May 6th: Happy Spring!

Congratulations to me! It's a girl :)

Yes, I now have a daughter whom I picked up on Thursday at new missionary conference in Berlin.

Sister Miller is AMAZING. I think from the moment we me we were great friends. She is 21, from Portland, Oregon, has the cutest smile, style, and has a super strong testimony. That, and she is SO excited to be here, to talk with everyone and she has TONS of new ideas. This transfer is going to be full of wonders.

We saw SO MANY miracles this week, I don't know if I can write them all.

The other day, we were able to make contact with a young man from India and make a return appointment with him. His name is Nitya and we taught him the Plan of Salvation. He ATE IT UP! I haven't seen anyone that excited about the Plan of Salvation before (except maybe my companion and I as we prepare to teach it) and he was able to point out tons of similarities with the Plan of Salvation and his Hindu beliefs, but he especially loved when we talked about the 3 degrees of glory. He always had a problem with heaven and hell and if God was our Father, why would he send anyone to hell? So that was amazing, he's great, and we have an appointment with him for later this week.

Another miracle has definitely come because we have been asking all the members about investigators, to help us with German, lessons, etc... We have been trying to plan an appointment with a member family and one of our investigators. It keeps falling through because everyone works at different times. We FINALLY made a night with our family work, and they said that if our investigator can't come, they want to invite one of their friends who is not a member. What a HUGE step! They are offering their home as a place for learning the gospel, and I couldn't be more elated.
Sister Miller is also a miracle. Yesterday, as she gave her testimony, the ward was FIXATED on her! Anyone could notice the excitement she has for this work, and how strong her faith is. Obviously, she was immediately welcomed. I am so grateful for the loving ward we have here in Cottbus and the willingness they have to help us with missionary work. I can see that as we become more and more excited, they do too.

We had a lesson with Jurgen, and after many many attempts to explain the Holy Ghost, he finally said that HE FEELS IT EVERY TIME HE MEETS WITH US and mostly when he prays. AH! What a leap! He has been struggling with describing any sort of feeling and he is coming along. Slowly, but surely. I keep thinking about the turtle and the hare. Sometimes it's wonderful to be the hare, and sometimes it's wonderful to be the turtle. Maybe Jurgen is the turtle in this situation, but he is moving towards Christ, and becoming more sure of himself every time he takes a step.

The sunshine is a miracle. We walk around smiling at people, asking questions, and some people definitely think we are crazy, but others have said something like, "I have no idea why I am telling you all of this. You just seem friendly." Yes, yes we are friendly. I am so glad for the people we talk to every day. Sometimes all we can do is plant seeds, but I am glad they can walk away from a conversation knowing that some stranger cared about them.

I found something in my scriptures the other day next to 2 Nephi: 13 "O that ye would awake; awake from a deep asleep, yea, even from the sleep of bhell, and shake off the awful cchains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe."

"Those who are committed to improvement break chains by having the courage to try." - Marvin J. Ashton

I thought about how fitting that was for this time right now. All we need to do to break those chains that bind us, to break that fear that has hold on us, to be obedient when it's SO easy to be disobedient, is to TRY. Try it. Break those chains. As I move out of my comfort zone, I break the chain, link by link, and it becomes easier to be obedient, easier to go up to strangers, easier to be "odd" in this world full of immorality and filth. I am learning every day how to break chains. 

Love you tons!! I pray for you every day!

Sister Babbitt