Grace

/0 Comments/in /by

So this week was filled with service and water… I guess because it rained a bunch this week and that we helped a member whose basement flooded.

Normally a basement flooding here isn’t that big of a deal because they don’t have basements or they are just really small, but this member happens to have a special American designed home with a HUGE basement being used a storage so we had our work cut out for us.

Wednesday we had a street display in Lüneburg where we talked about family history, the Book of Mormon, and whatever else we could think of. We had 4 other missionaries from Hamburg there so it made for some fun. In the end we found a new contact, and gave out a few Book of Mormons.

Friday was zone conference! We had Elder Adler from the seventy there, such a great guy. He talked a lot about how to be happier as missionaries with the doctrine of Christ. “If you don’t believe you can have joy… Repent”.

I’m grateful for prayer and the scriptures, something that one can always turn to in times of need.

Elder Winkel

SpringtiesLuneburg

Hedgehog

/0 Comments/in /by

So we challenged our friend to pray about the Book of Mormon, this last week he let us know how it went… He was sitting out in his garden and he said “I prayed for a sign, because the Book of Mormon logically makes sense, it seems good. But is it a good book from man? Or is it from God?”
Well at that moment a small little hedgehog waddled out from under where he was sitting, stopped, and just looked at him. “I just looked at him and said, well you can’t be from the devil now could you.” Then the little guy waddled away. Haha.

Right now we’re making some goals for him to come to church.

Speaking of hedgehogs (Sister Wilson would get a kick outta this) we were driving out in the country side, when all of a sudden we came across a traffic jam. When we finally made our way forward, we noticed that it was just a little hedgehog taking his sweet time crossing the street, with all of these cars trying to carefully maneuver their way around him.

I’ve been thankful that we have been busy, being busy serving brings a great joy.

Elder Winkel

Typisch breakfast in the Middle East

Old man we helped in the woods’ dog “Barry”

Elder Behrndt had a birthday

Haircuts

breakfastBarrybirthdayboyhaircuts

Wunderbar

/0 Comments/in , /by

We had a miracle this week while we were street contacting. As we were walking a man standing in the doorway of a cafe gave me a weird look, waved us over and asked if we could talk with him for a couple minutes. He went on to explain that he is a member of the church and recently moved back to this part of Germany, he then showed us on his Facebook that the missionary that had baptized him, had just sent him the day before a link to the church website. Then a day later, he sees us walking down the street. He said he knows it was a sign from God and is ready to come back to church.

Thursday was our day of service… and was the sun wonderful. One could tell we got some sun, mostly because E. Anderson was looking like a red hot chili pepper by the end of the day. Pretty much from 10-7 we were pulling weeds, cutting grass, and fighting back the giant spiders in the wood pile we re-stacked. Man, I know those spider don’t have anything on the spiders in South America, but quantity is definitely worse than quality. Breeding like rabbits? Well rabbits can’t lay a trillion eggs in a woodpile.
Anyways one of ladies we did service for has an exchange student from Jordan living with her. I guess she thinks we’re pretty cool or something because she wants to make us some middle eastern food before Ramadan starts so that’ll be neat.

Elder Winkel

panoramicRaps

KZ Neuengamme

/0 Comments/in /by

This last week we were pretty busy, service and such.

I was on exchange with Elder Adams and we had a blast, we went and met with a less active and had a good lesson with him, in the end we’re going to be meeting with him more often, and I may or may not be taking an old man camping in Utah next year…

I’m super grateful for my Mom 😉 I’m not a very mushy person but I love her! I read this week about the prodigal son, it talked a lot about the father embracing his son, but I’m sure there was also a mother worried sick waiting for him as well.

Progression is real and I think that has been a big point I’ve learned on my mission, one can improve, develop, and really see something more in life than just what’s in front of our eyes. A new perspective on things paints a beautiful picture of life, and honestly makes it more enjoyable. I’ve learned I really don’t need to fear as long as I’m living a life in crescendo.

Today we had the experience to visit a concentration camp, it was a very different place. Not really sure how to explain it.

Elder Winkel

Note: second photo (Hunter recreated his dad’s photo – he’s on the left – Berlin Germany Mission and Jerry is on the right – Little Rock Arkansas Mission around 27 years earlier)

concentrationcampHunter&JerryinfieldPancakesmealsplurge

Month of May

/0 Comments/in /by

Right now my 4 elder district is just us and the Spanish program, so this week I was on exchanges with my amigo Elder Castillo from Nebraska! His family is from Mexico and he reminded me of my trainee Elder Burns (so he’s the best). We went and chopped some more wood for a member and got in some finding time before we went and finished the night with some nice burritos.

Saturday we went and had brunch with a member, who happened to invite a member from my first area. It was nice especially because when I met the dude I couldn’t speak pretty much any German, so I guess you could say it was nice to actually talk with him.

After we made the drive to Hamburg so we could practice for a musical number we’ll be singing at a zone conference. Well what do you know, I ran into a member from my second area! (S/O Sabrina) cool, cool. Afterwards I wanted some Burger King because we don’t really have that stuff out in the boonies, so we hurried and grabbed the “king of the month” made the drive back to our area so we could teach a lesson to our friend that reminded me of an old man elf in “Lord of the Rings”. He’s a really a cool guy and understands everything thing we teach him pretty well, but he also has a rough case of OCD, and has lived alone for a really long time.

But what’s cool is that before we were meeting with him he hadn’t really prayed for 50 years or so; now he prays often and has read half of the Book of Mormon. The man also understands it as well. Right now we’re just trying to figure out what we can do with him, his OCD is actually pretty severe, it can take him 10 minutes or so just to close the door, open close, lock re-lock, open close etc. Nevertheless it’s cool to see someone take a small step into the light of Christ and see how it changes them.

 

Elder Winkel

 

-Our investigator showed us a sweet pic of him and his old motorcycle, unfortunately he wrecked it and had to spend a couple years doing physical therapy…

-Hamburg

-Sabrina from Zwickau

OldmotorcycleHamburg3Sabrina