2 Months

Hello everyone! 

Here are some pictures, it was a great week!

On our way to interviews in Stuttgart...my last one before I go home!

Lunch with a member.

Donut Day!

One of my favorite members.

Liebe Grüße,Sister Thunell

Hi

Liebe Familie und Freunde,

Another week has come and gone! They're getting faster I think...

Highlights of the week:

Donnerstag (Thursday) was Donut Tag! We went out to get donuts and smoothies with our cute new friend, and then took a walk down along the Donau and talked about the gospel. It was so great!

On Sunday we got to teach Relief Society. We taught from the teachings of President Hinckley about happiness and optimism! It was so fun, and everyone loved it! I loved studying all about positivity the whole week, and being able to help these sisters in our branch. This is really such a great place to be serving!

Sorry, I don't have a lot to say lately and I can't be bothered to be creative and funny anymore haha, but I wanted to share something I learned this week...

I read the CES devotional by President Nelson this week, and in it he challenges the young adults to study all about Jesus Christ. To read the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants, and to learn all about the doctrine of Christ, the teachings of Christ, and the things He did and said.  I was just PUNCHED by the Spirit when I read that!  It was a little overwhelming because I already have so much to do, and I didn't really know where to start, but as I read the things President Nelson promised, and as I prayed for help, I was able to start reading the Old Testament this week with a focus on the things Christ did and said.  And I only made it to Genesis 2!!  There is so much feasting going on over here, it's not even funny!  But my testimony of the Savior has just sky rocketed. Since I've been on my mission I have learned so much more about Him, and His gospel, and I have come so much closer to Him and to my Heavenly Father.  I know that this church is true, and I know that Jesus Christ really is our advocate, our best friend, and our Redeemer. 

Love you all so much and have a wonderful week!

Liebe Grüße,
Sister Thunell

And also this came today...  

Hi! I'm Sister Campbell! Your daughter's companion right now! I

 just wanted to write that sis thunell is awesome! Really she is such an inspiration and such a great example for me, and it's only been two weeks together! We are literally the same person which is super cool because I haven't met anyone else like that before (: 

She is a spiritual giant and she blows me away every time she shares an insight. She has a heart so big that it's indescribable! When someone she loves or cares for comes to mind, she immediatly serves them or does what Christ would do! I have no doubt she is who she is because of you guys! Thank you! 

I love being her companion and am excited for what the next few weeks hold! You guys also sound awesome! She always talks about you  (: 

-Sister Campbell (:

Foggy Lessons

I'm not a big fan of foggy or rainy days.  I prefer sunshine and clarity.

So I was more than a little disappointed to wake up to yet another day of this...

This kind of weather motivates me to do nothing good, to procrastinate, to sulk, and to spend way too much time taking my mental and emotional temperature, which is never a good thing.  

But after dragging myself out of bed at 5:00am, going through the morning routine with the kids, and then coming home to a dreary, cold, too quiet house, something outside a different window caught my attention.

I tried to get a video of them, but they were too small and too fast to catch...but in the middle of those foggy, half naked trees in my backyard, two of the happiest birds on the planet were singing and chirping and flying around in circles like this was the best day of their whole little lives.  

Isn't it weird how looking out a different window and watching something find total joy and happiness can change your whole perspective?  

I still feel a little bit dull and lifeless today, and I'm not sure there will be much running around happening, but because of those little birds, I did turn on some music and sing a little.  And I did make my bed and run a brush through my hair.  And that's a better start to this day than the one I had planned.

So...Thanks, happy little birds, for sprinkling a little sunshine into my foggy week!  

Rat Hunting

Guten Morgen liebe Familie und Freunde :) 

This was a week FULL of changes, some lasts, and lots of firsts!  It's crazy to think that I only have two and a half months left on my mission!  Time is just flying, but my motivation has spiked, and I feel like this is gonna be the best two and a half months of my whole mission!  My last few days in Solothurn were full of goodbyes, and I definitely miss it a ton. Especially Sister Multamäki!!!  

But Ulm is great, too :) It's super nice to be back in the land of cheap prices, and people who actually speak real German!  Ulm is the smallest area I have served in. Our branch consists of about 14 active people/families!  On Sundays we meet on the second floor of an office building, and church is only two hours long because we don't have enough people to fill Sunday School callings!  But as small as it is, I can just SMELL all the potential boiling in the air!  I am so excited to get to know this little area, and all these amazing people here!  My companion is Sister Campbell.  The list of our similarities could go on and on.  Hawaiian moms who were adopted, oldest child, two sisters and one brother, bold personalities, etc.  We also have lots of differences too, so it should be fun getting to know her.

Story #1 from the week: Sister Campbell told me that there was a giant rat in our Keller my first day here, so I thought it would be good for comp bonding if we went RAT HUNTING!! She wasn't too thrilled about the idea, but as soon as I got all dressed up in my rat-hunting clothes, she joined along. We grabbed some weapons (a broom and an umbrella), a flashlight, and snapped some pictures, and then we were off!!  Rat hunting is actually harder than it sounds, or there just wasn't a rat down there, because I poked into every little nook and cranny and saw NO glowing red eyes. Oh well, it was a good experience!

Story #2: We met up with a potential investigator one night, and got to know him and tried to teach him a little bit about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. He seemed super interested, we just had a bit of a language barrier problem. I was definitely feeling the spirit during the lesson, and I hoped he was, too! So we made a return appointment for next week, and then he walked us down the street before we parted ways. I literally have no idea what even happened because it was so fast, but all of a sudden he had hugged and kissed both of us, and was going for Sister Campbell's face again! So we just started shoving and running away!  I was half laughing and half crying because I was so confused, but I guess he wasn't actually interested in the gospel.  Darn it.

Story #3: We have an investigator here who is the cutest thing ever!!  She has had a super rough life, but little by little she is starting to believe in and trust God.  This week she asked us if we could call her every night to help her say her nightly prayers.  So at 9:15 every night we call, and first we say a prayer, and then she says a prayer.  She has the most innocent and pure heart, and it is so amazing to see the DESIRE and LONGING she has to get to know Heavenly Father.  It has been the best part of my day every day here so far :)

This week I have been worrying a lot about going home.  It's coming up soon, and I don't have very specific plans, and I'm scared of being "trunky" on my mission.  But I have found lots of comfort in reading the scriptures.  I've noticed that a lot of the time I don't receive answers in the scriptures based on the words I am reading.  I find answers BECAUSE I am reading!  When I am doing the things that Heavenly Father has commanded me to do, and I am in a place to be able to receive personal revelation, He pours it out to me!  It's a cool thing to experience, and I hope that when you read the scriptures this week you pay attention not only to the words you are reading, but also to the things you are thinking and feeling. 

Schöne Woche!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Thunell