Well it happened Sister Peck and I accidentally went on a date this week. We met this guy at our finding activity and I asked if we could meet to talk more about GOD and JESUS. He took it the wrong way.....

It all started because we were fasting on Monday. So we meet up with him and since it's raining he asked if we could meet at this super fancy café. So we went in and he completely ignores Sister Peck and just starts asking me all this personal questions. I retaliated be asking if we could start with a prayer. He amused me and immediately started talking about how he was raised in a children's home and was raised by nuns which somehow turned into this giant airplane thing Donald Trump has. It was a completely one sided conversation.(strike one) I was so stressed that I accidentally drank most of the lemonade he got for us (breaking my fast). Poor Sister Peck couldn't understand a word. I finally interjected and tried to teach him, but it had no effect on him and he started talking about how he lives with his mom. (Strike two)

At the end he asked if he could take me out again without Sister Peck. I said no. He asked if we had anything going on that evening and I said we had a food appointment and he said "what!? You're going out with another guy! AND he's taking you out for dinner!?" I just let him think that because he started getting possessive. (Strike three and he's OUT)

Seriously, thanks for raising me to be outspoken enough to tell creepy men to stop trying to ask my companions out. It amazes me how "nein" isn't enough for them. There's always a "why?"  that follows and I can easily say "because I said so!" And THEN they get the picture. I fear for the less outspoken sisters out there.

So yeah we had a lot of funny things happen this week. So jealous of Yosemite! Thanks for he update on Dixie mom. Andrew you're a Little AWOL I'd love to here from you.

Love you! ❤️
Sister Luymes

A home without a dog is just a house.

Fun with sidewalk chalk and street contacting!

Oh man it was another good one! To explain my subject line we had SO. MUCH. RAIN this week. I realize this is a normal occurrence in other parts of the world, but I was thoroughly impressed that it actually rained consistently for 2 1/2 days in a row. The first night of this there was the biggest thunder and lightning storm of my life. At a lovely 2 o'clock in the morning we heard a ginormous BOOOOOM! Which of course woke us up. I stood up immediately and in my bleary half-sleep I ran to our window and yelled "GUYS SOMETHING'S GOING ON OUTSIDE! I THINK A BOMB WENT OFF!" My Utah companions were thoroughly unimpressed. Sister Edelmayer was the one to point out the obvious "It's only thunder and lightning." To which I replied "thunder and lightning are not like that where I come from!" I wasn't completely put at rest (probably because I was not fully awake still) so I spent the next 30-45 min rummaging around our apartment making sure everything was in order and all the windows were closed. Alas my mind was put at ease and I was able to fall back asleep. My companions haven't let me forget my behavior since then, but hey what's a California girl to do? Hahaha

We have somehow managed to find and teach even more people this week! Seriously Golden power is real. Since Sister Peck has been here we've had more work than I've ever had. Some of our old people are doing well. Elizabeth and Salman were both on vacation this week so we did not get to see them sadly. However, Lorena is doing super well. We finally got her connected with the Spanish Elders aus Heidelberg to do Skype lessons and it went even better than we could imagine. She's making huge progress and it's just been an answer to so many prayers.

Ramesh is also doing really well. He believes in so much of what we believe, but he's just taken the Jesus out of it. We taught him for the 3rd time last Saturday and I was having a feeling that we really needed to teach him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He ate it up. He loved what we said about repentance and he said he really wanted to repent and become clean. At the end of the lesson the Spirit prompted me to ask: Ramesh do you want to find out if Jesus Christ is your Savior? He took a second to think and he answered: yes I really do. So we re-committed him to read the Book of Mormon and praying about what we teach. He's really excited to learn more about Christ and to find out for himself.

Some new faces are Richmond and Camille. Camille was just a straight up miracle. We were at Sister Lourido's home and she invited Liliana (a new convert who has been in Spain for the last 3 weeks) to have lunch all together. We were cooking and Liliana asked if she could bring a friend a long. Long story short, they got lost and we didn't end up eating until 3pm. However, Camille was the friend and she said hi and asked if she could come to the single adult activities and if she could have a Book of Mormon in Spanish. We were a little shocked, but said yes of course! We also got to teach her a little bit and she said she felt so good being with us and just started crying. We will meet with her again on Saturday.

Richmond is also cool. Sister Kryzanski found him at a street display awhile back and we finally got to meet with him. His brother converted to the church in Ghana and is now currently a bishop in Utah. He already knew a little about the church, but was super open. We taught him in a park over looking the Rhein (it was beautiful). He still has some reserves, but agreed to read and pray.

I've been reading in Jesus the Christ a lot lately. One part talked about when Christ was talking to his Apostles and asking them who they think he is. Peter responds in all conviction "You are the Christ." However, later after Christ tells them that he will die Peter rejects this notion. Christ then rebukes him because Peter was seeing God's Plan through men's eyes. I wonder just how many things have I experienced and have looked at these experiences only through worldy-natural man eyes. God's plan sometimes doesn't make sense to us because we are being closed minded and are unwilling to trust Him. However, if we let Him, if we trust Him, little by little our perspective widens and we are able to have just more understanding.

Liebe Grüße,
Sister Luymes

Gotta get in touch with my inner Katniss.

P-day trip to Mainz ruins.  Dorff view from on top.

Hessischesstreichholzschachtelchen

Wow this week was hands down the busiest week of my mission. We had 2-3 appointments everyday and none of them fell out which was a miracle! We set a baptismal date with Lorena which puts us up to 3 people who are on date for baptism! We had 7 investigators at church which is another ginormous miracle. We got 3 new awesome investigators and a couple really cool referrals. Wiesbaden is such an amazing area and is probably my favorite place in Germany.

Some cool highlights: 
We found Simon right before Sister Kryzanski went home so we called him up and met with him last Thursday. It started off very interesting because he made us watch this really weird video and basically everyone except him was uncomfortable. At the end of the video he
looks at us and said "ok and what do you say to that." I asked if we could say a prayer together to re-invite the Spirit. Afterwards we were able to just bear testimony about Jesus Christ and his whole demeanor changed and he started to listen. It ended up being a way
good lesson. I'm so grateful for the guidance of the Spirit.

We were really stressed out because there was too much to organize and make sure everyone had a friend and was in the right place. After church I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and a member taps me on the shoulder and said "Ich habe Mittagessen für die Missionare
gekocht!" (I've made lunch for the missionaries). So we had a wonderful meal all together and it made me feel a whole lot better.

We had a lesson with Lorena and it was going ok, but then her youngest kid Matteus started freaking out because he realized Sister Peck was not Sister Kryzanski. He ended up biting my arm and stabbing me in the leg with some colored pencils. He tried climbing up onto Sister Peck (poor girl had no idea what was going on). But he calmed down eventually and we were able to get the lesson going again and set the baptismal date.

Sister Peck successfully gave her first Book of Mormon away. She's coming a long with her German and I'm super proud that she's kept up with our crazy schedule!

Liebe Grüße,
Sister Luymes

And yes that word as my subject is a real word it means a tiny Hessen Matchbox.

Quaint village of Mainz

Window shopping

Still happy to be in Germany!

Wiesbaden district outing to Mainz ruins.

You can imagine my surprise as the AP's are telling me that I'll be sending my companion home, picking up a trainee, and receiving 2 more sister missionaries into our apartment all on the same day. We have a big apartment, but it's a little bit squished with 4 of us. We haven't quite had time to just breath for a second and actually get to know each other. I'm hoping tonight will be a lot more chill than last night's adventure to Mainz and back. I proved my woMANhood by lugging a 60 lbs bag up 5 stories.

Sister Peck was a CNA for 2 years before coming out on a mission. She didn't speak a lick of German before her mission. It's kind of hilarious because she always says "es ist gesegnet" (it is blessed) when she likes something. Which is not at all a German phrase. Oh Goldens. This time training is already very different than the last time. She's very self motivating which is very nice.

Wish me luck that everything will get settled in. We are attempting to get everyone registered on Monday morning at the Büro. Those places are hell. We had to go 7 times for Sister López before they let her Anmeld. Hopefully Wiesbaden is different.

Love you! Happy 4. Juli!
Sister Luymes

Meet Sister Peck my new trainee (golden).

Well there has been a lot that's changed in the last couple of days. On Saturday morning I got a call from President Boyer and he called me to train again! I'm really excited about it. Then on Monday night we called the AP's for some information and we had heard a rumor going around that the sisters in Mainz would be moving in. They started apologizing and confirmed that yes indeed the Mainz sisters would be moving in! The good thing was Sister Shellenberg would be training as well so we would all just come back to Wiesbaden together after the training hubbub in Frankfurt. Fun fact Sister López is ALSO training and my trainer went home all on the same day so we have a four generation picture. 

My new trainee is ...... Sister Peck! She's from Orem, Utah and is 21. She's very VERY excited for missionary work and very energetic about just about everything. My other two new "companions" are Sister Schellenberg from American Fork, Utah who is training Sister Edelmyer from Layton, Utah. Basically the entire state of Utah moved into my apartment. I'll have to step up my California pride to make up for the lack of diversity. Hahaha

Wiesbaden Sisters Rock!!
Me, Edelmyer, Schellenberg, Peck

As for the work transfers destroyed our plans because we had to go to Frankfurt. I'll be honest I've been having some weird feelings about sending off Sister Kryzanski and then receiving 3 new super new missionaries. I'm the grandma of the group. At one point during  all the craziness of moving the Mainz sister in and Trainee stuff I just really wanted to go finding or something directly missionary work related because it was something that was NOT changing. I'm feeling a lot better now that I've been able to sleep. 

Last Sunday all the missionaries were given the opportunity to share their testimonies and personal experiences. I shared an experience I had right before I got my mission call. I was really nervous about where I would get called to serve. I wanted a confirmation that it was really the place where God needed me to go. After many prayers I felt a strong impression, it said: It doesn't matter where you are going because you are going to love the heck out of the people you'll serve. I'm so grateful for the people I've met and have been able to serve. 

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Luymes

Wiesbaden District - we're total posers!

Weisbaden District -- "fat cat falling off a log"

Sister Peck

She's game for anything.

Sister Peck -- meet German Ice Cream, it will change your life.

So long Sister Krysanski (L),
plus Sisters Lopez, Williams, and Peck

Three Generations - my trainees and my trainer who goes home soon
Sis Lopez, Sis Peck (my trainees), Sis Williams (my trainer)

Meet Pres & Sister Boyer and family (no - Adrienne is not in this pic).

This coming week will be full of hellos and goodbyes. On Tuesday we got to meet the new mission President and his family the Boyers! They're seriously so amazing and I've already received so much inspiration from them after one 1 1/2 hour Conference. Their kids are super cute too! They have a 14, 12, 9, and 6 year old. Sister Boyer even served a mission in Boston Massachusetts and has a lot of amazing insights. I'm really excited to work with them.  

Well it's happening 2 transfers have gone by and that means Sister Kryzanski is going back to Connecticut next week. I've never wanted a transfer to not end so badly. Sister K is so cool and is an amazing missionary. We'll get our transfer calls on Saturday as usual. 

Another sad goodbye is Ben. He's our exchange student friend from Iowa and he's finishing his year program and goes back tomorrow. He's helped the missionaries out sooooo much. He should be getting his mission call soon so he promised to stay in touch. My bet is the Frankfurt Germany mission natürlich. 

Bro & Sis Tiebing and Ben

Dinner at Tiebings - Farewell Ben :-(

Summer is here in Germany which means everyone disappears for 4 weeks on Urlaub (vacation). There will be a lot of goodbyes, but they're only temporary. 

Let's talk about some hellos! 

I'll get a new companion and I'm sure she'll be cool. 

We set a baptismal date with Salman and he's been bringing some friends to church and German class. 

We'll probably set a date for Lorena this week. I'll talk more about her later. 

Barbara, Ramesh, David, and Hamed are some new people we've started to teach. We also met a new American family who moved to Wiesbaden and we'll get to eat with them this week as well. 

This week was honestly really cool. I felt like I was exactly in the right place, with the right people, at the right time, and saying the right thing. I just felt the Spirit confirming to me that this was exactly what God wants me to do. We've been teaching/ helping Lorena a lot lately. She's in a bad family situation and she feels very alone and lost here in Germany. Sister Lourido met together with us and prayed about what we can do to help Lorena and the Spirit was so strong and we all just felt how much Heavenly Father loved and cared about her. She came to German class and it was beautiful because we had someone from Ecuador, Spain, Nigeria, Pakistan, Colombia, and of course America. Salman called us his angels because we've been helping him temporarily (learning German so he can work), and spiritually (teaching him the Gospel). He really opened up to us this week about how he got to Germany and why he came. It's a miracle that he is here and that we are able to teach him. Jorge (Lorena's husband) found Sister Lourido and basically picked her to become friends with his wife. Of all the people Jorge could have picked, it was Sister Lourido one of the most fantastic member missionaries I've ever met. It's a miracle that we were able to meet Lorena and help her. 

Miracles happen and they are wonderful! 

2 Nephi 27:23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith

Liebe Grüße 

Sister Luymes 

MTC District Reunion

Dinner with the Snapps (Sr Missionaries),
this was the best Bayrisch (Bavarian) Schnitzel.

Beautiful Wiesbaden

The Old Town Palace - Hessischer Landtag

Wiesbaden City Hall by sunset

Panoramic of Eppstein

Eppstein Castle Ruins and Tower.

My Wiesbaden district homies.