'...how bout sometime next week?'

Those are my two favorite lines we got to hear this past week..... so the normal rundown when we talk to people on the street about the gospel we get into a coversation about the purpose of life, or how we find real joy or the fact that we have a loving Father in Heaven and then we go for an appointment right? Yeah, so we are normally suggesting times that they could meet us at the institute center in the city and then we end up figuring out a time, but to be honest it doesnt happen very often where a person, like Susan. We talked to for a good 10 minutes who was pretty skeptical at the beginning and she told us that she had tried to believe in God when she went to visit Ireland and said it didnt work haha, well we then figured out she speaks like perfect english and works for Office depot here in Leipzig? Yeah and she was born here, her family isnt religious at all and she didnt have a good experience when she visted a church in Ireland. As we talked to her about the love her Heavenly Father had for her and the purpose of a church, his church is to learn the truth about him, how we can learn to show our love back to him and to each other. Also most importantly to fulfill his plan for us and be sealed to our families for eternity. It was so cool to see the spirit touch her and to laugh a little realizing how this church has been here at least 20 years and she had never heard of it but wondered why. She then said of course she would meeet us and we asked if she had time tomorrow and that didnt work and then SHE said 'how bout some time next week?' Yes yes I know there are prepared people and that the Lord gives us the words to touch their hearts, but I dont think ive ever heard them suggest 'how about some time next week?' It just showed an excitement and a sincere desire to find the truth. I WAS SO EXCITED AFTER WE TALKED TO HER, just imagined her in white and coming to institute and being a future young womans leader....yay.
Isnt that cool? Just walking on the glies on the way home and she wants the truth, wow they are just all over this city and weve just got to talk to them. Yeah, we are still teaching the other awesome people who we are calling the fantastisch vier (fantastic four) Christiane, Masha, Olga and Stephan..
Christane is doing so great, is coming to every activity and she even wore the skirt I gave her to church yesterday. She loves saying the prayer and brought a friend to come meet us last night. You can see her changing to be obedient and to do what is right. She is in need of love and of people to give her a good example. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true and ever person that changes to live in unity with his teachings is just another testimony to me of the truthfullness. Its so incredible to see the happiness and satisfaction in their eyes. She is going to wait until her friend Nadine comes back from Hannover to be baptized so it will be on November 13, but she is excited and her faith is growing. Its a challenge to see how much she understands and is taking in because she is going from 0 belief, but Sister Faerber and I read in 3 Nephi about the people who repented and believed on Christs name were baptized and stayed strong and true to the faith, and that is what Christiane is doing.
It was awesome teaching Olga as well this week as we taught about the apostacy again and the need of a restoration of the truth. The spirit was strong and Olga just giggles as she realizes she has found something that brings her closer to her Heavenly Father. It was sweet of her to ask us if its hard for us to convert her haha, she said another month or so and sister Faerber and I just smiled at each other realizing the Lord was doing the converting, not us. She is going to come to a members home (the relief society presidents home) and also talk to her husband, who served a mission in Russia, so theyll speak russian together. I know the spirit will touch her when she feels of the truthfullness in her mother tongue.
Masha is doing great too, she was just coming to sport because she boxes and we have helped her realizes the plan that Heavenly Father has for us and how to become better people in following his son Jesus Christ, so now she is meeting with us as well! She is excited to meet with us this week and is willing to have faith in to what we teach her and to pray personally to find out the truth for herself. Its been really personal because her mother passed away in her arms and she feels her mother close as we teach her more about his plan. She had us over to make us a delicious lunch and we taught her about the restoration, the spirit was strong and she teared up realizing the love that comes through this gospel. Its sweet when she calls us family and like her sisters, I hope we can teach her well so her roots are deep in the gospel.
I sure love serving here in Leipzig and for the ward, our GML (ward mission leader) is awesome, just baptized and married his girlfriend this past summer and served a mission in California so he knows the hows and whats about how to best work with the ward. We are going to have more organized lessons with the called ward missionaries so our investigators can meet real people who live and love this gospel, im so stoked! (alongside that will be more of a ward sport with hockey in the parking lot so they can feel loved and welcome) yay missionary work! Dont you love this gospel too??
One special person we are visiting lately is Schwester Schilde, she is the lady with the sunglasses in the picture. She is 89 and is the strongest member ive ever met. Her testimony is so strong especially of Thomas S. Monson being a prophet of God. I told her yesterday the expereince I got to have with President Monson before he was the prophet when he told me to 'marry right' and she teared up and said he really is inspired isnt he? Just like the story he told in generalkonferenz... we had an awesome appointment with her and she calls us her granddaughters. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!
Missions are the greatest and I cant imagine not going on a mission, these people and experiences are priceless!
Hope you know how grateful I am for your love and prayers and for your letter mom, Have a super Oktober week!

Love, Sister Rasmussen
Das Evangelium macht man glücklich...probier mal davon zu kosten. :)