Spätzle & Missionary Work (Aug 11)

It is a really interesting feeling, coming to the end of my mission. However, I know God is still watching over me and helping me make the best of it. 

This week I tried my hand at spätzle. It tasted great (not so attractive picture, but great food!) Definitely something I will be making often at home! 

We had interviews with the Mission President in München. President told me a few stories from his mission. He really was a cool missionary. Our mission will learn a TON from him. 

This week, we were helping in the Seifert's garden. Gardening is starting to be one of my favorite activities. We walked over to the neighbors just to see theirs. Well we just got talking and they are so awesome and want to see us again, SO EASY IS THAT FOLKS. 

So this week I got pretty discouraged. This discouragement leads to frustration. Well after asking someone a German question on the street and having them tell me to leave them in peace. I was pretty discouraged. A couple things happened so we were going to visit someone later than expected. But as I got into the bahn (train), who was sitting there but the potential I had given up on the night before. As soon as I sat down she was hugging me and asking if we could meet sometime. She told me when we met a month ago, she was having a pretty hard day, but she was a lot happier after talking to us and receiving the Book of Mormon. Well we finally have an appointment with her, and Sister Regnier feels stupid. But it just goes to show, missionary work is never for nothing. No matter how hard you try and don’t see success, there is success somewhere. 

This week the Relief Society had an activity of seeing a beautiful garden in Augsburg at night. We invited a girl that Sister Smith and I had met a while ago. She came and we had the best lesson ever. We ended up sitting down, talking about how God is our father and how we can pray to him and really receive answers in his creations. She came to church the next day and told me she would definitely be coming next week. When I asked if we could meet with her during the week, she couldn't have been happier. 

We had 2 investigators at church on Sunday. So yah, it was a good week.  Missionary work is the best, most rewarding kind of work. But it definitely takes a toll. I have NEVER been so tired as I am this week. I don’t even know how I am functioning. 

Love you! 

Sister Regnier

27 eating appointments! (Aug 4)

Well we had 27 eating appointments in the last 11 days. So if how we were doing correlated with the weight gain as it did in the olden days, I'm doing pretty good;) but really I am doing great! These have been a great couple days!!!! I Love Augsburg and everything in it. It was sad seeing Sister Smith leave. We have done a lot together and seen a lot happen here. It was cool because she came to church with her family on Sunday and a couple members had her family and the missionary over for dinner. It was schön (beautiful).

Saturday was a day. A mother and daughter are moving into our ward and we spent literally the whole day there. My body aches. I was so happy we were there, I don't know what they would have done with out us. It was really cool because the daughter was just baptized not too long ago, and we spent a lot of time with her. 

Interesting thing that happened this week. We were with a member and her two kids in her favorite cafe to eat her favorite chocolate cake. Her kids were winning a bit, not more than normal kids and it was a really loud restaurant so you couldn’t hear much. Anyway as we were getting ready to go the waitress came over and asked us to leave. I could not believe my ears. The world is corrupt if it's not okay for a baby to cry for a couple minutes in a family cafe..... so ridiculous. I would never expect that to happen. We were shocked! 

Sister Mehr is my new companion, she is awesome! It's really fun to be reminded how I was when I was brand new on the mission. I feel a heavy load of responsibility on me, more than I expected. Sending me a brand new missionary is probably the best thing God could do for me in my last transfer and for that I am grateful. Plus sister Mehr and I just have a blast :) 

--

Sister Regnier

späzle press (July 28)

Well, this week was fun. With Sister Smith leaving, we are trying to squeeze as many appointments in as possible. It is pretty crazy!

I had a really spiritual experience this week when I noticed a weakness I had and I prayed for the help to get over it. Heavenly Father sent me the exact situation that was perfect for it. It was really hard in the moment, I was about to break, when everything ended up working out. Looking back, I realize it answered more than one prayer. Heavenly Father really works in interesting ways. I know I get stronger from my trials, and although I can't master a weakness overnight, I am grateful for everything he sends me so that I truly can turn them into strengths.

This week we met with our investigators that have been meeting with the missionaries for an eternity. Well for the first time, they came to church on Sunday, and they LOVED IT!!! It was awesome.

This week I had a lesson that was really interesting to me. We were on splits so I was with a member. I felt really impressed to ask if we could do an FHE with this family. She said no, it really surprised me because I felt really strongly to ask. But afterwards the member friend explained to me that she thinks that should be our new goal and we made a few plans to see what we could do. I thought it was so cool, because when I was staring to second guess a prompting, I got another witness from someone else’s words.

We have made our way through the list and got to start meeting with our ward secretary. He has no idea what was coming when we sat down for a couple hours and only got through the first four pages. We really know this ward.

We are really seeing so much progress with the less actives--it’s great! I really enjoy getting to know this ward better, inside and out.

It is really sad that Sister Smith is leaving. I have seen these members learn a lot from her. I have learned a lot from her. It will be weird from going to a very experienced companion to a brand new one. I am excited to see how our ward reacts.

It is starting to get weird. Everyone emails me about coming home, but I have not even been thinking about it because Sister Smith is going home, not me, well now that she’s leaving, I am next. Not fun.

We worked a bit in the Se___s garden again. They are the sweetest people ever! We were talking about how we wanted a späzle press so that we can make it in America and she bought us each one. SO cute! This ward really takes care of their missionaries. They talk to everyone at church, they are willing to go on joint teaches and they give us plenty of opportunities to do good.

Well, have a great week!

See ya later!

Love, sister Regnier

It really is amazing to see Gods Hand in this work (July 21)

Fastest email ever.

This week consisted of contacting even more less actives. It was AWESOME. We are seeing so much Progress. I am really excited for one in particular. He was baptized at 8, his mother died, and he grew up less active. He moved here and married. He didn’t even know there was a ward house here, and his wife said he was Protestant. BUT they want us to come back over. I AM SO EXCITED.

We are really seeing miracles. We had 3 less actives at church. Also, a Girl we met on the bahn contacted US and came to church. It really is amazing to see Gods Hand in this work.

Sister Smith and I are running around like crazy, trying to get as much done as we can. It is really fun and really rewarding!

Way to go on the swim meet Cali!!!

Have a great week!

Sister Regnier

Yeah, miracles are happening (July 14)

Hey,

Well with Germany winning the World Cup and everything, everyone is freaking out. Haha and the missionary work continues!

The highlight of this week was meeting the coolest family in the world. We got a referral from a missionary who had lived with a family for a year. This Family lives forever away, but luckily we have the best gemeinde Missionarin (missionary community?) to take us there! We walked up to the door, klingeled, and an old lady opened the door. We tried to explain who we were and make the Connection to the missionary, who we only knew his last Name.... but she exclaimed JONNY, and told us to go around to the back of the house where her daughter and her family lived. Well, soon as I started to explain why we were here over the klingel, they immediately let us in. Then we talked a little in the entryway, and then they invited us upstairs for a Brotzeit (snack) and some drinks. WOW. We talked to this family for a while and I LOVE THEM. I seriously think they are the coolest family I have met on my mission. They are Mormon, they just aren’t baptized and drink beer like a Bayerisch man. BUT family is so important to them, and they agree with everything the church teaching. Luckily, this missionary from the states set the best example and so they had a lot of questions. I really enjoyed getting to know them. We will be meeting up again in August! Even though they don't want to be "taught," I have never seen so clearly someone’s potential in the church. THEY WILL BE AWESOME. More miracles to come.

So a week ago, I met this guy on a bahn. I invited him to the forth of July Party, but he couldn’t make it. Instead, he came to church yesterday! Wahoo! HE LOVED IT.  A high councilman spoke, and after he was done, he turned to me and told me he wanted to read the book. The whole time he was telling me reasons why he liked our church and how he wanted to learn the hymns and read the book of Mormon. He is seriously the coolest. I will not be surprised when he’s read a ton, watched all the Mormon Messages, and memorized the hymns before our first appointment. SO excited to meet with him! Also, we had three People WALK INTO CHURCH. Yeah, miracles are happening.

This week I had tausch (exchange) with a sister from Mongolia. I just loved talking with her, she was raised in such different conditions. She was raised in a tent! I learned a lot from her, and I am really grateful I could go on a tausch with her. Hearing about her life, then meeting with this referral family made me realize I really want to study in Germany for a while. I think it would be really cool to live with a non-mormon family and study and speak German. A lot of people do it over here, and it is a very appealing option to me right now. There is so much to do in life, and so little time, but just a thought. :)

Mit Liebe,

Sister Regnier