(Friday December 26th)

 

I probably made 200 cookies this last week, we took them to less actives and investigators with a joy to the world DVD!

We had our ward Christmas party Saturday! It was amazing we had 63 people there! About a billion less actives and only 5 nonmembers, but then at church the next morning we only had 16 people show up. It was quite a downer, the counselor who was conducting just got up and said “looks like everyone was too hungover from last night…” haha that was pretty funny, but yeah we have A LOT of less actives that just never show up…

There really is no place like home for the holidays! We listened to American Christmas music on Friday at one of our 7 hour eating appointments. Music really does make it feel like Christmas!

Christmas Eve we helped M***** move! He’s the guy that had his records removed from the church and is coming back. We’ve finished all the review lessons and now he just needs to meet with someone before he can be baptized again! So we helped him move from his mom’s house. She seemed like a super nice lady who looked and sounded just like Russell Anderson’s mom! But it turns out she’s bi polar and an atheist. So when we first met her she loved to talk to us and made us tons of cookies, but then the next day we dropped by and she wouldn’t even come say hello. M***** was really glad to be moving.

For the 25^th and 26th of Christmas we went to family Meckas and family Schwabs. They basically kidnapped us at noon and wouldn’t drive us home till night, so we couldn’t get much work done. The other problem is NO ONE is outside and we can’t go door to door for this whole week so we’re either trapped at a member’s house, or organizing the area book. But being at a member’s house is super fun, we eat tons of food and play games but you start to feel like a worthless missionary after a while. So we’re going to go by some less actives with some more cookies and stuff like that!

We committed a lady to baptism! She’s from Ghana and her husband lives about 3 hours away because that was the only place he could find work. He’s a member but we’re not sure how active he is. We’ve never seen him and he only visits like once a month. After the first lesson the spirit kept telling me to ask her if she would be baptized so I finally did at the end and she said yes! The spirit was way strong!

 

(Monday 12/29)

I gave a talk in church about prayer, it went okay! German was a little rough in parts but I got my points across. We generally have about 25-35 in attendance. Saturday we did doors in the freezing cold all day. Sunday afternoon we went to an eating appointment, then to a 98 year old member’s birthday party and brought a new ward member that moved in so he could get to know people better!

This week was great! The story is long but good!

We went knocking doors on Thursday (doors is always a last resort) and I was trying to be positive but was still surprised when we got a phone call from a guy named M*****.  He is a super educated guy with a law degree, who is fluent in German, English, and some other crazy language. He joined the church in 2005 while he was getting his law degree in San Antonio, Texas. He then moved back home where he just couldn’t find success here as a lawyer. Then his friends and family made fun of him and said bad things about the church and he slowly became inactive. His friends and family continued giving him a hard time about it, so he had his records removed from the church.

Six months ago he had a feeling he needed to come back, and then about a month ago he texted us asking when the next ward activity was which isn’t till Christmas. So then we didn’t hear from him again until Thursday, when he called and said he wanted to meet ASAP. Luckily we were dooring by the church which is cool because we’re NEVER by the church because it’s like a billion miles away. We met with him and he said he had a really huge spiritual experience this last week where God told him that he needed to come back.

So we met with him and the Bishop, and made a plan. He needs to meet with the Stake President and until then he said he would come to church. And yesterday he did! He was there the whole time and he made some really good comments. Then right when church ended he got a phone call that he got the apartment that he was trying to get so he could move out of his mom’s house. He’s currently a bus driver and he hates it. He even said “I’m honestly too qualified to be a bus driver”. And he told us he has to distance himself from his family and friends so that he can come closer to God.

Then (again at church) he overheard us talking to this member that’s going to be going to some country for a month. It just so happens that the third crazy language that he’s fluent in is for that country. He asked the member if he could find out if his company has any jobs available speaking that language. It turns out that they’ve been looking for someone that knows that language and a bunch about law – we think this members a debt collector (no joke). So then he got a job interview for later that day! He was so excited and he knows that the Lord is blessing him. Even if he doesn’t get this job the Lord is blessing him with opportunities.

He kept thanking us but I realized that we really didn’t do much. All we’re doing as missionaries is being an instrument. The Lord is just working his miracles through us. And I’m happy to be that instrument.

It’s weird that next week I’ll be 19… Elder O’keefe said he’ll make me Kneaders french toast for my birthday so it’ll be awesome! I love you all! And Christmas!

HE IS THE GIFT

Elder Winkel

The “debt collector’s” house. He is the German guy that is having us teach his mother. His house is an old windmill that has been in his family forever! He travels a lot and all he’s really told us about his work is that he “deals with a lot of dishonest people” in the mill industry. Haha. Probably not a debt collector but he’s got some crazy scars on his face, he’s like a henchman from James Bond or something.

I bought a tree! 15 euros! I found a stand in our storage too!