Mon, Nov 21, 2011

Hey family! Thanks for the e-mail. Its always so good to hear from you.

 

This week was totally busy. We really didn´t have much down time and I´ve been so exhausted. I wonder if I´ll ever not be tired in my life after this. We´ve done tons of doors this week, with no success, but I feel successful because we are working so hard.

 

We are still having lots of appointments fall through, but we´ve been planning better so when something falls through we know exactly what we´ll do after. I know that Heavenly Father wouldn´t let us waste our time. If we´re in an area for an appointment and they´re not home, there has to be some other reason we´re in that area. We made an appointment with a long lost investigator this week. If our appointment with our other investigator would´ve worked out, we wouldn´t have made this appointment with this other man. Its really awesome.

 

There have been some cool days here but sometimes I forget its almost December. Yesterday the weather was so nice, it felt like mid-September. It hasn´t snowed yet and I´m scared to say that and curse myself. The Weihnachten Markts (Christmas Markets) are starting to be set up and next week they´ll start! I´m excited. Its going to be so beautiful.

Sister Stewart is so awesome. She works really hard and when she doesn´t know what to say to the people on the street, she bears her testimony- which is so important. I´m glad I´ve learned that from her. She´s been in Germany for 1 year now and she has 2 more transfers left. I´m sure she´ll be in Celle for the rest of her mission. She is from South Jordan and has 6 older brothers. Crazy. She has served in lots of different cities: Dresden, Berlin, Rostock, Magdeburg, and now here. She never thought she´d serve in the west, but here she is!

 

I love the pictures of Drew and Hannah at Halloween. They made me smile so big. Drew looks so serious. Haha.

 

Our balcony predicament sadly didn´t help us get any leads, but we did have a really good conversation with the first person we talked to after.

 

Kenneth is doing fine. We tried teaching about the Atonement, but we don´t think he understood. We had to get down to the very basics like God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Ghost being 3 different people and God has a body of flesh and bone. When we told him those things he was very surprised. Like I said, I´m really glad he´s not baptized yet. But one day he will be.

 

Philipp, we haven´t been able to get ahold of him. He said he´d come to church, but didn´t. We called him and asked where he was and he was at his parent´s house and we set up an appointment for later that night and again, he wasn´t there. We hope he will come to one of our appointments sometime. Satan really does work hard on them.

 

Patrick also forgot about our appointment. We´ll reschedule for sometime this week.

 

Now that we don´t have a contact list, we´re doing a whole bunch of doors and a whole lot of finding. Its good. I think it happened for a reason. If we couldn´t get ahold of these contacts for 5 years, we need to find some different people.

 

I love that you have opportunities to teach RS. I loved teaching Sunday School and sometimes I love teaching lessons, but I love teaching lessons much more in English than in German. Maybe one day that will change. I love what Sister Snow said. Its true, you really have to look past the investigator´s outward flaws. They have had experiences in their lives that you don´t know about and that is why they are the way they are. Especially with street contacting, its common to see someone with a beer bottle and cigarette and matted hair, but really- we don´t know who God has prepared for our message so we need to talk to everyone and we can´t say "They won´t accept the gospel. We won´t talk to them." Heavenly Father is preparing everyone in some way or another and we have to talk to them and give them an opportunity to accept or not. When we judge, we disclude people from their Heavenly Father´s love. That´s a super cool discovery about Christ will bring you into His FOLD. I love that too! Those truly are the characteristics we all need to be what we should be at judgement.

 

I´m so glad things are going so well with your 6th grade, mom! It sounds like you really enjoy it and that everyone else enjoys you! It makes a lot of sense that teachers aren´t pro at every subject, so let the teachers teach what they´re good at. Thats awesome! 

 

 

Sorry that you have to clean my room. Viel Erfolg!

 

I´m sure Rachel is jealous that Sarah gets to spend lots of time with Drew. I love that picture of Sarah and Mark and Hannah in the turtle. Its my new favorite picture. It makes me happy that you think of me when you see turtles.

 

Do you have this whole week off for Thanksgiving? Eat a lot for me!

 

Tell Joelle congratulations from me- via facebook. I´m sure you´ll never see her again. Married people disappear off the face of the earth. :) Tell Josh congratulations for me!

 

The guy did fix my shoes and they work just fine now. Only problem is they really hurt my knee when I wear them and they freeze my feet off. But I wear them when I wear brown anyway. I´m silly. I hope you didn´t spend too much to send my package here. I just had a bunch of silly things that I didn´t really need.

 

 

Thats so great that they sang As Sisters in Zion/To Bring the World His Truth. (Was it you or D.J. that was crying mom?) I think that´s when I got my answer that I needed to go on a mission, when we sang that at EFY. At that time in my life I thought it was just to share the gospel with someone. Now that I look back, I think it was an impression that I need to share the gospel with as many people as I can and share the fulness of the gospel with those who are "only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." I know that Jesus Christ is the only way to return to our loving Heavenly Father. He loves us. Everything in this life is for us. I´m so grateful for His mercy and love. "Jesus Christ is the way. Get on the path and never, ever give up. You never give up. You just keep going. You don´t quit, and you will make it." I know that is true. I love you my dear family! Keep being amazing!

 

Love, Sister Niebergall