Well first off we got a referral last week, he’s a refugee from Afghanistan, he’s actually the son of an ambassador there but people wanted to kidnap him so he came here! He’s Islamic and has really good English, he mostly wants friends and people to talk to so I guess we work. But we talked about God with him for about an hour so it was really cool.

Berlin! Well because of the train system strikes in Germany I got to buy another ticket there… so we took a 5 hour bus ride instead of a 3 hour ICE (Inter-City-Express) train ride… but it was okay because we got to hang out with our zone leaders, then we went and got Burger King. Then the office Elders came and picked us up and took us to their apartment, really cool and really big. Then another 6 elders got in late and had to crash with us too.

The next morning a bunch of old couple missionaries came and took us to the church, and I got to see everyone, super sweet.

The meeting was titled “Disciples in the Digital Age” and we’re supposed to get iPad’s in a week or so and we’ll be on facebook. But it was also the last time the entire mission would be together with President Kosak. It was really cool to see and talk to him again. He told us with all the internet and such that we will be using he has our complete trust, and the area seventy that was there added “President Kosak also told me he knows 16 ways to kill a man”. Then President from his seat nodded his head shot us with a pretend gun and blew the smoke from the barrel, all with a smile. I died laughing, really though, I died.  I have so much love/fear of President Kosak, he makes us want to be obedient, which is really important to a mission.

We also had Stake Conference on Saturday and President was also at that, he told the members to trust us with an analogy “when a bird builds a nest, it doesn’t rely on the branch, it relies on its wings” so hopefully more members will start trusting us. The members where I’m from all love him because he grew up in their Stake. Stake Conference was really cool too, because the Stake is so big they held it in a theater in Leipzig.

At the end of our meeting President Kosak said to not forget that we are children of God, I am a son/daughter of God, we’ve heard it all our lives, but do we really realize how important and big that really is? He told us to “remember to know that you know.” I know that what he said is true, we can always remember and rejoice because no matter what happens in the end, in the beginning we are children of God.

Lead kindly Light

Elder Winkel

This week we were in Braunschweig until Wednesday, Elder Brimhall’s surgery went super, and he got to keep the metal rod! Then Sister Kosak had us spend another day in the apartment in Braunschweig, while Elder B was asleep I studied and played with a soccer ball because the apartment there is huge! The next day we had a few hours before his checkup so we went to Primark! It’s like Macys but everything’s super cheap. I bought two ties for 5 euro! And then went to his checkup, then on the 5 hour train ride home some drunk couple was yelling at each other (in German so it was pretty intense) for like an hour…  It was a long ride.

We got to teach one of our old guys this week, really though he’s super old, he lives alone and his wife died about 5 years ago. He’s pretty open but I think it’s because he has nothing else to do, but we taught him the plan of salvation and he agreed and liked most of it, but he’s still not sure about the Book of Mormon, so he said he would keep reading and praying.

Our other old guy (that waved us down from the window) actually looks about 90 but it turns out he’s only 55. He has diabetes and smokes and drinks a ton. The man has crates and crates of alcohol in the room. He said his doctor said if he quits drinking he will die… so he needs quite a bit of help. Two of the three times we were there he was drinking, so it will be hard but we have faith in him! On Friday we went street contacting but there was no one anywhere… after about 30 minutes we noticed someone behind us and it was one of our less actives with his girlfriend! He was on his way to go buy a ring because I guess he’s now engaged. Way cool.

Then we decided to walk by the huge church in the city and some old couple came and asked if the church was open, we told them we didn’t know because it wasn’t our church. Then they asked where we were from and it turns out they were in California and the Grand Canyon last year. Then the lady talked about those weird and crazy Mormons that crossed the plains, then she asked what church we were from. “Wir sind die mormone”. She was a little shocked and tried to recover by saying they were “the nicest people she’s ever met”… haha but they were nice and it gave us a chance to explain who we are.

Also we found out more info about Mission Conference on the 24th in Berlin! Because the whole mission will be there they’re assigning where missionaries outside of Berlin will be spending the night, so Elder B and I will be staying with the AP’s, our Zone Leaders, and the office Elder in the Mission home. It’ll be way cool.

For church yesterday we watched the Conference Sunday afternoon session, but I could not stay awake because it was in German… I can understand quite a bit but in the background you can kind of hear English, then mix that with what I can’t understand, then my head dies… But it was funny when Uchtdorf spoke in German… the ward died laughing!

This week we go to Braunschweig one more time for one last checkup. That also means 9 hours of being on a train that day, but it will be good.

This week I studied about humility. Ether 12:27 talks about if we humble ourselves the Lord will make our weakness our strengths. Our weaknesses are what keep us from reaching our full potential, but when we humble ourselves and ask the Lord to help us He WILL help us reach our potential. Our Savior Lives! Easter is over but the time to celebrate that He Lives isn’t, we can always become closer to our Savior.

mit liebe

Elder Winkel

 

We watched the stars all night.

Braunschweig Elders!

Huge apartment! Even had a first floor.

With festival poster.

My first shot at cinnamon rolls.

 

Special week this week, we found another new investigator! And I also learned something about love.

We had about an hour where we were in a weird part of town with no map… so I decided to just wander and see if we could find a contact that we had been to before. After wandering a little while Elder Brimhall turned his head and saw a man waving at us through his window to come in, little weird because that never happens. But we went and he let us in. The man looks exactly like the old man in “Meet the Robinsons” no teeth or anything. We just talked to him, he lives alone and I think he’s been alone for a while but he asked us if we could just come visit him every week and also on his birthday:) We told him we would and got his info. Elder Brimhall and I learned a lot. The Lord really does love this man, I don’t think we understood the impact of just talking to him, and what that did for him. I also learned something from him, he was nice and friendly to us even though we are missionaries (sounds weird but true).

We didn’t realize it at the time but it was the Spirit that was guiding us to him. The Lord knew that he needed a friend, someone to talk to, and he guided us to him. The Lord is aware and loves all his children.

On Saturday after street contacting for a long time, the best conversation we had was with a drunk atheist that had just gotten out of jail, he was nice and pleasant, ANYONE can be a friend.

On Thursday we went to Braunschweig! We had a mission conference through the phone and listened to President Kosak talk about “Because He Lives”. It was a little hard because we were on a train but still great. Braunschweig is a giant city! It was nice to see and hear so many people that speak the German I learned!  Elder Brimhall is getting the rod removed from his arm next week, so on Monday night we will have to spend the night with the Braunschweig elders because the operation is early the next morning.

Wednesday we will be in Chemnitz for Zone Training Meeting so that will be fun. And for P-day today our ward mission leader is taking us to the golfing range!

Because He lives, WE have an example, and a friend. I hope that this week we all can look to reach out and just be a friend at the store or on the streets. We can be a friend anywhere.

Mit liebe

Elder Winkel

Dad asked about the language – German is okay, I would not say fluent but I get by well (with the Spirit).

This week was funny! And super hard, but good. We tried to meet with this contact who is an anti-Christ, and pretty much worships the devil, but even he last moment canceled on us.

This week we decided to put all the Uchtdorf myths about Zwickau to rest, so we asked a member and they had a picture book from Deseret Book that talks about his conversion! The book is called “Sister Eternal” (schwester ewig) and the paintings in the book were based off the real places in Zwickau! Super Cool, then we went through the records of where church was held in Zwickau and the church that Uchtdorf went to with his family for the first time was 3 doors up from our apartment! He was baptized because a lady decided to invite his family to church! Member work is important. EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY

We got yelled at a lot this week but that’s pretty normal for us. We also had a lot of good moments in the streets with no new investigators yet, but they will come!

We made french toast with a loaf and a half worth of bread, wayyy good.

Because of the hard moments this week I decided to make a list of things I’m grateful for, the list ranged from Family and Friends to Star Wars and Basketball. It helped me realize how many things have brought me joy in life, and how grateful I am for them.

This week was cold but I heard this week is supposed to be warmer. Last week we had a couple nice days!

No matter how many people yell at us, the gospel is still true! All the people that are yelling have had hard lives and don’t really know what happiness is. It’s our job to help them to find it!

Mit liebe

Elder Winkel

Well Zwickau… it’s super ghetto. Really though. I’m about as deep in the old DDR as you can get, my area borders Czech, and the Frankfurt Mission.

My first night in Zwickau we went and played soccer with orphans, which I guess we do every 2 weeks! I accidently kicked an orphan in the head… really hard with the ball. He was playing goalie… but he was alright…. And I promise I don’t hate all the orphans in the whole world…haha.

On Thursday we street contacted a bunch and randomly ran into this guy from Iran, he invited us to his house, it was really weird. When we got into his house he had tons of every Mormon book and pamphlet. Then he showed us a photo album he had with him and the Elders from like 3 years ago, and him at the church and stuff. His English was really bad and so was his German so it was hard to communicate. He then asked us if we could help him with his mold problem.  He took us to his back room and it was just straight mold. The entire room was molded over… I thought we were going to die! We decided we would go check him out in the area book, so we gave him our number and got his and left. It turns out he was on a baptismal date but he failed the Muslim test that we have to give people to be baptized. He goes and visits Iran all the time so that kind of counts as a hostile country to Christians. So unless he plans on never going back he can’t be baptized. But we invited him to English class, he showed up and it went pretty well.

On Friday we and the sisters invited our investigators to a game night with foosball and ping pong. A couple guys from Syria showed up and I challenged them to ping pong. And the guy was pretty good, but LET IT BE KNOWN I beat W***** (from Syria) at ping pong. Our church is way cool – the attic is huge so they finished it and have a band room and ping pong tables. The ward has an actual band that jams every Monday to The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

Saturday we went on some faith to go visit this less active super far away. There was no map for the city but we showed up looking for the street. After walking for 3 hours asking everyone, a lady told us where it was. We got there and she wasn’t home… so we left a note saying we came by. The next day at church our friend in the ward told us that she came to sacrament meeting! Because we’re new we don’t recognize anyone but he said it was the first time he’s seen her at church in years!

A member had us over for dinner on Sunday. He showed us all his old family pictures… his grandpa was a Nazi… then he showed us a picture that his grandfather had taken of an airplane that was shot down by the Nazis. The flag had a small US logo on it, and I whispered to Elder Brimhall “is that one of ours…?” and all he said was “yeah”. Then the member drove us to the huge bridge made of bricks. It was sweet.

Elder Brimhall is way cool, he lived in Hawaii before his mission, and also Arizona, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and South Korea… his dad is in the military. The ward is pretty big.  Around eighty people at church. President Uchtdorf was baptized in this ward too!

This is honestly a terrible place, but the ward is great and it’s the people that I’m here for.

Elder Winkel