Somehow life just keeps getting busier and busier and I love it. love. it. My nutrition might be going out the window and the to do list may be 8 miles long but we are so very blessed I can't even get over it. I am going to attempt to not make this one as long as the Bible itself because for some reason I just start jabbing and before I know it there's an essay in front of me.............whoops. So I will only share one experience from the wonderful week we had. So that you don't all kill me and my lengthy emails.
But I just want you to get the tiniest glimpse of these people I love so stinkin' much and I know whatever I write won't even do it justice but I still try because... well... they are just perfect.
Aiyana Gionker. The most beautiful wonderful 14 year old in all of Germany. (Maybe I am a little partial but she really is just wonderful) She went to a church youth camp with another girl from our branch and absolutely loved it. When she came back she told her mom (who had recently been coming back to church) that she wanted to be taught by the missionaries and get baptized. That was the miracle text we got my very first week here. But life is not always easy and we definitely had some ups and downs as she tried to learn a whole new way of life. But it always came back to that feeling. The feeling that she had whenever we taught her, whenever she read in The Book of Mormon whenever she went to church and was surrounded by others who had that light. And how she wanted that to be with her always. She was willing to change her lifestyle to be worthy to have the Holy Ghost with her. Always.
Aiyana was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She entered into a covenant to take upon herself the name of Christ, always remember him, and keep his commandments. It was truly beautiful. There is just something about seeing someone you have grown to love so deeply all dressed in white. Pure. Clean. Completely free from sin. Ready to start a new life. But even more than the baptism was this Sunday. Oh how I wish I could describe it to you all because if I could you would all be bawl babies right now. It was my absolute favorite sacrament meeting I have ever been to. Not kidding. The Spirit was SO strong. When Aiyana was confirmed and given the gift of the holy ghost and the simple German words were said 'Recieve the Holy Ghost.' There was SUCH power. I don't even know how to describe it. Someone that we are teaching in Spanish came for his first time to church that day and he literally understands a grand total of about two words of German but he looks at us clutching his heart and just says 'My heart. I don't know how to express it. But I can feel something so strong in my heart.' Woah. And how often do I say the Spirit has no language barriers? I feel it. He feels it. Imagine how Aiyana feels right now...Then she gets up and she is just beaming. Literally. I don't know how to describe it. Just so much light. And she comes to sit next to me and gives me the best hug of my life. Gah. Guys. I wish you could feel that kind of love.
Then the testimonies start. Not even a moment of silence. Even if I wanted to get up and share what I know to be true I couldn't. Because every single person in our branch was just on fire. You seriously had to book it up there. Aiyana was the very last person to bear her testimony and it took all her guts to get up enough courange to go up there. She bore the simplest purest testimony I have ever heard. No fluff whatsoever. Just simply. I know this church to be true. I know it. And then sat down. That was it. And yet the tears in my eyes started to swell. The power behind those simple words. Oh man.
I hope we can remember the simplicity of this gospel. What it boils down to. And when you know it. When you really feel it. NOTHING can get you down. Absolutely nothing.
I know this church is true. I know it.
xoxoxo
s. heywood
ps: Elkin ended up not going to Spain this week. HALLELUJAH. So we have still been teaching him just about every night... I could tell you about 80 stories about him. Just read my journal later. I will give you permission
pps: I have recieved quite the list of email requests for an update on Raphael....No Raphael did not fall off the face of the planet. I will have to catch you up on him next week or something. Because he is also just golden. I cannot help but light up whenever I see him. And the whole branch is in love with him too.
ppps: Who said that missionary work is impossible in Germany again?
pppps: RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE PUMPED FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE
ppppps: Don't you love how I siad I was going to keep this short and now it is even longer from all these ps's? This is kinda fun....
pppppps: okay I will stop now.
