"Are we under attack?"

 Happy New year!! 

New years and Christmas seem like an eternity ago. They both seem like a blur and I can't wrap my head around that it was only last week. Germany definitely celebrates new years better than the US. They have a lot of fun traditions. For dinner They usually have Raclette or Fondue. I've wanted to do Fondue for forever and I finally was able to! The Version I was able to do was a Chinese Fondue. Which meant that you have lots of vegetables in a pot of broth and you still skewered pieces of meat inside as well. Then you put it on rice. It was yummy and really fun! We then played headbands and i realized that i dont know anything about german history.
At this appointment, we were in charge of bringing a dessert with not very much sugar. We tried some concoctions of Muffins, but since we didn't have a recipe the texture didn't come out quite right. We only had 30 minutes before the appointment and couldn't go to the store since it was closed. We decided to do a fruit salad with the frozen and fresh Frust that we had. We whipped up some cream, added Walnuts, and coconut and voi la we had a pretty successful last Minute dessert. So if you ever need a cheaper cater. I'm sure Sister Cooley and I would love to be of service. 
We weren't planning on staying up till midnight, but there was so many fireworks. It sounded like we were in a war zone. There were fireworks going off in every direction. It was absolutely impossible to sleep during them. But it was the best firework show I have seen that was put in by individuals.
The thought of going home in 3 months has been pretty overwhelming. So thank you to everyone who has been giving me advice. I sure need it haha. Sister Cooley has been a great help and has been helping me realize that it doesn't matter. I think the biggest fear I have is not feeling satisfied at the end of the mission. She showed me this devotional given by David A. Bednar and he addresses a group about how they can tell if the promptings come from the spirit or him. His biggest piece of advice was to "stop worrying about it. Just be a good boy or a good girl. Honor your covenants, keep the commandments, press forward with faith in Christ, and the lord will guide you." That can be taken into the same context of satisfaction. I don't need to worry about it, if I'm a good girl and I try my best. Then the lord will guide me and help me become who I'm supposed to be. It can also be used in anything that we worry about. If we just focus on doing our best then we will be blessed. 
Motivation after Christmas time is always hard to find. I feel like everyone has slipped into a rut when it comes towards being excited about the work or wanting to talk to people. One of those people has been me. An elder shared how he made a goal for himself to talk to 2 people a day. Which my not sound like anything, but it's the biggest start you can make. I used his advice and after hours of planning I decided to go out on the street for 10 minutes to talk to 2 people. Not expecting anything to come out of it, I wasn't nervous. The 2 people we talked to gave us their numbers and have interest in meeting again. The 10 minutes turned into 50 minutes and I found that that's when the motivation came. I know the lord blessed us because of our faith and desire to do good. Giving our best is all that the Lord wants from us. He loves us and wants to bless us. 
I love you all and hope that you stop worrying about the fear that you have and just try to be a good boy or a good girl. Do your best to keep the commandments and press forward and the lord will be guide you. 
Love Sister Nielsen 
- last distriktrat and floating adventures 
- new years aftermath
- fireworks 
- traditional German Christmas tree with real candles 
- American, missionary, new years dinner
- Chinese Fondue 






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