Letter #9 (July 28, 2008)

Ok well this week was crazy!! I don't have much time to write today so this might be short. We had so much going on last week, but this week was not even as close to as busy!! A lot of the investigators that we got last week have disappeared. Mira and Kristin didn´t show up on Monday. After trying to call them Monday and Tuesday we finally got a text on Wednesday to cancel that appointment as well! Sad...we are still trying to get in contact with them. Then our super amazing investigator Katharina wasn´t home when we went to our appointment on Wednesday. We left her a note and then a few days later left her a reading chart for her vacation..she is gone till Aug. 5th and we hope to be able to meet again when she comes back. We haven´t met with Andrea for a while...she keeps canceling our appointments. Weird.

Last Monday my Mission President told us to use Preach My Gospel in personal and comp study everyday for a week and then report to him of what miracles we saw and for a while I got a little confused because we were doing that and yet everything was falling out. Well sometimes patience helps..which is one of the many things I am working on!! ;o) We met with Sonja again and this time her friend didn´t show up, but what a great blessing. We ended up committing her to baptism and set a goal for Sept. 27. It´s kind of far, but at least she has something to work towards. Remember how Sister Welch and I "tschüss"ed her because she didn´t want to commit?? Well now she has...I have seen such a change in her. She even bore her testimony to her friend during the week about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the church. She still has a long way to go, but she is doing great!!

We met with our other baptism date...her name is Alicia and she is 10. Her mom got baptised last year. Alicia´s date is for the 9th of Aug. and she is very excited. We were a little worried because she has been out of town and so she hasn´t come to church and we haven´t met with her, but she is so ready!! She is WAY more prepared then I was when I was baptised!! This coming week we are going to plan the day!! It will be great!!

Then on Sunday this random girl named Olga came to church. We talked to her on the street a few days earlier and invited her to church and she said she would come, but people always say that and then never show...well, she showed!! It was so great. She even participated in Sunday School (the investigator class) and Relief Society. She said that she is really busy this week, but she will come to English class on Wednesday and then church next Sunday and then she will have more time next week!! I really think that she is going to do it!! She is so wonderful. My comp and I have been talking about how weird it is that we wait for blessings and we don´t think that they have come because we are looking for them in the wrong place. For example....I was looking for blessing with Mira and Katharina, but instead the Lord blessed us with Sonja and Olga. I sometimes forget that this is the Lord´s work and that He is in charge. I get disappointed when appointments fall through, but maybe the Lord just has other plans for us at that time of the day. Investigators can lead us to the people who are really ready to get baptised!! This work is amazing!! I´m really learning to love it...not everyday, but I´m trying!! We are still working hard and doing well together. The Lord is so amazing and is pouring blessings upon us!! Please pray for Sonja and ask that she will be strong and be able to progress toward her date!!

Ok...so I have a gift of tongues experience. This man in the ward came up to me and wanted to give me 2 referrals. I was a little worried that I wouldn´t have a clue what he told me about the people, but I got it. Not word for word, but I got all I needed. One is a sick woman in a hospital. He asked that we call the hospital first and set up a time that we can meet with her before we go. He said she was a little "not all there", but that she would love to have visitors. Then the other was his sister...that was a little more difficult to understand because he involved another person to explain the situation, but he wants us to go and visit her. She knows a little about the church, but she needs some encouragement before she thinks about joining. I will tell you more next week after we visit them. I thought that was so cool that I got it though....I was so excited!! German is SO hard...even the German´s have a hard time with it sometimes...it´s just the Grammar that is hard!! I know I will get it....it is coming...slowly, but coming!!

Love,
Sister Jones