Happy 5 month anniversary...to me! Today, I have officially been on my mission for 5 months. FIVE MONTHS! And in Germany for 3! Where has all that time gone?? *sigh*
Well! What a week we had here in Göppingen. We are currently going throught our TWO area books of former investigators trying to contact them, and we did ourselves a LOT of walking this week. Annd I managed to get a nasty sunburn. Stacy, remember that time I got sunburned at your house, and we decided I looked like an oompa loompa? Welll I wasn't QUITE that bad..but close. Don't worry mom, I make sure to wear sunscreen now...anywho! Speaking of walking! Saturday, we walked. So. Much. And half the people we tried to visit weren't home. It was a long day. At long last we were headed back to the apartment. It was almost 9, and our train was just pulling up into the Göppingen Bahnhof. I walked toward the exit, and a lady waiting there smiled at me! I was a little taken aback. I spend all day every day smiling at people and only ab und zu getting one in return. But this lady smiled first. I thought. "hmm, she seems nice. I should talk to her..." Well, turns out there was no need for that. I stepped off the train and she came up to me and said "Darf ich Ihnen eine Frage stellen?" (May I ask you a question?) I said "Ja, gerne" I was expecting her to ask for directions, or something absurd (which is usually the case..) and then she said "Ich möchte gern ein Buch Mormon haben.." (I would love to have a Book of Mormon..) What?! I could hardly believe my ears and it took me a minute to gather myself together, then I told her she was more than welcome to the one that was oh so conveniently in my hand! We talked for a few moments, and it turns out she speaks perfect english too! She lived in Independance Missouri for 4 years, and has been wanting a Book of Mormon to read. Sister Schulze and I talked to her for a few more minutes, and we have an appointment next week:) It was so crazy. That never happens to us. I mean, usually people see us coming, and cross to the other side of the street, not come and ask us for a Book of Mormon! It was a great testimony builder that we truly aren't preparing people for this work. Rather, they are coming to us (quite literally in this case..) prepared.
Mom, you asked about transfers. Transfer calls are the first of June. Sister Schulze and I have been together 3 transfers now, so one of us is bound to go. Remember all those comments I make about being grateful I'm not in a car area so I can walk off all the food we get fed here? Welll I got a call this week from the mission office, asking me to go ahead and get my German License as soon as I could. They said "they are just trying to get some more missionarise licensed in the mission", which I believed. But sister Schulze says its "ein wink mit dem Zauhnspfahl" ("A wave with a fence post"..a figurative expression here..) and she is convinced I'll be transferred to an auto area next transfer. We'll see. At any rate, luckily since I am licensed in Utah, I don't have to take a test or anything. The process is just a little slow and expensive..but! Anywho..
So! In just started the Book of Mormon over in English, and this week I really liked 1 Nephi 16. Lehi's family is in the wilderness, and Nephi breaks his bow, making it nearly impossible for them to get food. Soo they all sit around complaining about being hungry. Everyone except for Nephi that is. He gets up, makes himself a bow and arrow out of wood, asks the Lord where he should go for food, and returns triumphant. What a great example! If I am hungry, no matter how much I whine about it, it's not going to change, until I get up, walk into the kitchen, and make myself a sandwhich. Likewise, we all have hard times in life. So, we can either sit around and complain about it, or we can get out and do something about it. Nephi is a stud.
So! My mission? Is so great. I love my mission president. We are in need of a little pick me up in the work in this area of the world, so he and the assistants have made a plan. They have dedicated the month of Mai to finding new investigators. Among other things, that includes 2 finding days. The first one is this Thursday the 10th. As a mission, no one set any appointments for that day. We are dedicating the WHOLE day to finding! Taht means, more or less, 9 straight hours of getting out and searching for the Lord's elect. We all fasted as a mission for the faith to find yesterday. And on Thursday, we will all unite in prayer at 10:55am before we head out for the day. We have a goal to find 1,420 potential investigators that day. Taht is 20 per companionship. Sister Shulze and I have set a goal for 25. Throughout the day, the assistants will send us progress texts for how many people have been found, and how many more we have to go. So! If you all are wanting a little something to pray for Thursday, this would be a worthy cause:) I am so excited:)
In honor of Finding Thursday, I dedicated my study yesterday to "faith". I found something interesting in Jesus the Christ. Talmage cites one of the scriptures taht talks about how faith can literally move mountains. I have always loved that scripture, though I have never really foreseen myself needing to remove a mountain out of its place in my future. But! Talmage notes something interesting. Namely, in the days of Christ, the Jews often used "moving mountains" as a figurative expression for "overcoming difficulties". Now THAT is something we all have to do every day of our lives. But! The promise is the same. If we have faith in the Lord, no difficulty is too difficult.
I love being a missionary. ONe thing that never ceases to amaze me out here is how much I learn about..myself. I mean, I 've been living with me for 21 years now. You'd think I wouldb e pretty well acquainted with me by now. But it feels almost as if the more i learn about myself, the more I realize how much I don't know. Hmm.
To close! I will share a piece from a great talk I read over my cereal this morning. It was on the Atonement, and how we can all be healed through Christ. "Considering the inconmprehensible cost of the Atonement, I promise you that Christ is not going to turn His back on us now. When He says to the poor in spirit, "Come unto me," He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He is the Way." Dear friends and family, I testify of this truth. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have been given to share with the world the knowledge of our Savior and Redeemer, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Way on to salvation. And although "the way" isn't always easy, He is with us every single step of it, ever extending the invitation to "come, follow me."
Thanks for your prayers and support!
Love, Sister Bice
Ps..here is the link to another WONDERFUL talk I read this week..I highly recommend it if you have a moment..
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/the-abundant-life?lang=eng&query=abundant+life
Enjoy!
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