Sister Shelley Bushman: Backerei Missionaries

Liebe Welt,

I think I've decided that my favorite moments as a missionary are those moments when you watch the Holy Ghost working in someone, and you see something click in their head and in their heart. These moments don't come along every day or even every week, but when they do, they always make my journal. It's really humbling, actually. This past week we were teaching this really awesome man about The Word of Wisdom. He was a little worried about it, because he smokes. We were talking about ways he could strengthen himself to be able to resist, and we said that if he prayed to God for strength, God could help him to stop smoking. His eyes got really wide and he was like, "God would help me to stop smoking?" That had never occured to him before, that God would want to help him in that way. It was so cool.

We actually had a really good week this week. As far as appointments go, we had a bazillion. Well, not a bazillion. But quite literally over double the average of my whole mission. We aren't sure why all of a sudden we're meeting with more people more often, but we're just really thankful to Heavenly Father for putting people into our path! Even then, (of course,) we're always trying to do finding - or leave little pass-along cards and such around so that maybe someone who needs it will come upon it sometime. :) We found a Book of Mormon in our apartment that had a really long note written to someone in the front from an old missionary who has been home for a while - I guess the book was never delivered? We can't exactly give it out, so the book just laid on our table for weeks and weeks and weeks...UNTIL a few weeks ago we found this London-style phone booth right outside of a library/U-bahn station. But this is no ordinary phone booth - it's full of books that you're free to add to or take. SO, how about a testament of Jesus Christ? We dropped it off. And took too many photos with it. We'll see if one day someone calls the number on the pass-along card tucked inside. ;)

Random funny story: I remember before my misssion lots of returned missionaries telling me how when you're learning the language, you just have to be patient and laugh at yourself because everyone experiences the realization at least a couple times that you've been saying something totally incorrect for a while...and you've been talking with strangers, members, etc. Well. I had one of those moments this week. So for the prophet Moroni, in German it's spelled the same, and it's even pronounced pretty similar - Moh-roh-nee. Earlier this week Sister Threlkeld and I were in companionship study and discussing a scripture in Moroni, and she goes "Sister Bushman. MOH-ro-ni. Not MAH-ro-ni!" I had gotten a little lazy with the vowel. Normally this wouldn't matter, except that in German, Moroni is a prophet. MAroni...is a chestnut. I've been telling people that a chestnut buried gold plates into a hillside that were later uncovered by a modern day prophet for who KNOWS how long. Yikes. Oh well. It made us laugh!

Also, this week Sister Threlkeld and I became our own restaurant. Seriously. Thanks to the bread pan we finally went out and bought and some recipes stolen from people who have generously fed us, this week we made french bread (thanks, Sister Gassin!), Zimtschnecken/cinnamon rolls, pizza, fried bread, and dumpling soup. They all turned out so great - we're so over Toastbrot! Haha. But that was really fun. I forgot how much I missed the smell of yeast proofing.

Sister Threlkeld and Sister Bushman eating their homemade pizza

Speaking of doing old stuff, Sister Threlkeld and I are still trying to sing. We ended up joining ward choir in our ward, which is really fun because our ward choir director literally works for the Stuttgart Oper...like, no big deal. Basically, he's really good. And being in choir with him reminds me of being back in Chamber Singers or vocal rehearsal for a show or somthing. So that's really nice! Also, when you've had a frustrating day or an investigator didn't show up - it's so nice to just sit down in choir and feel the spirit of the music. Sister Threlkeld and I are also singing a duet in sacrament meeting in 2 weeks! Don't ask us what song, because we have no idea. We'll figure it out! And it will give us an excuse to invite people to church. :)

This morning I was reading in Luke. President gave us the challenge to read the Book of Mormon, looking for the Doctrine of Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, enduring to the end,) in the first 6 months of the year, but I'm trying to read the New Testament again, albeit it ein bisschen slow. I read the 6th chapter this morning, and came upon a verse I think I've heard, but didn't really remember that well. Basically, Christ sits down for dinner and the scribes and Pharisees are like, "why are you eating with the publicans and sinners?" And Christ says...

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

Isn't it cool that Christ calls himself a "physician"? Because that's exactly what the Atonement is - medicine for our souls. It heals us when nothing else will.

I love you so much. Have a wonderful week.

Love,

Sister Bushman

Sister Bushman's mom: The title of the blog "Backerei" means Bakery!

A few more photos: