I hope everyone is doing well. Wow did I have a crazy week. First thing is the adventures of Sister Jaynes and Sister Kutschke are off to a good start. Remember how i said i think this will be an interesting transfer....that was an understatement! haha So on Tuesday, we are going to an appointment with the Elders. Being on Tuesday, would make it the 5th day in Munich for Sister Kutschke. Sister Kutschke is super shy and has not spoken to one person (on her own) while being here. In fact she has only approached one person in the last three months. SOooooooo it makes things fun. So the elders were farther up on the tram and I was talking to a guy and Sister Kutschke was just sitting there. Well one of the elders decided to do a not-so-clear hand signal...trying to inform us that we are staying on the tram. I saw it and continued to talk to this man. Sister Kutschke interpreted it otherwise. She got off the tram....in the MIDDLE of downtown Munich. Our stop was next. As I got off the tram...i saw the others...but not Sister Kutschke. I knew she was gone. I said, "Please tell me that Sister Kutschke is with you........" Nope. Super. Here i was with the cell phone, Sister Kutschke did not know the cell phone number...nor any number for that matter. She had literally been following me for the past 5 days..not taking note of where we go or how we get there...and she was lost. And here I was on an exchange with two elders....also illegal. We returned back to where she got off....not there. We went back again....again not there. The only place that she could possibly find was the church. So we head there. Meanwhile, Sister Kutschke is trying to figure out how to get to the church. She is looking through maps and taking the wrong subways and trams. Here Sister Jaynes is, dying that I may have lost my companion in Munich with a million people. The only comfort was that she was German and could speak German. In our case - with her talking record...i knew she wouldn't ask questions or for help. We needed a miracle. So we go back to the church and Sister Kutschke is still not there. Greatttttt. We pray and then Sister Mason (pictured below) decides to come with me to look in the city one more time where we were. No success. The elders waited at the church and said they would call if she showed up. Before almost heading back to our apartment, we get the call. SHE IS ALIVE AND AT THE CHURCH: Best. News. Ever. I was never happier to see that german companion of mine. :) I mean this story may seem not so cool or dramatic, but if you saw the public transportation system here in Munich...maybe you should google it....you would be freaking out too. Most missionaries loose their companions at one time or another...this was the first time for me! haha It was quite the experience.
Ok now another miracle...the miracle of Ada and Karlos! Ada (38) and Karlos (15) are from New York. They walked into the church one month ago and said they wanted to know how they can become members of the church. Ada's mom is a member of the church and raised Ada well. Ada had not joined the church for various reasons. Ada married a German and they have been leaving here in Germany for five years. Ada is one of the most hilarious and best-hearted people I know. She is sarcastic and spunky. Lets just say there is never a dull moment. We were able to teach Ada and Karlos with the Elders and see the miracle take place within them. They simply knew that this was God's church and they had faith and because of that, God was able to work a miracle. Preparing someone for baptism in literally two weeks was super stressful and had its own challenges, but i am so grateful that i was able to participate in it. I gave a talk on Baptism at their baptism and it was simply beautiful to see this mother and son, dressed in white, ready for their baptism. The journey of Ada and Karlos is a unique one. From modeling to cook books to life-saving heart surgery...Heavenly Father led them to be ready to accept the Savior and follow His example here in good old Munich.
So this email is short and I am not sure if it makes sense, but just know that life is good. The Gospel changes people and makes them better and happier.
Be happy, and if you are not happy then live the Gospel more fully...I can promise you that when we go forward with faith and live the Gospel, we will be happy.
XOXOXOXOX
Ich habe euch LIEB!!!!
Schwester Jaynes
No comments:
Post a Comment