Week 48: Castles!!

I hope you all had a fantastic week!  We had a fun P-day last week and were able to go to a giant garden/castle.  It was way fun.  Germany is so beautiful :)

 

 

This week we had so many amazing appointments with people.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and help other people feels God's love for them.  On Monday we met with a member and it was really cool.   She just recently got baptized and was asking us all types of things she could do to be a missionary, and help other people come to know the gospel like she has.  It was a fun appointment.  We gave her pass-along cards and a Book of Mormon, and some simple questions to ask people in conversation to bring up church discussions.  It was really cool ;)

Something good about Germans is that they are very punctual.  That can also be a bad thing, as well, when you miss your train (haha).  We did a lot of running for trains and buses this week to make appointments, and it rained a lot this week, which made it even more of an adventure.  It's the best when you show up to appointments dripping wet because you forgot your umbrella (haha) ... lesson learned for me.

We had a referral come to us a few weeks back that we have been trying to get a hold of, with no success.  So, we went by one final time to get her specific address (because I could only remember where it was, not the address) and just to try one more time.  But, as we went to ring the bell, Sister Megli said, "Emma, if you want to hear the gospel, this is your last chance to answer the door."  Guess what!??  Someone totally answered the door!!!  It was her roommate, but still!  She wasn't there, but we were able to get a specific time that she would actually be home.  It was awesome!! 

 

We also were heading to a "go by" one night and our bus didn't come.  But then this random taxi driver pulled up and said, "I take you where you need."  So we got in with this taxi driver, and another Asian man that needed a ride, as well.  He drove us the most random way ever, and the Asian man was getting upset because it wasn't the normal bus route.  We drove around for a little while until we got where we needed, but it was funny to get a free random taxi ride (ha ha). 

 

Also, I'm really grateful for name tags.  It is the perfect excuse to start a conversation.  You see someone looking at you weird ... you can walk right up to them and ask if they have seen missionaries like us before, and normally they haven't.  This week that happened to us and we found out the lady was a gypsy (haha) ... that was fun. 

Something cool I read in my studies this last week ...  I found it in the Old Testament student manual and it said, "It is not enough to be entertained by stories in the scriptures, unless these stories can reach deep into our souls and make us better persons."  I really enjoyed that because it is not just stories for fun that we read about; they are for our good.  It made my studies a bit more meaningful to remember that.  I now read the stories and the stop and think how that can benefit me and help me in my life.  If you need a new challenge, I challenge you to do the same.   Find a reason for the stories in the scriptures ;)

Well, I hope you all have an amazing week!  Happy Fourth of July!!! 

Sister Jordan Brown

 

Week 47: Hello iPads!

So, we finally got iPads to work with in Germany!  It is crazy to the how involved technology is in missionary work nowadays.  When I think back to how missionaries used to only be able to write hand-written letters to their parents, and then email came, and then now we have iPads to use for online proselyting.  (Well sort of, haha!)  Europe hasn't been approved for that excitement yet, from what I understand, but it's coming soon for sure!

This week the weather has cooled down a lot, which I am grateful for.  It rained for about half of the week, which was both good and bad.  Good because it wasn't hot.  Bad because, weird enough, when it's raining really hard, nobody really wants to be on the street, so contacting becomes a little tricky (haha).

I hope that you all had a fantastic week.  Ours was a fun, busy week here.  We had appointments where we ate way way WAY too much, and debated stuffing food in our pockets so we wouldn't have to eat anymore.  We had lots of good laughs.

We had a zone conference on Wednesday, when we received our iPads.  I really enjoyed it because the main focus was on characteristics of Christ; and of course on iPads, and how to use them wisely.  It gave some good points, for example ... there was a video where missionaries were speaking to investigators on Facebook, which is great.  However, they were doing it in Sunday School, and they didn't think anyone would notice.  The teacher looked kind of disappointed.  It made me think back to when I had a phone back home and I asked myself, "Did I do that ...?"  I'm sorry to say that I did.  I was on my phone a lot more than I should have been at church.  I will work on that for sure here, and when I get back.  I encourage those of you who think you can't live without your phone ... maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to "forget" your phone at home one day going to church ;)

Anyways, I'll get off my soap box ...  We had a funny experience with a drunk man on the street the other day.  He stopped us and asked us if we were holding a Bible and we told him it was a Book of Mormon.  He asked if we believed in God and we said, "Yes, of course."  He then asked if Jesus was the son of God and we got excited and said, "Yes!"  He asked if he was the son of God then and we said, "Yes, of course!"  But then we lost him because then he replied, "So, I'm Jesus Christ!??!"  My thoughts were ... "Oh dear, we lost him." (lol)

We also met a man on the street on our way from home from church yesterday.  He stopped us and asked what we do, and why we have a name tag.  We were able to testify and talk to him a little bit.  It was really nice to see that people actually do notice us and are curious.  We just have to find those people.

Well, I hope you all have a great week.  BE AN EXAMPLE OF CHRIST!

Liebe Große

Sister Brown

Week 46: FINDING!

Man, this week we have knocked so many doors, talked to so many people on the street, and went by so many less actives and potential investigators ...  Sister Megli and I are exhausted and it is awesome!  I love missionary work!  My sister, Tairsa, told me, "If it is not hard, then your not doing it right."  I couldn't agree more.  Missionary work isn't the easiest, but when you give it your all, Heavenly Father blesses you.  We were able to find 3 new investigators this week doing "doors" and talking to people on the street. 

 

We had a few awesome member appointments this week, too.  Something we are trying to get the ward to do is write their testimony on a Book of Mormon and give it to a friend; or to give it to us and pray for a person or area that they feel we should try to contact.  I think it is an awesome way to get the members involved in missionary work.  So, if you need some ideas on what you can do, go pick up a Book of Mormon (or 5 or 6!!) and write your testimony in them, and pray for opportunities to hand them out. 

 

Transfer calls are this Saturday, and that seems unreal that we have been here in Mannheim for almost 5 weeks now!  This last week we also go to Heidleberg for P-day, and it was BEAUTIFUL!  I've included some pictures, so hopefully you enjoy that.

 

A cool experience we had this last week ...  We were going to a less active's house for an appointment.  They are slowly being reactivated and their daughter wants to be baptized this next month, so we were going over to meet them.  But, they forgot our appointment.  So, we were waiting for a bus to go home, when out of the blue they showed up.  They had to go shopping, so we didn't go inside their house, but instead we said a prayer on the street and taught one of the lessons right there as we waited for the bus.  The son thought it was hilarious and he said, "There's a first time for everything!"  But, for us missionaries, we do that all the time :)

 

One of our investigators that we met with this week ... she is fantastic!  She has had a problem with smoking, but I gave her a challenge (because she loves chocolate).   I said I'd give her a chocolate bar if she could go one whole day without smoking ... and she totally did it!!!!!  Now we are just gonna have to get her a candy bar for every day and we will be set! (haha)  But, we had a really cool lesson with her.  We talked about how important it is to not only have faith, but to take action on that faith.  For instance, if you see an old woman on the street and you know she needs help and you think, "I should help her."  But if you don't, that thought is pointless.  Yeah, it was a good thought, but then you need to take action on that thought and go out and do.  Just like Nephi:  "I will go, I will DO, the things the Lord commands."

 

Well, I hope you all will have a great week!  Go out and DO good :)

I love you all!!!

Sister Brown

 HEIDLEBERG

 P-day in HEIDLEBERG

Week 45: Week Two Survived in Mannheim

This week has been the HOTTEST week of my life! (haha)  It has been about 95 degrees, which in Utah is hot, but not terrible.  But here, you get the humidity on top of the heat, and you feel like you are melting!  BUT, it is cloudy today, so I think it will be cooler for at least a few days hopefully!

 

Anyways, Sister Megli and I had an awesome week this week!  We had lots of fun and knocked so many doors this week I can't even believe that we survived it.  BUT, we found a success story!

 

So, this week was slow, BUT we found a new investigator doing DOORS!!( haha)  I didn't like doors at all, but now I HAVE A TESTIMONY OF DOORS (lol).  So, we were going by a potential investigator and I remembered that we had already gone by, so we walked to a cool church to get a picture of it and decided to "do doors", and to ring one person per building.  It sucked, but then this lady answered and we talked for like an hour.  I shared a scripture and she had her 9 year old son come read it, and then she went and explained to him what it talked about! (haha)  She needs to be baptized!!!  It was AMAZING!  We are going to go by tomorrow to meet with her again, so wish us luck! :)

 

Also Sister Megli and I got to bear our testimonies in German on Sunday, and that went alright (haha).  It has been a while since I did that, so it was an adventure.  But, it gives me a greater desire to have language studies every day (haha), so that is great!

 

Switchfoot decided to come to Germany this last week to perform, and they had a concert that was a five minute walk from our apartment.  But, don't worry, we were good missionaries and we didn't go in and party :) (haha)  But, I was jealous of the people headed to the concert, not gonna lie.

 

Also this week, we were able to go to the temple with the ward on Thursday, and I listened to the whole thing in German for the first time on my mission, and I actually understand almost everything that was said!  It was really neat.  I love going to the temple.  I just found out the Frankfurt temple will be going under construction for about a year and a half starting September, so I am just really grateful that I have had the opportunities that I have had to be able to go to the temple while on my mission.  I hope that all of you will take advantage of the temples and how close you are to them.  When we got out of the temple, there was traffic and it took 3 hours to get home.  Which is crazy!  People drive such great distances to attend temples, and I think that is just really special!

 

Well, I hope you all have a fabulous week!  Enjoy the sun and swimming for me!

Tschuss!

Sister Jordan Brown

 

 Me and Sister Megli

 Companions :)

 Sunday "selfie"

 Crazy bus rides ...

Week 44: Mannheim, Week 2

Man, what a crazy and adventurous week in Mannheim.  So, as I told you, last week Sister Morse was my companion ...  Well, she had to go home this last week for medical reasons, so that left me in a brand new area with a brand new companion who, like me, knows absolutely nothing about the ward or the area, or anything (haha).  Soooooo ... wish us good luck! 

My new Companion is Sister Megli, and she is awesome.  We were both in the MTC together, which is fun that we will be serving together.  She is a sweetheart.

Anyways, back to the last week ... a lot of crazy things have happened:

 

- I lost my wallet in Wiesbaden and I just got a call that they have found it!  WOO HOO!!!

- We packed and packed to get Sister Morse ready to head home.

- We had a 'Mini Missionary' with us for the day, which is basically a member that wants to be a missionary, too.  So, she hangs out with us and acts like a missionary and goes to appointments and such with us.  It was a fun day.

- We did a BAZILLION "go by's", which helped me sort of become more familiar with the area, so that was great.

- We ran into some drunk men on the street and may have gotten spit on, BUT we handed out some pass-along cards, so that didn't end up too terrible. :)

- We got lost doing "go by's" and walked for about 1 hour to get back to where we needed to be. 

- I got a new companion!

- We had an AMAZING stake conference, and a member of the Quorum of the Seventy was there.  It was amazing, and I even understood most of the German being spoken!

We had a lot of other adventures that I am just running a blank in my mind of what we did, but it was a very very busy week.  I am very excited and nervous to serve in Mannheim, but I know that our Mission President is inspired and knows where we need to go and serve, just like the apostles and prophets. 

Well, I won't ramble on too much longer.  I hope you all have a fabulous week and get a little more sleep than I have this last week (haha).

Keep Moving Forward!

-Walt Disney

Sister Jordan Brown

 

Pretty Mannheim

 

We Went to the WHITE HOUSE!!!

 

Mini Missionary, Olivia ...

Packing ... Good times!