Ch ch ch changes.... in Freiburg!

November 22, 2010
Hello my loved ones!

Well where to start!? Sister Lydia Scruggs is my new companion and she is . . . me. Haha, we are so similar its a blast already.

She has been on her mission for 10 months and served in Rostock and has been in Dresden for the last 6 months, so coming to little Freiberg has been a big adjustment for her. It was fun to pick her up and to move her in, getting to know each other went really quickly and I think we just skipped the awkward stage which apparently is supposed to be there when you first get a new companion, so that was a blessing. Sister Scruggs is from SLC and went to West high. She went to BYU and studies speach language pathology. She is hilarious and we are constantly laughing. She may or may not have walked as much as she walks here in Freiberg and its just funny to keep eachother going, and promising her, 'I swear there were more people on the streets until you got here,' a light that hadnt worked in our apt for the last 12 weeks turned on when Sister Scruggs tried to turn it on, so that has to be a sign of something good. Its also been cool to see what other sisters eat haha, she introduced me to toast with krauter quarck and gouda cheese and salami, delicious.  Its been fun to try and find people we both know....zum beispiel Matt Holland...president of UVU? Is her family friend....and Mason McMullin went with her to Jerusalem. So those are two of the most random people we have in common. I am loving serving with her, and it is definitely a change not being with my 'mom' / trainer anymore. Its been a challenge trying to introduce her to the program and set some new goals. Its really exciting because we are both so excited to work hard. She has great German and has such a pure dedication to find teach baptize and keep. She has a lot of great experience, from her mission of course but as well as the experiences she had in Australia where her dad was the mission president. Its been a cool experience hearing different power statements, different ways to approach people and neat to rub off on each other. I am excited for what this transfer will bring with the two of us! Woot!

We had an incredible experience on Thursday when Sister Scruggs first met Xiang. He is such a stud and is really taking on the gospel. He reads dilligently and said he is praying regularly, we did give him the idea of putting something on his pillow to remind him to pray before he goes to sleep- so funny to teach people these things at 26 years old- but he loved the idea and said he would do it. We talked about baptism and showed him the fot and he got excited, we set a date with him DECEMBER 18th! So we will be meeting with him 3 times a week until then and its been a great start to the transfer with Sister Scruggs. He then came to church yesterday and sang the songs, and read a scripture in our aufbau class, he is definitely one who is prepared, and so crazy to think 4 weeks ago he knew nothing of God and we just talked to him one evening on the street....miracles.

We had that random day of snow 2 weeks ago and since then it hasnt snowed...but I feel it coming, it definitely smells like it, I always feel like im going to go skiing, you know that smell at the top of a mountain, thats what it smells like :) So soon enough the snow will come and the physical part of this missionary work will be more challenging but I think we will get though it, there are just so many blessings that make up for it, there is no room to complain! Sister Scruggs and I just laugh all the time, talk to everyone and bearing testimony with cheerful, friendly faces and telling people the plan of happiness is so worth it. We say a prayer and in our mission now every companionship says our purpose everytime we leave so we remember our goals, we also hung up snowflakes in our apt to remind us of the WHITE CHRISTMAS 2 nephi 31 goal, and xiang is our candidate. but Im seceretly praying for a couple baptisms this christmas season...oh and another blessing...the WARD! They are incredible, so loving, especially to us! our eating appointment list is up from now to the beginning of Feb and December is already full. People asked if they could have us over for Christmas and we said we were already booked. Its just so incredible being a missionary and feeling so at home here in Germany!

One of the families we will be with on Christmas is the Dziersons. Becky and Manuel. I dont know if I have written home about them yet, but if not, here is more. THEY ARE SO GREAT. Becky is from Indiana and went to Byu and then Hamburg on her mission, she married Manuel who served in that mission too, and they have been married for 3.5 years here in Freiberg, (where Manuel is from) They have 2 kids, James and Nora, and Nora is only 2 months old, yes I knew Becky when she didnt have Nora yet. They are our closest friends, Becky is the Young Womens president and Manuel is the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. They are so dedicated to the gospel and are so supportive of us, little James is the cutest and can act out a whole book of animals and its hilarious, ill have to tape it for you all. I am just so grateful for the Americans in the ward because theey are keeping the holidays alive....

This saturday we are meeting the younger 'cool' families in the ward for a Thanksgiving party, they invited us yesterday at church and said we could bring a couple investigators and some American cookies...I think Sister Scruggs is going to make peanut butter oatmeal bars....yes! So that shall be a grand way to celebrate, hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving too!!!

We just were informed that we get to go to Berlin for the mission tour, Dec 9th for a visit by Elder Teixeira of the Quorum of the 70 with half the mission, so that will be a blessing, and the 'hoho zoko' is on Dec 15, so we will get to see a lot of other missionaries a couple times this next month. We do get to see our district every Wednesday when we go to Chemnitz for district meeting, and its odd because two of the sisters that were there just went home and we got a new district leader and so I am the only missionary (other than elder and sister swartz the ehepaar) from our old district! Wierd! But Sister Malen is in my district now, who was in the mtc with me, who I flew over with, so its been exciting to see her!!

We are just doing so well, and our spiritual thought lately we share at members houses is of miracles and relating it to the story of the brother of Jared. Not only did he find the stones to light up the ships, but he moulted them so they were white and clear and then carried him up a mountain to then have the miracle of seeing the lords finger light them.. . He knew he needed a miracle and he had to work for it! And we here in Freiberg know that we definitely need some miracles to get people interested and find the prepared ones, and then baptize, so we are working for the miracle. So if you need a miracle with something you have going on in your life....remember you cant just pray for a miracle, but gotta do a little work for it! (or maybe a lot of work for it) but we are better for it, because then we know the value of the miracle, and are humble enough to thank the Lord for it. So the other side of the spiritual thought is realizing the miracles we have in our life, the Lord gives us miracles everyday but sometimes we are too busy or proud or 'too good' to realize what the Lord is blessing us with, so we are writing down the miracles we see everyday, and invite you to do the same, because ónce your realize the miracles you are getting then the Lord gives you more! Ahh, he loves us so much. Dont you agree!?

I hope you have a faaantastic week, fun of fun with family, in the snow, eating and football and eating and maybe a little personal time with just you and your Heavenly Father, I know thats what really keeps me motivated to keep on keeping on, good luck!

Thank you for your love and prayers and support, cool quote Sister Scruggs gave me....

Faith is the power
obedience is the price
love is the motive
the spirit is the key
and Christ is the reason.
- James E. Faust

-Sister Rasmussen