D&C 123:17

Hallo hallo!

I don't actually know really what I should talk about this week. We've been pretty busy, but not much of what happened seems like it's appropriate and/or interesting to share with everyone. Oh! Here's something interesting: we found out last week that on April 25th, Elder Bednar will be visiting our mission!! The WHOLE mission will come to Munich for the event. It's right after Sister Threlkeld goes home. Sorry, girl.

As far as P-day news goes, last week a member of the International Ward took our whole district to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory in Tübingen! It was way fun. The outing had been planned for a few weeks earlier, but due to last minute snow didn't work out. We went, bought too much chocolate (including some of the experimental flavors - I tried "tortilla chip" flavored. It tastes more like popcorn, we believe,) and then she took us all on BASE to Taco Bell. It was the second time I've been on base. It's crazy because it's like literally American Territory, so you have to show your passports and stuff. It was also Elder Sharp's first experience with the place (he's from Australia). He liked it! Yeah America! All I know is that they had a soda machine with unlimted refills, and, better yet, ICE. I took a whole cup of ice with me and enjoyed it the whole way home. Today, Sister Threlkeld and I actually had an appointment in the morning and therefore are emailing in the evening, strangely enough. We went and bought me some earrings, because my 6 weeks are up today and I can change them. woo-hoo! I'm like, an adult or something.

After pushing a button, a tiny truck would bring
a tiny Haselnuss or Mazripan chocolate bar.

Other interesting things this week. Well, I was teaching Sister Threlkeld how to make bread, and burned my finger when the oven was 230 c...it's blistered. And everyone around us keeps getting sick, but we somehow haven't been hit yet and are just waiting for it to happen. Oh! And this really wonderful thing happened on the way home from our day's work one day. I sat down across fom this black man who seemed to be asleep. (He was wearing leather pants and cowboy boots - way cool!) After a while I heard a drowsy voice that said "Jesus is Lord". I looked up and saw him smiling at me. I smiled and said that I agreed and asked him where he's from. He said Nigeria, and then just kept repeating "Jesus is Lord" over and over again. I couldn't help but smile. He got off before me, and on the way out turned around, pointed a finger straight at me, and said: "Proclaim to all the people. That Jesus is Lord." It was great.

We've done a lot of finding this week, but it's been awesome. It's really easy to not love finding, but in my own personal mission experience I think that if you can get yourself to a mental place/state where you are enjoying finding, every part of the work gets easier. Sister Threlkeld and I found more potential people to meet with this week than we did like, the past month put together. It was so fun.

Holy cow, I just feel like things are really going in Stuttgart. I'm so obsessed with the ward. I kind of hope I never leave. (Well, I do eventually...but if I were to leave with Sister Threlkeld, I would be really disappointed.) The ward is SO supportive. I've been blessed in strong wards my whole mission, thankfully. Like, there's this lovely old member who always asks us over and over if we have gloves and if they're warm enough. And another family baked us yummy goods and gave us a huge bag of them to take home after church last Sunday, just because. I just feel spoiled.

"I love Germany!"

I want to close with my new favorite missionary scripture, which is Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 - 

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

I could easily pick this little sentence apart into a 15 minute sacrament meeting talk, I just love it so much. I love the sentiment here - we simply need to do what we can do. So much of our lives our out of our control - and if we try to control what we can't control, it's not going to be a very happy or fulfilling time. But as we do what we can personally do with joy, we can wait "with the utmost assurance" on God to make up for what we can't do. Simply beautiful.

Have a wonderful week.

Love,

Sister Bushman