Friedrichsdorf!!!

Wow!  Friedrichsdorf!  What to say about Friedrichsdorf!  Well for one, it is a "Dorf" which would translate into a tiny town, like in Wyoming a "Dorf" would be Meteetsee, or Big Horn, or Torrington even!  Here in Germany Friedrichsdorf is a "Dorf" because it has less than 100,000 people haha.  It still has about 25,000 people in it!  But I tell you what, after serving in Dortmund for so long I feel like I am in the middle of nowhere since Dortmund had 700,000 people.  I am excited to get to know the locals!  Right now we are in Bad Hamburg which has about 50,000 people so its like being right at home in Casper!!  Except it is so European!!  To the right you would see teeny tiny streets that are barely big enough to fit one car and to the left you would see MOUNTAINS!!! and a castle :)  Man I am one blessed Sister :)  And not to mention that we live about 10 minutes walking distance from the temple :)  Since the temple is here as well, the ward yesterday was HUGE!! I have never been in such a huge ward, even at home!!  We have about 200 active members that come every Sunday and they are rock solid as well.  It was hard to know who to talk to because they all are running around greeting another.  But I tell you what, these members really love the Sister Missionaries :)  They announced us in every meeting, especially Relief Society and in Sacrament.  I felt the love :)
Since Friedrichsdorf is a tiny town, we don't really have that many people looking into the church.  But we are about to change that!  The citizens said that if the temply was going to be built here then we were not able to go "proselyting" which means, talking to people on the street or knocking on doors.  So it makes us put on our thinking caps on how to contact people!  I love the mystery :)  But since I am in a drit, it should be easy to find solutions!  Another blessing about serving as a temple sister is that we get to do temple tours!!  We already had one and I love it!  A woman and her friend came to see and feel the Spirit here at the temple.  We showed a movie about it and since it was taken before it was dedicated there were pictures of it inside.  The woman bore testimony about how she found the Gospel and therefore I was able to bear my testimony and tell my journey and conversion story :)  And then the friend looked into my eyes and said, "Yes, I am so grateful for my friend too.  Its changed my life."  I love this work!! I love the Spirit!!!  I love Heavenly Father!!  He knows exactly why we need to be where we are now.  He knows what our worries are and when things don't go our own way He knows that it will stretch and strengthen us.  I miss Dortmund with my whole heart and soul.  I didn't know that it was possible to miss a place as bad as missing home, but it is!  I am a witness of it!  But He knows my pain and He knows my heart :)  And that brings me comfort and that is what brings me to my knees at night; to tell Him thank you for everything, but also to say, "Please help me. I need you."  He hears our prayers and He answers them.  Happy New Year to you all!!  I love you all!!  Bis nächste Woche!! Liebe, Sister Tuschling