Transfers are just always crazy. We were dying on Saturday morning when we were waiting for the call. There just aren't enough Sisters coming into this mission, so they have been closing down Sister areas like crazy and Sister Mehr and I were scared that we were going to be closed, but lo and behold, we are getting a little baby missionary here and I'm going to have to act like I know what I'm doing. I'm pretty nervous to train for real this time. Technically I've trained before, but I've either done it in a drit or have come in half way through the training program, so this time I'll actually be starting from scratch. I'm going to the Munich train station on Thursday, say goodbye to Sister Mehr and then look for my golden. It's going to be an adventure for sure. Stay tuned to see what happens!
Anyways, we had a good week in addition to our transfer call. On Monday we were wandering around in the main square of Augsburg waiting for the Christmas Market to open and we found out that in a few minutes they would be having the opening ceremony for the Christmas Market, so we stayed and watched. There was a stage set up, the Mayor gave a speach, a local choir and brass band played some songs, and then in the Rathaus there was this thing where ladies dressed up as angels came out of the windows and did a little performance thing. Then the Mayor's voice came on and he said "Der Weihnachtsmarkt is öffnen!" and at that moment all of the lights came on in the town and all of the little stands opened their windows. It was pretty magical. It belonged in a Christmas movie for sure. Sister Mehr and I roamed around, got some bratwurst and kinderpunsch and my first purchase was a really cute Santa ornament. It is just so beautiful. I can't believe I get to serve in this part of the world. Sister Mehr and I are going back today for her last p-day in Augsburg and we are going to tear it up.
On a different note, we had a really good lesson with our new investigator this week on the Plan of Salvation. It went so well. We talked to her for a bit and asked how reading in the Book of Mormon has been going and she said she prayed about it and just felt good. I couldn't possibly ask for anything more. Moments like that just make you so happy to be doing this work. I feel so priviliged to be doing this. Sometimes, the German is tough, and running around to catch trains and busses is exhausting, but when things like that happen, you just love everything about being a missionary.
On Wednesday we had a member to visit. They told us to come by, so we made some brownies and prepared a spiritual thought and found the train station where we needed to get off. Well, we got to the right train station, hopped off, held up our map and literally all we saw was fields. It was pretty comical actually. Sister Mehr and I just gave each other the kind of look where you say "What on earth do we do now?" Well, after a great deal of searching, we found a street sign that led us into the right direction and after only an hour and a half of walking, we found the address...And the member wasn't home when they said they would be. So we left the brownies, wrote a nice note and began our journey back to the little train station in the middle of nowhere. That's basically my life right now and it's just funny. We do waht we can and that's all we can do :)
Oh and guess what!? We actually did get to celebrate Thanksgiving!!!! Turns out, a member in my ward is half American and her American father happened to be in town the week of Thanksgiving, so she invited all four of us missionaries over and we had a German version of Thanksgiving. Instead of potatoes we had knödel and instead of cranberries we had purple cabbage. It was really good. It was so nice of them to think of us and invite us over. We had a good time and shared a killer spiritual thought about gratitude.
So overall, I'm not gonna lie, life as a missionary isn't the easiest thing I've ever done. I think about what I was doing before my mission and that was just peaches and cream, but my goodness, there is just something about this work that makes you excited to wake up in the morning and exercise even though it is pitch black outside and you know you'll be walking forever. It is just amazing.
I hope you all have a good week and make good choices!
Love,
Sister Smiley
Pictures: Us and Sonja at the Christmas market, what the market looks like from above, I was an idiot and burned my finger on the stove so I spent the evening with it in a cup of cold water. Sister Mehr laughed at me...
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