Looking upward, looking heavenward

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has been crazy. Crazy good. Much, much better than the last few weeks have been. Seriously. So many miracles.

Oh my goodness, we got the letters. Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much. Sister Scoggin and I have just been soaking in the fact that we have Conference Ensigns! Also, I love reading the letters from President and Sister Hicken (neighbors who are mission presidents in Nairobi). It is so interesting and so fun and we are just amazed. I always read them out loud to Sister Scoggin.  Sonja suggested onion tea for my cough, which is just boiling a whole onion (with the skin still on) in a pot of water for about 20 minutes, then putting honey in. It's not as bad as it sounds, and it really helped this week. I'm doing a lot, lot better. My cough ebbs and flows, but it's really gotten better the last couple days.

So, the week. After we emailed, we went over to S's house and painted with the girls. SO MUCH FUN. Oh my goodness. Probably one of the most fun things we've really done for a P-day. We stayed at their house for dinner and then taught L a lesson about tithing and fasting. Then, we were going to go out and talk with people on the streets (which really is just hard at night), but it was so windy and so cold and we just went home and called people from the area book.

Tuesday was pretty amazing. So first, we were going to meet with H, but then she was really stressed, so we just walked around and contacted. It was a little hard for me, because NO ONE wanted to talk with us. And we were really trying hard to talk with everyone we could. We did talk to a Muslim man for a while, which was....good. I think he confused us for Jehovah's Witnesses. But afterwards, we came home and had lunch and did Sprach, then went and visited Sr. P, who is a wonderful old woman. We went and showed her the family mission plan and the DVD, and she LOVED it. Honestly. That DVD and this whole thing is so inspired. Every time we show it to someone, I always get the chills, and the Spirit is so strong. 

Afterwards, we had a lesson with C with Schwester P (FHV President). We read President Monson's talk from last conference (October) and it was so good. The thing with C is that she needs to know she is loved. And when we were reading it, I think she felt it. She knows we love her, and it was wonderful to bring Sr. P along, because she is in tune with the Spirit and knows what to say and how to reach out. When we were reading it, C cried. The Spirit was so powerful. And Sr. P invited her to come to church, offered to pick her up, and so that was all organized. It was so wonderful.

And then we had a lesson with A. I seriously love this woman. She is so honest. :) She doesn't believe in God. And I just want her to get there so she can! AH! (Frustrations of a missionary.) We read 1 Nephi 3 and stopped at verse 7 and talked about faith with her. And she told us again that she doesn't believe in God.  She is very, very rational. But the thing is, she's not opposed to believing that He exists, which is good. :) But I just keep feeling this love for her and this power that she needs to know that He exists and that He loves her so much! So we're working on it.

Wednesday was Zone Training, which was good. Afterwards, we came back and showed C the DVD, and then E came in and talked about a missionary experience she had! Atta girl, E! It was so cool. :)

With Sister Motto at zone training

Thursday. We went and did some Personal Touches for members and tried to contact people along the way, but no one was outside. It was even sunny! :P But, then we had GMK, which was good. We had Spanish class, then German class, and then we went to PFK about home and visiting teaching. There's a word in German that I LOVE that describes exactly what we do as missionaries and what the purpose of the church is---Seelsorge. Literally translated, it means caring for souls. But we don't have a word like that in English. I wish we did.  There is something that I feel every once in a while that I LOVE. It is the feeling of being totally and completely focused on figuring out things we can do to help people. 

Here's the thing that I figured out this weekend. The Spirit has told me multiple times in my life that one of my strengths is my ability to love. I love loving people. And I know I have a great capacity to love and help and serve---and that is why I'm on a mission. I remember feeling the same feeling last year at times when I was serving in the RS Presidency on campus---that what I am doing is all about helping people---serving them, loving them, and being friends with them. Trying to help them feel the Spirit and feel loved. I remember talking with Tysen once about it, and how sometimes I wish I could just quit school and work on doing that---helping people, serving people, loving them and just offering comfort and support. (Obviously, I couldn't do that at the time. I was in school.) But I remember he told me, "That's what a mission is." And it IS! I love it! And that's what clicked this weekend. See, this week was reeeally good.  I know I'm being obedient, I know I'm trying hard and we're working hard, and we're doing all we can to fulfill our purpose as missionaries here in Wiener Neustadt. And I remembered that I have this capability to love and help---and I remembered what Tysen told me, and it clicked. I need to focus on that all the time. And then I will feel much more like I have a purpose and motivation towards what I'm doing on a mission---even if it is just walking around talking to people.  Heavenly Father loves these children of His and we are helping them, loving them, serving them when we share the message of this gospel with them. So that's what I figured out this weekend. :) It was wonderful.

Friday, we had a finding day in Baden! Friday was actually really, really good. We had an appointment with D, who, it turns out, doesn't actually really have interest in the gospel (still). Things with her daughter got worse. But we suggested a chapter from the Book of Mormon, because she still really likes it. Then, in Baden, we went on a mini Tausch. I went with Sister Clark to go find this person that the elders had found. On our way, we were passing by the apartment of a former investigator, D2. We'd called her back in August, and she totally still had interest and lots of potential. Then, we lost contact with her. We tried calling her, we tried going by on her, but she was unreachable. And I was really sad when we decided to drop her. :( But then, with Sister Clark, I just really, really wanted to go see if she was home, so we klingeled.....and she was! She'd just barely gotten home, had started cooking something, and then we came by! We set up an appointment with her for next week. :D Awesome. 

Afterwards, we came back to Neustadt and did Sprach, then went to M and R's with P and M2. So, so, so good. It makes SUCH a difference when the members are involved. So we all talked for a bit, then we talked about 1 Nephi 3:7---from our lesson on faith two Sundays ago. We talked about belief + action, and then about Joseph Smith and how he had faith. And M2 was so good and bore his testimony, and it was all so good and the Spirit was so strong. Then we sat and talked for a while afterwards, which was all so very, very good. Mmm. And then, M told us on the way home, if we ever go to Ecuador and need somewhere to stay, we are welcome to come to his family. SO great. :)

A beautiful sunset

Sunday was AMAZING. Oh my goodness. So, C came to church!!!! OH, my goodness! You have no idea how happy we were. It was amazing, because she has often said during the week (at an appointment) that she's going to come to church, but then she doesn't. But then, her ex-husband allowed their son to come, which meant that she totally could come as well!! We were SO EXCITED. It made my entire day. Oh, man. Then I had to play piano and translate into Spanish for Sacrament Meeting, which was good. Another miracle happens every time I translate, because if I can hear clearly, I can translate really, really well. It is such a blessing from Heavenly Father. Such a gift. Sister Scoggin spoke in church and did wonderfully. She talked about redemption, parts of the talk from Elder Christofferson, and the Spirit was so strong. I just loved it and love her so much. Honestly. I needed to be her companion. I've grown so much. My testimony has grown, my mind has expanded, and I'm doing things that will help me grow, all because of her influence.

After church, we came home and ate, burned the ham that Sr. H bought for us (oops....), set off the fire alarm in the process, then studied. After we studied, we confirmed our appointment with O (which then fell out five minutes later), then went out to brave the dark and the cold and try to talk with people. We ended up talking with H about the Plan of Salvation (spontaneously) for almost a full hour. It was AWESOME. She's a good, good woman. And it was fine. We were out for about two hours, but the Spirit was with us. We were bundled up really well. :) Also pictures. Then, we came back and had dinner---ham with spätzle and gravy---then did Sprach.

Warm clothes

All in all. This week was really, really good. I have felt more and more focused. I've been starting to think a lot more about what the gospel means to me and how it has influenced my life. A lot of time I just take it at a very general level, because I know it's true, so why wouldn't anyone else want to join it? But no, I need to really see how it has affected me personally. So I've been thinking about that a TON this week, and it helps me a TON to see really how much the gospel has been a part of my life.  It's just really, really good. It is a huge blessing, and I am so grateful for the way you raised me, so that the gospel was what you, we, built our family on.

I love you so, so much. Thank you for your support and love. It means so much to me.

I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Elizabeth Winters