Week #29 - Immer Noch Cold

So this week in Spandau...COLD!

The winter blasts cannot stop the Mormon missionaries, so we hit the pavement in the snow and ice, which is an adventure in of itself, so its been fun!!  I walked the sole out of my boots, which meant very cold, wet feet this week for Sister Stringham.  But we go on!  New boots today!

Straight up Gs here in Spandau!

In other news, this week was great!!!

It was pretty slow at the beginning again, but we had an amazing lesson with Wichian on Thursday.  We felt strongly that we needed to bring Bruder Krause along so we did and that was bomb, and the Bischof came in and joined our lesson half way through which was even better.  It was an incredible lesson and I was taught my two men of great faith, and it was a huge turning point for Wichian too.  We wants so badly to believe, and he is learning to believe in and trust God and our Savior.  It is such a testimony builder to watch!  I love my mission!!

Then, YESTERDAY  we had a MIRACLE. 

In other news, this week was great!!!

It was pretty slow at the beginning again, but we had an amazing lesson with Wichian on Thursday.  We felt strongly that we needed to bring Bruder Krause along so we did and that was bomb, and the Bischof came in and joined our lesson half way through which was even better.  It was an incredible lesson and I was taught my two men of great faith, and it was a huge turning point for Wichian too.  We wants so badly to believe, and he is learning to believe in and trust God and our Savior.  It is such a testimony builder to watch!  I love my mission!!

Then, YESTERDAY  we had a MIRACLE. 

So, as I said before, this week was a little slow, so we decided we needed to boost our faith and thrust in our sickles.  We fasted and prayed, and then, on Sunday after church, we planned to go out and have a lesson with an old contact from the Elders.  Rose is an African mom with a big personality and an even bigger heart.  When we made the appointment on the phone, she just kept saying how much she needed Jesus in her life, so we were really excited about our lesson.  BOOM BEST LESSON EVER!  Although the teaching was scattered, the Spirit was THERE!  It was such a testimant that this is not our work, but truly the work of the Lord. We taught the Restoration of the gospel and how, just as in days of old, we have a prophet again on the earth to today to teach and guide our families.  She just kept saying over and over how much sense it made that Heavenly Father would be working in the same ways, and that we would have more than just the Bible.  She told us that she has been waiting for this and that she would put her kids to bed as soon as we left and stay up to read in the Book of Mormon.  She said a beautiful prayer for us at the end of the lesson, where she just thanked God over and over for us, asked him to bless her with positivity as she searched for the truth of the church, and how excited she was to become a member of HIS church.  Then she said she was so grateful that we came and how she wants to raise her two beautiful children in His light and His church. 

It was incredible, I have never had an experience quite like that in my 7 months here, and I am just so grateful to be a missionary.  I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of His great work, and bring soulds to Him.

I love my mission and I love my God!

And I love all of you!!  Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers.  I love and pray for you too!!!   Keep smiling!

Love, Sister Dal

Pretty Typisch :)  LOVE THIS GIRL!!!  Please note the giant wurst we are eating for dinner.  LOVE GERMANY!!!

Week #28 - COLD!

HELLO!

You should all know, the process of Sister Stringham becoming a little popcicle has begun.  It is SUPS cold and windy outside now, so we sing lots of songs as we are on the streets, and that always brings a little sunshine.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!  SO MUCH!!

Doeners with the New Kid

Really, it is the most wonderful thing in the world.  This week almost everything fell out, but it just gives us an opportunity to start all over this next week, and I am so excited!  I love this work, and I know it is the work of the Lord.  I love being a tool in his hands, and I am working my hardest to be a Wilford Woodruf or Abinadi or Alma for Him!  I know that He is with me!

Sorry, thats it for this week folks, but I love you all and am always praying for you!  Prayers and letters are always appreciated by we missionaries :)  I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE MY GOD!

Here are a few photos from New Year's Eve:

Love, Sister Stringham

Week #27 New Beginnings in Spandau

Hello All!!!

So lots of adventures here in Spandau!!  I love being a missionary and I love this area!!  I love the people with all my heart and I love this work!!!

So this week I put my best friend of the last 6 months on a train for Hamburg!  Super sad to be separated after so long together (some statistic floating around somewhere says 20yrs of marriage), but it is also so good to both be off on new adventures!  I know we are both so excited to be working for the Lord, and I know we will see each other again soon!!

So, other things from this week....

First off, I love being a representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ!!  People see it and feel it!  Like, for example, Özgur from our favorite Döner place and his cousin!  They asked about our church and our meeting with us now because they want to turn their lives around and follow Christ.  And everytime they see us on the street, they call us over and give us free water or döners or anything.  They say they see our light and know we are from Christ.  Also this week, as we were walking down the street, a man called after us on the street because he saw our nametags, and asked us to teach his family.  The Lord has PREPARED PEOPLE EVERYWHERE folks, I know it!!  I know this is his work and I know that my time as His representative is so precious.  I love being a missionary!!

Second, Wichian is probably the coolest person on the planet.  So we have been meeting with us for the past 5 months.  He loves the church and he wants to believe in God and he has felt the Spirit SO STRONGLY.  I love teaching him and seeing his progress and his faith grow. It has come so far and he is so close to accepting Christ, he just wants to make sure he has made the right decision.  He is working on trusting the Lord, and in the meantime, what does he do?  He writes a song about Mosiah 18, about the doctrine and gospel of Jesus Christ.  This week he told us all about it and how he is working our names into it so that his missionaries can be a part of his song.  Jardine changed to Janee in Thai meaning good heart, Harris to Harisa meaning happy spring, and Stringham to Stri-gnam meaning good, beautiful woman.  SO COOL!  Gosh, I love this guy!!  He is having a Thai woman in our stake sing it (apparently he hangs out with all the thais and new converts from our stake??) and he want Sister Harris to sing it as well.  I love being a missionary and working with such incredible people!!  I love this gospel and the changing power it has!  I love seeing faith working in people, and watching the Atonement heal souls.  I love being a part of conversion. I love seeing people come to Christ!  I love my mission!

I love Spandau and I am so excited for this next transfer!  Sister Harris and I have made high goals and we have faith and are ready to work hard and get things done!  I know that when we are faithful and diligent as missionaries (and in life) that we see miracles and can accomplish great things as tools in the hand of the Lord.  I am so grateful for my time as a missionary, and I love my work!  I meet so many wonderful people, from new people interested in the gospel of Jesus Christ, to members who faithfully live every day as disciples.  We were by Familie Richter yesterday for a wonderful dinner of sauerkraut and knüdels and roast something and veggies and it was so lecker, and we spent the time talking about the scriptures and looking through their photos from their vacations to the US.  It was so perfect, I just love my life so much!  Thank you for your examples to me, and for your prayers, I feel them every day!  I love you all and am praying for you, and working hard for you and for the Lord! 

Love, Sister Dal

We studied the Atonement through reading the Book of Mormon as a mission, and I finished this week.  If you don't know this book yet or haven't read it through or prayed about it, please, try it out.  I know, with all my heart, and I bear testimony as a representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ, that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know it is from God, and I know that, as we read it with the Bible, that we have the fulness of the gospel and that it will bring us back to our Father in Heaven.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I feel the love of the Lord and my Savior as I read it.  I am so grateful to ba a missionary, and to have the opportunity to share this joy with the people of Germany!  We are changing Germany, and I know that we will change the world!  Love you all and love my calling!! http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1101418669001 

Week #26 - Alles Gute Zum Neues Jahr!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am so excited to spend this year in the service of my God! 

I am also so excited for this next transfer!  I am staying for a fifth transfer in Spandau to keep training Sister Harris, and Sister Jardine is headed to Hamburg to be a sister training leader over there.  We are sad to see her go, especially since we have had 6 months together, but we are so excited for her new adventure.  And we are PUMPED for this next transfer!  We are going to see a lot of miracles and we are really going to see the hand of the Lord.  I know it!  I am so excited to get to work!!

Unser Distrikt  (Our district)

And here's the Spandau Gang!!

 I have really really LOVED serving with these kids!  They are all such incredible, rockstar missionaries, and I have learned so much from them!  I have just been so blessed and I am so greatful for them!  We are sad to see Elder Wilde and Sister Jardine leave after 6 months together, but we are all so excited for our new adventures!  I love being a missionary and the friendships I make here!

Okay folks, I think thats it, we don't have much time this week, but I love you all!!  I love being a missionary!!  I am so happy and so exctied to work for this next month!  I love serving and teaching about and testifying of my Savior.  I know He is here with me in this work, I know He loves me and knows me, and I know He loves you too!  Keep smiling, I am praying for you!

Love, Sister Dal

Week # 25 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Hallo!

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!  I hope everyone knows how very VERY happy I am!  I love being a missionary and I love doing the work of the Lord.  I love teaching and testifying and coming to know my Savior better everyday!  I love the Spirit I feel everyday, and I love the people I serve with and the people I am serving!  I love Germany and I love Christmas!  I love being a missionary!!

So this week was a special week with Christmas and all the holidays.  It was so fun and we got so many presents from members and investigators.  I just felt so loved and my heart is so full.  AND I GOT TO SEE MY FAMILY!!!!

Okay, slow down...here's what happened :) We had a Christmas program at the church which was beautiful and Wichian AND his wife came!  Wooh!!!  She was the cutest, taking pictures the whole time and just so excited to finally meet us!  Then we went and spent the evening with some members in our ward. Christmas morning we woke up and opened presents (thank you so much to all of the investigators and ward members and family who sent me something!!  It was so fun to wake up to a few things under our Christmas branch, and we had a lovely morning!)

Then we went and helped Bruder Dessin renovate his new work building.  He just bought an old airport tower from WWI and WWII and DDR time, and after showing us around and telling us all about the history, we all went to work sorting trash and digging up plants and trees and concrete!  It was a PERFECT Christmas morning and I was SO happy I got to serve and work!

After lunch with Familie Dessin, we sisters jumped on a train out to Alexanderplatz....

...and.....THEN WE SAW MY FAMILY!!!!  What a blessing to be able to see my family on Christmas!  Luckiest and happiest girl in all the world!!

Sister Jardine, Aunt Chantel, cousin Ethan, me, cousin Cora, Sister Harris, and Bishop Uncle Greg!

Love them like crazy!

Seeing my family, and then also getting to SKYPE MY FAMILY made for the best Christmas of my life.  So so SO happy!!!  I am so glad to see and hear that everyone is doing well!  Excited and motivated to work hard until Mother's Day when I can see you all again!!

The next day we spent with Familie Silva!!  Ahh I love this family more than I can even describe; definitely my home away from home.

The rest of the week was just WONDERFUL too!!  We spent the week caroling and dropping off brownies and teaching the people we love here so dearly!  I love being a missionary.  So much!  So happy and grateful I got to serve during Christmas time in such a wonderful area with so many wonderful people.  I am so grateful to be here and to be a missionary!!  I love my calling and I love my God, and I look forward to a new year completely dedicated to the service of the Lord.  I am grateful that this next year will be spent as a misisonary, and I know it will be the fastest year yet, and I am excited to work and serve!  I look forward with faith and Joy!  I love you all and I am working hard and praying for you!  I know the Savior is with me!

Liebe Grüße und Alles Gute!

Sister Dally

Week #24 Fröhliche Weichnachten!!

JOY TO THE WORLD - FREU DICH O WELT

It's Christmas time mein liebschens!!!  I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!

I love being a missionary at Christmastime.  On the one hand, it is SUPER hard to be away from the ones I love the most during the holidays, but on the other, what better gift could I be giving to my Savior than to be spreading His gospel!  I love sharing my testimony and being a witness of Jesus Christ and getting to wear His name on my chest every day, and people are touched by His message, especially around Christmas.  I love Christmas!  We have seen the Spirit of Christ, and felt an increase of His love, and I pray the same for you!  Share what Christmas means to you with those you love, and remember to think on the true meaning of Christmas as you are with you families this year!  I love Christmas and I love my Savior! 

http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/glad-tidings-of-great-joy-the-birth-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

Okay, so great things this week:

I love Sister Harris and I love training!!!  Here's her first dönner auf mission!! #somuchmeat

We had exchanges this week and I rode a bike for the first time on my mission!  I felt very missionarylike, and sang Called to Serve the whole time :)  it was great fun, though the bike was WAY to big for me so I've got some pretty gnarley bruises.  Definitely worth it!

We went caroling this week again! The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!  It works folks!!!  

I love the missionaries I serve with!!!  I loove Berlin and Germany!!  I love the assistants, who taught me how to train this week, and I love the Elders in my district who read my soul all the time, and I LOVE BOTH of my companions!  I think I am the luckiest girl in all the world!!

I am so excited for Christmas!  I am so excited to see my family on Skype in two days!  I am so excited to celebrate Christ's birth.  I am so excited to declare His message to all the world: that He was born for us, He lived for us, He dies for us, and that He lives again so that we can live with our Father in the life to come!  I love you all, and as a representative of our Lord Jesus Christ, I testify that He loves you too!  Merry Christmas!

Love, Sister Stringham