"It was an emergency" - June 30, 2014 - From Solothurn, Switzerland

Hi to the fam!! Soooo . . . I'm just getting a tiny baby little Sister Lewis refiner's fire here in Solothurn. That's what I have decided. It's nothing compared to the one the early saints went through. But, hopefully I am being refined. I'm so imperfect, it's ridiculous.

Otherwise things go on as normal. I and J (the two less active sisters who I have told you a lot about) are actually really progressing. They both have a different spirit about them now which is so nice to see. But they both said they were coming to church yesterday and didn't. Also we have been trying to get in contact with J (our friend with the two daughters) and the bishop's wife called her and told her she would pick her up for church and she said she would come but she didn't. We saw her two days in a row at the Bahnhof last week (which never happens). Both times she told us E had invited her and she was coming to church. I think God was trying to tell her something by having her see us all the time but I don't think she listened. We have to stop trying with her.

T, a new convert we meet with every week, is being kicked out of Switzerland and we are so sad. Her daughter is here and has permission to stay here with her husband and her son and her baby who should be arriving any day. But T and her other son, who have been living here for 9 years now, must leave. But no one has told them how or when. Obviously she's devastated. More for her son than for herself. Yesterday she received a priesthood blessing and I know that gave her some peace.

Yesterday the temple president and his wife came to our ward and talked in sacrament meeting and a combined relief society/priesthood class. Cool, right? They talked about . . . THE TEMPLE. It was really good.

As for good news, America AND Switzerland are moving on in the world cup. That makes me happy.

Also, after all of that, I want you all to know that things are going well, especially with Sister Blohm. We do have a good relationship and I hope I haven't made it sound otherwise. About how she threatens to kill me sometimes, well that's just a Sister Blohm thing. We're all supposed to be working on overcoming an addiction of some kind so we can understand how hard it is for investigators to overcome addictive behaviors. I'm working on not biting my nails and Sister Blohm is working on not threatening people's lives :-)  Elder Kelly told her he thinks she says she is going to kill him every time she sees him.  It’s a funny, but bad habit!

We had a great finding day on Saturday! I got to work with Sister Hoareau and I have always wanted to.

Quote of the week:

Elder Little (my current district leader): Why did you contact that old man in the middle of the road?! (he saw Sister Hoareau and me at the end of finding day)

Me: It was an emergency! We only had 5 more minutes to find and we wanted to give one more Book of Mormon away. And you know what? He took the Book of Mormon. And he also gave us his contact information.

What else. Mom, about what you wrote about counting failures, I have sometimes done that on my mission. Actually it's really hard to keep track because we talk to so many people who really don’t’ want to talk with us!  But that’s okay.  Sister McEwen and I tried that for a while and we know that as long as we are working hard and listening to the spirit we are doing His work.

The weather has been crazy. Already today it has gone from being sunny to pouring rain at least 3 times. One time this week Sister Blohm and I got literally caught in the rain. We looked like we had just jumped into a pool. See pictures. You should have some pictures today. You can also see that we had a zone p-day.

This week we also found out that the former member we saw at C’s is actually the source of a lot of challenges for the church here in Solothurn. She chose to leave the church and took several people with her, including families. She also took away an investigator family. And we haven't heard from C so it’s possible that she was a negative influence on her too. But now we at least know her name and we pray for her to soften her heart.

We had two cool miracles this week that I want to tell you about! This guy called us and he got his number from one of his friends and he wanted to see where the church was. But . . . he didn't come to church. But it was still cool! Also we went by on the French couple I think I told you about last week because they haven't answered the phone and they weren't there and then Sister Blohm had a feeling that we should knock on their neighbor's door (Sister Blohm has never before suggested knocking on any door. She hates it.) So we did and she has interest in talking to us and said she would come to church! She also didn't come but when we called her friend answered and said her baby had been in the hospital the night before so I guess she has a good excuse. Hopefully we will find her at home again.

Life is good. The church is true. Satan hates us for forwarding the work of salvation. And it is going forward! Sometimes slowly, but always forward. I love you family! 

Also guess what mom …I  sent a letter to the Kohler’s daughter that I hope she'll enjoy as a welcome! Have a great week!

"Fruchtbar instead of furchtbar" - June 23, 2014 - From Solothurn

Heeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy Family!

Sister Blohm and I had a much better week this week. Thanks for sending extra prayers our way. I'm pretty sure somebody did some serious praying on Friday because it was a major miracle day. I was seriously wondering who maybe went to the temple and put us on the prayer roll ( you can call the temple, or when you are there, add names to the "prayer roll" - which is a collection of names that are prayed about during a temple service).  We left the house that day with two extra Book of Mormons. One was in Italian and one was in French. We had two potentials who we needed to deliver Book of Mormons to and they spoke these languages. As we were going out the door Sister Blohm said, "I hope we don't give out these Book of Mormons to someone else so that these people can get them." And I said, "I hope we do! We can always visit the other people another day." So together we made the goal that we would go out to deliver these Book of Mormons to the people who had already requested them, but we would do everything we could to find other people to give them to. On the bus no one would talk to me but I heard a lady behind me speaking on the phone in French. She and her boyfriend got off at the same bus stop that we were already getting off at. I said, "Sister Blohm, I think they speak French." And then we basically followed them ha ha. They were fast walkers but we finally caught up with them and just street contacted them and introduced them to the Book of Mormon, of which we just so happened to have a French copy. So after we introduced the Book of Mormon the boyfriend said, "No, we only believe in Jesus Christ." And then I explained again that this Book was all about Jesus Christ. And I showed him how right on the cover it says, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." And he said, "But look how much bigger Mormon is on the book than Jesus Christ." And then I told him, "Look at my nametag. What name do you see there?" Then he believed us that Jesus Christ really is the center of our church and he and his girlfriend took the Book of Mormon and gave us their information so we can contact them again. So then we set off to give the Italian Book of Mormon to the woman who had requested it. Turns out she didn't really want it. So we left her apartment determined to still give away this Italian Book of Mormon. We spoke to everyone and knocked on some doors, specifically ones with an Italian flag, but couldn't find someone who would want a copy of the Book of Mormon in Italian. After a while it was time to go to our appointment with X (a less active). So we went and visited her, and at the end of our discussion we asked her if there was anything we could do for her. She said yes, that she has a friend who speaks Portuguese who she wants to share the gospel with, so could we please bring her a Portuguese Book of Mormon? So we said of course, and Sister Blohm said, "Too bad right now we only have Book of Mormons in German and Italian with us." And then X said, "Oh I could give the one in Italian to my boss!" So then we talked about how she might go about doing that, and we gave X the Italian Book of Mormon, to give away to her boss. And it was the best lesson ever with X! So Friday was a really good day.

German slip ups . . .

One time Sister Lewis said fruchtbar (fertile) instead of furchtbar (terrible)

One time in GMK . . .

Sister Blohm (talking about an investigator . . . now former investigator . . . she is an old woman and we got a really nasty phone call from someone who is responsible for her.):  She said "We met her in an emergancy (notfall)".

Everyone in the meeting (the GML and the elders) perked up like, "Oh this is going to be a good story."

Me to Sister Blohm: Notfall means emergency.

Elder Kelly to Sister Blohm: Oh, you meant zufall (coincidence).

Guess who got the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday? G.. Our  new wonderful convert. I’m so happy for him.

Me (meeting the new golden on the phone): Do you speak German?

Elder Cottam: No, not really.

Me: Good me either.

Elder Kelly's golden is from Utah! And we have another golden in the district who is also from America! That means Americans now have the majority in a district in Switzerland. I think this is the first time that has happened since Americans weren't allowed to serve here anymore.

Dienst (service). This week we watered a family's plants while they were out of town (that worked out because they live right next to the church a.k.a. right next to us). We also got to work in a garden again pulling weeds. Yayyyyyyy!

Ch is falling of the map. She never answers and her son claims her phone is not working and every time we go by she is not home. Noooooo! Don't worry we'll keep trying.

Ch and a few other people we try to visit live in Balshal. I really like Balsthal. I have this dream that one day there will be a branch in Balsthal. And then someday a ward! I just really like it there. I think it is one of the most beautiful parts of my area. It also takes a while to get there (we have to take two different trains). But almost every time we go I see three castles (One of them is a pretty ugly fortress castle but it still counts. And the other two are so pretty).

We saw Michelle again this week! She's super great and she has such great questions. She had read the first two chapters of First Nephi on her own. And she came to church.

We also went mini-golfing with the relief society plus Michelle came too because her mom brought her. So that was some good bonding time with her. Mini-golf here was weird it's not on grass and the ball rolls way more. I was terrible, and Sister Blohm was worse. Ha ha I think the sisters in the ward must have been impressed.

I'm watching the America vs. Germany game on Thursday with my best friend Esther Jäger (the innactive who is the bishop's sister. And she really is my best friend ha ha.). Pray for a miracle a.k.a that America will win.

What else. Sorry I never really tell you that much actually maybe. A lot more happens during the week then I ever write down (I never claimed to be the world's best journal-keeper or email-writer). But we work hard every day. One time you asked for a typical day but there really is NO SUCH THING. Every day is different. Some days go as planned, some don't. But the church is true, the book is blue, and Jesus was a Mormon! Ha ha Kris Fredrickson told me Matt always says that in his emails and I thought it was so cute. So I'm stealing it just for today.

Tell Grandma her cards have been getting to me and I am thankful for them.

This week my mission president will change. I'm so looking forward to meeting him and his family.

I hope you're all doing well. Love you!!

"You can be my child's Godmother" - June 16, 2014 - From Solothurn, Switzerland

June 16, 2014

I've been avoiding the family email because I don't know what to say. Yes, Sister Blohm and I are staying together! And yes, it has been one of the hardest weeks of my whole mission. And no, I did not have one lesson with an investigator all week. Pretty sure that has never ever happened. And I just feel like I don't actually live in a dead area! (mission speak for an area where it's "impossible" to teach anyone). There are people waiting to hear the greatest news of all time about how we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again! We did have lessons with less actives. We blow that key indicator out of the water every week. Sister Blohm had the thought that Heavenly Father doesn't want us to have success with investigators until we really take care of His lost children who are already in the church. We did see several investigators this week, but for various reasons we were never able to have a lesson. Sister Blohm just had a real struggle with things not going as well as we would have liked.  

Yes, the Swiss were very happy to win their World Cup game last night!! It was crazy with the nonstop honking of horns and people running around in their patriotic garb  and bringing their flag with them wherever they went. You'll never guess what happened. We have permission to watch two world cup matches!! I'm serious! I know, I was shocked too. But we have to use this opportunity to do missionary work, and preferably watch the games with investigators. We have to pick which two games, and they can't be on Sunday, and we still can't be home later than 9:30. I had a less active look up for me on their phone yesterday which games are at 6.

With last week being transfers Sister McEwen is headed to Austria, Sister Siems is going to Italy, and Sister Kervinen is coming to Switzerland! (every six weeks are "transfers".  Missionaries find out from their mission president that they are either staying in their current area with their current companion or one or both of them are being transferred to a different area within the mission.  All missions are divided up into areas with zones and smaller districts within the zones.)

I asked our GML (FYI - The GML is the ward mission leader who has the "calling" to help the missionaries assigned to that ward - congregation - and also to help with the ward missionary work.  Almost every active member of the ward will have a calling to serve in one capacity or another.  It's a great blessing and encourages so much personal development, testimony building and love for those you serve). for advice on Friday after GMK.  He talked to us about improving our backup plans and all that. Every week in priesthood the elders and the GML stand up and give a super short something that has to do with missionary work. Yesterday our GML asked the men in priesthood to pray especially for the sisters because we had had a hard week. I was really touched, especially because some of our best friends in the ward who are men came up to us and let us know how that we have their support. We don't do anything like that in relief society in this ward (but we did in Wien) because the relief society presidency said we don't have enough time and they already get our ward email.

The other day I came into the bedroom to see that Sister Blohm had put my bed back together (I had washed my sheets that day) and put two heart sticky notes on my pillow. One said "Love you" and the other said "Sorry." She really is sweet.

Quote of the week:

Elder Kelly: "Sister Lewis you can be my child's godmother."

Yes Elder Kelly is getting a golden. That should be fun.

We had four less actives in church yesterday!! XX came again with her daughter after we visited them on Saturday!

One of these less actives just came for the Weidmanns, like so many other people from other wards did. Yesterday the chapel was overflowing. It was just like being in a big ward in Utah. The Weidmanns had their farewell. They are off to the MTC this week. They will do such a great job. (The Weidmans are members of this ward that have been called on a mission.  Lots of retired couples volunteer to serve missions and are called all over the world to serve in lots of ways).

Sister Couper and I celebrated our year birthday together!! It was a super great austausch (exchange).

I'm still a happy missionary. The church is true. I'm glad Mom sent me this quote from Elder Holland:

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."

Salvation isn't easy. But it is worth it. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who hears my prayers and wants me to be happy, in this life as well as in the life to come.

Love you family. Thanks for your support and prayers.

"What have you done with Sister Lewis?" - June 9, 2014 - From Solothurn

Heyyyyy Family! First of all, I have this whole little family history booklet about my family that I need to fill out before the new president comes. So I need some help . If you need some motivation, read what President Monson said about Hastening the Work in the June Liahona. Or Ensign. Whatever. And actually you should just read that anyway, because it's really good.  I'm so grateful to know families are forever.

So this week! Guess what? I had one of the most spiritual lessons of my life in the funniest setting. We had a joint teach (when a member joins the missionaries to teach.  It's just really good for people interested in learning more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ to get to know members of the local congregation who aren't missionaries) set up for this guy and then what does he do? He doesn't show up for his lesson. So before I could even suggest it our joint teach asks us to teach her a lesson. And at first she wanted to know more about what we normally teach as missionaries and then we ended up just having a the best discussion and the spirit was so strong and I think it was something that she really needed. She told us she had to run and write in her journal before she forgot everything she had just learned. We talked a lot about the priesthood and missionary work and it was just good.

Remember how I told you about M? Well she's pretty much my favorite person. That girl is not even a member and she has been putting up with so much anti-mormon ridiculousness. We are going to be seeing her every other week. But basically in the schools here they unfortunately teach that the Mormons are a sect. No really, they do. 

I've actually encountered a lot more anti-Mormon things lately. (Seriously Satan is working really hard. So I just have to work harder.). We had such a good lesson with Ch and then these two ladies came in who are there because of helping her with one of her sons because I guess he is sometimes a troubled kid and they sat down and her husband brought them coffee and Ch jumps in and asks her husband to bring us some coffee as well. Which is when one of these ladies jumps in and says, "No no no they don't drink coffee" before Sister Blohm and I can say anything like just a normal, "No thank you." And Ch was surprised and then this woman goes on and on and talks about all these things from the word of wisdom and then jumped right into how we have to pay tithing (Yes, faithful LDS people do give the Lord back 10% of what he gives us.  It's used to build chapels, temples, and provide materials to members all over the world, rich or poor.  It's used very carefully because it is the Lord's money and is not squandered and does not go toward any personal gain) or we're not allowed to enter the temple a year after we've been baptized and all this stuff. (the Word of Wisdom refers to a health code which includes not drinking alcohol and coffee that LDS members adhere to.  I have always thought of the "no alcohol" not in terms of alcohol being like sulphuric acid or something, but that because so many people can't handle it and it causes so much pain and heartache, it is best that we all forego . . . for each other) It was in German and Ch’s German isn't awesome (we talk in a combination of German and English) so I'm not totally sure how much she understood. But there is a good chance that this woman made sure she understood after we left. So I just told this woman how impressed I was that she knew so much and corrected a few of her gross exaggerations. The other lady who was with her had so many questions because she was just generally curious. And we have nothing to hide. Most of what she said was true. And I explained that the word of wisdom is because God wants us to not be addicted to anything so that we can preserve our free will. And Christina was on board and says she only drinks herbal tea anyway and the friend of the anti-Mormon woman could see the sense in it but this one woman, while still being semi-polite about it, was seriously trying to destroy us. Sister Blohm was pretty upset but as far as I'm concerned she just made the woman who came with her curious to learn more about our religion and made it so that Christina doesn't have any surprises when she learns about the Word of Wisdom. The only problem is we don't know what she said after we left. At one point I asked her how she knew so much and she said she used to be a member of our church. There you have it. And this woman is bitter. According to her, she was an active mormon for 10 years. We left the room without praying and then at the door I asked Christina if we could say another prayer with her (we had said an opening prayer and had a good lesson before these women came). So we went in a bedroom and said a kneeling prayer. And Christina apologized profusely because she could tell this woman had not been so nice to us. I could go on and on and I already have but that's basically what happened.  It's okay.  People do have so many misperceptions but it's so sad when they are so angry with Heavenly Father that they want to hurt someone else's faith. 

Yesterday was stake conference and we all watched a broadcast from President Uchtdorf and Elder Anderson in Zollikofen. And guess what yesterday morning President Uchtdorf rededicated the Swiss temple and Switzerland to the spreading of the gospel. 

This week I have an austausch with Sister Couper and she planned it so that it's on our year birthday! Technically hers is on the 11th and mine is on the 12th and our austausch is the 11th to the 12th. And I'm going to Thun to be with her.

What else. We had to say goodbye to President and Sister Miles this week at zone conference. That was sad but they gave us a great introduction to our new mission president and it was actually just one of the most spiritual meetings of my whole mission.

On Saturday we did two service projects. We helped a member paint the outside of their house and we helped an investigator in his garden. I spent so much time just picking up the trash that had collected in their garden.

What else. Quotes of the week:

After my prayer Sister Blohm was laughing. Sister Blohm: I don't want to laugh but you just prayed for Ch to read in the BOM and she doesn't have a BOM yet (we were still waiting to get one in Portuguese from other missionaries).

One morning (actually it was Sunday morning after two hard-core service projects for the entire day on Saturday) I was especially tired and out of it and apparently not myself. Sister Blohm: Who are you and what have you done with Sister Lewis?

Welll I hope that was a good update. Life is good. I have purpose and peace. That is what the gospel gives me. Keep being the best.