Don't worry, Mom!

It was exciting to go to Berlin! I stayed with Sister Frenkel and Sister Wilson in Tiergarten and they were so kind to me. I liked going with them to appointments and seeing how they teach - it's nice to see something different and to get ideas for how we will teach in Bremen. 

My trainee is Sister Gina Ballard and let me tell you, Sister Ballard is great. She is from Montana/Rexburg, ID, is a European Studies major at BYU, and is about 10 inches shorter than I am. She is so ready and willing to work hard, she isn't fazed by some of Bremen's quirks, and she speaks German! She helps me with the language, and I have the chance to show her what I have learned about being a missionary. 

We really hit the ground running as soon as we got back to Bremen. We have been able to make a lot of progress with our investigator, Irina. She was supposed to move to Berlin this past week, but changed her mind and we will keep teaching her here in Bremen! On Saturday, we had an appointment in the church and after, there was a Primary activity! We ended up staying for a little bit and she absolutely LOVED it. It was her first interaction with the ward and I think it really helped her to start to envision herself as a part of the ward... Next Primary teacher? Fingers crossed! 

We also have made a lot of progress with Irina's mother, Michaela. Last night, she called us and wept as she told us how lonely she felt as her children have kind of kept their distance from her, how much she misses her ex-boyfriend, and how she feels like she is trying to do the right things, but her life is still so hard. It was too late for Sister Ballard and I to go over, but we knelt down and said a prayer with her on the phone, shared and discussed some scriptures that would comfort her, and tried to help her feel how much we and her Father in Heaven loved her. We gave her some reading assignments in the Book of Mormon and we will discuss it with her today. 

It is amazing to see the Lord use us, His servants, as instruments to comfort and support His children. It is one thing to understand it intellectually - indeed, our calling is to bring others unto Christ - but it is amazing to actually see the difference that the gospel makes in people's lives. It has been a huge blessing to see the promises that the Spirit prompts us to extend to these people be fulfilled as they keep commitments and walk in faith. This gospel really and truly is changing their lives - as it should with us all. 

This is a new transfer. Something that I want to change this transfer in my missionary work is really reaching out in faith. I think that sometimes, I have been hesitant to ask for really specific blessings in my prayers for fear that nothing will happen. Which is, in reality, ridiculous. I am beginning to better act on the understanding that my relationship with my Heavenly Father is not passive. "Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you." That is how our relationship with the Lord works. Our family motto is "Pray to God; Row Towards Shore." I think that a big part of that is that we have a direction: we row towards the shore. Our prayers are pleas to help us reach the safety of the shore. Specific goals, specific prayers, calling down specific blessings. 

I love being here. I love the work. I love my Savior. 

Liebe Grüße, 
Sister Grace Hendricks
PS Sorry that there are no pictures this week - there are a bunch of viruses on these internet cafe computers... Sketch. ALSO if you hear scary stuff about Bremen in the news, our Mission President is keeping us in the loop and we are just being really smart and careful about who we talk to. But we are totally okay don't worry! (mom..)

Hannah the hairstylist

 Favorite Things

I'm a giant.

The only people on the street who really listen to me.

Training time!

This week was absolutely AMAZING and I have some really big news!!! On Friday, our dinner was interrupted by a phone call from PRESIDENT KOSAK - Sister Moffet's face went bright red and then sheet white... President never ever calls unless its really serious. Sister Moffet answered and got the news that she will be a Sister Training Leader in Chemnitz! Then he asked to speak to me and said "Sister Hendricks... I trust you... As you know, there is only one sister coming into our mission this transfer. You will be training her. You will be the only Sister training in our whole mission. Her name is Sister Ballard. I trust you, Sister Hendricks. I will see you in Berlin at 9:30 on Thursday morning. Goodbye." and that was it. UHH.... I AM TRAINING! I technically won't even be done being trained until tomorrow morning! I am so excited. I'm nervous that I'm a little underqualified, but I feel so determined to do everything I can to train her to be bold, obedient, and hardworking. I know that the Lord will help us. I AM SO EXCITED!!! 

We have been able to make progress in the Bremen ward. Members are much more receptive to the missionaries and are finally starting to get excited about missionary work and participating! Truly our prayers are being answered right before our eyes. 

We got to meet with both Michaela and Irina. Michaela wants to start learning again and loves reading in the Book of Mormon and drawing strength from the examples of Enos, Alma, and Nephi. Irina actually decided to enroll in an acting school in Berlin, so I will be able to turn her over to the Tiergarten Sisters when I go to Berlin on Wednesday! Both of these meetings were very special as they were reminded of the Spirit they feel around the missionaries and as they learn about the gospel. 

On Thursday, we were on our way from a member's home to an appointment with an investigator when an old man asked us if we needed help getting somewhere. We said that we were fine, but thanked him and started just talking to him. He then saw our nametags and just LIT UP. He told us that he met the missionaries in Oldenburg 10 years ago, that he had a Book of Mormon, that he read it cover to cover, and that he knew that it was the true word of God! AHH! It was amazing! His name is Rudolph and we will be meeting in the next week or so. 

On another train, Sister Moffet and I struck up conversation with a Polish lady and by the middle of the conversation, the whole area of our train was involved in the conversation talking about their families, where they come from, and how they felt about Bremen. It was awesome! We exchanged numbers with a few of them and we will see how things turn out! 

Marcella's baptism on Saturday was beautiful. The talks were wonderful, Elder Horrocks and I performed "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul," and a lot of Marcella's nonmember friends and family were there. The Spirit was strong and we think that we will have further contact with Marcella's best friend, Kirsten. 

I was rereading a few chapters in 2 Nephi yesterday and thought a lot about two verses in Chapter 7. I was a little confused, but after studying the crossreference in Isaiah, these verses are new favorites. Isaiah 50:10-11 (2 Nephi 7:10-11) tells us:  

10 ¶Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

 11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

I pondered a lot about how each of us will walk in darkness. It is a part of life; it is part of Heavenly Father's plan for us to learn and grow. But if we are OBEDIENT and trust in the Lord, we will have light to help guide us through the darkness. Everyone will go through different types and times of darkness: work, family, school, health, self-confidence, testimony, feelings of inadequacy. But this light that will guide us is the same. It is our Redeemer Jesus Christ. We cannot expect to be guided safely through darkness by our own efforts. Our own meager sparks will not illuminate the path, they will not give us warmth, and they will not last. Christ's Atonement does. I have the feeling that I will spending a lot of time on my knees these next two transfers. But I have full confidence in the Savior that He will support me and my companion and guide us. 

I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve with Sister Moffet - she will be perfect as the Sister Training Leader in Chemnitz. I love Bremen, I love being a missionary, and I love feeling my Savior supporting me each step of the way. I know that He will continue to do so as Sister Ballard and I will learn and grow together. Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. They mean the world.  

Liebe Grüße, 

Sister Grace Hendricks

Burritos/Roses For Strangers

This was a great week!

Last P-Day, we found an absolute GEM in this bleak wilderness of boiled potatoes, rotcol, and chunky gravy... drumroll please... A BURRITO JOINT!!! It's cheap and it's tiny and it's a dream come true. "Burrito Rossali" - whoever Rossali is, I love her.

One of the Elders' investigators brought two of his friends to soccer: Hector and Ninett Saucedo. They are a newlywed couple from Bolivia ... hello SPANISH! My Spanish is very rusty, but I started getting back in the swing of things. They were so sweet - we exchanged numbers and are hoping that some progress will be made with them. Our investigator, Musa, also came to soccer for the first time!

Friday did not go as planned at all BUT it turned out to be really really fun. We went over to Familie Barufe for a Midtagsessen Termin and that turned into a quick adventure to Bremen Nord. We went to a bombed out WWII U-Boat Bunker called "Valentin" and it was so incredibly cool. 

On Valentine's Day, after Sister Moffet and I finished all of our appointments, we bought 2 dozen roses for 2 Euro and handed them out to random people on the street. They were confused, then surprised, then grateful, and then impressed that two young women were spending their Valentine's evening handing out flowers to complete strangers. It led to some pretty great discussions about why were were here and Sister Moffet and I decided it was our best Valentine's day ever. 

Church was great. For the first time I actually felt like I understood everything that was going on and everything that people said to me - PROGRESS! Scary Bruder Hardel came up to me and told me that my German is getting really good. I was so happy!

Last night as we got a surprise phone call from our old investigator Irina. Irina had been our golden investigator - we loved her with our whole hearts and she seemed to be progressing toward her February 1st baptismal date with enthusiasm and with spiritual passion. One day she dropped us with no warning and as I wrote you a few weeks ago, and we were heartbroken. So when Irina's name popped up on the screen of our tiny little phone ... adrenaline rush! She apologized profusely for dropping us and said that she wanted to meet again. We have an appointment on Friday. Sister Moffet and are praying to know how we can best prepare for this meeting with her.

This week I was really impressed by a verse in Jacob 4. Verse 7 says:
"Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things."

I thought about why I have weaknesses. This led to a lot of self-reflection and analysis and I found that every single one of my weaknesses is a very specific invitation to lean on the Lord to become better. I thought about how the best way that I can use this gift of grace is to come to Him in prayer with my weaknesses. To kneel in humility and tell Him the shortcomings that I have recognized in myself. To ask Him specifically to help me understand how I can make those weaknesses strengths, and to ask to be refined in His hands. The best way to find out who I should be is to ask my Heavenly Father. I have total confidence that through the Atonement of my Redeemer and best friend, Jesus Christ, I can be refined. I can have my weaknesses become strengths and I can become the missionary that He wants me to be.

This is my last week with my trainer so it will be CRAZY, but we are going to make it one great last week.

Liebe Grüße,
Sister Grace Hendricks

We built a fort to make our Area Book work less dreary.

Dying Sister Moffet's hair.