Life As A Missionary

Lots and lots of good things this week. The life as a missionary. Just enjoying every moment and learning how to just endure. I love this work and the person God is making me become. I have learned. These experiences are ones I will never forget. I love you all. Have a great week.

Monday April 21^st, 2014

Wow what a day. We have been planning this day for a couple months now and it was a fantastic day. To start off the day we met over at the other Elders apartment and were able to meet up with our Ward Mission Leader and his family. We were able to meet with them and then pack up the cars and head down to a park called Felsenmeer. Felsenmeer is a bunch of rocks on this mountain pretty much that go about a mile high. It’s really interesting looking. Everywhere you look there are trees and then there is about a stretch of about a mile long and about ¼ of a mile wide up this mountain. We got there about 11:00 and we started the mountain at about 11:45. It is actually a tough hike. We really were having a lot of fun taking pictures and taking action shots. The views from the Rocks looking down into the valley were really pretty and it was a super cool view. 

Tuesday, April 22^nd, 2014

I received a beautiful blessing from Elder Nilson this morning. He said pretty much everything that was on my mind. It just reassured me that priesthood blessings are real and that is what we need here on the earth to perform in God's name. It was really comforting because it gave me a new direction and I just need to do the things necessary to go down that path.  I want to help others and serve the Lord. Just sometimes hard as a missionary but it's all a learning experience and that's how it is. This morning we had District meeting and I chose two topics that I think the whole District needed. What was cool was Sister Clement's sister was still here so I gave her a topic. I gave her the topic, constructing and building up each other. She gave a great lesson on how we shouldn’t be envious of others. How we are all on the same team no matter the position. But she gave an awesome lesson about that. What was then cool was I asked Sister Lyons to pray about something she could give a lesson on. And she came up with pretty much the same thing: Envy. That is such a powerful topic and I think that is something we can all learn from. That is something big that if we do we will be able to forget ourselves more. Overall District meeting was really powerful today and that was good. 

Wednesday, April 23^rd, 2014

We were down in Bensheim Gronau and this is a tiny town in the middle of 2 mountains really. It reminded me of a Utah village up in the huge mountains. Anyways, we were going by to see a member and we got there and realized it was a super long driveway. So we parked the car at the bottom and then started walking up this driveway of dirt. There was this house on the left and then you walk about 1/4^t of a mile and then there is this members house we were visiting. We were walking and met this guy at the first house on the left and asked him how he was doing. He was cutting some wood or something. We asked him if the member in our ward lived further on and he said ya. So we told him thanks and walked on. We walked about 1/4^t of a mile and it turns out there is a house. This house was super nice as well. It was cool. But no one was home. So we headed back down this driveway. Once again we met up with this guy. This guy has got a straight Hessish German Accent and sounded so cool. Elder Nilson and I we both had a feeling that we should talk to him. So we went up to him and started talking. He was super closed off at first and didn't want to have anything to do with us. We just kept asking him questions and he finally opened up. We talked about the Restored Gospel and he said he would take the Book of Mormon. It was actually a really cool thing for us. We haven't given out one in a while because we have been a in a car for most the days. It was a cool experience and we just bore strong testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that when he reads it he will feel something and he told us to come back on a later date. Super sweet. Then we met with a member family. They are such a sweet family. We talked about Mormon.org with them and how we can do missionary work at home using social media. The church is pushing that we all use social media to preach the Gospel. So that is what we did. Told them to make a Mormon.org profile and to write down why they are Mormon. It would be good if every one had one of those. We ate Käse Späetzle there and that was super good. 

Thursday, April 24^th, 2014

There is a great talk that talks about the dangers of being prideful. It’s called “Beware of Pride” by Ezra Taft Benson. That is a must that everyone should read. It is such a good talk. We as members need to remember that feeling of the Holy Ghost when we were baptized. We all can't deny that feeling. God's plan is more mighty then any plan we can ever imagine. His way is the right way and we all need to realize how important that plan is. That is one thing I learned today. 

Friday, April 25^th, 2014

What a day, this day was full of good and different things. I don't even know where to begin. To start things off we had planned 4 appt today. So things were looking really good for us and we were super busy. Our first appt was down in Eberstadt. To get there we need to take a street train and it takes about 30 min. So we left here and headed down there. Our next appt we had planned was down in Seeheim. We missed the street train that went at 2:40 to head down there so we planned on catching the next one that came at 2:55. But it turned out that one wasn't going to come because it wasn't a school day. So the next one didn't come for another 30 min. So we called our appointment and asked if he still wanted us to come and it turned out that he didn't have time. So what we did was just went and caught the next train back to Darmstadt. We ran and this guy was nice enough to hold the door open for us. We hop in and we start talking to this guy and he was from Pakistan and a student here in Darmstadt. We start heading back into Darmstadt and it takes about 30 min to get back. About 10 minutes through the train ride, we are just talking and then the train driver just slams on the brakes and I was sitting sideways so I just fly forward. We had no clue what happened and we stopped really fast! We were all so confused and everyone started worrying. Apparently a car turned right into another car and the train broadsided it. We were in the train waiting for five minutes then the train driver let us out and we walked up to the front. And this car that got hit was just mangled. It honestly looked so bad and we were all surprised that no one was really hurt. Luckily it hit the passenger side. If someone had been in the passenger side they would have been dead. But luckily the lady was fine and no one else was in the car. The ambulance came in about 2 minutes after it happened and they went straight to the lady. It was a scary experience and we can now say that we have been in a train crash. 

Saturday April 26^th, 2014

As we were walking to the church this morning we got out of the bus and we were walking and there was this old man who stopped us. The first thing he said was “are you guys twins?” and we replied “No” and then he said “Brothers”? And again we said “No” and then he was super confused because apparently we looked exactly like each other. It was cool though because he said when he left that “Jesus is Resurrected” and he smiled then walked off. That started the morning off right. We went to the Church because we talked with Brother S. on the phone. I was going through the contacts list 2 weeks ago and I saw his number under member. I had no idea who he was. We talked on the phone on Thursday and he told us to come to the Church on Saturday morning to help clean the Church and then he would take us out to eat. So that’s what we did. We headed to the Church and met him. I have seen him but never met him. We helped clean the Church and did a bunch of different things. Super successful guy in every thing he did. He taught us some of the most key principles that I will never forget and so I will write them down. We asked him what was his secret to being successful and he turns and says, “You know what's funny. No one has ever asked me that question. But it's very simple. Live the Gospel Principles and be OBEDIENT”. A successful man like that explaining how in life relating every thing of the Gospel back to his success because that's where he learned the foundations was a really cool thing. And he says living the Gospel Principles is the thing. How much can we learn from that? The Gospel blesses us in many different ways. Actually, the Lord blesses us in many different ways when we are ready to submit to his will. He related to his younger years and being on his mission telling us some sweet stories and stuff. He then explained to us “Being a tool in the Lord's Hands” and related that to his life experiences. He talked about how learning the principles that we do on a mission and applying them after your mission is very important. He talked about how his mission sharpened his tool for after his mission and that the things on his mission sharpened that tool. We talk a lot about how missions change a person. But the things that go on in a mission are sometimes some of the hardest times of your life. And how he related it to life, that it doesn't get easier. But he said he is forever grateful to have been a missionary. He talked about how “performance” was the thing he learned and that he taught his kids. He explained how that is what he told his kids in every thing they did. That performance is how you are going to be successful. You have been given a task to do. Perform. How valuable is that lesson there?! He talked about the 5 Priorities of President Hinckley and he said when we do what the Prophets say and prioritize the things in our lives, that’s when we will be blessed. Putting God above everything else we do. Because in the end, our goal is to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. That is the goal of each of us. So priorities are so important because of those lessons right there. God blesses us when we do what's right and SERVE OTHERS. Overall that lesson with him was just one of the greatest things I possibly have ever been through.

From My Journal

Monday April 14^th, 2014

Wow, what a day it was today. Emailing today was really solid. I was just super happy today and that was a blessing for sure for me. Today during the day we also actually played some soccer and Basketball. Michelstadt and also the Langen Elders came down as well as our district. Today was a bit colder. We were planning on the first place to play some soccer outside but turned out it was super windy and rainy. So we all gathered here at the church and played a little bit of soccer. Soccer is a huge German thing so I think whatever country you are in you automatically inherit the big sport there. All of us are getting pretty good at soccer because that’s what we do a lot. It has been a lot of fun and today was a solid P day. Normally after we are finished up with emailing and playing sports we get ready and then our P day ends at 6:00. After that we just prepared for Family Home Evening. We had the activity again today so we had to do some prep for that. The Clements came and so we helped them with the food. At about 7 is when all the Young Single Adults show up. It has honestly been such a blessing working with them. I have developed so many good relationships with them. The mission or life experiences just show us how we can become better in certain situations and how it is so important that we listen to the Holy Ghost to guide us in our every days. Yes we are missionaries for the Church and we have a special calling. But if people honestly want a direction in their life, they can do it easily. They just need to study in the Scriptures, pray and just Serve others. That’s how we find the true happiness in ourselves. So that has been super cool building a relationship with all the Young Single Adults. So we ate food together. We met a couple Americans on the bus the other day. That was cool from speaking English on the phone. They are 2 super cool kids. So we called them and they showed up. And what was extremely cool was all the Young Single Adults brought them in. They said Hi and asked them how they were doing and everything. It was perfect missionary work. Speaking of Sisters, they are creative. Well, we put in our input as well. To start it off Elder Nilson and I shared the Spiritual thought for 20 people. We shared the Mormon message An Easter Declaration because of Easter this weekend and we just bore strong testimony about Jesus Christ. As we were talking the Sisters were translating to the Non Members that didn't speak German. And it was super cool to see because both Americans were super humble and they just loved the message that we had. They loved it and were super interested. It was so spiritual and so powerful. That helped me realize how Important Jesus Christ is in everyones life and not just mine. He really is our Savior. I love him and I am grateful he was willing to give his life up for mine. After that we started with our activity. WE HAD FUN! Haha, that is my motto on my mission is Just Have Fun. As you all know I actually have found that I am an outgoing guy and like to do epic things. So tonight we played Ultimate spoons. It was cool. What we did was there were cards numbered to 16 with 4 groups of each number. We sat in a circle and when we said 1, 2, 3 pass, the person had to pass one card to their left. And when the person got 4 cards of the same number he had to slap it on the table and then they all ran into the gym and they had to find an easter egg of the color we said. For example we had Yellow, Blue, Red, and green eggs. So we hid them all over the sport hall and they had to find them. The persons who didn't find one were out and then the round goes on. That was a lot of fun and the Young Single Adults loved it. It was so cool to see how different people would use their tactics. Its just cool and humbling to see how much fun they are having and how they have changed since last November when I got here. It’s cool to see that they care for each other and we back up each other in every single way. I love being a missionary here in Darmstadt and this place has such a special place in my heart. I do not want to be transferred from here and if I stay here my whole mission I would be completely fine with it. Just need to keep building these relationships. I love this work.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Today was a different day as missionary work goes. We had district meeting this morning over at the church. I wasn't sure how it was going to go because I prepared in such little time. Last night I called Sister Hull about giving a Lesson about whatever she wants to talk about. So we go to the church and we got everything set up. The meeting went as follows: We opened up with a Song and Prayer. Then as missionaries we memorize D&C 4 in German together so we recite that off. And then we recite our Goal as missionaries as states in PMG. Then we get started. Today we talked about all our investigators that we have currently at the moment. Then I talked a little bit about the white handbook. But what was super cool was Elder Nilson sang Oh Lord my Redeemer for all of us. That is such a powerful song and it was super cool and invited the spirit. We then heard a Lesson from Sister Hull and hers was about the Book of Mormon. It was a super awesome Lesson. Then what I did for mine was we did Role Plays. But we put some pressure on the line. I told everyone to think of the way they don't like to contact people, whether it be on a train, or approach or their worst experience. I told them they had to put themselves in that position again and role play for 1 minute 30 seconds in front of everyone. It actually was super sweet and we got a lot done. We learned so much from each other. I love talking to people. But the transitioning from Normal conversation to Gospel is where it’s at. That is where we learn how to bear strong testimony and introduce the Book of Mormon. It was a super good District meeting and everyone really enjoyed it. After, normally the Clements cook for us and so we had a big Lunch with BBQ meat. Real American BBQ sauce too. It was really good. But we were planning on doing a bunch of stuff today then I look over and my companion is just laying there. he was in so much pain that he couldn't move. And so Elder and Sister Clements and Sister Clements sister is actually in town. We all sat with him as we called Sister Schwartz to see if we can get him to a doctor. She found us a doctor. It was super hard and actually quite funny because I speak Good German. But I have no idea how to explain Medical Terms in German and so it was pretty funny having me call the Doctors. Anyways the Clements took us to the Doctors office and dropped us off. He was asking Elder Nilson questions in English. Gave him some pills and we left. He wasn't feeling too good to do anything for the day so we honestly went back to the apartment. We got all our studies in. We listened to a bunch of Talks. And I just took care of Elder Nilson. He took the Medicine. And we rescheduled an appt for tomorrow to go again. So that was our day. Not much to report but just learned and studied the scriptures a lot. 

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

We go into the Doctors office this morning at 9:45 and it is just packed in the waiting room. We waited for a Good 30 minutes and then it was Elder Nilsons turn to go in. We go into the room together and we are just sitting there with this weird looking machine. I have no idea what it is and they have Elder Nilson take off his shirt to see what the Problem was. Man, the doctor walks in and starts putting jelly on this thing and starts rubbing it on his belly. I was so confused. Turns out they were doing an Ultra Sound on his Belly. haha I joked with Elder Nilson that he is having a Boy and he laughed. But boy oh boy was it funny. I remember the first thing I said was “I thought my first time ever doing this would be with my wife” we laughed. But they did do an ultra sound on his belly and checked his spleen, Gall Bladder and everything and everything was fine. So the doctor said to continue to take the pills. So that was good that nothing was wrong. But today was a good day. We had an appt with an older couple who are super nice. They are good friends with President Uchtdorf. We ate lunch with them and then we went in a circle and just bore our testimony about Jesus Christ. It was super cool. It’s cool to see because Easter is this week and they actually have holiday for 3 days because they celebrate it. Germans are very respectful in that way. So most of our lessons are centered around Jesus Christ. It was cool to see everyones different perspective on Jesus Christ and how they have used the Atonement. It only strengthens my testimony to be a representative of him and it is an honor to wear his name on my chest every day. I love being a missionary. After that appt we just went home and Elder Nilson fell asleep for a couple hours. We had an appt again at 6:00. So Elder Nilson and Elder Lee went to that because we are going on a splittonight. Elder Hiel is with me. He is such a cool kid. He is from Brigham City and just a sweet kid.Tonight we had soccer over at the church so we called a bunch of people to come play. Tonight we had like 5 investigators there and a bunch of members. We just play at the Church sports hall. It was a lot of fun. That was pretty much the day. Elder Hiel and I talked about how the mission is such a powerful thing for 18 to 21 year old kids. We both talked about how we were lost before our missions and then we come out and serve and we find ourselves. It was super cool because both our experiences are the same. You just don't know how important the Gospel is in High School because everyone is way too caught up in themselves. I have realized that the Gospel is so important in our lives and I love my mission so much. It has saved me in the Gospel and I thank Heavenly Father for that every day.

Thursday, April 17^th, 2014

Today I was on a split with Elder Hiel. He was transferred from Frankfurt to Darmstadt and is Elder Lee's Companion. It was also really nice because we have the car for the next week so we were able to drive everywhere. We had a lot planned and we needed to do a ton of things today. Our First appt was over in Rossdorf. We talked about how important Jesus Christ is. We showed him the new video on #BecauseofHim. It was such a cool lesson because the spirit was so strong and we were all focused on the lesson. It was super cool and he is a good friend of mine now. It’s so cool how many friendships you make on the mission. One great thing is that the Sisters brought our packages and stuff back from Frankfurt. So mom I received that package and THANKYOU. That totally made my day and I received it just at a perfect time. I know my family loves me and it made me think that you all are praying for me and that I don’t need to worry. Headed to bed. Another day tomorrow.

Friday, April 18^th, 2014

A busy day indeed. We did our studies and everything and I studied in Preach my Gospel about the Authority of our Calling. It was super good and I learned how blessed we are to be missionaries. Today we ended up making Lunch for the other Elders. What has been super nice is having the Car. We have honestly gotten so much done and that is super nice. Today I cooked for the Elders and today we made spaghetti with a little bit of potato in there. It was actually pretty good. Today we also had a service project. WOW, is all I can say. We moved a whole piano up 3 huge flights of stairs. Don't mind the 90 degree turn on each one. It was actually really difficult ha and very heavy. It took 4 of us elders and also 2 other men. It was some work. The weather has been super Bi Polar and was snowing for a little bit during our Fiasco. Overall we got it in after an hour and we were all drenched in sweat. That thing was pretty hard but its always fun because everyone calls us for the hard things to do. Its super funny but we are more then willing to help. After service we drove straight to the Clements house and got changed then headed into Offenbach because the Clements, their sister and Elder Nilson were singing today at a fireside and a baptism. So we packed up and drove 40 minutes to Offenbach. It was really cool actually because I saw Elder Lindsey and then a whole lot of Elders I have never seen in my life. But always seeing Elder Lindsey is super good and I enjoyed it. The baptism and the program was really good. President Schwartz spoke to everyone in the fireside and then we left. We went straight back to Darmstadt where Sister Clements sister bought us all Döners. (A turkish Food) We went back to their apartment and ate dinner with them. It’s always good talking with them because they are such a great couple. And having her sister in town makes it that much more fun. It was a good night. After the Clements we had a few things to go do. We had a referral that the sisters received fromMormon.org. So they gave it to us and so since we have the car we decided to drive down there. It was all the way down in Alsbach and so it was about a 35 minute drive but all through beautiful Germany so Elder Nilson was super excited. He Enjoyed the drive and was taking a bunch of pictures. Today it was raining and snowing a lot but then tonight it’s that time where the clouds are going away but everything is still green and wet. It was soooo Beautiful and super cool to be driving a car. Plus the weather was perfect. It was like 65 degrees and perfect sunset and every thing. It was a lot of fun. Anyways we went by on this Referral and he was so legit. We rang the doorbell and went down the stairs and there he was standing. He just had a big smile on his face like he just saw an angel or something. It turned out that he Referred himself onMormon.org and that he found it interesting what we do as missionaries and what we believe and he wants to learn more. He didn’t have any time right then and there but we were able to make an Appt for next Friday at 18:00. So we will be going back next week. That was super cool and made us feel better. We have been searching and searching and contacting every day for new investigators but just haven't been successful then the Lord sends us this Referral. It was super cool to see the excitement on his face. As missionaries we go talk to people all day and just get denied and denied so you automatically start thinking that no one here is ready. But then with Lots of prayers and hitting Rock Bottom the Lord seems to pick us right back up. It’s with Life as well. Sometimes I feel as if there is the end and that there is nothing after that and I am done. But it’s not true. Life goes on. The days get better. And we have trials only to make us better. What would be life without trials. We would have no way to learn. Heavenly Fathers plan is perfect for all of us and those of us who actually use it. He gave his Begotten son for us so that we can have a way back to him. As missionaries we make mistakes as well. But the Atonement is always there and that is what is cool during this weekend because it’s a holiday weekend till Monday and so people are really thinking about Jesus Christ. I have learned that for sure. Today was a good day overall. We got a lot done and it was a cool day because we got a lot done.  

Saturday April 19^th, 2014

Saturdays are always the day where we are filled with different things. Normally filled with Service projects or something to do with sports. Today was filled with a little bit of everything. This morning we got our studies in. I watched a bunch of Mormon Messages and learned a lot from them. What is cool is we have 2 hours media per week. So where we get to go to a computer and catch up and get familiar with all the Church's media. So I have been watching all the Mormon Messages. I highly recommend these. They are so powerful and very good lessons are learned. We got companionship study in and planned for the day. Then at 10:30 we headed down to the Senior Citizens Home. A sister in our ward normally sets up something where every 3 weeks or so we go down and sing at this home for a 90 year old member in our ward. There are a lot more people there as well. So this morning we went there. Our voices weren't too good today but it was a lot of fun. There are so many different experiences every time we go there. Some of them have Alzheimers and so they forget who we are in about 5 minutes and they will ask us a few times our names and where we are from. They are all really good people. We sang for about an hour then we headed back to the other Elders apartment. We ate some Lunch and then headed up to the Church where we have our Basketball set up. Unfortunately, no one showed up so we played for about 30 min against each other. We played Cutthroat where its 1 on 1. It was a lot of fun and always good to play basketball again. We didn't stay long for the reason that no one showed up. So we went back to the apartment and showered because we were all sweaty. We then had to go to an appt with a family. Such a cool family. They kind of live far and so the drive there was absolutely beautiful. Elder Nilson was loving it, filming and singing during the drive. It was a lot of fun. It took about 45 min to get there. We got there and met with them and they are really cool. They have 4  kids. 14 and 12 are the boys. We have been trying and trying to focus on them. They Both love to play Pokemon and as we all know when I was little I played Pokemon for hours. So Elder Nilson and I talk with them as they play Pokemon and they love talking about it. The other 2 kids are maybe 9 and 7 or so. They are actually good little kids and they love the Gospel. We talked about Jesus Christ and the Atonement with them and they were answering all the questions. So that was good. Overall just a great family. We ended up eating dinner with them and have some potatoe salad and some Bratwursts. German's love their meat. Overall it was a good time at their house and we made some progress with them. We are going back again next week and so we are excited about that. We drove back to Darmstadt and we ended up going by one more person who also didn't live at the address. So we headed home and that was our day. It was a really good day and we got a lot done. I really enjoyed the Lessons I learned today. How this Earth is created in so many different ways. How God loves his Children. And how important the Gospel is. I learned that we need to be Studying daily in the Scriptures to stay further away from the Devils Line. How we need to feast upon the word daily. To overcome the temptations of the world. Many things were learned today and I am grateful for that. I have also learned that being a missionary is a very short time. I learned that I can't control what other missionaries do but I can help them by being the example. Always trying to become better and being that person Heavenly Father wants me to be.

Sunday April 20^th, 2013

As I was getting ready this morning I was putting on my suit that mom sent me and I loved it. But what was a special moment for me is when I put on my tie. I grabbed a blue tie and I read the back of it and it was the one that had Alex's quote. It says “Love all, Trust a few, Do wrong to none”. It was perfect for me. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I am enjoying the ride. Today is Easter. A very special day for all of us Christians. I can't wait for Church this morning. We have a busy day today and I am ready. Today was also a solid day. This morning we had church and it is super cool here in Germany is because everyone is so excited because it is such a big Holiday here in Germany. It was super cool and we had a big Program during Sacrament meeting. Overall Church was solid and there were a lot of good things said. Another thing I learned today in Priesthood is that how important it is for us to be true to our calling. To be true to what we say we are going to do. We are all out here on missions to serve the Lord.  It’s cool because I believe we are all on the same Book in Priesthood but it’s the President Joseph Fielding Smith Book and it talked about how true he was to his calling no matter the circumstance. In the church we need to be true to what we say and commit to do. Just like us missionaries. We need to do the things necessary to say we gave Heavenly Father everything. That is what I need to do. I only have one more year left on my mission and this is the year that I want to give everything I have to him. After church we came home and ate some dinner. We cooked some really good spaghettitonight and it tasted really, really good. We planned this next week and got things done with that. Tonight was such a sweet night. We met with this family again. I really love that family. They are such a good family and it has been a blessing to be able to teach them. I am so grateful for them and it is cool to see their happy faces after we leave. They all get so excited and they love the work we are doing. We met with them and had dinner. Tomorrow we got a busy day and I am tired. Goodnight.

Today we hiked Felsenmeer.. Its a bunch of rocks and they go about a mile up a mountain. It was a ton of fun and we got to see Germany from another point of view.

Another Long Letter

Hope you enjoy this week and the adventures we had. Have a great week!

Monday, April 7^th, 2014

Today was our P-day and these days are always great when they come around. They come around at exactly the right time every week. It’s right at the point where you feel burnt out and don’t feel as if you can go forward. Tonight we finished emailing at 6:00 pm. We had to prepare the church for Family Home Evening. As Uni/YSA Elders it is super cool because we get be at every activity. Unfortunately none of the people we talked to came. But it still was a solid night and we had a good number show up tonight. Daniel is a good friend of mine and it was cool because he told me he sent in his papers a couple weeks ago. He is such a great kid. He is already prepared to go on the mission. He knows a whole lot about the Gospel. Next week he wants to come study with us in the mornings. So that will be good. Get him prepared for his mission right?! We finished up with some dinner and then Nanchuan wanted to play some basketball with me. So him and I, Daniel and Pauline all went to the gym and played some basketball. Nanchuan is such a good kid. He got baptized a couple years ago. And is going to finish school then go and serve a mission. He just has one more year of school and that is it. Overall tonight was really solid. We got a lot done today and the relationships we are building with all the Young Single Adults is going great. One more thing; during the spiritual lesson and I was just sitting there and this sentence came into my head and I believe it applies to me in every single way: “Enjoy Life, Have fun, Enjoy the blessings from Heavenly Father”.

Tuesday, April 8^th, 2014

Today was a busy day. This morning we got some personal study in. I had a little Lesson today in Zone training so I prepared for that. It was about one of my favorite missionaries in the Book of Mormon.. Ammon! I talked about how Ammon was an example, Reliable and Hardworking and how we all need to be as Ammon. Serve the people out of love. This work is only going to get harder and harder. It was a good lesson. I am learning the most out of the things I teach. How bad do you want it, right? Today we had Zone training down in Heidelberg. It is about a 1 hr 10 min train ride down there. It was actually a very good training. We sure learned a lot. I learned a lot about how I can become better. We learned about 4 solid things that I believe all of us can benefit from. We learned about Agency, Responsibility, Taking control of your life, and Accountability. These are vital for us to make progress. Especially when we want others to trust us. One thing that I thought was really cool and spiritual was President was there doing interviews but he came in and did a little lesson. He talked about how people are praying for us. And it was cool he asked us the question “What is your Mom/Dad/Brother/Sister praying for you about”? It really hit me, sometimes as missionaries we think our families forget about us. Sometimes we don’t even realize that our Family is praying every day about us. The mission is very tough. We need all the prayers we can get. It was super cool because we went in a circle and everyone had to say something. The spirit was super strong and I believe we all learned something new. Today some of the things I learned at Zone training were Being Bold, Honest in Everything, Be like Ammon, No hypocrisy, Love and serve God till the end. Overall it was a great conference. After the conference we all rode back to Darmstadt. We were supposed to meet a Potential Investigator tonight but she called and canceled on us right when we got to Darmstadt. I have to be honest. It has been extremely hard these past 2 transfers. When Elder Nilson got here we had 5 investigators and all 5 of them left. Elder Nilson and I are finding and finding and we are not seeing any success from the work. Him and I get along really well. But we just not have seen any success whatsoever. We have tried everything and will still continue to do everything we can. That has been a little frustrating because you want to see things you do. It’s like shooting Free throws. You mark how well you are doing. Say you shoot 5/10 and then next time you want to go up making a couple shots to 7/10 or something. But you keep shooting and shooting and every time you keep shooting 5/10 and you’re just stuck. No matter what you do or how hard you work it is always going to be 5/10. We are doing everything we can to contact all our Potentials we have ever met. And also find people who are ready. But that’s okay. So we went finding for some time and then came home and called a bunch of Potentials. We talked to some people and only made one appt with one of them. So hopefully this will go good.  I am tired. Goodnight.

Wednesday, April 9^th, 2014

Today was another long day of meetings. Today was the Golden Trainers meeting. So all the new missionaries and their trainers go to this meeting to learn about how the mission life is and how we can be better missionaries. The meeting started at 11:00 and ended around 5:00 so it was a lot of sitting. But the things we learned were perfect. We learned so many different things and it was super cool. We were talking about Stress Management on the mission and being humbled. The meeting was super good. It was really good because I saw some of my closest friends as well. I saw Elder Lindsey, Elder Lovelace, Sister Chard, Sister Carlson, and Elder Bonzo. It is always fun to see some of your really good friends that you served with. So that was fun. I learned a lot today. The number one thing I learned today which I have used all my life was this, “There is no growth in the Comfort zone”. That was powerful to me today. After the meeting we came back to Darmstadt. We had a lesson again with this family. They are honestly such a cool family. They are all just crazy and have fun doing what they do. They are fun and outgoing and its always fun when we go over there. We read together in Alma 18. Always such a great chapter to read. After the visit, we rode back up to the church. It was cool because on the way we were talking with people. And then the other Elders called us. We picked up the phone and obviously started speaking in English. As we did that and got off the phone these 2 American kids came over and started talking to us. It was super cool because they came over and started talking to us. They were from California and the other one Philadelphia. They are actually studying here. We invited them to sports and to family Home Evening. They said they will come next time. So that was cool. We got to the church and we had Ward council tonight. So we talked a lot about missionary work in there. That was a cool. The ward is catching on and getting excited about missionary work. So we are just trying to find people to teach. Overall today was a great day and we got a whole lot done.

Thursday, April 10^th, 2014

This morning we got our studies done. We are singing this Saturday in a ward thing for Langen Ward. So we practiced this morning on our song. One thing I can say is I cannot sing whatsoever. Our family was not blessed with that talent. Haha, but we then came back and got a bunch of planning done for the coming week. We set some appt up for this weekend.

Friday, April 11^th, 2014

After yesterday we got a good nights rest last night. I slept really good. I fell asleep at about 9:30. We just go and go and go and never get any breaks. So I decided to just crash last night. We finished with planning and then moved on. Today was a good day. It was another day of holding strong to the faith. We had 3 less active lessons tonight. The first one was with a member. We talked about the talk from General Conference about sleeping through the Restoration. We talked about how we need to rise up. How we need to be as people. And just have fun in life and enjoy the ride. We have our mistakes we make. But this life is all set up for us. I learned a lot about each and every single situation on my mission. We had another appt out in Crumstadt again with another Less Active family. It took about 1 hour from Eberstadt out to Crumstadt on the bus. We met with this family. We have been meeting with them for the past few weeks. He works a lot and says he is too tired on Sundays and that is his rest day. His wife is super nice and just supports her husband. So we promised them the blessings they will get when they come to church. And had a great lesson there. That was a solid lesson and the spirit is always there in these lessons with them. That appt. ended our night because we had to take the bus all the way back. Today was a solid day and even though there were doubts, There was a lot of Hope and Faith as well.

Saturday April 12^th, 2014

This morning we finished our studies. I have really been studying Preach my Gospel. It has such a power and so many good things in there. Whether you’re a missionary or not. This book is a book of learning. I learned lots of new insights with it and my goal right now is to be a Preach my Gospel Missionary. So it has been good studying that. Today we played basketball with a couple potentials that we met. That was a lot of fun. Boy oh boy am I out of shape. Running back and forth. What’s funny is you never really know how much direction change you use in basketball. So as we were playing I kept getting really dizzy. One time I had to even go sit down. I wasn't sick but it was just funny when you are not playing everyday and haven't played a legit basketball game in a year. You really feel it. That was good and a lot of fun. After that we went into Langen. There was a singing concert at the church there that one of our Young Single Adults set up. It was a great program about Jesus Christ and being the Savior of the World. It was really cool. There were a bunch of songs sung and a lot of scriptures read about his life. That was really cool and we had a great time. After that we went contacting and talked to a lot of people and actually gave a Book of Mormon out to a friend of ours that we ride the Bus home with every night. This guy we see a ton every night when we are coming home. He works at a hotel so we always joke with him and we brought up the Gospel and he took a Book. So that was cool. Another busy day and glad that I learned so much today.

Sunday April 13^th, 2014

Fast Sunday is always a good day because we get to hear so many different testimonies. Church today was really good and we got a whole lot done. Today at church this guy showed up and so Elder Nilson and I talked with him. He was a little skeptical but we talked to him about the first vision and what we believe. He is a German Guy just searching for the Truth I believe. He said that there are 160 churches in Darmstadt or something and that he has visited 143 of them and that he will visit all the other ones. It was super interesting. He left after Priesthood Meeting. Not sure if he had much interest. Church was good. Its always good because we just get to talk to Members the whole day so that was cool. Everyone today was super happy about everything. After church we went down to Seeheim. We went and visited with a young family of 3 who I care about a ton.  They are super cool. The mom served here 5 years ago as a missionary and actually converted him as a missionary then came back a couple years later and married him. He has such a sweet conversion story that I want to get from them. We talked about Jesus Christ and how he helps us in our lives. They have a lot of questions that aren't necessary. I think they have a lot of doubts. So we are helping them realize that some questions we don't have to worry about. But that was a good lesson. We came home and I had to do call-ins with all the elders and sisters. It was good day and a solid week. Learned a lot of different things this week that were very up and down.

Bits from My Journal

Thanks for all the wonderful letters this week. I really enjoyed reading each and every one of them. It’s so cool to see the boys (Treyton and McKade) and how they are growing up so fast. They are so cute. I am feeling a lot healthier and I have a lot of energy. There was just that one night where it honestly was the worst night of my mission. I threw up and threw up and it kept coming and coming. I honestly had no energy and just laid on the floor forever. But I am doing a lot better and I don’t have any more pain anymore in my body so that is good. This coming week we are staying super busy. We have a lot of things planned and so that is good for us. 

It’s sweet that Kentucky is in the championship. Those are all the guys I played with when I was at home. Ha, that is what is so crazy. I hope that everything is going well with you guys. Mom asked me some question so I will answer them. I met a lot of interesting people this week. A lot of people were super nice this week and we had a lot of good conversations. When we dress up in our suits people really enjoy talking with us. Must be our looks right?:) ha

My companion and I are doing great still. We set new goals for the transfer and getting things started. We get along really well and everything is going well. The best thing about my mission this week was reading a talk titled "To young men Only" It was exactly what I needed to hear. Through this whole week I learned that I can forgive people and move on. 

I have to give a lesson on Ammon being such a strong missionary. I loved the way he does things. He does things out of love and asks people to serve them. I loved exactly how in conference it talked a lot about how we are super selfish as people and that we need to start looking after people. I absolutely loved that because that is a huge thing I have learned on my mission. How I can become better.

Tuesday was also a really good day for us. We actually got all of our studies in and were able to learn a lot. We had an appt. with Brother Mputu. He is from Congo Africa and is a less active. It was such a cool lesson. We talked about how the Gospel is 100% right but people of the Gospel are not perfect. He started opening up to us. The problem is that he is always working on Sunday so we need to find a solution for that. He’s a super cool guy. He was talking about trust and being “Brothers” He was explaining about how in Congo when you are 8 years old you are sent into the Jungle for 3 months. If you survive, you are a man. You have nothing, so you have to really be intelligent. It was cool how he used it to relate it to trust. He said after that, a 7-8 year old is done, he is a Man. He related that to trust. He is then the Man of the house and you can trust him because they test you whether or not you can make it. Another cool lesson we had was with a kid named Marcell and his family. His mom always tries to do scripture study with him but he just does not want to do it. So we as missionaries have a good relationship. He loves video games and everything and plays a lot. So what we did was went over to his house and read with him and his Mom. It was a lot of fun and we read 2 Nephi 31 with him. What we must do to receive eternal life. How powerful is this chapter; about baptism, and enduring to the end.  Life is tough. That’s why we have the Gospel. To always follow the right path. At the end of the night we had a lesson with also another 15 year old named Glyndor. We have a lesson or so then usually play a board game or something to build that relationship. Glyndor is way cool and it has been cool going and helping him out.

I love this Gospel, it is so true. I love how bold the Speakers were during the conference. It brings so much power and we honestly need to be a lot better people in this world. Sometimes we forget. I love how every single conference they talk about repenting of our sins, not holding grudges, and forgiving others. I loved the power from Elder Holland’s talk..I thought all the talks were great and were exactly what we needed to hear. I love this Gospel. This work is the Lords work.

Have a great week and I will hear from you all next week. I love you