So....this week.

Dear Mom, Dad, and Caf,

I learned this week that I LOVE Isaiah. I read 1 Nephi 20-21 and it was really wonderful and very clear that a) the Lord will fulfill His covenants to Israel and bring forth the gospel; and b) He will support and guide His people and help them. I loved it.

This week was..........good. Tiring, a little stressful, but still really good.

Monday, we had dinner with G and T (both members, dating each other) and T (nonmember). It was really, really fun. :) 

Tuesday, we had Zone Training, which was really fun and good. The two of us had a part about connecting with people---which was really wonderful. It included parts of what I emailed you a couple weeks ago, but also that Preach My Gospel stresses that we need to pray to know their needs. We have to listen to the Spirit.  We NEED to connect with these people because, otherwise, they aren't going to want the gospel, and they will never feel that it will bring something to them. Listen to the Spirit. Connect with people. It's good. That's actually a vorteil of member missionary work---you have connections, you have people with whom you are already friends.  So, to bring the gospel to them is easier in some ways. Rather than having two 20-year-old girls who are NOT from Germany approach you on the street and ask if you believe in God. :) 

Afterwards, there was a conference for all the sisters in the Europe area. Elder Bednar, Elder Hallstrom, and Elder Ballard spoke. It was really wonderful---except that it kept cutting out and pausing and holding up in the middle. The most important part was Elder Bednar's talk for me---about the strengthening power of the Atonement. I loved it. It wasn't very long, but I needed it.

That night, we went to E and taught P the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They're wonderful.

Wednesday, we went to Schwester M to help her clean out her apartment so she could move out so it could be renovated.  A worker came in in the middle and told her it all had to be out and she moved upstairs by that night, obwohl they had originally told her by the 15th. So we stayed an extra couple hours and got es geschafft! Which was good. 

Thursday was transfer day. So we had Sister Packer and Sister Erdenetsogt with us. We studied, then went to the Vs' for lunch, then we went and contacted for an hour. And then the goldens came in! Sister Packer's golden, Sister Bawden---her mother is cousins with Aunt Pam! So we're kinda related. :) She is super sweet. 

Friday was a planning day. We planned, then went to the center and planned this church open house thing, then went to the Chinese garden around the corner and planned a district leader training meeting with the Zone Leaders. Then we went to J and S's with R and it was won-der-ful. I felt LOVE again. This week had been a little stressful, trying to pick up to be Sister Training Leaders and wondering how to do this.  But then sitting on the floor of the Ks' apartment, knowing it would be the last time I was there, just being with these people I love---I felt love again. It is so rich, so enlivening. It was beautiful.

I also loved the evening. We looked out their windows into the very cool night air, where it had been raining, with the red rooftops sleek and glossy, the lights of the city reflecting in the water coursing down the streets, feeling the mist on my face, and the clouds in the distance on the hills, powerfully heavy and low, yet light. Keep your eyes out for beauty, because it IS to be found.

Saturday was funny. The international ward did a service project---cleaning up trash in the community, and cleaning the windows of the church, so we came and helped. There should have been a church open house afterwards, but it wasn't very well organized and the members hadn't been super informed about bringing friends, etc. But we went anyways because we were going to try and set up some things so that a church tour would be possible. Then we cleaned windows. :) We started having lunch, then Sister Zaugg, who'd gone to buy something, ran into the parking lot, saying that a woman had fallen and her head was bleeding. So a few of us ran over there, and Brother Clement came over and really helped. You know my emergency kit, that red first aid kit at home that I made in my EMS class? He had one like that---because he's a Notarzt. AH, all of a sudden I dearly wanted to do that again. He cleaned her up and Sister Zaugg and the two of us stayed with her after Br. Clement had cleaned everything up and called the Red Cross. It was so good, so fun, almost---just sitting with her, this 81-year-old woman, waiting for the ambulance to show up. I had to keep talking to her, keep her talking, because she would start getting really panicky if I let her be. So I asked her about her family, where she was from, how old her grandkids were, and told her about all my siblings and where I'm from a little bit, and I loved it. Just calming her. Keeping her stable and calm. I loved it so much. I love first aid SO MUCH. Man. That was WONDERFUL for my soul.

Afterwards (there ended up not being a church tour) we were a joint teach for D with the elders. I love that girl. I just want to be friends with her.

We went home and studied after that. Planning that night, there were so many funny things that happened, and we were just laughing and laughing, and it was so healthy. I haven't laughed in a while.

Sunday was fun---we taught three lessons: 1. Young Women's (spontaneously!) 2. Gospel Principles (missionary work!) and then 3. Sister Angeloudis gave a talk. She did AWESOME. It was so good. wrote it and translated the whole thing by herself.

That was about the week. :) It was just good. I love it here. Stuttgart is the best. It's also really FALL. Autumn has HIT. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

I love you so much!

Love,

Sister Beth Winters

P.S. I went crazy and cut my hair. Short.