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!

   

---

Old Cigarettes

What a way way fast week. Time is just starting to go by really fast here in Duisburg!! We are already almost halfway done with the transfer!! A lot of cool stuff is going on and happened this week.

The first really cool thing is our new investigators Adam and Huchang Bin. They are from China and don't really speak very much English.

That makes it hard, but so so worth it! We taught them on Friday and Wednesday, it is wayyyy cool. Adam had never even heard about Jesus Christ before and Huchang bin has just started learning. We started to teach them about who Jesus Christ is and about prayer. We gave them Alma 7:11-13 to read and afterwards we talked about how when we pray Jesus can help our pains to go away and bad feelings to leave us. Adam said: Is that why I have never gotten rid of these feelings? So when I pray that's how they go away? It was way cool. Huchang Bin said during the middle of our lesson. I believe!! I am way excited to continue teaching them!!

This week we also have continued to work with an investigator named Elizabeth. She is literally the most prepared person I have ever met!!

She LOVES the Book of Mormon and on Sunday the lesson in our class was on Fasting and Fast offerings. At the end of class she asked for a tithing slip and literally paid everything that she had in her bag because she wanted to give. She also smokes and has been trying to stop. She just keeps saying: I know that with Gods power I can do it!!

She is such a testimony builder for me!!

Last week for our pday we went to a palace/castle and we took our investigator Ali with. It was really fun. And I must say. Ali is probably one of the funniest people I have ever met. He is 19 years old and just loves to hang out with the missionaries. At the end of pday we were going to go dooring with the Elders and Ali wanted to come along, to our surprise a lady actually let us in and we told her a little about the Book of Mormon. Ali totally piped in and shared his testimony of prophets in the Book of mormon. The Elders also got invited into a couple doors and we had a great time.

We also went on a couple of splits this week and it is really fun to get to know the other sisters and learn from other missionaries. We also had interviews on Tuesday and I just know that President Boyer is the person meant to lead the Germany Frankfurt Missionary right now.

He is just so ready to work but also to love.

Oh awkward moment for the week: We were waiting at a train stop with one of the Düsseldorf sisters investigators and I told her about how I have seen homeless/poor people reuse discarded and used cigarettes on the ground. Her response? "I use to do that!" She then proceeded to tell me how to properly do it and how to make sure it is sterilized before using it..... I felt very awkward hahahahahha......

But I am doing really well, I hope everyone has had a great week! I do have to say though.... it is starting to get cold.... NEIN!!!!!

Sister Losee

The Rainbow

Guten Morgen!!! (Well, from my side of the world) Hey everyone!! I hope you all had a great week! It was a pretty great week in Duisburg! Not going to lie, it was really weird going to church in a new ward, but good too! This ward is so much younger than the ward in Köln. We had a relief society activity on Tuesday and I felt almost like I was with my aunts and family. It was just so lively and chatty.

The young adults in the ward also had a spiel Abend (game night) and we had two investigators come. We shared a spiritual thought and invited everyone to share their favorite Book of Mormon scripture.

What do you know?! Both of our investigators shared theirs as well! It was so cool.

We also went on a split this week and literally all of the appointments fell out. But we did lots of finding and targeted people in the color red because this transfer every week we are trying to have finding challenges. This week was the rainbow. So everyday is a new color. So Monday we had a TON of finding success and we were going to celebrate by using some of our dinner hour to get some ice cream from an Eis cafe. Well. Two guys walk by both wearing red shirts and talking in English right in front of the cafe. Of course we can't not talk to them!! However. Bad idea. Really bad idea. They both liked us and wanted us to drink with them and kept wanting us to give them our facebooks and stuff for when we got home. We of course said no and eventually got away. But sadly the Eis cafe closed in that time and the one man tried to hug sister harmon and I got my hand kissed by a polish man. The lord blessed us after though because that delay put us in the path of two more people who were willing to meet with us!

We also had MLC this week and I got to finally see Sister Jenkins again!!! We also got to talk more about the mission and how we can have high expectations but also high love. We also had to travel a very long time both ways. But don't worry. We ate happy meals while changing trains in Köln that evening.

Umm. I can't really remember what else happened this week. It went by so fast. But I hope you all had a wonderful week too!!

Oh yeah. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER CODY!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday on the 2nd :) 

Sister Losee

I'm no longer a District Dinosaur

Wow. So a lot has happened since pday last week. So much. Well.

Transfers happened!!! And....... I'm staying in Leverkusen!! Just kidding! So we got calls Saturday and I am serving in Duisburg with Sister Catherall now. At first I was really shocked because I got called as an STL and I have done splits in Duisburg. But after laying under my desk for a while I felt better and I am really excited to be serving here in Duisburg. I have already met some of the members and investigators and they all seem so cool and ready to work/learn.

Sister Catherall is a hard working missionary and I am excited to work with her. She only has two transfers left so I will most likely be sending her home.

I am not going to lie. My last Sunday in Köln was really sad. I just love those people so much and it felt like a great big family. We also had a shock that transfers this transfer were on Monday morning. Not Tuesday. So I was forced to pack everything Sunday night. It was a great last Sunday though because Steffi received the gift of the Holy Ghost. :) I am so grateful for all of the people I was able to teach and serve there.

Last pday was really fun! Sister Nowak took us on one last pday (because everyone assumed I was leaving) and we went to an open air museum. It was way fun! We got rained on, but it was a giant museum and you walk though the woods/mountains and look at old German cottages and windmills and everything so I was more happy just to see all of the German culture than getting a little wet. Then we visited a member that evening we had never visited before. He lives in a terrifying apartment building. Definitely never going there again!

Saturday was a pretty good day! Steffi got baptized in the morning and so many members showed up! I've never seen so many show up to a baptism before!! Then we went straight to a lesson with the eccentric young couple. We taught the plan of salvation and I could see the spirit really help them to feel of his love and that his plan truly is a plan of happiness.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

My new address is:

Kirche Jesu Christi

Sister Bonnie Losee

Rithlingerstrasse 7

47059 Duisburg Germany

Sister Losee

911 should be universal

Guten Tag! This week was a good week. It's crazy to think that today I hit my one year mark. This day last year I was being dropped off on the curb of the MTC. Sister missions are just so fast! I only have four transfers left! Speaking of transfers, we will be having ours on Tuesday. And I'm 95% sure I'm going to be leaving Leverkusen and the Köln ward. I've been here for almost seven months! Not gonna lie. I love this place. This ward. And all of the people soooo much. I literally don't want to leave. Transfer calls are Saturday. So next Thursday I might be writing from a different part of Germany.

On different news. Pday last week. What a crazy day. I'm sorry I didn't write any personal emails last week, I just didn't have the time. So here is the story: we cleaned our apartment and went shopping. I did a little emailing and sent off my group email. Then we met up with all of the Elders in our district to eat lunch in Köln at a restaurant called Vapianos. We all had a merry time eating pasta and pizza. The Elders then traveled to the church to play ping pong and do emailing , our response: we will catch up with you in a couple hours.

But first we want to go and buy African shirts. I wanted to get an African shirt in Frankfurt, but with my surprise transfer I didn't have a chance to buy one. There was just one small problem. I had no idea where the African shops in Köln were. So naturally, we call our new convert Ebenezer and ask him. He says he's not sure. But he will call his friend who knows where they all are. We were told to call him back in 10 minutes. Ten minutes later we had traveled to Köln Hauptbahnhof (central train station) and we call Ebenezer. Turns out he had forgotten he had no credit on his phone and couldn't call his friend. But then he says: yeah I'm in Hauptbahnhof! Perfect! So we meet up with him and let him use our phone to call his friend. No answer. So Ebenezer takes it upon himself to find us an African shop.

He takes us to an area where he thinks one was. Turns out it closed two months earlier. During this time Ebenezer suddenly stops outside a store and says: i should buy credit for my phone. After that we start heading to an area where he knows an African shop is. We have to take a couple separate trains to get there though. We changed trains in a place called Neumarkt and are about to get on a Bahn, but he suddenly

says: wait: I think there is a shop here in Neumarkt. So we wander for a couple of minutes and miss our train. Then we had no success and couldn't find the shop so start heading to catch the next train. It starts to pull up and we are ready to run for it, but then a lady comes up to me wanting directions. I can't NOT help a nice lady who is lost in a large city. So we stop and help her for a couple of minutes.

Totally missing our train. Then, FINALLY, we get ready to go and wait for the next train. And suddenly a man with his wife holding a baby and another little boy come running up to us asking for help.

Apparently the baby was having major problems and they needed help! So I quickly go to call an ambulance. Yeah. Couldn't remember German emergency numbers. The one I did remember wasn't the right one, and instead of transferring my call, the man on the phone just says: call this number. Grr. So I call the right number and try not to freak out as the mom freaks out because her poor baby stopped moving for a couple of seconds. Then the ambulance comes and turns out this family is from Egypt and it was there first day in Germany. They spoke almost no English and no German. But here's the kicker. Ebenezer has a friend who speaks Arabic! So he used his phone and called his friend to help with a little bit of translation while I tried to figure out what happened and help the paramedics know what happened. That ended up taking over an hour. It was also raining the whole time and somehow Sister Hannig and I both got our legs splattered with mud.

But long story short I know the lord put us there when we needed to help this family, and I know the Holy Ghost prompted Ebenezer to buy credit for his phone, and had him there with us so he could have his friend help with translation.

Then after the ambulance incident we only had about an hour of pday left, but Ebenezer was determined to get us African clothes. So we used the last hour to travel to the shop and buy African shirts that were made in Ghana.  The end!

Okay. Other things this week:

We started teaching a really cute but eccentric couple and they both agreed to be baptized!

Elder and sister Kirk from the office finished their missions, but were touring köln and came to our church on Sunday. So I was able to say goodbye!!

We taught a man who spoke only a little English. We used the picture book and used pictures to teach a simplified restoration lesson. We came across the picture of Peter drowning and he points at Peter and

says: "problem" hahahahha yes. That is a problem hahahah

Steffi had her baptismal interview and is set for her baptism on Saturday! She's so cute and so prepared. She also said she might be coming to Utah next year. Which means she will be visiting me while she's there!! Yay!

We went shopping with Schwester Hoen. The 94 year old in our ward.

(Her 95th birthday is next Sunday!)

The Nowaks lovingly took us out to a Chinese buffet for dinner because I might be leaving. The food was actually really similar to American Chinese buffets. It reminded me of my Dad hahahah. The only thing was they didn't have Fortune cookies.

Here is a spiritual thought if you want: (which you all naturally always want)  In my personal study I was reading in 1 Nephi 11:7 in it it says:  "...thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall he witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God." I think it's such a lesson to be learned, then when we witness Christ and feel the spirit in our lives, then we should also bear witness of it to others. Our testimonies and the testimonies of others grow as we share them, and who better to bear witness of than our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ! I encourage you all to "bear record" this week of the Son of God. :)

Love you all!! Have a fantastic week!

Sister Losee

Pictures:

1) pday with Ebenezer

2) African shirt!

3) Kirks!

4) Chocolate pizza at a members home!