2012. 09-17

Hello Family!!

Well this week has been crazy and über busy (yes that´s a German word dad, but not used in that context- aber gut gemacht! jetzt will ich auf deutsch schreiben- aber werde ich nicht. ich hab alles verstanden durch google übersetzer- btw), but at the same time I feel like everything has fallen out. I don´t know how many good stories we have, but I´ll try my best to remember.

Monday after e-mails we went to pick up Robert to take him to soccer and it was a lot of fun. That is Robert´s favorite sport and he scored a goal so we were all really proud of him. Haha. I also got a soccer ball kicked SUPERSONICALLY hard at me, but luckily it didn´t hurt at all. I think everyone else was more injured from my screaming when I saw it coming towards me. But it was a good fun evening. Anything that keeps Robert out of trouble is good for us. His baptism is scheduled for this weekend, but it definitely won´t go through. Saturday night was his brother´s 15th birthday and he had to celebrate by drinking. It was so dumb because his brother can only drink Kinder punch, but everyone else had to drink...? Naja. He really is changing, but he still needs to do a little more changing.

Tuesday we moved back into Meißen and that took a good majority of the day. Sister Curtis picked up her companion, Sister Klemm. She´s from Münchin and she is so nice and cute. She will probably stay for 6 weeks or longer. It has been super nice not to travel as much, but we still have been traveling quite a lot. Anyways, we did the rest of the day knocking on doors, which I haven´t done for a long time. We knocked on a street that the members chose and we didn´t have any success on one street, but a second street we were able to make an appointment with someone and also give away another Book of Mormon. It always makes us happy when we have a good story to tell a member and this story comes because of their help. Missionaries + Members = Miracles.

Wednesday we had a lesson with Herr Pinkert. We talked to him about chastity. He knew and believed everything so that wasn´t a problem. But he´s such a funny old man. We don´t think he´s all the way there and one time he got on a random tangent about how sometimes old ladies get to the point that they´re so scared that they can´t even cross the street without being scared.. I have no idea what that has to do with chastity. Funny man. Then we had a lesson with Stanley, another one of our baptismal dates. He is also not all the way there, but for psychological reasons. He´s a really cool guy, and he told us he almost got the courage to ask his mom if he could be baptized, but backed out. He´s 27 so technically doesn´t need permission, but if he feels better about it if he has permission, that´s great. Then we went back to the street that the member chose to finish doing the doors and we talked to a super golden girl on the street and she had such good questions about the Book of Mormon and we were able to make an appointment with her. In Germany there is du (you) and Sie (more formal you), that you use with people you don´t know- unless they´re younger than you). We had been calling her Sie and I asked if I could call her du. She said "Yes, I´m not that old". I asked how old she was and she said 15. I thought she was TWENTY ONE not FIFTEEN!!! But she told us she would ask her parents for permission to meet with us, so it´s all good. We should meet with her tomorrow.

Thursday was taken up mostly of being in Dresden doing an Ausstellung. I honestly can´t remember what it´s called in English. But it´s when we have a table and a banner in a crowded place and talk to as many people as we can. It was really good and successful. All of the sisters (not to brag) are pretty talented singers so we sang hymns and that really drew people in to hear our message. That was super cool. A lot of people listened to us that normally wouldn´t have. So that was our Thursday.

Friday, I got sick. It was a bummer. So we sat around our house all day and my dear companion found these hilarious cds that someone left behind from a religious singing group from Switzerland. It wasn´t LDS music we soon recognized when they talked about how God is a gazelle and that he has a remote control, controlling everything we do. That was interesting. I´m not quite sure why that was in our apartment, but I bet an investigator gave it to the Elders before us or something.

Saturday I was still slightly recovering from my illness but we got somewhat a lot done. Numberwise, no but good feeling wise yes. We went to Stanley and he has a Word of Wisdom problem (pretty sure he does drugs) but we brought a member with and she is a convert and had to give up smoking, drinking, coffee, etc. so she was able to bear really great testimony about how the Lord really helps you if it´s something you really want. Then we went to give a Book of Mormon to someone in Weinböla, but the address they gave us was a deserted house, so we just walked a little farther and ran into a Serbian family that wants a Book of Mormon, so that was really cool! Then I was explaining to Sister Odenwalder that the last time we were here we had a super golden contact and we had 2 appointments with him and then he didn´t come to the 3rd scheduled appointment and we had no contact information so we couldn´t get ahold of him. Then we ran into him right after I talked about him! That was super cool! We were able to set up a new appointment. We´ll see him next Thursday.

Yesterday was a good day at church. Unfortunately, no investigators there. But the Primary Program is next week and Anna really wants to take part of it and tell about her baptism. That makes me so happy! Then we went to eat with members and it reminded me of home, it was great. 3 kids bringing out random pets and putting them on our laps, showing off their toys, asking lots of questions, smelling our breath and rubbing our bald heads :) It was great, I loved it.

Then this morning we were able to help clean the temple. That was a super awesome experience, we got a behind the scenes tour and it was really neat. Sister Odenwalder and I were able to clean every square inch of the chandelier in the Celestial Room. Now it shines because of us. We had to get every single little crystal polished. It was a lot of work, but it was good. I was glad to have been able to help make the temple more beautiful. We also were able to study in the temple for a half an hour and so that was also pretty cool.

That´s sad to hear about Madi. Scary, because you never know what will happen tomorrow, but it´s good that we really know that this isn´t the end and that she is in a better place. She did what she needed to on earth and now she´s in a place of rest. I would like to see her obituary. Thank you!

Sadly, we found out that Sabine won´t be coming to live with you. :( They are so so so appreciative of the offer though and want to write you a letter with my help expressing their thanks. Sabine was able to get an internship and that really will be best for her future. They really want to come visit sometime, but unfortunately she won´t be able to come live with you anymore. I hope that you´re not too disappointed. But this is best for her, and I know you´ll meet her one day. I can still send their e-mail address to you if you want. I´ll have to get it next week though. It was Sabine Sr, by the way, that saw the Testaments.

I do love Sister Curtis and we had lots and lots of fun together, but Sister Odenwalder and I are having a great time together. She really is so brave. I´m so impressed with her because I really was such a scardey cat when I was that new on the mission, but she isn´t afraid to step in and bear her testimony. She is wonderful I´m not really having withdrawls because I see Sister Curtis 3 days a week so it´s good.  I´m glad you enjoyed  the pictures. I love to carry them around and look at them all the time. They make me so happy.

I don´t care if Rachel eats her package stuff now or if she wants to wait til her next one. Whatever you want to do, or whatever she wants to do. Let Rachel be assured that there is nothing bad about the chocolate mask, it´s just a little sticky.

Well if you want to know the latest about the middle eastern men loving me, we have one particular middle eastern that keeps calling us EVERY day. He wants to meet with us, but he doesn´t want to talk about Jesus. He even calls in the middle of the night. We´re going to have to sick the elders on him. Let´s just say I´ve gotten about 7 wedding proposals my whole mission. 6 of which are from middle easterns.

I´m so glad you got a chance to observe the Reading Specialist. I hope you get a chance to get that job. You would be great at it! I´m just feeling this huge burst of love for you right now. I love you mom!

Tell Mitch congrats! He looked so happy! It was fun to see all the pictures, thanks for sending them.

I don´t especially want an absentee voter ballot, I don´t really have an educated opinion on who the president should be. But President Kosak told us to ask our parents to send us one.... so if you get around to sending one I might fill it out. If it means I get more personal letters from you, I´d love to get one :)

That´s so crazy that Micah is leaving on his mission now. Where is he going again? Albania or something like that? Those points are super good. I really have seen those things in my life! I would expound on them, but I don´t really have time. But I have especially seen a love for my parents and siblings increase. I love you all so much! I love the gospel and I love to help the Lord find his prepared children. I´m so excited to see the miracles this week. We are going to be so busy and finally back to normal so I´m ready to see these miracles! I love you all so much!

Love, Sister Niebergall