We ran to a castle.

Yes, we did. :)

There's this really cool castle called Schloss Solitude. It's straight up the road from our Bahn Haltestelle. Sister Arnold really wanted to run up there, so since today was a Feiertag and P-day, we ran up there for Früh Sport. It was WAY hard and WAY fun and now I'm WAY tired (well, it's in process of coming on....). But it was really, really fun. About 35 minutes one direction---I think it was 5 kilometers, according to Elder Zaugg. Good früh Sport! But now it's really warm. So, OF COURSE, we bought ice cream to celebrate. :)

Dear Mom and Dad,

Questions/answers:

1. The kids her are not yet out for summer break. Summer break is only 6 weeks long here---end of July to the beginning of September. The thing is, every now and again, they have 1-2 weeks of Ferien (holidays), unlike America, where now and again we have a couple Mondays off, but with 3 months of summer break. This weekend was Pfingsten, and the next two weeks are Ferien, eigentlich. So. The school day---it depends. I'm not quite sure on what, though---maybe what grade you're in, what school you're at---something like that. There are a lot of places bzw. schools that go from 8-12. And so they come home at 12 or 1 or so. But I also remember in Neustadt that there were some students---youth in our ward---who didn't get out till 4 or 5, I think. So it's a little different.

2. Lots of tender mercies this week. :)

Monday, we got a lot of things done. Then we helped set up a kind of "surprise" family home evening for the Bensons. J organized it. He's way cool. :) But it was really fun and really sad. They got to sing! They are amazing singers. :) They sang "Precious Savior," and I accompanied, and it was gorgeous.

Tuesday, they flew home. District Meeting was a lot different with the Zauggs there instead of the Bensons. But the Zauggs are wonderful as well. :) They are going to be awesome.

Tuesday night, we sang with Sister M after Basteln and prayed with her. That was a gem. Family Home Evening was a tender mercy (the FHE that the int'l elders put on for some adults on Tuesday night). One of the EFY songs on Sister Arnold's iPod was really, really good. Small things were my tender mercies that day.

Wednesday, we continued our finding day and went and found the other picture (that Elder Escher gave us), one of statues in the Universität Garten. And it started raining so plötzlich (suddenly) and being reeeeeally windy, so that's those pictures. Way fun! We talked to a ton of people, which was really good.

We had appointments with MG and J and S. Those were my miracles from that day: that MG is infinitely patient and let Sister Arnold practice speaking German. We need patient people. And then J and S are so good. The other miracle was while we were running from J and S's to the Bahn so that we could get home on time---we got to a crosswalk, and the light turned green just when we got there.

Thursday---we went out to L’s to have a lesson and give her to the elders in Göppingen. Scariest moment of my mission: Sister Arnold almost rode off with the train. We were getting off in Süssen. We tried to open our doors, but they wouldn't open! So I ran to the other set of doors, the next closest ones, and leaped out the doors. But then they closed. And once Bahn doors are closed, there is no getting them open again. And Sister Arnold was still in the train. The Göppingen elders and I started panicking and pulling on the handle. Sister Arnold was in shock, trying so hard to get that door open. Apparently there was an old man on the train just laughing, saying, “There's no way she's going to get off now.”  I was so panicked. I had the phone, we weren't in our area, the Bahns only come once or twice an hour, we have this appointment, what do we do, I don't know my way around, she's stuck on the train! But then there was another man on the Gleis who came and somehow yanked! the door open and Sister Arnold hopped out. Seriously. Scariest thing ever. OH, my goodness. That was a miracle.  

The appointment with Leide was really really good.

We had a Tausch that night to Friday night! Sister Motto came up here and Sister Arnold went to Tübingen. It was SO GOOD. We both learned SO much and it was much needed for both Sister Motto and me. WAY fun. We talked so much---so so so so much. That was a blessing.

One thing that I love about Sister Arnold is how focused on her purpose she is. And she saw and learned that even more on Tausch, then brought it back to me, which is so good, because I needed it. 

We then afterwards had a crazy good planning session. Heavenly Father was helping us immensely. We have a lot of appointments this week, but everything is in Ordnung. 

Saturday, we found this man, Roberto, who is so prepared. He came to church yesterday. During the investigator class, there's a man from Greece who has some....interesting ideas. And he voiced them during he class. And Roberto defended what he believed......which is what we believe. It was really cool to listen to.

We saw a lot of miracles this week. :)

Also, I really, really, really love the plan of salvation. We were at Cristina's house last night (she's a member of the international ward, single, living in Germany.). We somehow started talking about same-sex marriage and families and things like that. I am so surprised sometimes at what is said about the topic.

I had a really good ending to this last paragraph, but then myldsmail was being weird and deleted it. So I just want you to know that I have such a strong testimony of the plan of salvation and about families and that we can be together forever. And it has been strengthened immensely since being here in Stuttgart. I am so grateful for temples and the blessing we have to be sealed to spouses, to families. I love it.

And now I'm out of time. :( I'm sorry.

I love you SO MUCH!!!!

Love,

Sister Beth Winters