Einträge mit dem Schlagwort .
Liebe Grüße!!!
I really just don't know what happened. "The time
passed away... like as it were unto us a dream. (Jacob 7: 26)"
When you first come on a mission, it feels like you just never will
leave. I still never had that feeling until this week. I had my last
interview with President Boyer. It was just crazy. He's one of my
favorite people, and he's definitely called of God.
I've had a lot of time to reflect on the last two
years. It's just crazy is what I can say. I need to ask myself if
that all really did happen. I've had awesome companions and
investigators, and one of my favorite parts was getting to know
the amazing members here. The church here needs to just grow. It
hurts me to see such small congregations in such a populated area.
I love the people here. I've met with Muslim missionaries, pastors
from other denominations, Jehovah's witnesses (of course), anti
Mormons, anti Christs, straight up atheists, and investigators
that know there way around the Bible better than I know my way
around soccer. My faith has been put to the test like none other,
both on a spiritual and doctrinal level, as well as putting faith
into the practice. It's been hard. Really rough and hard. Like,
really. But I have a testimony of his statement: "dispute not
because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the
trial of your faith." and "whoso believeth in God might
with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the
right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to
the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast...
(Ether 12: 6, 4)" This is my favorite scripture:
"...the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of
gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
(1 Peter 1: 7)."
In my last district meeting I was asked to talk about
what I learned throughout my mission. First of all I want to say
that I could list 100 things that I've learned, but I will only
name three that kind of overarch them all.
1. Elder Ballard said, "What matters most is what
lasts longest..."
So what lasts the longest? Our relationship with God,
and our relationship to our family.
Jesus Christ said,
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be
single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (Matthew 6: 19-22)
Our goals and ambitions determine our actions. If our goals are
eternal, then our actions will show it. God has the first priority
in my life. I know he's there. Families are eternal. I'm thankful
for my family and I love them more than anything. "For our
conversation is in heaven... (Philippians 3: 20)"
2. I love this quote from Joseph Smith, "If men do
not comprehend the nature of God, they do not comprehend themselves."
The first and greatest commandment is, "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. (Matthew 22: 37)" "And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17: 3)" I could talk about
this topic for hours. I've had so many experiences hat have brought
me closer to God, and that have helped me to learn His nature, how
He is. "Ask yourselves; turn your thoughts into your hearts...
What kind of being is God? Does any man or woman know? Have any of
you seen Him, heard Him, or communed with Him? This is a question
that may occupy your attention for a long time." It's hard for
me to put my thoughts and feelings into words, but I think the word
of the Prophet Joseph Smith explain it best: "These ideas are
incomprehensible to some, but they are simple. It is the first
principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of
God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses
with another... When we understand the character of God, and know
how to come to Him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to
tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready
to come to us." I know that God is there. He is our father and
we are His children. He loves us, and I love Him. This doctrine that
we learn as sunbeams has carried me through the darkest parts of my
mission, and has made me cry like a little girl.
3. And see that all these things are done in wisdom and
order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he
has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent,
that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be
done in order. (Mosiah 4: 27)
God doesn't expect instant perfectionism (which is one
of His characteristics). He expects that we do our best. We reach
perfection only through His Son, Jesus Christ (Moroni 10: 32-33)
I've loved serving in Germany, and I'm going to miss it
like crazy. It hasn't been easy, but definitely rewarding. I love
the people here. I know that this church is the true church of Jesus
Christ. It's been restored through Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is
true. The Bible is true. We have prophets today that continue to
receive revelation from God. God lives. Jesus Christ is His Son, and
He really did perform the Atonement for us. I have experienced it, and
I can't deny it. How could I receive answers and feelings from someone
that's not there? "and this because you know, for ye know that
the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath
sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and
your mind doth begin to expand. O then, is not this real? I say unto
you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good,
because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good..."
Yes! This is real!
Vielen Dank für alles! Ich habe euch alle lieb! My
homecoming talk will be on the 29th of April at the Church Building
at Park Haven Lane, Riverton, Utah (~4500 West 11800 South) I don't
know at what time. I think 11:00 am (it is at 1 pm). I'll get back
on for those that want to come.
Auf Wiedersehen!!!
Liebe Grüße!!
This week has been another good one! Elder Rothwell and
I get along really well. We've been starting to work with students
at the college here in Coburg. They're way cool and way open.
We've got a couple of cool appointments set up for this week!
Other than that not too much new going on. General
Conference was awesome! President Nelson is really a prophet. I
can't remember who said it, but he said "If something doesn't
change, it stays the same." Pretty self explanatory, but also a
true statement. If we want to make progress, we need to change.
Vielen Dank für alles! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
P-Day in Bamberg
Liebe Grüße!
This week has been good! Elder Rothwell and I work
really well together, and the work is pushing slowly forward.
So this week we did a ton of service with members. It
was really good. The members here are awesome, and we have a
really good relationship with them.
So last week after p day was pretty funny. We were in
the train back from Nürnberg, and a huge group of Italian high
schoolers got into the train and sat all around Elder Rothwell and
I. After a couple of minutes, one of the girls turned to us and
asked if we are Mormons. We said yes, and then she asked for an
explanation about angel Moroni and Joseph Smith. So we did. It
turns out that she already downloaded the Book of Mormon on her
phone. By this point, pretty much the whole group was listening in
on our conversation. We then just started talking. We talked about
Juventus and AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and the World Cup (funny
because Italy isn't in it, neither is the US). Then they started
teaching us Italian words. I couldn't resist it, and I started
talking with an exaggerated Italian accent, like I did with
Giacomo when he was in the US. I don't think they liked it too much,
but I did it anyway. There were probably about 30 of them.
So for Easter, I wanted to share a quote from Elder
Ashton in 2004. He said, "What possible pearl could be worth
such a price--for Him and for us? This earth is not our home. We are
away at school, trying to master the lessons of “the great plan of
happiness” so we can return home and know what it means to be there.
Over and over the Lord tells us why the plan is worth our
sacrifice--and His. Eve called it “the joy of our redemption.” Jacob
called it “that happiness which is prepared for the saints.” Of
necessity, the plan is full of thorns and tears--His and ours. But
because He and we are so totally in this together, our being “at
one” with Him in overcoming all opposition will itself bring us
“incomprehensible joy.”"
Frohe Ostern!!
Puma Headquarters
Die Missionsarbeit
Liebe Grüße!
This week was pretty good! We were able to meet with
some of our investigators, which is always good. My toe is finally
at least 70% so that means I can go outside and do missionary
work. It feels good.
We were asked from the ward to hold a class for all of
the stake youth. The topic for the conference was "There is
no death, here is only the force." So it was Star Wars
themed, and we had to tie that all into the gospel. It was pretty
good. The word "force" in German is translated
"Macht" which means "power," so we talked about
bringing the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives.
All I can say is that I hope I wasn't so awkward and quiet as a
teenager. I probably was. Schade. The class was good though.
So Elder Uhlig was transferred to Heidelberg, spanisch
speaking. My new companion for 4 weeks is Elder Rothwell. We get
along well. He's funny. We're doing work.
So something I've been thinking a lot about recently is
the nature of God, his character, and traits. In John 17: 3 it says
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Joseph Smith
said "if a man doesn't understand the nature of God, then he
doesn't understand himself." In my opinion it's the most
important thing to have a correct view of God. We learn about God by
reading the scriptures, going to church, and speaking to Him through prayer.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Elder Uhlig and I on his last day.
Wir sind tatsächlich in Bayern!
Liebe Grüße!
This week has been good. We had to stay in the
apartment a lot because of my operation on my toe. A lot of
missionary work didn't get done, but we did what we could!
It also gave us a lot of time to study. The scriptures
and words of the modern day prophets are amazing. I feel like the
more I read them, the more impressed I become from them. I've been
spending especially a lot of time in the words of modern day
prophets. I like this quote from President Kimball: "If men are
really humble, they will realize that they discover, but do not
create, truth." The truth is there. God created it. We don't
create it in our opinions. It's up to us to discover it through,
prayer and study.
The members here are just amazing. The ward here ist
really like a big family. That's the purpose of the organization.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Our Hike in Bad Staffelstein
Liebe Grüße!
This week was cold! We spent a lot of time outside
going either from door to door or talking to people on the
streets. We were able to talk to some way cool people though in
spite of the cold. It's been below freezing for about the last
week or so.
So every Wednesday we are in a little village called
Ebersdorf to visit a member that's too sick to come to any
activities. In this village there is a Bratwurst stand that sells
probably the best Bratwurst that I've ever eaten. The lady that runs
the stand is also really nice, and we were able to share the
Restoration with her as well as give her a Book of Mormon. We should
be able to start working with her. Not because of Bratwurst, but
because of her eternal happiness.
So this week we read this quote from Brigham Young in
Institute. I really liked it. "So live that when you wake in
the spirit-world you can truthfully say, “I could not better my
mortal life, were I to live it over again.” I exhort you, for the
sake of the House of Israel, for the sake of Zion which we are to
build up, to so live, from this time, henceforth, and forever, that
your characters may with pleasure be scrutinized by holy beings.
Live godly lives, which you cannot do without living moral
lives." This life is short, and we should live it to its fullest.
Vielen Dank für alles! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Coburg
Liebe Grüße!
This week has been pretty good! It seems like we've
been finding a lot of cool people that seem ready, but they slip
away somehow. We do have a lot of really cool investigators
though. One of them cooked us some food from Egypt. It was amazing!
So we found this lady from Iran. She is Christian. We
met at a cafe and taught her the Restoration. It was really cool,
because she said that she prayed two weeks ago to ask God to help
her understand the Bible. She said that the Book of Mormon was an
answer to her prayer. She also came to church Sunday, and the
members here are really good about making investigators feel
welcome. It was pretty cool!
So this week I read this quote from Elder
Christifferson: "Our invitation to the world is to come unto
Christ. Coming unto Christ is an abbreviation, a way of describing
in three words the plan of salvation. It means to obtain the fruits
of His Atonement and Resurrection--ultimately eternal life. Eternal
life depends on the exercise of our moral agency, but it is possible
only through the grace of Jesus Christ. To come unto Him means to do
what is required to lay hold upon that grace--the pardoning,
sanctifying, transforming, redeeming power of His infinite, atoning
sacrifice. This good news (is) the gospel." That is why Christ
is the center of everything we do.
Vielen Dank für alles! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
This week was pretty good! Our investigators are making progress. Slowly but surely! We also have a couple of appointments set for next week with some new people that we found. Should be good!
So my companion and I tried to cook some German food
for a Persian family that's investigating the church. It turned
out ok. Persian food is a lot different than German, and they didn't
have the best cooks either. Yeah it was interesting.
So this week I read a cool quote from James E Talmage
in the book "Jesus the Christ." He wrote, "A
characteristic feature of the (church) is the guidance afforded by
modern scriptures and the explication of the Holy Writ of olden
times in the light of present-day revelation, which, as a powerful
and well directed beam, illumines many dark passages of ancient
construction." Because of the Book of Mormon and modern day
revelation through God's prophets, we understand so much more from
the Bible. Doctrines are very thorough and very clear. This church
is true!
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
We cooked German food for the Persian family. I think
they would have had enjoyed it better if they have had better cooks.
Liebe Grüße!
This week was really good! My companion and I have been
seeing so many miracles! For example, last Saturday we had pure
finding time. 9 hours of door to door and talking to people on the
streets. But that morning, as we were talking to people on the
street, we met two people who invited us over for that afternoon.
One of them came to church the next day, and the other was a Persian
man, who has a wife and daughter. They invited us over again, and
even cooked us some amazing Persian food. It was way cool. We are
meeting such cool people!
This week I have been studying a lot about the great
apostasy and the Restoration. I like this quote from Elder Holland:
"Yes, our message is most certainly the Atonement of Jesus
Christ and all that it stands for, but we have no way to make that
unspeakable gift accessible or redemptive or effective in the lives
of people unless we declare the latter-day Restoration of divine
truth and heavenly priesthood. Take away Joseph Smith and the First
Vision, take away the events which followed, take away a direct
restoration from heaven, and what do we have? We don’t have much--at
least not enough to distinguish us from a thousand other good groups
of people." There really was a Restoration. Because of the work
of Joseph Smith, we know more about Jesus Christ and the purpose of
our life more than ever before. Or at least that is what it's done
for me.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
So this is where Hitler stood when he held rallies with the nazi troops...
Captive audience
Liebe Grüße!
This week was really good! We were able to meet with a
lot of our investigators. They are all really solid, and are
making really good progress. These people here are amazing.
So a couple of days ago may companion and I had a lot
of time to go finding. Before we went finding we had to go to the
church to print our stickers with our contact information to put on
the cards we give out. For some reason the computer wasn't working
right with the printer, and it ended up taking a little bit longer
than expected, which was pretty frustrating. But then the first
person we talked to on the street after that was a really nice
German lady. We talked for about 15 minutes, and then she kept on
saying "that was really inspired." When we asked why, she
said that she was on her way home from a meeting with her friend,
and she just got done telling her friend that she is at a point in
her life where she doesn't know where to go anymore. She then said
that she doesn't normally take this route home, but for some reason
felt that she should go in this direction this one time, and that it
was really weird. We were able to give her a Book of Mormon and bare
testimony about divine guidance. It was pretty cool.
This week I studied a lot about the great apostasy,
after the time that the Apostles of Jesus Christ were no more to
be found. It's a way cool topic, and I really do believe that it
happened. You can see the effects of this apostasy today. There is
lots of confusion and conflict within religion, and it causes
people to believe that it as a whole cannot be from God. Without
this apostasy, there would be no need for a restoration. But there
was a Restoration, and if people really do want to find truth
about God, they need to know where to look.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Der Inbegriff des Glaubensabfalls, aber coole Kirche
Liebe Grüße!
This week was pretty good! We got to meet with a couple
of really cool investigators. They are really making progress! We
also had Zone Conference in Nürnberg. That was also really good.
So cool story. I was on a split in Bamberg, and we were
talking to people on the street. We talked to this one guy, and it
turned out that he was on his way to his own church service. We
asked if we could walk and talk, and he said it would be ok. So we
started talking to him about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. As we
talked more, it turns out that this guy is a catholic priest, and
that he was on his way to his congregation to run a service. We got
to the church, and we were talking outside for a little bit. He was
really interested, and then he looked at his watch, and then without
warning just turned around and ran into the church, leaving us just
standing there. Long story short, the other Elder and I prayed and
had he feeling to visit his service. After the meeting he came and
found us, and said he wanted to hear more about this Joseph Smith
and his teachings. So now the Elders in Bamberg are meeting with
him. Pretty cool.
So I found his cool quote from Elder Hafen: "This
earth is not our home. We are away at school, trying to master the
lessons of “the great plan of happiness” so we can return home and
know what it means to be there. Over and over the Lord tells us why
the plan is worth our sacrifice--and His. Eve called it “the joy of
our redemption.” Jacob called it “that happiness which is prepared
for the saints.” Of necessity, the plan is full of thorns and
tears--His and ours." And gen in the same talk: "We cannot
really feel charity--Christ’s love for others--without at least
tasting His suffering for others, because the love and the suffering
are but two sides of a single reality."
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Liebe Grüße!
Germany is still awesome. I'm loving it. A mission is
the best.
James chapter 2. Read it.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Liebe Grüße!
This week was pretty good. It went by super fast. Elder
Uhlig and I did a ton of door to door and talking to people on the
streets. We were able to find a couple of cool people who are
willing to listen. We had an appointment with a family that we were
so excited for, but then as we knocked on the door, they said they
actually don't have interest. So we went door to door in the
neighborhood, and found a way cool lady that excepted a Book of
Mormon, and said she would read in it. Pretty cool and sad sometimes
how missionary work works.
Our investigators are making slow progress, but they
are making progress. A couple of them are pretty promising. Now we
just need to find a way to get them to church somehow. The members
here are awesome, and they make investigators feel so welcome. I
don't know why anyone would not want to be a part of it.
So I found this quote from Elder Hafen, who was an
apostle in 2004. I really liked it. "...if you have problems
in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you.
Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s
purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses
and through them make us wiser, stronger. If you’re seeing more of
your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God,
not farther away." I think that answers the question of why
"bad" things happen to good people.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
Nürnberg
Liebe Grüße!
Im thankful to always have a living day Prophet on the
earth to lead and guide us in a confusing and fast paced world. The
prophet has a special connection to God.
This week was pretty good. Not too much happened. New
Years was good. The fireworks here are crazy. No limits. It was
literally like being in the middle of a battlefield.
Coburg is still a crib. We are pretty much stuck here
for pday, because we have to pay for train tickets everywhere we
go. It's a good place to be stuck though. It's a beautiful area
and the members are awesome.
Our investigators are doing pretty good. We haven't met
with too many of them during the Christmas break, but now it's the
new year. I hope a lot of people have set the right goals.
So I've been studying a lot of the teachings from
Joseph Smith, and I found a quote that I really like: "I want
to ask... every man, woman and child, to answer the question in
their own hearts, what kind of a being God is? Ask yourselves;
turn your thoughts into your hearts... This is a question that may
occupy your attention for a long time... Here is the question that
will, peradventure, from this time henceforth occupy your
attention... It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a
certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse
with Him as one man converses with another.."
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch alle lieb!
The best Christmas present when you have a missionary!
Liebe Grüße!
His week really good! We had a couple of lessons with
some amazing people! We are pretty excited about them. I don't want
to write about them, or else I'll jinx it.
This week we've been preparing for Christmas. Lots to
do in the Ward. This ward is just awesome. We put about 300
invitations for church on Christmas Eve in the mailboxes around
the church, so hopefully at least one person comes.
So of course, this week is Christmas (in case you
didn't know). I just want to share a pretty cool scripture I read
recently: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God; (Romans 3: 23-25)" Just a pretty fancy
and deeper way of saying "For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3: 16)" Please
remember why we have Christmas! Everyone who celebrates Christmas
accepts that Jesus Christ was born into the world, so that He
could unite us with our families for eternity.
I just love Germany. I don't think I'll come home.
Maybe home should come here.
Vielen Dank für die Unterstützung! Ich habe euch Lieb!
Frohe Weihnachten!
Liebe Grüße!
This week was pretty awesome. We still had a lot of
finding, but we found some super cool people. We are meeting with a
lot of them next week, so we have pretty high hopes. There was one
girl that we talked to on the street, and we literally talked for an
hour. It was pretty cool.
We did a lot of finding in the student housing for the
community college here. Students are way open and willing to talk.
It was pretty fun, and we had a lot of cool conversations.
The people here are pretty open right now. Probably
because of Christmas. Which reminds me, the food here around
Christmas is amazing.
As far as studies goes, I've been reading a lot about
Godly chastening and punishment. The more I study it, the more I
realize that it isn't really punishment, but rather purifying or
correcting. Hebrews 12: 5-11 are the best verses I've found so far:
"...we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we
gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto
the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their
own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of
his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
