the Book of Mormon and has lots of questions about everything. Her mom acts like a joint teach and will testify about everything that we teach but her herself is okay with where she is at not being baptized because she doesn't think that she can give up smoking. It really sad. Actually at Zone Training Sis. Wilson told us a story that explains this principle much better.
The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess -- the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver,she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.
So like our heavenly Father. What are you hanging on to?
I was thinking about this a lot during Zone Training while they were instructing us in ways that we can improve and become better missionaries. So often we are holding on to our own wills, We think that when Heavenly Father asks us to give up our wills that we are giving up our plastic pearls, when really there is true blessings of lasting happiness and peace in return. That it is not a sacrifice, it is really a privilege.
Skipping just a little Friday we had an appointment with Sis. Romero up in Eulenbis. We had arranged a "joint-teach" and ride to get up there. While we were waiting at the church for them to show up we get a call saying that they had to cancel on us 10 mins before we were suppose to be at Sis. Romero's house. So we went into survival mode trying to figure out another way to get there. We checked the Deutsche Bahn website for bus times to realize that we had only 5 mins to leave the church and catch the bus. We book it just in time to see the 101 pull away. gahh. Thanks to our wonderful zone training that taught us to manage our stress, Sis. Prince and I decided that before we go crazy we better manage our stress. So we slowed down had lunch then went back to the church to see the times for the next bus. Which at that point we had 2 minutes. We waited for an even later bus. we had 3 different bus connections to make. all buses that we have never ridden on before. We get on the first one, that says its going the other direction but the bus driver assures us it is the right one. all works out. We get off and wait for the next one to arrive. This super old bus pulls up with the route number printed on paper and taped on to the windshield. gulp. so we get onto this bus. EVERY seat is full! the aisle is tiny because its an older bus and the aisle is already half full with standing passengers. oh yeah and all the passengers are under the age of 17. We were so packed in there and the bus driver is literally weaving in and out of cars throwing everyone in the aisle to the sides. and still more kids are coming on. Sis. Prince and I lose it we are laughing but trying not to but that makes us laugh all the more. To all the kids on the bus we were these giants, these loud american giants with funny name tags. It was so ridiculous. As more kids hop on we are crammed tighter and tighter. We are now to the doors in the back of the bus. Sister prince is down the stairs and spread out like a starfish with both arms holding on to opposite bars trying not to get flung out the door, I am facing her a few steps up and there are these little kids between the two of us. I look down the road and just see curve after curve. Poor Sis. Prince is holding on for dear life. She finally grabs on to the belt on my coat with one hand to try and stay more balanced and not swaying back and forth crushing the kids between us with every turn. But that just made it worse because now we both are all over the place. I was laughing so hard because the thing was just so ridiculous. It was the largest game of corners I have ever played.
We finally survive to Sis. Romeros house and watch Finding Faith in Christ. Sis Romero is the best. You can tell so much that she is just craving the gospel. One of the times we met with her, she told us that she had something to tell us. She explained that she has been praying and not really feeling anything and that she will turn randomly to the scriptures, but that she doesn't really understand them. But that one day she flipped to Jacob 5:22 22 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit. she read it and then she looked at us.... "well don't you see?!?" .... "That is the answer to my prayer. God has a plan for me. He is preparing me." It was so amazing to see her face light up as she shared this story. She explained that she had been waiting all week to share it with us because we are the only ones that would understand. The spirit was so very strong that I will never be able to forget this time with Sis. Romero and the fact that she began to really get what the gospel was all about. That the gospel is individual and very real for us personally it isn't just words, or a good theory but that it is truth waiting to be accepted not only in our minds but in our hearts through the way we live our lives.
After our appointment here, because of all the mess of the buses we were now too late to catch a bus out of eulenbis so we had to walk the 40mins to weilerbach. It was so breathtakingly beautiful. but cold. I was telling Sis. Prince that if we prayed maybe a member would pick us up. She laughed because we were on this totally country road at a weird time and the members were so far and few in between. So we walk down this hill we get just on the outskirts of weilerbach and low and behold Sis. Reckiek slows down beside us and offers a ride. haha "oh ye of little faith" She had to go drop off her daughter somewhere because she was one seat short. So by the time we reconnected we were about a single block away from the bus stop but we the point is we got a ride from a member.
Another member who has recently been reactivated is Sis. Hudson. We were going to teach her a lesson on Thursday but she was in so much pain due to her partial paralysis that we could only have a quick visit, We gave her banana bread and some shirts from the clothing swap and you could have confused her face for a three year old on christmas morning. It was one of the most touching experiences because of her pure gratitude. So we set up a following appointment for saturday. She did NOT want to miss this one. So she made sure that she stayed current on her medicines, about five times to current. We get to her house and one of the first things that she says to us is " Hello sisters! I am really high right now!" man she was bouncing all over the place and very high. hahaha it was a hilarious and sad sight. So sad that you just had to laugh about it. We watched Finding Faith in Christ again to maybe have it calm her down, but nope! ahaha We get a call from her that night at like 10, telling us that she just woke up from her five hour nap and that she was now getting ready for bed and wished us a good night. haha her medicine must have been something strong. On Sunday we of course saw her and she was back to her normal self and she was apologizing so much for her behavior. That she was so worried on Saturday that she would be in so much pain that she could have us teach her and that she wanted to learn more so desperately.
Seeing the pure desire in these two women to learn more is such a testimony builder to me. We have the truth, we know where to get more yet we hold back. We live beneath the potential happiness and peace that is offered us. Why? We need to appreciate the love that God has given us through the gospel and treasure it for the value that it is to us and our lives. This is a lesson that I am still learning everyday.
I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful wonderful week :)
Liebe,
Sis. Wadsworth
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| This was probably the most intense eating appointment I have ever had. But the seaumanuus are legit! |
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| This was probably the most intense eating appointment I have ever had. But the seaumanuus are legit! |
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