Week #64 - Countdown to Conference!

Hallo!!!

Great week, super busy week!!!  And this week will be busy too!!  I am so grateful for my mission!  I love it here!!  I love the people I serve and the missionaries I serve with!  I love this work!!  I love this gospel and I know with all my heart and soul that this church is true!!

Oh, Bruder Koch and Oliver got the Priesthood this week!!  So grateful I got to be a part of their stories and got to see the light within them grow and grow!  How lucky am I?!

This week is THE BEST weekof the year!!  Why?  GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!  I am so looking forward to the answers to prayers, the revelation, the guidance, and the JOY that will be coming to us this week from the servants of God - our living prophets.  I know that, as you listen to the word of God with an open heart, it will bless and change you, and you will find those answers you are seeking.  I know it because I have lived it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Vxspr1dag

I love you all very much and I am praying for you!  Cant wait to see you in 8 weeks, and loving every second here!!  Gottes-segen!!  (God's blessings)

Love, Sister Dal

Week #63 - Familiar Faces

Hallo Lovelies!!

This week was WUNDERBAR! 

Sister Frenkel is so great!!  I love serving with her!  She is fearless and hard working and so committed to the work!  I love serving with her!!  I know we are going to see miracles together here!

Also, we had Stake Conference this week, and guess who I saw!!!

Wichian!!

Schwester Silva (also shoutout to Bruder Silva in the hospital!)

Leonie - one of the cutest little girls on the planet, who will be the best future sister missionary!

And SO MANY OTHERS (Bishof Schlief, Familie Dessin, Bruder Greiser, Vanessa....ahh just so many!!)!!  It was the very greatest and SUCH A BLESSING from a very merciful Father in Heaven.  Spandau still has so much of my heart, and it was wonderful to see my family there that I loved and served, and still pray for.  Seeing so many I love from Berlin made me so trunky to see those I love in Lauenburg too!  And to see my family back home!

I just cannot wait for the Kingdom of God when we will all be together again!  It will be wunderbar.

I love you all and am praying for you!!  I love my mission!

Love, Sister Stringham

Week #62 - One of Fifteen Here in Berlin

Hallo lovelies!!

Here she is, my beautiful new companion!!!!

Her name is Sister Frenkel and She is such a sweetheart! She is from Frankfurt, which means we speak ONLY German which is hard but way good for my German!  Hopefully I will finally learn this language a little bit better! #evenoldmissionariescanlearnnewtricks

​

Seriously, she is wonderful though and a ROCKSTAR missionary already!  She is just stoked to go out and work and serve, and she is so sweet and patient with me!  I LOVE HER SO MUCH and I am really excited and blessed to be able to serve with her here in Tiergarten!!

Also, exciting news....I saw all the missionaries I love that are still here this week!  Sister Jardine called me for the finisher phonecall (#stillinlove #dreamteamspandauforever) and then during the week Sister Keller and Sister Rasmussen stayed overnight (ahhhh I LOVE these sisters) and then I FINALLY saw Sister Harris and Sister Knecht again at the meeting (#somuchuglycrying).  Ahh I am SO BLESSED to be here with those I love!!!  I love my mission!

Now, to the most exciting part of the week/possibly my life:

An Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ, came and visited us this week.  Elder David A. Bednar came and spoke with us and it was just amazing.  I cant really describe, but the Spirit of the Lord was so strong.  You could feel the difference as soon as he walked in the room.  We learned so much as we just did a QA session for a few hours with him, and then at the end, he gave his apostolic witness and blessing.  It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life.  I know with all my heart and my soul that he is truly an apostle of the Lord.  He is one of fifteen men on the earth who have this sacred calling.  He speaks with power and authority of God, and through His Holy Spirit.  He is a special witness of Jesus Christ, and I know that he is called of Him.  I know that this church is true, that it is truly the church of Jesus Christ restored through modern day revelation and prophets.  I know that the work that we are doing here is the work of God, and that He is with us in this work. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and changes lives everyday, because it has changed mine.  I know that my redeemer lives, and that He is at the head of this church.  I know that by living His gospel, we can be happy with our families for all eternity.  I am so happy to be sharing that testimony and that witness with the world.  I am so unbelievably blessed, and I am so grateful to be here.  I am so grateful that I got to see an apostle of the Lord and to hear his testimony in person, and to feel the spirit so strongly again confirm the truth of this work.  I am so grateful!!!  I pray that you know that I know, and that you know for yourselves :)

Week #61 - Training Again!!

Hi lovelies!!!

Did you know, I miss and love you all very much?!  It is crazy how quickly the time goes here, and before we know it, we will all be back together again!!  Crazy and scary and happy and sad and just unbelievable!  Naja!

Soooo I have NO time to write this week, but, exciting news:

I AM TRAINING AGAIN!!!!

Super surprised, but SUPER excited.  Sister Bronson will also be training, guess where....Spandau!  Crazy small world here in Berlin, and I am so excited for her to go and change lives and see miracles in the city I love so much!!  They will be lucky to get her!!  And I will be getting a BRAND NEW MISSIONARY to CALL DOWN MIRACLES with me here in TIERGARTEN!!  Wooohoooo!!!

New missioanries are just especially filled with light and faith and the Spirit, and the Lord just pours the miracles down from Heaven.  I sometimes wish I could go back to the beginning of my mission, but I am excited to feel part of that again.  I know this new sister will just change this area and Germany!  Woohoo!!  So excited! And so excited to get to serve and share a little of what I know, and leaqrn tooonnnnssss from her and to hear her testimony!

And what a great way to end my mission, to live in crescendo and sprint to the end!!!!

So happy, so grateful, so excited!!  Send prayers my way, and I will be praying for you!!  I love you all so dang much!!!  Keep shining that light and sharing your testimonies!!

ALLES GUTE, Sister Dal

Oh also, here's a little blip about Lange Nacht der Religion, and open house at our church which was super successful this past week!!  Lots of people came and one even came to church the next day!  I love this area and I love being a missionary here and I love this work!!

Please excuse the naasssttyyyy photos, we had spent the ENTIRE day cleaning the church #notsostylingsistermissionaries #naja #thechurchistrue #evenifthemissionariessmelllikecleaner

http://www.presse-mormonen.de/artikel/lndr-berlin-2014-reportage   Check it out, I'm in it!

Week #60 - Sommerfest!

Hallo!!!

First: Me and my BEAUTIFUL companion!  We love each other.  Whole bunches!

Second:  This week we had our big ward summer party!  It was such a blast, and there were a good amount of people there.  Oh and Bruder Jordan brought two pigs on spits which was just about the coolest thing ever, and super tasty.  Also, there were games and fun and a talent show, and Bishop ran around in a candy suit for the kids and it was all just a blast.  Its funny how those parties can be a little more stressful for missionaries, just as we are trying to make sure everyone has friends.  Tip for members: be friends with those who come to the parties :)  It was great though, and we had spent the week inviting friends and less actives, and one actually came!!  Her name is Samaimah, and she is a member of the church from Tonga, and she is the cutest sweetest lady on the planet!  We had so much fun getting to know her, and she said she will be coming every Sunday from now on which is wonderful! Ah the church is true, no matter where you are!  Miracle! 

Third: Another miracle from this week was when we were walking down the street, and a saw a little man in an oversized suit coat, with gray hair and a distinctive walk...I screamed out his name, and who turned around but my dear Artur, the miracle investigator I taught in Spandau for the first 7 months of my mission.  What the junk he was doing in the middle of Berlin, I dont know except that God put him there at exactly the right moment!  He looked better than last time I saw him, since right at the end of my time there his life kind of fell apart and we lost contact, and even though things werent going super well and he didnt have a place to sleep, he had a little bit of light in his face again, just like he had before.  We were so happy to see each other again, and the spirit and the love of God was just so strong as we talked.  Ahh I love that man, and it was such a tender mercy from Heavenly Father that I could see him again before I left Germany.  I testified that he needed to be at church and that God was still there loving and watching over him, and we were able to talk for about 2 minutes and then he had to run.  Short, but so sweet and definitely from God.  I don't know when the right time will be for Artur, but he is good and he is SO loved by our Father.  The Lord has been leading and guiding him his whole life, and he knows this church is true with all his heart, and someday he will recieve the full blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  MIRACLE!

Fourth: .....ahhh time is running out. We went to the Pergamon Museum today as a district and saw an exhibit on Babylon and on Islamic Art!  Super cool!!  Also, I LOVE the missionaries I serve with! 

#Taufgartenunity

I love you all!  I am praying for you!  Keep being good and trusting in God.  He is there for you, I know it with all my heart and soul.  I know He is there, and that He loves every single one of us very, very much.

Alles Liebe, Sister Dal

​

Week #59 - 100 Days Left

That's right folks, start the count down!  I have 100 days today left of my mission.  Crazy how fast the time flies here.  I am crazy scared to end my mission and crazy excited to see all of you again.  Just....going crazy!

Advice?  Send it my way!  What should I do before I go?  How can I make the most of my time left?  How can I keep from going crazy? ;)  Seriously though, I would love to hear from y'all, so send me a letter!

I love my mission!!!  We are seeing SO many MIRACLES!  Its insane!  I am super short on time, so I can't tell you about them now....but they are coming!!!  I LOVE MY MISSION AND I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

Also, I finally had a tausch (temporary switch of companion) with Sister Tolman!!!!!!  #BESTTHINGEVER!  Heavenly Father really knows us so well and put us in each other's lives because He knows how much we need each other.  Man, this sister is an angel, let me tell ya, and the tausch was such an answer to my prayers!  I am SO BLESSED to have her and to get to learn from her and feel her testimony and just be uplifted and inspired from her here in Berlin!  SO BLESSED.  Also shoutout: HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY SISTER TOLMAN!!!!!!

Well, I love you all and I am praying for you!! Keep putting you faith in God, He is always there :)

Love, Sister Dal

#hübschetiergartenmissionaries (cute)

Week #58 - Bruder Max in Taufgarten!

Hallo from Taufgarten (Baptismgarden), as we missionaries here lovingly call it! 

First off:  He made it!!  Bruder Max is now officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!  He's the sweetie in the wheelchair :)

So, this past week was crazy and everything that could possibly go wrong before the baptism did go wrong, but the Lord was with us!  Really, we felt it so strongly, and when what matters most is that Saturday evening finally came and Max and Oliver, another miracle man who has been meeting with the Elders, made it, and are now part of the fold of God.  It was a double baptism, and I have never in my life see two men more converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was beautiful and the Spirit was so strong. 

So, let me tell you about Max:  Max is our miracle.  He came up to us and started talking, and from day one, he was just crazy prepared.  He loved every minute of our lessons and of church, loved the members, and said he knew the church was true from the first. because of the light that he saw in our faces and the way he felt in the church.  He would say almost every single lesson that the 16th of August just couldnt come soon enough.  He is 79 and would ride buses and subways in his wheelchair almost everyday to go to the church for a lesson or activity.  He loves the church, and would cry when he heard the story of Joseph Smith and the way the Lord answered his prayer.  He just believes it all from the beginning, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life being able to work with him.  I am so humbled and SO grateful that the Lord blessed me to be able to meet from him and learn from him, and to see his testimony grow.  I am so grateful!!  It was the same with Oliver as well, and it was so cool to see how the Lord just prepares his children!!  Our God is good, and the church is true!!

Another miracle from this week: Last night, we got a call from two missionaries who are going home tomorrow.  They had been working in Berlin, doing the last finding of their missions, and had just finished their last conversation when they saw 2 ladies across the street taking pictures of them and calling them over.  They went over and started talking to them.  They knew the missionaries!  There was this young girl in her twenties whose mother is a member in Brazil, but she herself never got baptized.  She said she had been waiting her whole life to get baptized, and asked if they could help her out.  She had even been to the church and had taken pictures of it, but the door was locked.  She was SO excited to meet, and we have an appointment today!  MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!  Ahh miracle!!!

An apostle of the Lord, Elder David A. Bednar, is coming in a month and the Lord is pouring out the blessings of Heaven before he comes.

I love this work, I know it is true.  I love the Lord and I love my Savior, and I love you!  I am praying for you!!

Love, Sister Dal

#bierbike we raced two with 8 missionaries in front of the tor!!  So fun!

#lovethisgirl #cantwaitforourexchangethisweek!