Hello friends! :)
First off, I have the hardest time getting "The Lord is my light" out of my head. It's a good hymn. Not my favorite but good. And we sang it as our intermediate sacrament meeting hymn today (and we all stand up and sing at the top of our voices, even those who maybe shouldn't, like me) and getting it out of my mind is the hardest thing ever. Maybe that's why it's not my favorite :) I don't think the title for this post will have anything to do with its content, but it needed a title so here it is. "No title" is a rather unattractive, unspiritual way to start things off, so I try to avoid that.
So HEY, what's up? I've had a really good time here thus far. This social nightmare I expected coming back to Germany with everyone who I normally interacted with being gone has been dealt with by me well so far (shout-out to my old high school journalism teacher, Mrs. Sheffield. I KNOW you adore this sentence, at least if you ever get to read it). Most days, I spend with my family, at least partially. I don't care if my parents and my grandma are the only family members I've seen since I've been back, but I see them and interact with them literally every day so that's been great. I really enjoy being back home and abandoning some of the independence I've gained at Weber State. This is extremely odd and quite the opposite of what I expected, but I guess prior separation and preparing for a Mission works miracles. :)
Talking about miracles, our ward here in Bonn is having plenty. I, as their (what I would call) substitute home teacher, have had the opportunity to work a bit with one of our prior part-member families which have now been reunited (the baptism last month that I wrote about, remember?). They are so solid! Literally, me and one of my home teaching companions taught them for over two hours last week, and now they met again with my two companions (but not me) on Friday and they taught them for three hours. I can totally tell that this family has a strong knowledge that the Gospel is true and that they are so eager to fill in the blanks they still have. Which are plenty still, but their learning curve is so steep it's crazy! :)
I've been thinking about this a lot by the way. Why does it take such a short time for someone (not anyone in particular) to understand this Gospel in its core and all its surroundings, while it took me (for example) 14 years to learn some math and I still can't really do it? To me, this just shows how natural the way of this Gospel is. Because it isn't about learning something new. The basics are within us and they are given to everyone, even if they may not be aware of it. Missionary work is not about teaching people, but helping them access their memory of the things they already know. Hence it is possible to pick up on Gospel knowledge rather quickly, at least if the listening and learning is done with an open heart and willingness to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. And it doesn't matter all that much to know all the details of WHY or HOW Heavenly Father's plan works. It's so much more essential to know THAT it works. And I know that for sure :)
Miracle number two: The ward has grown so much and I don't know why. Yes, we've had some baptisms last year and this certainly helped, and some people moved in as well, but somehow Church attendance is skyrocketing. Or at least increasing faster than anyone remembers it ever being the case. Except for the second Sunday of the month, when a good 40 to 50 of us meet in Euskirchen (~20 miles west) as well, we are always opening the door to the culture hall and have another three or four rows of chairs which also tend to fill up pretty well. I'd say today was the biggest crowd I've ever seen at a sacrament meeting in Bonn. President Schwartz of the Germany Frankfurt Mission and his wife, who joined us today for their annual visit, were impressed. The talks just brought the Spirit very well too. It was an awesome meeting. The Elders also brought a new investigator to Church who stayed for all three hours, shared some amazing insights in Elders Quorum, and who just LOVED every minute of it. According to what's being said he's progressing very solidly towards baptism and you can just tell how ready he is. President talked about the speeding up of Missionary work that everyone has been talking about lately, and he testified it's real. I know it's real and I'm so grateful I get to see it every day and help with it the best I can! :) The people in this country are absolutely thirsting for the truth, and now all we have to do is connect the dots with them.
Talking about the Missionaries: They are great and I'm grateful I get to meet with them at least weekly, and actually help getting some work done, especially online. There is just SO much to do and I know how grateful they are for member support. So, if you can, feed them, invite less-active or non-member friends to those lunches and dinners, consistently pray about people you might help find the Gospel or just SERVE, and so forth. There is so much you can do for the Missionaries if you just think and ask. It's unreal. I know our Elders and Sisters here in Bonn would like to introduce 30-hour days to fit in all the work, but since this is out of range, we as members still can support them and get them as close to doing what they are called to do: Teach the Gospel. If their planners are full of that, we're good. :) Also, feeling the Spirit and getting to cherish the experience to be around the Missionaries is something every member and every family in the Church should be able to experience ever once in a while.
Finally, I really enjoy being in a family ward again. One with a huge primary. I always knew that this Church is the true Church. But now, with all the primary kids running around you all the time, I know once again and with certainty that this is the true and living Church of Jesus Christ. It's amazing what kind of life and (yes) Spirit those kiddos bring into a ward. :) As much as I loved my YSA ward in my YSA stake with lots and lots of unmarried people with no kids, I really like to be around people of all age groups in the Church. I would argue that it's the most perfectly functioning multi-generation household in the world :)
I just want to add my testimony to my ramblings that I know that Jesus Christ lives. He prepared the way for us by living a life of perfection, taking upon Himself the sins and burdens of the world and of all of us. He was crucified unrighteously for the sake of righteousness and rose from the dead on the third day. He leads this Church, His Church as it was in days of old when the Savior Himself walked the Earth, today. We do have a Heavenly Father who loves us. He is God. He listens to us, knows us perfectly, loves us perfectly, and He is the creator of our souls. He wishes for nothing more than for us to return to Him and to become like Him. The Book of Mormon is our guideline, written for our day and translated by the power of God, to accomplish this. It is also proof for Joseph Smith, who is indeed the Prophet of the Restoration. He truly saw the Father and the Son in the Sacred Grove and did as they instructed him. Thomas S. Monson is our living Prophet today, who guides and leads us on our way back to our Father in Heaven. These things I know and I leave them with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. :)
(P.S.: T minus 60! Woot! :) )
