Seeing Seeds Getting Harvested

Hallo!

Well, it's been a really good week! Everything is going really awesome with Sister Bognár! We found lots of new investigators last week, we taught more, and we're just having tons of fun together! Even though the weather is pretty gross (rainy and windy), we're having a good time. She cracks me up. My German is getting better, too, because we always speak in German together, and her German is awesome.

What I wanted to talk about, though, doesn't have anything to do with what's going on right now, but about something from six months ago, in Friedrichsdorf. There were two people I worked with in Friedrichsdorf who I grew to love. Peter and Karin. They both just became so dear to me, because they were among the first people I ever taught, way back with Sister Thaden, and I saw them pretty much from the beginning, and taught both of them the whole nine months I was there. I saw both of them make so much progress. Peter, for example, never prayed, because he said he wasn't even sure if God was there, and praying to him felt like talking to himself. By the time I left, he prayed every day, his faith was stronger, he had more hope and light in his life, and he felt the influence of the Holy Ghost in his life. He also came to church every week. With Karin, it was similar. I saw how much she changed the more she learned about the gospel. But even though they both made so much positive progress, neither of them were baptized while I was there. There were so many times that I thought, 'They'll never fully accept Christ, they'll never be baptized,' but I loved them so much that I couldn't ever give up on them.

Well, this week, I got a package from Peter with a nice Christmas present and a card that said, 'Thank you for being a star that guided my way' (but in German). He still isn't baptized, but it's so nice to know that I helped someone and brought them closer and actually made a difference in their life.

Then, last night, the Friedrichsdorf sisters called and said, 'You'll never guess what happened! KARIN is getting baptized on Saturday!' I couldn't believe it! I was like... jumping around and laughing and was so happy! Sadly it's too far away for me to visit for the baptism, but I'm just so excited for her and happy that what I taught really did make a difference. Some people just need more time than others, and we just have to be patient and love them and genuinely want what's best for them. In missionary work, we're always talking about 'planting seeds', and that sometimes you don't ever find out what happens to the people you teach or talk to, but you still do it, in the hope that you're 'planting seeds'. Still, it's so rewarding to see what happens to a seed you planted. :)

Anyway, that was the highlight of the week. We did have one other... *ahem*... interesting experience. We taught one of our investigators about tithing, and she said she didn't have any problems with it. But then, yesterday, during fast and testimony meeting, she got up to bear her testimony, which started thus: "I have made a huge mistake. But actually, it's not my mistake... it's the missionaries' mistake." (We knew, already, that no good would come of the rest)
In any case, she then said that there was no way she could ever pay tithing, and that the church seemed so nice and friendly but that it asked too much of people. Then she said that she could never be baptized, because tithing was too hard of a commandment to follow, and that it was our fault, as the missionaries, for waiting so long before we taught it to her. Luckily the ward was pretty good-humored about it.

That was pretty much it! Talk to you next week, love you all,
Sister Jensen