Long week

This week was really really long. But Im not going to say it was a bad week because it was pretty good. We had lots of fun. It is hard because so many of the people we work with are students or are working like 3 jobs just to get enough money or both. So when they say they are too busy to meet, it is ussually true. This last week Elder Brown ,my distrikt leader, went home. He was pretty excited by the end. Now Elder Sollis is training and at church on Sunday, Elder Sollis told us that he is going to change things and we are all going to do things together (Elder Brown didnt really like to do things with us). So that has been different this week with a new distrik leader and actually hearing from the elders.
> On Friday we got just about the coolest call ever! Remember Herr Zhang? The Chinese guy who cant speak German or English who we have been helping and he took us to dinner and we got the funny picture with him? Well to say thank you for the dinner we gave him a Chinese Book of Momon. This Friday we got a call from his translator. He wanted us to pick him up for church! He was going to be at Hauptbahnhof and just needed to know what time to be there so we could take a bus to church together. We were so excited. One Problem: This guy speaks Chinese and only Chinese. No English. No German. Luckily we have a less active who we have been working with who is from Taiwann and speaks Chinese and English and is learning German. Lets just say that was a very desperate sounding text to get her to come to all 3 hours of church, not just Sacrament meeting. Luckily she came! Our ward was really confused though. It was really funny. " Sister you know he cant speak German right? Or English? Who is he again?"  The Elders just kept telling us how impressed they were that we contacted a guy who only speaks Chinese and got him to come to church. (We filled them in later that he contacted us). This whole situation taught me the importance of gratitude and making people feel needed. Yu-Hsuan has never really wanted to help us out with appointments before. She has always told us that she doesnt feel good enough to. But, because we needed her so bad, she was so willing to help us. Then the whole 3 hours of church we expressed how grateful we were for her and that she was so willing to help and how we couldnt have done it without her. By the end of church she was willing to set up an appointment to meet with him and was so happy that she had helped. It was really something cool to learn. It has been hard to know how to get joint teaches. I think I figured out a little secret. The member has to know that we cant do it without them. And they have to know really how grateful we are for them.
> We had another expirience this week with a joint teach with the girls from Africa. It has been so hard to get ahold of them because their situation is really just terrible. We had told the mom that the ward might could help out with their situation, but we would need to meet with her with a member because we dont understand German government. We finally set up a time to meet with them, but had forgetten that we told the mom we wanted to meet with her and a member. The daughter called and we set up a time for 8 at night at the church. We were thinking just the 4 girls and were super excited. We get a call around 2 from the elders asking if we were comming to the church. We were weekly planning so we told them not until later. Turns out somehow this girl mixed up the times from French to English and got 2 from 8. (Still confused on that one). Not only that, but her mom was there too! (She doesnt like us very much) We paniced for a minute because then we reallized that if the mom was there, it was because she wanted to talk to a member. We quickly called Bruder Titz (the best ward mission leader ever) and got him to come. It was such an amazing lesson and Bruder Titz´s testimony made it so amazing. We would not have thought to call him unless it was absolutly necessary. And because it was so necessary, he was so willing and we were so grateful.
> Another cool thing that stuck me this week was from a guy named Alex. He is from Africa and lets just say that he gave us a whole summery of the Old Testiment. He was really cool though and thought it was very logical about the priesthood power being lost and having to be restored. His comment though was, "If the Book of Mormon is really the missing link like you say it is, how come more people dont know about it? If we went and asked people about your church, most people here wouldnt know about it. If you ask about Jehovah Witness, everyone knows about it, because they do so much to make themselves known. I saw missionaries in Africa. I saw them go into the church and leave the church. I never saw them do anything else." It really made me think. Am I doing all I can to make sure that people know our church? That is my job right? I dont want to be as annoying as the  Jehovah Witness, but am I making sure everyone in Bonn knows the Mormon church? It was really interesting to think about.
> Today we went mini golfing with the elders! It was really fun and different to be invited to do things with the elders. They all live together in Euskirschen and we live in Bonn so they often didnt tell us about things. But now Elder Sollis wants to include us more so we went mini golfing. I have some good pictures but they are on my ipad so I need wifi to send them to you. If not this week then next week.
> This week I have really been studying humility. It is so interesting to look at really how pride is the source of so many things. And it is really frustrating, because it is so easy to be prideful. And when you are humble, it is easier to see your weaknesses and inadequacies. It is really hard. But they all just draw you closer to Christ, which is the point. You just have to make the decision to slow down and get humble. It is just really hard.
> I also read a way cool talk this week from last General Konferenz. It was in Priesthood session by Elder Ballard? Called The Greatest Generation of Young Adults. I really liked it. And I think everyone should read it. It starts with having an interveiw with Elder Ballard and from there he moves on to the Atonement. It is really cool and super powerful. General Conference is just always powerful!
> I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Dont die in the AZ heat! I am always thinking about you and praying for you! Ich liebe euch!
> Liebe
> Sister Carroll