Week 2

Halo!!
This week has gone by so fast! I cannot believe I've been here for almost two weeks now. The first week seemed to drag but this week not so much! This week we taught Lukas about how to repent, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, endure to the end, and asked him to be baptized. He did receive the Book of Mormon so that was awesome!! Thursday was our last time to teach him. Today we have a new investigator named Dirk. It will our first time so we are going to get to know him and ask him if he would like to receive the Book of Mormon and read from it. We now have two teachers during class to teach us Deutch. One speaks 50% German and the other speaks 100% German. It is amazing that the class including myself can understand what he is saying for the most part. Yes, we still have tons of room for improvement. Blonde MTC moment:I was in my interview with my new teacher just so he can get to know us better and to see how we are doing and he was speaking German the entire time. I was getting most of it until he said one word and I couldn't figure it out! So he wrote it on the board. He wrote, "styl(e)" so I kept on saying it over and over (still, still, still, still, still)!! So after probably the 5th time he says in English, "read it in English Sister Tuschling." Haha Style!!! Oh my heavens I felt like a dork! Sunday!So throughout the week I've been called to the MTC President's and his wife's office throughout the week because I made the mistake of volunteering to tell my conversion story during Relief Society! So I told Sister Brown first and then later I was called to President Brown's office! I started chatting with him until I heard a knock on the door. Here comes Sister Avery walking in not knowing what she was in for. So we were able to tell our story on how we got to be good friends and on how she invited me to church and my progression to where I am now. Again on another day we both were called to President Heaton's office (MTC Director). We again told our story and at the end he asked us if we wanted to help him give the Sunday night Fireside since he was the main speaker! When someone of his stature and position you can't really say no so we both agreed!!! Mind you, EVERYONE goes to the Fireside. All 2500 missionaries. So Sister Avery and I were able to tell how I got into the church and the process of conversion and how it works within the individual. I am so very blessed to had been part of it, even though I was a nervous wreck!! I am grateful for the words he said about being patient with people looking at the church and how their mind takes a longer time converting rather than their heart. Even though they may not show it, the Spirit is working within them and that is when we need to love them the most and be patient.
I have a testimony of this because it happened to me,
Sister Tuschling

Week One!

This place is awesome! They have every minute planned for our day and I love it :) We usually get up early, workout at 6 AM and shower and be ready by 7 for personal study, then companion study, and then we have breakfast at 8 or so. After that we go to German class for 3 hours usually and then we go to lunch. Depends on the day but then we either go back to class for 3 more hours of German or we go to Workshops which are spiritually uplifting! I love it! Then we go to dinner and then we go back to class! More personal study. The language is kicking my heiny! On the second day we were here my district had to teach our first lesson to our first investigator in German! No English whatsoever! It was interesting! We did a lot of Ya's, nodding, and smiling haha! But Sister Nixon and I were able to set up a next appointment. Our second lesson went much better and we meet with him (Lukas) tomorrow morning to teach him about the Holy Ghost. Even though we only have been here for 5 days most of us can testify, pray, teach, and somewhat understand someone speaking in German!! The gift of tongues is true because there is no way that a person like me that knew zero German and only in 5 days can understand what German people are saying. I'm not saying I understand everything and I have SO MUCH to work on!!! Makes me excited for the future because who knows! I could be semi-fluent when I leave for Germany in February.

My favorite day here had to be yesterday for many reasons!

1) It was Sunday and I LOVE Sundays :)

2) I finally saw Sister Avery!!!

3) Sacrament meeting was all in German, again a lot of smiling and nodding! But the spirit was there still!

4) Choir was amazing! Sister Nixon has some pipes!! And I was able to sit next to Sister Avery :)

5) The Fireside consisted of the BYU Men's Choir singing Christmas Music to us and the Spirit was so strong. Again Sister Avery and her companions were in our row :) I love Heavenly Father for helping us be together again!

6) In Relief Society a very special speaker came and talked to us. Ann Dibb from the Young Women's Presidency, and also known as President Monson's daughter! The prophet's daughter came and talked to us and gave us great inspiring counsel!!

7) Then we were able to go to a "movie" (previous MTC Fireside by David A. Bednar) who spoke about "Becoming a Missionary" I needed to hear some of his words :)

Ich liebe das Evangelium! Gott liebe uns. Ich danke fur das Evangelium und Jesus Christus!

(I love the Gospel. God loves us. I'm thankful for the Gospel and Jesus Christ!)

Merry Christmas!!

Ich liebe fur dich! (I love you!)

I know this gospel is true. I feel it everyday and I know God has a hand in everything we do. I love it with all my heart and I cannot wait to learn more. I love the Book of Mormon and I know that it is true with all my heart. I know that it is the word of God and we can learn so much from it!

With all my love,

Sister Tuschling