Hey Family!!
I loved seeing all the pictures from you at Thanksgiving. It looked like a wonderful time! And lots of yummy food. And that punch bowl cake looked oh-so yummy, as did everything else! Germans don´t celebrate Thanksgiving, of course, so my companion and I celebrated by ourselves. Our planner was so full we weren´t going to have any time to eat at all until we came home that night, but an appointment fell out and so we went home to eat. I said the prayer on the food and said "We´re grateful for this wonderful feast." We ate grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and cake. I humor myself. But it was delicious.
Oh dad, that story of your mis-matched shoes made my day. So so so funny!! And thanks for the picture so I could visualize it. Oh dear. I wish I could´ve been there to give you a hard time about it, but I´ll just give you a hard time from here. Silly dad!
Yeah, I´m still totally exhausted but it is definitely a good tired. We´re getting a lot accomplished, and this Christmas season I know we´re going to see miracles. And I want to invite you all to have miracles this Christmas season at home. I´ll tell you what we´re doing here and Í´ll tell you what you can do to help support the work here in Germany and also in Utah!
This month we want to invite more people to church. Its the perfect time to invite people to church because it´s Christmas time. I want to invite you all at home to do the same. So if you can think of someone who isn´t a member/ is less active, invite them to church! Really, there is no harm in doing this! If you help people get on the path back to Heavenly Father they will be thankful, not annoyed! I really wish I would´ve done more member missionary work while I was home, but I can just encourage you to do it because I know it´ll bless your life. Please discuss this at Family Home Evening and talk about what you´re going to do to have a Christmas Season of Miracles!
Week 1: November 28-December 3
Invite someone to church every day. As missionaries we have been encouraged to invite someone on the street every day to church for the month of December and we´ve been promised miracles. I feel like I can promise you the same. This week, invite someone each day to church. Visit less actives and invite them to come! Let them know they´re missed! I know the Lord will help you say the right words and will make miracles happen! Study faith this week when you study your scripture study. Study: Monday Alma 32, Tuesday Ether 12, Wednesday Moroni 7, Thursday Hebrews 11, Friday Bible Dictionary Faith, Saturday Enos, Sunday D&C 8. Every day in your prayers and family prayers, ask Heavenly Father to give you the courage to invite someone to church and ask for the opportunity to see miracles! "It is by faith that miracles are wrought." (Moroni 7:37) Fast on December 3rd to see miracles in inviting others to church. Also, every day from now until Christmas, write down miracles you see in your life. Discuss them at dinner! (Jeff I expect you to call home and tell them about your experiences with this!)
Week 2: December 4-December 10
Get ahold of the missionaries and go teach a lesson with them sometime this week! Give testimony! Study repentance! Study: Monday Alma 36, Tuesday Mosiah 27, Wednesday 2 Nephi 31, Thursday Alma 34, Friday Bible Dictionary Repentance, Saturday 3 Nephi 27, Sunday Moroni 10
Week 3: December 11-December 17
Give an advent´s gift every day! (Advent is really big in Germany). Advent ideas: Christmas Caroling, Give someone a Joy to the World DVD, give a tour of the church to a non-member, do a service project for a member, pick someone up for church that can´t drive, do a service project for a non-member, bake cookies for someone in need, donate care package to a place that takes care of poor people (The name escapes me right now). Study scripture stories about service.
Week 4: December 18-December 25
Study "Christlike Attributes" in Preach my Gospel and pick one you want to work on. Set a goal for each day of what you want to do to improve. Saying you want to be better in one area isn´t enough, you have to make a plan of what you want to do! Follow up as a family every night and see if you did okay or not so okay and talk about what you´re going to do the next day. For those who don´t have patriarchal blessings and are of age, work towards getting yours this week (either the 17th or the 25th. It might be easier for the 17th) Especially think about Christ on Christmas day and think about what you want to do to be more like him. Think of all He´s done for you and what you´re going to do to follow him faithfully.
I really hope you will do this, especially since I took about an hour typing it up. Haha! I really know you´ll see a greater joy in the Christmas season when you do this! You will help others feel the love of Christ and help ease their burdens. I really know you´ll see miracles when you do that. Heavenly Father loves all His children. Help others feel that this Christmas season. I will be following up next week to see how its going and I hope to hear amazing things! I really really promise it will be a wonderful experience for you when you do this! I can´t wait to tell you about the miracles that happen here in Celle!
Anyway, back to the questions you asked:
Sister Stewart and I haven´t been in the city much this week because they´ve been setting up the Christmas Markt and its going to be huge. I will take some pictures today. It is so cool though, everyone has candles in their windows and the inner city has lights all over the place. I haven´t seen any nativities, but maybe I´ll see some when we go into the city today. I don´t think I can really see any similarities between Germany´s and America´s Christmas. Usually people are so much happier during Christmas time and are in the mood to serve others, but I haven´t really seen that here. Also, most people live in apartment buildings so they just put Christmas lights up in their windows instead of decorating their whole yard and putting blow up snowmen or Santa Claus. They don´t even have Santa here, just Nicolaus-who apparently is skinny and hits people with a stick (according to Sister Stewart).
I´m glad you got my letters! It was fun to write them and send them. I figured I´d send a postcard from Celle so you could see a little bit of what it´s like here. Seriously, whenever I buy things I think "Mom would die!" But maybe you could send me black ski gloves? They don´t have any here. Just cotton things that are super cold when they´re wet. We need wind/water proof for the bikes. Our hands get pretty cold. You could just send them straight here to Celle I think. If that´s too much to ask its no problem.
I can´t believe Patrick is engaged too! This is crazy. So much love in the air. It´s not even spring yet, wow!
Oh how cute that you got to see little Theo! You don´t see them til Christmas, right? Take pictures. I wonder if Mykenna loves to hold Theo as much as she loved to hold Lilah. I still don´t know about SKYPE-ing yet. We have president´s interviews this week and I´m sure we´ll hear something about it.
Oh, we may try to trade our P-day for Tuesday next week so we can go into the castle and into the church and do the things that you can´t do on Monday. So if you don´t hear from me Monday, that´s why. But if you do hear from me then you won´t have to worry about that.
I love being here! I love helping others so so so much. I´m seriously living the dream. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of us and we are His hands. He can´t be here on earth right now, so we need to be the ones that serve others and help them along the path. I love being able to do that every day. I love this gospel and I know it´s true! I love you all! I can´t wait to hear about your Season of Miracles!
Love, Sister Niebergall
P.S. Sorry for the lack of adventure stories. We had plenty this week, but I took too long writing the Season of Miracles stuff. I guess they´ll just be surprise stories for when I get back from my mission. :) Love you!
No comments:
Post a Comment