Villwock family

 I love the experience here to bond with so many people too.  I am grateful to have gotten so close to people here in the Dortmund Ward.  The members are great and they really do appreciate the hard work that the missionaries put in, and they are normal people too.  I had a wonderful experience with the Villwock family this week.  I was pretty down in the dumps in my thoughts and I just couldn't get happy.  I just felt like I wasn't doing any good, not helping anybody in coming closer to Christ or even helping people with daily things.  With this mindset I went into the house to do some service.  The Villwock family has 1 boy and 1 girl, and the boy (Jonas) was turning 3.  And they are one of my favorite families in the Ward so I decided to make them a birthday card, give a stuffed animal, along with a little story book about the animal.  They live a good distance away and we didn't know if they were even home or not but we went anyways out of pure faith and hope.  We knocked on the door and we heard movement and this is always a good sign.  They open the door and the look of their faces just melted my heart.  They were so happy to have missionaries at their home.  They let us in and I was then greeted with the warmest, loving hug from the mom.  It melted my heart so much that I was almost in tears.  We sit down and are handed birthday cake :)  The whole time we were there we just talked about how they were doing, and they asked about the work in Dortmund.  It was just really nice and then they opened up their house to us to have a Family Night with one of the people we are teaching.  I love them :)  Then while talking a little bit more about something else, I felt a burning desire in my heart that I should bear my testimony.  It wasn't even on the topic of what was being said, but I felt like I just needed to.  I bore my testimony on how my life will never be the same since I was invited to come to church by my best friend.  And that she showed me the way to a better, happier life by coming to church and by reading the scriptures.  And I bore my testimony on how I want my own family to have that as well.  That joy and that peace that the gospel brings and that I want it for my future family too.  I thanked them for their example as an amazing, strong family in the gospel and told them I hope to have that for my future family as well.  I got a little choked up and looked down to wipe a tear, and as I looked up the mom had tears in her eyes too.  I love this gospel and I love the Spirit.  I am so grateful for it.  I am so grateful that Sister Avery introduced me to it, and asked and brought me to church.  My life and my heart is changed forever.  Thanks best friend :) And as we left the mom again gave me a long hug and held on longer than normal, which melted my heart even more :)  This week we found out that Präsident Thomas S. Monson is coming to Germany!!!  He'll be in Frankfurt sometime in Oktober and we are so excited!  Even if we don't get to go, it is a wonderful feeling to have him here in the country where I am serving and in the mission that I love!!  This Saturday Christian Saal is getting baptized!!  Woo!!!  We met him at the church to find him his white clothing.  He is so ready :)  He came to Stake Conference with us and sang with us in the choir and he knows all he needs to to get baptized.  Again, I am excited for him to live this new life.  To feel more of Heavenly Father's love as he continues to keep the commandments and continues to increase his faith.  One thing that I learned from my baptism is that after I entered into a life long promise to serve Him and to continue to walk on the path of righteousness, I learned that it was only the beginning.  I have learned so much more as I have come to church, read the Book of Mormon, and lived the principles of the Gospel, and I am excited for Christian to experience that as well!  You all are in my prayers and I am so glad to be a part of this great and marvelous work.  Love you all  :) Liebe, Sister Tuschling

Präsident Schwartz has made it okay for us to make a blog for the mission!!  So the mission blog is frankfurtmission.blogspot.com.  It has pictures, videos, and a letter from him himself about the mission just for parents and readers.