Our Lives. Are Crazy.

But really. All of a sudden, I don't know how we don't have any time anymore. It's wonderful. We're just really, really busy.  The wonderful thing is, though, I am incredibly happy. I don't know if I've ever been happier just working hard. I love it. It's so healthy.

Okay. This email might not be super long, because I had some other missionary emails to write....

Dear Mom and Dad,

Hi!  How are you doing?? This week looked like fun. 

Questions and answers:

1. (What has been your biggest concern this last week?) How to help Frau S.

2. (What are you looking forward to this coming week?) All of our appointments.

3. (How is your relationship with the ward council these days?)  Much better. :)

4. (How is training going?)  Awesome. Sister Arnold knows basically everything except German. And it's coming. We're working on it.

This week, we met with C. She'd read the Book of Mormon from the beginning through 1 Nephi 8 (which is awesome, because we only asked her to read chapter 8), and said she believes it's true. (AWESOME.) We talked about the Restoration.  Then I got really bold at the end and said that when we receive the testimony that the Book of Mormon is true, that that also means that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this is God's true church on the earth---and she did not like that very much. She believes in finding truth in many places and trying to accept all things as truth (I think). She's going out of town this week, so we're meeting again next week. It's interesting. I think I may have offended her. I hope not. She doesn't really believe in organized religion, or that's it's necessary to go to a church........

Funny quotes of the week:

"We're not visiting any less actives tomorrow; all of them are members, right?" -Sister Arnold

Elder Jerman, trying to say flash mob, ended up saying flob mash, and I thought it was so funny.

Sister Arnold: "I feel so scandalous, just holding a coffee cup." (It had hot chocolate in it.)

D, a less active of ours, got married to her boyfriend D2, and she invited us to the wedding. The situation was SO FUNNY. I don't even know why. Well, actually, I take that back. I do. Here's what happened:

• There were a total of 9 people there: The "priest" (a government man who put on a suit), three adults (family of D2---there were two men and one woman), D and D2, us two, and the daughter of one of the adults.
• EVERYONE (including the bride and groom) was wearing jeans, except for us and the priest.
• During the time in which we had to wait for them to get organized, we started talking with D2's family about the Book of Mormon. (We should have talked about eternal marriage. ;) ) And I explained the Book of Mormon and how it testifies of Christ. And then the woman said, "Yeah, so I'm a Jehovah's Witness, so we only believe in the Bible." I thought that it was SO funny---ironic, maybe---that of anyone to whom we would talk about the Book of Mormon at a wedding would be a Jehovah's Witness.…  But then the time was up, so we couldn't continue the discussion.
• The priest performed the ceremony---up to the point that they both said yes, and they both did. But then he had to go change some information on the documents, so we took a short, 10-minute pause while he left. (We wanted to have a lesson with a member present right there---stand up and again, talk about eternal marriage........but we restrained ourselves.) ;) Anyways, the priest came back, had them sign documents, etc. NOT ONCE did he say, "I pronounce you man and wife," nor "Until death do you part." (What???) And then they finally exchanged rings and kissed. But really. Not once. He just came back in the room (after the pause) and started calling her Frau J.
• Afterwards, there was a toast. First time either of us has really ever had a shot glass in our hand, first time anyone has ever offered champagne to us. But D, knowing that we'd be there, bought the German equivalent of Sprite for us, so we could join in the toast. :)   Probably the first time I've ever had Sprite at a "real" toast..............hahahaha. SO FUNNY. The two of us and the little girl all had the Sprudl and everyone else had champagne. 
• The whole thing lasted an hour and a half, because everyone had to leave for work. The reception was on Saturday, but we couldn't make it. Needless to say, it was a really funny first time going to a wedding/marriage ceremony. It made me really, really grateful for eternal marriage and the temple.

Okay. Now the weekend. I learned a lot about the Atonement this whole weekend. It was really powerful and really special.

We met with Frau S three times this weekend---Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday, while we were talking with her, some of her questions revolved around the Atonement. I felt so strongly that she needs to understand that, because I don't think she doesn’t completely. So even though we'd planned to talk about prayer, we talked about the Atonement and 2 Nephi 2 a bit. (She talks a lot.) Then she wanted us to come over on Saturday.

So after visiting the Familie J, we went back up to meet with Frau S. And we actually did a lot in English, so that Sister Arnold could contribute. (She contributes SO MUCH. I really think that once she gets German down, she'll be unstoppable.) Frau S's English is really, really good. We started by reading Mosiah 4, and talked a lot about having a relationship with Heavenly Father. It was really intense. She really sincerely want to try again and to have faith and hope.  She wanted us to come back on Sunday, but we had an appointment with Sr. L, so we said we'll come back afterwards. She said she was going to come to church.

Sunday, before church started, she called us and said she wasn't coming and that we wouldn't be able to do waffles that night (that was our plan). But then later, right when we got to Sr. L's, she called us again and said, "I want to talk and I want to pray with you here with me." So we said we'll come down. 

We were with Schwester L for a while. She is one of the sweetest old ladies in the ward. She's 85 (or will be this year), and is so pure and so good and so spiritual, and I just love her. She feeds us SO MUCH. For our spiritual thought, she wanted us to sing hymns. So we did just that, and the Spirit was SO strong. There was so much love there. We said a closing prayer, then started leaving. I told her that we are praying for her, and at that moment, she essentially asked us if we could come back in and if the elders could give her a priesthood blessing. She said that she has wanted a blessing of comfort and counsel for some time, and asked if they'd be willing to give her one. So of course we stayed. The situation is that there is someone in her life who is causing her a lot of pain. Someone to whom she has done no harm, no injury. (Sister L couldn't hurt a fly. She is so pure.) And she said multiple times, "I am fighting against the powers of darkness through people." That struck me. It's really affecting her. So the elders gave her a blessing and it was so sweet and you could feel that love so much. Afterwards, she started talking a little bit about it and I told her that I've been learning and thinking about the Atonement over the last little while and that one Teil davon (part of it) is that Christ understands exactly what she is going through---perfectly---and that He is standing right next to her. He is helping her so much. And when we were talking about that, the Spirit confirmed that truth to me so powerfully, so warmly.

Then we left and went down to Frau S as quickly as we could. We went into a park that's close to her son's home and she prayed. And it was a beautiful and hard prayer. There is a situation that's going on in her family right now, that betrifft (concerns) especially her son. And she needs guidance and help and wants to be able to help him and feel Heavenly Father's love. And while she was praying I felt Heavenly Father's love for her so strongly. And I saw, kind of, as she was praying, how the Savior took on all of that pain and hurt and injury that she and her son and her family are suffering right now, as well as the pain of the person who is causing the situation. And I thought, that takes a whole lot of love. It was incredible. 

She shared with us what the situation was. But the whole thing was pretty heavy. There were a couple times that were really weighing heavily on my heart this weekend, and that was one of them. Right before going to bed, Sister Arnold and I said a companionship prayer to kind of end the day. I was laying in bed and still felt that weight and I knew I needed to pray alone. So I got on my knees and started praying. In my head were the words, "Take my yoke upon you.....for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." So I prayed that Heavenly Father would be able to take away that burden. But then I thought, "You know, maybe it is helping me be more empathetic, so maybe taking it away isn't the right thing." So then I prayed that I might have the strength to bear it, essentially envisioning Christ next to me, yoked with me, kind of, and sharing that weight that I had. And it was beautiful---as I was praying, I felt that burden lift from my heart. It was incredible. It lifted and I felt so much peace and love. I slept really well and when I woke up this morning, it was essentially gone.

I am so grateful for the Atonement. I really think I learned so much in a matter of four hours yesterday. Christ is standing with us and I am incredibly grateful---indebted to Him. He is my Savior and my friend and I love him so much.

I love you! I hope you have an incredible week.

Love,

Sister Winters