Going Home (week 76) [Live from Berlin]

I never thought this moment would come. It's surreal that it's actually here. I'm dreaming, right?

We're currently at a McDonald's in Berlin writing emails. We finally made it here yesterday after we dragged all of my stuff to the train station but then had to wait two hours for our bus to come. Sitting on the concrete in the sun was not fun. We made it to the Neukölln apartment at 10:30. But we're here.

I've said my goodbyes, packed my things, and am ready to go.

So many things have come full circle in the past transfer. David got baptized. He got the priesthood last week. I've talked about how much we work with less active members in Halle, and in the past transfer, four of them have come back to church at least once. Our recent converts are solid and the members love them. And I love the members. During sacrament meeting today, one of my favorite songs was first to be sung, and as I looked up at sister Mitte playing the piano, she looked at me and smiled. I know she picked that song for me. After I sat down from bearing my final testimony, Enrico whispered to me that there wasn't a mistake in my German. A few members gave me such heartfelt gifts (that barely fit into my suitcase) and they all thanked me for the work that I've done here. I always wonder if I made any difference in an area but this told me that I did.

Looking back on the last 18 months, I'm left almost without words. There's so much to say but the words are insufficient. I've experienced the best of times but also the most devastating times, the most demanding but most rewarding. It has been the farthest thing from easy but has been absolutely worth it. I am so grateful for the time I had here in Germany. I remember learning in Hildesheim how to be a missionary and making many German mistakes and wondering if I would ever get used to this. I remember learning from Sister Stuart's killer example of loving the people and always striving for improvement. Learning how to dig deep when Sister Schwantes and I went dooring every day and worked our butts off was a tough challenge but I came out on top. Then having to be transferred away from everyone basically broke my heart but Sister Meyer showed me how to love sketchy Neukölln and how to expect miracles. And serving in Berlin was the best. Sister Hashimoto and I learned together because I had no idea how to train haha but she really taught me so much, especially about caring for people and taking time to enjoy the moment. Plus her quadrilingual skills were so helpful haha. Then being shipped to Greifswald to train right before Christmas and in the dead of winter definitely tried to tear me down into the depths but it was in this time that I really learned how to rely on others for support. Sister Barlow and I always had something to laugh about. She is the most patient person ever. These two transfers were probably the most physically and mentally and spiritually exhausting of my whole mission but I never fell down farther than I could be picked up. The Lord was with me. Sister Jensen and I had a good time and saw progression in the area, finally. When I came to Halle I was ready to give my all and Sister Egbert helped me do that. She taught me so much about communication and expecting more from yourself. Other than my trainer and trainees, she was the only companion of ten that I had for longer than one transfer, and I know I needed her during those two transfers. Sister Ballard came to me, coincidentally after having already met each other in Berlin last summer before her mission. We experienced a lot of weird things this transfer but also big miracles in the area. She also saved my butt by telling me all about BYU and helping me be ready to come home. And now we're here.

I know that God lives. I know He loves me and knows me by name. I know we have His church on the earth, even the fullness of His gospel and teachings. There is nothing more important than this, to know that God is our Heavenly Father and that He has a plan and purpose for us in our lives of maybe little importance. I am humbly grateful from the bottom of my soul for this time on my mission, to learn and relearn and try again and to fall just to find out that you can stand up again. I love my Father in Heaven and His Son. I have come closer to them in this time than I could've ever done anywhere else, and it has been so rewarding, more rewarding than anything else. And that's how it always will be. The Book of Mormon is true and will bless the life of anyone who reads and applies its teachings. Joseph Smith was God's chosen prophet to restore His church and lead all of us into the last dispensation. He was followed by other prophets of God who speak the truth straight from the Master. I know the church is true, I haven't a shadow of a doubt.

I'm excited to see what the real world has in store for me. But also nervous. I'm going to miss my mission like crazy. I wouldn't trade this time for anything else. Nothing has been of more worth to me.

For the last time,

All my love,

Sister Bianca Seamons

Getting Closer (week 75)

This week was like "everything fall into place for Sister Seamons to come home" week.

Sister Ballard helped me a ton with working on my schedule for BYU and telling me what's up at that school cause she knows it really well. So many other things about coming home are being taken care of for me and I couldn't be happier or more grateful. I am so excited to see my family and friends and Utah, and what helps me feel even more excited, is to know that I really have served a good 18 months. They haven't been perfect but as they have come to a close, I've realized more and more what they've meant to me and how they have changed me.

I remember having no idea what I was doing when I was set apart and came to the MTC. Being a missionary was so foreign to me as I didn't have any siblings who went before me who could've told me what it was like, but the Lord helped me get to the point to have just enough faith to take that step into the unknown. It was scary. But the Lord has guided my path. He has ALWAYS been there when I have tried to give even the smallest effort. I felt like I received so many blessings this week that really just proved to me that God has never forgotten the things I did here, and will continue to bless me for them even after the mission ends.

I've been meeting with David more than twice a week for the past four months. Yesterday he received the priesthood, and next week, on my last Sunday, he will pass the sacrament. I feel like a proud mom. :)

Comfort, who has been sick for the past 9 months, was in the hospital for over a week, but has finally received the medications she needs. She came to church yesterday. My heart was so happy when I saw her there. She thanked us profusely for helping her in coming back to church and for helping her get to and from the hospital and then visiting her there. That was also one of those "reward" moments that have happened just when I have needed them.

Oh right...totally forgot to update you all on "J"... Well we had to postpone his baptism. We taught him the commandments, and he was like, "yeah, I'll have problems with these two, but they're right." So he knows they're true and they're good, he just needs more time to actually start practicing them. But he's already working on it. I'm actually glad we have more time to create more of a foundation for him in the church, cause like, he hasn't even been to church yet. We've (or he...) gotta work on that. ;)

I'm so happy to be a missionary! How I only have one week left to be so, I don't know. But the Lord seems to know what He's doing with my life, so I'm just gonna follow and do what He says, haha.

​

1. Week. Left.

Sister Seamons

Exchanges this week basically consisted of serving an old woman in Chemnitz
and hanging out with the elders once we found out we missed our train! Haha.

Ones (week 74)

Ah... Two more weeks...

I'm so excited and nervous and anxious and ecstatic and sad. I feel like last week didn't even happen. Yet here we are, writing again. I've got one more p-day left in Halle and the next we're spending in Berlin. Then vacation in Germany with my family for ten days and then it's back to America. School two weeks after that. The end is coming fast.

BUT I'm still here and have still got...14 days.

This week, I came to realize, was all about ones. Meaning the one single person that needs help in the moment and who we're really there for. Christ taught and converted multitudes but He also healed and blessed single people, and a multitude is no more than assembled ones. I never baptized more than one person at a time on my mission, I never taught a family, I was never a sister training leader that led a group of sisters, I never preached to huge groups of people on the street. My mission was just a culmination of many days, hours, and people. We walked away from an appointment with a less active who is so lonely and really just needs company, and we were there longer than we should have been, so I wondered if I should feel bad for wasting time. That's when this impression came to me, the impression about the one. I felt sure that Christ would have spent extra time with someone to meet their need, to give them the comfort that they needed, as He did in 3 Nephi 17. Of course He came to the earth to save mankind, and He did, but He suffered personally for each and every one of us. He is there for us personally. This was reiterated to me as we sat in the home of a less-active, with this woman's mom visiting from Ecuador, who couldn't speak a lick of German. They had to translate for her so she could understand. We were sharing a spiritual thought and my companion wasn't saying much, so I was kind of leading the thought out and talking about how the Lord is there and knows what we need, we just need to pray to Him for heavenly help. For some reason I felt like what I was saying wasn't really coming across—no one was saying anything or showing any sign of reception. Then I looked over at the mom. Tears were rolling down her face. She bore her testimony about prayer and about the love of God. I was amazed to see that the Spirit was able to carry my message across to her, and although I couldn't understand what she said in response, I know that she was touched and felt something that she needed to feel in that moment.

We are all ones, and we make a difference, one person, one decision, one minute at a time.

I am also reminded this week that it is never too early to prepare. Speaking of which, I should probably start packing...today. ;)

Love you all!!!

2 weeks. (Did I say that already?)

Sister Seamons

Weird (week 73)

This week was just weird on so many different levels. Literally every single day since Sister Ballard and I have been together has had something seriously weird happen. But we are completely normal, average people. I don't get it.

Tuesday was weird for a few reasons. It was blazing hot outside. We had two appointments but they both fell out, so we decided to go by on a referral we had received—bad idea. It was too hot to be walking around in that heat. No one even thought in their mind about leaving their apartments and we were literally the only people outside. We stopped at the grocery store really quick because the heat was sucking all of our energy and recharged in the refrigerated section of the store. Then this referral lets us in his house and we went to the top floor and were like, "So we're the missionaries from the church and it looks like you requested a missionary visit." And all he really said to us was, "I did not expect this," and left the door open and sat on his couch and continued smoking. Well we didn't expect you either, buddy. Well, we survived the day and then in the evening there was this HUGE thunder/lightning/rain storm that happened suddenly. It was like the sky was freaking out because of the hideous heat. Apparently it was like almost a tornado. So that was exciting.

Wednesday was weird because one of our former investigators called and said she wanted to meet. She is basically a member but doesn't want to be baptized until she can speak better German. So we were really pumped, thinking that she wanted to be baptized! We were all prepared for our appointment at the church and then she was like, "I just want to introduce myself to you quickly," and then proceeded to tell us her life story for over an hour. We literally just sat there and stared at her basically, haha. Her German isn't THAT great and half of the time I had no idea what she was trying to say and we had no idea when to jump in a take control of the appointment, haha, at the end we asked her if she wanted to start meeting with the missionaries again and she kind of agreed I guess because she made out another appointment. Not sure where this one is going to go... We'll see!

We also had this weird appointment with a guy from German class named "B" and Enrico. "B" is definitely not the most normal person we know. He's actually probably the weirdest. Our plan was to (well, not necessarily our plan but the plan we got wrapped into) was to go take some cool pictures by this lake in Halle with my camera and Enrico's and talk to this guy (who was a former investigator of the Elders) about the gospel. Well of course it started pouring rain as we were making our way to the lake (OF COURSE it would rain at the most inconvenient time—not a few days ago when it was hot as heck) and so we huddled under a tree and "B" gets his phone out and was just taking pictures of us standing under this tree. Then he invited us to a coffee shop for a chat or something. We ordered hot chocolate and what they brought us back was literally hot pudding. I am still confused about this. It was just a mug filled with hot chocolate pudding. So we were already weirded out so I asked "B" if he had interest in learning more from the missionaries and he said, "no" so we left, haha.

So summary of the week: Missionary work can and probably will be weird. But we always have a good laugh afterwards. We're still waiting to see what weird thing happens to us today...

Unfortunately "J" was so busy with appointments this week that we weren't able to meet with him. So his baptismal date is kind of up in the air still, but we're hoping that he'll have time for us this week. Other than that, we have no investigators... We did have 7 less active/new convert lessons this week. That's pretty much the bulk of our work in Halle, haha. We need to find more people and fast... Pray for us that we can find these people!!! And pray for "J"! And David! And us that we can have some normal days. Or maybe not because these weird days are fun. Either way.

I'm still grateful for every day that I can be here.

3 weeks.

Sister Seamons

Eating hot pudding?

David's Baptism (and "J's too!) (week 72)

David got baptized!! Finally! He was so happy you could see it in his face after preparing the whole week for Saturday, we got to celebrate the Fourth in the best way by having a baptism. It was actually a little awkward and unexpected when the baptism had to be redone a total of four times (yes, four), but as our Canadian friend Joni mentioned, four was apparently a good number because it was the Fourth of July. David seemed to like that idea. Oh, and what I just realized, David was my fourth baptism on my mission, :) so four is a good number! And what's more, as mentioned in my title for the week, we finally met with "J" again...and...he agreed to be baptized!!! On August 1!!! My last Saturday. :) As the lesson progressed we all kind of came to the conclusion that he believes almost everything we believe but just calls it a different name, if that. And this point, I said, "well, it looks like all you have to do now is just... Do it." And he agreed. He asked how a baptism worked and we explained a bit to him, and then he pulled out his phone and said, "where will the baptism be?" "In Leipzig." "Oh! I was born in Leipzig. What time will it be?" "Uh... We haven't thought that far... Probably 5." "Good...and what will I wear?" And typed everything into his calendar and saved it. Like. Who does that?! He is so ready! And so willing! He knows that if he's ever going to find out who God is then he needs to take steps into the dark and find out what's there, because no one ever learned anything of value standing in the same spot. I am so excited for him. These next four weeks are going to be killer.

We were SO busy this week. So so busy. We had barely enough time to do all the things we needed to do. A lot of last minutes were used. We spent the whole week going from appointment to appointment and using any spare time to prep this baptism (I gave a talk and Schwester Mitte and I sang two songs together—they went great!). We were able to talk out some problems with a new convert/less active and even serve two of our other less actives (by going grocery shopping for both of them. Convenient. We are pros at going grocery shopping apparently.) And we received a total of THREE referrals this week. Talk about success people. Even though I'm going home in four weeks, I have hardly any time to think about that because the work is just up and running.

Things are going really well. I am doing great. Except the 100+ degree weather is trying to kill me.

My companion told me something really interesting today. She said that, in the wait for the second coming, we see that the world is bad enough and needs not get any worse, yet the second coming hasn't happened yet because the members of the church aren't quite good enough. We must continue holding on to the iron rod because holding on and moving forward is all we have left. God will support us always in our quest for righteousness.

The church has always been true.

4 weeks.

Sister Seamons

Too Good to be True (week 71)

Yeah, we didn't see "J" at all this week. He didn't show up to church last week like he promised... Strike one. He didn't show up to our appointment... Strike two. He didn't come to English like he said........ Strike three. I love the guy but he was just too perfect of an investigator to NOT have any flaws. And of course it's the flaky flaw. Worst. Now don't worry we're not giving up on him but we just need to, I don't know, peel off the flaky skin or something. Or use lotion. Dunno. But we'll figure it out!

We had four investigator lessons this week and they were all with "D". It came to the point that we really had to ask ourselves if we were going through with the baptism because we're still not sure why he refuses to pray with us in lessons (even though he's done it before) and if the language barrier was going to be a problem with his integration into the ward. But we both don't think that waiting until he speaks good enough German is a reason to postpone it. So it's happening! And Sister Mitte and I are doing two musical numbers for it. :) She is a really good singer. We sight read some stuff today at our eating appointment and it was so fun.

My companion, Sister Ballard, is super cool. She studied German for 7 years already and then got called to this mission so she was already way prepared. We speak German all the time. Like pretty much 24/7. It's so fun.

Nothing else really exciting to report... Last week when we met with our less-active, "C", something she said really stuck with me. Sometimes she's not doing well enough to really say anything to us and just wants us to 'preach' to her, but she was feeling really good this day. She bore her testimony about the Book of Mormon. She said that the book is true independent of our belief on it, so it's not a question of if the book is true but rather if we BELIEVE the things that are in there are true. And we can only come to believe in its truthfulness if we busy ourselves with it. Study and ponder and develop the seed of faith. It's like the existence of God—He's there and will be there whether I believe that or not. These are eternal truths. God exists. The book is true. And when I come to believe that that is true—once I've given an effort and received the witness from the Holy Ghost—then I truly have everything to gain in this life and the next.

There are no truths more precious to me than these, that God has a special place in His heart for little me, that Christ loves me enough to carry my burdens and change my heart and rejoice with me, that the scriptures can and will give me comfort and direction, and that everything happens for a reason.


5 weeks.


Sister Seamons

Us and Schwester Schröter saying goodbye last week—
she made strawberry cake like my mom always does! :)

The Beginning of the End (week 70)

It's my last transfer and it's officially official—I'm dying in Halle! but I'm getting a new companion (number 10!) and her name is Sister Ballard. I met her last year as I was serving in Berlin when she came with her friend for a trip and visited my ward in Neukölln for church, before she ever got her mission call and found out she was coming to this mission! Nuts huh! It hit me yesterday as I was thinking about it... I only have 6 weeks left. That is such a short amount of time. And I've still got so much to do. No more kiddin' around. ;)

For some reason this week was full of awkward moments and cancelled appointments. By Thursday we had had 4 out of 5 appointments for the week cancelled just hours before they were supposed to take place. That was weird. The one appointment that did go through was our appointment with our less active, "C". She was laying in her bed as we were teaching her and she asked me to come over and help her sit up, so she stuck her arm out to me to pull her up. So I grab her arm and pull and she lets out this horrible scream as if I had ripped out her arm!!! You probably should have seen my face because my heart dropped right into the floor. I was horrified. Pretty sure I just killed her. Then she just giggles as if it had tickled or something. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, haha, really. Then another awkward moment was when we were out talking to people on the street. I was talking to this middle aged man and said, "can we ask you a question?" "Depends on the question..." "Do you believe you're a child of God?" Then he takes literally FIVE seconds and CHECKS ME OUT. Eyes to toes and back again. Then said that he doesn't answer such deep questions. And walks away. And then this other time... We went by on a less active and she wasn't there again so we looked in our phone and found out that we had her number. So we called her. Sister Egbert was talking to her and they were having a pleasant conversation and then she asks, "are you in (this part of the city) right now?" "yeah." "Have you come by my house a few times lately?" "...yeah..." "...are you at my house right now?" "..........yeah." Caught red-handed. Aaaaawkward.

But enough of the weird stuff. I do like telling stories so you all have something interesting to read, but there's definitely some normal missionary stuff going on here. ;) "D"'s still going to be baptized, we've just got to review the restoration (again) and make sure everything's solid. And "J". He's doing great. But he didn't come to church, even though he promised! And we still don't know why. We're bummed. But he really connected with Enrico at English class and when we taught him afterwards. As we were talking to Enrico after the appointment, he mentioned how he felt as we were meeting that "J" just belongs here, and I had the same impression. I imagined him in 5 years being our ward mission leader (which he very well could be and what we desperately need) and doing a killer job. This guy is going somewhere. I am so so excited for the next transfer and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds.

If any of you have advice on how to serve a killer last transfer, I would totally appreciate it!

Until then, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God loves me. This was proven to me again in a very clear way this past week. He loves me, and I humbly try to do my best to love Him.

6 weeks.

Sister Seamons

In wonderful memory of Elder Josh Nilsson
who returns home from his mission in Japan TOMORROW.
I love him. And can't wait to see him.