Well Tuesday we met with our amazing investigator, the professional Russian pianist. She's pretty much one of the smartest, most charitable, and amazing people I've ever met. We started the lesson with just a bit of small talk, finding out how her week had gone. She had been applying for a visa to go to America on vacation, so we talked about that and she said "Ya, it was a very good week. I got the visa, and I booked some flights to America. Oh ya, and I decided I want to be baptised as well." Haha, she said it so nonchalantly though, it totally caught us off guard. After a few seconds, all I could mutter were the words "With us?" and she said, "Yes, of course with you!" It was seriously the coolest thing ever! We asked her why, and she responded that she had read 2 Nephi 31 as we had asked her to, and prayed about it like we asked her to, and just knew that it was right! So yes, it was one of the happiest appointments of my mission. The timing is super frustrating because we weren't able to fit another appointment in with her in our crazy schedule this week, and next week we´re traveling to leadership training, and then on April 12th she´s leaving to America for a month, so it´s just super frustrating not being able to meet more regularly with her, but we´re praying for her and have faith everything will work out. Our goal is to get it done before she leaves, but we may just have to settle with waiting til she gets back.... by which time I won't be here anymore :( but that doesn't really matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. So ya, hopefully we can meet with her at least once this week, but who knows, we´re traveling like crazy.
Speaking of crazy, that´s exactly what this last week was. 10 new missionaries came, and we had a TON to do in the office. This transfer is a 5 week transfer, so basically we lose one of our more relaxed weeks where we can focus more on missionary work in our own area and to prepare for the busy weeks. We managed everything just fine though and everything is going well. The goldens were great. Crazy story though, as we picked them up, we were waiting outside the terminal when all of the sudden this short black guy came walking out with a crazy hair style and super super nice clothes. I was standing right in his way and he brushed by me quickly when all of the sudden cameras started going off everywhere and people started to realize who he was. It was Sean Paul, some famous rapper I guess. But ya, if you see any news of him in Berlin with video clips, that big white lurpy missionary he pushes out of the way when he walks by was me haha. So that was weird, but then came the good part, and all 10 goldens showed up ready to work. That´s easily one of the biggest things I´m going to miss about the office is picking up the new missionaries. It´s just so refreshing to feel their great spirits, and the excitement that radiates from them to start their missions right. We spent most of the day with them, and then took them downtown to show them how we find people to teach here in the Berlin Germany Finding Mission. It was awesome. Thursday we had golden conference which was super good as well. Lots of the trainers were good friends, 2 of which were ex-companions. My last companion here in the office, and my Swiss companion from Dresden, along with a few other good friends. It was super fun getting to see them all again, and to see them get their goldens.:)
Friday we had Zone Leader Council in Hannover. We were up til about midnight the night before getting all of the reports ready, and then I got up with one of the ZL´s who was staying overnight with us to drive up together, also a good friend who lived with us in Dresden, and we went on a nice run together at 5 am before we left. We had 9 people in our apartment that night. It was crazy. We have a drit (trio) living with us now, and then 2 sets of ZL´s came and stayed the night. Our apartment is like a hotel sometimes. We headed to Hannover early and then after the meeting my companion and I, instead of driving everyone back in the van, hopped on a bullet train down to a town called Köthen to pick up a car which needed to be transfered to another city in the mission (by the name of Prenzlau ;) ) On our way, we found out one of the missionaries had just had some sort of freak nerve attack and was in the hospital. So we hurried over, waited for them to stabilize him, and we took him home where we gave him a blessing. We then took the car and headed back on a late night trip all the way from down in Saxony back up to Berlin. Along the way we stopped off the side of the road in a famous little town called Wittenburg, where we payed a quick visit the the Schlosskirch, aka the church where Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door. It was SUPER cool to walk the same footsteps that Martin Luther walked up to that door. The door has since been turned into a bronze one with all the 95 thesis engraved on it. It was a super cool experience to see such a historic site, one that plays a big role in the Restoratino itself. I´ve learned to gain such a great appreciation for Martin Luther as I´ve been able to visit places where he has been, and read the Bible he translated in the language that he translated it. He was a great revolutionist who opened the doors to religious freedom.
So anyway, we got back from that late last night, and now I´m back here at my desk again. It´s been a crazy week and I know that there are some things I´m forgetting, but hopefully I´ll remember them again and write them down somewhere. The fun isn't over though, because now that car we brought up here needs to go to Prenzlau, so today we´re going back to my old stomping grounds! P-town here we come! It´s going to be epic. We´re going to go visit some cool little places and a couple members- it´s going to be lots of fun.:):):) Then we need to take the current Prenzlau car and drive it 3 hours down to Leipzig where it will be picked up and taken back to Frankfurt. It will be a fun little road trip. I really do love the travel, it´s just always new and refreshing, and provides quiet moments where I can clear my mind and reflect and ponder a bit.:) Also it´s good because we have lots of presentations to prepare for the upcoming meetings. Not to mention the fact I´m speaking in church tomorrow. I don't mind it though- teaching really is a joy- I just hope that with all this practice I can somehow start to get better.
Well I do hope you are all doing well back home! Love you all bunches and pray for the best for all of ya!
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