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