Don't let Sister Anderson make Maultaschen

Hallo beautiful world!!

It really is such a beautiful world, I hope as spring draws nearer, we all are able to enjoy the beautiful world that a Loving Heavenly Father has created for us!! 

Our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ have provided so many things for us. One of which is the Plan of Salvation. We as missionaries often ask people if they think about where we come from, where we are going, and why we are here! Well, all three of those questions can be answered in God's Plan of Happiness or His Plan of Salvation. It is better explained in this video:

https://www.lds.org/topics/plan-of-salvation/our-eternal-life/video?lang=eng&old=true

But part of that plan is to learn and grow on this Earth. And we can do that in a variety of ways, but one way is that God has provided us with prophets. Prophets are righteous men, who are called of God to declare His word. They help us interpret scripture, know of dangers, and tell us how much God loves and cares about us! Twice a year we have the opportunity to listen to God's Prophet and Apostles!! This is called General Conference!! General Conference is coming up March 25 for the Women’s Session and April 1-2 for everyone! I invite you all to think of a question or two and write them down, and then watch General Conference. I know that you will find your answer! I have done it and I know it works!! 

This past week was super crazy as Sister Miller was preparing to go home, which is double trouble because she is leaving the area. So we are super busy saying goodbye to everyone, and then she also needs to pack and get her luggage under 50 pounds, and all the other things a missionary has to do before they leave (e.g. paperwork, device picture transfer stuff, etc.). It’s crazy!! I am sad to leave Sister Miller; it was fun being her last companion, and to be able to learn so much from such an experienced missionary. She is going to be amazing at BYUI in the fall!! 

Then transfer day!! 

I got to see a bunch of missionaries that I haven’t seen in a while, including my trainer, SISTER WHITING! I don’t have any pictures yet because Sister Whiting has them. We said goodbyes and hellos, and now Salzburg has Elder Smith (we served in Schwammedingen together) and Sister McClellan!! 

Sister McClellan comes from Mapleton, Utah and has 7 siblings. She wants to major in journalism and she says her favorite color is green. She is an amazing missionary; it is going to be an amazing 5 weeks!  

I am excited for this next transfer!!! Keep the faith and I love to hear if you learn anything cool in your scripture study!! 

Alles Liebe
Sister Anderson
Alpenländische Mission

Pictures:

Me trying to make Maultaschen. Sister Miller would be so disappointed (sorry, Sister Miller; it still tasted good...) 

Sister Miller's last visit with Aflique
A bunny we found while dooring!!! 

 

 

 

God is patient and He loves you!!

So this week was a party and so much happened!!! Diese Woche war Spannend!!

First things first – transfers!!! I will of course be staying her in Salzburg because Sister Miller is being "transferred" to America. She flies home on Thursday!!! Crazy!!! I will be getting the amazing Sister McClellan! She is from Mapleton, Utah!! You all will have to stay tuned for more information next week!

Tausch – Our tausch ended up being shorter than planned, but I was with Sister Church, which was way fun because her trainer was also companions with me (remember that emergency transfer?? We were the ones who switched places). So that was way fun! We went finding and did street ingredients and bussing and dooring!!!! So much fun!!! 

Sleepover – after stake conference we had six other Sisters in our apartment because our stake is so big!!! It was one big party!! Sister Miller made everyone a traditional dinner called Maltaschen from scratch! 

Pfahlkonferenz (stake conference – as members of the Church we have a geographical area we belong to where we attend church every Sunday. These areas are grouped into units called wards. Wards are grouped into stakes. Every stake meets twice a year together at a stake conference where talks are given, etc. It's a great time to sing, learn and worship together in a larger than normally possible group).

The President over all of Europe for our Church spoke at stake conference. His name is Elder Kearon. What he talked about is what I wanted to share with you!!!

God loves us and He is so so so very patient with us! Imagine how you feel when you look at your child (if you have one, or another family member). Imagine all of the love that you have for that child! You can't imagine ever loving anyone more and then you have another child and your love grows. I experienced this when my uncle started having kids.  I didn't know if I could love another person in my family but I did and then I did again! It's like magic!! That is how our Father in Heaven feels for each and every one of us!!! He loves us so much that He sent His Son to come and make an eternal sacrifice so that we can overcome our mistakes and return to Him. No matter where your goal is or whether or not you think you have "made it," there is still ways to grow and improve. They are patient with us, they want us to improve and endure. I know that we can, we just need faith, patience and humility. I promise you that as you seek to come closer to Christ, He will lift you and carry you. We can do it! We can improve, WE CAN DO IT!! Rely on the Lord and help each other, we are all in this together!!

I love you all, keep the faith, and stay strong!! 

Alles Liebe
Sister Anderson
Alpenländische Mission

Pictures:

(1-3) we went to see you castle today for P-Day with the Ehepaar

(4-6) the flower is apparently endangered and very well could be 500€

(7) a picture of Luna and me at Stake Conference

(8) when Europeans try to be American  

(9) sleepover  

(10) stake conference with Elder Kearon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ich liebe Kaninchen!!!

So now that it is Easter time almost, the stores are rapidly coming out with bunny everything, especially chocolate bunnies!!! Chocolate bunnies are my favorite; it is like a little piece of home, so it makes me super happy!!! 

People have asked about what it is like here as far as food, culture etc. So I will try and get to that after I tell the Wunder der Woche! (Miracle of the Week)

This week we had a lesson with our investigator who has a Taufzeit! It is April 16th so please keep her and her daughter in your prayers!!! Often the time around the baptism is really hard because this is when the adversary is working the hardest!!! We invited the Bishop to be there and the lesson went really well, but the amazing part was after as we were walking back with the Bishop, we were discussing how this would work and if he thought it was possible, etc. We told him she was taking it seriously, and his reply was then the adversary is too. He looked at us as if we were the only force that could fight the adversary for her. His love and appreciation for the Gospel amazed me and filled me with confidence and hope, but also humility. As Sister Miller and I walked away, I felt as though a league of angels were walking behind us!! That is a day I never want to forget! 

Culture: Most people can speak English, and so signs and advertisements are a mixture of English and German or sometimes both! It makes life interesting! The culture and life here is very much like America. We meet people for appointments in the mall, we go finding along the river and in the tourist trap shops area (I don't know what you would call them but there are always a ton of people there) 

Public Transportation is HUGE, especially as missionaries. We are always using trains and busses! Although most people speak English, they are very appreciative that you are trying to speak their language, because I have also found while many people want to practice their English with you, many don't as they are uncomfortable speaking to a native English speaker in English. 

Food. For breakfast most mornings I have had Müsli, which is like cereal, but generally has oats and dried fruits or chocolate chunks or nuts, and you can eat it with yogurt or milk! Every transfer my diet changes because it depends on what my companion and I both like, but I love having fruit for breakfast, especially in vanilla yogurt!!! As far as other meals go, that changes all the time as well. Traditional food here includes potatoes, Döners, schnitzel, Raclette, Wurst, pretzels, and of course chocolate is very popular. I love Döners. They are a little rough on the stomach because they are so big and usually have spice, but sooo good!!! Schnitzel is chicken and Raclette is cheese you melt and pour over potatoes or vegetables!! Because everyone loves everyone else, you can find the German version of American, Chinese, and Mexican food here!!

The mountains are gorgeous, I can see them from our apartment window and whenever we are at the church or traveling. They are gorgeous with the snow still on the tops!! 

The weather has rapidly turned to spring and looks like it may stay that way. We haven't had snow since the beginning of February. The weather climate is pretty similar to New York as far as it’s humid and there are trees everywhere. It's so green. I love it!!! 

I hope you all have a great week and that you remember Jesus Christ is always there for us and wants us to talk to Him. 

Alles Liebe

Sister Anderson
Alpenländische Mission