Almost Christmas!!

One man oh man were we in for a ride this week!!  Lately we have been hearing about the Romanians that the Elders were working with.  It all started when two members of the church moved to Dortmund from Romania.  They started talking with their friends at work about the church and long story short, we are now teaching 25+ Romanians, which include their families that just moved to Dortmund a couple weeks ago.  They didn't have enough time to find an appartment for each family so they are all living in ONE APPARTMENT!!!  And we got to go over and see it with our own eyes!!  We walked in, and we literally walked into Romania.  It was awesome!!  Everyone just stared at us but yet gave us warm smiles.  They don't speak a lick of German or English, only Romanian and Spanish.  Oh Hermana Avery I wish you were here to help us teach these wonderful humble people!!!  We need your Spanish more that ever :)  They barely have enough to eat, they barely have enough clothes to wear, but they sat us down and fed us with the only things they had.  The love I felt that night was the only way I could have gotten that food down haha.  I am grateful for German food!!  If we could combine Germans and Romanians into one culture it would be heaven on Earth!!  And they even came to the Christmas party we had on Saturday even if it took them 3 trips there and back to get all of them there.  Santa Claus gave all the children in the ward a present and even our Romanian guests :)  I love the church!  Even more, I love the people in the church that reflect the image of Christ!  Speaking of the Christmas Party, the ward brought so many of their dear friends and we had so many guests it was awesome!!  Our members are rock stars :)  To start off the party, we sang in the choir.  We have been have choir practice every sunday and more for about a month now and man was it worth it.  We all came together and brought the Spirit like crazy.  I even got choked up during a couple of them because the words and the music were so beautiful :)  I am a sucker for music, anyone back home could tell you that.  And also aside from practicing those songs, we have been practicing a secret song for Elder Garlick.  He wrote the music and the lyrics and Schwester Roth (Bishop's wife) decided we should surprise him with it.  It is called, "If Stars and Sheep could Speak" and it is the most beautiful Duet I have ever heard.  So got up and sang it.  He is going home in two weeks, and all to those who have been following my blogs, Elder Garlick has been in the same ward as me for my whole mission!!  He was there when I was in Mainz and Wiesbaden as my District Leader, and now we've been working side by side in Dortmund since I've been here and now he is going home in two weeks..  So to see the tears in his eyes and his bottom lip quivering was the best going away present :)  It was really touching.  Last night before we went home to retire for the week, we decided to go over to Schwester Böning's place to give her some love.  She has been side by side with us and the Romanians since she knows Spanish.  She is just a powerhouse and we decided to serve her with some scripture praise!  And right when we got there her less active son came out and said hello and surprisingly stayed for the lesson.  So we started off with a scripture and I don't know what it was but he and his mom started batting at one another.  They just were arguing about what the scriptures mean and then out of no where Schwester Böning asked if we fight with our families like that about the gospel.  Sister Sprouse replied no, but maybe sometimes, and I answered no.  I told him that I was the only member in my family.  And then he asked how I got to get to know the church and so I explained how it went in simple detail and it ended up having him explain what he has been going through and what means the most to him and how he wants to come back.  He wants to be happier, and he wants to live the commandments, and wants to come with us to teach the gospel.  I promised him that everything in his life will start being put in order when he draws closer to God.  I had my scriputres randomly opened to a section in Doctrine and Covenants and it said that exactly.  We read it, we asked for the closing prayer and who should say it, and he said, "Me, I need to.."  And he thanked Heavenly Father for all that he had, and he thanked Him for his mom who was so patient through out his time outside the church.  I am so grateful for the tears in his eyes when I promised him all that I knew, and that was our lives are better when we have Heavenly Father right there with us.  I am grateful that my story of getting to know the church opened up his heart and now is wanting to find answers from our loving Heavenly Father.  I love the gospel and I know that when we need the words to touch others' lives the Holy Ghost will help us in the very hour and the very minute that we need it.  Liebe, Sister Tuschling