Goodbye Yolo-thurn

Well I might as well share the big news right up front, I'm going to Linz in Austria on Wednesday!!

So crazy, I'm so excited. I'm really sad to leave Solothurn, especially for Sister Jones and for Karyna. I mean, I'm just missing Karyna's baptism! But that's ok. I'm just excited to hear all about it. When I heard who the sister was that's replacing me here, I was reassured. Haha I think I just have trust issues sometimes and just was scared that the next missionary won't work hard. But the sister is good and she'll be way better than I was :)

Saturday morning before we got our transfer calls, Sister Jones asked me where I'd want to go if I did get transferred. Hadn't thought too much about that, but then I said that I'd loved to go to a city, a real city, in Austria, and that's exactly what happened! I'm pumped. I will also be training again so that'll be fun!

This week was one of those weeks where everything was crazy and you are running around but feel like you didn't accomplish all that much haha. Like Wednesday for example. We had our studies in the morning then after lunch, went and did a service project, but not anything too fancy. Honestly one where the kids could be doing it and helping their parents out, but whatever :) Then we went to the hospital to visit a less active member who just got super sick, but we ended up being there for SO LONG. First we had to wait while the doctor was finishing up with her. Thought that'd take 5 minutes but it ended up taking 40. We did talk to a guy in the waiting area though who had investigated the church a good 40 years ago! He even remembered his missionaries, "Elder Johnson aus California!" is what he said. Haha but yeah, he wasn't interested to meet again. 

Finally got to go in to see her and just as we try to share a scripture her dad comes in, they talk, then a ward member comes in and they all talk and when they finally leave, another doctor comes in, and then when he leaves she has to give herself some shots. And then someone else comes in. And then we have to step out because the doctor is meeting with one of the patients in the room. And then suddenly it's dinner time and all the nurses come in with dinner. And all the while this old lady next to us is throwing up in a basin. Sister Jones was getting super nauseous. 

Haha so yeah. That was great. And then we step out of the hospital after literally hours and Sister Jones realizes that she left her iPad at a ward member who lives a little ways away. The members not picking up and we really needed this iPad back for the next day so we go there again, pick it up, and miss the bus that would have given us a little half hour to do finding. So we just go home then cause it's already time. Sometimes I like to tell myself that days like this happen for a reason, like maybe we're supposed to meet someone along the way, but the buses were empty haha.

Anyway, that's a lot of details about a not very good day but we did have other great days and moments! As we were walking away from our appointment with Karyna I was just filled with the spirit, so strongly. I just felt so elated and happy, because that's exactly how Karyna is, more and more as we meet. 

Also saying goodbye to all the ward members made me realize how much I love this ward!

Solothurn has been so good to me. It's incredible how much I've changed since I got here half a year ago. And I hope my work has helped or changed Solothurn, even if it's just a tiny bit :) 

Monday we went on this super pretty hike. Schynige Platte it's called. This was super dope, we were in the clouds at one point, with beams of sunlight going through.

Almost out of the clouds

😎

Check out the sea of clouds. We really hiked all the way up to this point! Really sore the next day though haha

Not a bad Halloween, I must say...

And then Sabrina, a ward member had us over for dinner that night! So sweet. She's super cool, just fresh off of her mission in Frankfurt!

The Joders, our beloved ward mission leaders, gonna miss these guys, they took such good care of us.

Sister Smith! (We had a spaghetti ward activity. That's why we're wearing aprons)

If you had a full body shot you'd see how ridiculously frumpy and shapeless we looked haha...oh winter months as a sister missionary....

Sonja Mösner ❤️

Rebecca and Melissa❤️

The young woman. Haha we may have gone to young women's more than relief society :)