It Took Me About 45 Minutes, BUT I SCHAFFED IT.

April 6, 2015

IM STAYYYYYYING IN LÜÜÜÜÜBECKKKKK

Yes, it's true, I am now entering my fourth transfer here!! This will be twice as long here than in Braunschweig!!  Wild to think of it like that. As you may have noticed in past emails, Lübeck has been a refiners fire for me. And now it just keeps on rolling. SO LET IT ROLL. DEEP WATER IS WHAT I WANT TO SWIM IN.

In fabulous news, Sister Brim is staying toooo!!!! Much love about that!! Elder Whitaker is leaving, so Elder Peterson will get a new comp tomorrow. And my rad DL Elder Mace is leaving too! So his current comp, Elder Benfell will be DL. He'll get a new comp too. Oh and my fearless ZL Elder Carpenter is leaving to go be a ZL in Chemnitz; I'll miss all these toll elders but they will do work in their new areas!!!

So I had my baptism of Eis (ice cream) this week!!! There is a couple in the ward that always has this taufe durch eis (Taffy Ice Cream) for the missionaries. Friday morning there was this rad Easter breakfast at the church, and then we went to their house later in the evening. Basically it is just  A TON OF ICE CREAM that you have to eat all at once. Oh man, Br Riechel's face when he opened the front door, and then when he brought out the ice cream was just priceless. It took me about 45 minutes, BUT I SCHAFFED IT. Felt pretty sick later though, hahahha oh golly. I'll send some pictures.

EASTER morning we went and took a walk. This city is absolutely gorgeous!!! We talked to people in the street about what Easter and the resurrection means to them. We had some really cool conversations! That was awesome. Then we watched some GENERAL CONFERENCE. We watched some on Saturday too, then yesterday we watched all but the Sunday afternoon. That comes next week (oh the suspense!!) I loooooved conference!

Momma, I TOTALLY thought the same thing when the choir sang "Consider the Lilies". To think that seven months ago I was sitting there in little Mission Viejo, and yesterday I was sitting in a little dim room here in Lübeck Germany. I too was filled with awe and those sweet memories of that day!! It made me miss my family. So much has happened. I can't even begin to describe how much the time has meant to me. I love you.

Madison in front of her favorite view of Lubeck

Two of my favorite talks were from Elder Nielson, and Elder Runlend. 'Twas I, but Tis not I' SO TRUE. One of my favorite things about Heavenly Father is that He does not judge us for who we were in the past, but rather for what we are doing right now. He forgives us of our sins, and remembers them no more. Is that not the greatest or what? That is why daily repentance is so important, and taking the Sacrament each week. Through the Atonement, we can be born again, and become new creatures! So many possibilities await us if we will just get over the mistakes of the past and move forward with a perfect hope in Christ.  "No failure is final" Because of Jesus Christ we can try again. And again, and again. What a miracle!! I know that the Atonement is real. We must each find what it means to us personally, and we must each feel everyday that the Savior is there to lift us up. He suffered and died for us, because He loves us. I know I can never pay him fully back for what He did for me, but then again, He doesn't expect me to. He just asks that I try. So I will! I will do my best.  "If we do what's right, we have no need to fear." I love the Savior, and I know that He loves me. He is there. HE LIVES. Because He went through everything, so can I!

Happy Easter, a time of new beginnings!

Liebe Grüße

Sister Mittleman