Date: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2009
Hello Family!!
This week was a wonderful week. Before I forget, I am staying in Mainz with Sister Cutler, and in addition to that we are getting a 3rd companion, Sister Ashby from Southern California. I am excited I feel like we will see a lot of success together.
Speaking of success, we got two new investigators!! So I talked about Sulay last week, and our other new investigator is Shan Pan from China. We contacted her on the university and when we met with her she said that she had had experiences in her life that made her think that there was a God. Also, in the past week she said that she had decided she really did want to know more about God, and then we contacted her. Then she said, "I think God sent you to me." We said, "Yes, He did." The spirit was there and it was so neat. I love bringing the gospel to those that are searching. I love telling people their relationship to God and how much he loves them and wants to be a part of their life. Teaching the gospel brings more happiness than I have ever known. I guess the happiness comes from feeling the Spirit, and the Spirit is there when we testify of Gods truth. It reminds me of "Teaching, no greater call." The Spirit, no greater feeling. The Spirit brings in the joy, the love, the peace, the knowledge God wants us to enjoy. We also met with one of the less actives we have been working with and he told us that he has realized he is behind and wants to catch up. He wants to prepare himself to go through the temple. I got so exctied when he told us that. It is so neat to see the change that is happening in him. He wants the Spirit more with him. On his wall he has a lot of pictures and posters of his favorite movies, but last week I noticed a new collage. It was pictures of the Savior he had cut out and put nicely together. It made me smile inside and out. He is on his way to having the Spirit more in his life.
This morning I read 1 Nephi 11:1. And I have been thinking about the formula there for the past little while. That is desire, belief, work, and then the blessings. It all starts with desire, desiring what God wants for us (right now for me it is getting investigators that will progress to be baptized), and then actually believing that it´s true (believing that there are actually people out there that God has prepared to hear the gospel and be baptized), then doing the work necessary for that desire, that belief to come true (actually going out and talking to people, and improving teaching skills to meet their needs better so eventually they will accept and believe the gospel), then once we do all that God blesses us. This formula is throughout the scriptures (Alma 32:27-28, Moroni 10:4-5, D&C 130:20-21 and others). If we really want something, and have our minds and hearts believe that it can actually happen, then do our part to show our sincerity and faith, God will bless us accordingly. I think I just explained the same thing like 10 times, but I typed as it was coming to me and as it started making even more sense. Anyway, that was my little insight for today.
I love you family, and may God be with you til we meet again.
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2009
Family!!!
As I read the email Tara wrote in behalf of mother I felt the spirit so strong, and peace just filled my heart. I am so grateful for the peace the gospel brings. I was so grateful to hear that you have all felt it too. Tara thanks so much for sharing all those precious experiences. Mom thanks for your email too. Throughout this whole week I have just felt that everything would be OK. My testimony has been strengthened to know that God IS there, and knows each of us personally. He knows what we are going through and blesses us with His love and peace. I cannot deny that. The emails I read today were very pleasing. I am so grateful things are going well. So, so grateful.
Um, this week something really neat was we set up an appointment with a contact we got in November. He finally had time to meet with us this past week. But anyway, we were in the train station waiting for him, but I couldn´t remember exactly what he looked like, only that he was black. After a little while we looked around and saw a black man also waiting, and we thought it could be him but weren´t sure. So we went up and asked him if he was Sulay (our contact) and he said no, he was just visiting Mainz for the day and waiting for a friend. But we started talking to him and it came up that we were Americans and Mormon. Just then another man passed by and said, "Did I hear that you are Mormons from America?" We said, "Yes." Then he said, "I am from America and wanted to meet the mormons there, but then I moved here and didn´t get the chance. I didn´t know you were in Germany too." He then asked if we had time to meet with him, and we did :) and so he gave us his business card and asked us call and set up an appointment. It was just a little miracle, but so wonderful. Last week I think I mentioned that it was a "Sacrifice week" so we sacrificed things we thought we could give in order to find more investigators and teach more lessons. And I feel we saw blessings come from it. That was one. We also did meet with Sulay and had a wonderful appointment and will meet again on Friday.
We were in the temple this morning and while there I felt like there were so many more things I wanted to share with you, but now I feel like they are not as important. What is important is that the work of God is rolling forward, I am still alive, and I know that you are all well and being strengthened there at home.
And transfers are this week. I will let you know what happens to me. :)
Family, I can just not adequately express the way I am feeling right now. I am just so glad that things are going well for our family right now.
Ritchie, welcome home. I know I am not there, but I still want to say it. :) I told mom to give you a hug from me. I hope she did. I love you, and wrote you a letter last week. It should get there soon. Mom and Tara have told me of the Spirit that you radiate. That makes me so happy. Thank you for doing the things necessary for you to become what Heavenly Father wants you to become for I know it is something marvelous indeed for you truly are His child.
Well, until we write again, next week . . .
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
Family!!!
As I read the email Tara wrote in behalf of mother I felt the spirit so strong, and peace just filled my heart. I am so grateful for the peace the gospel brings. I was so grateful to hear that you have all felt it too. Tara thanks so much for sharing all those precious experiences. Mom thanks for your email too. Throughout this whole week I have just felt that everything would be OK. My testimony has been strengthened to know that God IS there, and knows each of us personally. He knows what we are going through and blesses us with His love and peace. I cannot deny that. The emails I read today were very pleasing. I am so grateful things are going well. So, so grateful.
Um, this week something really neat was we set up an appointment with a contact we got in November. He finally had time to meet with us this past week. But anyway, we were in the train station waiting for him, but I couldn´t remember exactly what he looked like, only that he was black. After a little while we looked around and saw a black man also waiting, and we thought it could be him but weren´t sure. So we went up and asked him if he was Sulay (our contact) and he said no, he was just visiting Mainz for the day and waiting for a friend. But we started talking to him and it came up that we were Americans and Mormon. Just then another man passed by and said, "Did I hear that you are Mormons from America?" We said, "Yes." Then he said, "I am from America and wanted to meet the mormons there, but then I moved here and didn´t get the chance. I didn´t know you were in Germany too." He then asked if we had time to meet with him, and we did :) and so he gave us his business card and asked us call and set up an appointment. It was just a little miracle, but so wonderful. Last week I think I mentioned that it was a "Sacrifice week" so we sacrificed things we thought we could give in order to find more investigators and teach more lessons. And I feel we saw blessings come from it. That was one. We also did meet with Sulay and had a wonderful appointment and will meet again on Friday.
We were in the temple this morning and while there I felt like there were so many more things I wanted to share with you, but now I feel like they are not as important. What is important is that the work of God is rolling forward, I am still alive, and I know that you are all well and being strengthened there at home.
And transfers are this week. I will let you know what happens to me. :)
Family, I can just not adequately express the way I am feeling right now. I am just so glad that things are going well for our family right now.
Ritchie, welcome home. I know I am not there, but I still want to say it. :) I told mom to give you a hug from me. I hope she did. I love you, and wrote you a letter last week. It should get there soon. Mom and Tara have told me of the Spirit that you radiate. That makes me so happy. Thank you for doing the things necessary for you to become what Heavenly Father wants you to become for I know it is something marvelous indeed for you truly are His child.
Well, until we write again, next week . . .
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Family I love you!
Date: Tuesday. January 12,2009
Family!
I love you! That is the subject of this email. I love you all, individually for who you are and what you mean to me. I am so grateful for the gospel that teaches us that the happiness we enjoy in families lasts forever! You all make me so happy and I know that will last forever. Gos has given us the gospel to help strengthen us as individuals and also to help us strengthen each other in our families. For this reason I love the gospel.
This past week was good. Some highlights were our Zone development meeting. We were able to feel the spirit and our zone leaders asked us to do a sacrafice week. We could choose what we wanted to sacrafice. But they wanted us to have greater focus. We have already seen the fruits of doing that. We got two contacts yesterday. One of them came to us and asked us which church we were from. We told him and he said that he wanted to meet with us. That was very surprising and wonderful. Another neat experience was contacting a younger man, who told us he didn´t need us. So we kept walking down the street then a few minutes later he called to us and ran up to us and asked us if we had a card to give him, because he wanted to look up more information. Of course we gave it to him. :) I had an interview with my mission president last week and we talked about how we could recognize the Spirit better to know the needs of the investigators and those we are teaching, and through that giving them the commitments they need to really come closer to Jesus Christ. Well, yesterday we taught two different lessons. As we were planning we decided on the lessons we would teach and the commitments we would give them. As we thought about what we would teach them the tiniest little thought and feeling came that we should teach these topics. So small that I really wondered if we should seek the spirit more. During both of our lessons the people we were teaching told us that that was exactly what they had been thinking about and had questions about. It really was a testimony to me how small the Spirit can feel sometimes, but as we give Him heed, it will always be the right thing.
Well I am out of time, but once again I love you each and all.
Till next week, when we shall share our experiences once again!
Love,
sister Fitzgerald
Family!
I love you! That is the subject of this email. I love you all, individually for who you are and what you mean to me. I am so grateful for the gospel that teaches us that the happiness we enjoy in families lasts forever! You all make me so happy and I know that will last forever. Gos has given us the gospel to help strengthen us as individuals and also to help us strengthen each other in our families. For this reason I love the gospel.
This past week was good. Some highlights were our Zone development meeting. We were able to feel the spirit and our zone leaders asked us to do a sacrafice week. We could choose what we wanted to sacrafice. But they wanted us to have greater focus. We have already seen the fruits of doing that. We got two contacts yesterday. One of them came to us and asked us which church we were from. We told him and he said that he wanted to meet with us. That was very surprising and wonderful. Another neat experience was contacting a younger man, who told us he didn´t need us. So we kept walking down the street then a few minutes later he called to us and ran up to us and asked us if we had a card to give him, because he wanted to look up more information. Of course we gave it to him. :) I had an interview with my mission president last week and we talked about how we could recognize the Spirit better to know the needs of the investigators and those we are teaching, and through that giving them the commitments they need to really come closer to Jesus Christ. Well, yesterday we taught two different lessons. As we were planning we decided on the lessons we would teach and the commitments we would give them. As we thought about what we would teach them the tiniest little thought and feeling came that we should teach these topics. So small that I really wondered if we should seek the spirit more. During both of our lessons the people we were teaching told us that that was exactly what they had been thinking about and had questions about. It really was a testimony to me how small the Spirit can feel sometimes, but as we give Him heed, it will always be the right thing.
Well I am out of time, but once again I love you each and all.
Till next week, when we shall share our experiences once again!
Love,
sister Fitzgerald
Happy New Year's!
Date: January 5, 2010
Hello Family!
Another week has come and gone. My goodness time flies by. Well thanks for all your insights mom. They are good to hear. I especially loved the quote by Joseph Smith how the blessings of this gospel are unsurpassaple. The trick is helping others to see that. I liked what Ritchie said in his email, I guess he was quoting Chris, that nothing else makes sense. This gospel is the way that makes sense. I was talking with a lady on the train yesterday and she asked me if we believed in reincarnation. I told her no, that we believed in the resurrection. She said, "oh, well I like the idea of reincarnation because you get to live again and keep progressing and becoming something better. Heaven and hell just doesn´t make sense." I said, "yea, we believe that there is more than just heaven and hell. We believe in eternal progression. Because of the resurrection we can have our bodies back and keep progressing. We also believe in eternal families. With the resurrection we can still be in our family unit and live together. With reincarnation you don´t have that." She said, "Yea, that makes sense. If there was reincarnation we wouldn´t be in families. I never thought of that before." then I said, "I´m grateful that God prepared a plan for us so that we could live as families forever and be able to become better." Then I had to get off the train, so I gave her a pass along card. But yes, this gospel makes sense, because it´s true!
Anyways, Ritchie, that is awesome that you were able to baptize someone. I pray that she will continue on the gospel path. Thank you for showing her the way.
Well I don´t have a lot of time today, but I wanted to share with you what a German New Years is like. So at about 11:50 pm on New Years Eve "Sylvester", they started lighting fireworks, and they were right in front of our window. We woke up and were able to watch them from our beds. I was pretty sleepy so I didn´t see very many, but it was really fun. Then the next morning our President called it "Winter Cleaning Day" so we just stayed inside and deep cleaned our apartment. While we were cleaning we heard some marching bands and so we ran to our window and there was a marching band right down our street. They were all dressed up in colonial style uniforms and the band consisted of drums and chimes. It was a parade! But they weren´t all together. One band would come by at a time. And that was the parade, one marching band after another. Every band was dressed up differently but in colonial style clothes.I felt like I was in George Washington´s time, in Germany. It was awesome. Also the bands consisted of all ages old men and women, teenagers, and little kids. It was so fun to watch. In America there is a lot of advertising, not here. It was pure talent and families. It was a neat experience.
Well I better go. I love you family. And I hope all is well at the begining of this wonderful new year of 2010!!!
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
Hello Family!
Another week has come and gone. My goodness time flies by. Well thanks for all your insights mom. They are good to hear. I especially loved the quote by Joseph Smith how the blessings of this gospel are unsurpassaple. The trick is helping others to see that. I liked what Ritchie said in his email, I guess he was quoting Chris, that nothing else makes sense. This gospel is the way that makes sense. I was talking with a lady on the train yesterday and she asked me if we believed in reincarnation. I told her no, that we believed in the resurrection. She said, "oh, well I like the idea of reincarnation because you get to live again and keep progressing and becoming something better. Heaven and hell just doesn´t make sense." I said, "yea, we believe that there is more than just heaven and hell. We believe in eternal progression. Because of the resurrection we can have our bodies back and keep progressing. We also believe in eternal families. With the resurrection we can still be in our family unit and live together. With reincarnation you don´t have that." She said, "Yea, that makes sense. If there was reincarnation we wouldn´t be in families. I never thought of that before." then I said, "I´m grateful that God prepared a plan for us so that we could live as families forever and be able to become better." Then I had to get off the train, so I gave her a pass along card. But yes, this gospel makes sense, because it´s true!
Anyways, Ritchie, that is awesome that you were able to baptize someone. I pray that she will continue on the gospel path. Thank you for showing her the way.
Well I don´t have a lot of time today, but I wanted to share with you what a German New Years is like. So at about 11:50 pm on New Years Eve "Sylvester", they started lighting fireworks, and they were right in front of our window. We woke up and were able to watch them from our beds. I was pretty sleepy so I didn´t see very many, but it was really fun. Then the next morning our President called it "Winter Cleaning Day" so we just stayed inside and deep cleaned our apartment. While we were cleaning we heard some marching bands and so we ran to our window and there was a marching band right down our street. They were all dressed up in colonial style uniforms and the band consisted of drums and chimes. It was a parade! But they weren´t all together. One band would come by at a time. And that was the parade, one marching band after another. Every band was dressed up differently but in colonial style clothes.I felt like I was in George Washington´s time, in Germany. It was awesome. Also the bands consisted of all ages old men and women, teenagers, and little kids. It was so fun to watch. In America there is a lot of advertising, not here. It was pure talent and families. It was a neat experience.
Well I better go. I love you family. And I hope all is well at the begining of this wonderful new year of 2010!!!
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
guten Rutsch!
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009
Family!
Ich wünsche euch einen guten Rutsch! I wish you a good slide into the New Year! And part of what made this past year so wonderful was talking with you! It was such a treat to hear your voices and talk with you again. I love that in families the familiarities never leave. I haven´t talked with you since May, and yet talking with you on Christmas was the most natural thing in the world. Thanks everyone for having a question for me. They were fun to answer and to tell you a little bit more about Germany. The Schuh Family says "hello." (They are the family we were going to when I was on the bus talking with you). :) The rest of Christmas was wonderful. We had a wonderful dinner, sang songs, told stories, played games, and shared our thoughts on Christmas. Fariba also had a wonderful time. Thank you for your prayers for her.
The rest of the week was also wonderful. I told you a few things on the phone, so I won´t repeat it. So on Sunday one of our investigators said she would come to church and she would meet us there. We were so excited. Well it got closer and closer to the time for church to start and she wasn´t there. I was supposed to play the piano for Relief Society and needed to go in, but we wanted to wait outside for her to make sure she found the church. Anyway, one of the visitors said he would wait for her outside so that we could go in and do what we needed to. His name is Brother Baader he is the grandfather of a family in our ward. We had just met him on Christmas Eve and he was so nice. Then on Sunday when he saw our situation he was so nice to offer to wait for her. It was just a little tender mercy. It ´was a little thing, but something that meant a lot. I was very touched by his kindness, and service. Our investigator did end up coming, she had gotten lost, but had found the way. And she really enjoyed church. She was able to talk with people in the ward and it was so wonderful. Later on that day we had decided to go by on some Less Active members and no one was home. :( But on the last go by we did (of course it´s always the last one) we klingled and no one answered. Again we klingled and no one answered. We looked at eachother and frowned :) then started walking away, when a Chinese man opened the door and said, "Hello? are you looking for me?" We said "Are you Hao?" He said "Yes." and we said, "Hello Hao! We are the missionaries and we did want to talk to you." Then we were able to talk with him a little bit and get to know him a little better. We heard his conversion story and then invited him to FHE the next day and he came! And he liked it. And the other young adults recognized him and were excited to see him. It was awesome! And we have an appointment with him tonight. Yea!
There are so many miracles. I just can´t even count them. Little things every day. Along with big ones too. This gospel just helps me to see how I can improve my life. It´s more than just something I do on Sundays, it´s more than just things I can and can´t do or things I should or shouldn´t do. It´s really a plan, a plan to become everything I could dream to be. And it´s not even totally about eternity. It is that, but it´s what I can do now, who I can become today and tomorrow as I start living the principles of the plan that help me to become the kind of intelligent being God wants me to be that knows and applies all truth. That includes knowing how to handle every situation, how to build solid relationships with others and work with people in love, in understanding, with patience, and honesty. It includes self mastery, becoming the master of myself, knowing how to make the correct choice in every decision and following through. Yep, this gospel preaches true religion and science and history and everything else true; it also preaches application of these true principles so that we can become the people we have always dreamed to be; perfect, like God our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
Family, it was so good to hear from you. Ritchie it would´ve been fun to talk to you, but hopefully when we see each other again it will just be all the more special. It was good to hear how passionate you are about your mission. I remember feeling like that in the MTC. Everything I learned I just wrote down and thought to myself "I have got to tell Ritchie, Chris, Jason, and Crozier so that they can be more prepared than I am!" I 2nd what ever Ritchie said on the phone. Preparation is SO important. The MTC is the last stage of preparation for the mission field. What you learn the first 19 years of your life is where the majority of preparation takes place. This work is so exciting, and is more exciting and enjoyable the more prepared you are.
I love you family!
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
P.S.
That quilt is really neat. Good job siblings. Mom and Dad how did you like it and all of it´s symbolism?
Family!
Ich wünsche euch einen guten Rutsch! I wish you a good slide into the New Year! And part of what made this past year so wonderful was talking with you! It was such a treat to hear your voices and talk with you again. I love that in families the familiarities never leave. I haven´t talked with you since May, and yet talking with you on Christmas was the most natural thing in the world. Thanks everyone for having a question for me. They were fun to answer and to tell you a little bit more about Germany. The Schuh Family says "hello." (They are the family we were going to when I was on the bus talking with you). :) The rest of Christmas was wonderful. We had a wonderful dinner, sang songs, told stories, played games, and shared our thoughts on Christmas. Fariba also had a wonderful time. Thank you for your prayers for her.
The rest of the week was also wonderful. I told you a few things on the phone, so I won´t repeat it. So on Sunday one of our investigators said she would come to church and she would meet us there. We were so excited. Well it got closer and closer to the time for church to start and she wasn´t there. I was supposed to play the piano for Relief Society and needed to go in, but we wanted to wait outside for her to make sure she found the church. Anyway, one of the visitors said he would wait for her outside so that we could go in and do what we needed to. His name is Brother Baader he is the grandfather of a family in our ward. We had just met him on Christmas Eve and he was so nice. Then on Sunday when he saw our situation he was so nice to offer to wait for her. It was just a little tender mercy. It ´was a little thing, but something that meant a lot. I was very touched by his kindness, and service. Our investigator did end up coming, she had gotten lost, but had found the way. And she really enjoyed church. She was able to talk with people in the ward and it was so wonderful. Later on that day we had decided to go by on some Less Active members and no one was home. :( But on the last go by we did (of course it´s always the last one) we klingled and no one answered. Again we klingled and no one answered. We looked at eachother and frowned :) then started walking away, when a Chinese man opened the door and said, "Hello? are you looking for me?" We said "Are you Hao?" He said "Yes." and we said, "Hello Hao! We are the missionaries and we did want to talk to you." Then we were able to talk with him a little bit and get to know him a little better. We heard his conversion story and then invited him to FHE the next day and he came! And he liked it. And the other young adults recognized him and were excited to see him. It was awesome! And we have an appointment with him tonight. Yea!
There are so many miracles. I just can´t even count them. Little things every day. Along with big ones too. This gospel just helps me to see how I can improve my life. It´s more than just something I do on Sundays, it´s more than just things I can and can´t do or things I should or shouldn´t do. It´s really a plan, a plan to become everything I could dream to be. And it´s not even totally about eternity. It is that, but it´s what I can do now, who I can become today and tomorrow as I start living the principles of the plan that help me to become the kind of intelligent being God wants me to be that knows and applies all truth. That includes knowing how to handle every situation, how to build solid relationships with others and work with people in love, in understanding, with patience, and honesty. It includes self mastery, becoming the master of myself, knowing how to make the correct choice in every decision and following through. Yep, this gospel preaches true religion and science and history and everything else true; it also preaches application of these true principles so that we can become the people we have always dreamed to be; perfect, like God our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
Family, it was so good to hear from you. Ritchie it would´ve been fun to talk to you, but hopefully when we see each other again it will just be all the more special. It was good to hear how passionate you are about your mission. I remember feeling like that in the MTC. Everything I learned I just wrote down and thought to myself "I have got to tell Ritchie, Chris, Jason, and Crozier so that they can be more prepared than I am!" I 2nd what ever Ritchie said on the phone. Preparation is SO important. The MTC is the last stage of preparation for the mission field. What you learn the first 19 years of your life is where the majority of preparation takes place. This work is so exciting, and is more exciting and enjoyable the more prepared you are.
I love you family!
Love,
Sister Fitzgerald
P.S.
That quilt is really neat. Good job siblings. Mom and Dad how did you like it and all of it´s symbolism?
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