Ja Hallo schon wieder!‏

LIEBE Familie und Freunde,

Mensch! What a good week! Actually, I feel like the people outside this week were especially..unfriendly. We met a couple of nasties. But! It was nevertheless a wonderful week. Why? Well, because I'm a missionary! Ich bin ein Jünger Jesu Christi. And as such, EVERY week is, indeed, wonderful:) In fact, I'm not sure I've ever had a better week in my whole life than this last one! I feel like so many things just dawned on me, and life just makes so much sense! We had interviews with President on Friday. He said "How're you doin' Sister Bice?" I told him I was doing great. He said "But how are you really doin'" I told him really, that I was doing great. Then he said "Well what does great mean?" Then I started into this whole spiel that went something like.."Well you know President, I have thought a lot about it this last week. I am just so happy, I don't know what's wrong with me. I have never been more happy and content in my whole life, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense because we haven't had very much success the last two transfers...I don't know..I guess maybe I need to have higher expectations for myself..." Then he stopped me. And laughed. And told me to think about what I just said. *Still laughing* "Sister Bice, I am going to have to write that down.." Then he said "Sister Bice, I'm glad you're happy." "..you know what President? So am I."

I really have thought about it a lot this last while. I mean, the work has been slow here in Wels. We..still..don't have any really solid investigators..there are lots of days where we don't have a single lesson...etc. But! Light bulb! Happiness has nothing to do with any of those things. Happiness is a choice. And one day last transfer--I remember it happening, but don't remember when--I decided to let myself be happy. To love myself for who I am..strengths and weaknesses and everything in between. I really can't explain it, but sometime last transfer something inside of me changed. And ever since that beautiful, subtle moment, I've been happy! Yeah sure I've had a few little hiccups now and again but even on the "bad days"...I've still been happy! Wahnsinn. :) You just gotta learn that no matter what you do, you're STILL not going to be perfect...so! Why not embrace yourself in the process we call perfection hmm?

So! Off that little soap box..hah. Hey! We managed to have a couple of good lessons last week! Woohoo! And this coming week has a lot of potential! We are still patiently awaiting the day when everyone in Wels decides to embrace the gospel, but we are experiencing miracles all along the way! I would have to say however that the highlight of my week was Saturday! Saturday was...amazing! At 7.30am we got on a bus with our little ward members and headed to Munich to..see the Prophet of the Lord! The bus was DEFINITELY more comfortable than a train. Good choice Sister Bice and Baxter. :) It only took 3 hours to get there and we had plenty of time when we did. We were standing in a group of missionaries waiting for our tickets when all of the sudden I heard a squeal and before I knew it I was being rush-and-hugged by a group of teenage girls...Göppingen!! Luise, Jana, and Belana! Daw! They were almost as happy to see me as I was to see them! Then a few more of my little Göppingenites filed in and I got hugs from all of them (that is, all of them of the female gender...and little Jonas. He's only 9 :) Mensch! It was SO good! It was really funny, after they cleared out, Sister Miles (Presidents wife..) came up to me and said "Sister Bice, who were all those people..?" I said "That was Göppingen!" She said "Oh! I thought it must have been your family! I thought 'What are they doing here??'" Well Sister Miles, you thought right. They ARE my family. :)

And to add to the wonder of the day..President Monson! When he walked into the room and everybody rose to their feet...wow. We were clear in the back, but even from where I was standing I could FEEL that this man was in very deed a Prophet of God. I guess I could share some of the things he shared, or talk about things that I learned, but let's be honest, neither you or I have THAT much time! ;) Let it suffice to say that that meeting was a testimony that President Thomas S. Monson loves the members of this church, wherever they may be. He loves the members, and he loves the non members. His concerns lie in the "rescuing" of others. More evident than anything else in that meeting was the fact that President Monson loves the Gospel, and President Monson loves the Lord. AS I watched him, I couldn't help but think of the song "I'm trying to be like Jesus..". President Monson has led a life of "trying to be like Jesus" in that he loves and serves God's children. He reaches out to the one. It was so cute. At the end as he was leaving, a little kid ran up and wanted an autograph. Pres. Monson lovingly took the child's paper, and used the closest back to him to sign it. Adorable. Hah it was actually President Miles that he used to write. Super funny. :) Anywho, you could just really feel his love for these beautiful people. For all people. But most importantly you could feel his love for the Savior. It was beautiful.

After the meeting I saw a Göppingenite who said "Schw. Hausmann is looking for you!" Then! She found me! Ah! So good! Her first words to me: "Sister Bice! How are you??...You've lost weight! *look of disapproval*" Hah! Just like my mammy. :) We chatted for a bit, and she is SO excited for her baptism this weekend! And I am SO excited to be there! 6 hours on the train is gong to be so worth it. I wouldn't miss it for the world. :) She has been telling everybody in the branch "..Sister Bice is singing at my baptism!" Hah. Schauen wir mal wie das klappt. :) At any rate, I love her so much!

I think on Saturday, I got a little taste for what heaven is going to be like. I big giant reunion, with so much love that my little heart isn't going to know what to do with it all! I can't wait:) And then of course President Monson's talk was so much more than inspiring. I just feel so much greater the need to get out go "to the rescue" by serving and loving and striving to follow the example of the Master.  The work in Wels ist immer noch ein bisschen langsam, but we are definitely working on it! With smiles on our faces:)
I loved what President Monson said on Saturday. "If we don't try, we don't do, and if we don't do, then why are we here?" The question really made me think. If we don't even TRY, then of course we are not going to accomplish anything! But as long as we ARE trying, we can put our trust in the Lord and be content (and happy!) with His will. :) I really felt inspired this last week to step it up a notch. To set more personal goals to better prepare myself to serve these beautiful, wonderful people of our Alpine Mission. On that note and before this gets any longer, sage ich Tschuss! I am so grateful for the gospel. I'm grateful to be on a mission for my Savior. I'm grateful to be serving among these wonderful people. I'm grateful for Jesus Christ, who was "..lifted up upon the cross; and after that [He] had been lifted up upon the cross, the [He] might draw all men unto [Him].." (3 Nephi 27:14...I love the Book of Mormon..just in case you were wondering..:) So! Meine geliebte Geschwister, "Let us all press on in the work of the Lord"! And always remember the Savior, and come unto Him as we try to follow His example, and love.

I wish you all a wonderful week!

Mit lieben Grüßen,

Sister Bice