The Dish on the Mish: Warning! This is a LONG one :)

President Kosak has a quote that he loves to share with us:

"God will put prepared people in the way of his prepared servants who want to share the Gospel."

~President Eyring

I have gained a testimony of this on my mission. Especially while working with B. I want to share her story with you all.

B's mom had a coworker who was a member of the church, Bruder B. They built a friendship and did a lot together. He would occasionally talk about the church, but she wasn't ever really interested, but they remained friends. About a year ago B's mom died. Bruder B helped out with funeral arrangements and took time to explain to B that he knew where she could find peace and that he would tell her more when she was ready. They stayed in good contact and recently she began to ask questions. So Bruder B decided she was ready for the missionaries. So he called our GML (ward mission leader) Bruder H and asked if there were sisters in Osnabrück.

[Enter Sister Brown and Sister Hayden]

One morning we got a call from Bruder H. He told us that he had a referal for us and that he had already made out an appointment with her. He gave us what limited information he had and then said, "Sisters, we have one shot with her. Don't mess this up!"

I can honestly say I have never been so nervous for an appointment. It was hard to plan what to share when we knew so little about her. We weren't even sure if she would let us in! Sister Hayden and I prayed and prayed to know what to say. Referrals are tricky. The members are trusting us with people they love. We want to do our best to be trustworthy. It is a hefty thing! With B we all felt an added pressure.

The day of the appointment came. She lives just around the corner from us, but it was quite the nerve wracking walk! We klingeled and she let us in and then invited us in. She had seats all set up and tea ready for us to drink. We got to know her and introduced ourselves. We explained why we are here in Deutschland and what we do as missionaries. We briefly introduced the Book of Mormon and then read with her Alma 7:11-13. We bore our testimonies of Jesus Christ and how we know that this is His church. We invited her to come to church. She said she would come.

And she did.

It was a fast Sunday and we all just prayed that the testimonies would stay focused on the gospel... Our prayers were answered and it was an uplifting meeting.

We set up appointments to go by in the week. She was always so eager to learn. Every time we came, we would start out by answering her prepared list of questions. She was really pondering about what we were teaching. She was also ready to apply it. She kept ever commitment we gave her. Every. Single. One. She was so open and willing to try. Her faith was a great example to me.

We invited her to baptism when we explained Moroni's promise at the end of the Book of Mormon. We asked her if she would be baptized when she received her answer that these things were true. She said yes. We knew the answer would come soon enough.

At the next appointment, she talked about a spring baptism. We discussed baptism a little more and why it is important and why she wanted to be baptized. At the end of our talk we invited her to a specific date. We had really prayed to know when she would be ready. The answer we got was the 7 of December. When we invited her to this date it tested our faith too. It was only two weeks away and just a few minutes before she was planning a baptism in 3 or 4 months.

We invited and then waited. She looked at us and thought about it for a minute. Then she said, "The 7th is a Saturday. I have to work all day because of our Christmas sale. Do you think we could do it on the 6th?"

There is B for you :)

So we continued meeting and planned a baptism.

What really impressed me through this whole experience was just how prepared she was. Her whole teaching process, from our first visit to her baptism, was just 35 days. She was prepared a little by Bruder B through the past year and also the years before that. He was a great example of what a member of the Church is. He also shared the Gospel with her and invited her, when she was ready, to learn more.

She had also, in a way, prepared herself. She has done a lot of research of other religions. She was baptized Evangelisch as a baby, but when it was time for her Konfirmirung she decided not to go through with it because she knew that some of the doctrines weren't right. She visited a lot of different Christian churches and even tried out Buddhism. She was on a search for the truth. She had also chosen a lifestyle that prepared her for the Gospel. She doesn't smoke or drink alcohol and she lives the Law of Chastity. She was a self proclaimed "coffee junkie" but gave that up a week before our first appointment.

Crazy timing right?!?!?...... ;)

She was just ready for baptism. Planning the whole thing probably gave me grey hair. There was so much to organise and a huge to do list. We encountered problems with the water heater. Sister Hayden and I spent our afternoon heating water in the kitchen to fill up the font. We got a system going with the stove, microwave, and water cookers. Somehow we ended up with a font full of warm water! It may have been a little hectic but things worked out, as they always do. By the time she got there in her beautiful white dress, the chaos was passed.

The meeting was so great! My favorite part was being able to stand at the top of the stairs leading to the font with my cute companion and watch someone we have grown to love be baptized. She looked so bright and happy as she walked up the stairs out of the water. We asked her how it was and she said, with an enormous smile, "Herrlich!
"

That, it was!

On Sunday, she received the Holy Ghost. The blessing was so wonderful. The spirit was there so strong. I attempted to write pieces down so that she could have it. I ended up with a stack of sticky notes and a mess of shorthand denglish to decipher...

My favorite part of Sunday was when our branch president stood up after the confirmation and welcomed her to the ward. Then we all raised our hands to show our love and support. It was cool to see the whole ward ready to support their newest member. I am just so excited for B and I know she will be such a solid member! (She invited her nonmember friends to her baptism and is already planning what she will do for the ward Christmas talent show :)

She called us this morning, but we didn't quite get to the phone fast enough. She left us a message that starts out, "Hallo Sisters! Hier ist Schwester B K..."

That melted our little hearts. We will be sure not to delete that anytime soon.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to get to know B K. She is amazing and a great example to me. Helping her gain a testimony has strengthened mine. It has been quite the humbling experience to see how the Lord can use a 19 year old crazy who pretends to speak German, to bring His children the Gospel. I just have to try my best and somehow He helps fill in the holes so that my best is good enough.

I am doing missionary work and seeing miracles everyday!

And that is that!

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Brown