Coming to the light

Dear Family and Friends,

 

This week has been a great week. I hope everything is going well for you at home.

 

This week we were able to go and get ícecream with the wonderful sisters who help in our Office; Sister Gibson and Sister Biesly. I don't know how we could do our work without them. They are the ones that take care of the details that us less experienced missionaries would have no idea where to start on. As we were eating ice cream a man came walking up to our table and said in a thick German accent and broken English; 'You Mormons?'' We were then able to talk with him about his prior experiences of meeting the missionaries in Switzerland. We were able to get his contact information. God really is preparing his children to accept the gospel. People are even getting bold enough to come and talk to us. At the end of our time I asked the two sisters if they had any words of wisdom for us, they said, ''If you allow Him, God will change your heart, but you have to give it to Him.'' It have thought about that statement a lot this week. It is so true. We can experience stuff, see stuff, know stuff, but until we are changed because of it we truly did not understand it. It is easy to do what we have been called to do, but to be who we are to be is another story. I think that takes a lot more, prayer, a lot more humility, a lot more trust in God. President Kosak a while ago gave the quote, "Know, that you know, what you know.'' It is not just enough to have a testimony, you must know that you have a testimony as well.

 

I am doing great. I am have a lot of fun teachingSchwester Kremir. This week we were able to go over the commandments, fasting being one of them. As we went over fasting  she got super excited. Apparently she loves to fast. I have never gotten that reaction before while teaching, it was funny. She is so sweet. I just love her. It has been a great opportunity to teach her and watch her faith be strengthened.

 

Anike will be baptised this Sunday. She is doing great. Her father got up yesterday and bore his testimony of family scripture study and prayer. It was been a wonderful experience being able to teach the family and help them get stronger in the gospel in preparation for the baptism of of their daughter. The bast part is that the drive to be better is coming from within. We are just able to watch it.

Recently I found out that Erick, that man that Sister Szvoboda and I were able to teach inEisenhüttenstadt as gone inactive. Mom I am starting to get just a little taste of what it feels like for a mother when her children leave this Gospel. The missionaries and branch members were doing their best to bring him back, but he ended up moving.....LOST.......BUT NOT. He now lives here in the Marzahn ward boundaries....and so do I. After lots of knocking on doors, and talking with a lot of people. We now know where he lives. Thanks mom on teaching me the art of tracking people down. We went to visit him yesterday, but he was not at home. Through out this process I am learning that God does not loss track of his lost sheep. It has been a testimony to me that every baptism is important, and God knows what He is doing with the placement of his missionaries. It is a slim chance I would just happen to be serving in the area that Erick moved into with out God in charge.

 

Also I am going to attach a story sister Kriser is working on right now. The story is about coming to the light. And how sometimes as we come unto Christ, his brightness, goodness, and light will Begin to show our weaknesses and areas that we need to work on. I have told many missionaries this story. I know it is helped me, and I hope it helps you.

Often as we come closer to Christ, we see our weaknesses and sins more clearly.. Sometimes we start to feel like we are doing all we can, but not improving at all. There is a story I once heard that illustrates this point, but that shows the progress that we are making in this process.

Coming closer to Christ is like walking into a completely dark room with a bright light which is Christ over on the other side of the room. We are drawn to this light (Christ), and the warmth and happiness that He sends out, so we start to walk towards Him. As we get a little closer, we look down see that we have stains and dirt all over our clothes. We quickly start to scrub out the stains, and brush off the dirt. Once we are satisfied that we are clean, we again start moving towards Christ, excited to come into His presence. After only a few steps into the light, we look down again, and with the increased light we see more clearly that we still have stains and dirt all over us. We again scrub out the stains and brush off the dirt. When we are satisfied we again move forward, closer to Christ. Again, after only a few steps further into the light, we look down and see that we missed a lot of stains and dirt and are still filthy. At this point it is easy to get discouraged and want to turn back. Back in the darkness, where don't see our weaknesses as clearly, and where it is easy to tell ourselves that we are clean enough.. yet the light and warmth from Christ draws us in, so after cleaning up one more time we move forward again closer to Christ. Finally we reach him, and looking down are again sad and ashamed at how filthy we are.. Yet Christ is smiling, and slowly begins to scrub out the stains and dirt from our clothes until we are perfectly clean. Then in this clean, warm and happy state we remain forever in his presence. Looking back, we shudder to think that we might have missed this perfect happiness, and remained content to wait in the darkness where it was easier.. but where it was dark and cold, and where we deceive ourselves into thinking that was where we belonged.

Often in life when we come closer to Christ, He shows us our weakness so that with his help, we can make changes, and improve. This process is hard, and sometimes it is hard to see the progress because every time we look down, we continue to see stains. Yet keep moving forward.. because we are improving and becoming more clean with every step. We can't do it alone, but he helps us, and gives us more light and help at every step. Then when we reach him, and humbly accept his help, he will make us completely clean. It is easier to stay in the dark and tell ourselves that we are clean and good enough, but we will never be happy in the dark.. we are children of light.

In Ether 12:27 it says "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

 

I love you all so very much and miss you. I am excited to go run out in the rain with you, hike pretty mountains again, and eat Mexican food.

 

love Sister Kimberly Bohne

 

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