New photos

I know I'm a slacker so here are some pictures of Maggie from their mission blog. When we talked to her on Christmas, she sounded great, said "I feel so old" (meaning she's been there longer than other missionaries). She loves Dresden, despite the cold.

Here are photos from the Berlin Mission blog:

Dec 28, she wrote:  "I just want to take the time really fast and let you all know how incredibly grateful I am to be here on my mission.  This last week has been a crazy "unnormal" week and we are just so excited to get back to the normal work. Its not always so easy but it is the most rewarding work.  I am so grateful for the way that God guides and directs us and the way He has guided me to serve this mission.  I am so grateful for all of the people that I have met on my mission and for the way that they have changed and blessed my life.  Christ was our perfect example of true love and charity and I am so grateful to be involved in this service and be able to receive a portion of that love.

Dresden

Maggie's been transferred. More to come.

Dehungerize, thanks to Germany

Good thing Maggie's in such an important country - they're helping world hunger?
Watch this

Berlin Wall Celebration!

Check this out to see where Maggie is today:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N-TFsqMui4&feature=player_embedded

We're sinking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSdxqIBfEAw

Berlin before and after

The church on the left is the one bombed out from WWII.

New pictures from Berlin!

"I feel old." "What? You can still feel?

My austausch with Sister Hung. She hadn't had a
Doner yet so we bought some for lunch.

Inside the Jewish Memorial

Last of Jena

Funny story. We went to erfurt to the musical fireside. We had about 15 minutes to get back to the bahnhof before our train left. It was really far and we were going to do it anway. So we were running and running. This is Sis Bangerter, Ian and Alejandro. We finally got there and were pushing the button to let us in the train.. and then it droe off! We had to wait for another hour for the next one.

Last picture with President and Sister Borcherding (Sis Wittmaack and I had been crying. Ha)

Conny was baptized in the river Saturday night. It had been raining during the day and the sun came out and shone through the trees.



Sabrine came to Conny's baptism. She has an online friend from California and enjoyed the same things. So Sabrine planned a trip there. The only time she could go was during General Conference, when her friend's family had a trip planned to see General Conference in Utah. So Sabrine ame along. The family drove through the desert with nine people in the car, and Sabrine loved it! She felt the Spirit and watched all the Conference sessions, walked aroud Temple Square, saw the Joseph Smith movie, etc. She said that vacation was life-changing for her. So she came with Ian to Conny's baptism and loved it. She has an incredible spirit about her but she's scared of what it would do to the relationship with her mother. Keep praying for her!

The Branch! I'm standing next to Sabrine and then Norah is on the far right, wearing gray.


We played Rummikub last pday. I was soo excited. This is Tiffy and me... and don't worry. I won both times! Hah.

Maggie's been transferred to Whoville.

Maggie's New Career

Michelle Glauser is studying in Germany and Maggie somehow was invited to trim her hair. See Michelle's blog.



















Look who was next. Maggie wrote: "For some reason everyone trusts me to cut their hair. I'm becoming a hair stylist! Ha ha."

Jena

Maggie was transferred to Jena. "It is so beautiful here! It is so green and they have these cute little German houses. It's my first real neighborhood since I've been here. And we have bikes! I was not that excited about it but they're growing on me because it is so much faster. The town is a complete college town; the majority of people are young students, mostly German."


"The members are wonderful here; mostly newly baptized people and they are so willing and ready to help whenever they can. Our GML, Ralph, just got back from his mission in England in February. He was baptized and a year later, left on his mission. He's wonderful!"

Her new companion is Sister Bangerter (Sister Julie Beck's neice). Her German is very good and she is a hard worker. They live in an apartment they call Japetto's workshop.


"Thursday was Himmelfahrt or Mannertag. It is the day they celebrate as Christ having gone back to heaven. It also kind of turned into Father's Day. What they holiday really is, is men getting together, wandering around, going fishing, being outdoors and drinking lots and lots of alcohol. The streets were absolutely empty during the day and later older men were stumbling together down the street. So sad but funny."

Last of Leipzig

Before Maggie was transferred to Jena, she sent these photos:

Bruder Heidler, one of her favorite members


Sportnachmittag, roasting marshmallows with Sandra and Maksim


Sandra and Yonni. One experience Maggie and Sr Wiitmaack had with them was when they taught them about eternal families. Maggie has a little puzzle that they put together. Sandra put the little people in the celestial kingdom. "They are the most pure, loving, friendly people."

Michelle Glauser, from Holladay, bumped into Maggie in Leipzig. She has a great blog about the difference between Germans and Americans. My favorite is that the men wear what Grandpa Ryser loves - jumpsuits!

Phone Call

Yes, the annual Mother's Day missionary phone call was THE BEST! (We spoke for 2.5 hours. Sister Wittmaack was still talking on the cell phone to her family when we got off, so we weren't in trouble.) Maggie apologized in her Monday email for talking too long... I'M not sorry.

Highlights: She's so great! We chatted about everything; Nick's mission call, the people she works with, German class, President Borcherding, us. She wrote "It was such a boost to hear your voices and that you are all doing so well. I feel immense gratitude for the support I have from home."

A young man that they've taught recorded If You Could Hie To Kolob.

She gave us an update on Matthias, Percy, Daner, Mercy, and other Tiergarten friends. They are all great too. She told us about seeing some commotion around a stadium one day. Apparently Germany is attempting to bring American football to Europe: The Leipzig Lions. Notice all the fans (ha ha)


This is Mara, a woman from
Wisconsin. She's finding her
way back to the Church.






Katrin was baptized last transfer.

Excerpts

Here are excerpts from several of Maggie's emails:

We had austausch (splits) and I went to Jena with Sister Taylor. She made me eat my first huge bratwurst. I had been avoiding them since Vienna, but it was pretty good.





Last week she made me eat raw meat! Yeah, they eat raw ground beef in between bread with onions... weird.

This last week we taught a stop-smoking workshop. Frau Finkel let us in her apartment and we talked, then told her about the workshop. She started it and I decided to see if I can go seven days without chocolate. I've made it five, which is pretty impressive since we have Easter chocolate everywhere! She called us later that day and said her mother and boyfriend don't want her meeting with us but that she still hadn't smoked! She called again yesterday and said if we happen to be by her apartment, we should stop by. Ha ha.

Easter was fun with the Beyrich family. They had us over for lunch and after we ate, we had to wait inside because the Osterhase was coming! Then we went outside and had a little Easter egg hunt. So cute.

Osterhase Youtube

Conference: I cannot believe the way that I took Conference for granted before. This time it was something completely different. I felt like I was thriving on everything; the words, the music, the spirit. It went by so quickly and Sister Pratt and I were both "What? That's the whole session?" We want more.

Next week Jameia is getting baptized! She's from Mosambique and has an adorable 7-year old daughter. She totally loves Primary and is so smart. They have been in Germany for 7 or 8 years. She is so amazing and strong.




When I was leaving Tiergarten, we had invited Ann Kathrin to come to the Bahnhof and say "bye." She was planning on coming but we decided to leave eariler so she couldn't make it. We texted her and she wrote back that she was sorry she couldn't come and texted: "but guess what? I just prayed for Sister Ryser. I usually don't pray." It was one of the best moments ever. She had said before that she never prays; only with us and and she didn't really think God hears anyways. But she prayed!

Spring in Leipzig

Actually it's not THAT cold in Leipzig all the time.














Pretty scenery

















This sign was on someone's door, saying "press the doorbell with your nose because you shouldn't be coming over empty handed" Ha ha.
Stay tuned later: More to come...

Leaving friends behind and off to Leipzig

Matthias' daughters? (maybe she meant sisters)

Hamed and Ian. Hamed went home to Iran for the holidays and we haven't heard from him since. We were so worried about him.


Matthias and Daner.

Matthias was called as EQ secretary. He takes it very seriously and was even wearing a suit Sunday. He is the best!

Daner is so awesome. He comes to church every Sunday and is always at fhe, institute and sport.


So transfers came on Saturday. I'm going to Leipzig! It was really sad to say goodbye to everyone Sunday. All of our new converts were there. Matthias is so amazing. I really hope to keep in touch with him. I said "when are you going to come to America?" and he said "maybe on my mission."

Sister Pratt was in the mtc with me. Pray for us and our German. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. I know they are being answered because I'm so happy here and feel strength beyond my own.

More Tiergarten photos

Elder Grooms and I at Hauptbahnhof, saying good-bye to Elder Mansfield
Our district

Valentine's cupcakes


After a preparation day in Marzahn