Date
October 3, 2018
Area
Frankfurt,,Germany
Companion
Los Gehts!
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
*From:* Olivia Lyda
*To:* jahatch@myldsmail.net, lynzie.weakley@myldsmail.net,
hannah.bills@myldsmail.net, keegan.bentz@myldsmail.net,
bryson.hawkins@myldsmail.net, savannah.van.orden@myldsmail.net,
gage.palmer@myldsmail.net, morgan.wakeham@myldsmail.net, lking@myldsmail.net
*Subject:* *Los Gehts!*
5 more days in the USA! I’ll miss this sweet smell of freedom, but am so
excited to finally be in Deutschland!
*Thurs *tonight we had to have a little sit down with the sisters in our
zone. Have you heard the talk about Locking your Hearts? Yeah well idk if
they have. They’re hilarious but a little too distracted sometimes lol. The
Holy Spirit is a great unifier, and has drawn us all together so closely, I
don’t want to say goodbye :’) tonight Sister Weakley and I were both
laughing in class, then simultaneously started crying. Could someone give
me a diagnosis? The MTC is a wild place.
*Fri *highlights from today
-we got our flight plans!
-Elder Hawkins saying “my B” and shaping his entire body like a B
-a girl in our zone jumped on a piece of sidewalk and it broke in HALF.
-we had an English fast today!
*Sat *at-one-ment denotes reconciliation! In German, to repent means to
turn around, how cool! A quote from Gordon B Hinkley that I love is when he
said “I hope I can be worthy of being called the Savior’s friend.” As do I!
He gave up so much for me, His throne, any pride, comfort, HIS LIFE! the
least I could do is share His message! And what a happy message it is! Also
I learned some table manners today, don’t ever cross your fork and knife on
your plate. We had our LAST TRC today! It was with a man named Marc that
lives in Berlin. It was a little tricky to understand, but the spirit was
there so abundantly and supplemented anything I couldn’t understand. It
made me so excited to get out there. Everyone needs to hear this message!
It’s not only information, but direction to better our lives! I love it!
*Sun *this morning we sang a special musical number in Sacrament and I was
so emo. One verse was German, the next ASL, and the last just in English.
I’m going to miss our zone so much. Sister Weakley was translating our
German testimonies to ASL! isn’t she the coolest? Except at the end she
said, “In the name of Jesus Class, Amen.” Lol I’ve definitely made worse
mistakes in German though. I’m getting so excited to hear what the prophet
has to say at conference this weekend!
*Mon *so they switched our flight plans today haha we have a few layovers.
From SLC, Denver, Munich, then BERLIN! I’m getting SO EXCITED! The gift of
tongues is real! I ate something that made me v sick :) either that or God
is really trying to humble me.
Here’s three things I see everyday
-God answers prayers
-Jesus lives and loves me
-the Holy Ghost is the best senior companion and the only way I can have
success on my mission!
*Tues* what a day! First of all, I was walking down the hallway from our
class and lost my companion. Then I turned the corner and another one of
our sisters had passed out. My companion, Sister Weakley, was already there
on the ground with her, elevating her legs, and shouting orders to the
elders. Hahaha she’s the best. One of our Elders gave her a Priesthood
blessing after I called for some medical help. She’s all good now! I now
have flash cards connected to my belt loop. I look like the biggest geek
aber Ich liebe Deutsch!
The MTC has allowed me to feel the spirit so abundantly. I know Jesus
Christ lives! I know he loves me because he atoned for my sins, and has
felt every thing that I have felt. He always knows how I feel, the only
person who can empathize perfectly. If you have even the smallest hope that
this is true, act on it. The spirit will testify to you that it is true. If
you’re thinking about serving a mission, I know you will never regret
making that decision. I’ve only been here a little over a month, but it has
already changed my life.
I love you all so much! Thank you for helping me get here, have a great
week!
Tschüss!
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Retweet
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Would you believe me if I said this is the best one we got??
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Meine lieblings Schwester
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What is up, your two favorite beehives here. Ready for our first girls
camp! I love being a first year! DADDY SHARK DO DO
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BERLIN SISTERS... + sis Weakley. Missing a few.
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The missionaries in our zone that are leaving. Pretty much our entire zone.
I look about as terrified as I feel.
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 26, 2018, at 11:33 AM, Olivia Lyda wrote:
I can hardly believe we fly out in 13 days ,
time has whizzed right past me this past month. We get our flight plans
this week, and I’m getting so excited to be out there! Plz note that I have
heard your requests, and I’ll try to make this week’s email short, BUT ITS
BEEN AN EVENTFUL SEVEN DAYS SO NO PROMISES OKAY LETS GO
*Wed* we expected to get new missionaries in our zone today. As STL’s one
of our few responsibilities is welcoming them in, but they were Polish
speaking and moved to a new zone :( still fun saying WELCOME! to everyone
else on Wednesday’s though!
*Thurs* more service! Some Elders were running around with their spray
bottles like guns, doing cartwheels, and sneaking around corners. It
reminded me of Steve Carrell on Get Smart. THEN one of our Sisters was
hospitalized for stomach problems. But while she was there she also found
out she has scoliosis...
*Fri* Another TRC today! SO much better than last week’s! The spirit was so
strong and the words I needed to say were given to me the minute I needed
it. Also an Elder in our district drank 3 sodas in 45 seconds. He puked,
but not before I could get my hiney out of there.
*Sat* Come Thou Fount is in the German hymn book! This really is the
Celestial language! I really do see miracles every day, and know you can
too if you strive to see God’s hand in your life. Another cute German fact:
instead of saying we’re “crossing our fingers” you say “drücken die
daumen!” Pressing our thumbs!
Also, on our way home I was showing some sisters my sick moves when we hear
this knock on a window behind us. It was a SHIRTLESS ELDER. I understand
some of you might feel as though that’s nothin. But I haven’t seen as much
as a knee since being here, my missionary eyes weren’t ready for something
of that caliber.
*Sun* I know that Gott is trying to push me out of my comfort zone and into
the growth zone. He’s got bigger things in mind for me than I do for myself!
*Mon* we go so hard in volleyball. So hard that Sister Bills thought she
fractured her foot. She went to the BYU clinic and got X-rayed to find out
it was a bruise. Sister Weakley braided my hair this morning. When she was
done she laughed and said “I mean... I think it’s cute, but I don’t know if
you’ll like it.” My head was shaped like an oblong potato. Bless her heart.
*Tues* Three sisters in my district are singing in General conference! I
can’t wait to see my comp on the big screen! I am the worst at reading
music, so during choir practice I always just copy everything she does.
Another great devotional tonight, I’m always reminded that I need the
constant companionship of the Holy Ghost to accomplish what I was sent here
to do.
Highlight from this week: my comp sister Weakley showing up every Elder in
a push-up competition.
Thanks so much for emailing me throughout the week! You have no idea how
much it means to me and encourages me! Ich weiß dass Gott lebt, und dass Er
Sie liebt! Ich habe Sie liebe! Have a great week friends! And Happy
Birthday Mom!
MTC hump day celebration. We opened this cider with tweezers and safety
scissors. Sister missionaries are nothing if not resourceful.
Unser district after our Sunday temple walk.
President Henderson on the left, and our zone. The Germans, Hungarians,
Turkish, Albanians, and ASL missionaries.
Not ready to lose this gal to Frankfurt :’)
Someone was very eager to get into the field.
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 19, 2018, at 10:23 AM, Olivia Lyda wrote:
Guten Morgen friends and family! Another great week preparing for
Deutschland! I love and appreciate you all so much, I can feel your support
and prayers every day!
This is a little lengthy, I understand if you just want to skip to the
pictures :)
*Wed* P Tage! Today has been the best day! We went to the temple a little
earlier so we could get lunch there, and I got to see my friend, lil Red,
Madison and her parents before they dropped her off! The lunch at the
temple was wunderbar! Maybe I just liked the change of scenery, idk, but
nevertheless it was delish! In class we're getting more into Preach My
Gospel and teaching pretty regularly. God's looking out for me!
*Thurs* other service day! We got to sweep and mop the stairwell, fun
stuff! I see Madi everywhere and whenever I do she's literally running like
a freshman on the first day of high school haha I love her. today I ate
yogurt, a doughnut, a muffin, some milk, some rotisserie chicken, some
mashed potatoes, some gnocci pasta, a cookie, a chicken wrap, some more
cookies, and Ill probably have more. The sisters in my district said I can
be convinced to eat anything. They're absolutely right.
*Fri* Today was our first TRC! We got to teach two, twenty minute lessons
auf Deutsch, and it was SO SCARY. I don't think the people we were teaching
understood a lick of what I was saying :) But the spirit was there! What
more could a gal ask for. I woke up a little sick this morning, but a few
prayers, a couple airbornes, and lots of glasses of water later and Im
feelin great! I wish I had some of my mom's chili, or could curl up with
Boone and watch the office, but alles gut! It has been super smoky here
from some fires nearby, so it smells like campfire all the time and makes
for some killer sunsets! I'm trying my best to follow every prompting the
spirit gives me, the first time, so that he gives me more! I know that I'm
my best self when I have His Spirit with me.
*Sat* "Jede Frau Für Sich!" that's "Every woman for herself!" a war cry, as
we sprint up the four flights of stairs to our room to be the first ones to
take a shower. Another looooooong day, we had our classes in the morning
today. On our way home we got asked to teach Relief Society TOMORROW HA.
We're almost halfway done with our time at the MTC! Bittersweet! I cant
wait for the Sabbath! My brain needs a break from German.
*Sun* So today before we could sneak past the Branch Presidency, My
companion and I got assigned to be Sister Training Leaders for our Zone. A
little scared, but I'm excited for another opportunity to serve! AND we get
a sick little flip phone, it has really no functionality besides answering
calls from the President. but still fun to whip open when it starts
ringing. For the movie tonight, we watched Elder Bednar's talk called
Character of Christ, which detailed how Man's natural instinct is to look
inward, while Christ's is to reach outward! I’m trying to become better at
that.
*Mon* Not a lot going on. Actually a TON going on, but its pretty much the
same schedule every day. let me tell you some things that happen pretty
regularly:
-I turn off the alarm clock in our room every morning. I did not choose
this responsibility, but had the mantel placed upon me
-Breakfast is the same every day. Eggs. Sausage links. Hashbrowns. or some
kind of potato. we have a potato with every meal. of course my Idahoan
heart is happy, but my tastebuds have contrasting views.
-We do personal/companion study next to this little music box thing, tucked
in the back corner of our building, since we cannot play music of our own.
Really invites the spirit, but always plays the same like 5 songs :)
-Our classroom has the most beautiful views of the mountains, and whenever
we get a break from class we take a lap around this cute little rooftop
"Garden of Eden" that's right outside our door! I'll include a picture of it
- The MTC is just about at its max capacity right now, so dinner is always
wild. The line is always out the door and down the sidewalk
-There's an mtc cat we call Schwester Mittens that we see everywhere. One
sister in my district (Sister King) has cat treats always stashed in her
bag and taught it to sit!
- On our way to play some ball everyday, we pass the front gates of the
MTC. There's a plant that grows lil peppers! Another sister in my district
( Sis Van Orden) just popped one in her mouth, it was in there for one
second before she spit it out because it was so hot lol. Then got chastised
because there's pesticides on all the plants. she's still kickin though
- My comp is fluent in ASL, so she always has silent convos with the ASL
missionaries in our zone. Convenient for me though because I don't need to
be within sight AND sound of her, just sight! Still have no idea what
they're talking about though. I have learned how to sign Shut Up.
*Tues* What a day! We got to hear from an Apostle tonight! And sing in the
choir to him! As soon as he entered, the Spirit was overwhelming! I know
that what he had to share came straight from Christ, who stands at the head
of this great work, His great work! I loved every thing he said, but I'll
just share one. His message was about temples and what we can learn from
them. He asked how our spirit can become more Holy, and the definition of
something Holy is a place set apart for something sacred. THe opposite is
something common. When he was done I was so sad, I didnt want to lose the
spirit that was there. But I know that as I am on the Lord's errand, I will
have his Spirit guiding me always! How cool is that! Afterwards, he shook
everyone's hand, just as Jesus would. I felt Jesus' love through him, and
was SO EMOTIONAL the whole time. I know when the day comes for us to meet
the Savior we will be overcome with how much love he has for each of us
individually. I loved being in his presence, I wish apostles came every
week. I love my Savior, and have felt his love for me!
(Moroni 7:33 ) And Christ hath said: If ye
will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is
expedient in me.
I know this is Christ’s work. If it were not, I would not be able to leave
my family, forsake the world, and learn German. Everyday I’m surprised how
much I’ve learned and can understand. It’s only been 3 weeks! If this was
not God’s will, I would not be receiving so much divine help. I love him,
and know He goes before my face as I declare His word.
Have a great week! Keep me updated! Ich habe Sie Liebe! 💕
*Sister Lyda*
*Germany Berlin Mission *
District 11-L. The L is for Love these people so heckin much wow
Ancient artifact, we love history 😊
This one’s for Shelby
I thought they were exaggerating when they said you got ten pounds of books
at the MTC, ft Sister Weakley
This was probably after I won another game of Uno (Eins) before bed
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 12, 2018, at 4:34 PM, Olivia Lyda wrote:
Hello again! I’m convinced there’s some weird time warp inside the MTC
because it does not feel like I’ve been here for two weeks.
*Thursday* another busy day! I’ve learned a lot, many promptings from the
spirit on how I need to improve. We got to do some service this morning!
Sister Weakley and I got to change the tp In the bathrooms. Not too
exciting but we love a change of scenery! Something cool our district
leader said is that God doesn’t want to make us happy in our sins. He wants
to make us happy from an elevated state! He wants to take us from the place
we are, and make us better!i love the comparison of God to a silversmith, a
refiner! I know that he casts us into the fire only so that eventually he
can see his reflection in us! I love him and I know he loves me! I finally
saw Gracie today! It’s always nice to see a familiar face around here!
*Friday *Today has been a little different! We spiced things up! Only
because we played 4 square instead of volleyball during our workout time
haha. Other than that our schedule is pretty much the same every day.
Yesterday we had a lil testimony meeting with our district, and the spirit
was so strong, I know it is by the spirit that we are growing so close.
They feel like siblings to me, and I love finally having brothers! I miss
my Lyda fam, but have some pretty great people to stand in place of them
for a while.
*Saturday *today I learned that the German word for fork is die gabel
(like, gobble) how cute is that??
Weve been told that to learn and be fluent in a new language you have to
first make millions of mistakes. So by that standard, I should be about
halfway there! Everyday I’m reminded e give our all to God, He will magnify
your efforts tenfold! I know that his plan is greater than mine and
whatever it is I have to give up will be replaced by God with something
far better!
*Sunday *y’all GOD LOVES ME and GOD LOVES YOU! everything I ask God to help
me with a specific principle, I hear specific counsel THAT DAY! or the next
day, but STILL! HOW COOL IS HE!? I know that when we see the Lord’s hand in
our life, acknowledge it, and show our gratitude, we will receive an
abundance of blessings! Try it out!
Today I learned that the word ‘unfortunately’ translates to leider (which
sounds just like Lyda :) I’m trying my best to be perfectly obedient in
everything even if it’s not sleeping in an extra minute or something like
that. And when I’m being extra good about that I can see a noticeable
increase in the spirit and his hand in my life. I know when I am always
worthy of the spirit, I allow Him to change and mold me into someone I
could have never been without Him. I love him and hope I am communicating
through my actions that I want him to make me better. Because ya girl needs
A LOT of help. Discipleship is costly, but he will repay you with more than
you could imagine.
*Monday *today has been Wunderbar! In class we got a little distracted
talking about the outside world, restaurants we miss, you know. We asked
our teacher if she could sneak us some Taco Bell back into the MTC. She
said no. But tonight for dinner they served
us TACO BELL HA! If you know me, you know how stoked I was. I even mixed
some sprite with some blue Powerade for a makeshift Baja Blast for the full
TB experience. THEN tonight in class my mind was on something I’ve been
praying a lot about, feeling kind of discouraged. BUT, the elders in our
district must be so in tune with the spirit because every bit of insight
they shared seemed like it came straight from God right to me! Like he was
right in front of me talking with me face to face! It was so powerful and I
knew he was watching over me. I’ve said it before and I’ll SAY IT AGAIN,
God is so aware of our needs and is so ready to bless us!
*Tuesday *so... today I learned that Ich Liebe Dich (I love you) does not
entirely mean what I thought it did. So I GUESS it’s only used I a romantic
context, disregard me saying that in this video. Today has been fun fun
fun fun fun fun fun! (Have you seen that kazoo boy video?) oh my word, I
forgot to mention this last week. But the place where we drop off our trays
in the cafeteria smells like part dairy, part sewer, part Satan. So we
always have to throw our stuff in as fast as we can and sprint out of there
in one breath. Plz pray for me as I strive to overcome this evil. I swear
there are no bad days in the MTC, of course some lonely or tiring moments,
but overall each day is better than the one before! He knows how to gather
His people, so I just need to strive to be like him and open my mouth! And
he’ll do the rest! Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I can slack off on my
German. I tried that and it’s not very fruitful.
My good friend Madi comes today and I can’t wait to give that gal a hug!
We’re also heading to the temple later so maybe we’ll run into her family
taking pictures if we time it juuuust right :) Here’s some fun German words
for the week! Really, they’re just the most obscure/funny words that give
me a good laugh lol
Excellent: ausgezeichnet
Sacrament meeting: die Abendmahlsversammlung
Agency: die Entsheidungsfreiheit
My favorite food, Mashed Potatoes: das Kartoffelpüree
I accidentally forgot my name tag during this workshop :) but here’s some
other people going to Germany from our zone!
The cutest sister in the world :)
My teachers, Sister Hayden and Sister Cornelison. They deserve the world
for being patient with me :) both served in Berlin!
Really lucked out with the best comp :)
Unser Purpose!
I love you all! Thank you for your emails throughout the week, I love
hearing from each of you!
*Sister Olivia Lyda*
*Germany Berlin Mission*
Ps. Amelia, I have your letter hanging up on my desk! Good luck with school
little lady💕
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 5, 2018, at 4:57 PM, Olivia Lyda wrote:
Guten Tag family and friends! This week has been the longest of my LIFE but
also one of the best!! I can read emails all week but Wednesday’s are my
only days to reply. I’ve loved reading some of yours throughout the week
:,) it’s been a lovely means of encouragement
*Wed*- FIRST DAY
Today was v emotional. It was a quick goodbye with lots of tears, but after
that I didn’t even have time to be sad! Sooo many things to do today and so
much information thrown at me lol. But my companion is Sister Weakley and
she’s going to the Frankfurt mission. She goes to Weber and plays rugby!
We’re very different, but I love her already! She’s good for me. very bold.
It was scary being spoken to in German at first, as you can imagine, but
now I LOVE it. I love wearing a name tag, loved being called Sister, and I
love being a missionary!
*Thurs *- today has
been busy, challenging, but so fun! I love being able to study with a
companion! We started language study today and YIKES ya girl has so much to
learn! We have a lot to do in a short amount of time, but I know our
efforts will be matched and strengthened by our Heavenly Father. One of the
few things I did learn today is “Sie Schaffen Das!” “You Can Do It!” This
work is difficult, tiring, and requires a lot of sacrifice, but I know that
the right path is sometimes the harder one! Our Branch’s theme is a Culture
of Christ. Also funny joke our branch President who served in Germany told
us: every time to get through someone’s front door in Germany, someone in
South America gets baptized!
*Fri*- Hallo! The days just seem to be going faster and faster! Today we
studied soooo much Deutsch! It’s tough and slow going, but something funny
my comp said today is that putting on the Armor of God isn’t always
comfortable, it’s not the Mittens of Mercy! Also today we learned from some
Polish elders that sometimes the Berlin Missionaries get to go into into
Poland to help with the Germans there! Neat! We did a lot of studying with
our whole district today. I LOVE our district!3 missionaries are going to
Frankfurt and the rest are BERLIN! We have 4 elders and 6 sisters. My room
is sooooo fun, I love the sisters I share it with. Sometimes I feel like I
am the worst at the language and am not very bright, other times I’m
reminded that I am serving w boys that were in HS only a few months ago.
*Sat*- MIRACLES, PEOPLE! Today I taught a lesson with my companion... IN
GERMAN! We prayed, testified, and invited, all in Deutsch! There’s no way
possible that my little brain could do that after only 3 days of learning
German without a miracle straight from the heavens! Also, it feels like the
people in my district are my best friends! That doesn’t happen after 3
days! Not without Gott at least. We got to play volley ball tonight and it
was so nice to wear pants and take off our shoes! My teachers are great!
My branch presidency is great! I am blistered, but extremely blessed! I
love being a missionary!
*Sun*- happy birthday Dad!
Wow Sunday’s at the MTC are not a day of rest! But I was learning every
minute of today. The theme of today was that being a missionary isn’t about
what you do, it’s about who you become! I’ve gained a greater testimony
that I am on the Lord’s time here, and the blessings of striving to be
obedient in every little thing! Every day I discover more and more I need
to work on and could be improving (too many to name or count) but I love
that He has promised that he will show unto us our weaknesses that they may
be made strong. Something beautiful that Elder Holland has said is that
man’s extremity is God’s opportunity! As my mind is stretched through
learning a language, I have truly seen miracles. Highlight from today:
Elder Hatch from my District’s Scooby Doo impression, the gift of tongues
is real! :)
Also, we are in a zone with the Hungarians, Albanians,Polish, Turkish, AND
ASL! So Church meetings are very interesting.
*Mon*- Take me Home, Country Road has been stuck in my head all day, my
district is probably so annoyed with me lol. We got chick fil a tonight! I
know god is mindful of me and my needs and is eager to bless us.
German word of the day: wiederhergestellte= restoration!
*Tues*- we got to sing in tonight’s choir for the devotional, and the
voices of 1000 missionaries singing praise to the man is so powerful! Our
team dominated in volleyball. Again. ONE WEEK DOWN, days are flying by and
I’m having so much fun w my companion and district, and speaking German. I
love it here!
Email me anytime today! I would love to hear from you!
I love you all so much and think about you every day!
Love, Sister Lyda
Germany Berlin Mission
My District :)
My comp, Sister Weakley and I. Also peep the German flag in the back
ROOMIES, were on the fourth floor :l
You know me
For every 10 min of studying we take about a 12 minute break
My fav accessory
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