So many happy meetings!

This week was really cool because I got to say hi to a lot of old mission friends at a conference in Frankfurt. This week Elder Ballard came and the whole mission came together for the conference! Sister Catherall and I had to travel down Sunday afternoon and we overnighted at another sisters apartment. We just happened to be staying with my trainee Sister Hannig! After four hours of train rides it felt nice to stay with a familiar face who was already prepared with my favorite foods for dinner! (And breakfast) Then Monday we traveled early in the morning to Frankfurt and all met familiar faces (like my MTC companion for the first time!!!) and I even saw several members from the Frankfurt International ward because they work in the church office buildings by the church.

Elder Ballard came and was so cute! He shook all of our hands right at the beginning and asked me if I was happy. "You look happy" he said hahahaha Then he talked a lot about contacting and talking to people.

He also talked about the process of how preach my gospel was made and about truly focusing all of our studies on the basic doctrines it contains. Then we had a giant mission lunch of pizza and apples before heading out for a five hour journey back to Duisburg. We got back to Duisburg at 6:30 at night in time to teach our investigator Ali. We talked about the first points of the First lesson again and it is so cool to see the power that comes simply from talking about God as our loving Heavenly Father.

This week we also had two splits. We had a power split and brought Sister Kux and Sister Knott to our area. Sister Knott and I had a lot of fun together, she is brand new to the mission but has almost no fear and she is from Australia, so I got to learn some Australian words. Then Sister Houston and I had a split and got to  teach a new family that I contacted last week. They were so cool!! We taught only the first couple points of the first lesson and gave an overview of Gods plan and the spirit was soooo cool! They said they would come to church and would love to learn more.

Sister Catherall and I also taught one of our investigators at his house with his Mom. His Mom was so cute and made us a HUGE Arabic dinner. She didn't speak very much German at all. But her love and happiness just radiated. She also kept joking and pestering with her son (who is 25) and it just made for a happy night. We also got to start teaching him the plan of salvation. I just love the plan of salvation! That is one thing I have been noticing the longer I am on my mission, I am just coming to love the doctrine we teach more and more. Christs church and Doctrine is seriously the truth.

We also had the crazy experience of a member inviting the guy who tried to steal his bike to church. The guy said YES! And he came to church and we gave him a Book of Mormon and will hopefully be meeting with him again tonight. This will be exciting!! Hahaha he is Russian and looks exactly like all of the Russians you see on TV as the bad guys. Its great.

We also had interviews this week and I just love how much President Boyer is concerned about the people we teach and about how the work is going.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Halloween is coming up soon!

Love,

Sister Losee

My trip to Rome.

You wouldnt believe what happened last week!!! For pday we got permission to go to Rome!!!!

Not really.

But sort of.

We visited a Roman Museum and saw some old Roman ruins.

Close enough right?

But no. It was actually really cool. It was called Xanten. They had replicas of a coliseum and some old Roman houses. There were also the remains of a bath house and we learned how they would heat roman bath houses. Pretty cool. Then we ate Döner before heading back to Duisburg to teach a first lesson. The lesson was actually pretty cool. She is from Bulgaria and recognizes that she needs to repent and strengthen her faith in God. As we talked she kept saying : I know that I need to have the spirit with me to actually be able to learn.We will be meeting with her again this week and I am excited to see what happens.

This week we also had the first split of the transfer. Sister Johnson and I had a really good time just doing some good ol finding in Düsseldorf. We talked to a lady on a Bahn Gleis and she said she didn't believe in God. Only Coincidences. We found out more about her and she said she helps to create video games. Sister Johnson then asked if she made coincidences in her video games. The lady said: Of course! We both wanted to roast her and say, but then don't you think that we have someone like a creator that makes our coincidences too?

But we didn't so don't worry..... But I really liked the talk from General Conference that with God there are no coincidences. That has really helped me as I have adjusted to being in Duisburg and serving as an STL. God puts us where we are and gives things in our lives because that is how they are supposed to be.

Awkward moment of the week: We had to go register in Duisburg to say we live there, and as I was signing the finished paperwork i accidentally wrote Sister instead of Bonnie..... it was pretty embarrassing.....

Friday Sister Catherall and I were feeling a little stressed while doing our weekly planning. So we took an hour long break and just talked to people in the city center for awhile. It is so cool how bearing your testimony of Jesus Christ and just talking to people helps you to be happier and have more energy. We also found a couple cool people so we celebrated by eating donuts. We were then able to resume our weekly planning.

This week we also have big news! Our mission is getting Facebook! I was way apprehensive at first when I found out last week. But we had the mission leadership council and all of us leaders will be testing it out and starting to use it in the next two weeks to prepare to teach the rest of the mission and it should be a really great tool to further the work. So just a forewarning I will be getting on my Facebook account and changing my picture and friending people and stuff. So don't be alarmed!

We also had an appointment with someone that neither of us remembered contacting until we actually showed up to the lesson, so we were unprepared and didn't have the Book of Mormon in the right language for him.. he was slightly sour.... oh well. We will get him one next time.

Anyways. It was a pretty good week. Hope you all have a wonderful week too!!!

Sister Losee

P.s I totally forgot!! I found out that a man Sister Jenkins and I taught this time last year in the Frankfurt International ward got baptized on Saturday!!! I love when that happens!!! He finally made it!!!!

Just don't try new things in Duisburg

Another great week in Duisburg! The beginning of a new transfer and the wonderful smells of falling leaves.

A lot of people have been asking about how General Conference works here and how I watched it. So here it is for everyone at once:

Saturday evening we traveled to a different church (in Düsseldorf) where they broadcast it. And Saturday evening at 6 o clock we watched the saturday morning session live. Then we went home and slept. The next day (sunday morning) we once again traveled to Düsseldorf and arrived to watch the women's and priesthood sessions at 11 in the morning. Then a member gave all of the missionaries food. Then we watched the saturday evening session at 2 o'clock. After wards we went on a walk because i was really tired. Then a member fed all of the missionaries a dinner of chili and pudding. Then we once again at 6 o'clock watched the sunday morning session live. And update: We still haven't seen the sunday afternoon session. We will see it in church either this sunday or next sunday.

General Conference was way awesome this year!! I loved all of the talks about service and finding happiness by following Jesus Christ and helping others.

I dont have too much time this week, but highlights:

Teaching Elizabeth about repentance to help her quit smoking. We watched the video of the stoning of the adulterous woman and sang the song I stand all amazed. The spirit was so strong and so beautiful.

Repentance through Jesus Christ is real.

We had a ward party and the Relief society had us participate in a dance. Yeah. I am not so good at dancing hahahahahhaha.

My coat was laying on my lap on a bus ride and I didn't realize the sleeve was hanging down. Suddenly the bus smelled very strongly of alcohol. Yeah... someone spilled alcohol all over the bus and my sleeve of course fell in it.

We taught a muslim man who was very into bashing. I tried really hard to just bear testimony of what I believed and invite him to read in the Book of Mormon. (He actually did call us later and say he liked what he read.... he also said he wanted to bring us his book next time

though....)

We had a finding day this week and we decided to go somewhere new, but it was a holiday, and no one was out, and it was a bust so we had to just head back to our normal finding spots. But we did see a new part of Duisburg. Also got the phone number of a really cool lady from Romania who wanted a Book of Mormon.

Oh and last pday we just went to the soccer stadium and walked around Duisburg.

Hope you all have an amazing week!!!

Sister Losee

P.s. Did anybody else notice how I didn't complain or talk about the weather this week??!!!??!

I thought I was supposed to contact other people

Happy Almost October!!

This past transfer and the past couple weeks have just been FLYING by!  Yesterday I hit my year mark in Germany and I just love it here so much. This week was really good. A lot of cool experiences and cool
people. Also had some weird classic Duisburg experiences as well.

On Wednesday we were meeting up with the man I contacted in Dortmund on a split with Sister Weeks. Well as we were waiting for him, a drunk man contacted us and said "I want to talk to brothers and sisters"
Sister Catherall gave him the address to the church and said we had to go, but two minutes later he came back up again wanting the address again. She had to tell him twice that it was already his pocket hahaha. Drunk people.

Then we taught the first lesson to this man named Shahram and his brother that he brought along for help with translation. They told us their story and they had originally turned Christian because when
their Mom had cancer someone told them Jesus could help her. So they tried praying and she ended up feeling better and didn't have so much pain anymore, so from then on they believed in Christ. I thought that
was such a cool testimony of God truly helping us when we ask for it.  Later this same day we kept seeing a small man in all green clothing kind of following us around for a while. We had walked to a completely
different part of the city and he runs up behind us saying. "Do not panic" Turns out he is from Macedonia and was just lonely and wanted friends. We awkwardly turned him away and gave him the Elders card.
Then after this happened, a random man asked us if we had preach my gospel. "Don't worry. I am a member." Then he left after we said we only had the downloaded version with us at the time. What? Hahahahha
so much randomness.

THEN I was sitting down to talk to a man on the Bahn, but a different man tells me to come sit by him and talk to him. Me: "Do I know this man?" But turns out he is a member in a different city and just wanted
to talk because his girlfriend in Duisburg is also a member but less active and he wanted to know if we were visiting her. So random.

This week we went on our last two splits of the transfer. One of them was spent with the wonderful Sister Moeller. All but one of our appointments either didn't show up or canceled. But we did get to
teach a new convert, who had literally all of the facts of the restoration wrong hahahah. Joseph was 15, the angel Mormon gave him the plates, etc etc. Maybe this guy needs a little more help hahahahha but there is the language barrier. And how important is it really that Joseph was 14 not 15?

The second split was with cute Sister Baker in Bonn. We also had some fallen out appointments, but were able to do some finding. This town also happens to have the birth place of Beethoven. So we did contacting there and back. We were actually able to find a couple of cool people and see some music history at the same time! That is what I call multi tasking. We also had a really fun Family Home Evening and the family called on me to say the prayer: "Because you are only here for today!" They say. Sure. Sure. ;)

We also taught a really good first lesson with a woman named Gloria, she has a new born baby and 4 other kids, her house was literally the cleanest apartment I have seen of an African with that many children.
I was very impressed. How did that woman do it! But she was really cute and super excited to read in the Book of Mormon. I love when people are excited to read the Book of mormon!! For some reason that
can be such a hard commitment for many people. But it is true and helps us in our lives so much.

Well, this email is really long. I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Remember that God is there for us and that we can always Repent. There is a cool talk about Finding Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But basically we all need repentance and Jesus Christ in our lives. We all have weaknesses and temptations, but
God gives us strength to overcome those.

Love you all!

Sister Losee

The Christmas Companion!!

Good Day Family and Friends,

Another good week was had here in Duisburg. :)
This week I had the opportunity of going on a split with Sister
Weeks!! It was hard to stuff 7 months of missed talking into only 24
hours, but we had a great time working together again and remembering
the good old days of Frankfurt!! I still look back and think about how
crazy it is that I spent Christmas with someone I had only known for
two weeks. But so is that Mission life hahaha. We also taught an
inactive lady and when we asked her for her conversion story: "It all
started with Twilight" Who would have thought that someone would first
find the church through Twilight hahahahha.

We also had a street display this week. I like street displays, and
unlike last week, there was no downpour of rain!

I also went on a split with Sister Madsen this week. We had a lot of
fun, and for dinner we walked into a random Turkish bakery and just
asked for a mix of random stuff because neither of us had eaten any
turkish cookies and stuff before. It was actually really delicious!!

Zone conference was yesterday and it was literally one of my
favorites! The spirit was soooo strong and soooo beautiful! We talked
about Joseph Smith and the first vision. We all prayed personally and
pondered selected scriptures from Joseph Smith History and I just LOVE
Joseph Smith so much!! I know that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet
and he did see God the Father and Jesus Christ. This past transfer I
have really come to love and appreciate prophets. We are just so
blessed that God gives us these inspired leaders and that God truly is
the same yesterday, today, and forever!

This week we taught a first lesson in a University. As sister
Catherall and I were standing there we just felt so awkward and both
had awful flashbacks of tests and classes hahahah. Glad I still have
time before I need to focus on that.

Well. I hope you all have had a wonderful week and will have a
wonderful week this week too!!! Go strengthen your testimony of Joseph
Smith!!!
Sister Losee

Reunions and Dolphins

Happy November! Oh Wait... it's October.... but it sure feels like
November! Jeez. Well folks, it's been another awesome week in
DUisburg. It literally went by soooo fast! This week we had some
pretty awesome stuff going on.

The first strange thing of the week was going on a split with Sister
Hannig! She came to join me in Duisburg and we were able to catch up
on everything and it didn't even feel like it had been three weeks. We
also taught a lesson to a guy, and when he showed up he was dressed up
super fancy and carrying flowers........I got very very concerned at
first..... But turns out that after our lesson he was heading to his
friends birthday party in Düsseldorf. Phew! It does make me really
appreciate some of the people we meet with and that they really are
willing to take the time to learn even if they show up late to their
friends birthday party.

Chinese investigator update time!! This week we were planning on
teaching them more about earth life and the atonement, but at the
beginning of the lesson we were asking them about their experiences
with prayer. Adam asked the best question: I started to pray over my
lunch (like I see in the movies) and my food tastes so much better.
Can you tell me why? Hahahahahahha never heard that one before!! So we
talked a little bit more about prayer and how it was a commandment. So
then they got curious about the commandments and what commandments
are, so we ended up teaching the 10 commandments, but with the hand
signals associated with them. It was probably one of the cutest and
funnest things I have ever done and seen. Just envision two grown
chinese men making hand signals and learning about the commandments
for the first time. Basically the best thing ever.

Last pday we went to the Duisburg Zoo for pday. One of the best pdays
ever!! They have koalas and a Dolphin show!!! I saw my first real life
Dolphin. I just sat there and smiled the whole time! And all of the
animals were so active. It was so fun just to wander around and have
fun.

This week we also taught a lot of first lessons. I love first lessons.
Talking about prophets and knowledge through revelation just gets me
so pumped up! We are seriously so blessed to be able to have the
guidance of prophets and the power and help that comes through the
priesthood. I hope you all have a wonderful week and remember to count
your many blessings!

   

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