"It's called Psalms" - December 30, 2013 - From Schaffhausen

FAMILY ! I gave my first talk as a missionary this Sunday!   I didn't quite make the 15 minutes because of course I spoke too fast! That just meant our branch president got to give a longer talk. But I thought my talk was good. I worked hard on it. I had to call one of our members and the elders sometimes for some translation help. And one time when I called a member and told her the sentence I had written in German she said something like, "I know what you want to say, but I'm pretty sure you just tore up the German language."  Ha ha ouch. (one thing I love about Katie is that she has no guile. I can just see that she would have no hesitancy contacting her ward friends for help.) 

Sister Kate at her desk...studying, writing. 

Other quotes of the week . . . Well in the last two days Sister McEwen may or may not have gotten Brown shoe polish all over our floor and dyed parts of it red and burned a hole through her desk. Yeah. I know. But this is what Sister McEwen said: " We could just add loads of shoe polish and have a red floor. I'm just saying . . . ." Ha ha.  Also, I have added a few pics to dropbox. Including a video of the husband of one of our investigators singing our favorite Swiss song (you'll see that he specifically asks for it not to be shared). Also, I am sad to say that I still understand basically none of the words except for bells. That is Swiss German, not normal German.

Another Quote from Sister McEwen (I've been failing at quotes of the week so I'm trying to catch up) during companionship study:

"Let me just turn to Palms really fast . . ."

me: "It's calls Psalms."

"I've always called it Palms. I'm not changing now."

(I have to admit I'm a bit anxious for "transfers" this week.  They suspect that it's time for Sis. McEwen to be transferred to another area since she has served in Schaffhausen for the entire first 6 months of her mission. These companions work hard, but it's always been obvious that they can laugh with and at each other with no offense taken! A new companion is always a big adjustment ... teaching together by the spirit while living together 24/7 is no easy task and takes communication, commitment and blessings from our Heavenly Father! 

I set up an appointment with Ruedi and his family but I'd like to see everyone in Winterthur that day. Maybe you could talk to Ruedi and be like, "I heard you talked to Katie" and then he'll have some idea who I am and what the heck I'm doing in Switzerland when I show up at his house. And maybe he could invite some other family members to that dinner . . . What about Kathi? Should I call her? We have Meetings in Zurich all the time and president said I could go see her. (These are my family members who live in Winterthur.  Ruedi and Kathi are both my first cousins.  I'm not sure why she thinks they don't know what she is doing there, they do.)

Something else you can do Mommy (and whoever else), start reading Our Heritage! I'm taking Jesus the Christ pretty slow, just trying to finish it by the end of my Mission, so I've started Our Heritage too. I'm already in chapter 5. Mommy I want you to read it too! What do you think?

THANK YOU FOR MY LETTERS! I have gotten lots and I'm really grateful. Just remember what Scrooge said about keeping Christmas in your heart all year Long . . . don't wait for Christmas to write your missionaries!

I've gotten letters from . . .

Regan

Randal and Janie

Orullians

Jim and Amy

James

Grandma and Grandpa

Daddy

Sue Sherwin

a package from Kate and Paula (was there supposed to be a letter in there too?)

Liddy

Oh and guess who I got a Christmas Card from?  The First Presidency. (FYI - The First Presidency consists of the Prophet and his two counselors.  We believe the Lord once again guides his children through a prophet.  For people unfamiliar with the LDS Church, it's important to know that for the most part the Prophet guides the Church by reinforcing basic Christian principles. Most importantly, we consider the prophet to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. Thomas S. Monson is the current prophet and his counselors are Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf  (who is German, born in 1940, raised in East Germany and fled with his family to West Germany in 1950).  Yeah, Me. That was cool and nice of them to send it to the missionaries but I wish they had one specifically for the missionaries.

I actually mentioned the gingerbread house in my talk during Sacrament Meetings (hey, it was about righteous traditions) and I said I had pictures. 

(This requires several FYIs -

What is Sacrament Meeting?

Sacrament Meeting is the name of our main worship service.  We take the bread and water, the Sacrament, weekly and this is the most important part of the service. Taking the sacrament renews our baptismal covenants of REMEMBERING our Savior and trying to be like him.  It's like having the blessing of baptism every week!

      
What are baptismal covenants?

When we are baptized,  we covenant with the Lord to:

             1. Come into the fold of God and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ 

             2. Be called His son or daughter

             3. Bear one another's burdens that they may be light, mourn with those that mourn and comfort

                 those in the need of comfort

             4. Stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places

             5. Serve God and keep his commandments

      When we keep our baptismal covenants, the Lord promises to: 

             1. Forgive our sins

             2. Give us the companionship of His spirit, the Holy Ghost 

             3. Redeem us in the eternities

Why is Sister Kate talking in Sacrament Meeting?

The LDS Church is a lay ministry.  We have no paid ministry.  Every congregation is watched over by a "Bishopric"  I described this a bit in the     post.   Because of this, there is no minister who gives a sermon.  Instead, members of the congregation speak every week. Hymns are sung, prayers are said, the Sacrament is taken, and typically 3 talks are given in the 70 minute service. One is usually a youth speaker.  Topics are often assigned and focus on the teachings of the Gospel. 

So after Sacrament Meeting I showed people pictures and gave them away and had people coming up to me asking for them. So I gave them all away. They made lots of jokes about it like how maybe we need to extend a little out the one side so that our church looks more like the gingerbread house and that my parents should come pick me up and bring the gingerbread house with them so that Schaffhausen can have it (no don't pick me up. let's just come back here together . . . but not wait too long). And they just love it. They sent their most heartfelt compliments. And I've been told by about 4 different members to give their regards to my family so . . . regards from Schaffhausen!

(FYI - This is the Gingerbread house we made this year "resembling" the LDS Chapel in Schaffhausen.)

I loved Skyping.  I thought it was really nice that we prayed together and Mom you said such a good prayer.

We had in no way a white Christmas. But I found out that it's actually the fault of some other missionaries in our district. At least, when it doesn't snow on Sundays it is. They have an investigator who can only come to church when it doesn't snow. He works clearing snow, so if it snows he has to work. But this investigator is the husband of a less active member and since it hasn't been snowing he has been coming to church with his whole family. That’s so great.

On Christmas Eve Katie and Sister McEwen went with their member friend to church services

at a church of another denomination.  I believe this tree was from inside the church, complete

with the traditional lighted candles that were always a part of my Christmas growing up.

Sister Lewis & McEwen with the daughters of the ward family that they spent much of

Christmas Day with.  The older daughter is in college and the younger still home.  They

were so kind to host our missionaries and let them Skype from their computer! 

Transfer calls are on Friday. Obviously I'll let you know what happened next week.

We're having a ward Party on new year's at a member's house so we'll be there and get a ride home from an active member and her inactive husband (which is great because he actually wants nothing to do with missionaries and now he's stuck in the car with us for a little while so we will have to become friends).

M. came to church yesterday! I think it must have been kind of unusual for him (the sunday School lesson was on Zion . . . did you have that one?). But we just hope he makes it a priority to get work off and keeps coming to church.

Sometimes less actives that we go find live in the prettiest areas! Our area is very big and some of the exploring that we get to do is going to find less actives.

Love you family!!! Thanks for everything!