MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!!!!!!!!  I love the Spirit of Christmas here in Germany!!  Everyone is so busy trying to serve one another I love it!!  And that is exactly what we love to see, but it also is hard for us to serve people because they are already busy serving!!  What a problem to have nuh?  Well this week went by certainly fast!  We really do not know where the time went but all I know is that I have learned so much since I have been out here.  We were able to go on a split with the Sisters in the Offenbach area, which is in the area of Frankfurt and it was really eye opening.  Sister Sprouse and I were able to travel down to Frankfurt and Sister Christensen joined me to go back to Dortmund and then Sister Sprouse stayed in Offenbach.  Sister Christensen is in her 2nd transfer in the mission and man does she know the language already!  The new missionaries that keep coming in are just amazing and are so ready to work.  I was able to talk with Sister Christensen about the mission life and what helped me in the beginning and what is helping me now.  I am so grateful for all that I have learned.  Like her, I have struggled with homesickness on my mission but I am grateful that through Jesus Christ and through putting my shoulder to the wheel that feeling is barely there.  I bore testimony about our dear Savior and how He is always there, but we are the ones that need to go to Him first.  He always blesses us, and he always comforts us.  I love going on splits too because I love getting to know new people.  I love finding out why these strong faithful sisters came out on a mission.  And of course the question comes up, "Sister Tuschling, how did you decide to come on a mission?"  And my response of, "I always felt like I needed too ever since I was baptized."  And then the story rolls on :)  I love telling how Hermana Avery never gave up on me and always lead me to the right sources and helped me every step of the way.  I am grateful for the gospel and I want everyone to know.  We had quite the crowd in church yesterday!  Man people really love the missionaries here.  We have Christmas dinners every night this coming week and I received so many gifts from people we have never seen before!  I love Germans!!  The spirit was so strong during Sacrament meeting too.  The talk was on Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Christmas.  It was perfect for our dear Polish couple, the Pelcs.  The night before we were over talking about how all of us can receive a personal witness that Jesus Christ is OUR Savior.  After much discussion, our commitment to them was to ask Heavenly Father how can they receive that witness for them personally.  And low and behold, Sacrament was perfect for them  :)  Also we witnessed another baptism of a young 32 year old man.  He has so much faith, again no one from his family came to his baptism but he did it anyways because he knew it was what Heavenly Father wanted for him.  I was talking to him afterwards and I asked him how he felt and he just got a simple smile on his face, and said in a quiet tone, "It is not explainable."  And I said, "I know" with a smile and tears in my eyes because the feelings of my own baptism rushed over me.  I love the promises that Heavenly Father gives us.  When we come towards Him, and make promises with Him, He always always always blesses us even more than we can imagine.  I know that to be true.  I love Him, and His Son Jesus Christ.  And I am so grateful for what they have done for me personally.  I love Christmas!!  I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!  Liebe, Sister Tuschling  PS - I went caroling for the first time and it was amazing and so much fun!  I cannot believe I have never done it before!! PPS - And also, thank you everyone for the Christmas cards and letters!!  Will write back!!***