Monday, July 16, 2012

Dresden for Two More!

Well this week was pretty eventful! I know many have been asking about transfer calls and I figured I wouldn’t tease you and put it right in the Subject line! I will be staying here in Dresden! It is crazy too because with S.Kläy going home after this transfer, it means that I will be staying in Dresden for 2 more transfers! 6 months in my Golden city! So craycray! I will be in this city 40% of my time spent here in Germany! Good thing I love it here right :).
Monday- We decided to do another District Activity to Rautebeul. This is where President Monson came and said a dedicatory prayer for our mission. It is perched on a mountain with this amazing look out. Our Ward Mission leader came and brought a recording of the actual blessing that took place in 1975, it was super cool! It made it so much more powerful to hear the words and not just read them. Our Ward Mission leader borrowed this huge van and we all got to drive together there which was a blast! Plus....we got to listen to Jack Johnson the entire little road trip....perfection.
Tuesday- Started bright and early with the Jorgensen Family. They are the ones that just moved from Salt Lake and know zero German, so we help them out when they need a translator. She had another appointment with her daughter’s school and needed us to come along. I love doing this because that means while my companion has to translate I get to just play with Portia, their 4 yr old little girl. She called me her "best friend missionary" all day because she can’t remember my name haha. "Um...best friend missionary, do you want to play on the slide now?" So cute!
After the Jorgensens we met with Dentleff again. (Hell's Angels man) He is doing awesome! It was funny, we were reading the book of Mormon together and shortly after we began he told us to hold on and that he needed to go get his reading glasses. He got up and went into the other room to grab them. When he returned, he had just put his reading glasses on right over his regular glasses haha. He rocked two pairs of glasses the rest of the appointment.....he is a baller.
Also on Tuesday, we went and did some power visits with some Member families. A power visit is when you just meet for about 15 minutes. You give a spiritual thought, pray together and ask for referrals. It is a great way to get to know the members and it reminds them about doing missionary work in their lives. We asked each family to pray about a street that we should do doors on too. It helps them feel like they are really helping us with the work. We love it! We always are sure to call them after, and tell them of the miracles and people we met while doing the street they prayed about.
Wednesday- Well Wednesday started out with a call from the office. They said that the Meissen sisters were having problems with their apartment and they needed to come live with us for a little bit until it was resolved. Um, dream come true! We have been plotting the entire transfer to find a way we could convince President to give us approval to let have a sleepover....and this just fell into our lap :). Sleepovers NEVER happen, and there is no area that 4 sisters live together, so this is extremely rare! We are having wayyyy too much fun together! Oh I love them living with us!!
Wednesday also brought District Meeting and a service project. Both of which were in Meissen or as they write here in Germany Meißen, which is about 45 minutes away from Dresden. We went and did landscaping at get this....a monastery haha. It was great to see all the nuns and monks just stare at our missionary name tags. The city of Meissen organized this project for us, I am sure they got a good laugh! We had a blast though!
Thursday- The major University here has been having finals the last few weeks which has made it hard for us to meet with a lot of our investigators. However on Thursday we were able to get in contact with a lot of them and it was so good to see them! All my English speaking students, Oh how I have missed them!
Thursday is also Institute class of course. It was a grand ole' time as usual! We are now into the summer schedule of institute so we stopped teaching for just a few weeks. They have special speakers come, which is awesome for us to be able to be a part of as well!
Friday- Oh this day was perfect! Why you may ask? Because I got to go to the temple! I am so lucky to be serving in Dresden and have the opportunity to go to the temple every transfer! Most of the missionaries in my mission are lucky to go once on their mission and here I have already been twice and get to go at least 2 more times! The temple just heals you every time you go and allows you to leave all the worries and stress of the world at the doors.
Saturday- Transfer calls! I already spoiled the results earlier but it was a really fun time. My entire district got together and we had breakfast together as we listened to the conference call that told us our fate! haha. Only one elder got transferred out of my district, and we have a brand new missionary coming in to take his place.
We were also able to make 3 new appointments on Saturday in just a short 30 minute time frame....such a miracle!
Sunday- Well Sunday brought the test. The test that I have been dreading. The one from the MTC. The one that sees just how behind the program they made us do puts us in comparison to the normal program. The one that confirmed our program was an epic fail. Yep ha, that one! I only scored a 44%. I left the MTC at a 36%......I am supposed to now after 2 transfers be at around 90 to 100%. The other sisters scored the exact same as I did. Wowza....that is scary just how far behind we are. It also is SUPER frustrating to see that I have truly hardly improved after 3 months of being in this country! I mean I could have told you that, but seeing the results just confirms the frustration I have been feeling with this language. Everyone keeps telling me it will come......yep.....I am trying to believe them haha. What do you do...just keep going on I guess.
Well this week really has been an awesome one! Having the Meißsen sisters living with us has been an answer to prayer. I know the lord is watching out for me. I am so blessed to be here in Germany. Man, I love what I get to do every day. I know I have a lot here in Dresden to do with my next 3 months, and I can’t wait to find the miracles that are just waiting to be unfolded. I couldn’t do it without all of your love and support. Thank you for all the emails and letters, they help me so much stay charged out here.
Spiritual Thought: In our day there is a focus on Looking young or feeling young. People spend vast amounts of money in efforts to "restore" their youthfulness. Which got me thinking is this search for youth just a thing of our modern day? Which is when I came across a story in an old Liahona by President Monson. He told a story of a famous explorer Name Ponce De Leon. He was most known for is many, many voyages looking for the myth of the "Fountain of Youth" Which was said to be water that if you drank, would turn back the clock to a more youthful self. So why did he spent the majority of his life looking for this fountain? The best answer I can come up with is that he wanted to live forever. And although, we know there is no fountain of youth- I know of a more precious fountain, that contains the waters of eternity.
In 3 Nephi we read, "Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come----The spirit of truth is God.....Jesus Christ received a fullness of truth....and no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments."
This then led to a quote by Thomas S. Monson, "There is no need to sail uncharted seas in search of the fountain of truth. For a loving Heavenly Father has plotted our course and provided an unfailing map-obedience!" Ain’t that the truth! We have the amazing opportunity to have eternal life, and it tells us here what we need to do to obtain it. The course is already set for us, we just need to obey Him and keep the commandments!
There is strength that comes from obedience. Nephi said, "I will go and I will do!"
Last quote I promise :), "The strength which we earnestly see today to meet the challenges of a complex and challenging world can be ours when with forthright and resolute courage  we obey the lord and serve him"- Thomas S. Monson.
I know this is church is true, and I love all of youu!!!!!!! (Yes that was meant to rhyme :) )
-Sister Linford

My address until the end of October:
Kirche Jesu Christi
Sister Jessica Linford
Wiesen Strasse 8
01277 Dresden
Germany

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