Sonnenschein in My Soul

This week has

 

blown. my. mind.

 

Seriously, it has been so much fun!

 

Sister Helmick is an incredible missionary, a beautiful and elegant person, a rockstar companion, and simply a wonderful person. We've had lots of good times already these last couple of days, and we've been showered with miracles.

 

This week we got to do a new type of finding activity. We wrote the question "Are you happy today?" On a whiteboard, went on the university campus (which used to be a castle) and asked EVERYBODY how they were feeling.

We laughed so much! It connected us with people in a split second, and we had something to share, and they asked us why in the world we would be doing something like that, and we were be able to bear testimony of the joy that comes through the gospel.

We would flash the sign to people in cars, and get their thumbs up or down to add to our tally. It was so successful and we were filled with so much energy.

 

Truth is like a force field, and I invite you all to be blown away! Haha

We went to bed so tired that first full day serving together, it was magical.

 

Best part of the finding activity.....we are talking to this adorable German guy who's like an eligible bachelor, and told him that we gave up "relationships with men" to come on missions.

That's literally what I said.

Don't ask me why, I haven't found a suitable answer yet.

He giggled.

And blushed.

A lot.

I promise I don't flirt to convert...

but I don't think he'll be forgetting us anytime soon.

 

There another time when we walked passed a guy, and we both felt like we should talk to him, but we kept walking, and then turned around and we literally jogged him down. He had interest in meeting with us!

 

And then there were that guy from Africa who was so spiritual, and as we talked to him his friend walked by, and he waved him over, saying that we were Christian. Sister Helmick testified of the Book of Mormon, and turns out, happened to have a French Book of Mormon in her bag, which was their mother tongue. Then we bore down in pure testimony and told them that God was calling their names, and that they needed to listen. The power in that moment was crazy, and we all felt it and were changed.

 

And that's only the beginning!!

 

 

 

Hope has been on my mind today,

as usual...

But I was thinking about what hope is. I'm very much a touchy-feely person, so I base my successes in the moment on how I'm feeling.

I guess I always assumed that hope felt like, well, hope. Warm, slightly fuzzy, with a hint of mint or orange.

I mean, I can't really describe it, but I always figured it'd feel sweet.

However, there are some days, I've decided that one can have hope without feeling it.

Or, more accurately, my definition of hope has changed.

 

Hope is the glimmer of perspective that gives us enough courage to take a step into the dark.

Or sometimes three or four steps into the dark.

 

Missions are so cool in the sense that they provide a training ground for life. One goes through life cycles at an accelerated rate and with such intense emotional compression that patterns become crystal clear. So, in the past few weeks, I've struggled, fought, and learned, and in my learning, I've realized that hope can be subtle.

 

But that doesn't make it any less powerful.

 

It talks about the voice of the Spirit in the scriptures as being a "still, small voice" and not being the sound of the wind or of fire or of thunder, but a voice of stillness. I've felt two versions of stillness this week, which have been totally different from each other and has deepened my ability to hear.

 

First: In moments of conflict, it's easy to feel like a overall warmth, or erasing of the pain, or total solution is the best antidote to the uneasiness of conflict. But, I've learned this week that when we act on the "glimmer of perspective" despite not feeling the "warmth" we might be expecting, it deepens our faith and we are more able to own what we do. It's like the difference between making brownies from the box or making brownies from scratch. Both work, both have their place, but when we choose to have hope when the hoping is hard, we get to know each ingredient and we can then begin to recreate the brownies in our lives in all situations and circumstances. Our ability to make brownies is no longer dependent on a recipe or specific ingredients.

So the silence was the moment of feeling like there was a blank spot where my choice was supposed to be and where I had the opportunity to choose to act on what I felt I knew. It has never occurred to me that that could be a form of silence or stillness. Sometimes the truth requires us to let go of the familiar sounds of past and embrace a new melody. Sometimes we have to track down the silence to find what we need to learn.

 

 

Second: This week there was a moment when the Bishop, our ward mission leader, and all four of us Mannheim missionaries were in the same room. There was a power, an excitement, and urgency that silenced all fears and doubt. It was almost like electricity, that zapped out all negative feelings and left me feeling empowered and limitless.

This is the Lord's work. He is "able to do His own work." And we get to be a part of it.

 

My challenge to you all this week is to find a new way that God speaks to you. He is trying to get your attention. You are exquisitely important to Him. Tune in to His voice by making your prayers more specific, your scripture study a higher priority, your obedience more energized, and by taking moments to be still.

 

And call me when you get back my dear. I love our visits (name the movie)

 

 

All my love,

 

Sister Roderer