January 6, 2014

Lieber Familie,

Guess what! I am saying auf weidersehen to Berlin and I am headed to Hamburg tomorrow. Crazy! So many mixed feelings, mostly excited but so sad to leave. I will be in Altona with Sister Bradshaw and Sister Shelley from my MTC group will be leaving Hamburg and taking my spot here with Sister Hansen and Sister Ahrenholtz. This morning we said goodbye to Sister Miesbauer who finally got her visa and is on a plane to Salt Lake right now. So many changes! It's good, but it is so hard saying goodbye to Lankwitz. They will be losing one of their few organists so they had me play yesterday. We had an amazing sacrament meeting! The testimonies were so wonderful, especially from our investigator Herr Nahrgang. He explained how he found the church and eventually the missionaries, me and Sis Lartey. He talked about how there is always stuff opposing the church, but you have to follow the spirit. He bore a powerful testimony that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. It has been restored. He was talking about ''I believe'' a talk by Elder Holland I had told him about in one of our first lessons back in August and he still listens to it often. In our last lesson I invited him to bear his testimony, letting him know he did not need to be a member to bear testimony, but he didn't need to feel pressured either. We are still praying for hearts to soften so he will be allowed to be baptized. Miracles are happening :)

So many little tender mercies, the Clarks moved into the ward from Dahlem. Rock solid couple from South Africa that this ward really needs. I knew them from a service project we did a few transfers ago. They had us over for brownies last night  since I won't see them anytime soon. I also did not realize how much the ward loved and appreciated me until now. Sometimes we would be frustrated with things going on or not getting help, but things are changing. They have been so loving and welcoming with our investigators now. I really am going to miss Lankwitz. Right after the meeting Fleur, Elder Beck and I preformed Savior, Redeemer of My Soul. Oh I wish you could have heard it. It was so beautiful and the spirit was so strong.

The afternoon after transfer calls Sister Hansen and I just started crying. We have become very close the past couple of weeks. Ha are transfers this hard for everyone? It's harder to leave Berlin than it was to leave home, no offense mom and dad.


New Year's Eve was fun, haha. So we aren't allowed to be out after 6 unless if we were with a member and they took us home. Elder and Sister Snow invited the missionaries to their apartment. We were walking next door to their apartment at 5:50 and fireworks were already going off, it sounded like WW3. We started to run as Sister Hansen says: Germany is scary! Then we hear ''Ya it is'' in a deep man's voice coming from the dark path between the apartments. It was Elder Beck and Elder Taylor..... Terrified us, but they had a good laugh. We had fun and were in bed by 10:30 hoping to be asleep enough to not hear the midnight fireworks...WRONG. I have never seen so many fireworks in my life!! The sky was constantly lit up til about 3. And I'm not saying one consistently going off, no, the WHOLE sky was lit up. It was CRAZY! Germans know how to do fireworks, haha and you should have seen the streets the next morning.. Dad and Brad would have had a lot of fun ;)
I've been thinking about goals or resolutions for this year. The biggest one this that I don't want to have any regrets. What are some of your goals for this year?

Today I was reading in Moroni 10:32, it reminded me of a favorite talk His Grace is Sufficient. Moroni says that His grace is sufficient when we come unto Christ, deny all ungodliness and love God with all might, mind and strength. With less than a year left in Germany I want to show my Heavenly Father  how much I love Him by loving His children. I will miss Lanwitz, but I have going to serve and love Altona with all my might mind and strength.

I love you all so much! Thank you for the videos, pictures and stories!

-Sister Turner

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