Be Unshaken

It was time to go dirndl-shopping. Cause I'm in Austria. :D

Hey, all!

First off, a few of you reading this don't usually get my emails.  I've added you to today's list, because I eel like including you in today's message  Forewarning: If you haven't got time to read, save this for later, because my emails tend to be rather lengthy.

Right.  Well, those of you who have been following my blog, emails, etc, may have picked up on the fact that I haven't been feeling too hot lately.  I got really sick a few days before leaving Singen, and when I got to Linz, I started meeting with doctors to see if we could figure out what's going on.  About two weeks ago, we found a small tumor on one of my parathyroid glands.  It is completely benign, so there is no need for anyone to panic, but it is causing some problems with my health and general ability to function.  In order to fix all these problems, I need to have it removed.  This means that I will be returning home at the end of this transfer this Friday.  This isn't the easiest thing to talk about - I was not expecting this  at all and was fairly resistant to the idea at first - but I also feel that being open and positive about all this is going to be a good way to handle it.

Over the past several years, I've learned several times that just because I am doing something I want, and that something could even be really good, doesn't mean that's what I should be doing.  Just because I'm in a good place doing good things doesn't mean there aren't other things I should be doing in another place.  Basically, the Lord has a much better idea about my potential than I do,k  and when things like this happen - things that would uproot my life a little and suddenly shift me to a completely different lifestyle - I can't stop it, but I can control how I handle it.

When things like this happen - unexpected trials or just hard times in general - we , as human beings, tend to ask the question "Why?"  IO see nothing wrong with asking it.  I ask it all the time. "Why am I here? Whey is this happening? Whey do I need to change my life path (again)?"  It's how we learn.  The trick is making sure your 'why's' are genuine.  DO you really want to know why? Do you really just have no idea what is going on, and you'd like to know so that you can maybe possibly get through it a little aster with a little less pain? That's where I"m at wight now.  I recognize that this is supposed to be a learning opportunity.  But when the 'why's' start turning into 'why me's', that's when it gets bad.  that's when the learning opportunity turns into wasted time.  Harsh, sorry, but true.  I've had a few chapters in my life where I've asked "why?" (haven't we all!) Some of those things were definitely more of a "why me" thing, and dang, those suck.  Those will wreck your faith, fester sore feelings, and will only bring you misery.  When you focus on the the fact that you're not happy, you are essentially letting Satan win a battle.  Don't do that! Your 'why me' questions will quickly turn into "don't you realize' questions aimed at God.  "Don't you realize I have hopes and dreams? Don't you realize how hard I've worked? Don't you realize that this hurts me?"

Now.  Those last few questions are some I've been battling with.  This hurts.  This hurts really bad.   I worked really hard to go on a mission.  I changed my life, and after 8 short months, I'm going home.  Sure, it's just medical release, and I could come back if everything works out and that's the Lord's plan, but I do not know if that's actually going to happen.  This might be it.  I hope its not, but I have to be open to the possibility, because if I deny it, the next few months could potentially be extremely difficult for me.  I have shed tears of pain, sadness, and frustration these past few weeks, and I know more will come.  IT has been very easy for me to get close to the line between "why" and "why me".

So, having been through a few of these chapters, having felt the pain and then seen the outcomes that come when we let God do His work, my response to 'don't you realize' questions would probably be something like this: "Don't YOU realize?? Don't YOU realize who you're talking to? Don't YOU realize that of course He realizes? Don't YOU realize that he has given you an amazing gift, the gift of the Atonement, which will help you have the strength and endurance to get through this, if you only ask Him for it? Don't you realize that you can be hurtful too?"

Those questions hurt.  Stay away from them.

I realize I sound a little preachy right now, so I'm going to throw in some scriptures to try and pull it back away from my own opinions.

I mentioned a couple of emails ago that I've been reading the Book of Mormon and specifically searching for the principles of the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.  In my reading this morning, I came across a few verses that stuck out to me.  The first of the few are Jacob 7:3-5.  Background: Jacob is an ancient prophet, preaching and prophesying of Christ.  Sherem is essentially an Anti-Christ, teaching against Him.  The verses read:

3: and he [Sherem] labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts; and he knowing that I Jacob, had faith in Christ who should come, he sought much opportunity that he might come unto me.
4. And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.
5. And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things or I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me  And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time, wherefore, I could not be shaken.

Verse 5 - look at that! Just the last sentence.  The Lord spake unto him from "time to time", and so great was his faith that he could not be shaken.

The Lord often guides us from time to time  For me, this is probably one of those times.  The adversary that is against me isn't as obvious as Sherem, but it is there, an it is just as cunning.  Thoughts of doubt, anger, feelings of uselessness and other ridiculous lies are some things I've had to fight against the last couple weeks.  Lucky for me, I'm a fighter.  Always have been, and always will be.

Later on, in the book of Enos (Jacob's son), Enos goes through a process of faith strengthening.  Enos starts out in the the well-known story of spending a whole day in prayer, asking for a remission of his sins.  Upon receiving forgiveness, he asks God how it is done.  God replies, in verse 8 saying : "Because of they faith in Christ, whom thou has never before heard or seen.  And many years shall pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole. " Upon hearing these words, Enos then decides to pray for the welfare of his people, who are suffering from war and other iniquities.  The Lord responds, saying, in verse 10: "I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments.  I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land, and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said  and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads. "

Now, that sounds really rough and harsh at first, but when you reread it and evaluate it, you realize that the Lord is assuring Enos that they, too, will be rightfully and fairly judged, just as he was. What gets me is verse 11:

"and after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken i the Lord."

This phrase "unshaken" - I like it.  I also like how it's a process, and that the process is explained so well.  You don't just become unshaken because that's what you want.  You have to go through the things that build you to become unshaken.  Granted, it is also a choice to be unshaken.  We can choose how we react to life events that are scary and hard and whatever, but having a strong, faith-based testimony is going to make that a whole lot easier.  I've been blessed with life events (chapters, as I've called them) that have helped me be unshaken.  This whole "I'm going home because I have a tumor and I need it surgically removed" thing could have really shaken me up if I let it.  Instead, I'm choosing to be unshaken.

So that's my challenge to all of you.  When difficult times arise, make the decision to be unshaken.  And to help you in that, be active now.  Build up your defenses, keep your faith strong, so that when times like this come (because they will and they're unavoidable), you won't be knocked off your feet.  Unshakable is a good thing to be.

I love you all.  Thanks
for putting up with my crazy long emails or 8 months.  I'll keep updating the blog as things happen, and I'll keep in touch with all you missionaries :)

Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Sally Priest

September 7

Hey you guys!

I'm letting you know now, this week' 's letter will be fairly short, because 1) Not much really happened this week and 2) I've been super bad about sending you pictures, so I will probably just do that and tell the stories that go with the photos.  That works, right?

You all know me and my love of dutch framing with the sun.  Pair that with the Alps and you get this!
This is from our trip to Salzburg two weeks ago.  You can't see any of the Alps from Linz, because we're too far north, but we are able to travel to Salzburg enough that I can regularly enjoy the mountains.  :)

So, uh, yeah.  Apparently, one of the towers in this castle was set aside specifically for torture,.  Inside were some weapons and descriptions of examples of torture, but I don't have that info for you, because photos were not allowed inside.  Also, we didn't spend too much time there anyway.  It was weird.

After the castle, we went to the large cathedral in Salzburg.  I'm not sure if it was irreverent or not, but these candles were so pretty and I couldn't resist seeing what kinds of shots I could get out of it.  I have others as well,k but chances are, they won't fit in the email and I don't want to send multiples, because that's annoying. :P

I think that's it for today.  I promise I'll have one of my long, thought-provoking emails next week, K?  I know you all just love those. ;)

Until next week,

Sister Sally Priest

August 31 - Tender Mercies

Well, this week has been one of those weeks that seem to have somehow gone by incredibly slow, yet incredibly fast all at the same time.

As weeks go, this one's been fairly normal and uneventful.  We've been doing a lot of street contacting, with not too much success.  On Thursday, however, something pretty cool happened.

We (Sister Baker and I) went to the church to help the Grahams (the married missionary couple here) with Institute.  When we got there, it was a little past 7:00 and nobody besides the Grahams had come.  We decided that if no one was there by 7:30, we'd call it quits and go home.  At around 7:20,  a man riding his bike passed our church, stopped, backed up, and started reading the bulletin board at the edge of the parking lot. Sister Baker and I approached him,k and he started asking a whole lot of questions about our church, how it started, what it is, what makes it different from other churches, and so forth.  We ended up giving him a Book of Mormon, explaining to him what it's about, where it came from, it's history, etc, and then we gave him a tour of our church building.  The spirit was very present during the tour, and he really enjoyed all that we told him,.  We exchanged information and are hoping to meet up again later this week. :D

So, this ties in to what I would like to talk about today (that's a thing I tend to do, have you noticed?). I've been thinking a lot this week about the difference between simply being happy and making the conscious decision to be happy, no matter what happens.  After reading a letter from my mission president to the mission, about his son (who has just left to serve a mission in Russia), and how, when the family accepted the call to uproot themselves and move to Germany, he had made a conscious decision to be happy, even though he was leaving his home and friends for a foreign place whose language he did not speak.  President Kohler went on to explain that Tanner had always been a happy child, but this conscious decision truly amplified that aspect of him.  Whenever the family or mission office was stressed, everyone knew that when Tanner walked in the room, he would be accompanied by a smile and warm greetings.

After reading this heartfelt and personal letter from the President, I challenged myself to choose to be happy this whole week, no matter what.  There were times when I shed some tears.  It's been a little stressful lately, and I became overwhelmed once or twice in the past 7 days.  That being said, as soon as I realized that I was choosing to be sad, frustrated, or scared, I immediately put the thought "Hey choose to be happy" into my head, took some deep breaths, and did just that.  I chose to be happy.

And you know what? It totally worked.

Growing up, I always kind of hated it when bad things would happen and people would tell me that I just needed to choose to be happy.  It wasn't that easy for me.  It still isn't super easy for me.  When you're stressed out and hungry and tired and need to be somewhere in 10 minutes but you're nowhere near to being ready, plus, it's all happening in German, it can be real stinking hard to be happy about it.  So something that I've done to help me choose happiness is to search for the tender mercies in my daily life.

The phrase "tender mercies" is found several times in the book of Psalms in the Old Testament.  More often than not, it is paired with the phrase "loving kindness".  Zum Beispiel: Psalms 103:4, speaking of Jesus Christ, says "...who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies. " Later on in Psalms 145:9, it reads: "The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. "

We are showered with tender mercies every day.  I love the term "lovingkindness".  I don't have a lot of time right now, but when you think about that word, the fact that it's a word, and that's it's not just kindness, but lovingkindness, and just how pure and amazing that term is, it's pretty great.

When we stop and consciously choose  to be happy, and we search out the tender mercies of the Lord, life becomes so much easier.  There are scientific studies that show the difference in our lives of those who actively choose to be happy and grateful and those who just live in their own world.  Be aware of your surroundings.  Find the joy in the little things, even if you're not religious.  I promise that, as you do that, life will become easier.  Trials won't seem so scary.  You'll become happier.

I'm out of time (that also happens a lot), so I've got to go.

I wish you all a wonderful week!

Liebe Grusse,

Sister Sally Priest

Aug. 24 Science is Cool

Hey all!

So, fun story: I'm actually writing this on a train that has wifi, because I'm currently on my way to go explore Salzburg.  So my internet time today (2 hours) will end up being split into two 1 hour segments, due to train rides and curfews and such. Woooooo!!

So, this week has been pretty good.  We've had some cool meetings with people, traveled a bit, and we had a big ward picnic after church yesterday.  A lot of our time is still being spent talking to people in the street (we don't have a lot of people to teach at the moment), but that's getting to be more and more fun as time goes on and I come up with new ways to start conversations.

I get a lot of different responses from people on the street.  I get a lot of "Ich hab keine Zeit fur deise."  And straight up "nein's" too.  But when someone decides to actually listen to what I'm asking them, instead of seeing the name tag and turning away as if the sight of it will cause their lives to end, we tend to have really interesting conversations.  Once we get into the topic of religion, people tend to open up and it can be a really cool growing experience for both of us.

However, there's another thing I get a lot from people on the street, and I've also gotten it from a few of you reading this as well.  A lot of people claim that they believe in science, and therefore, do not believe in religion or God, because the two concepts can't go together.  They claim that they are too logical to believe in a god, which I o understand.  It's widely known that a lot of religions beliefs can contradict that what it taught in science classes.

But here's the thing: none of these people on the street know that I am a bio-chemical engineering major.  Most you you don't know that either, actually, but now you do.

So how does that work, a science major serving in Austria, talking to people about God and Jesus Christ? It words, because m when you know enough, you realize that science and religion con't actually contradict each other.

For example: I believe in the theory of evolution.  That doesn't mean I believe that humans stem from apes, because that's not what the theory of evolution says.  I can't give you a textbook definition of what exactly that theory says, but when you actually take the time to look at the research and understand it, it really can't be argues with that much.

That being said, I do believe that God and Jesus Christ created the Earth, that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they partook of the forbidden fruit (from the tree of knowledge of good and evil), and they fell away from the presence of God and were able to bring the rest of us here.

Now, I can't explain to you why those two believes don't contradict each other, because the knowledge I have has come from my personal study in the scriptures, paired with prayer and discussion.  Also, college classes and individual study and hobbies play a role in the knowledge and understanding I have.  If you want all that information for yourself, you have to look for it.  But that being said, you should also know that there are dark cloudy areas of both beliefs, where we don't know what happened.  We actually do not know a lot about the physical creation of the earth.  We can estimate, theorize, and accept those theories as facts until proven wrong, but we do not actually have hard evidence that explains in detail how he earth was created.  We also don't know how long each day of creation took.  Surely it wasn't only 24 hours.  That would be rushing a masterpiece  That information doesn't exist in biology or religion.

Now I want to know just as much (probably more than) the rest of you the chemical and biological information that would explain things like the creation of the earth of the change that occurred in Adam and Eve when they went from immortal to mortal beings.  Heck, I really really REALLY want to know how on earth dinosaurs fit in God's plan.  But the point is, we simply don't know, and we won't know until new inspired minds create the tools necessary to find this out, or until we die and learn more in our lives after this.  That is why we have FAITH, okay?? We don't know everything, but we do know that our God is a god or order and logic, which I think means everything He's done has a logical and scientific answer behind it, even if that information has not been revealed.

But guys, if we knew everything during this tiny blink of time we spend here on earth, the eternity awaiting you afterwards would be incredibly an horridly boring.  Don't forget that we will spend time learning in the afterlife as well.  Intelligence is godliness, it's something we strive for.  Science and religion --when we compare the facts and beliefs correctly --do not contradict,.  Remember --I'll be a scientist someday, and you can totally ask me in 10 years if all that I've said is still true.  Unless something crazy pops up that disproves the theory of evolution, I bet it will be.

Well, I want to write the rest of my family now.  I hope this wasn't offensive.  I hope if was education/inspiring.  God wants us to learn and he wants us to find things out for ourselves.  Ask Him if you're doubting anything, because He'll give you an answer.

Liebe Grusse,

Sister Sally Priest

Having Faith vs Believing

Well, you guys, I've received a lot of love and support from you this week, and I'd like to thank you all so much for your help.  It's definitely made a difference. :)

This past week, I've been studying a lot about the Book of Mormon. I've been reviewing Joseph Smith History, reading church articles that dig into and explain more about the Book of Mormon, and I've also restarted reading it.  Except this time, I've taken a brand new, unmarked copy, and, as I read, I have been searching for and highlighting the 5 principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End, all with their own color (Because there's something really cool about opening to a page and seeing all sorts of different colors with corresponding notes and meanings).  I've also added a 6th color, which covers promised blessings/consequences, and results. I plan on going through the bible in it's entirety as well, doing the same highlighting technique.  I highly recommend coming up with different study techniques like this.  Maybe think of a question you have or that you know is common and read the scriptures specifically searching for an answer.  You'll be surprised how much the scriptures apply to different things.

Something I've been pondering a lot this week is the phrase "Seeing is Believing. "  I've come to the conclusion that that statement is a paradox. If Seeing is Believing, then Believing must be Seeing, but that is not a correct definition.  A "Belief" can also be referred to as having Faith in something, but that also, is not fully correct definition.

Now, I have all these analogies and examples in my head, but I actually don't have the time to write them all out this week.

Basically, if we look at the phrase, "Believing in Seeing" (or "Seeing is Believing") in a non-literal way, it makes sense.  When we believe (or have faith, as I prefer to say) than we are seeing something that isn't actually seen.  This could be anything.  Most of us, as kids, believed in the existence of Santa Claus.  Some of us even demonstrated faith in Santa Claus by leaving out cookies and milk for him on Christmas Eve.  But there is a definite difference between having a belief and having faith. 

The here's my question for you: Do you have a belief, or do you have  faith?

Think about that.

Do you merely believe in a God? Do you believe that Christ was a prophet, that He was the Son of God, and that he suffered and died for us? Do you believe that there is a life after this one?

Or do you have faith in God? Do you rely on his guidance through prayer, scripture study (and I mean  STUDY, not just reading)? Do you have faith in Christ, that he was a prophet, the Son of God, and that he suffered and died for us? Do you actively pursue the repentance process, having faith that Christ will cleanse you, so that you will have a change of heart, so that you will grow into the glorious being that our Heavenly Father has destined for you, so that you can live forever in the world after this one?

Do you see the difference?

Now, for those of you reading this who might be having mini panic attacks, asking yourself "do I actually have faith?" Fear not.  Having a belief is the first step of having faith.  Apostle Elder Holland shared this story regarding the dilemma of believing, but now knowing: "A 14 year old boy recently said to me a little hesitantly, 'Brother Holland, I can't say yet that I know the Church is true, but I believe it is. ' I hugged that boy until his eyes bulged out.  I told him ....that belief is a precious word, an even more precious act, and he need never apologize for 'only believing.'  I told him that Christ Himself said, "Be not afraid, only believe'....I told this boy that belief was always the first step toward conviction.....And I told him how very proud I was of him for the honesty of his quest."

I only want to express my belief, that having faith in something is much deeper than having a belief in something.  For the longest time, I believed the Book of Mormon was true.  I believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that we have modern prophets and apostles today, and that, if I followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, I could live eternally in His presence after this life.

It wasn't until I started acting and digging for information to support my belief that I discovered my faith.  At the age of 18, I had never really read the Book of Mormon the whole way through.  I had never actually read the history of Joseph Smith, I had never prayerfully pondered it's truthfulness, and it wasn't until I finally did those things that I gained faith, a knowledge in things which are not seen, but which are true.  And that's actually what I teach people here.  I don't just sit there and spew off gospel topics and expect them to take my word for it.  I invite (and expect them) to exercise their faith by actively reading the scriptures, praying and attending church, so that they may transform their believe into knowledge that they may stand strong against the adversary which rages so strongly on this earth today, so that one day, they may stand where they belong, in the presence of God, the Eternal Father.

I know sometimes I go way off the deep end and throw a whole bunch of stuff at you in one email.  But I do it because I want you to know that my faith isn't just a belief.  I act on it.  It's a part of my life, and I'm striving to keep it that way, regardless of what others may say, think, or do.  And since I know of the joy and peace that comes from having and exercising faith, I encourage all who I can to develop faith for themselves, so that they may reap of the blessing that the Lord our God has in store for them.

I love you all so much.  Thanks again for all your love and support.  It is deeply valuable, and highly appreciated.

Until next week,

Sister Sally Priest

August 10 - Finding Comfort in Times of Trial

Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling like somebody must have beaten you in your sleep because you don't feel rested at all and your body just hurts and getting out of bed is the hardest thing you've ever done? Yeah, that's been me like, every morning this week.

This week has not been the easiest of weeks, but those happen sometimes.  Missions are hard, and I'm just feeling that a little more than usual this week.  But, everything that I've been dealing with this week ties back into what I'd like to discuss today.  So here we go:

Something that keeps popping up in my studies and in my discussions with people on the street is the Godhead.  Something I've realized throughout the year is that each religion tends to have a different idea of what the Godhead actually is.  Some think it's all one person -- that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all one mighty being. Some think God and Jesus are the same, and the Holy Spirit is something completely different.  Some don't even know what they believe.

To quote the first Article of Faith, "we [as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. " They are three separate beings that share the same purpose of bringing the Children of God (that's us!) back home.  There are instances and evidence of this fact in the Old and New Testaments, along with the Book of Mormon (the most commonly known being the baptism of Jesus Christ --Jesus is Baptized, God speaks from the heavens, and the Holy Spirit descends in a physical form to Christ).  They each have their own role.  They each have their own importance.  They each have their own necessity.  Now, I won't go too deep into all three, because that would take forever and I think some of you would just roll your eyes and go "Great, she's going on a rant again!" so I'm only going to stick with one today: The Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost has a few roles: He testifies of the Father and Son, He testifies of all truth, He sanctifies (Baptism by fire, anyone?) He teaches, and He comforts.  Today, I'm focusing on "He Comforts".

Throughout the scriptures, the Holy Ghost is often referred to as "the Comforter".  Throughout my life, I have felt the comforting influences in times of trial, fear, opposition, etc.  Right now, I would like to share with you the instances of comfort I have found, especially in this past week.

For those of you who do not know, I have an ill family member at home.  I'm very close to this family member, and I love and miss them very much.  Being away from them during their time of trial and fear is not easy for me.  I also still have Shelley, Trevor, and their girls at home.  Leaving them at the end of last summer was not an easy thing, and leaving them for a whole 18 months isn't any easier.  It's especially painful, because I know that if I were there, I'd be of help, and everyone would have a little less to worry about.  That knowledge, however, directly contradicts with the knowledge that I need to be out here in the mission field, and that my family will be blessed because of the work I am doing.

Now add in the stress and anxiety of moving to a different area in a different country with a different companion.  Add in the trip to the ER this week (I'm fine!) and think about the feelings of stress, fear, and doubt that come with that.  When you're a missionary and all these things keep happening that make it seem like you would be better off at home, it can be really hard to hold oon to the knowledge that you're actually doing the right thing.

I know I'm in the right place at the right time. I know I know that, and I know you know that, because I say it in just about every email.  But what you might not know, is how I know that.  So let me explain:

I have had moments during my mission, and particularly this week, where I have prayed on my knees, bent over so far that my head was on the ground, crying to my Heavenly Father for comfort and direction, begging to know if I really am on the right track or not, pleading for the knowledge that everything is going to be okay.  I have felt sadness, despair and frustration.  But the thing that has never failed to come to me when I ask and search for it is the comfort that comes with the presence of the Holy Ghost.  Every time I fell to my knees in a moment of weakness, the Holy Ghost was right there with me, bringing hope to my heart and peace to my soul.  I treasure those feelings of peace.  They are the same feelings I had when I came home to my family after being away.  They're the same feelings I had when I made the decision to serve.  They are the same feelings that come when I read in the scriptures.  They are the same feelings that will come to me throughout the rest of my life when I ask and search for them in times of trial, fear, or oppression.

They are the feelings that come when I speak, read, or learn of the truth.

I know that every individual is a divine child of God.  He is our Heavenly Father. Jesus the Christ came to earth, He lived, He suffered, and He died so that we may all return to our Father and live once more, free from our burdens.  The Holy Ghost bears witness to all of that.  If you've been paying attention, He may be speaking words, feelings, or thoughts of comfort and truth to you right now.

To sum up: Life is hard.  Missions are hard.  But Brother Juha Toropainen, one of my teachers in the MTC, once gave our class a piece of advice that I will use for the rest of my life.  I actually don't remember the very beginning of it (Sorry, Bruder T - I know where I wrote it down though!) but it goes similarly to as follows: If you ask the Lord for experience, He will give you a mountain.  If you ask for strength, He'll make you climb it.  But if you ask for love, He will always give love."

When I start teaching new people, one of the first things I explain is that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, and if they only get one thing out of our lessons, it needs to be that.

I am, once again, out of time, so I'll leave it at that.

I love you all, and I appreciate all of your support. <3

Until next week,

Sister Sally Priest

I had a witty title......August 3

Well, friends and family, today will be another short email, because I was bad at organizing my time today and I'm almost out of time.

A quick update: I'm being transferred to Linz, Austria.  I'll go there on Thursday. :) I'm looking forward to it!

This weekend was a Swiss holiday, and we were invited to a party by a member.  It was really fun! I'll try to attach a picture or two.

It's been a really good week.  We're working with some really cool people. :)

Gahhhh, I'm so sorry this is so short.  I'm running out of things to talk about, which is really weird for me.

How about some pictures?

Blurry but kind of cool looking photo of a firework:


This is Tina.  She's the one who threw the party.  She returned from her mission in Frankfurt the same time I started my mission here.  We have a hard time being serious together.

 Alright, well, I'm so sorry, but I'm going to have to end this here.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Keep in touch!

Love, Sister Sally Priest

July 27

Alright, y'all.  IT's been a pretty normal week and I honestly don't have much to say.  Also, I've taken some time to respond to the individuals who email me instead of taking a longer time on the group email.  I do however, have some photos for all of you, along with their corresponding stories.

Sister Fenton's birthday twas this week, and we had some lovely adventures, including finding a big sunflower field, (Her favorite flower) and taking loads of pictures.  She was pretty excited.

Today, we went on a bike ride with a member.  We stopped in some really pretty places and I (of course) took some photos, including my typical shoe picture.  I think that since I'm not a huge fan of taking photos of myself in places.  I'll just keep on with my shoe pictures.  Maybe I'll piece them all together at the end of my mission and it'll look cool or something.

And swans. :) they're all over the place here!

Well, other than that, this week has been pretty fine! We've got two new investigators, both of whom seem pretty promising.  It should be a fun week this week.

I wish you all a wonderful day!

With love,

Sister Sally Priest

Pressure - July 20

Companions are a pretty amazing concept, did you know that? I mean, there's the scriptural points of preaching the gospel 2 by 2, the safety reasons of never being alone, and the lessons learned in knowing how to deal with other peole that you may or may not completely get along with.

I've been blessed with some pretty great companions.  My first transfer in the field was a little rough, but I definitely learned some important life lessons with those two comanions. My 2nd and 3rd transfer were comletley different from my first.  I only had one companion ( with the exception of the emergency transfer, when we were  a drit for the last 10 days of my 2nd transfer), and things in the area were much more relaxed.  I clicked immediately with my companion and struggled a little bit when she was transferred out of the area.  I entered my 4th transfer with 4 companions under my belt, and ready to receive my 5th.  Sister Fenton i sgreat.  I won't lie in saying that I was a little intimidated by her at first.  She's a lot girlier than I am, and I had a little hit in my self-esteem for the first week or so.  Thankfully, we've managed to grow pretty close to each other (I hear that happens when you live with someone 24/7 for several weeks on end.  Either that or you get at each others throats...but that's not he case!) and we had a bit of a realization last night.  Our companionship works very similarly to the partnership between Chris and Ben on Parks and Recreation.

Let me explain: Sister Fenton is the most bubbly, upbeat, smiley person I've ever met.  She always finds the best in people and builds them up.  I'm the bluntly honest, to-the-point - bringer-of-the-honest-news. It's pretty hilarious.

But anyway, that's not actuallywhat I wanted to talk about today.  Today I want to talk about pressure.

This week, we had an exchange with the sisters in Freiburg. Sister Fenton went to Freiburg swith Sister Mehr, and I got to work with Sister Fast for a day.  Sister Fast is brand new to the mission.  She's only been out of the MTC for a few weeks.  She's a fabulous missionary already, and she has so much potnential.  I can't wait to swee where she goes.  During our time together, I took her to the main area of the town to do some street contacting.  She explained that she hadn't really had any experience talking to people on the street, so I figured that'd be something I could work with her on.  For that one hour, I dealt with some of the meanest people I have ever dealt with on my mission! Since I was working with a brand new missionary, I was the one responsible or handling the people who were spurting thoughtless words of hate towards the two of us - and I'm only six months out.  My German is pretty good, good enough to explain that I don't want to argue and that I wish them a good day, but I'm definitely not fluent.  I was most definitely under pressure.

Pressure is not always a bad thing.  There is a level of pressure that we often need to be under in order to improve.  Let me give an example:

I'm a violist.  I've been playing viola since I was 9 or so years old.  I joined a youth symphony when I was 13 and I've been playing in youth or college symphonies ever since.  A viola is slightly bigger than a violin.  It has different strings, and therefore, a lower range than a violin.  The body of a viola is significantly deeper than that of a violin.  This depth allows one to play on the lowest string with clarity and beauty.  However, depth is not the only factor.  In order to play a note on the lowest string with good tone and vibranc, one must put the correct amount of pressure on the bow.  Not enough pressure gives it an airy, gutless souond, while too much pressure causes a horrendous crunching  In both cases, It is difficult to keep the bow in a smooth, consistent stroke across the string.  With the correct amount of pressure, a musician can create a wonderful tone with great vibrance, even on the most difficult string.

Just like needing pressure to produce a good sound, we need a bit of pressur ein our lives in order to perform at our best.

Some of my best moments have happened when I was under just the right amount of pressure.  The best swimming race of my life happened when my coach used a tactic that made me raise my own bar of expectations to the right level.  It was my sophomore year of high school at the city championship meet.  I was swimming one of the first events and I had two main competitors. One had beated me by a frustrating .02 seconds in our last meet.  The other was about 3 seconds faster than me.  My coach pulled me aside before the race and told me he expected me to beat both of them.  In my mind, I knew I could beat the one who had barely out-touched me, but I wasn't so sure about the girl who was 3 seconds faster.  Long story short: I had a moment of pure motivation as I looked at both of my competitiors and stepped up on the block  I dove into the water with the thought "this race is MINE" going through my head.  I gave my all in that race.  WHen I touched the wall at the end of the last lap, I looked up at the board, saw the lit up "1" by my name, put both my hands in the air, gave a shout of victory, and went back under water.  I came up to see my coach screaming his head off and jumping up and down, absolutely ecstatic.  I had dropped FOUR seconds off my time, and I got the ball of motivation rolling for the rest of the team.  My team won the city championship for the first time in a couple decades.

What I didn't know, was that my coach didn't really think I'be be able to win it.  He had expected me to get second place.  He had taken a slight risk in telling me otherwise, and boy, did it work!  He had managed to find just the right amount of pressure I needed to be under in order to succeed.  His coaching towards me for the rest of my time on that team was, from that point on, a mix of tricking me into thinking I needed to prove him wrong during meets in order to drop time, and making me his personal punching bag during practice in order to gain endurance.  I had some of my most frustrating swimming experiences under his coaching, but I also had most of my best races.

Pressure is a necessary part of life.  How else would be motivated to pass tests, progress in our careers, or succeed in our personal goals? Do not be afraid of pressure.  Being afraid of pressure will only cause you to not have enough  pressure, which will slow you down in a race or give you an airy, gutless tone.  Then , when you are under more pressure that is out of your control, you will not have the endurance it takes to survive it.

This has a flip side though.  Do not put yourself under too much pressure  You are hearing this from someone who beats herself up way too much.  It's something I've been hearing ever since the MTC (and probably a bit before that, too), and after 6 months, I'm finally realizing how much stress and anxiety I could have saved myself if I had just given myself credit for the good things I was doing instead of constantly focusing on the areas I need to improve in.

Finding your correct amount of pressure takes some practice.  I've been blessed with experiences and people that have helped me find my correct amount at the young age of 20, but I still have moments on an almost daily basis where I have to stop, evaluate myself, take a breath, and let go of the the things that are pushing me down.  It will probably be a life-long process, but that's part of why I'm talking about it now.  The sooner we can realize what sort of pressure we're under and adjust it to the pressure we need, the more we will see ourselves grow.

As an afterthought, I want you all to know that it is definitely okay to have times when you're not under any pressure at all.  We all have these great moments of success where the pressure falls off our shoulders and we seem to fly for a bit.  It's also okay to give yourself a break. While pressure is necessary, it's also necessary to remember that we are all human, and we all need a break every now and then.

To end on a fun note (not to undermine my pressure lecture), here are some photos from last Monday.  We climbed Hohtentwiel again, but this time, I brought the light sabers I found in my apartments cleaning closet...

My companion and Zone Leaders did some turret climbing and yoga while I stood back and played photographer.
And then I had some fun with macro once more. :)

I hope you all are having a great summer. :) I wish you all a great week.  Feel free to send me your responses! I'm getting better at managing my limited internet time, and will probably be a lost better at responding on individual levels.

Until next week!

SIster Sally Priest