Missionary Work!

well the couple that is getting baptized came to church on sunday! but he's really sick again so we couldn't teach them last night. i think we're going to suggest that someone give him a priesthood blessing. he really needs to get better. they want to get baptized on the 15th of Feb. but if he doesn't get better and we can't teach them then we have to push back the date again. please pray for him!!!! did i tell you? he learned about the church through battlestar galactia. apparently the guy who started it is LDS and he based it on the lost 10 tribes or something. so the husband has spent the past like 6 months researching the church and he was determined to join. his wife wasn't as into it as he was... but each time the sisters have met with them she gets more and more excited. they read the BOM everyday and pray together everyday. they even participated in sunday school and made comments! sweet huh!!

so a few weeks ago the sisters knocked on this woman's door and she said that she was going on vacation but to come back. so last week we stopped by again and she said that now wasn't a good time but sunday at 3. so we went after church and taught her and her two sisters the first lesson. they are from nigeria. we only had 2 english book of mormons with us but they were excited to read it and we have another appointment next sunday with all three of them. 3 new investigators in less than an hour!!! sweet huh!!

anyway things are good here. except i'm getting a little stressed. this whole drit thing isn't as exciting or fun as i had hoped. i love both my comps but the other two don't get along very well. so it's a little stressful for me because i feel like i'm always in the middle. i'm so glad i never grew up with sisters.

Jame: hey you! thanks for emailing me! i hope things work out so you can keep attending school. i'll pray for you!!!

Meg: hey sweetie! sorry things are so stressful. anything i can do to help?? don't worry about my christmas package. i understand things are crazy so don't worry about it too much! i love you and miss you tons!!

Being In a Drit

being in a drit (3-some) is fun! i like it a lot! sister rice is from bellevue and sister moser is from salt lake. they are both awesome and i'm really excited to be serving with them! we've been on lots of adventures already. one consisted of us walking through a muddy field in the dark in the middle of the british military base trying to find the bus stop. haha it was so much fun i felt like a secret agent!

the apartment is AMAZING... it's so beautiful i almost cried when i saw it...and i don't feel like someone beat me while i was sleeping...it's wonderful. it's fun because we buy food together ( i wasn't sure how i'd like that but so far i do) and we cook meals together every day. i've been a cooking machine and i wear my apron every time!!

our ward is REALLY small..it should be a branch actually. less than 100 people come to sacrament meeting. the Bishop is awesome and he's really involved with missionary work. our ward is wierd too because there's a british military base here, like half the ward is british so there's a lot of translating that goes on. our ward mission leader is british and can't speak german. so this is going to be an interesting transfer but i'm really excited about it.

Transfer Day

Rachel with Sister Ranzenberger - her companion from Heidelberg who is heading home after serving faithfully for 18 months - and with Sister Stewart - her companion from the MTC who is now a trainer in Frankfurt.


Last picture with Sister Barnhart - her companion from Karlsruhe.










i have to tell you about transfers. so we got like 4 hours of sleep because we found out at like 11pm tuesday night that we were actually going to have elders live in our apartment. we got up at 4am to finish everything and we had to be to the train station to catch our train at 6:55 am. our whole district was being transferred so we had a LOT of luggage. so we finally make it to frankfurt and waited for everyone to get there. so as people were starting to leave i stood by the door because i didn't know who i was suppose to go with because my companions didn't come to frankfurt to get me. before i know it all the missionaries are gone except the office elders. i was like...so where am i suppose to go? so an elder calls around and elder peterson came back for me. so i head out with my group and get on the u-bahn to take us to frankfurt bahnhoff. so we finally get to the main train station in frankfurt and i see a huge group of elders...all going to the south. so elder edwards calls around and gets ahold of elder peterson and they were all already on the train heading up north to düsseldorf. so they all get off at the frankfurt airport stop and me and elder McCurdy get on a train together with all our stuff and head over to the airport. so i was companions with an elder for like 15 minutes. so we meet up with our group but then we have to wait 2 hours for the next train to come to take us where we all need to go. so i just sat there by myself...elders are like scared of sisters or something and waited for the train to come. we get on the train and head up north and i get off in düsseldorf because that's where my companions are suppose to pick me up. but hopkins called me on the train and said that my companions were in an appointment and were going to get there late. so after we got to düsseldorf i still had to wait like an hour for my companions to come and then it was like 45 to Mönchengladbach and we got home at like 9:30pm. and that was my transfer day.

Small World

Rachel's most recent companion, Sister Erin Barnhart, returned home from her 18-month mission this past week. Rachel speaks very highly of her and loved being able to serve with her. Her home ward is about 40 minutes north of us. We did not know her before she served with Rachel, but bless her heart... she called to visit with us on Saturday night. And today we went to listen to her speak in her home ward about her mission.

Erin is absolutely darling and delightful. I can see why she and Rachel got along so well. And it truly is a small world at times. Her grandparents know Rachel's grandparents and great-grandparents, and Shayne's cousin. And Erin's father looked very familiar to Shayne and to me.

But the best part... today I got a hug from my daughter via Erin. Thanks Erin! For everything. ♥

Heading North

so guess what! i'm getting transferred way up north to: Mönchengladbach and....i'm going to be in the DRIT - so i'll have 2 companions: Sister Moser and Sister Rice (she's from Bellevue and she's going home at the end of the next 6 weeks). so i'm excited. i called them last night and they said that they have a baptismal date set for the beginning of Feb. with a couple. the work is going really good and sister rice said that the apartment is the nicest sister apartment that she's ever been in. they also said that they are really excited for me to come and they are getting things ready.

we met with the chinese girl. oh my gosh she's darling! we taught her a first and she was very receptive. we also told her that we're being tranfered but she wants the elders to meet with her still!!! that's looking very hopeful. those lucky elders...

i don't remember if i told you but i went on a split last week with sister müller. she came to me in karlsruhe. we had a lot of fun. she had a hard time getting people to stop too so i'm glad that it's not just me! the next day we went to heidelberg to switch back. i almost cried it was so good to be back. it was so beautiful too. i contacted there a little bit too. i was so grateful for that... not many missionaries get to go back to their first area after a while and talk to people on the street. i was excited because i could actually understand them! haha afterwards we went out to eat at my favorite chinese resturant there and got ice cream at my favorite ice cream place. it was a lot of fun. it felt SO good to be back.

Meg: thanks for your email sweetie! i'm sorry things are so stressful right now! i know how you feel! you made me laugh when you asked if we could switch places...sometimes i feel like i would gladly trade places with someone! haha good luck! you're in my prayers!! LOVE YOU