December 2, 2013
"Hello Family, not a whole lot happened this week sadly, it was still a good week though. Probably one of the highlights was last Monday, our p-day! We went to Stuttgart to the young adult center, which is about 4 floors high and we had zone Thanksgiving. The senior couple and a local German who LOVES missionary work cooked us a Thanksgiving feast! It was so-o-o good! Turkey, stuffing, yams, potatoes, fruit salads, fruit and dip, homemade pumpkin pie, and ICE for our drinks…it was a little taste of America. It was with our whole zone so it was cool, like a big family - our mission family. Of all the people the German sat next to me, haha, so I got to speak German throughout our feast while everyone else was talking in English. Afterwards Elder Oviatt and I went to the top floor and shot some hoops and played the piano and sang, it was really fun! When we got to the bahnof to come back to Pforzheim (train) it started to snow!!! It was like the Polar Express, ha. Once we got back to Pforzheim it was snowing pretty hard! It just so happens that the Christmas Markts opened that day, opening day it snows. I can't even begin to explain how HAMMER the Christmas markt is, the smell is indescribable - smells like Christmas, roasted nuts, fresh bäkeri smell, hot chocolate, Christmas punch, brot wurst, fresh cut wood, fire, and all these other sweets. It's very cool and has such good food, we have eaten there about everyday for at least lunch or dinner. I get a kinderpunsch, which is Weihnachtpunsch (christmas punch) but with no alcohol, each one comes with a little christmas mug that you can keep so I am racking up on those. It was really cool to see it all in the snow! Right by the Weihnacht mark was a Mittleart Markt - middle ages market. It has good food too, people dressed up, middle ages booths, fresh wool things, fire performances, black smith, archery, and so much more! It's really cool too!
Tuesday was our last Distrikt meeting with our old district :( it was sad but really good, I'm going to miss a lot of the Elders.
Thursday was Elder Peterson's birthday so I attempted to make him french toast for breakfast and treated him out to our China buffet for lunch. And I wrapped his package he got so he could open it by our little Weihnacht tree! We did weekly studying planning Thursday.
Friday we had a sweet lesson with a girl we met on the street the other week, "D." It was our first lesson and we had it in the bakery since she is a female. We got to know each other a little better and tried answering her questions. Her father died 4 months ago from cancer - which sparked her interest to know the answers to questions such as: life after death and the purpose of life… it was a great lesson. I shared some personal family experiences too. Life doesn't always make sense, but does it ever? I said how we must hold fast to our faith and how it gives us strength and comfort when needed.
Then Saturday we had a lesson with Sister "E" which was a little bit stressful. She scared us a little saying she doesn't know if she can commit to baptism yet, it was quite discouraging. I went home and wrote in my journal after that and about me and Elder P. conversation walking home. '...You grow such a love and appreciation for our Savior while serving these short two years - and not just by studying and sharing his message with others everyday, but also by having the slightest, smallest chance to somewhat see how the life of the Savior was. I mean the Savior himself was perfect in everything! He truly taught through perfect example, and despite all the PERFECT sermons and messages Christ shared which couldn't have been any clearer or more simple - all the miracles he performed and by simply the perfect life he lived, people STILL spit on him, rejected him and his teachings, betrayed him, and eventually even persecuted and crucified him. BUT despite it all he still had a perfect love for them. Christ has truly paved the way and shown the example of how to go about all things -- even missionary work. We try our hardest, with out frustration or disappointment, to bring them closer to Christ and our Father in heaven.' Missions are tough, it is challenging. We grow such a love for the people we teach and care for them so much that it literally HURTS us when they drop us or don't accept certain things. But we must remember the Lord has been there and he knows how we feel.
Anyways despite our lesson with Sister "E" I just knew she would still come to church on Sunday, so after our lesson with her she said how she was coming to church tomorrow. I was in charge of planning the lesson for her at church, I offered for us to walk with her to church too. It was like a 40 minute walk, uphill, haha! But we do what we can - whatever it takes for our "friends of the Chruch."
Sure do love you guys and hope you have a great holiday season at home! This was always one of my favorite times of the year, and it's so "toll" here in Germany! Missions are just amazing.
Liebe Elder Jensen"
District Meeting
Christmas Market
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