Ask God if He is there

Dear loved ones,

It has been a great week. On Tuesday, I walked the crowded, Christmas-star illuminated rows of Dresden's Weihnachtsmarkt with Sister Cady on one side of me and Elder Gallacher on the other - each of us so excited to get our brand new missionaries. The bells of the Frauenkirche echoed off cobblestone streets littered with cigarette butts and candied almonds, ushering in this new chapter of my mission. 

Wednesday was a familiar blur: RE train rides through beautiful Sachsen fields and forests, Sister Hubrichs' little green car waiting for us in the Freiberg Bahnhof parking lot, sacred moments with Bischoff and Schwester Schönherr in their immaculate yellow kitchen, and running to the dairy outlet to pick up 24 yogurts for the trainer/trainee dinner.

When the APs paired me with Sister Rachel Porter in the Freiberg chapel at the conclusion of the trainer-trainee conference, it felt right. This Portland native is spunky!  Our alto voices slipped into perfect harmony with the rest of the group as we sang "Joy to the World." Instead of getting us home to our cozy Hamburg apartment, President surprised us with a request to come straight to Berlin for me to finish the temple visitors center films in 27 different languages. Sister Porter toughed out 2 days in the mission office with a smile on her face the entire time - which is more than I can say about myself. My companion is a champ and I have a lot to learn from her :)

Our Christmas party was a success - people who hadn't had contact with the missionaries in months or years showed up, and members brought their friends and family. I spent much of the evening washing and drying tea cups. 

My invitation for you this week is this: get on your knees and ask God if He is there. Ask Him if He knows you. And then look for the answer and be ready to notice it. I promise you that He is and that He does. 

I love each of you! 

Liebe Grüße, 

Sister Grace Hendricks