Two Experiences

October 5th, 2015

Lieber everyone,

Here are two experiences from this week:

Journal, Mittwoch 30 Sept:
"We were traveling to visit Alena this evening when I ended up
misreading the directions on our DeutscheBahn traveling app. We ended
up getting off at five stops too late and had to retrace our steps
backward in order to find the bus stop that went the other direction.
It took us half an hour of walking to find the next bus stop. As we
looked at the times, it showed that the Bus was to arrive every hour
at the :36. It was the :42 at this point. Sister Carroll and I figured
that we missed it, so we decided to walk to the next bus stop and move
forward. So we walked down the big hill, tired and dehydrated. And
GUESS WHAT. The bus turns the corner and starts to make its way back
to yesterday stop! It was late! I turned and looked at Sister Carroll,
picked up my purse to my chest, and sprinted up that hill.

You know those sprints that leave your chest aching and your throat
ridiculously sore? I have NEVER ran that fast. And up a hill too! I
made it right up to the corner, literally two seconds away from the
bus and I frantically yelled "WARTE! Bitte, WARTE!" Only to see my
efforts wasted as the bus took off right in front of my face. As you
can image, I was pretty frustrated. At that point, we had to cancel
our appointment with Alena and make our way back to Herne.
I had a pretty negative attitude with that experience. But I am
grateful for my companion, Sister Carroll. She is so fun, positive and
happy. She is such a great example of those traits. They are all
traits I need to work on. We choose to be happy and be grateful in
whatever circumstances we may be in. Even after we run up a steep hill
at the end of a long day and miss the Bus. What a silly little
experience, why waste the energy to frown and be upset, when I could
laugh and enjoy the moment? I can promise you, I ended up laughing
with Sister Carroll tonight!"

Experience #2:
I got home from my split in Duisburg on Tuesday night, to hear some
exciting news from Sister Carroll. Apparently she made out a few
appointments with some potentials. One of which, was a man we had
never met before who randomly called us up and requested that we meet
him at the church for an appointment.

On Friday, we walked up to the church to see a middle-aged man in his
car. Once he saw us, he came out and we shook his hand and introduced
ourselves. His names is Jurgens and he grew up in this area. We
welcomed him into the Church and gave him a Church tour. There were
already some members at the Church for our German class and they were
all very friendly and nice to him.

As we were getting to know him, he told us that he had observed us on
the bus and the street and had seen our name-tags. He ended up
researching the Church and had started reading the Book of Mormon
online from Lds.org! Wow! That does not happen everyday. He grew up
very religious and active in His Church, but has noticed things that
he does not approve of in his Church. He has been searching to see if
a Church exists that is modeled like Christ's Church in the Bible.
Wow! He is searching!

We met with him and taught him about the message of the Restoration of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Chapel. I have never had a more
powerful lesson than what We had with Jurgens. I felt the Spirit
working through us as we testified of the reality of God. How he is
the same yesterday, today and forever. How he continues to speak to us
just as in times of old through his chosen prophets and how Christ's
Church has been restored again.

As we came to a close of our lesson, I asked Jurgens if he came to
know if all of this was true, if he would be baptized. He paused for a
long moment and then looked me in the eyes and said, "I can't answer
that question just yet. But what I can say is that I am incredibly
impressed with you both, this Church and all that I have seen and read
of it. This is a deep faith." We committed Jurgens to watch General
Conference and to pray to know the truth. We will be meeting with him
weekly!

What I love about the German people is just how loyal, dedicated and
sincere they are. When they make a huge decision like joining a Church
- they are serious about it. If Jurgens one day joins the Church - and
I feel so strongly that he will, he will never leave it. Once a German
has become your friend, they never forget you and they never stop
loving you.

I am grateful to be serving in this wonderful country with some of the
strongest people I have ever met.

Love,
Sister Kristyn Helmick

Late Night Pajamas and Rejecting Marriage Proposals

September 28th, 2015

Too many good things happened this week, so I am just going to jump into it. :)

On Monday evening last week, we ended up taking it a little easy
because the Mission Nurse wanted me to rest until Tuesday. But, as we
were getting into our pjs and settling down, the Elders called us.
They ended up running into a woman from Africa who just moved to
Germany and had lost contact with the Church for a few months. The
Elders wanted to give her a Church tour and to introduce her to us.
Sooo, Sister Carroll and I went on a little Abend Sport adventure -
still in our pjs. We met with Tafadzwa at the Church and I instantly
loved her! She is so sweet and fun. We met with her for Stake
Conference this weekend and I ended up translating all of the meetings
for her.

On Tuesday we met with a less-active member. We had a really, really,
REALLY good appointment with her. She has been inactive for quite some
time and had met with Missionaries on and off over the years. We
finally got to the root of her concerns and were able to address them
and make goals together. We are arranging a ride for her to come to
Church in a couple weeks - which will be the first time she has
attended in...I don't know how long. I really have a love for
less-active member work. I know that God cares for all of his Children
and he wants those who have lost their way to find it again.

Later in the week we met with one of investigators, Loridane. She is
12 years old and her parents and one of her sisters are currently in
Romania. They are coming back this next week and the mother and Father
are working on getting married so that they can be baptized and sealed
in the Temple together one day. One of the daughters has heard all
about the Church but has not ever met with Missionaries. So once they
come back, we will start meeting with them again and teaching them all
of the lessons so that they can prepare for Baptism. So exciting!

Awkward story moment of the week: (I should start putting these in my
general emails) Sister Carroll and I are becoming master finders! I
love that she is actively involved in finding. We have been splitting
up on buses, trains and streetcars so that we can talk to twice as
many people. On Friday night, Sister Carroll and I decided to spend a
half an hour on the füß... Sorry, don't know that word in
English...like the mall streets I guess? Anyway, We separated enough
so that we could talk to more people but still see each other. Sort of
like at Street Displays. I like to contact in a variety of ways to
keep things from getting too repetitive, so I chose to do a Survey
that night. I was asking people on the street what sort of faith they
have, how it has influenced them in their lives, and if they believed
in a life after death.

I approached a group of three men, they were all probably a little
older then me. After they agreed to take the Survey, another man
joined their group. And then another man.and another three. And
another one. Before I knew it, I found myself surrounded by nine men.
Sister Carroll was talking to a woman right next to us. For a split
second, I saw her see me in my situation. Later she told me, "yeah I
saw you. But I figured you could handle it!" Haha.

Sooo, I awkwardly went through the Survey went them and long story
short, left with a few marriage proposals and probably some
inappropriate German jokes that I didn't understand. (They don't teach
me that kind of German in my study books!) thank goodness.

But, that night did end successfully. Sister Carroll and I ended up
finding a few new potential investigators and we ended up laughing
about our crazy experiences together.

I can't imagine not having decided to serve a Mission. The people that
I have met and the friendships that I have made are priceless to me.
It really is the best decision anyone can make. I know that I give a
lot as a Missionary, but I feel like Heavenly Father needed ME to meet
these people. Maybe that is a selfish mentality... It is hard to
express my feelings about this. All I can say is that being here has
taught me more and more about what kind of woman I want to be more
than anything else. I am loving and cherishing each day.

Ich habe euch Lieb!!
Sister Helmick

P.S. I promise to send some pictures next week! My computer is having some problems right now.

My Week Inside the Apartment

September 21st, 2015

Dear family and friends,

It has been quite the week...inside my apartment. Oh my goodness,
remember my email last week where I mentioned that I was sick for a
day or so? Well, turns out I never got better. I only got worse. On
Monday evening I had some of the worst sinus and head pain that I have
ever had. Sister Taylor stayed up with me until about midnight as I
stood over a pot of boiling water and drank hot fruit tea. The
pressure in my head was horrible.

After talking to the nurse, she had me meet with a doctor who informed
me that I have yet another severe sinus infection. She put me on some
strong antibiotics and I stayed inside and rested during the entire
week.

On top of that, Sister Taylor went home! I don't think she expected to
spend her last few days on her mission inside the apartment... But she
was a champ and took great care of me. And now, I am with Sister
Carroll. Who also probably didn't anticipate starting this transfer
out in the apartment with a sleeping and drowsy companion. Haha.

But alas! I have received permission to leave the apartment from the
mission nurse! I am still on my Medicine and am not yet back to my
100%, but I feel significantly better. It has been the longest week of
my mission.

I have learned that time really flies on a Mission because you are
really busy! Haha. It has felt like eternity since I had a Pday,
because I did not do much other than resting this week. But on
Saturday I finally left the apartment and we met with several
investigators which was good.

Sister Carroll and I are doing okay. We already knew each other from
the MTC. She started her mission in Bonn and absolutely loved it
there! In fact, she told me that the Germany Frankfurt Mission was the
mission that she wanted to serve in before she sent her papers
in...and Bonn was the one area she also wanted to serve in - and she
ended up having it as her first area! What a lucky duck! She also
loved her last companion.

I am a little worried that I won't be able to compete with that I
guess. I just hope that I can be a good companion to her and that she
will like Herne.

I hope this entry doesn't sound too depressing. Missions are a
rollercoaster of experiences. I am really learning to trust completely
in God with my needs and concerns. I have felt his love for me as a
Missionary and it keeps me going. I love my Heavenly Father and my
Savior. I know that I can do everything that they have called me to
do, and that gives me a lot of peace.

Have a wonderful week my friends! Hoping to have more exciting news to
write about next week.
Love,
Sister Helmick

Short Update

 

September 14th, 2015

 

Dear family and friends,

Transfer Calls finally came around! I will be seeing Sister Taylor off in two days. We will be having a Sister sleepover party in Dortmund on Wednesday night with two other companionships. Then, early on Thursday morning, Sister Taylor will hop on a bus and make her way out to Frankfurt, and then eventually back to Oregon.

Goodbyes are a part of the mission experience, but I am really grateful for each of my companions that I have had thus far. I have been paired with Sister Carrol! We are from the same MTC group, so we already know each other. She is a very down-to-earth person and is very kind. I remember her leaving notes of encouragement to all of the sisters in the MTC while she was a Sister Training Leader.

My guess is that we will be working together for along time since I have only been in Herne for 1 transfer. So I am excited. :)

I don't have too much to report this week. Sister Taylor was really sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then I caught what she had. On Friday we spent the entire day inside. Sister Taylor worked on packing her bags and I was on sleep-duty, according to our Mission Nurse.

I slept for about 24 hours. It was fantastic! Haha. But I am ready to get back to Missionary Work. Still a little under the weather, but manageable.

Leben ist gut. I hit my 8 month mark today - according to Elder Jensen (from my MTC group and in my District) and my lovely Grandmother who counts the days that I have left and emails me each week. :) I am trying to enjoy the time that I still have out here in Germany. Time is a scarce resource, and I am grateful for every day.

Love,

Sister Helmick

 

 

Elder Heiner, Bruder Gollnick and Sister Taylor were teaching me to play the piano this week! My goal is to be able to play a simple hymn as a musical number before I leave Germany!

The Only Thing We Have To Give Him Is Our Hearts

September 7th, 2015

Family and friends,

I love each of you! I feel such an outpour of love and support from you as I log in to email on P-day. Thank you. :)

We had several Street Displays over the last few weeks. At one Street display, I noticed an older man in a wheelchair. He was parked right in front of Netto (a grocery store) which happened to be right next to our little display. He had been sitting there for a few minutes, so I decided to walk over and ask how he was doing.

He looked at me with a grin on his face and said, "I know who you are. You're from Utah!" Haha, I love it when people say that. I smiled and told him that I was from Oregon. His grin went away after he realized he guessed wrong and then he looked sad all of a sudden.

I asked him simply how his day was going. He told me that he was waiting for his wife inside of Netto - she was doing their weeks grocery shopping. As we chatted casually, all of a sudden he took me hand and told me, "You know, I was a Nazi in the War." He then went to tell me how he has experienced and witnessed things that he cannot undo or unsee. This old man was deeply troubled.

As I was listening to him, I had the impression to ask about his joys in life. He immediately looked up at me with his smiling eyes and said, "my wife and music." He told me about how he had quite the singing voice back in the day, but in his old age he lost his talent. I then offered to sing for him. (In the past I never would have offered, but just two weeks earlier, the Elders and Sister Taylor and I gave a musical number at church. My first time singing a solo. I was very nervous at first but I came to learn that singing is another way to bear your witness - to share your testimony through your voice.)

So I quickly called Elder Vogl and Sister Taylor over (they both have voices of angels, I swear) and we sang, "Näher, mein Gott, zu dir." That was such a powerful moment. As we sang to him,  his eyes welling up with emotion and he sobbed through all four verses of that hymn. It is amazing to see how God works through us to reach out to His Children.

---

A Mission is full of personal progression and growth. But more than anything, my mission has taught me more and more about who Jesus Christ is, what my relationship to him is, and how I can craft MY personal character into that of my Savior's.

During my personal study this week, I came across a quote from C.S. Lewis, who paraphrases what the Lord says to us: "Give me all. I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work: I want you. All of you. I have not come to torment
or frustrate the natural man. But to kill it. No half-measures will do. I don't want to prune a branch here and another there; rather I want the whole tree out. Hand it all over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them all over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart shall become your heart."
(Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis)

As a Missionary, we have the unique oppurtunity to give everything up to God. To give up television, music, our cell-phones, limiting our communication with our family and friends, giving up our time and post-poning our education and dating. Putting a pause on all of these things for 18 months to 2 years. But it is more than that. God gave me all of those things.

The ONLY thing that I have to give to Him - that WE have to give to him, is our hearts. Our intents for making the choices we make. As our hearts become more in line with Christ and His heart, we are transformed. There is happiness unlike any other that comes as we give Christ our hearts.

Out of everything that we give, Heavenly Father and Christ give us more than we can imagine. I have learned that what I once thought of as a sacrifice (i.e. going on a Mission) turned out only to be a priviledge. Because He has blessed me more than I can ever give him.

Ich habe euch Lieb!

Sister Helmick

 

 

Elder Heiner posed as me! Forgot his namebadge.

Tempel!

District dessert after our rainy street display.

Our sad little street display! Umbrellas protecting our few Book of Mormons.

Post-Service BBQ.

Boxing with Tante Inge!

Teaching old women how to box. :)

Stretching

August 30th, 2015

Family and friends,

Wow. What a...last two weeks. I feel like it has been an eternity -
sorry I missed last weeks general email. I have been struggling with
time management, clearly. Haha.

Today Sister Taylor and I woke up at the crack of dawn and drove to
Friedrichsdorf with a member. We are in the Church doing emails on our
IPads (yay for free wifi) and then we will be attending the Temple.
Best Pday!

Here is an insight into what I been up to in Herne:
Every Monday evenings we have a Family Home Evening that several
members have organized, specifically for those who do not a family at
home. We invite and involve a lot of less-active members and we have
several investigators who attend. It is a highlight of the week.
Typically, we, the Elders or a member shares a spiritual thought, we
eat dinner together and then we have some sort of activity.

On Thursdays, we visit a place called Lebens Hilfe for adults with
physical and mental disabilities. We sit and talk with them and we
also sing songs every two weeks with a fabulous member, Sister Farker.
I really enjoy it! It reminds me of my Buddy Club and Special Olympics
days. It is a little different because it is all in German - it is
harder for me to understand them. But I'll get the hang of it.

Every Friday we take part of a free German class held at the Church.
We just organized it when I came to Herne. We have two Native German
YSAs who teach it - but sometimes Sister Taylor and I also teach it.
We have a lot of invesigators and non-members who attend. There are so
many foreigners here in Herne! I am learning different phrases from
Albanian, Arabic, Turkish, Russian, French and Italian. Oh and some
African language as well.

I speak a lot of German here, but I also speak a lot of English and
use a lot of...google translate, Skype, and pictures. It takes
teaching simply to whole different level. For example, this week we
taught two of our investigators with a lovely language twist:
--Izar is from Pakistan and he speaks Urdo. We teach him using his
Urdo Book of Mormon and in English. But his English is very limited.
So we skype with a member in Wiesbaden who is also from Pakistan. We
talk to this member and then he translates to Izar.
--Adela is from Albania. We had our first teaching appointment with
her on Friday! She has been coming to German class and also Family
Home Evening. She speaks 5 languages - English, Albanian, Italian,
Spanish, and another language as well. She met a member Cecilia at
FHE. Cecilia is from Chile and she speaks German Italian and Spanish.
So they spoke in Italian mostly.

Well, we met with Cecilia and Adela together. We spoke with Adela in
English. We spoke to Cecilia in German. They spoke to each other in
Italian AND Spanish, and Adela read from a Church pamphlet in
Albanian. Does your head hurt yet? Because mine does.
---

Okay, time is once again in short supply. I hope that my thoughts come
across clearly. I am very sleep deprived at the moment. Family and
friends, I love being a Missionary. But I won't lie to you, being out
here is hard. There is so much responsibility that the Lord has
entrusted us with. I am preparing to take over Herne in two weeks and
I am a little overwhelmed by it. About half of our investigators are
Muslim or have never before heard of Jesus Christ.

These last two weeks I taught people His name. I have taught
investigators Christ's story - even the simple Easter and Christmas
events that most all Americans grow up with or have heard of. Teaching
who Jesus Christ is and who God is...it is a very special privilege. I
feel very humbled to be here.

Heavenly Father uses weak instruments to bring about His good. I think
that in itself is a testimony to how much he loves us individually.
When Heavenly Father sent Angels to spread the good news of Christ's
birth in Bethlehem, He sent them to the humble Shepherds, not the rich
men. Our worth to Him is the same. As I thought about that this last
week, I thought about my personal worth and value to God as a
Missionary...specifically about taking over Herne. I read in Jacob 4:7
from the Book of Mormon:

“The Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by
his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that
we have power to do these things.”

That gave me a lot of comfort this week. When people ask me how I am
doing, the answer that seems the most honest and the most fitting is:
"Good, just experiencing some stretching pains." I am simply trying to
give my all to Heavenly Father and this work. And that process
requires a lot of stretching pains as He refines me. But I know that
He is magnifying my abilities and it is incredible to experience.

I love each of you dearly,
Liebe Grüße,
Sister Helmick

Pictures!

August 24th, 2015

Splits with Sister Terry!

My favorite!! And root beer!

My bedroom.

Living and study room.

Zumba party last Monday!

The Elders and I... weird window picture.

Sister Doering is a firecracker. She teaches with Sister Taylor and I sometimes and she is just a bold little Grandma!