Bis später, Wiener Neustadt

(Above translation:  "See you later")

So, transfer calls happened.

 

Moral of the story before I tell the story: do not try to predict transfer calls. 



Half of the Distrikt is leaving for other assignments. Back: Elder &
Sister Parker, Elder Anderson, Sister Freimann, Elder Pingel
Front:  Elder Eldredge, Elder Pugmire, Sister Bushman, Sister Smiley

That being said, what is happening for me specifically was pretty predictable, but we still had a pretty crazy morning. We didn`t `Frühsport` very well Saturday morning because we were waiting for somebody to call. The general history is that if the Zone Leaders call, everything is staying the same. If the Assistants to the Präsident call, somebody is being transferred. If Präsident himself calls, then you are getting a calling - like training a Golden or becoming a Zone Leader/Sister Training Leader. We got a call from the Zone Leaders Saturday morning. I had just gotten into the shower, but got out just in time for the call. We had expected for Sister Freimann and me to stay in Wien and Sister Smiley to train in Neustadt. Elder Abbott on the phone said that Sister Freimann and I will be staying in Wien full-time, but Sister Smiley was being transferred to Augsburg (München Zone) and Wiener Neustadt was closing. We were shocked. Elder Abbott said if we had questions to call Präsident. We had finally gotten things going really well in a good direction in Neustadt, and we so so so did not want it to close. We called Präsident and he said that that was a miscommunication, Neustadt was just being white-washed (two new missionaries starting simultaneously in a new area) by Elders. In the transfer this week, 25 Elders and only 5 Sisters are coming in...so they had to figure out where to put all of them. Things have been pretty crazy in the days since that call. We have to clean and prepare the Wiener Neustadt apartment for Elders (I hope they like flower comforters?), Sister Smiley has to prepare and pack to go all the way back to Germany, and we have to say good-bye to people in the Ward. It was so sad! I hope Neustadt gets Sister Missionaries again soon.

Wiener Neustadt at night



The "dritt" in shadows ... soon to fade to just two companions.

 

Finally legal!

We all laughed a little when Sister Smiley got her transfer call, because our Visas literally came in this week. But hey! Now we`re legal in the country. So that's nice.

Before my mission, I made 4 goals I wanted to accomplish in its duration. Some are pretty serious and others not so much, so here they are, in order of importance...

 

1. Invite others to come unto Christ.

2. Personally grow closer to Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

3. Take a Sound of Music-esque `Hills are alive` photo twirling in the actual Alps.

4. Buy a dirndl.

After 6 weeks together in Wein and Wiener Neustadt,
Sister Bushman must say good-bye to Sister Smiley

Guess who accomplished #4! Dirndls can be really expensive, but if you scout around some second-hand shops, you can find them for a fraction of the price. I found this dark blue (my favorite color) dirndl my very first P-day, and found a blouse to go with it this past week. I still don't have an apron, so I borrowed Sister Freimann's so we could all wear Trachten (a traditional national costume in German-speaking countries) to church our last Sunday in Wiener Neustadt. The apron is a few inches too short, so I'll have to keep looking, but I seriously wish I could wear my dirndl like, every day. Trachten is SO FUN. (I should be on the look out for lederhosen, eh?) :)

 

 

Sister Freimann with Sister Bushman and
Sister Smiley in their new dirndls.

 

In my new dirndl (although the apron isn't mine)
in front of the big statue in the main square of Weiner Neustadt.



Walking to our GMK's (ward mission leader's) house

The other day we had a little bit of extra time before a meeting started at the church in Neustadt, so we were on the computer learning a little more about the church resources. I was on Family Search, just looking through my genealogical lines. Oh my gosh. If you have never been to Family Search before, it's the Family History engine run by the church. (Although anyone can use it. And it's free!) It was so fun! Some of my lines traced back all the way to times as early as 300 AD. I found Nordic, German, French, and Italian kings and rulers. There was even a guy named Gandalf! I just wish I could browse for hours and hours. If you haven't spent any time before looking for your lines, do it!

We saw a really cool miracle this week. We had an appointment fall out last minute, and were none entirely sure what to do with our time instead. Sister Freimann felt like we should stop by this one particular less-active. We walked toward her house, and I noticed this man accross the street in his yard when we walked. We said hallo, and he did as well. As we continued to walk to the lady's house, I felt really strongly that we should go talk to the man. The other Sisters agreed. The lady wasn't home, so we walked over to him in his yard, where Sister Smiley struck up a conversation with him. He was super friendly and said he has had some trouble believing in God recently because he has been really sick - he doesn't know if God is keeping him alive, or if it's just the doctors. We talked to him for a while and ended up giving him a Book of Mormon, which he took and said he would read. We'll be telling the Elders to stop by when they get to the area. It was a really cool experience, because all 3 of us came together to speak with him - if Sister Freimann hadn't said we should go to this area, or if I hadn't said we should speak to him, or if Sister Smiley hadn't initiated conversation - the experience woudln't have happened.

I was reading this morning in Alma (in the Book of Mormon), and found some scriptures that I really, really love. Ammon, Aaron, and others had been preaching among the Lamanites, and had brought the gospel to tons and tons of people. Ammon goes on and on about how happy he is that so many people were brought to repentance, and brought to the knowledge of Christ. Alma 26:10-12 then states: 

 

 

10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.

 11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

 

How cool is that? I have already seen so many miracles and felt just a slice of this similar joy, and I am no way anything close to the type of missionary that Ammon was. I hope I can try and follow his example, and more importantly, Christ's example, every day!

 

Have a wonderful week! Tschüß!

 

Sister Bushman