The one where it may be in the negatives but that still won't stop me from eating ice cream. ❄🍦🍨😊 2/27/2018

Hello friends and family, 

Are you ready for your joke of the week? 

Q: What man in the Bible had no parents? 

Now for the actual email, which is what you all have been waiting for, I know. 

Tuesday after pday we went to a members for dinner, Eivonny. She is so fun and we nerded it out over doterra oils- because turns out she lives for them and I love them. Ah man, doterra connecting people on an interesting level since day 1. Eivonny showed us all her stuff from her mission and I just loved it. I love hearing about people's missions and seeing how much their mission has shaped their lives and decisions. Missions work wonders. I love it! 

Wednesday, Niaga, our recent convert, took us out to dinner for my birthday. We had Sister Cook practice teaching a lesson in German and it was so cool to see her really push herself and find herself able to teach things. Also I broke a cup at the restaurant and it was awful.. this is why we can't have nice things. 

Friday we met with Deyanira (I'm a ninny who can't spell or speak Spanish), and we had such a great lesson. As we were teaching her the power of Jesus Christ's  Atonement and repentance she asked about being baptized. You could just see how the Spirit was working within her, it was beautiful. She came to church on Sunday and was so moved by the spirit and by the idea of eternal families that she just cried. She didn't want to leave church when it was over, she just wanted it to keep going. "Three hours just isn't enough!", I think we all need to develop this attitude towards church, because in reality, 3 hours just isn't enough. 

Yesterday we had zone conference and it was AMAZING. President and Sister Brown are so inspired and I always love hearing from them. I'm so grateful to have them here serving and that I can learn so much from them. 

A: (Joshua, the son of Nun.)

"Don’t waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t belittle yourself. Never forget that you are a child of God. You have a divine birthright. Something of the very nature of God is within you." -President Gordon B Hinckley. WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD. 

(Pictures: sunset on the train home from Zurich, sunrise on the walk to our train yesterday, selfies, ice cream, we got smartphones and I got angst (anxiety?), sister Cook lost both of her nametags so we made her a new one while we wait for the order to come in..)

Have a great week, I love you all!

Sister Carley Lundskog
Kirche Jesu Christi HLT
Uhlandstraße 24
79713 Bad Säckingen 
Deutschland

The one where the mission just gets better and better 2/20/2018

Hello my fellow lovely subscribers, 

I hope you all have had a wonderful week, and I would just like to thank you all for sticking around for so long. In honor of that, I will start each email with a gospel joke and finish them with the answer. Just for your enjoyment. (If you have any and would like to share them with me please send them to me via email.) Thank you for your time and cooperation, let's get started. 

Question: what time of day was Adam created? 

I am doing well, I'm actually just so happy, which is kind of a surprise because it's winter,  and I hate being cold, but doing the work of the Lord should (and does) make anyone happy. Sister Cook is doing great too, she stopped several people while street contacting and she's pushed herself to speak (and eat..) in appointments. It's been really cool to watch her grow and see her understand more and more. 

Our miracle of the week is a self referral we received on Sunday last week, Veynera. We called her on Monday to set up an appointment and she was overjoyed. We met with her on Wednesday and she told us the story of how she got to the point of calling our branch president. She met with missionaries 30 years ago in Venezuela but lost contact and hasn't had anything to do with our church since. She has visited 18 churches looking for the truth and she finally gave up. But she gave one last prayer "please Father, just let me find the truth." The next day she was in YouTube and a Mormon video popped up ,,die Wahrheit der Mormonen". I don't know what the video is or if that's the exact name of the video, but it touched her heart and she remember meeting with missionaries 30 years before, then she saw another video. And then she felt such a desire to know more that she searched everywhere to find a church near her (since the video was in German she figured that there must also be a church in Germany.) So she finally found the phone number to our branch and called the branch president. Before our first appointment with her she had already read a lot of first Nephi online and said ,,Ah das Buch Nephi ist so spannend!!" (Never in my life have I heard someone refer to Nephi as exciting-at least not someone who was not yet invited to read the book..) We've met with her twice now and are in contact with her almost everyday. In our second lesson on Saturday she gave us a referral! It shows us how much the Lord prepares people for the gospel, how He plants a desire in their hearts, and how much faith other people are willing to show to find the truth. Veynera has been such a good example to me of never giving up on dreams or desires (such as finding a church that you feel in your heart is true). We are excited to keep working with Veynera on this spiritual journey of finding the truth. 

God's preparing people to accept the gospel, we just have to find them (and pray that they will find us!). 

I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord, to serve His children, and teach His gospel. I can't think of anything that would be more rewarding, bring more joy, or strengthen a testimony more. 

Answer: a little before eve 

(Pics: facemask fun, Sister Marsha is the realest homie and from the looks of it the crazy cat lady is at it again, Sister Cook apparently loves Valentine's day, Sis Cook made nice birthday sign she is very creative, the gelato stores re-opened in january and it's been real tasty, aaaannnnnd Freiburg.)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Have a fantastic week y'all! ♡♡

Sister Carley Lundskog
Kirche Jesu Christi HLT
Uhlandstraße 24
79713 Bad Säckingen 
Deutschland

The one where "a mistake was made..." 3/13/2018

Hey everyone, 

The week started off total chaos. Hence the subject line, and the text from Elder Larson in the office. We've been laughing so much but also we have been so stressed. Everything has worked out though. The Lord's work goes on! 

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: I GOT TO SEE SWEET SISTER HÄNER AGAIN. She's one of my favorite people I've met on the mission and I was able to see her again at a baptism on Sunday night. It was such a surprise but such a blessing. She is family to me and also one of my dearest friends. (Love you Sis Häner!)

We've actually had lots going on and we've been way busy! I don't have time to write but I love you all! 

“The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities”

(Pics: Sis Häner and I, first week is rough, last transfers district pics, sister cook!)

Sister Carley Lundskog
Kirche Jesu Christi HLT
Uhlandstraße 24
79713 Bad Säckingen
Deutschland

The one where... 2/6/2018

Hellllooooooo!

This week. What a week. Since the last time I wrote, which was only like 4 days ago, a lot has happened! 

We've given out so many books of Mormon and have met so many cool people! We've decided that we wanted to use the book of Mormon more, as it is the greatest tool we have and will lead to more conversion than just us talking, and it's been amazing to see how many people have responded positively toward it. The Book of Mormon has so much power!!! (Don't take it for granted, VME k. 5)

On Saturday we got transfer calls, and now that Sister Cliett is done being trained she will be going to Switzerland...and I'll be training again! A little crazy, but I'm excited! 

We also found out we will be losing the car... which is a bummer because we really need it in this area but the Lord will provide a way. But I got the chance to drive on the Autobahn so  🤷🏼‍♀️ (except the church gives us a speed limit so we can't actually drive as fast as we want...but still.) It was an experience.  [enjoy the pictures saying goodbye to our car...]

It's been a fantastic week, I absolutely love being a missionary. I love doing the Lord's work, I love being a part of this wonderful work. I love being an instrument in the God's hands. I wouldn't change this for anything else in the world. My heart is just so full of love. 

“To dig a straight furrow, the plowman needs to keep his eyes on a fixed point ahead of him. That keeps him on a true course. If, however, he happens to look back to see where he has been, his chances of straying are increased. The results are crooked and irregular furrows. We invite those of you who are [members] to fix your attention on your [goal] and never look back on your earlier problems or transgressions except as a reminder of your growth and your worth and your blessings from God. If our energies are focused not behind us but ahead of us—on eternal life and the joy of salvation—we assuredly will obtain it” (“Am I a ‘Living’ Member?” Ensign, May 1987) 

Well I love you all! Have a blessed February! (I still can't believe it's February!)

Sister Carley Lundskog
Kirche Jesu Christi HLT
Uhlandstraße 24
79713 Bad Säckingen 
Deutschland