Called to Serve Him: Letter #54 - I have declared for myself, a dependant

I HAVE A SOHN!!!! Lemme tell you about him:

Elder Brendan Shelley
From: Elko Nevada
Hair: Dark orange
Family: 3rd oldest of 8
Age: 19
Talents: Being awesome, soccer, and crackin' jokes
Born: WERDAU, GERMANY

So I am officially a father. :) I love it. I went down on Tuesday to Gera, slept overnight with the Elders there, and then we (Elder Wright is training too) traveled to Frankfurt to the Mission Office. We had a meeting, slept in the hotel here, and then pick up our Golden's the next morning. We ended up arriving in Frankfurt 3 hours before the meeting for all the Trainers... So, Elder Wright and I got to talk to the missionaries, and I had a good time talking to the President and his wife. I spent a lot of time with Elder Emery and Elder Lindsey, some of my good friends on the mission and from the home land.

At the Trainers Meeting, I got to see a lot of my MTC buddies who were training also: Elders Nelson and Boam, and Sisters McMurray and Teeples. I love these missionaries to death. I knew a lot of the Elders there, and I am just SO HAPPY to meet so many amazing soldiers in God's Army.

3 claps for missionaries.

Anyway, after that we got to go to the hotel, where I slept my first day here in Germany. WOW! It was totally a flashback. It really hit me. It has totally been one entire year. As Elder Boam, Nelson, and I were standing outside the hotel looking at all the cars go past, we remembered when we did that the first time. We were exclaiming, "Wow, so many Audis and BMWs... and now, oh wow, a truck!" It's amazing, just really, how far I've come (that was a bad example, but ya :)). The next day, I met Elder Shelley! What a great guy. We hit it right off the bat as we took our 5 and half hour train ride home. :) We talked to some people on the way. I maybe accidentally broke his luggage. It's ok now... hopefully. I fell on the handle. Bad trains. :) But lemme just tell you about the cool things we have seen ALREADY since he has been here...

We are just excited. We are happy, and we believe. I love it. :) We had our English Class, and are going to get a new investigator out of it, which is AWESOME. Something that is really cool, is how much I have learned to love service. I made a vow to just do little things for him everyday, and it's great. We went contacting the other day, and it was all about the little things. We helped someone into the train, gave someone money that they dropped, etc., etc. I just LOVE service. The best feeling is seeing that person's burden being lifted, and leaving them happier than they were before. That is what makes me keep going everyday. I am so grateful that the Lord trusts me with that.

I honestly believe that everything we go through, is for a reason. This may sound weird, but I cant WAIT to be a real father. Training, like Bro. Bird told me, is totally like fatherhood (as if I would know). But, it really is cool, when all you care about, is him. Making sure that He is ok, and that he has a great beginning to his mission. I want him to learn how much the Lord loves him. I just think about how much OUR Father in Heaven loves us perfectly. How much patience he has with us. How he is a perfect teacher, a perfect example, a perfect father. I love the Lord, and I love to serve. :) 3 cheers for this next transfer. :) Have a great week!!!

Elder Mayne