The week of Sport - March 3, 2014

 So....First off, we have set....A BAPTISMAL DATE!!!! For the 15th of March, about 7 people are getting baptized in our Zone\Stake that day!! Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I am so stoked, you wouldn't believe it. Okay, maybe you would, but it is definitely awesome!

We found a new investigator just because we were lost! (THANKS FOR THE ADVICE AJ!) Sometimes being lost opens up so many opportunities for people to talk to us and get to know the gospel of Jesus Christ. This lucky man is now in possesion of a Book of Mormon and a Restoration Broschüre. Pretty neat.

Well...sometimes...we do sports....to find people as well. I never realized how you could make friends by asking them to play sports with you! Super cool! We played some good ol' AMERICAN FOOTBALL and invited FOUR people in the park to play with us. All four have our cards, and we have two of their numbers. Sweet! District WIN! We also sang in the middle of Innenstadt, but I think sport finding is FAR more productive on all sides. (exercise and missionary work, for the WIIIIIIN) Try it some time, people just want to have fun like everyone else. I look forward to sport finding MORE OFTEN. FOOTBALL TO FIND, okay I'm done. ;D

We received a new Senior Sister into the district, she is super cool. We went and got burgers together and had a laugh. Lunch is the best.

We just had some really good experiences this week giving just simple and pure testimony. Every time I have given a pure testimony, the Spirit has been so strong and I could see it working on the people with whom I speak. Super cool, I challenge everybody....EVERYBODY...In the month of April to give their testimony at church, just pick a topic and testify! It doesn't have to be fance or elaborate, just remember, if you just give PURE TESTIMONY the people around you will feel the divinity of what you are saying, and that what your are saying is true. Try it and let me know, I will remind you again before the time, but put it on your calendars!

Hey, maybe we could all read chapters together every now and then (you know, from the scriptures, that would be fun.) I LOVE YOU ALL. 

KEEP THE FAITH

AND
CARRY ON

LOVE 

SIS RIMMASCH

Bahnhof? Pretty sure I live there.

So..I got a new comp this week on Tuesday...you know the day where I was at Bahnhof from 9:30 in the morning until about 2pm. Wayyyy too long to stay there, by the way. I send Sister Lartey on her way to Hannover where she will make large differences and received a one Sister Schmidt. Turns out her ancestors are from Kiel, crazy, seeing that I served there and stuff! Small world. She is from Missouri and has been out for 1 year, cool!

Had some crazy JW lessons again in which I always get more confused at what they try to tell me, but it is cool to see that even when we have different religions, we can still get along, there literally is no reason to fight with other people! So that is really nice, not fighting with people. Na ja.

Oh man, crazy story...okay, not really, I was just you know, examining my own eyes...and I think my eyes are going to be changing color...kind of like my moms..or my brothers...or my sisters...noooo! I love my brown eyes, but I think they are heading the direction of...green. I can make due with that, Harry Potter has green eyes. Woo!

Oh man, STAKE CONFERENCE was AWESOME!!! It was a broadcast, and Elder Bednar spoke....IN GERMAN! BAM!! I didn't see that one coming, but it was cool! He gave a whole talk in German and didn't break into English once! His German is better than mine and it has been awhile since he served in Germany. Well, then, good job my friend, good job. :D I hope I can meet him one day so I can tell him how awesome of an experience that was!

Oh! So upset, I got a letter this week...but...it was...OPENED. WHAT?! Man....I hope there wasn't anything TOO important in my letter. Laaaaaaame. Anyway, more boring things I repaired my boots...now that it is about to be spring, things are starting to warm up here, like 12-13 centigrade. 

I totally bought a CD from a stranger. He plays and sings so well on the street that I thought, hey, I want his CD. His name, Falk Hündorf. It's a great CD, I hope I find him again so he can sign my CD. Yeah...plus I want to teach him the cool missionary lessons...because yeah.

Do you all have family mission plans? I would be interested in hearing some mission plans. We help our members here set up family mission plans so that we can all work together to help people come unto Christ. I would highly recommend setting up mission plans with the missionaries. It could be as simple as having FHE with them there and one of your friends, or reading the scriptures together as a family, or when people ask about your weekend, tell them about what you learned at church! These are good solid ideas. Let me know what you think!!

Oh ps, I have started running every other day with my new comp, so be prepared world, I am gonna be fit when I come back!

LOVE

Sister Rimmasch

PS

I buy WAY too much yogurt.

STEALTH MODE - Feb. 17, 2014

So...new transfer...I am staying in Leipzig...but my beloved companion is heading off to the amazing city of Hannover, to be a Sister Training Leader. Man. On the other hand, I will be receiving the Sister Schmidt, who used to be a Sister Training Leader...in Chemnitz...speaking of which, I went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders...in Chemnitz with Sister Wallin who also served in Kiel and Leipzig in the same order as me. HOLY CRAP. Well... then.

Breather....okay. So...I visted the Völkerschlachtdenkmal last week, it is a war memorial and it is totally Lord of the Rings status. Super cool! I would say, it is one of the things you have to do before you leave Leipzig for sure.

I was given a GIANT Kinder eggs this week, pretty sure it was like...the size of my hand or slightly bigger. This is totally irrelevant information but I just wanted to tell someone. 

We have been teaching lots of people, my teaching pool has a number of 24 people and we are aiming to have 29 by the end of this week, hopefully we can get some of these people moving so they, too, can enjoy the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

We have some pretty fabulous members here working with us and they help us so much with joint teaches and bringing people into their homes for us to help teach. It is pretty much great. 

Um...not sure what to say right now... umm.... yeah. I love all of you and thank you for supporting me. Here are some pictures to make up for the lack of my email. LOVE YOU ALL.

PS

There is a track meet taking place in Leipzig this week, I wish I could really go and like...watch...or participate! That would be sweet! I also found some Guarana on exchanges. Yum. It was sooo good, reminds me of Aj, every time. 

LOVE

Sister Rimmasch

The World from Leipzig - Feb 10, 2014

Andrus' are gone, but na ja, but they are at home and that is great!

I did some finding with my violin, and some person, took a picture of me! Uh....what? Now some complete stranger in Germany with a nice camera has a picture of me. Ho hum. Hahaha.

We also have a new investigator who was a contact because a ward member talked to her on the straßenbahn and told her about our baptism. What?! Crazy! That is just hilarious. Members, open your mouths and missionaries see miracles and love you FOREVER. :D

Did some finding in a park...by the zoo...and everyday at 12 they feed the monkies and you can hear them! they are so loud! hahaha. It's so great! Sorry for the terrible English, I am just in a hurry because I love writing emails.

JW's are still crazy. I just have to say, we tried to teach, but they didn't really want to take it. Na ja, free agency and what not. Love it. They gave me tons of their broschures and their book, yeah, me. Love, it, now I will set it on fire and disprove doctrine! not really, I don't have time for that I am teaching other people who want to listen. I taught over 10 lessons this week! 11 to be exact! Yes!! So awesome.

Had a fitness class in which out contact came! and now I am sore! Hahaha. I love it soooo much! It was great, we followed a DVD and I have found that my skills of excercising abs are lacking. Looks like I need to pick up the pace here if I am going to be running races with Aj and Cami! AHHH! And a marathon with Sara. Also, I am gonna need some new feet....yeah...cool.

Sunday was great, they taught one of my favorite lessons. The difference between God the Father and God Jesus Christ (who is also known as Jehovah.) I love this topic because it really helps to define what we believe. That and the Law of Moses. Man, I used to think they were boring but that was because I didn't take the time to understand them. This time, I understand and apply and I LOVE IT!!!! Seriously, if you think something is boring in the scriptures, try studying for understanding and application, and then it rocks your socks!

I LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Love,

Sister Rimmasch

Pictures soon to come because this computer is old!

Berlin - Feb. 3, 2014

Well...I went to Berlin for Zone Conference this week! That was cool, did you know that Family History work in just missionary work for the dead? Yeah, pretty awesome! I also saw Brandenburg gate, Bundestag, and a place where the Berlin wall used to be. Crazy!

As of Sunday, I only have 10 months left. Even more crazy. Just saying.

By the way, it is totally warm this week, up in the 40s!

There was a baptism this last week in our district, I was able to play the piano for the service. So cool. It was a great service, the man was from Rawanda, and he has gone home now, but the church is only 10 minutes from his house there! That is so happy!

The Andrus' leave this week, ho hum. Sad day. But we have some cool party plans for tonight, I can 't tell you now, or you will spill the beans (which by the way is Greek,.. remind me to tell you why later.)

Thanks Uncle Kenny, Cody and family for my packages, I love them! It was great!

This next week is gonna be great, we have some good goals and hopefully, this week, 2 of our awesome investigators will make the decision to be baptized. That would be awesome!

LOVE YOU ALL 

PS

I do appreciate Postcards, letters, and emails.

Love

Sister Rimmasch

Week 3 down! - Jan. 27, 2014

Well...have you ever had cereal that is filled with Nutella? Didn't think so. It is AMAZING!!!!!! Sooooo goood. Anyway, you will have to try some sometime because it is so delicious.

Anyway...just a quick overview of what happened in case you don't want to read everything that I write. I got kissed by some crazy Lebanese man, I got really sore after doing some sport, found a 5 meter long foozball table, JW's are still nuts, I can help people overcome addictions, I translated for someone, heard tons of Portuguese and it is snowing too much.

Okay, first item of business. We were standing at a train stop, when this gnarly looking older man came up to us. He started telling us his life's story (a common thing for me right now) and when we started telling him about the gospel, he grabs us both and hugs us in tight and kisses our faces with his cigarette smelliness. Luckily, it wasn't my lips, although he did try to kiss my comp on the lips but she pushed him off. I think that will be a contact we give to the Elders. Yeah...

We did some sport with the ward...and let me tell you, I may not look too out of shape, but I am. Things that used to be easy are way too hard right now. Someone, make me an exercise program for when I get back.

When we walked through the mall, we found a foozball table...5 meters long! Oh man, that was so cool, I wanted to play it so bad! Foozball is the best!

Taught the JW's again, or more like, they tried to teach us. And then they pulled out some Anti Mormon material on us, wow, people, they didn't even use the quotes in the right context. I mean, you could make me look like a jerk by quoting me out of context so all I have to say is, Get your facts right. Look up the quotes. Read them in context, and make sure the sources are actually trustworthy. Didn't anybody take English class for crying out loud! Okay, done with my rant, sorry.

This week we are helping someone overcome the addiction of smoking. I am really excited to help them, and it is such a great program!! It only take 15 steps every day for 7 days and the smoker is no longer a smoker. Oh man, I am so excited for this person, and they are excited to quit, too.

I helped translate for someone in Church, she is from Angola, and speaks Portuguese. Wow, but I translated into English. And...then we went to FHE, and everyone was speaking Portuguese. It was like a tiny taste of Aj's mission! Cool!

And then it is snowing like nobody's business and I don't really appreciate having to wear so many layers. Blah. I hope to hear from you ALL very soon. That would be nice. Anytime now.

Love you!

Love

Steph

Bashin with the JDubs - Jan. 20, 2014

So...tried an Indian restaurant...called the Indian Palace, it was TOTALLY Indianna Jones and the Temple of Doom status, I felt like I was in Disney Land...OH! Totally going there when I get back. FYI for all those who would like to join me.

So...I have this little plant here, named Geoffrey. He didn't have any roots when I got here...so I decided to take care of him. He now has roots popping out the bottom of his container and a little sprout friend popping up, too! I love my plant because it actually responds to my nurture unlike SOME people. Haha. It is a great analogy though, I just water him and put him under lamp light sometimes, but for the most part, I just let him alone. Just takes faith. Seriously, just 2 weeks ago, he was ready to die. BUT NOW HE'S LIVING!!!

Taught about the Word of Wisdom...one of my favorite subjects, of course. It was fabulous. Also, Happy Birthday, Aj. You old man. 

So in Leipzig, I travel by S-bahn (so trams) and feet. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER. Especially when I have to run for it. Haha. Not really, running for it is just silly, but I love the S bahn. Anywho, I FINALLY got a pair of replacement boots, thank goodness. It  is starting to get cold and foggy here in Leipzig.

So, my bishop here is pretty cool. We ate at his house this week, and I finally figured out what Domino Steinen are. They are delicious candies! YES! WARNING! I may be overweight when I get home. People just feed me, and no matter what there is ALWAYS dessert. ALWAYS:

So...JW's...(Jehovah Witnesses') are SCARY. I mean, ruthless little...anyway. We are teaching some currently, and I have been arming myself with the necessary weapons. Our member joint teach and they kept arguing BUT every time I opened my mouth to speak, they stopped and listened. I hope they will see reason...or more like...just be open to new ideas, otherwise we're gonna have to drop them and run, because I had to end our conversation, it got WAY out of hand, I said oooooooooooh look at the time, we have to go to another appointment, peace out! That was good, it could have been worse.

We had a ward party...I totally danced. Yes, that is allowed...as long as I dance by myself...so I did just that. It's not like you dance Opa Gagnum Style with another person anyway. Ha. It was great. Lots of little kids just dancing away.

Leipzig is great and full of wonder, sorry this email was a little boring...but next week will be better.....probably. Hopefully. Yeah....here's some pictures to make up for it!