Midlife Crisis

October 12th, 2015

Lieber Family and Friends,

Wow. Simply wow. This week may have been the most up and down week I
have ever had. There were tears, there were awkward moments and funny
stories, there was excitement and happiness - and there was simply
joy. Folks, it's official. I am at my halfway point in my Mission.
Kind of facing a midlife crisis right now. But I am loving every
second of being here, even the ones that face challenges.

I don't really know where to start...I think maybe with the hard
things. I have learned that it is so, so so very important to build
strong relationships with your Companions. Sister Carroll and I had a
talk that we both really needed. It was a huge building moment in our
relationship - and it has impacted our work for the better. Before
that talk, I was feeling incredible alone in my thoughts and feelings.
It brought me to my knees in tears. The very next day my prayer was
answered and my faith was strengthened.

Can I just take a moment and say how weird a Mission is? You send out
your papers requesting to "enlist" (My father's word for my Mormon
Bootcamp) in the service of the Lord - and you go out to a random
country (or your own) not having chosen where. Speaking a language you
may never have anticipated learning (cough*cough* Deutsch), and on top
of all of that you are paired with a RANDOM STRANGER that you have
most likely never before met and are expected to work and live
together 24/7. Those are just a few of the crazy building blocks of a
Mission.

As crazy as it sounds, it works. Because the Lord is in charge. I
testify that if this work was not true, it would not work. In the
Bible, the Lords people are sometimes referred to as a "Peculiar
people" and that we are! Haha.

A few highlights of the week:
We found a new family to teach! They are from Syria but all of the
children were born in Germany, therefore their German is perfect. We
are teaching a divorced father with his four daughters - ages 13, two
15 year olds, and a 19 year old. Oh, and their little dog Casie. Who
barks at the most inconvenient times during our lessons, haha.

We also had a really great lesson with one of our investigators,
Adela. We taught her the Plan of Salvation (which is a game changer
for people) and the Spirit filled the Chapel. I love teaching lessons
at the Church. Adela is such a wonderful woman. I feel such a close
connection to her and I want the best for her.

Also, speaking German is so strange. There are moments where you feel
like you are just coasting and not making any noticeable progress in
the language. It is so hard to measure. I remember hitting a big
moment where everything clicked. It was like a switch in my brain was
turned on and I could suddenly understand and communicate at a higher
comprehension. Well, this last week I felt like it went up a notch. I
can't really explain it. I love German! I still have a lot of work to
do in my language abilities. But the progression is so wonderful to
see and notice. My Mission President complimented me specifically on
the growth that I have made in the language during my interview with
him on Thursday. It felt really good. :)

Family and friends, focus on the good things. There is so much good to
be seen, noticed and appreciated. If you go looking for the bad I can
promise you that you will find it. But this life is not meant to be
miserable. It is meant to be refining. I know that Heavenly Father's
goal is that we "might have joy" and one day return to live with him
again. Trust in God, for -"Behold, all things have been done in the
wisdom of him who knoweth all things." (2 Nephi 2:24). I am grateful
that our Father - the God of the entire universe, is a lot wiser than
any of us. Aren't you?

Love,
Sister Kristyn Helmick

Sister Carroll and I. :)

She likes to take pictures without me knowing. Exhibit A (sleeping on a streetcar after our third appointment that day- Plus Church. Ya I was tired._

That was a hard day, simply said.