As you all know, I´m going to be transferred to Rostock. I was really surprised at how sad all the members seemed when I told them. I´ll miss Celle so much, it really feels like home for me. But I know there are more people in Rostock that need the gospel too. Maybe more Niebergalls? We´ll see.
This week has been crazy busy back and forth between Halberstadt and Celle. I feel like Celle´s been a little neglected, but that´s probably because that´s where my heart is and that´s probably how Sister Laubaugh feels about Halberstadt too.
There isn´t a whole lot to say since I talked to you yesterday, except what we did on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I didn´t tell you the details yesterday because I wanted to talk to you about other things and also because I knew I wouldn´t really have anything to talk about in my e-mail if I told you.
So Saturday we had dinner with a family with 3 kids. The parents are a little bit awkward, but the kids were so much fun. First we ate a salad with cheese that tasted a little bit like mold to me, but it wasn´t too bad. Then we went to the greenhouse outside which they converted to a guest house where the kids opened their presents. I was surprised to see about 4 presents for each kid and they were perfectly happy. Boy are we spoiled on Christmas! If we got 4 presents we´d say „That´s it???“ Sad but true, huh!
Then the kids played with the toys and we chased them around and hit them with pillows and they hit us back with pillows and we teased them and it was fun. We ate a billion cookies during this time (also fruits that looked like a baby aliens. They were delicious, but weird. It´s call Lychee.) So we were all cookie and Lychee´d up and then the father announced it was time for dinner. Sister Stewert, Laubaugh, and I were afraid because we were really full.
Dinner was so delicous. I wish I would´ve been hungry so I could´ve enjoyed it more. But the father is a chef so he went all out. It was crazy. We had deer, Spetzle (a noodley thingy), chestnuts, broccoli with a nut butter sauce poured on it, and a pear with this raspberry jam type thing on it. We were SO full. We had thoroughly enjoyed the pear dessert and then we were complementing how good the food was and how full we were and then the macho chef said “We haven´t even had dinner yet.” We about died hearing that. We thought the pear was the dessert! Luckily dessert wasn´t anything too rich, just a big bowel of ice cream with raspberrry sauce on it. It was delicious, but I felt like I´d never eat again after it.
Then we had church yesterday and PHILIPP came. You already know that, but we were so happy. He came in a suit even. I didn´t recognize him because he´s normally dressed as a gangsta wearing a hoodie with a beanie on, and his hoodie hood over his beanie. It was awesome. Kenneth was there too and he comes more often than not now so we´re really happy about that. We could probably move his baptismal date up (its in February now), but he needs a testimony of Joseph Smith. He´s so cool. I´m going to miss all of these investigators so much.
Then I went to an eating appointment and helped make some food and we ate. It was delicious! We ate beans, potatoe dumpling type thingy (but a billion times better), ham, veggies, salad, and a way delicious sauce. I really want some more now. German food is pretty good. I´m glad I dodged the rotkohl these 2 Christmas days. We were supposed to have an eating appointment today too, but I have to pack my bags and things so we had to cancel and I feel bad because the lady was so so so disappointed. She told us she already has our gifts for us all wrapped and everything. So we told her we´d stop by but couldn´t stay too long. I feel bad disappointing people.
Then opened my presents! It was a lot of fun. Thanks for the make up, pudding, ranch, cd´s, gum, candy, muddy buddies, thermal garments (I´m excited for those. I forgot to mention those last night. I´m wearing them right now and they´re so warm), hot chocolate, hair accessories, ear rings, and sorry if there´s anything else I´ve forgotten to mention. I loved it all and it was so great to think of you all thinking about me as you got the presents. I especially loved the wrapping paper with the turtle on it (I saved it), and the wrapping paper with “Merry Christmas” on it in a lot of languages. It made me smile from ear to ear. Then I got to talk to you all! That was definitely the best part of my day. Except one thing that´s been bothering me, but it shouldn´t- I feel SO bad for not bearing my testimony auf Deutsch. I really could have and now I can´t do anything about it and I feel really guilty. I don´t know why. So let me know that it was okay that I didn´t do that. I feel so bad! Ah! Anyway- I´ll hear you again in May (as they´d say in German). On the phone they don´t say Auf wiedersehen, they say Auf wiederhören which means “until I hear you again.” Maybe it´d be possible for Jeff and I to talk to each other on Mother´s Day. We´ll have to see when it comes closer.
Then I called Davood up because I know I won´t be able to see him before he leaves and I told him Merry Christmas and goodbye. He is so sweet. He kept saying “Danke für alles and God bless you.” Then my favorite thing he said to me was “Immer sei eine Jesus champion” which means “Always be a Jesus champion.” It made me really happy and smile really big. I want to be a Jesus champion now! Also its funny because champion is not a German word. He just tossed it in there. I will miss all of the amazing people in Celle so much. It was the perfect place for me to be, but now I know Rostock will be the perfect place for me now. I can´t wait to share the gospel there and I´m so blessed that I could share it here. I hope I can influence people to think more about God if nothing else, to maybe plant a thought in their head that God might be there and then maybe years down the road they´ll be ready to accept the gospel. I´m so grateful for the chance I have to share this daily. I hope I´m using my time the best I can. I love you all! I hope you all had a great Christmas!
Sister Niebergall
No comments:
Post a Comment