So the Adventure Continues

HI Everyone! Well, this week was a good one. We saw a bunch of miracles for sure. That is one of the many cool things about a mission. You literally see miracles every day. It is just a privilege to be a part of that :)

Anyways, let me tell you a bit about our week. We have a new investigator!!!! That is always such a happy thing. We got to go over to her apartment on Thursday and get to know her a little bit more and see where she is at with things. We talked to her about some of our basic beliefs and that there is more we would like to teach her and explain to her. It was a really good appointment and we have another one scheduled for tonight that a member from the ward is coming with us to..I think that was really bad grammar. My bad. I don't really know what is right and what is wrong in any language anymore. I just say stuff and hope people know what I mean :) Anyways, we are really excited to have someone new that we get to be teaching. We kind of had to be tactful because she was nervous about meeting with us in the first place. I would be nervous about meeting with us too, but we talked to her on the phone one day and asked if we could just come over once for 45 minutes to share our message with her. Just listen to what we have to say for 45 minutes and if she doesn't like it or feel comfortable with it, then we wouldn't make another appointment and be out of her hair. WELL here is the miracle, SHE LOVED IT and that is why we have a return appointment. I'm excited to see what our appointment is like tonight. Thank goodness we have a member coming with us. They always seem to say the right thing when it needs to be said.

On Friday we went to Munich for training with President Kohler and district meeting and interviews. Trips to Munich are always fun. We got there and President Kohler did an hour of training where we talked about mission goals for 2015 and what we can do to be more effective missionaries in order to accomplish those goals. It was great. President Kohler is the bomb.com. He helped write Preach My Gospel and trained teachers at the MTC for a long time, so he really knows his stuff. It is always just so interesting to hear what he has to say. I'm thinking I should bring a recorder with me next time or something because the notes I take never seem to do his teaching justice :)...just kidding, I won't bring a recorder, I'm not one of "those missionaries", but seriously, someone should broadcast his zone conferences or something. It is way cool. Interviews went well. I don't have any real concerns or anything, so we just kind of talked which was nice. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a mission president over 250 missionaries in four different countries and try to build relationships with all of them. Somehow, he does  it. I am impressed.

On Saturday we helped a less active woman in our ward move. We carried some things, and moved some things around. It was all good in the hood and then she wanted to go back to the old apartment to pack up some more things. We may or may not have ended up in the back of a sketchy van with no seat belts or chairs. It was pretty sketchy. The way we ended up there is a long story, but every time I think about it I laugh. What kind of idiot actually gets into a van when someone says "get in the van"...the Augsburg missionaries. We broke a couple of white handbook rules with that one, but we survived and have since repented. Our district leader calls every now and then just to say hello and see how we are doing, and when he called that night I got to tell him the story. He laughed. It was all good. 

Anywho, that is basically what happened this week. It was a pretty solid week. Something you get a lot of on this mission is train adventures. We take trains EVERYWHERE. It's really great for contacting and talking to people and you always get good stories from the trains. I almost have all of the train, tram, and bus schedules memorized for the city of Augsburg now. It is a fun skill to be able to hop on and off of a tram and know where it is going to take you and how long it will take to get there. I'm trying to teach Sister Baker how it all works so that she can figure it out herself without hours of mapping every day. Mapping is good, but if you can skip it because you have everything memorized, life is so much better.

But yeah, that is all I have to say this week. I hope you all have great week and make good choices!

Love,
Sister Smiley
 
Pictures: Us in our situation with the van, Sister Baker and I waiting for an appointment at the church

Every Kind of Weather and Then More!

Wow! What a week! I probably say that about every week, but this week was really something. Sister Baker and I went into this transfer feeling like everything was set up really well. We had less active work we were doing, we had a new convert to work with, a killer progressing investigator, and two other people who were on the way to becoming new investigators. Well...last Monday we got a devastating text. Our lovely progressing investigator said that she could not meet with us anymore because her husband is not a fan of the Mormons at all. I guess he let her meet with us in the first place so that she could see for herself how crazy we were, but then when she liked us and all of our appointments went really well, I think he got scared and decided to cut off contact. She texted us and told us that last week, and it was probably one of the most devastating days of my mission because I know that she has a testimony. I know it and I know that she knows it. She said she is going to continue reading in the Book of Mormon and get back in contact with the missionaries when her husband calms down. She is going to be in my prayers for the rest of ever because I know that she just has such a pure desire to come unto Christ. It was just really sad. 

Then after that both of our potential investigators went missing, as in they don't answer their phones and they are not at home...ever...so that was just kind of the cherry on the top...and our map broke...BUT we are sister missionaries and we are optimistic, so we bought a new map because that thing is seriously our Liahona and we are on the hunt for people to teach. We are working really closely with the ward and we literally talk with everyone everywhere. Still no one new to teach, but I have had some very...interesting conversations in the last week. People are just really interesting. Anyways, not having investigators is not an ideal situation, but there is still the less active work and neubekehrt work to do. Onward and upward. 

On Wednesday we were heading out of our apartment and walking over to our tram stop and it was actually quite nice out. Still a bit cold, but the sun was shining and that was revolutionary because I have not really seen the sun since early October. Anyways, things were looking good and then it slowly started to rain. We got to the tram stop and it was pouring...hard...like really hard. It was actually like we got beat up by the rain. There was an abundance of wind, so it was more like it was raining horizontally and if there is anything that is not fun, it is having wet tights. It just makes the cold cling to you. It was funny because we seriously got destroyed by the rain, but we were soaked, soooo, the moral of the story, always keep an umbrella and a second pair of tights in your purse???

Yesterday (Sunday) Sister Baker and I went to Family Home Evening at a member's home far away in the middle of nowhere. A lot of Bavaria is like that. They took us home with them after church and we had a really great time together. They were even awesome and invited a nonmember friend to be there with us. We ate some Spätzle and then chocolate fondue and played a game together. I think it was actually poker but I'm not really sure because I have never played poker before, but there were chips and cards and everything. Is that aloud on a mission? I don't think there's anything about it in the white handbook. We didn't gamble money or anything, so I think it's okay, but I learned that my poker face is not much of a poker face at all :)

Anyways, as missionaries we have certain boundaries with music that is appropriate for us to listen to. There is always a lot of discussion and argument about certain songs and genres, but fortunately, classical music is totally okay which is really good because I love classical music. I brought a bunch with me when I came on my mission and I just love listening to it so much. Listen to Dvorak, or Mozart, or Vivaldi and tell me those men weren't inspired? The thing is though, it is something I came to appreciate over time. When I was in first grade and living in Taiwan with my family, I started learning how to play the violin. It is such a great instrument. I took lessons and did orchestra when the opportunity was available throughout my life. When I was going into high school, my mom suggested that I try out for this one orchestra in Chicago called Midwest Young Artists (MYA) and I really have no idea why I agreed to it because the audition process basically made me sick. I had to play two pieces in front of a man sitting at a desk while being recorded by a camera. I had a really good violin teacher at that point who helped me get ready for this audition, and by some miracle, I made it. I went to the first practice on Saturday with my mom and my aunt coming with me for support. It was pretty scary because all of the other kids there were serious. The first practice is always just sight reading which can be hard or easy depending on the piece. Well, in this instance, it was hard. I just could not keep up with everyone else. I went home from that first practice pretty freaked out wondering how I was going to make it in this orchestra. We hadn't even had seating auditions yet. Well, I went to work. I practiced that piece more than I have ever practiced an orchestral part in my life. It was Dvorak New World Symphonie #9 Movement 4. By the next practice I was doing better than keeping up. I was playing with all of these other kids who really did have an appreciation for the music. Because of that experience in particular, I love classical music and have a deep respect for other people who do too. And now, I am coming to my point: I am learning on my mission, that people will not walk into their first experience with the gospel and love it right away. Sometimes, yes, but it takes time for understanding to come, and when that understanding comes, there is something so special that can't be taken away. I am so grateful that I get to be a missionary here in Augsburg sharing this message with people here. 

I hope you all have a great week and make good choices!

Love,
Sister Smiley

Pictures: me and my super cool new German dictionary I got, some really yummy chilli we made because there comes a point where sandwhiches just don't cut it, the crew at the train station as we said goodbye to Elder Griffey (he got transferred.

We Get to Stay in Augsburg!!!

Holy Cow or Heilige Kuh!!!! Let me tell you, transfers are crazy. This transfer, there are no sisters coming in at all and there are plenty going home, so every sister in the mission was sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear if their area was getting closed or not. I believe President had to close four sister areas which is quite a lot. I was freaking out the morning of the call because I really didn't want Augsburg to be closed at all because there are people here that we need to work with. The thing is though, Augsburg is not a big city like Munich or Stuttgart or Vienna, so it would be fairly easy to close us. WELL! We got the call and guess what?! Sister Baker and I get to be here in Augsburg together for another transfer! Woohoo! I am so happy. This is my fourth transfer here in Augsburg and I love it here to death. Half of the sisters in my zone got closed though which is crazy. There used to be eight sisters in my zone and now there are only four of us. I am still saying prayers of thanks because it is seriously a miracle that we are still open. Heavenly Father really does hear our prayers.

Anyways, aside from that insanity, we had a great week. Tuesday was zone training so we got to go hear from our zone leaders and sister training leaders in Munich. It was fun seeing other missionaries. There is one sister going home this transfer who was one of my first sister training leaders, so I am sad to see her leave, but she is from Hungary, so she is going to crush it over there. So a part of zone training that always happens is they remind us of rules or adjust them based on our needs, and this week we got a new one that President just recently decided on: we are to speak only German from 9am to 9pm every day. It seems like it is a rule that would have been there already, but it is actually harder than you think because this mission is kind of like little America. There are so many Americans and English speakers in this mission that it is so easy to revert back to English, but it is kind of a fun challenge to go 12 hours straight of all German. It should have been that way all the time. It is only a bit difficult for Sister Baker because she has not been in the field that long, so we are still working on her conversational German, but now worried because we have a plan! 

Sometimes it is hard to know what to talk about when you are not speaking your mother language, so during language study one day, we made a list of topics, so then at the beginning of the day, we pick one of these topics and when there is no one to talk to or we are just walking, we have something to talk about. So yesterday it was friends (like friends from home and stuff) and today it is books. It is fun and keeps things interesting, but it is especially good for Sister Baker because at the MTC they teach you how to talk about church things. We could have a conversation about the gospel just fine because she was taught how to talk about that for six weeks at the MTC, but believe it or not, even missionaries don't talk about the gospel ALL THE TIME. So I think this is helping.

Yesterday, at church, we were all walking out of Sunday School class and when I rounded the corner I ran into none other than Sister Kohler. She is our Mission President's wife and I had to do a double take to make sure that it was actually her because if she was there, that meant that President Kohler would also be there. It sounds like a no qbig deal thing, but it is actually a big deal because there are 70 wards in our mission and he chose to come to Augsburg yesterday. No one knew he would be there at all, so it was a total surprise, but it was actually really great to see them. They came to our Sacrament Meeting and sat on the stand and stuff, but afterwards, I got to talk to President and Sister Kohler and it was really nice. They asked me how I was doing and if I was happy to be there and everything.  I had a good conversation with Sister Kohler in particular about how serving a mission is going to be so helpful to me in the future. She served a mission in California, so it is fun to talk to her about that, but it was just so nice to talk to her. It was kind of funny though, because we have this new 9-9 German rule, so when I talked to President Kohler it was all in German. I had never spoken to him in German before but it was fun. 

So yeah, other than those things, this week was actually a pretty quiet one unfortunately. A lot of our lessons did not go through which is always depressing, but you just keep moving forward and pray that more things will work out in the future. It is a good time.

But, I hope you all have a good week and make good choices!

Love,

Sister Smiley

Pictures: I took Sister Baker to the Gold Room last p-day, me with my pretty stationary that my parents sent me, making sandwiches for zone training.

Belching, Australians, and Surprise Investigators

What a week! This was one of those weeks where I probably felt every single emotion under the sun at some point. It was insane...but also really good. That's just how missionary work tends to go a bunch of the time. That's why sister missionaries gain weight...we eat when we are stressed...but such is life and that is why we have fathers who are really into running.

Anyways, I hope everyone had a great New Years. Can you believe it is 2015? Crazy! We got invited to members' homes on New Years Eve and New Years Day so that was a win. We were aloud to stay out until 10:00PM on New Years Eve and we were at this couple's home from our ward. They are the Herbers and let me tell you, they are formal people. You better know your table manners when you go to their home, otherwise you are just an embarrassment. I've been working on teaching Sister Baker German table manners because they are just ever so slightly yet noticeably different than in the USofA. She was well prepped.  After having a snack and chatting, we moved over to

the living room to talk while the dinner was being prepared. I always offer to help in the kitchen because I always liked when missionaries did that at my home. Not that I want them to do the work for me, but it felt more like they were my friend. Schwester Herber had everything under control though, so we sat and chatted some more with the Elders and Bruder Herber in the living room. After a more invigorating discussion, we went back to the dining room and had a beautiful cucumber salad with feta cheese in it and everything. I ate lots of that. It was delicious. Then we moved on to the soup course. It was cauliflower soup and was so yummy. Of course there was a fancy loaf of German bread, so we ate that too. We ate and ate and ate until this giant pot of soup was gone. My stomach has been well trained. I have been doing missionary eating appointments for nine months, so I can handle it when all of the food is expected to be gone, but Sister Baker is in her first transfer, so she is not quite so practiced. As we were eating I realized that I should have given her a pep talk before hand or something. Her manners were perfect, but she looked like she was struggling and I was prepared to shove some of her soup into the Elders' bowls while the Herbers where in the kitchen, but the opportunity never came. She managed to finish her second bowl of soup...but there was more. Then came a gigantic pot of rice with a chicken sauce thing. It smelled really good and all four of us missionaries gave each other the look of "bring it on". The main course got dished out and we were all manning it pretty well, but then Sister Baker really started slowing down. I tried to tell her with my eyes that she didn't need to finish it, but I guess my eyes are bad communicators because she thought I was trying to let her know that she needed to eat more...my bad. Well, all of a sudden, she gets up and goes to the bathroom, and I'm thinking, "oh boy, this is it, she's not going to be able to keep it down." I hate to get graphic here, but the walls in that house were paper thin, so we could hear everything and she made a loud belching noise, so Schwester Herber wanted me to go make sure Sister Baker was OK. Of course I was going to do that anyways, and I went and asked if everything was alright and I told her she really didn't have to eat all of the food, and she insisted that she was fine, so we went back out to the table and there was ice cream for all of us to eat. We all ate it just fine and then it was time for us to go home. When we left I kind of freaked out on Sister Baker and asked "What happened? Are you OK?" Quite honestly I thought she threw up...well lo and behold, all that happened was...she belched really really loud. We are both writing about this experience right now and as we type away at the computers we are both giggling and laughing about it because of all the places for that to happen it had to be at the Herbers, but that is what makes it so funny :) Gotta love being a missionary!

Anyways, yesterday was a good Sunday. We didn't expect our investigator to come because we knew that she was out of town, but Sister Baker and I were sitting in Relief Society when a ward member came in and said, "Sisters, wir brauchen Sie" What could that possibly mean? I was a little freaked out, but we followed him down the hall and there was a woman sitting in one of the chairs outside of the chapel. She just kind of wandered in and wanted to know what we are all about. She is just curious. I have a feeling there is more than curiosity, but we have an appointment to teach her this week, so I guess we will find out. 

After church on Sunday we had an eating appointment with a family in the ward who is actually Australian. It was really strange having an appointment in English. I'm glad that they didn't ask me to pray because I hardly remember how to pray in English. It was really fun though. They have two teenage daughters and a son who is 12. I kind of felt like I was hanging out with the youth in my home ward again. Also, they are really funny people, so I think I just spent the whole time laughing which is a bit of a relief every now and then. Sister Baker and I laugh together a lot, but the Germans are just a bit more serious about things, so it was different.

 

But yeah, it was a good week. It's crazy that it's 2015. This year has so many adventures ahead and I look forward to finding out what some of them are. I hope you all have a great week. Make good choices!

Love,

Sister Smiley

Pictures: The two of us standing at a bus stop on the grossest day of my life (it rained AND snowed that day), me when I finally got all of my winter gear off when we got home, the fearless Sister Baker ready to go with the phone and keys at hand.

Let it Snow!!!

IT'S SNOWING!!! It's kind of funny because I Skyped my parents on Christmas and told them that we hadn't gotten much in the way of snow here and that it was just bitter cold, but that night it was like the weather angels dumped a bucket of it on us. It really hasn't stopped since then and man, it is cold. You would not believe our walk to get to the tram this morning. It was snowing in our faces. It was actually quite funny, but all I'm saying is, thank goodness for fleece lined tights. Those things are genius. 

Anyways, how was everyones Christmas?? I must say, mine was pretty fabulous. For one reason or another, they take three days to celebrate Christmas in Germany, so basically, we had no idea what to do with our time this week that would be a good use of it. People don't really do teaching appointments when they are with their families celebrating the holidays SO we sandwiched our Christmas between service projects. On the 23rd we went up to Inglostadt and helped the branch there make packages for homeless people. There was food, hats, gloves, tooth brushes, tooth paste, and some other goodies in all of the packages. Then on the 27th, after Christmas we cleaned the church here in Augsburg. The person on the calender to do it this week, was one older lady, so we helped her out and did it together. It was a really good time. I can't think of a better way to have spent my Christmas week on my mission. 

But in terms of the actual holidays, I'm pretty sure I'm going to explode any day now because all we did for those three days was go to members' homes and eat. On Christmas eve we went to a Macedonian family's home and ate some really good Macedonian food. I really can't describe what it was, but it was delicious. In addition to eating, we sang some Christmas songs and I got to play the violin (because they just happened to have one). Basically, a lot of my music ability is gone, which was pretty depressing, but I can still read music (you kind of have to try to forget how to do that one) so I played a bunch of hymns and one of the Elders accompanied me on the keyboard and we jammed...as much as a missionary can. 

The following day was Christmas and in the morning, Sister Baker and I listened to my favorite Christmas CD (Sing Choirs of Angels by MoTab) and opened our presents from home. Basically my parents are awesome. We got supplies for making chocolate chip cookies and have already made a batch. It made my day because I love chocolate chip cookies and they just don't have the stuff to make them with here, so I have an awesome family who knows me well :) We went to brunch at one family's home on Christmas. We played all sorts of card games and even did soft archery (which is legal for missionaries to do because it it a suction cup, not an actual arrow) and then after that we went to Markus and Alexa's home for Christmas dinner and to Skype our families. Markus and Alexa got baptized in September and are just super great. We Skyped our families at their home which was really nice of them. Seeing my parents was great. I just love my family a lot. It was really great to talk to them and hear their voices. My sisters and their husbands were even conferenced into the call, so I got to talk to them too. A lot of people talk about getting homesick after talking to their family, but I kind of just got even more excited about being here. Of course I love my family and miss them, but this is the time for me to be here doing this and I know that when the time is up, my family will be there pick me up at the airport, but until then, I'm going to enjoy this awesome adventure ahead. That's just how it is.

On the 26th, we had one last eating appointment for Christmas in a little village literally in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, when the train stopped, there wasn't even a platform. We just stepped onto dirt. We ate more food and had a good time. We played some Uno, and then went home and died. Basically, I never want to eat again...but alas, this week is New Years, so we have three more appointments to go. I just need to give my stomach a pep talk or something. I can do this.

But anyways, that was my Christmas. It was really great. People are just so kind. Being a missionary continues to be the bomb diggidy. I hope you all have a great week. Make good choices!

Love,

Sister Smiley

Pictures: The snow today, fake archery, and me sitting at the table on Christmas right after I skyped my parents

Frohe Weihnachten!

Tis the season everyone! This is it. Christmas is actually this week and I can't believe it! The members in this ward are amazing and made sure that we were taken care of for the 24-26 of December. Basically, all we are going to be doing for those three days is eat. That's ok with me though because these people really know how to cook up some really lecker specialties. It's kind of weird being a missionary on Christmas. I keep trying to decide how I feel about it and I'm still not entirely sure. Yesterday at church a lady in our ward talked to me about how sad it must be to be so far from home on Christmas and all of this stuff, but when I walked away from that conversation I decided that this year, there is really no other place I would rather be. Yes, I love my family and miss them and easily think about them everyday, but there is just something about this work that sucks you in like a magnet. I just know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now.

Oh! and speaking of places I'm supposed to be, I had a really nice conversation on the tram this morning on my way over here to do these emails. I sat across from an old-ish man and I just got into a good conversation with him. He was actually Italian and spoke really good German (which is good because then I didn't have to try my 8 weeks of BYU Italian on him) and he just told me what he believed, so I got to tell him what I believe. It wasn't a very long tram ride, but I got to give him a Christmas pass-along card, so it was a good start to the p-day. 

Oh! And another thing! Katherina came to church yesterday!!! She is an investigator who we have been working with for about a month. She walked right in and all of the sisters who we have had be joint teaches at our lessons were awesome. They scooped her right up and explained how everything worked. I basically wanted to cry when she walked through the doors because we have been waiting for her to come to church since we met her. I think all went well. She had a positive experience and was all smiles the whole time, so I couldn't ask for much more. 

It's kind of interesting. I came up with this thing in my head last night, but anyone who knows me knows that I really like flowers. I think they are evidence that there must be a God because they are just so beautiful. Over the summer, I really like working in our yard, ask my parents. My favorites are dahlias. If you don't know what they are, google them or something, but they are just so pretty. And at the beginning of every summer, my mom and I hit up Lowe's were we get the plants. We put them in the dirt, and then throughout the rest of the summer we take care of those plants pretty diligently. I usually do about three dahlia's a year. Well every day after they are planted, I like to go out in the morning and water them and make sure they are doing ok. Sometimes they get enough sun, and sometimes it is too much. If you water them too late in the day, the afternoon sun will burn them and if you miss a day or two of watering them, they get weaker. You can still keep them alive, it is just harder. After a while though, they really flourish. There are more dahlias and they are just so pretty. I think about that and I think about the people I work with here. Right now, I am a crew member of the Ship SS Augsburg. I'm trying to care for and help all of the passengers on this ship so that they can have the smoothest possible sailing experience. Sometimes, it's really hard and I just want to do something else, but then something happens like Katherina coming to church and I see how important it is to keep doing this. I love doing this so much. It's flying right by and I'm trying to treasure every bit of it because one day, I won't be doing it anymore. I love being a missionary here doing this work!

But anyways on another note, we had exchanges this week and guess who came to Augsburg with me for a day? SISTER MEHR! It was fun to be reunited a little bit. She's awesome. And then on Monday last week, I took Sister Baker to one of the big Cathedrals in Augsburg. It's called Dom and is really pretty, but yeah, that's my life in a nutshell lately. I hope you all have a great Christmas and make good choices!

Love,

Sister Smiley

Pictures: The cathedral, Sister Mehr and I together, and Sister Baker and I, last p-day

#DasGeschenkWeiterGeben

Hi Everyone! How's it going? Things in Germany are pretty darn good. We had our Christmas Conference this past wednesday AND IT WAS SO GREAT! It was my zone (Munich Zone) combined with Stuttgart Zone which is just loads of fun because I ran into lots of friends from former districts and areas. Some ward members made us a delicious meal of ham, potatoes, and sauerkraut. It was really delicious and I probably gulped down more than I should have, but it was so good. People over here really know what they are doing with potatoes. Anyways, we also had a gift exchange. We all had to bring a small gift and before we started eating we did this switch-aroo thing where we passed them all around in crazy directions. I ended up with a German Christmas CD and some little LED lights. It was fun. AND as a Christmas present, President Kohler did not hold back. He has lots of connections and so...drum roll please... we got to watch Meet the Mormons. We were all freaking out. It was really good. It just kind of explains that while we are "Mormons" we are normal people with jobs and families. I will admit though, it was SO American. It was really funny. Everyone kept pointing out thing things about it that were "so American" while we were watching it. It was really good though. I wish it was translated into German so we could show it to people here. 

But, as part of the more spiritual side of our conference, President talked to us about the Church's Christmas Initiative. If you haven't seen or heard of it yet, check out mormon.org because it is so cool. Quite honestly, I don't know what it would be in English, but there is a video online about why we really celebrate Christmas. The Church even made special Christmas pass-along cards for us to use. The theme is Er ist Das Geschenk or He is the gift. We are just trying to talk to literally as many people as possible about Jesus Christ and share with them why we celebrate Christmas. We have already had so many cool experiences with this Christmas initiative. 

On Friday actually we had a painter in our apartment, because our landlord felt that the wall needed to be painted. So, while he was at the wall painting, I sat down in a nearby chair and just started talking to him. It wasn't anything too intense, but I then asked him if he was excited about Christmas. He said no. I asked him why and he said that it is because Christmas is all about money and he just thought it was pointless. I asked him if he believed in Jesus and he chuckled a bit and then said no, and then I asked why not. He said Christ just can't be real because it is too amazing. At that point it did kind of hit me how depressing Christmas would be if there was not a birth of the Son of God to celebrate. It would be totally commercial without Christ. Well anyways, I didn't really push anything on him, but looking around our apartment and seeing my tag, he could tell I was a missionary for some sort of religion, so he asked me what I believe. This was probably one of the coolest moments of my mission. I just got to tell this man what I believed about Christ and the Book of Mormon and why I celebrate Christmas. He was very sincere about everything, so I gave him a Book of Mormon and told him to watch the Er is das Geschenk video and he said he would and I really feel like he did. I didn't get any of his contact information or make an appointment with him or anything, but I got to talk to him about our Savior Jesus Christ and why he means so much to me. It is moments like those that just make a mission so worthwhile.

On Saturday we had our ward Christmas party and this ward has a tradition where they go into the forest with lanterns for a little bit and sing songs and read Christmas poems. The missionaries were asked to sing the first Noel in English (because we can do that). So we did and I think it went ok considering one of the Elders is tone deaf, but it was a fun time. I really like talking to the young women in this ward. They are great. It was just a really good time to get to know the ward better.

But yeah, that is my week in a nutshell. Things in Augsburg are good. I'm glad that I get to be here doing this. It's a privilige actually and I don't think I could take this time of my life for granted if I tried. I hope you all have a good week and make good choices!

Love,

Sister Smiley

Pictures: Us wondering what the heck we think we are doing going out into the pitch black at 5:00 in the evening, me and some of the young women at the ward christmas party, and just a random shot at the party (Sister Baker is a goofball)