Zucchinis and Steam Engines
Friday, August 11, 2017
One evening in prayer, I asked my Father in Heaven: "Is it too late to ask for another miracle?"
The next day, it came.
The day before, we had gone dooring for a couple hours, trying to follow the spirit, coming up with a new approach at every door till we were completely sunburnt. It felt so satisfying to work hard-- even if 50% of the people wouldn't even let us finish the first sentence, and the other half still said no. But we had definitely hit a point of utter exhaustion in our daily lives. It's kind of just 18 months of going-going-going. The pace accelerates as you learn to love the work, but it takes its toll nonetheless.
We had received a notification that someone had ordered a Book of Mormon through mormon.org, so we set up an appointment. We travelled out to the very last town in our area, crossing our fingers it was legit... and boy were we in for a surprise.
This was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL family who just glows. LONG AMAZING STORY SHORT: The father works for an American company with LDS employees and has basically had tons of contact with the church for the past many years. We were shocked as they asked us question after wonderful question, and we taught about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. Even the nine-year-old took part as we discussed the gospel. For them, an everlasting family is the most essential thing.
After they drove us to see a famous basilica (just for fun!) and then to the train station, Sister Harwood and I could hardly contain our happy dance/gratitude prayer. We couldn't believe it. THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE. This is why we come out to a foreign country and go finding and get sunburnt. Because wherever they are, whether we find them or they find us, there are people out there open to the gospel..... a gospel which can and will change their lives for the rest of eternity, if they will let it.
Today for Sister Harwood's birthday, some members got permission to switch our Pday. All aboard! We traveled like good-ole-fashion Damen und Herren, touring the rain-glistened countrysides of Germany on an antique locomotive.
AWESOME. HILARIOUS. You name it:
- I tried to ride the sisters' bike. This was adult sized. The last bike I got was in middle school, and though I was petite already for a middle schooler, I have hardly grown since then! So now I tried to ride this bike and LITERALLY COULD NOT GET UP ON THE SEAT. IT did not help that I was in a skirt. Here I was in the city, making a fool of myself as I tried time and time again to jump onto it, climb onto it, step over it, etc. FINALLY I got on and then nearly crashed as I had to use my tiptoes to pedal. Ughhhhhhhh
- The border between Switzerland and Germany is a little white line painted on the bridge halfway across the river
- About an hour away from home something went wrong and all the trains stopped running so we were stranded in Überlingen until the senior missionaries could pick us up. Who do we run into? Our good friend we've been meeting with!
- The Ice cream servers asked us what our badge meant and then tried to seem cool by telling us in flawless German they are Californian
- A Nigerian guy asked us for our # cause a friend took him to church in Heidelberg
- Sneaky lil Russian Schwester Schäffer. I adore her. She can't get her friend to come to church, so she schemed to invite this friend to lunch at the same time as us!
- There is a family we have been trying to contact for MONTHS and they called saying they all want to come to church
- Ultimate gerlishing: "Other Mitgliers we'll be besuching this week" (my failed attempt to either ask my companion about "other members we'll be visiting this week" or "andere Mitgliedern die wir diese Woche besuchen werden")
Moses 1:
37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.
38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
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