City Life

In the charmed land of Beethoven and Mozart, life is fast paced.  Trams duck between towering skyscrapers and people stroll between shops.  The air is thick with cigarette smoke and the wafting scent of exotic cuisine.

This week has been slightly crazy.  Last Pday, Sister Price and I explored the many glorious churches scattered throughout Vienna.  









On Tuesday, the missionaries went on a tour around the city, and I went on exchange with beautiful Sister Gilmour.  I continue to meet people from all over the globe, and this week have shook hands with people from Poland, Iran, Damascus, Syria and Holland, just to name a very few.  I have also experienced the wisdom and might of a Kenyan preacher.



I've been asked a lot about the missionary schedule/food/etc, so here is a "typical" day for Sister Price and I, though it often changes depending on appointments:

6:30 - Rise and shine!  We take a nice jog around the block in the nippy Austrian morning.
7:00 - We turn on some nice uplifting EFY tunes, get ready and eat breakfast.  The dairy here in Europe is really good, so I typically get a bowl of plain yogurt mixed with honey, berries, banana, and musli.  If not, we can get fresh bread cheap from one of the many bakeries dotting the city.
8:00 - Personal study, the most relaxing part of the day.  Since I just finished the Book of Mormon again, I am rereading the Old Testament alongside the seminary manual and have already learned so much. I am also reading the mission's daily assigned chapters from the Book of Mormon. The goal of PS is to find something to help your investigators, and it always works.   
9:00 - Companion study. We discuss what we learned in PS and look for the right scriptures/videos/talks that will help us in our lessons.  
10:00 - Language study. German is not easy to learn, but I was equipped with 10 pounds worth of books plus a variety of apps for my iPad, so I learn slowly but surely.  Honestly the best method of learning is immersion. 
11:00 - 12 Week Training Program. Sister Price is an excellent, chill, hilarious and patient trainor, helping me with learning the language and the swing of things as a missionary.  
12:00 - Lunch
1:00 - Go out and preach! This part of the day is the most flexible and just depends on when people want to meet.  Some days are spent mostly just finding out on the streets or in parks, whilst we typically have 2 or 3 investigator lessons on Friday.  We have also helped one ward family move out of their apartment and another family move into a different apartment.  Another time, the missionaries organized a Fußball (soccer) and volleyball night as an activity that anyone was invited to. Really, the schedule is just always changing.        
unspecified dinner hour - I love having a full hour to make food because we can just experiment.  It's crazy how many recipes two girls can come up with just based off of whatever random ingredients are in the pantry.  On Pday we just try make sure our fridge is stocked with a variety of fruits and veggies.  From scratch we have whipped up Mexican chili with homemade tortillas, vegetable casseroles, curry, french toast, you name it.     
9:00 - Daily Planning.  Count numbers and make goals for the following day.  Decide what topics we need to study tomorrow both with language and with scriptures, based off investigator needs. 
9:30 - Chill out.  Write in journal, get in PJs, the like.  I have never enjoyed those cheesy church movies so much as when I was on my mission and want to relax after a long day. 
10:30 - Bed


I can't believe how fast email time goes, but I am so excited for a new day of explorations in the beautiful land of Österreich.

XOXO,
    Gospel Girl
(My companion in the MTC, Sister Gines, 
        gave me this nickname in the MTC :))


Vienna Waits for You

The English night was cold and drizzly as we said our goodbyes and left the MTC.  Though surviving on a mere two hours of sleep, our veins pumped with adrenaline induced by our own excitement. We flew to Munich, where we were dropped off at the station to hand out cards, and then we stayed with our wunderbar mission president and his family. 



They assigned me to serve in Wien and the next morning I headed out on a 5-hour train ride through Germany and across Salzburg. I have never seen so many churches as when I traveled past the snow-tipped Alps. My jaw dropped at the beauty of the rolling hills and sapphire lakes and rich green forests. 


And then into Vienna. Oh what a beautiful city, with its kaleidoscope assortment of colors and its endless variety of styles... From glistening modern skyscrapers to vine-baring cottages... from gorgeous Greco-Victorian apartments decked with intricate gold reliefs to ancient cathedrals whose bells throng through the city every hour.  I first fell in love with Europe when I visited the Mediterranean in 2014, but to drive through this famed land of art and music and then to set my suitcases down in an apartment and realize that this was my new home? There is no feeling like it.  






I met my beautiful and kind companion Sister Price and then we headed out to the street, Book of Mormon in hand.  Now everybody said that going from the MTC to the field would be like being thrown into cold water... but honestly, I don't know where they came up with that, because I love being a missionary.  I mean granted, I don't know the half of what it's really like because I'm brand new, but it is so thrilling to be able to offer to everyone we meet the knowledge that they have a purpose in their life. Yes, we face a lot of rejection, but God gave people agency!  I have loved meeting ward members and fellow missionaries and it was such an incredible opportunity to teach three lessons in one day.  


    The gift of tongues is real, people. To think that 7 weeks ago I spoke not a single word of Deutsch, and that now I can understand not all but the majority of what is being said during investigator lessons and whilst contacting? Wild. There is a catch, however. Every time someone directly asks me a question, I forget everything I know and stare at them dumbly (or else use Spanish vocab). I didn't totally understand what was taught in church, and I can never say anything whilst Sister Price and I are out teaching people because they usually move onto something else before I can think of the translation for how I want to respond. However, I will be patient, work hard and continue to be so so grateful that I am understanding the language during the most essential parts of my day as a missionary.  Ok, so maybe I wished that I couldn't understand whilst a Jehovah's Witness lectured us for twenty minutes and said that our faith was of the devil. But all is good, all is good. It's been pretty funny to have a couple people comment on how we ride horses and carriages and aren't allowed to use technology.   
   Now the journey begins.  The Austrians are such a beautiful, refined people, and it has been such a blessing to meet people from all over Africa and the Middle East.  The blending of cultures is incredible, and I can't wait to discover what Wien has to offer whilst I serve with all my heart, might, mind and strength.  

XOXO,
Sister Lundgreen

The Mission Home


Dear Family of Sister Lundgreen-

We are delighted to tell you that Sister Lundgreen arrived safely in Munich this morning!  She has been fed and trained, and is now in bed after a long day of orientation. 

We thought you might enjoy this picture from our meeting this evening. Her new companion will be Sister Price, and they will serve together in Vienna, Austria. 

We are thrilled that she is here and we are grateful for her preparation and enthusiasm.  She will be a wonderful missionary.  We love her already, and will do all we can to help her have a successful mission.  

Your daughter’s preparation day is on Mondays, and that is when she will be e-mailing you each week.  We also have a mission blog if you would like to see occasional pictures of what is occurring in the mission.  The address is:  www.alpinegermanspeakingmission.blogspot.de

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us.  We know that the Lord will bless you and your family during the next year and a half as you support your missionary in her service. 

Sincerely,
President and Sister Kohler
Alpine German-Speaking Mission

Conference

Last Pday in the MTC!  


I have come to love the people here and hope to remember those nighttime chats with the roommates and hilarious classroom moments. 

  


Guess who I am in the illustration of the district? 
Yep.  I've been told that I look 14  

and that I'm the size of a 12 or 8-year-old.  
Hopefully people can take me seriously in the field :'D




I'm going to miss doing things like sharing chocolate sent by Sister Lehmann's Swiss grandma and jogging around the blooming gardens... brushing out the girls' hair into afros and driving past the redbrick homes on our much-too-anticipated trip to the supermarket.  





It's been wonderful meeting people from all over the world, but I cannot wait to discover the culture of the Alps.   I'm rather scared for the real world, because I know my German {or as our apostle called it the Celestial language} is not very good... but on the plus side, rather than thinking of Spanish words when I want to speak in German, I have started saying German when I want to use Spanish.  I have gotten to the point where I can understand most of what the fake investigators are saying and can come up with full answers without looking at a German script. 






      If you were to tell someone that apostles like those of the New Testament lead and guide us today, could you tell them what those apostles had to say?  I hope so, because conference was AMAZING!  So much of what our beloved apostles and leaders had to say revolved around service.  As a missionary, I hope to be able to set aside the mirror and focus entirely on the wellbeing of other people.  When else in my life will my sole concern be to give other people the message of God's love for them?  What an incredible opportunity. 


Liebe,
Sister Lundgreen

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