October 15, 2012, Hannover

Haallllllooooooo!!! :)

So what a crazy busy week! Not gonna lie, this week was a load of fun and a riot, haha! You’re right, Mom, I barely had any time to teach ‘cause of all the traveling we had to do.

Last week on Tuesday Elder W and I said our good-byes and he got on his train heading to Halla! We then greeted Elder H's new companion, Elder W shortly after. Haha, there’s not much of a difference in the names. For the time being I tagged along with Elder S as he said good-bye to investigators and members. We had a way awesome lesson with a girl from Brazil. She's 22 years old and she's in Germany for a year to learn German. During our lesson we asked her how she was doing and she broke down because she was home sick. We sang some hymns with her since we were at the church, and got her to feel better. We had a way good lesson with her. She's only got another 6 months here in Germany, and then she'll be on her way home again. She's super solid, and really interested in the Church. Lots of potential!

  On Wednesday we had our road trip to Berlin! It took us 6 hours to get there because of delays but it wasn't too bad because we were with 2 other elders and a Sister, who also were going to be trainers! We played some games and talked about random stuff which made the time go by. Elder S and I then slept in a “Wohnung” with 2 elders who live in Berlin. I didn't sleep too well on the mattress that they put on the floor, so the whole day on Thursday I was pretty wiped out. In the morning we made eggs and oatmeal for breakfast and then drove to the church for our meeting with President Kosak. He gave a “Thema” on being a trainer and then we met all the new missionaries! It was a big group of 22 new missionaries!! Shortly after, they started to call out the companionships. My new companion is Elder B! He's from Memphus, Tennesse. He's a 6ft 3in, 198lb, football player, haha. He makes me look small! I'm super stoked to be able to serve with him and to be his trainer. He's got a heart of Gold!

He's super excited to be in Germany and to start teaching people. We finally got out of the Church by “15 Uhr” and went to the ”Bahnhof” to get on our train. The train we were supposed to take was cancelled, and so we had to wait at the “Bahnhof” for 2 hours until the next one came. So I bought Elder B his first Döner and checked out a couple stores. There were 4 other missionaries traveling with us back to Hannover; the Sister companionship, and an Elder Companionship from Mitte. We got on the train heading to Magdeburg and it overheated on the way. We were stuck for about 45 minutes waiting for the train engine to cool off so we could keep going. We then finally made it in Magdeburg and we missed our connecting train because of the delay. So our options were paying for an ICE train direct to Hannover, or buying a cheap trip to Braunschweig and then to Hannover. If we took the ICE we would be in Hannover by 11:10 PM, and if we took the other one, we would be home by 12:45 AM...so we decided to pay the extra money and take the direct trip to Hannover with the ICE! It was ridiculous! As we were getting all our tickets sorted out, we left Elder B and Elder S (both new missionaries) with the luggage. As I came back to help them move the stuff on the right “Gleis”, i found them talking to a random man holding open and explaining the Book of Mormon to him! haha I was so happy seeing them doing work instead of just sitting around and talking. They told me they had placed 2 Books of Mormon and had a good talk with at least 2 other people in the 40 minutes I was gone, haha. It was amazing! Their German is pretty bad but they're way confident and have deep testimonies and that makes up the rest!

  On the train ride to Hannover, we sat across from a 22yr old man. I started talking to him about some drawings he was making and found out he was drawing them for his 5year old son. He had also skipped 3 years of school, and is already a doctor! His heart was too big and when he was 4 he had major heart surgery, but now everything is okay. He believes in God, and has faith in Christ, but sometimes asks himself why bad things happen even to believers. His brother died in 2006 of cancer, and then in 2009 his mother died also. We had a really good talk with him and the Spirit was really strong. We read Alma 7:11-13 with him and his whole attitude changed. I found out he lives in Halla, (where Elder W is serving now!) and got his contact information from him. The really cool thing about the lesson is that during it, Elder B was having a hard time following along, but he at one point stepped in and bore his testimony about his little brother also having cancer but living. He shared how he felt and how Jesus Christ helped him through his personal worries and struggles. It was perfect! He's going to be and already is a very good missionary! I'm blessed to have a companion like him. We finally got to bed at 12 AM, and man, did I ever sleep well. lol.

  Friday, all of our appointments fell through, so we were busy enough planning for our next week and then on top of that we got asked to prepare a “Thema” for our Zone Training meeting on Tuesday. So we are, and were super busy.

  On Saturday I got to see our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson in Hamburg, and on top of that OMA and OPA!! It was soooo nice!! It's been 10 years since I’ve seen them and Oma bathed me in kisses, haha! I spent a good amount of time with them catching up and almost missed the bus because of it, haha. Wow I missed them, and I was so happy to see them again. We basically hugged and held each whenever we could! I also got the blessing of seeing Heidi!! She said she's not doing well, but that she was happy to be at the Conference. She was crying with joy because of the opportunity she had to hug me and tell me that she loved me and that she was proud of me. I love her, she's amazing! It was an amazing day with lots of emotions! I'll never forget it! :) When we got back to Hannover, we decided to get out a “Haltestelle” early and walk the rest of the way home talking to people. It was fun talking to people, and we were dead when we finally got home.

  On Sunday, we taught our Chinese investigators. We're still trying to get them on baptismal date, but even though they aren't yet, they're still making progress! I'm glad to say that we teach really well together and that my 'Son' has a strong testimony of the Gospel!

Thanks for letting me know how the Lord has been blessing you guys. I'm proud of my family, and all the decisions you all are making. Kassandra, Charlene, Jeremy, I love you, and keep making those right decisions. You should count how many times it says this sentence in the Book of Mormon: 'Keep the commandments and you'll prosper in the land.' It says it a ton, and it’s true. The Lord will continually bless us! I love you mom and dad, thanks for everything! I miss you, but know I’m doing well!
Bis naechste Woche!

Thema = lesson                                15 Uhr = 3 PM                       Bahnhof = train station

Gleis = track                               Haltestelle =(bus/train) stop