Happy PDay

Hello Family!

To answer all your questions about the new companion:

Her name is Sister McCandless from Holiday, Utah. She is 21, she put her mission papers in before the new age announcement. She graduated with a degree in Journalism from Westminster Collenge and worked for the Salt Lake Tribune. She is very smile-ly and makes a lot of jokes. That is a little strange because Germans don't really have a sense of humor and niether did Sis. Neukomm (must be a Europe thing..) so I've not been used to jokes and laughing so much. It's kind of fun :] The first few times she made jokes or said something sarcastic I took her seriously and was very concerned for her but now I'm getting back into this whole make-jokes-to-be-happy thing and it's good!

I did start her off right away, because I figured if we start working right away then she wouln't have time to be nervous! I will tell you the break-down of my past week.

Monday- pack and help Sister Neukomm get ready to go home. The apartment was also checked if it was clean and not broken by the caretakers. We passed.

Tuesday- Members picked us up to drive us to the Train Station at 8:30, then Sister Neukomm and I got on a train for the last time together. There we really realized it was good bye and was a little sad. We got to the train stop where all the Finishers were meeting where we said good-bye and then I was ALONE!! Not that alone was new for me, but alone in public was new. Kind of strange. But that lasted for a whole 15 minutes because I met with other Sisters at another train station, ate lunch, and then another Sister who would be training, Sister Curtis, came back with me to wait for the new missionaries. We went to work and miracles happened! I didn't believe it was my city! We made out 4 new appointments, taught 3 lessons, and gave away 4 Books of Momrmon in an hour and a half! It was so good for me that Sister Curtis came to me. I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to get into the normal swing of things but she trained me to be a trainer which was such a blessing. She gave me the boost of confidence I needed.

Wednesday- The first day in 6 months I was not alone in waking up at 6:30! It is so much easier when someone does it with you! Very thankful for that!! At night we went back to Berlin, after another miracle filled day in Cottbus, to do the first bit of finding time with the New Missionaries! We were randomly paired up with the new missionaries that had just gotten off the plane. I was with Sister Jenson and off we went! We talked to so many people and it was a great boost to see her trying her very best to talk in German :] so fun! Then Sister Curtis and I went back to Cottbus to slepp.

Thursday. Back to Berlin bright and early (we only live 1 hour 15 minutes from Berlin, not too far) for Trainers conference! It was fun to see who else was training and to hear from President and the APs. Something fun but nervewracking is the people we are Training now will be trainers themselves in as little as 5 weeks. President told the Sisters to prepare our N.M. to train in that ammount of time becasue in March so many new Sisters come, we don't have enough Sisters in the field to Train them! How Crazy is that?! Sister McCandless probably will be training next transfer and I'll get another one... Then we got the New Missionaries! After another meeting we got lunch and then left. I took it to heart to get her ready ASAP to train so I had her make a phone call before we even got on our train home. (It was in English, I wasn't SO mean to make in in German first.) Then we got home, put the suitcases down and went to meet the Ward Mission Leader and then to an appointment! The appointment fell out so we did doors. While doing so, a man yelled at us to go away and a drunk man confessed his love for us. Not a bad first day :]

Friday- Jet lag was a little problem but survived. We had 2 member lessons today and Sister McCandless did a great job at bearing her testimony and really trying to help. Her German is good, her understanding German needs a little help. But that doesn't stop her from trying to talk to everyone on the street. We were able to give a Book of Mormon and teach about the First Vision in between our appointments which was very cool. Then sometihing not so cool happened at night, there was a Nazi demonstration. Yes, there are still Nazis here. I didn't know that untill this week. It was a little scary seeign them start to congregate so we decided just to go home. A little bit after we got home our WML's wife called and suggested we go home becasue it was getting a little bad. So we said a prayer and had a good night :]

Saturday- We had an appointment with a man that Sister Curtis and I met, named Sandro Jahnke. We thought it would be just him so we got a Joint Teach (Sch. Otto) and went. Turns out it's a family!! Sandro, his girlfriend, and his two little brothers. It was so cool! The Spirit was very strong and they asked good questions, said they would come to Church and made a new appointment out! I was pleasently schocked :]  And a littel nervous, I don't want to mess anything up, I really want to help this family. Sister McCandless was trying her best to speak but it was hard. Afterwards she had a hard time that her language skills aren't perfect but we took some time, boosted her moral, and then kept on going.

Sunday- The whole family didn't come to Church but Sandro did, he said he'll check it out for the others and them bring them next week. He really liked it! He said he will come every week! We gave a little church tour too and at the baptism font he had questions like "is it too late for me to be baptised? can we talk about me getting baptised later?" Of course we can! Please pray from him and his family that they will be able to develop faith in Christ to overcome challenges and pray for us that we will know how to help them. 

After our lunch appointment and study time we were doing doors when appointments fell out. I wasn't very patient there. So many people were calling us Jehova's Witnesses it was annoying me. Then one man started yelling at us through his window. I was really just trying to finish talking to his neighbors but he wanted us to leave without talking to them. When we said we would finsh the building then leave he got mad and said he'd call the police. I did was Sister Neukomm did and told him he was welcome to call the police. He then closed his window so we continued thinking he was doen. Then he opened the window again and dumped water at us! I was very annoyed at this point and got a little sassy. Probably shouldn't have gotten sassy. I said "Thank you but I already had a shower today." and went back to the klingle. Then he stormed down the stairs and pushed me away. I've never been pushed before. Then we decided to leave. What a good example I was to my Trainee, edging him on to call the police, saying a sassy comment, and then still trying. Next time we'll just leave after the water is thrown on us... hehe It's kind of funny to think back on though.

What a wonderful first week in Germany: Nazis, a sassy companion, and a new family of investigators :]

It is a little strange being a trainer, she watched everything I do and copies me pretty much exactly. I really have to be on my toes. But I think it is good because it makes me really get back into the swing of a normal missionary schedual again. Wish me luck this week that I don't mess anything up!

It was fun to hear you all had a good week! Lyssa I loved your pictures, cute that your girls like to play with stuffed animals! No I did not bring Henry, he is in my hope chest, but I did bring nother bear Mom gave me.

 Happy Birthday Kaden!!! I was singing you the birthday song on SUnday, hope you heard me. :]

I did get your package Mom and Dad for Valentines day, thank you! I'll keep my eyes out for the others. And Sister Dittrich did say she got your email and she was very excited! She'll write you back soon I think.

The New Beginnings sounded like it was a very good thing! I'm glad it worked well for you.

Dad, your Stack em stuff looks very good, it made me hungry!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I Love you!

Love, Sister Walker