Oh my gosh! Let me tell you, ladies and gents, missionary work is hard, but it is so amazing. I don't think I will ever be able to fully convey what it's like, but it is really amazing.
First of all, we were able to go to the castle gardens last week in case anyone was sitting on the edge of their chairs dying to know. It was so pretty. Roylaty really has it made...I guess. But it was fun. We also had an eating appointment last monday with an old couple in the ward. They are very formal and gave us a huge meal. It was so delicious though. It was just a little difficult becuase they kept dishing more onto our plates and expecting us to somehow be able to finish it. I think I did pretty well. I saw one of the elders hit the wall though. We were eating dessert, and he was struggling so hard to finish it though. He was a man about it and managed to get it all down. It was a miracle. Ok, but in all honesty, I really do appreciate the eating appointments with a lot of food, because we walk around a lot, and I get hungry, so I like it when we get to sit down and eat a lot. I actually love it.
So aside from my eating rant, this week was pretty tough, not gonna lie, probably the toughest week of my mission, but I have seen so many miracles this week as well. On Friday we were teaching an investigator and he had gotten into some anti-mormon literature. I think anti mormon literature is the dumbest thing ever. The investigator said flat out, that he does not believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That broke my heart. I really did want to sit down and start crying because I can't imagine what it must be like to not know or believe that we have a prophet on the earth today. It is just so sad to me. We talked about dispensations, and how we can have a relationship with God and find out for ourselves. AND THEN our ward member who came with us busted out a perfect talk from a general authority about trusting the internet vs. trusting God. It was amazing! This my friends is why we have members present at lessons, not just because they can whip out their technology, but because they are also able to figure out what the investigator need, usually better than us. It's so great. The investigator seemed to like this talk, so we told him we'd give him a copy and he said he would pray again to know if this church is true. We are all praying for him now.
Saturday, was a particularly hard day for me. We went in the morning to teach a different investigator about the plan of salvation. This investigator is great, he wants to be baptized and has a date set to be baptized in June, so it was going to be a pretty good lesson. Well, Sister Powell is doing great talking about death and resurrection, and she passed the torch off to me. I started talking, but realized that I really had no idea what to say or how to describe what I wanted to describe. I think I said something about outer darkness, but who knows. Sister Powell saw me struggling, so she took over and finished it off, but I felt horrible. I know the plan of salvation. I have been learing it my whole life, but I could not teach it. It was actually horrible. I prayed a lot in that moment. I just needed some comfort because I have really been trying my best the whole time I've been out here, but I was so mad at myself for messing up. Well, we left the appointment, got some lunch, and in the midst of my despair, Sister Powell told me to recite D&C 4 auf deutsch. In that moment, I thought she must be crazy because I really didn't feel like it, but I did it anyways and it helped me remember what I am doing here. It was really great actually. Heavenly Father gave me the perfect companion. I am not perfect and I shouldn't expect myself to be. I can only do my best.
Later on that day, we went to see an investigator who is sick. She has some infection in her throat I think, and was sitting at her table scared to take antibiotics because she reacts to them sometimes. We watched her take the drugs and told her to go lie down on the couch. Her neck was kind of swollen and she seemed to be hurting a lot. Sister Powell was talking to her, and I dampened a cloth in some hot water for her to wrap around her neck. It felt so good to be doing something for someone else. She is the sweetest lady ever and I'm glad we could help at least a little bit. We are going to make an appointment to teach her this week.
One great thing about the ward here in Ludwigsburg is that it has a pretty big primary. If you can win the kids hearts over, their parents will love you too. My parents sent me some smiley face stickers, and all the kids love my name, so I give them stickers on Sundays. It's so fun. When Sister Powell and I were leaving yesterday, I had a whole pack of them running over. They pick what color smiley face they want and stick them on their shirts.
Next Sunday, we have a group visiting our ward called "the mormon bikers". Bikers as in motorcycles. Apparently there's a whole group of them here in Germany and they ride around going to different wards and stuff. I am so excited to see what it's like.
Anywho, life is good. I am learning to appreciate this work more and more as time goes on. I love hearing from you all. Keep it coming and make good choices.
Liebe Grüsse,
Sister Smiley
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