There She Stood LIKE AN ANGEL With Two Pieces Of WATERMELON.

July 6, 2015

Sorry I am so late today! Our appointment with Lou Song ran late, and then there is this wacko concert or something going on down the street and police are everywhere. But alas, here I am!

GUESS WHO BOUGHT HAUS SHOES. That is right, me. My little pink slippers I had to leave in Lübeck. But last week I finally got around to buying some legit looking haus schuhe real cheap. I love them. ich bin Deutsche! Well more than already I guess.

This week was hooooooooot. Maaaaaan. But we got forward despite the sticky nature of our skin. We went to try and visit a few students the other day. They were not home so we did a little survey door to door. This one girl was really nice, and we had solid conversation. She wasn't interested in learning more, but we all enjoyed talking with one another so it was good. 10 minutes later after finishing her hallway we were going down the stairs to the next one, when we heard the girl coming down behind us telling us to wait. We turned around, and there she stood LIKE AN ANGEL with two pieces of WATERMELON.  Oh man what a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. We were pretty hot and wilted, so that totally made our day. She was happy to help us too. That was awesome. WUNDER. The Lord is looking out for me, I know it.

We spent a lot of time in the city center talking with all kinds of people as usual. We talked to this one student from Chemnitz who apparently has a best friend who is a member of the church, and he even went to the temple with this guy for his sealing!?! He said he thought the idea of a temple is very like what the bible teaches, and I was YES THANK YOU.  It really makes sense. He loved talking with us, and gave us each a sweet handshake as we parted. Told him he could come to my temple sealing if you know what I mean.. haha just kidding....

We saw a member in the city one morning and she suggested going to a park in the area, so we did. And we had tooooooons of solid conversations. We were talking with this one lady about modern day prophets and I could see she was goin with it. But she is satisfied with where she is and doesn't want to change churches. OH MAN. It was hard letting her go. I am sad when that happens, but I know that so much of my mission is planting seeds so that one day people can be ready when their time comes along. It is disappointing, yes. But in “Preach My Gospel” it says that we will not be disappointed in ourselves when we do our best. That gives me comfort and hope and yes motivation to keep doing it.

I MISSED THE BEACH THIS WEEEK. I have my picture of Megan and me from last year just chilling in our suits against the sunset, and I may have looked at that many times. The Fourth of July was different as a missionary. But I loved it anyway. There was a baptism for a guy from Halle, so we got Lou Song to come! That was cool for her to see how it actually goes down. The guy's first language is French, so the missionaries and another lady sang this arrangement of a song in German, French, and English.  I was loving it! I love that the Gospel of Christ is the same in all languages no matter where you go. We all have the same Redeemer, and faith. We are different, but we are united. That brings me so much comfort and ease. Having a prophet to lead the church and preserve the doctrine is truly a miracle and a blessing.  How blessed we are!

Lou Song is still having trouble with making it to church, but we actually just met with her and had a good talk about priorities. She has heard all the doctrinal points, but really in the past few weeks she is beginning to feeeeeel the importance and meaning it can have for her. I love her so much! I can just see the spirit working with her. Tonight she asked several questions about baptism and what happens after. She asks lots of questions now, and is way more talkative. She is taking it all to heart now. She is so darn cute! She leaves on urlaub next week, but we think that within the next month she can get baptized.

Sister Reed is doing well. I really looooove her. 

Madison & Sis Reed inLeipzig

She makes me laugh and whenever we are in the elevator in our building she and I are always fighting back laughter when someone else is there. I don't know why we always get the giggles, but I love it.

We have zone conference on Thursday, so we will meet President and Sister Fingerle in person WHAT WHAT. Also I might be singing again with Elder Clarke and Sister Reed playing. Some other Elder is supposed to sing with so we shall see how it goes down. Phil 4:13 RINGS TRUE.

I know that God and Jesus Christ are the most important people in our lives. Every day we can have a new beginning to try and show them that that is true. I am grateful that I have been baptized and made the promise to serve them. I know that they are very near us. I love them. And I love to serve them. Love you lots.

BIS DANN

SISTER MADISON MITTLEMAN

"I Believe In Christ, So Come What May." Straight Up.

June 29, 2015

10 MONTHS GONE BY. 8 to gooooooo.

This has been a cool week. Said goodbye to sister Murdock on Tuesday,

Saying goodbye to Sis Murdock in Leipzig

That was a bittersweet experience. It was weird, as I did the same thing in February. Time fliiiies. I'll miss her dearly. So that afternoon I picked up.... SISTER REED.  

Madison & Sis Reed in Leipzig

We came to Germany together. She is cool! She is from Austin, Texas. AW YEAH.  I'm stoked for a good transfer. Taking over this place after 5 weeks has

been an adventure.

But it's goin.

The Kosak’s are leaving this week. I love them and will never ever, ever, ever forget what they mean to me and my Mission. I love them so much!

They will go on to do goooood things because they are good.

We have had sooooo many good conversations in the past few days. I love when that happens. Speaking German with Germans is like a dream come true. Sounds cliché but it's the straight up truth. I love being here. So many interesting times too. We talked to this rabbi yesterday, and he was getting apprehensive. " So many Mormons keep trying to convert me!" So I asked, "why do you think that is?" Then he said " well I guess they think they have the truth and therefore have the authority to try and share it with the world." And I was like " ....." But on the inside I was like STRAIGHT UP. We didn't want to push it, though, so we left it there.

Lou is doing well! We met with her and another Chinese guy from the ward, talked about the gospel of Christ. It went well. (I secretly want them to get married, just throwin that out there) we just have to make sure she is down to coming to church for all three hours! Man I love her.  She is doing so well. It's like she has the faith of a child, but she knows it's there, and she wants that to develop.  Helping her and experiencing this with her is so cool. What a life!

Yes, momma, we did sing yesterday. (Madison sung a duet with another sister and Elder Clarke played the piano)  That was the best and maybe the most challenging thing, let me tell you. As you know, I DON’T like to sing in front people. When elder Clarke originally suggested it to me, I thought it wouldn't go down. I sang that one time in Braunschweig, and then at Schwester Devers' baptism, and that was hard enough.  But in Sacrament Meeting? No way. Naja. That's something I've been trying to work on. I can sing well, and it bothers me that I hate singing in front of people. I'll sing at appointments, but even that is pushing it. So we found another former opera singer from the ward to sing with me. Haha. And Sister Reed can play violin, so all of a sudden it turned into a full on darbietung. I was sooooo nervous!

I'd been praying that my fear wouldn't get in the way of inviting the spirit. Because, dang it, I just wanted people to feel the spirit and not have it to do with me. I was shaking in my boots, not going to lie. But we went up AND IT WAS FINE. Sigh of relief. That was my little but huge miracle this week.

Wellllll I was thinking about how long I've been out now. 10 months is a long time. But then again, it's nothing. Sometimes I don't know how

I'll survive. But then sometimes I don't see how I could ever leave.

Right now is a hard and wild time for me. I can really see how the things I'm going through are refining me. It just has to happen. Every day I can choose to enjoy it, or suffer. It will happen anyway. But if I want to change my nature, then I have to react, not just let it happen. Maaan I don't know how much I've changed already, but I think my perspective has changed for sure.  My motto right now is from a hymn. " I believe in Christ, so come what may." Straight up. When things get hard, I'm learning to just get over it. Haha. LIFE IS GOOD.

LIEBE GRÜßE

Sister Madison Mittleman

Sis Murdock & Madison in Leipzig

"Sister, You Are Good"

June 22, 2015

SISTER MURDOCK IS LEAVING. And I am taking over Leipzig! WAAAAH.

President Kosak came to Leipzig on Friday morning for my quarterly interview. That was solid. Getting to talk with him one on one, he is such a spiritual and tender man. I really love him and have learned so much from his example and testimony. He complimented my German (holla) and then told me that I was a good sister. Haha, that is such a typical President Kosak thing to say, "Sister, you are good". I love when he says that! Oh man, he is done next week, so that was it! haha, he also told me I looked like an Indian. I love him. We had a good little time together. I asked him to pray at the end. He said, in Deutsch oder Englisch, (German or English ) and I was GERMAN BITTE (German please). And then he said the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard, oh meine güte!! I love him. I'll miss him.

President Fingerle arrives next week. I've asked many ward members if they know him, from what I have heard he is pretty solid. He has young kids, so that's different. I met his son actually a few weeks ago, HE WAS SOLID. If his dad is anything like him, than we are in for a good ride.

Met with Lou twice this week, then she got sick so we actually lost contact for a bit. We were pretty worried, as that is not normal for her. And then on Sunday she showed up at church! WUNDER. She is so sweet. With her baptism we are probably going to have it in a few weeks, so she can work on staying for all three hours of church. Her testimony of the basics is growing though, she understands why the Lord has given us commandments, She is solid. I love her!

The best thing that happened this week besides my interview was a little miracle we had when waiting for a tram. We were sitting down, and then this lady walked by and saw sister Murdock's name shield. She thought we were JW’s, so when we said we were Mormon, she asked what we believe in.  We actually had a good conversation with her.  She opened up to us! She was curious if God really is there for her. We shared our testimonies with her and told her about what we do. She was way interested, and said she would think about it. Even if she doesn't call us in the near future, I could tell that she appreciated what we had said.

I am really sad that sister Murdock is leaving!!! 

Sis Murdoch & Madison

Feels like we just got back together!!! She has grown so much and I was so excited to serve with her. It was a fun ride while it lasted. I'll miss her. That was the hardest thing, finding that out.

My new companion is sister Reed, we actually got to Germany together! She sounds chill, and solid. She comes tomorrow. HERE WE GO.

I had many tender experiences with prayer this week. Too often I feel when I am weak that I have failed. TIS NOT SO. I am only weak when I do not go to the Lord. I can be weak but still have a strong faith. As long as I go to Him who makes me strong, then it's all good. I know that Heavenly Father is there for us, unconditionally. One of the most precious truths to know. He loves me, He hears me. I know it!

SCHÖNE GRÜßE AUS LEIPZIG (Lovely greetings from Leipzig)

LOVE SISTER MADISON MITTLEMAN

Opera House in Innenstadt. Truly a lovely city!!!!!

Cafe in Leipzig

For It Is Not Just A Great Book, It Is The Word Of God.

June 15, 2015

Another good week here in Leipzig!!!

Shout out to Hermana Megan. I love her and she just cracks me up!! Love seeing her pics and showing them to the missionaries here. Man I miss her!

This is now the last week of the transfer. I just got here, so no worries on that end, but sister Murdock POSSIBLY could leave. mal sehen!!! We just got back together and it would be a shame to leave one another so soon. But whatever happens, the Lord is in it. For this knowledge I have always been thankful.

A solid week!

Weather has been wacko. Some days are really warm, then some days rainy. That's Germany though! I love it.

Honestly mom, everything I eat here is amazing. The ice cream though was oh so good this week.

We were able to find a less active member, her address listed in the ward list was wrong, but we went to a street that sounded similar to it and what do you know, she was there! She has not been to church in a while and we don't know how much contact she has with the ward. Total wunder!

Last week we called a number from our phone, thinking it was a number of a former investigator in the area book, but turns out it was someone entirely different. She was way cool though, and was down to set an appointment out. So we did! We met with her on Wednesday, and talked about what it means to come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. She smokes, and can't read too easily in the Book of Mormon, but she has a desire! She said that ultimately her desire is to get baptized LIKE FOR REAL WHERE DID SHE COME FROM. Turns out she comes to church a lot. Sister Murdock and Elder Clarke thought she was a member. Our commitment for her was to pray just to know if meeting with us was a good idea. The next day she called. She said that she had already thought about it a bit, but felt that it was a good thing to set out a new appointment. So we did! She couldn't make it to church, but we will meet on Wednesday. Total wunder.

We were able to meet with Lou a few times! One appointment we brought an American sister from the ward, who actually served here as a missionary. Then on Saturday we met again. We planned to talk about the rest of the plan of salvation, but first we were following up on her reading in the Book of Mormon. The thought came to mind, as we were talking about the book of Mormon being true, to ask her if she really knew what we meant by that. It being "true." So I asked her. She was taught by missionaries a while ago, so we thought she already understood that. Glad that prompting came to mind though, because she didn't know! She thought that Joseph Smith had written it. NOW she understands why it is so important to ask God if the book is true. For it is not just a great book, it is the word of God. ALSO she came to church!!! yaaaaaa!!!! Met the Bishop and even stayed for the second hour. PROGRESS. Still wants to get baptized. She said that had she not come to Germany from china, she would not have realized why faith can be so necessary. That was the best part of the week for sure, hearing her share these feelings. yesssssss tis a good life indeed.

Went on austausch with the sisters in Chemnitz. I stayed there with sister Moffet. 

Sis Moffet and Madison on exchanges in Bahnhof

SHE IS SO SWEET. Just had the best time with her!! Man I love her. She is just so responsible and uses her time wisely. A solid sister. SECOND best part of the week was that we spent Saturday afternoon weeding some cute German lady's garten with Elder Collins and Elder Carpenter! (in the rain!) This is Elder Carpenter's last transfer, so I was stoked to be able to get to see him before he goes home next week. But that was also the hardest part of the week. Saying goodbye. He is like an older brother! I have known him since the beginning of my mission, it will be weird when he is home. He is a STUD though. That was a really fun tausch, needless to stay.

Well, I love this place. I love being a missionary. I know that the Book of Mormon was written by prophets called of God, and translated for our day by the prophet Joseph Smith. God loves us, he will show us the way we should take. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.

LOOOOOOOVE

Sister Madison Mittleman

President and Sister Kosak Not Only Know And Live The Gospel, But They LOVE It.

June 8, 2015

Grüße aus Leipzig!! The more time I spend in this city, the more I absolutely loooove it. it is so cool and German.

Leipzig- View from Madison's Apartment building

 First the questions:

President Fingerle is working right now in Frankfurt. He becomes our President in July. My friend Jaz from BYU is working there right now, and she sent me an email saying that he is really cool!! I actually met his son a few weeks ago at a single young adult thing and he was awesome!!!! If his parents are anything like him then I am stoked. :)

So Lou is doing good, she is willing to keep all the commandments and wants to get baptized, we are just making sure that she has a solid testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. she feels good about these things, it's just helping her recognize that that is hard. Also she has yet to come to church recently, so we all decided to move her baptismal date to the end of the month, hopefully. She is really sweet! The language is a little bit hard for her, but she feels good when we meet. I just think it is so cool that she is having these experiences, having no past experiences with God or the Savior.

It is still weird being with Sister Murdock, but I love it. We work in unity, and are really clear in our goals. I love that!!! She is so sweet and really precious.

Yes working with Elder Clarke is coooool. I think it was last week, we were all going home on the straßenbahn, and Elder Clarke was talking with a kind of investigator they have, quizzing him on the things the guy knows about the gospel. This guy's friend was there sitting across from them, and so I went over and sat next to him and started talking to him about religion casually. Haha That was fun, Jacob and I just simultaneously preachin' the Gospel. pseudo companions on the straßenbahn. aw yeah!

The most challenging part of the week might have been me wanting to lead a normal life with such gorgeous weather!! But you know what? I can do that when I get home. Yes I am in a lovely city full of culture, but I am not here to take advantage of that. I am here to share the Gospel and help lead people to repentance! The worldly fun can come later when I get home :)

The best part of this week was our zone conference in Berlin on Tuesday!! Final testimonies of President and Sister Kosak. They are such role models for me. President and Sister Kosak not only know and live the Gospel, but they LOVE it.

Hearing them talk about their testimonies just makes me want to be better and increase my own love for the gospel. That is how I know that I admire them. They make me want to be better. President Kosak is absolutely hilarious. I love him!! He talked about the prophet Joseph Smith, and his experiences, and how we should all apply his spiritual journey. He also gave us all this little copy of a drawing he made of the prophet. It's legit!! Man, that was such a spiritual day and I was just filled with the love that I have for this mission and for the people here. WHAT A LIFE.

Well the latter part of the week was a bit rough! We had several fallen out appointments, and it was really warm the other day, which was a bit dreadful! After a few tired days I was just feeling wilted. Yesterday was Sunday. After one of our appointments fell out, we just hit the streets around Innenstadt for a few hours. We had some interesting conversations. I was super tired and just wanted to go home. After talking to someone who really didn't want anything to do with latter day prophets, we were walking down the street and I was just thinking. I thought about eternal truths, and my testimony. The fact that so many people reject the idea of Joseph Smith does not at all make it any less true than it is. They may reject it, and they may shake their head and laugh at us. BUT it is still true. As we were walking down the street in this moment, my heart was just flooded with the warmth of the spirit confirming to me that this is true. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God. I know that with all my heart. As a missionary, I am so proud and honored to defend his name and his testimony. It's hard, but I know that it is true.

I love being here, and I love going through the hard times. I have so many good times here, and there is nowhere else I would rather be. Thanks for the love and support. Have a solid week!

alles liebe

Sister Mittleman

The Accent Sounds Like Someone Speaking German With An Irish Accent.

June 1, 2015

I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME. Yes, the rumors are true, on the

28th this past week I reached my 9 month mark aka my halfway mark!!

That was a weird experience. 9 months from today, on March 1st I am

set to come home. What a life, what a life.

I think the coolest thing that I have learned in the past 9 months is

the worth of souls. I can't easily express exactly how I feel, but I

really feel how precious each soul here on earth is, especially here

in Germany. Every person I have ever talked to on the street is a

child of our Heavenly Father, and left His presence with the desire to

return. Sometimes, that is hard to recognize, especially when people are mean or lame. BUT it's true. I am realizing that more. I have realized how Christ feels as well. People persecuted him, mocked him, and ultimately killed him. But he completed his mission, because he knew how important it was. I am grateful that I am starting to realize that. I have come to know the Savior more on my mission.

Leipzig is AWESOME. It is an old city, but also really modern. Pretty much the place to be. There is this really awesome university that looks soooo coooool. And an Opera House.

 And this really cool Rathaus, well city hall. Google it! The new one is so cool. It's huge here, I love it! The accent sounds like someone speaking German with an Irish accent. I find it amusing. Still a bit hard to understand, but I love it.

I see Elder Clarke almost every day, it feels like. He is a solid missionary. I never would have thought that we could serve together! He is a stud. SO MANY TIMES I have almost called him by his first name. haha, that's a bit of an awkward and fun adjustment.

With the ipads, they told us that the church owns the ones here in our mission, so we don’t keep them at the end. But mal sehen, that may change in the next few months.

Our sweet Chinese investigator, 

Sis Murdock, Lou Song & Madison

Lou Song, wanted to move her baptismal date a week later, as she has a huge test the week before. We were talking about the Holy Ghost, and she said she wants it so she can feel positive in her life from his influence! SO SWEET. She wants to keep the commandments. Man, I love her!!

We met this cool guy a few days ago, Marcus. We talked about the Book of Mormon with him, and although he is not too religious, he wants to meet this week.

We met with this cute tiny Vietnamese less active in the ward. She is TINY. And when she puts on her glasses, her little eyes get all huge. It was a solid lesson about gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She reads aloud from her BOM in Vietnamese, and we read in German. I love her already!!

Yes mom, if you send me a letter or email, I can read it, and then respond on Monday.

If you send me a video, I just have to get permission. But I’m down!!

The best thing that happend this week was  talking to people on the street, to be honest. So many times this week I have just had those "I am a missionary in German!" moments. I love that I can just walk up to people and talk with them. Although we get rejected pretty fast sometimes, it is a wild experience. And this country and the people are just beautiful. Man. it is so cool.

Challenging thing this week was getting up!! I have been pretty tired this week, not going to lie. But it's a good feeling. In the work of the Lord it's all worth it. Just like President Eyring said in some talk that I don't know, he lets out this rallying cry, "Remember Him!" We are standing side by side with Christ in His work. He makes me strong, He gives me the love and the desire to keep going, even when I want to rest. How grateful I am for His leadership in His vineyard.

I love you and pray for you!! The church is true, and we really do have a prophet of God on the earth. Schöne Woche :)

alles liebe

Sister Madison Mittleman

The City Will Reach It's 1000 Birthday This Weekend, And I Feel Pretty Honored To Be Here For That.

May 25, 2015

sooooo i was writing from my ipad, but then I decided that I didn't like it, it was too hard. I can handle everything else except lots of typing.

I MADE IT. I am here, in Leipzig. It is a huuuuuuuge city. Reminds me of Braunschweig, only a bit bigger. I LOVE IT. It is really pretty, and BACHS GRAVE IS HERE. Supposedly. The city will reach its 1000 birthday this weekend, and I feel pretty honored to be here for that.

Alright lets get down to business.

Yes, Sister Hilton and Elder Hilton serve here and partly in a nearby branch. She is really sweet, and he can speak German really well. They’re solid people.

Uh, technically there is nothing in the white handbook about hugging men, but there of course is just some taboo about it. I mean, we avoid it, but it has happened before.

Innenstadt here is really windy. Tall buildings. There is a huge marktplatz where there are little markets every few days. People DO talk differently here, I can generally understand it, but it is fun to heart the little accent difference. It's cool. People in general, I have not noticed a big difference. Time will tell. My companion SIS MURDOCK is doin well. Feels like home being back with her. I love it. We both are pretty much always on the same page, which I love especially because we like keeping a simple clean apartment without papers on the wall everywhere. Good stuff.

We found this guy from China this week, and at our appointment the next day his friend showed up. They’re really open and curious! That was cool. Way cool. Another appointment fell out with them, but hopefully we can get a hold of them again. This other girl we are teaching is from China too, she had a baptismal date, but it fell out and she went back to china for a bit. The sisters realized she still had some things to learn. She is back now, and it seems like she has a better understanding of the situation. She is back on date for the 13th of next month.  She wants to get baptized, because she knows it is something that will take her back to God. She’s really sweet :)

The best thing to happen this week was probably just enjoying the lovely city. It’s hard with everything being new, really hard. And missing Lübeck. BUT this place is a new adventure. I am stoked. The good times keep on rolling.

 Thanks for the excerpt of that talk! I had heard that before and I love it. I totally have a testimony of our callings, the mission, the areas in which we serve, and our companions. Everything that happens, "the Lord is in it." IT’S TRUE.

Change is hard, but it is necessary. I love serving in so many different places under so many different conditions. There is not just one way to serve the Lord. We all have different assignments in different points of our lives. He knows where we need to be.

LOVE YOU. Wish you a well week. liebe grüße aus Leipzig

Sister Madison Mittleman

Lubeck- Saying Goodbye to Sis Brim