Dear Mom and Dad,

Answers to your questions:

My district is great. We're definitely becoming friends. I LOVE people so much. SO MUCH. Hahahaha. I was actually thinking about it a lot the last couple days: each of my companions has been so different, and our relationships so different, but they're all wonderful, obviously. It's kind of like that with our districts. This district is WEIRD. The people we have here are CRAZY and really wonderful and really funny. :D It's good. District P-days got limited because we're not supposed to be out in big groups of missionaries. We can still do them, but less frequently. So, last week we went to the Mercedes-Benz Museum, which was cool, but Sister Angeloudis and I left early because we wanted/needed to write emails and everything (and be obedient and have everything done before 6:00) so we left. But we love our district. They're hilarious!

I LOVE my mission. I love it. It has been the most difficult and the most fulfilling and the most joyful thing I've done. AH. Elder Escher once said it was the 18 months-2 years of "mosts": most fun, most difficult, most exhausting, most joyful, most sad, most everything. Just the MOST. That's pretty accurate. I LOVE being a missionary. I get to spend 18 months focusing on everyone else's salvation---and I grow in the process! No, I love it. So much. I can spend my time focusing on others and how to help others, and it stretches me and it's difficult and I'm learning to listen to the Spirit and to pray. And I’m understanding my relationship with Heavenly Father better. My commitment to and understanding of the gospel is so much deeper. I see life with a different perspective—an improved perspective. I understand how much the gospel needs to be integrated into my life, how much it needs to BE my life. 

I'm also learning about people. People are SO interesting, and they are my greatest joy and some of the hardest challenges. Being able to love people so much and just spend this 18 months on building friendships and relationships and loving them and feeling Heavenly Father's love for them and being able to HELP them is absolutely the BEST. It's me. That is so much of who I am. The most treasured things I have are my relationships because there are so many WONDERFUL people with whom Heavenly Father blessed me---whom I can help take care of and love and lift and strengthen. It's incredible. I have thought about this in the letzte Zeit (I guess that means recently.....). One thing that was so strong about Sister Arnold is that she wanted people to KNOW that there is a Father in Heaven who loves them so much. That they do NOT have to feel alone. And I feel like with each companion, my experience has been different (well, because each person is so different), but each one is so strong and has such a purpose to their mission (why they came, what they want to accomplish, or what people NEED to know, etc.). And for a long time I haven't actually really known exactly why for me. I came because I wanted to serve and help people.  It has been helping people in a way I've never have before, and I have learned a lot. 

Even though I envision these powerful, Spirit-filled moments, sometimes missionary work is smoothing out the rough edges. You don't have those powerful moments every day. They DO happen. But the rough parts are also part of a mission---and actually, they're wonderful. Life can't just be a series of exciting moments. But I think a few weeks ago I realized another reason I came on a mission: so that people would know they are important. Each of us has something to give; each person, seemingly simple or absolutely extravagant, is an absolutely beautiful soul. Each person is so precious. Each person is so important and of worth and loved and able to be loved. Whatever experiences they have had make up who THEY are for a reason, and I'm learning more who each person is, and that we have plans and paths and tracks and we cross. The U6 runs with the U5 and the U7 for a time, but then at some point, one of them takes a turn. I'm headed out to Fasanenhof. :) 

My mission is teaching me a lot about the Atonement, and again, about my relationship with Heavenly Father.  And the wonderful thing is, I'm learning about all this in relation to other people---but also need it for myself. And I'm learning that, too.

Whew. There's a mouthful for you. :)

Things are picking up here. They're improving. We have some more appointments this week set up. Investigators---still working on meeting with them. But we've got a number of member appointments, which is good.

Sunday was good. We had three less actives at church! Two of them came on their own accord, and one of those two, we had been trying and trying to get in contact with, but hadn't been able to. Anyways. The Gierschkes invited us over (they're wonderful) and also invited Steven (the elders' investigator who is way cool) and Alexander (JAE from Germany but most recently from Spain, who just moved here---also super cool) and then Schwester (Anja) Eckert, the JD Leiterin. It was a PARTY. I loved it. Simon wanted me to sit by him---which was way special, because sometimes Simon can be funny. He's 11. But he's going to Switzerland this week, and he’s going to give me a full report on Sunday when he gets back. And then playing "Petrus, Jakobus, Johannes" with Anina just sitting and playing with me. Just clinging to me. I LOVE THAT FAMILY so much. My goodness.  Then I got to speak Spanish with Alexander for a while, which was WAY cool. He's kinda quiet but really nice.

Anyway, that was my week. It was good. And fun. :) I love life quite a lot. The mission is the BEST. That's all. Learning and loving and growing and teaching and and and.......it's WONDERFUL.

I love YOU!!

Love,

Sister Elizabeth Jill Winters