I am so sorry I have been a terrible daughter and I have not really written a good email for the past two weeks. whoops:) So this week I will write a super long letter! It was so much fun skyping with yall last week. It was so fun. Yesterday was Mother's day of course and I did get pretty emotional at church when all the cute German primary kids starting singing for their mothers. I thought of you mom and I am just so grateful for you. I love you so much!!
So lets see where to begin...
As many of you know, the first two transfers in the mission field where incredibly hard for me. Really hard. My testimony was tried, tested, thrown into the fire, and even though I was on a mission studying and talking about the Gospel more than I ever had, I had never felt so far away from the Savior in my life. I was in the pitts and I was not myself. I felt like this dark cloud was constantly surrounding me and I had no idea why. I was on a mission preaching the gospel, I was being obedient, and I was serving the Lord! Shouldn't my testimony be stronger than ever before?? Well it definitely wasn't, my testimony was fragile and about to crumble. I didn't know what to do. I was not myself, I was not happy, and I didn' t want to feel like this my whole mission. I wanted to rejoice in missionary work like I had heard others rejoice, I wanted the mission to change my life! I did not want to be depressed and count down the days until my 18 months was up. I didn't know what else I could do. I got a blessing from president and things got a little better. It was still hard, but it was better, but I knew it could get even better. I still felt like I had little desire to be out on a mission. I worked hard and I was obedient but my heart still wasn't in it. I wasn't loving the people like I knew I could love them. Then a little tender mercy happen. A few Sundays ago Munich hosted a YSA conference and we just so happened to have a lesson planned at the church during the YSA dance. While we were helping Sister Mason prepare the refreshments for the dance (we were waiting for our investigator to show up, she was late), Michael from Frankfurt came up to me and said, "Guess what!! One of my companions from my mission is here! He is from Vienna!" I got so excited because I love Vienna and I walked into the other room and saw Arnulf. Arnulf was one of the YSA in Vienna that I hung out with all the time. I got so happy. All the love I felt for the Austrians came back at me and hit me like a ton of bricks. I loved each of them SOO much. They changed my life. This moment was a pivotal for me . Your probably asking, why was it a pivotal moment??? Well it is because it reminded me of how much I can really love someone/people. I fell in love with EVERY one I met in Vienna. I constantly thought about them, thought of what I could do for them, and my life really revolved around them. I really think that is one of my talents as weird as this sounds. I really have a gift of falling in love with people. (Not in a romantic way, but in a different family-like way). Seeing Arnulf reminded me of that!! It was a little flash of hope and I knew I could fall in love with Munich and the people here like I did in Vienna. I knew that I had the ability! So the next few days I pondered and thought so much of how I could have that love for Munich and the people here.
Well then I got a letter from a friend who served his mission in London. He talked about how his mission was the hardest thing he had ever done, but how it changed his life. He also talked about how he never worked so hard in his life and he was so grateful that he did that. I mean you hear those things from most returned missionaries, but this letter was definitely another, random tender mercy. The way he talked about his mission really pricked my soul. I wanted to talk about my mission the way he talked about his. How could I put all my heart and soul in the mission just like he did??
Well I began to pray... I prayed my little heart out. I pleaded with Heavenly Father. I told him I would work harder than I ever worked before. I told him I would do everything I could, everything! but that I needed help. I needed him to help me have a great desire to be a missionary. I would do my darndest, and he would have to do the rest. He would have to help me put every ounce of my heart and soul into the mission, and I would work as hard as my body could. Well miracles happen and the next morning my prayer was answered.
I woke up so excited to work. I was ready! This had never happened. I had tried to make it happen earlier on, but I had never woken up like this before. The day continued on and all I thought about were the people we teach or the people in our ward. I talked to so many people, I thought of so many people, and it was the first day in the 5 months of my mission that I had truely felt like I had forgotten about myself. It was amazing, and I was happier than ever. I was worried this feeling and excitement would end, but it didn't. Each morning I wake up and that desire is still there. My mind and my heart are finally engulfed in the work. I am talking to more people than I ever have before, and I am thinking and dreaming constantly of those we teach and come in contact with. It is amazing, and for the first time on my mission I can truely say that I am happy. I am happy because I am engulfed in this work, and really life is so much better when you forget yourself. It might take a while to forget yourself, but I can PROMISE you, that the harder you work, the easier it gets, and it may take a while, but when you're patient and rely and trust fully on the Lord, He WILL help you.
Gosh I am just so excited about the work now. Sister Smith and my numbers may not be the highest right now, but we are working hard. We are talking to lots of people, and we are trying so hard to strengthen our ward. I know with our hard work and trust in the Lord that he is going to help us find and help the people we need to.
We are both so fresh on the mission and it has been fun. I have only been in Germany 3 months now? And she is 1 month now? I may be training her but it doesn't feel like that at all. We are really working together. It is funny when we are talking to someone and we have no idea what they are saying. It definitely is an adventure every day. We are constantly relying on each other and the Lord.
Our biggest goal this transfer is to come in contact with all the sisters in our relief society. Our ward is really huge, but 75% I would say is inactive. Sad huh??? There are around 60 less active women. We really want to change that. They really need it. We are having a meeting today at four with the elders and with the aupair in our ward and we are all going to talk together to see what all we can do to strengthen our ward together in unity. It's going to be awesome. All of us are so determined and ready to work. I am excited to see the miracles that are going to happen.
So Britta is still doing awesome. We weren't able to meet with her last week because of her crazy work schedule, but we talked to her everyday on the phone. Marja is still in Nepal, she gets back next week and we are so excited! We have a lesson with Johanna and Abraham Villagomez tonight. We are going to commit Abraham to baptism:) We are excited for that.Hmm...Elder and Sister Mason, Elder Eaker, Elder Orchard, Sister Smith, and I baked cookies for all the fathers and mothers in our ward and gave them out yesterday for fathers day and mothers day (fathers day was on thursday here!) The ward loved it so much. The bishop sent sister smith and I the nicest text yesterday about it so we were excited we were able to do that.
Hmmm.. I am trying to think of all the updates! O well we played family with the cutest African family. There were 5 of them-Mike, Mary, Arissa, Nathan, and Jaydean. We played with them about 2 weeks ago and I just loved them from the start. We gave them a card with our number and I just wanted them to call us so bad. Well last week we ran into them again!! It was so exciting!! We ran up to them and they all ran up to us and were so awesome. They all came running over and gave us hugs. We played a little basketball again and I was seriously the happiest girl in the world. I was so sad though because we had to hurry and leave because our appointment was about to start and we didnt get the chance to talk to their mom about the gospel. We told them that they had our number and to call us next time they wanted to play (So we could talk to there mom about the gospel) Well then they started sprinting after us and said, "Our mom doesnt know where she put your number!!!! Can we have it again???" O it made me so happy. We gave them our number again and told them to call us. I realized I should've talked to there mom and gotten there number, but Sister Smith and I are still new at things, and we are learning. haha So now I pray constantly that we can come in contact with them again. I want to teach them so bad!! I hope we can. I know we will actually. I just have to be patient and have faith. and boy is my faith strong that we will run into them again and then be able to teach them.
Well this is my life right now. Sorry these past 2 weeks you haven't gotten emails, but here is a really long one. Things are really going great. I am happy. I am working hard and I am constantly seeing the Lord's tender mercies in my life. My German still isn't the best, but I am learning. I know it will continue to get better with work and time. Weird thing as well, so I am constantly meeting spanish people and I had a prompting that I should re-learn the spanish that I used to know. Weird huh?? So today I am going to buy a Spanish-German dictionary. It is so random, but if that is what the Lord wants me to do, I will do it!! It's weird how many opportunities I have had with Spanish people!! I am going to focus my attention on German obviously, but just try and relearn the things I used to know, so we will see how that goes.
Well thank you for the prayers!! I love you guys so much. I still can't believe Mckay is in the mtc. wow. And district leader?? That is so awesome. I am so glad to hear he is doing well. I loved reading his email and I loved the pictures you sent. What is shaun doing with his hair by the way? Is he trying to be hipster?? hahah o dear. Ashley and Megan are little babes too!! It scares me how beautiful they are!! Watch out boys!
Okay, sorry lots of tangents. WELL I LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!
Sister Allman:)
Having lunch with my companion, Sister Smith.
Last p-day with Sister Stowell before she returned home.
My friend Conner who I worked with at EFY last summer.
