"We DO have living Prophets!!!"

Hello Family and Friends!!

SERVUS from sunny, bright, blue-skied Vienna! It´s been about 2 weeks since we´ve seen full-on, radiant sunshine, so Sister Green and I are going to soak up this weather and head to Schloß Belvedere today! (A charming and unique castle in central Vienna).  Transfer calls are coming up towards the end of this week and I can honestly say that I have no idea what the next transfer holds for me.  All I can say is that I will go and do what the Lord commands...and with a great big smile on my face!

This week was FANTASTIC!!! We had Zone Training on Tuesday and were able to enjoy Zone Conference the following day. I just want to express how much I LOVE conferences and trainings, when all the missonaries come together, and we get to learn and teach one another. It is such a strength to be among peers who have the exact same goals and desires as you do. It´s powerful in so many ways --We are simply united in purpose and desire. We are THE Army of Helaman!

We had a really neat experience on the way to our stake center (where we had conference) that tied in perfectly of our Zone Conference theme of "Sharing the Message of Living Prophets". Sister Green and I were waiting for our straßenbahn (after just barely missing the first one), when we noticed a cute little tourist shop on the corner. We passed by and said hi to the man working. He asked me what we were doing, and after explaining that we were headed to a meeting with a bunch of our missionaries, he got really excited and said "I see you guys all the time! Who are you and what do you do?" I was able to tell him what we did as missionaries, and as missionaries we are called by a prophet of God to teach people about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This man Moh, seemed to GLOW with true inquisitiveness as he sincerely asked, "We have....prophets? Living prophets?" I was then able to share my testimony that we do indeed have a living prophet named Thomas S. Monson, and that through another prophet, Joseph Smith, we have the FULLNESS of the Gospel and the AUTHORITY of God restored to the Earth today. I told him about the Book of Mormon, and Moh asked how much he could pay to get one. (Needless to say he was even happier to hear the one in my hand was free!) The 15 minutes waiting for the next straßenbahn seemed like only 2. We were able to get Moh´s information and will be meeting with him this week!!  These are the kind of meetings I love...serendipitously, random but perfectly divine.

I know experiences like this one with Moh happen quite often all over the world in missionary work, but I cannot get over the powerful spirit each time it happens to me personally.  To stop and ask various people what they believe AND then to teach them what WE believe.......isn't as easy as it seems...because everyone has their agency. One of the most frustrating things about being a missionary is simply that:  Understanding that every child of God on earth can choose for themselves is often quite heartbreaking.  I am pretty certain that Heavenly Father feels the same way!  How grateful I am for the Atonement and to have re-dos and reviews and to repent. 

Speaking of agency.....every single one of our appointments fell out this week.  Gahhhhh!!!  Each and every one! We were so bummed, and I was very discouraged at first. But then I realized that everything happens for a reason and if all our appointments were falling out and nobody we went by on was home, there must be an individual out there that we needed to find in that moment. Right?  Glass half empty to glass half full:) Conversions don't come easy in this part of the world...it takes so much faith!!  Sister Green and I proceeded to call each potential ever written down in our Area Book, every former investigator, and every less active. We made probably 20 calls before Familie Kaindel, a less active family, answered. The Kaindels live really far away, and are really old, and therefore makes it really hard to come to Church. They were almost in tears when we called. They were so happy to get a call from the missionaries! We were able to set up an appointment for Thursday. (They live in Neudorf, which is literally right on the border of the Czech Republic...so it will be an adventure in itself to get there!)

Thought for this week?  Blessings come when we work --- and have faith.  After our phonecall session and a couple hours of going by on people and street contacting, we got phonecalls from Nicole, Ludwig (the blind actor), potentials, former investigators, and a less active family. We have appointments made for Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with these people! MIRACLES HAPPEN FAMILY!!!

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity and blessing I have had to serve here in this incredible city of Vienna. 

I know that the Lord has been mindful of ME...just like He is mindful of each of you. 

I love you all so much!!!

Schöne Woche meine Lieben!

One of my favorite things to do…accompany on the piano

VIenna Zone Conference February 2014