Longest Week

December 14th, 2015

How can I describe the longest week of my life in a General Email??
This week was unbelievable. Here is what comes to mind:

-Parted ways with the wonderful Sister Roderer
-Was in a dritt with the Sister Training Leaders on Tuesday to
Wednesday and met with an American Army soldier and his German wife.
-Spent two hours traveling ALONE. First time being alone in 11 months...
-Was reunited with Elder Heiner, Sister Nielson, and other fabulous
Missionaries at the training meetings in Frankfurt
-Showed up as the last person at the "Pairing Meeting" because my
train was late.
-Was paired with my new Missionary - Sister Jameson!
-Celebrated Sister Nielson's birthday
-Overnighted in Frankfurt Hotel with Sister Nielson...didn't fall
asleep until 3am because it was too hot and I couldn't find the
heater!
-Woke up at the usual 6:30. Left Frankfurt with Sister Jameson at
11:30am and headed out to Mannheim
-Met with wonderful investigators, less-active members and other Missionaries
-Discovered that I talk in my sleep a lot, and I have continued to
dream/talk in German during my sleep since my MTC Days. The gift of
tongues works in mysterious ways
-Sister Jameson snores...I have a feeling I won't be getting too good
of sleep these next two transfers...
-discovered day 2 that Sister Jameson accidentally left all of her
underwear in the England MTC's dryer...ya, awkward. (She gave me
permission to share all this, I'm not that mean of a person)
-Had a successful Street Display
-Gave a talk at Church that I prepared the night before...turned out okay!
-Got a call from two starving Elders Sunday night...looked at our
empty fridge and managed to somehow throw something together for them.
-Drove a car for the first time since being a Missionary! It was a Car
simulator (this afternoon for Pday)
-Rediscovered that my Danglisch is getting worse and worse...having to
explain what I think is a normal English sentence to Sister Jameson
-And I am somehow figuring out how to be a trainer. It's been a really
good week. I think my theme for the next two transfers will be, "I'm
tired." I have never felt more exhausted in my entire life.

Sister Jameson is from California, and she is a firecracker! She
reminds me so much of what I was like when I came into the Mission.
She asked a billion questions about Mission Life, was nearly bouncing
off the walls ready to work, and was simply so happy! I love her
energy and enthusiasm. She is exactly what Mannheim needs. She was
what we call "fast-tracked" because she spent a year in Germany as an
exchange student a few years ago. She has very good German.

I am grateful that I served with Sister Taylor, who was also
fast-tracked. I remember her telling me how some trainers don't know
how to train someone who can already speak the language. She expressed
how everyone needs a trainer in the beginning, egal what kind of
background they have in the language. Plus, common day-to-day German
is not preaching-the-Gospel kind of German.

I am super grateful to work with Sister Jameson. I feel like I am
learning more by teaching her and being an example of Missionary
conduct than anything else. I feel much more contentious of everything
I do, because I know she looks to me for that guidance in these
initial stages. But at the same time, I am humbled by how much I am
learning from her already. I feel more moldable, open and receptive to
change and growth than I ever have before, and it is a wonderful
feeling!

What I love so much about this experience is how every hour is spent
towards a meaningful activity. It is constantly go, go, go. My focus
is rarely on me, especially with training. I am so blessed to be in
Mannheim where the work we are doing is thriving! And the people we
are meeting are teaching ME so much. From Nigerian investigators who
escaped wars from their homes to be here in this land, to our new
American/German family, who have experienced and seen things that I
could never imagine. One of our investigators, Xin Xin from China, is
getting married today! This experience is so international and
eye-opening to how big this world is, and how innately similar we all
are despite our differences in ethnicity, culture and circumstance.

One Truth that God has been trying to teach me again and again, is
that He loves us. That love is manifested in a variety of ways, always
individual and personable to each person. The way He speaks to me is
not necessarily the way He speaks to you. But the love is the same. It
is like the love between a parent and a child, only perfect and all
encompassing. I have felt his Love not only for me, but I have felt it
working through me to touch others this week.

No matter how many times we have messed up, how many mistakes we have
made - or how many times we have made that same mistake again and
again, His love is constant and unchanging.

I have you each love,
Sister Kristyn Helmick

Last moments with Sister Roderer in Mannheim.

Party dritt.

Taking Sister Jameson to Mannheim - first moments together.

 Germany is full of these little gold plaques in the ground. They
are a tribute to the Jewish people who were killed during World War 2.
They are typically placed right next to where the persons used to
live.

Marktplatz Haltestelle. See this place almost daily.

Sister Jameson and I.