Kate of the Desert

Showing posts with label Sister Harwood. Show all posts

If the world were to all come crashing down, my testimony of Christ would still stand.

This was not something I realized before my mission. Of course I believed-- what I mean is that I didn't realize how crucial that belief for me was!

I thought that coming out to serve as an LDS missionary meant declaring to people that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is a true account of an ancient people, that by adhering to the Word of Wisdom one can acquire both physical and spiritual health. Of course, all of these doctrines and many more are mega-important, and they can and will bless our lives.... but at the end of the day, even they only serve to point towards one great eternal truth:

THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST.

That is what we are REALLY here for.

Never has a greater man walked this earth. I have talked with atheists, Muslims, and Christians of every denomination. Whether one believes He was an influential philosopher, a prophet, or the Son of God, no one can deny that Jesus, Son of Mary, the Carpenter, the Galilean, changed mankind forever. He did not need a sword to conquer the planet, because He created it, and because His message of peace could unite people with faith in His Holy Name.

How incredible to think that the Great and Almighty Being -- by whom the very seas were parted in order to lead the captive Israelites out of Egypt -- was so humble as to then subject himself to the very afflictions of the flesh. He left the mansions of the Father, and unlike Moses He was not raised up in a palace... but laid to sleep in a manger, although Isaiah proclaimed he would be called Prince, yea, Prince of Peace.

Whilst on this earth, suffering all manner of mortal infirmities, the Son of God learned "how to succor His people." Yet from an incredibly young age He taught those around Him by example. His service extended from providing a more pleasurable wedding party for his acquaintances by transforming water into wine... to healing the son of a stranger whose faith was weak but whose desire to believe was strong. He broke through a culture of justice (eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth) by showing the meaning of mercy. Every soul is of worth in His eyes.

I won't pretend to comprehend the magnitude of His magnificent Atonement. Jesus Christ empathizes perfectly with us. That He bled from every pore, taking upon him the heartaches and pains of every person who ever had or would walk this earth -- WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD ACCEPT HIM-- is absolutely mind boggling to me. A perfect Being! Why? Because that is how much He loves us.

This mission is not the end of my spiritual journey. I plan to spend the rest of my life striving to understand Him better, learning more of His life, His teachings, His will, until finally I can say that I really do know my Savior. I hope there are yet many years left ahead of me, but one day when it is all said and done I hope to fall to my knees before our great Judge and Mediator, knowing that I tried my hardest to follow Him.

XOXO,

Katherine (not much longer) of the Alps

See you oh so soon.

Question: If I had known when I received my call that my mission would be one of what many would say is of little "success," would I have had the guts to go?

I remember as I turned the corner of the security line, waving goodbye to my teary family for the last time, it began to hit me how long it would be till I saw them again. I couldn't comprehend what lie ahead. I knew only what I had left behind.

18 months is quite a time, you know. In the space a year and a half, my brother Eric grew taller than me, my sister Rachel completed her freshman year of college, and my other brother Adam competed in national rugby championships (although I never once saw so much as his first rookie game).

I came on a mission expecting something great. I wanted to change lives. How? .... I had no idea. I just knew that the gospel mattered to me and I was going to share it. Leaving behind loved ones was the sacrifice I was willing to make.

Now, at the end of 18 months there is no way to change anything that has happened. The past is the past, the clock cannot be rewound.... and perhaps to some, numbers wise my mission would be considered a failure.

BUT I AM SO HAPPY THAT I SERVED A MISSION.

It is hands down the best thing that has ever happened to me. From hours trying to talk to people who didn't want to hear it, to discovering new cultures, to growing to care so much for those who chose to follow the path of faith, the mission has shaped me in every way. My person has been criticized, my religion attacked, yet through thick and through thin I have developed not only a stronger testimony, but a stronger sense of WHY the gospel matters and with it the person I want to become.

Of course, I still have a long way to go. But I can't IMAGINE everything I would have missed out on had I taken another route and not put on that badge.

So forget what others may think. Life is not about numbers -- my mission was my success. And I will remember it every day for the rest of my life.

I think Heavenly Father is just pouring out blessings and miracles at the end so that I will go out with a bang:

We missed our bus, but it was for a reason-- we ended up meeting these two young guys who wouldn't stop staring at us. I thought they were making fun of us when they asked for a card, but when I actually did they were SO EXCITED. They flooded us with questions such as, "Do you have anything for us to read?" And when we handed them a Book of Mormon they asked if we could meet that very day to discuss it! One of them has actually been SEARCHING for the right church!
We met a family with previous contact to missionaries; we asked the sweet young daughter to explain a scripture to us. She teared up as she bore testimony of Christ. At the end, she practically begged us to return!
We have been able to out dooring for hours without feeling tired
We have so many appointments every day with lovely people
We had a good number of friends with us at church
People have been calling US to meet
There are other miracles, too beautiful and private to share! BLESSINGS

2 Nephi 2:28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Lundgreen

One evening in prayer, I asked my Father in Heaven: "Is it too late to ask for another miracle?"

The next day, it came.

The day before, we had gone dooring for a couple hours, trying to follow the spirit, coming up with a new approach at every door till we were completely sunburnt. It felt so satisfying to work hard-- even if 50% of the people wouldn't even let us finish the first sentence, and the other half still said no. But we had definitely hit a point of utter exhaustion in our daily lives. It's kind of just 18 months of going-going-going. The pace accelerates as you learn to love the work, but it takes its toll nonetheless.

We had received a notification that someone had ordered a Book of Mormon through mormon.org, so we set up an appointment. We travelled out to the very last town in our area, crossing our fingers it was legit... and boy were we in for a surprise.

This was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL family who just glows. LONG AMAZING STORY SHORT: The father works for an American company with LDS employees and has basically had tons of contact with the church for the past many years. We were shocked as they asked us question after wonderful question, and we taught about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. Even the nine-year-old took part as we discussed the gospel. For them, an everlasting family is the most essential thing.

After they drove us to see a famous basilica (just for fun!) and then to the train station, Sister Harwood and I could hardly contain our happy dance/gratitude prayer. We couldn't believe it. THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE. This is why we come out to a foreign country and go finding and get sunburnt. Because wherever they are, whether we find them or they find us, there are people out there open to the gospel..... a gospel which can and will change their lives for the rest of eternity, if they will let it.

Today for Sister Harwood's birthday, some members got permission to switch our Pday. All aboard! We traveled like good-ole-fashion Damen und Herren, touring the rain-glistened countrysides of Germany on an antique locomotive.

AWESOME. HILARIOUS. You name it:

- On exchange with Sister Cain, we said hello to a guy in a random Swiss neighborhood. Then he practically shoved into our arms 2 of the most ginormous zucchinis I have ever seen on any continent. "I GAVE AWAY TWO OF THEM!" he exclaimed triumphantly to his wife. They were so huge that I thought my backpack would rip holding just one. We actually had to turn around back to Germany to drop them off cause there was no way we could go finding with these massive beasts-- as we walked back, EVERYONE stared at us and laughed in utter bewilderment.

- I tried to ride the sisters' bike. This was adult sized. The last bike I got was in middle school, and though I was petite already for a middle schooler, I have hardly grown since then! So now I tried to ride this bike and LITERALLY COULD NOT GET UP ON THE SEAT. IT did not help that I was in a skirt. Here I was in the city, making a fool of myself as I tried time and time again to jump onto it, climb onto it, step over it, etc. FINALLY I got on and then nearly crashed as I had to use my tiptoes to pedal. Ughhhhhhhh
- The border between Switzerland and Germany is a little white line painted on the bridge halfway across the river
- About an hour away from home something went wrong and all the trains stopped running so we were stranded in Überlingen until the senior missionaries could pick us up. Who do we run into? Our good friend we've been meeting with!
- The Ice cream servers asked us what our badge meant and then tried to seem cool by telling us in flawless German they are Californian
- A Nigerian guy asked us for our # cause a friend took him to church in Heidelberg
- Sneaky lil Russian Schwester Schäffer. I adore her. She can't get her friend to come to church, so she schemed to invite this friend to lunch at the same time as us!
- There is a family we have been trying to contact for MONTHS and they called saying they all want to come to church
- Ultimate gerlishing: "Other Mitgliers we'll be besuching this week" (my failed attempt to either ask my companion about "other members we'll be visiting this week" or "andere Mitgliedern die wir diese Woche besuchen werden")

Moses 1:

37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.

38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

My heart is so full. Lately I have just felt so much love... for the goodness of the gospel, the people, the work.

It's interesting to think back to the hardest week of my mission, in the dead of winter when my spirit weighed heavily with sorrow and due to illness, my physical body weighed less than at age 15. I opened my heart to everyone, sewing till the point of exhaustion and yet, there were no fruits to reap.

My life had been going something like this:

I felt like a failure of a trainer
I received a heart wrenching email about the trials one of my siblings was experiencing
My body felt still so weak whilst recovering from bronchitis and the antibiotics
I still felt lingering guilt for not being able to talk to people about Christ during previous CHRISTMASTIME at which point I had been too ill to safely work.
My landlady stayed in the apartment till 2:45 AM to patch the wall; the man who was supposed to show up at 8 to do subsequent repairs showed up 12 hours late.
The next day in my delirious state of exhaustion I felt terrified to go finding, and then when I finally worked up the courage to stop a guy on the street, I thought he would rip my head off (probably deserved it... it was sideways sleeting)
We got off the bus two villages too early and the lack of road names rendered our map useless as we wandered practically through the wilderness for 1.5 hours
A woman we tried to compliment just turned around and gossiped about us to her friend as if we couldn't hear her.... right in front of us. Girls were always viciously judgmental on trams when they eyed us up and down.
We had some really sketchy middle-of-the night experience that to this day I cannot explain
If we were lucky enough to schedule an appointment with anyone, they bailed
And since we didn't have hardly any appointments ever, we got to have a lot of 6 hour dooring days in the bitter-cold snow instead. It was like walking on needles.
Out of all those people we doored for all those weeks and weeks and weeks we didn't find a single one interested in the gospel

At the time, life seemed like a dark tunnel that stretched on forever. I remember tears rolling down my cheeks as I wondered if I could possibly go on when it seemed like everything was only getting worse.

Now, I wish I could go back and talk to myself in this time when I had no hope at all:

Dear Kate.....Everything will be OK.....It will be SO good!
Chin up, hun!

Now, over 1/2 a year later, it has been incredible push forward in the work of the Lord. Lately I have had the most wonderful conversations with people on trains, spiritual teaching opportunities, and heart touching moments with those people who, through service, we come to absolutely love. Yesterday the chapel was filled with welcome strangers. We get to watch every day as people discover new paths and learn to find God! I feel so utterly happy.

In those difficult times I could never have imagined that I would come to love the mission. In those times of excruciating homesickness and self-worthlessness it was so hard to think that all this would be for my good. But I know that now. It's incredible to look back and be able to recognize from a different viewpoint the tender mercies and miracles which the Lord was providing His weary daughter-- the entire time. He never left me. I know that now.

Of course, there are always gonna be the notable notes:

a drunk man wandered into Sunday school. He was angry at us for not knowing Portuguese and snapped at Elder Andreason for "speaking English" when he was actually trying to speak to him in German. At one point during our lesson he came up to the board where Sister Harwood was drawing a diagram about the Nephites and the Lamanites, told her all up in her face that it was *explicit word* and then proceeded to take her marker and draw a new diagram with a bunch of wobbly circles before storming out of the church in tears. Huh?
There is some psycho with a chainsaw in the area bordering mine
We showed a film about the life of Christ to a young man from India (not Christian) and he told us afterwards "I AM SO EXCITED!"
Mission Leadership Council in Munich was FANTASTIC. We sat in a circle like the Knights of the Round Table and helped EACH OTHER in trying to help improve our dear mission.

Since the office forgot we live on the German side of the border, they ordered tickets for us to travel through Zürich. Also, we 12 missionaries missed our bus because we were at the platform of Bus 006 instead of X06 (same destination) so it was a mad scramble to make all new arrangements so we wouldn't have to spend a second night in Munich....the bus traveled through Austria, around Lichtenstein and into Switzerland, where we finally arrived in Zürich at about 10pm. With two more trains to catch, we didn't get into Singen till about midnight. ADVENTURE TIME
A member taught us to make Marillenknödel and Käsespätzle

"Belief and testimony and faith are not passive principles. They do not just happen to us. Belief is something we choose--we hope for it, we work for it, and we sacrifice for it. We will not accidentally come to believe in the Savior and His gospel any more than we will accidentally pray or pay tithing. We actively choose to believe, just like we choose to keep other commandments” (“Choose to Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 38).

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Lundgreen

Happy almost Pioneer Day!

We just returned from Stein am Rhein (which we had no idea was in Switzerland until the bus crossed the border) where we enjoyed a beautiful riverside daytrip with some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted.

We are booked-- this week will include 2 days in Munich for MLC and then every week after that will include exchanges. We're pumped!

It's been interesting to notice how we went from a super frustrating week where we got stood up by 4 separate people and literally everyone was mean to us (not even in the rejection sense, they were just flat out rude to us as people)... to then, in contrast, an absolutely FANTASTIC week. It makes you appreciate the good things.

Some things that went down lately:

- we rode a ship
- we had the most lit ward party I have ever attended. From an astounding view to grilling to a bounce house to Benji's band, everyone had a blast. Several people came (including many old faces not seen for a while) and the next day the chapel was filled with more people than ever before!
- Played soccer with a bunch of competitive Germans #stillsore
- Played barbies with the kiddos. They love us and we love them-- every time we see them we get tackle-hugged. Probably cause we give them cookies
- There was a new lady working the cash register and she was so excited to see us! Turns out she met the sisters a few years back and really liked them.
- We celebrated our bestie's birthday-- oh man she always makes us feel so loved
- We had a lesson about learning to find God's influence in our lives... the Spirit was so so strong! It is truly a humbling to be able to teach.

Quotes of the week:

- Me: "What an incredible scripture story that is! The Brother of Jared had such faith that, upon asking Him to light up the stones, he saw the finger of the Lord." Schwester K: "I have faith that one day you will speak perfect Spanish."
- "Is there anything we can do for you?" "Yes sisters, we would love it if you took our dogs on a walk through the woods."
- *in Sunday School* "We are living in the last days. There is not a single country that isn't plagued with conflict" "Except Switzerland."

I am so grateful for the time and the place in which we live. In a world where so many are persecuted for their beliefs, it is such a blessing to be able to practice freely. It was only within the last 2 centuries that my ancestors faced the treacherous journey across the sea from Europe and across the wild terrain of the American continent... and yet to this day others still risk their lives to worship their God.

We have so much to live for, and we cannot take these sacrifices made by others for granted. Instead, we have so many opportunities to strengthen ourselves (and others) by expounding upon our faith. We cannot afford to be wishy-washy, choosing to follow our religion based on, say, tradition. Rather, we must build for ourselves a firm foundation! Let us decide for ourselves what we believe and then act on it. We need not be "pioneers," although many will be even in this day and age. But we can always follow the pioneers' excellent examples of faith and dedication to their God.

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Lundgreen

I love Germany.

As we drove into Triberg I could only gasp at the beauty of "traditional" Deutschland; yes it was rather touristy... but from chirping cuckoo clocks and lederhosen to Black Forest cake and Weißwurst, it flaunted all the stereotypes that make this country UNIQUE.

We hiked through the lush Schwarzwald to a gushing waterfall, picking fresh strawberries along the way as we but imagined the Grimm Brothers' stories coming to life-- for you see, Schneewittchen (Snow White), Rapunzel, Rumpelstilzchens and Rotkäppchen (Little Red Riding Hood) were all born here in Schwabenland!

Transfer calls: I shall end my mission with a bang, remaining here in my third area to be a Sister Training Leader for the Zürich zone with Sister Harwood! So pumped!

To be honest, after the call I was filling in the dates of my last planner and started to cry when I wrote in the day on which I will fly home.

But it's more than just missing the country (and oh how I will miss it). I will miss the spirituality. The hour every day to study the scriptures. The way people-- strangers-- open up to us. The diligence in trying to dedicate every hour towards the Lord. The chance given every day to testify that Jesus is the Christ and that God loves all of us!

Quotes of the week

"The shine of my forehead is brighter than my future." -Elder Raemon
"Wow Sisters, you are really good at walking!" #alldaye'ryday
"How old are you two sweet girls? 12?"

German Fun

the only difference between the words humid and gay is schwül and schwul don't ask me which is which
Gift in German = poison
die See = the sea ...however... der See = the lake
Hell = bright
Donner & Blitzen = Thunder and lightning

What I Have Learned

You know, I think one of the biggest things I have learned on my mission is that God works through us as INDIVIDUALS.

Things were mildly hectic as I prepared to serve my mission-- when my call date actually WAS as early as I put my "availability," it became a mad scramble trying to squeeze in all the doctors appointments and police checks over Christmas break; my little sister had to try on half my clothes for me since I couldn't buy them from the island. In February I had to ask permission from all my professors to finish my final projects and exams early so that I could actually return home to Arizona for the meager 10 days before flying to Preston.

On one of the last mornings on Oahu, my friends and I headed to Electric Beach to snorkel. As most of them pushed past the waves and swam out, I was tossed to and fro and kept losing my gear whilst trying to recover for breath. After about ten exhausting attempts, I swam back to shore sandy-haired and frustrated.

"I was worried I was gonna have to come rescue you," a guy friend said from the beach. "You ok?"

"You know, I'm worried about this whole mission thing," I replied, ignoring the fact that he was referring to my physical wellbeing. "What if I'm not really cut out for this?"

At the time I was hanging out with a number of newly returned missionaries. As we sat on the beach he reminded me of their biggest advice for me, "While you're out there serving as Sister Lundgreen, don't forget to still be KATIE."

Those words of wisdom have gotten me through the past almost-year-and-a-half.

I thought a good missionary had to be someone who was super skilled at learning a language, an extrovert talented at picking up conversations with strangers, a brainiac scripture master and a spiritual giant. But there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter missionary.

The moments on my mission where I have really connected with people are when I am myself. I have had fun and bonded with teenagers by throwing back handsprings in a park. I have developed closeness with elderly women by asking them for advice on acrylic painting. I love history and culture, so I ask people about that and they love to answer. I have sung. I have been blogging since age 11 and of course, here I am, sharing my mission via blog. These are just silly examples. But they mean something!

So if you are considering serving a mission but you don't know if you are up for the challenge... I PROMISE YOU IT IS WORTH IT. God has blessed you with an individual personality and only you have the unique characteristics to influence certain people in your unique way.

The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. Your soul is great. And so are those of the people you have every potential to influence for the better.

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Lundgreen

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