Letter #94 - It All Comes Back to Family

3 And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been.

This scripture came into my mind several times this past week, and I all that I can say is that I understood what Jacob meant. I love the picture that he puts in my mind of being "weighed down" with a desire, and anxiety, all for his people. And I can honestly say personally I have felt that weight, but also that that "weight" is all created out of a love for the people I serve.

This week we had Zone Training, and oh was this an exciting one. We planned on having it on Thursday at 11am. We get a text from the tech elders that there is a strike for the workers on the trains, so we might have to cancel the meeting if it will be hard for missionaries to get to Heidelberg. We immediately looked it all up and planned for 11:30am. Then after much preparations for themes, papers, chex muddy buddies for snacks, suprise birthday party for Elder Nelson, and cool German CTR rings, the day finally came.

I myself personally, could explain to you all that we talked about, but what I want to say is how I felt. The specific themes were on unity, obedience, our purpose, a new beginning, and agency. It all went wonderfully. Everyone gave wonderful talks, and it was great. As I sat there though listening and seeing everyone's faces, this overwhelming feeling came over me that I couldn't muster or control myself. And the only word that I could use to describe it was love. I felt that desire and anxiety wash away as I sat there and let the Spirit teach these wonderful missionaries in their hearts. I gave the theme on agency and did my best to teach as Elder Bednar did and led a discussion. I am far from that, but the preparation that I put in and my many prayers were heard, and it was exactly what I, and others needed.

The other 2 experiences, have to do with family. We met with this wonderful family from Iran, who left everything to become Christian here in Germany. We just sat there amazed as they described to us their journey that was so unbearable, nothing that I could even compare my life to, and all because of Christ. The mother has even left two of her oldest children there, and misses them everyday, because she can't even see them or have contact with them.

Similarly there is also a mom that has been away from her kid about 2 years now, and all because she knows and loves her Heavenly Father and Jesus and sent her son away, so he could bring "a few souls unto Christ". I got to see this amazing mother and wish her a Happy Mother's Day, and all I can say is, I have amazing examples in my life, especially from the women that are in my life. Happy Mother's Day, mom :)

All I can say is, the overwhelming feeling of LOVE is a standard and a base for what I do. It's where my desire is rooted. I love the people I serve, and I desire for the "welfare of their souls". I desire, that the people that are close to me and mean something to me, to be happy. When I see someone in pain or in a moment of weakness, I know I can do something about it. I know I can be there. And I desire, that everyone, finds where true love stems from, and that is in Christ.

Have a wonderful week :) And if you want to know, I'll be in Utah from July 10th to the 22nd, so lemme know if you want to do anything :) much love!!!

Elder Mayne

Letter #93 - Just Ask

I have to say, I have been sitting at the computer for like 10 minutes just trying to figure out what I need/want to say in this letter, and nothing is coming to me other than just a couple of experiences that happened this week. So many things happened that changed me this week, and all I can do is just try to explain them.

This week Satan said "uh.... no" to my German and that hit me hard all week long. Then Thursday happened, and it changed me. We met with Andreas and talked about enduring to the end. We watched the video from Elder Bednar about "Enduring Our Burdens With Hope". Amazing spirit. As I struggled to produce words, I just spoke from the heart, and I felt the Spirit work through me. Really understood the "unto" the heart like it says in the scriptures.

After that we went to district meeting in Karlsruhe, and as we got there (a little bit late. LOTS of rain) they were doing it in German, and I was like "poop." Part of me wanted to curl up in a corner and just talk to myself in English; the other part wanted to stand on the table and speak the tounge of angels. I had a topic to give during the meeting, and luckily it was with Elder von Wallwitz so he picked up my big slack :) But after that, we split and I went with Elder Vorimo back to Heidelberg. Something that the Karlsruhe missionaries were doing was only speaking German the entire week because a member offered to buy them ice cream. Ha so Elder Vorimo and I had a LONG car ride (including traffic). But I just listened and asked questions and started to gain confidence again in the language it seemed I couldn't master alone.

Then we came home, cooked an awesome meal, and went to the hospital in Mannheim to visit Abbe, who just had an opperation to take out a kidney stone. When we walked into his room, his face was priceless. He was so happy we came. He was in pain, but knew that it would be better now, and he was just so grateful that we would come and stop by to see him and make sure he was alright. I had the feeling to wip out Mosiah 24 and talk about the people who had burdens that they could not bear, but then the Lord made them able to bear them. The Spirit entered the room and the people next to us also stopped conversing and listened to what we had to say. We gave a nice prayer, and the people next to him took a card as we walked out after talking to them. That's the language everyone recognizes :)

After that we went to Institute, where literally only 4 people showed up because there were several things going on later that day. So we had time to do some language study :) Exactly what I needed all day. So I thought. We had a meeting with Prakash that night, and I felt that we should call the RM of the ward, Tabea Henkel, who came back last week and have her joint teach with us. She is awesome. She came a little early and we had a nice chat. She talked a little about life after the mission and how her day was just kinda like "eh." As she was talking, we walked in to Prakash. We had a good chit chat so everyone got familiar with each other. As we started, I said the prayer, and I felt this amazing spirit. The lesson was amazing. We talked about the Anti Nephi Lehis and how they TRULY became converted unto the Lord, and read the story of how they would rather die then brake this covenant they had made with the Lord. The Spirit was so strong. I literally could say it felt like "earth was quaking" but that it was all in the heart. Again we came to stalemate of him saying he needed time, but we found out more concerns and addressed them, and the Spirit was so strong, a lot coming from the testimonies of Tabea and Elder Vorimo.

I came home that night and just reflected on everything. It seems like the rainiest days do that to people :) But I just sat in my bed, listening to the rain, and I just began to pray and to think about those who mattered most to me, and then those I am loving here, and the home that I have here. The lessons where we learn the most, are in the home. This "home" has taught me the greatest lesson I will probably ever learn. And it's relying on the Atonement. All throughout the day, I felt like my own wisdom, my strength that I had, was good enough. And then all throughout the day, the person who is the teacher (the Spirit) testified of who we really need to rely on, which is Christ. I have realized that the enabling power of the atonement is real. I am an agent, who can act on his own. If I ask the Lord to take away the problems, the things that I struggle with, what benifit would that do? Elder Bednar says that sometimes we believe that the absence of a load will make us happy. But it is only through the load, that we create spritual traction that enables us to go along the pathway to our Heavenly Father. To be an agent, is to ask. To ask for His divine and eternal help.

And Sunday I realized that. I felt the Lord carry me. We had such an amazing Sunday, had a wonderful time with a lot of investigators, and I got to bear my testimony in every class and in Sacrament meeting as well. This work is true and I know that the Lord, is who we need in order to become.

Have a great great Day. Ya'll are loved :)

Elder Mayne

oh and PS: For all you Neon Trees fans out there, I met Elaine Bradley and her husband. Haven't washed my hand for like 6 days now (spaß) And saw my good ol teach from the MTC Andrew Birkensha :) shout out to him and his wife.

Bad week on pics. not cool at all. haha did make some yummy cinnomon (sp) rolls though :)

Letter #92 - Start Rolling Memory Reel Titled "Never Forget This"

Rosina.

She got baptized :)

(memory reel starts.... click click click)

Elder von Wallwitz and I pack everything up and head to the church at 1pm, two hours before the baptism. I'm wearing my favorite tie, he is looking great. I brought an extra shirt so I don't have to be soaked like last time, and everything is great. We show up there, realize we don't have any treats, which we were supposed to bring. We start praying that members will bring stuff. We walk into the church, go straight to the font, and start filling it up. I look inside of the font, and there is a massive fly just floating in the water. Ew. Luckily this isn't the first time. I go grab our makeshift dingsbumbs, which is perfect for the job. Next we go set up the chairs and start printing our programs. Brian, our ward mission leader, shows up and starts helping as well. Everything is set up, looking great. We start chatting, then I realize...I forgot my white pants. Elder von Wallwitz starts laughing. Brian says I should wear the grandpa airspace jumpsuits they have. No hesitation, I put that thing right on. Looks like a perfect fit. We stop panicking. We go out to the door and see that Rosina is there with her son. She is so happy, tells us she drank lots of water last night and today, so she can be clean outside and inside :)

We go show her the baptismal fount and she is so excited. Her son is excited for her as well and is a nice chap. We get closer to crunch time and lots of members are showing up, which is so great to see. We tell her that it's time to go get changed, and I head into the men's stall, she to the women's. As I'm changing, I get a little emotional and just pray that everything will go great. I express my gratitude to see someone following Jesus Christ, even one of my dear friends I care about so much. As I head out and wait for her, Elder von Wallwitz and I just can't even hold our excitement. There is just nothing better. She comes out and is just shining in her white dress. She says we are both white angels, just without the circle around our head (forgot what that is in english). We take a couple of pictures and then head into the full room of people to start the baptism program.

Everything goes great. The Spirit there is just a big warm feeling, like someone is just hugging the entire room there and just squeezing. Talea, an awesome girl in the ward, gives the talk on baptism, and then we procede to the baptism. I go in the water and help Rosina walk down the stairs. She holds on to me and then I say the words "Beauftragt von Jesus Christus, taufe ich dich in Namen des Vaters, und des Sohnes, und des Heilgen Geistes, Amen." And I dip her in. She goes forward, because of her back, and doesn't go completely under the first time. After she comes out, her face is just smiling and looks around like the world is completely new. I tell her we have to do it one more time, and she is more than willing. We do it again, and it's perfect. She comes out of the water and smiles again and says "nochmal?" One more time? :) I laugh and say no, it's perfect, and then she wants to take a picture in the font and I hold on to her tight.

We change and then continue with the baptism again, and she is just happy. You can tell she is just on top of the world. This is her day. The bishop speaks to her so nicely and the program ends, and luckily there was a lot of refreshments, and we just chat after and spirits are high and the feeling of being washed clean and the happiness is just all over the face of Rosina. What an amazing day.

Now Elder Bednar (throw in the other reel)

We are sitting in the chapel, waiting all quietly as we study and try to prepare ourselves best for him, and as the clock hits 10am, in walks President Stoddard and his wife, followed by Elder Bednar and his wife. Everyone is standing and you can just feel the Spirit in the room. President says a few words, someone says a prayer, and then he immediately turns the time over to Elder Bednar. Elder Bednar stands up and speaks and says he is grateful to be there and then says that first and foremost he brings his love from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and the Prophet and his counselors. I feel this feeling of love and gratitude for these men, and the thought that pops into my head: "These men are called and ordained of God." And I know it. Then Elder Bednar says, "I'm going to say a statement and then I want to know what your first thoughts are as I say this alright? I'm not here to talk about iPads." For about an hour and a half, we talked about that... And the conversation the entire lesson was guided by the Spirit. I just sat there amazed with the way he taught, by inviting the Spirit. I learned so many things I need to improve on, and how I can become better. Then of course, they talked about iPads later, and the things and the thoughts and the ideas they have compiled together was amazing. The things that I am learning now, are things I'm going to take home from my mission and also teach my kids. This meeting was absolutely spectacular. He gave a prophecy at the end and said that some of you, I will meet again personally, and you will talk about this meeting and the things you have learned. And I felt, that one day, that will happen. And I can't wait, to tell him the things that I've learned.

This week was amazing, and so spiritual. All I can say is, like my best bud Steph back home said this week "I just smile bigger now."

And to conclude, I just want to give a shout out to someone. I won't say their name, but one of my dear friends went home from their mission this week, and I just want them to know that I care about them a lot, I love them, and they should come talk to me. :) Because it doesn't matter how many times we fall, but how many times we wipe off the dust of what we are leaving behind and pick ourselves back up :)

Have a wonderful week. Love you all!!!

Letter #91 - Our Desires Are What Make ACTION

Wednesday:

Wake up, morgen sport (morning exercise). Nice quick breakfast, hurry and gather all the things we need for the day, hustle out the door at 8am to go to the church. Almost there, get a call from the sisters, they are locked from the inside of their apartment... The missionary couple is trying to help with no avail, we come, no help. I bump the mission couple's car on the hump, because the garbage man came at the same time. Oops. We try all we can, call the tech elders, they tell us to try everything we can, then tell us to brake the door. Elder von Wallwitz rams into the door, breaks the lock, and the door. Sisters have to leave, they put the lock back on, a piece of the door, and lock the apartment, and we all bounce. We drive quickly to the church, plan two preaches for the day, do some others, and then head to the church in Limberhof were we were all planning on having a 30 min Zone training. Elder von Wallwitz, me, and Elder Nelson did a theme on how we are all Superheros, and we wore our normal procelyting clothes, then superman stuff over the top, and then old american clothes, and we talked about how we are all special (rip shirt off, show superman suit) then talked about how superheroes don't have the power we have, we are all ordained of God (take off superman, missionary attire). It was really, really fun. It was also super hot that day. After, went to district meeting in the Mannheim district. Great time. President comes down, does interviews with everyone. Love that man. Go on a split with my German buddie Elder Schmidt. Went and taught Abbe and set a baptismal date for the 9th of May. Talked with all the homies there and got three new investigators, saw Tony as well. After went to the church, Elder Schmidt had his leavers interview and I had a good chat with Sister Stoddard. Elder Schmidt and I realize we don't have keys to our apartment, and the Mannheim elders can't get into their apartment. We drive to Mannheim while having a good ol chat about marriage (he is ready haha) and then got home and slept over, Elder Schimdt also finding time to give me a haircut. Elder von Wallwitz and I have a good chat while sleeping on the floor.

The life though :) This honestly is the greatest time of my life. That was just one day! And this week, was something special. We honestly had set a goal this week, for at least one week, teach more then the mission record: 31 and we did, we taught 33. We worked our little tails off, and it was so so wonderful. One of the most precious moments was when Elder von Wallwitz and I park the car right in front of our apartment and just sit and enjoy the night and just talk about why missions are so wonderful, all the amazing things you learn out here, and how this place has really become our "home." I have felt that home-feeling more than once out here, but I really do call this place, Germany, a home.

Another highlight this week was Rosina :) We met with her twice and we needed to go over all the lessons in order to prepare her for baptism. As we taught her, we felt like we needed to ask her whether she would want to be baptized this upcoming Saturday or in 2 weeks. Her answer was perfect: "Why wait? Ya'll going on vaction or something?" :) I love this lady with my whole heart. We taught her 3 times this week and just had such a blast, and had some of the most spritual times. This lady is something so wonderful. As we were talking at church and after she had her interview and "passed," I strolled her out to the parking lot and we just had a personal chat and she just said to me, "This work is wonderful isn't it? You are serving the Lord with your whole heart, and feeling the wonderful joy of bringing others closer to Christ. Do you love this work?" I melted in my tears in that sunlight. I can never forget that moment. I answered her whole heartedly yes and told her that she is an amazing, amazing woman.

We read a wonderful scripture that ties in my last like...50 personal studies with the Book of Mormon. It's in Alma 29: 3-5 and it says:

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

It's all our desires. What we desire, is who we really are :)

LOVE YOU!! HAVE A SICK WEEK!

Elder Mayne

Letter #90 - There Is ALWAYS Happiness Around Us

This week was wild, as it always is (I literally yawned when I typed that haha. I promise it was)

To start off... We set a baptismal date with Rosina!!!!!! She is being baptized on the 25th of April. This lady is amazing and I want to tell you why:

We had a funeral for a member this past week, and it was very humbling. The Spirit there was very strong and you could just feel the love in the room. It was interesting though, because as I was sitting there, I just felt, I knew, that this wasn't the end. I sat there as the talks were talked and the songs played, and there was a baby a couple rows ahead and I just had a testimony of that I really know that the Plan of Salvation is real. That we are here to experience, and learn and to grow, and to recieve a body. And also, to have joy. :)

At the end, we turned around because we were planning on having a lesson with Rosina, and she was sitting in the back in her wheelchair and just smiled at us. We went and talked to her and she told us that she didn't want to miss the lesson, so she came a little early, and someone let her in, so she took part of the funeral. She then just explained to us how she could feel the presence of her parents there and also the lady who the funeral was for, and how she felt as well that there wasn't a reason to feel sad, because she was in a good place. It was perfect, because we wanted to talk about the Plan of Salvation, so we just jumped right into it, and it was a fantastic lesson, on a couple benches in the chapel. At the end of the lesson, we talked a little bit more about our purpose and why we are here and she is so amazing, she literally just wants to help and serve everyone. And then she explained to us that she felt like SHE wasn't something special, and just wished she could give her life for the sake of others. We explained to her, that there is someone that already has done that, Jesus Christ, and that if we follow Him the best we can, that is enough. And we asked her to be baptized. :) She accepted and told us that she felt like she has been on a search, and has felt she finally has found it. The thing every missionary wants to hear, it was a miracle :)

Another miracle that happened was our appointment with Luis (from the Spanish branch). He is so amazing and luckily knows perfect German, so I can talk to him as well. But he is such a good guy with an amazing heart. We came to the lesson, not knowing exactly what to say, despite our preparations, so we were saying some faithful prayers. But as we asked him how he liked General Conference and what not, he said a friend emailed him a link of one of the talks from Elder Uchtdorf and about the experiment with the little kids and the marshmallows (one of my favorites). We were like...uh that wasn't this year... And he was like "doch!" and then looked it up and found out it wasn't, and then explained to us that is was EXACTLY what he needed, that he needed to be more patient and willing to follow and wait for an answer and it was a miracle :) We told him that that was God talking specifically to Him. And now that he KNOWS he can recieve personal revelation, that personal foundation of a testimony is going to come so quickly and easy. It was such a great answers to our prayers :)

Other than that, we had our first barbecue of the summer (almost here) with the young single adults which was sweet, had a wonderful time with an awesome member, Eduardo, in the spanish branch, and then did some service with those classy "helping hands" yellow t-shirts's (literally cleared out a forest and then burnt it and roasted some Leberkäse on it :))

OH AND THE BEST (not really.... everyday is the best :)) PART OF THE WEEK: GOING TO THE TEMPLE!!! Such a great time and got a lot of questions answered AND I SAW MY FEUCHT HOMIES!!!!! Samuel ran up to me and we hugged for about 5 min :) it was probably one of the most touching moments of my mission.

Life is great. I testify that missionary work makes people happy. You want happiness? Go bring someone closer to Christ. Then you will receive a joy you never have felt before.

#happinessrollininHD

LOVE YA'LL

Elder Mayne

P.S. SVU is official!! I'm all registared and ready to go kick it!

Letter #89 - Der Tag Unsere Befreiung (The Day of Our Liberation)

Happy Easter everyone!! Hope you had an Easter filled with chocolate, Jesus, Prophets, and Peeps (oh my). This Easter for me in Germany was a special one and I wanted it to be, since it's the last one, so I am so glad I took the time to prepare.

This week all led up to a marvelous weekend. The highlight was going on a split with the Golden Elder Klingler. He is a great elder and is serving in Speyer, and so he came up with me and Elder von Wallwitz went back to his old area.

BUT WAIT!

The Week started off barfy (ha.. ha...) because Elder von Wallwitz literally was barfing all over the place. We had a sweet P-day planned to go hang out with the awesome Jesse McDeezy (a member in the ward from America), but as we were doing emails, Elder VW felt sick. When we were getting ready to go, he said he really didn't feel good, so we decided to stay home. He threw up, had some major chills, and didn't feel well at all. So I went into "Doctor Mayne" mode and started doing all that I could, cleaned everything, and washed my hands and stuff a billion times so I wouldn't get sick :) Momma taught me well, nah? He felt like that for a couple of days, and luckily we still got to have a couple of appointments, but other than that I filled my time with lots of study and catchin up on journal writing. :)

Back to the split though. I love golden splits. I love goldens personably. They are so willing and try their very hardest, espcially at the language. But this split was arguably one of my favorite days of the transfer. I really got to see, the progress I have made, and also the amount of time that the Lord has put into me, to make me the missionary I have become. We first contacted two referrals. We met this kid named Michael who is 17 and wants to know the truth. And we taught him the first discussion and set an appointment. After we had a nice comp study, we then taught a great investigator Abbe and basically called him to repentence, and the Spirit was amazingly strong and powerful. At institute, one of the sweetest moments of my day occured. We were talking to these Spanish-speaking people (me in broken Spanish, them in broken German) and ended up taking pics together and are now Facebook friends. Wahoo :)

There is always food after institute, so we were about to eat when one of the members in the ward comes up to me and says that there is this lady in a wheelchair who is here to get a Bible. And I was like, ok we will find one, and does she know about the Book of Mormon? He just smiles and shrugs his shoulders and says "not yet" :) So I grab a Bible and Book of Mormon, and I meet this lady. This lady, Rosina, is a wonderful, wonderful lady. I couldn't talk to her for some reason while standing, so I just knelt right next to her and taught her the first discussion right in the hallway as people are running back and forth and it just felt like we were alone, in a little bubble, feeling the Spirit and truth. She has gone through so much in her life, and she is so positive. She just wants to become the best person she can, and she believes Christ is that example for her. She wants to go out everyday in her wheelchair, and just smile at people and make them happy, and that's her honest desire. It was such a sweet experience, and the Spirit there in that little moment, was so strong. I felt that true Christlike love in that moment, and I can't forget it :)

Now as to the wonderful spiritual feast that I partook of on Saturday, lemme tell you right before that, of our street display right AND transfer calls that happened. WELL, Im staying here in Heidelberg :) And with my good old pal Elder VW. So that means that I'll be here until I'm in the grave, which I'm very very happy about. BUT GUESS WHAT...WE ARE GETTING IPADS!! Elder Bednar is coming for an entire day seminar on the 24th of April and will introduce us to the "Digital Age" of missionary work. Amazing nah? Ive been waiting for this since like, my 2nd transfer and FINALLY the day has come. Pretty funny actually, because (just remembering) we had Zone training this Mittwoch, and we pulled an April Fool's prank and told everyone we are getting iPads.... haha so April Fool's joke still on!!! :)

Anyway, we had our street display where we were planning on having a projector, speakers, and the whole shibang playing "Because He Lives" in the middle of the Hauptstraße and everyone would watch it.... haha so the only day that it didn't stop raining was Saturday... And our prayers were heard later. But ya know, I didn't give up trying. Elder von Wallwitz and I were like, "Heavenly Father, we planned this far in advance, we prepared everything we could, and we are going to go out there in faith, and do thy work." And that's what we did! And let me tell you, I don't think I've gotten so badly rejected before. So many people said, "No, I don't believe in Jesus," and just so much negativity. But I kept going. I can literally tell you I talked to so many people, and over 200 "no's" (not "unsuccesses") came to me. And so by the time we packed up everything, we were about to leave, Elder VW and I and a member, (I'll talk about him in a minute), we said we'd talk to a couple more people before we had to leave. Well, the very next person I talk to is a Muslim guy that actually wants to become Christian and learn about Jesus, and takes my card with such gratitude. Wow. I can tell you that was worth all the no's plus about a thousand more. It was a great way of Heavenly Father showing me His appreciation, and my faith in Him growing.

As for conference, it was a miracle filled time. It literally felt like every single talk had little bits and pieces that were specifically for me and to define my character and what I need to improve on. I love Genreal Conference and compare it literally to Christmas because that's what it feels like :) But we had about 7 investigators come to different sessions and it was great, because Elder VW and I would look at each other and just be like, "That investigator needed to hear that," and it happened over and over. Ah, I love conference. Also, President Frost, who is in the stake Presidency, is such an amazing man. He and his family are so wonderful, so happy, and so in touch with the Gospel. You can see what their prorities are and what is first, which is God, and then you see, that everything falls into place when you do that :)

And a quick shout out to Elders Hawker, Boyd from my mission, and Sister Gilmour, one of my besties, for all completin' the Mish and serving awesomely and wonderfully. Love you all :) Keep going and we will be partying together soon ;)

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!! Have a great week filled with awesomeness, love, and God's guidence.

Elder Mayne

Zone pics :) the homies (elder nelson) and street display prep: car full to the max

Letter #88 - Anticipation Awaits: The Easter Bunny, Baptisms, Christ

You want to know something? Goals are fantastic. They are the only way we grow. We show the Lord where we want to go, and with His help, what we can really achieve. But that's why we have to set them with His Spirit, His purposes, and His instruction, because otherwise we wont be able to become what He wants us to become. Our goal for this transfer, by April 11, is and was to have 10 baptisms. We felt the Spirit as we set the Goal. We have worked our little panties off for it, and still keep doing it, and yet, we still have no baptismal dates. But a miracle did happen this week that still puts a smile to my face when I think of it.

We had a chance to meet with the Reinhards, a wonderful couple. The husband has been investigating the church for quite sometime now, and they are just wonderful. They love each other so much and are so intertwined with the gospel, you can just see the love that they have for each other is based so much on their belief and faith. Well, this time I have been in Heidelberg, Bruder Reinhard has been progressing a lot, but still felt like he needed to learn more and more and the desire to be baptized wasn't really existant. But at this appointment, the Spirit was AMAZING. We just came back from splitting back with Karlsruhe and had comp study in the car to prepare for the lesson. They wanted us to talk about blessings and what a blessing is in general. We had the thought to ask them to write down all the blessings they could think of and share it together. Just that spirit of thankfulness brought a wonderful, sweet feeling in the room. And then we shared some scriptures that showed us that our Father in Heaven gives us so much, all out of his love. Then Elder von Wallwitz pulled out the wonderful baptismal scripture, D&C 39:10. As we read that, Schwester Rheinhard started crying and we took a pause. I testified that one of the biggest blessings we have is the covenants we make with our Father in Heaven. I can not even begin to explain the Spirit in that room. We asked him to be baptized on April 11th, and he said "I can't be baptized then, because I want to be baptized by someone that I have been wanting to baptize me for a long time." He explained he wants to be baptized by his grandson who is coming home from his mission in August. And I was just almost to tears, because I have loved this couple ever since I first met them and have prayed so hard for him to have the faith to make this decision, and then this happened, it was an absolute miracle. Glorious I tell you :)

Another good time this week was this Saturday. We had a concert at our church, where a lot of the members and kids preformed and shared their talents. Totally a typcial Mormon party :) The best part though was that we invited so many people, and they showed up! The stake president wanted to have class right before and teach whoever would come and it was fantastic. Our stake president, President Henkel, is an inspired man. I love this man so much and look up to him. We had ward conference, and it was all about the verse Moroni 10:32:

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

I love this verse so much. It became so evident this week that I really need to be perfected in Christ. I am changing so much here, and I feel like sometimes for the good, sometimes for the better. But I am growing. I want my love in God to be strengthened. I want my Heavenly Father to know that I love Him by my service. And I know one of the best ways is to work hard and smart. I'm constantly reavaluting myself and wanting to know what more can I do, what more does He await of me and sometimes I overwhelm myself. But I know through His grace, I can be made strong. He is there, always. I just need to find Him.

#BecauseHeLives

Have a wonderful Easter weekend all my "Peeps".... ha ha bad joke :) But have a great time with General Conference, remember preperation is everything, and I love you all so much. Jesus ist Auferstanden. :)

LOVE YOU!!

Elder Mayne

Pics: All I know is theres a couple of selfies... haha i took random pictures this week.

BUT WAIT: REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT!!!
Anyone have suggestions on what I should register for at SVU? I have no idea what to study. Haha so insights, opinions, revelations and dreams would be sweet to hear :)

Letter #87 - Meet the Mission

Alright so for starters, I want to apologize to all those that emailed me this week and did not receive an answer.... Today has been a craaaazy day. We went to Karlsruhe, and played soccer. I also had my first experience shopping at Primark.  It is a super cheap place, a.k.a. missionary central.  I'm now on a split with my boy, Elder Nelson from my group at the MTC.  It is so good to be with the homie. He is such a good missionary, and I've loved this kid from the first day at the MTC.  So, shout out to him. :)

This week was a building week. A week of reflection, and gratitude. A highlight of this week was going to good ol' Zone Conference, and watching "Meet the Mormons" again. I love being around all the missionaries. I had a good time with my homies, and with my son, Elder Shelley. It was great. The Conference was centered on the new initiative by the church, coming out this week, with the video "Because He Lives." I love that video so much. During Conference, I really got to reflect on the "why" of Jesus Christ. What He means for me personally. I realized that this Easter, is going to be my last one in the mission field. I just want to make sure that I make it special. If I've realized anything on a mission, it's that Christ is the center of everything that I do. When I don't look towards Him, I fall.

That's what I want to talk about a little today. During the week I just kind of had a break down. I had been hard on myself, and just wanted to know what I could do better to serve my God. It felt like I was doing good, but not good enough. I constantly kept asking myself, "What can I do?" Then, I realized that a big "thing" about me, is that I doubt my abilities. I look too much to others for their opinions of who I am, who I should be, and what I am good at. So, I went out on the balcony of our apartment and I jumped rope until my feet burned and my calves ached. I just wanted that little weakness out of me. I was talking to God saying, "Why am I like this? Why do I look so much to others? Please, can you change this in me?" I thought the harder and harder I worked, it would just magically go away. But it didn't. I sat out on the tree for the rest of the night thinking and talking with Him. Then in the morning for personal study, I decided to read the recent edition of the Liahona.  I found that right in there, it talked specifically to me. It talked about the difference between sin and weakness. The biggest difference, is that God gives me weaknesses, to show me that I'm imperfect, that I'm always learning, and that through His grace, I can be made strong. I know that that was an answer to my heart felt prayer. I work on it constantly and try my best. I am so incredibly thankful for weaknesses, so that I can grow.

Preachy week. Sorry people. :)

On to the other highlights... we have a new investigator, Ali, who is SO AMAZING, and prepared for the gospel. He came this week to church and wants to bring 4 friends. So, hopefully that works out. :) We also met with Andreas, who I hold as one of my best buds on the mission. He and is a wonderful tüp [?] who is a great example to me. AH, if I could lay down to you ALL the miracles happening right now, I would. But, I don't even have enough time for just a small fraction of the miracles. :) What I can say, we love testifying. I know going out with faith, is the right thing to do. Some missionaries lose motivation, and the best way to get over that is to just go out with absolute faith. And well, when the Lord calls me to stand on park benches and preach, I will. :) Because, I know this work is true.

One last thought: I know Christ lives!

LOVE YOU ALL!!! These are some good ol' pics from the week. :)

Mucho Lovo, Elder Mayne

P.S. Familie... How is family home evening, and scripture reading together going?

Letter #86 - The Golden Cycle...in Spanish

Attitude. Attitude. Attitude.

It all starts with you.

That was the theme this entire week, and for our transfer so far together. We recently have been reading a talk by Elder Ballard titled "Creating Success," and it specifically talks about the difference between missionaries that baptize regularly and those that dont. It all just starts with what's going on upstairs, in the mind. What you set your mind to, you can achieve. It seemed like every single day, that talk came up with someone and boy, it has lead us to how we do our work everyday. And to be honest, it's not always the easiest. But we know it is truth. And I know that is what the Lord wants me to learn at this moment.

So this week we met with the sisters and the missionary couple in the ward (Gublers from Vegas). We prayed and pondered and felt that the 13 baptisms that we want to have this transfer, are going to come on a specific date. We decided that on April 11, there will be a huge baptismal service. That is the week after the transfer (because the last week is General Conference) and we have a strong feeling it's going to happen. We fasted on Saturday about it, and it just feels right. And this week showed just how much faith we have, and how the Lord bleeeeesed us (nacho libre voice).

This week we literally got 7 referrals... unheard of. And we still have 2 more to contact, so technically 9. And well, we met with 14 members this week. When I saw that I was like woah.. I didn't even notice! It's like, Elder von Wallwitz and I just make calls, we go there, we teach, we pray, and we leave. We have been so busy, and it's so nice. One of the highlights though this week was some of the lessons we had: We got a refferal from the Kaiserslautern sisters of someone they met on the Train-American, named Johnny. We met with him at the church on Thursday. He is this older man, and we just start talking about life, how he has been in the army since he was 17, all the amazing war stories he has and all the times he has been shot at. And we were just stunned. This man has lived through so much and I'm just like... I graduated high school :) But then he talked about his son and how he tragically took his life. In that moment the Spirit just came over me so strongly. I felt so strongly that this man, who has been literally through the thick and thin of everything, has been kept alive for many reasons, but one specifically, and it's the gospel.

So right after he told us this, he shook our hands and said goodbye. We were like woah wait, can we show you around the church building? And we did, and as time went by, I was feeling the Spirit as we were talking, but I felt like I missed that opportunity of really testifying. We got to the chapel and taught him about the restoration and testified that God has kept him alive for this and that He has a plan for him. You could feel that wonderful Spirit, but you could tell it wasn't the right moment. He said thanks for our time and said goodbye, and we sat in the chapel thinking. We knew we did what we could, but we knew that what he needed was to hear that families are forever. We may never experience what he went throuh, but we know that this knowledge is most precious above all, and I keep it so close and dear to my heart :)

As for the other side of the work (the other "sides" meinte ich because honestly, it's so crazy over here :))... On Saturday, we taught a language class at 9 in the morning, had district leader council at 10, a street display at 1, an appointment at 3, an appointment at 4, another 6, and then one at 8. Luckily we were fasting that day :) Ha but let me just tell ya, the Lord blesses those that serve Him.

To end, I just want to say, the Lord can change any heart, any mind, any desire, if we choose and allow Him to. On one of the days (I can't even remember which day) it was rough towards the end. We had just met with a Spanish-speaking member, and I was on Spanish overload so I was just nodding and pretending to understand everything, and it was just getting to me. And then we had an appointment fall out, I got "blitzed" while driving (over the speed limit. Literally going 1 km above) and my German just failed me. And so, I had a poopy attitude. A couple more things happened and I was just done. Hit bottom again. And at that night, I was gonna give the closing prayer... and it was so hard to even speak. I just felt so unworthy. I just was frusterated, so tired, and was just like, "Why?" But as I prayed.. I just felt the comfort of my Father in Heaven. I picked up my feet, and went full speed ahead the next day. It's not easy. But it's worth it. Because I'm serving my brothers and sisters here. And I love them so much.

Have a great week ya'll. And MY INVITATION FOR ALL IS: just share some love to someone this week. Literally though, if you have a thought to compliment someone or to send a little love note or bake a cake, just go for it. Life is better with love :)
MUCHO LOVO,

Elder Mayne

this is spanish food, basketball shots, and a funny class at a members house :)

Letter #85 - The week of humility to absolute strength.

Being humbled by the Lord isn't a thing that I desire, most of the time, until after it's done. :) Because in the moment, its definitely not the easiest. This week was absolutely wonderful though. Every single day is one to put another piece into the foundation of my testimony. This week, I felt like a golden. Absolute, 100%. Spanish. Spanish. Spanish.

We had about 4 out of 7 days, of entirely Spanish meetings. I had no idea what was going on. One of them was with an investigator and I just sat there thinking... Ok... what can I do? Ha as hard as I focused, nothing was coming. So, I just prayed my tiny little heart out thinking "If I can't speak to them, why not speak to God?" And so I just prayed for Elder VW and teaching the investigator. It went really well actually, and it was good. :) I absolutely love the Spanish language because it's so smooth, and romantic. But the more and more I listen, the more and more I pick up. I am making so many flash cards, and maybe have a written a prayer down in Spanish on one of them. BUT, I'm making progress. :)

This week, we also met with Prakash and with Gianluca, a member. It was a fantastic lesson. The Spirit was so strong. We read Ether 12, and talked about faith and the miracles that follow when we have faith. We watch the new Bible video of Christ calming the sea and wow... This lesson just sparked something in me. First off, Gianluca is one person I will never forget throughout my life. He is the nicest guy in the world, and cares about everyone. But his spiritual level is what makes him stand out. I came out of that lesson wanting to be more like him. :) I have so much left to learn on my mission, and I just can't believe how fast it is all going.

The other thing I would briefly like to talk about (not too much time left) is this Sunday. We went with a member to visit his friend in the hospital that had a stroke a month ago. He was found two days after it happened. It was one of the most humbling moments of my life. He couldn't move the right side of his body. He couldn't talk. The only thing he could do was put the blanket on top of himself, and smile. As I sat with him... It haunted me at first, to think of all the people that must feel this way. But that man's smile as we came in, talked with him, and as I prayed for him... It made all the difference. I testified to him that Christ knows exactly what he is feeling, and suffered that pain for him. I promised him that he wouldn't feel alone. Elder VW and I left there, and just felt humbled. We felt like we take things so much for granted. The daily struggles we deal with, zum beispiel [for example] not being able to speak Spanish, sure are hard in our eyes, but the Lord knows! He knows and never leaves His children behind, never forgets. That's what I want to testify of today, that I know that through our faith and diligence, the Lord will always be with us as we search for Him.

Quick shout out to my boi Elder VW for giving a talk in Spanish this week. :) It was sick. And I gave one in the German Ward. :) Sundays are crazy for us. :) I got to go on a split with my Australian golden, Elder Butler! :) And....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD ON FRIDAY!!! LOVE YOU!!!!

Much Lovo, and I wish you all the best week. :)

Elder Mayne
Pics: self explanatory. :)

Letter #84 - Walking on the road to FAITH

The new transfer arrived, and I got shipped a Brazilian named Elder von Wallwitz. :) And oh boy, are we super excited.

This week has been amazing. We feel SO GOOD about what lays before us, and we know we can accomplish so much. The Lord is hastening His work. To give an example, I'll tell you what our day was like on Sunday...

First, on Saturday night, we fast, finish weekly planning, and make a bunch of calls to see if people can come to church. We called the Familie Singer, who is a wonderful family that is Catholic but really open to our church, and they said that they would try to come. We show up to Church, and we are going around, introducing the members to Elder VW (his name is long :))and it was just a great time. And, Elder VW can speak Spanish. :) So, the members of the Spanish branch and their faces, were absolutely priceless when they saw him at the door. It was so great. :) We talked to the President of the Branch, and then went and sat in the Spanish Sunday School class. I felt like a golden again. :) Then we got asked to give our testimonies in Sacrament! I was like, oh shoot... I literally know nothing in Spanish. Haha. But, I was all for it. I thought, it'll be an adventure. We then went back to our German Ward and sat in Sacrament Meeting. Then, just as it is about to start, the whole Singer family came walking in! I was beaming. :) We went over and sat by them and talked. Elder VW gave his testimony, and we left together to go over to the Spanish Sacrament and give our testimonies there.  Someone translated for me, and then we ran back to our German Ward, talked to the members/investigators, and ran back to Spanish Branch to do the same. Everyone was just SO HAPPY and it was so much work, but so much fun. Both wards are just ready to do work, and we are just here to help and guide them along. It was just a miracle Sunday.

I came home absolutely pooped. I woke up Sunday morning feeling just so achy. My body was telling me it's going to rain, and the seasons are changing. :) Ha. Then, well (mom don't freak) we were helping an awesome family in the ward move, and I went to bed with my elbow hurting and I didn't know why.  I looked at it in the shower the next day, and my entire elbow was red and it had this white puss thing on it... I think I got bit by a spider. It hurt the entire day and it was terrible. So I come home, wanting to eat right away. But Elder VW was better than me, and wanted to set transfer goals. We had an awesome day, the spirit was strong, and we really needed to set goals first. So while at first I was like "my stomach needs FOOD," I decided that he was right, and I said "ok, lets do it." We prayed and pondered... We want 10 baptisms this transfer. You look at all the success that anyone has had, and that just hasn't happened before. But, we are not looking towards what has happened in the past. We are looking towards the future. We know the Lord is ready. We just need to make ourselves ready, and be willing to call upon His power. It's not going to be easy. But it will be worth it. We were driving home, and these were the words I was screaming in the car. It's our motto this transfer :)

Can't stop!

Won't stop!

CAN'T BE STOPPED!

With the Lord as my arm, His strength, it's absolutely true. And that was so true, when I drove for the first time this week on the AUTOBAHN!!! I did so good. Elder VW was freaking, but I did so good. I had to give myself a little pump up talk at first, but it went great. :)

The Lord is there. We visited a Spanish member, and talked to him about hope. How hope will conquer any feelings of doubt, loneliness, or despair. The gospel can changes our lives, when we desire it. :)

LOVE YOU ALL AND HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!!!

Elder Mayne

 Our first pic together (WE'RE NOT FAT).

 MLC with Elder Melanson (another homie).

On that basketball grind. :)

Letter #83 - Transfer week and the realization of Change

This week is short and sweet, and a whole lot of in-between, so get ready for the next 3 minutes of greatness... :)

Tranfers happened: Elder Brown is leaving, got transferred to Bonn, and is a District Leader there. My new comp... is Elder von Wallwitz :) WE ARE SO PUMPED. Im super sad that Elder Brown is leaving, and also super excited that Elder von Wallwitz is coming. It's a crazy whirlwind of emotions. But hey, also great. :)

So this week, I was in my area... for like 2 days... Saturday and Sunday. I was on splits all during the week. And since elder brown is the designated driver for now, I went to other missionary's areas. :)

I got to serve with Elder Coombs in Mannheim, and then Elder Banks in Karlsruhe! They are both solid elders, and are just barely finishing their golden cycles. As I served with them, I was able to see how they were doing, how much of "Mission Life" they have ahead of them, and remember back on my good ol' days of being a golden. I just tried to remember who I was back then and who I am now. It was so FUN.

In one area, we had scheduled 4 hours of contacting. I was so excited. :) I was so EXHAUSTED by the time we were done, because I was just talking to everyone I saw. I remember when I was a golden and went on splits with leaders. The thought came to me that I just needed to give a great example to them, and I just was so HAPPY when I got rejected for like the 40th time. It felt great. We didn't find anyone. But, we handed out some stuff. The Spirit was strong, and I felt that I had pleased the Lord.

That's the biggest change I realized in me. Sure, my German has gotten better. Sure, I've become better at doing missionary things. But I realized the biggest change, has come from within - my heart. I have given my heart to the Lord, and He has made me something that I never imagined. I have learned from the Book of Mormon, that the Spirit only comes to those that have a willing heart. So, by having a willing heart that is open to CHANGE - we become something that the Lord wants us to become, He needs us to become. As we trust in Him, we trust that what He wants us to become is the best.

As for the area and investigators, I'll give a richtig [proper] update next week. This week remember, I love you all. Heidelberg is fantastic, and I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! Mucho lovo!!

Elder Mayne

  

 

Letter #82 - "Will you be my Valentine?" says the TRUFF

This week, was just the typical missionary "Humble Week." We felt like we had a lot planned and it was going to be great. Then, one after another, almost everything fell through. It's times like these where you start to wonder "What am I doing wrong? What is it that I have to improve?" The funny thing is, you can find some of the most touching spiritual moments, in these so called, "Hard times."

I'll give you a little blip of why it was hard. We had District meeting on Thursday, and President came to do interviews. It was great to see him. Just as Elder Brown was going into his interview, he says to me that our investigator, Hamed, just canceled on us and "Tschüss-ed" us. Which is like, he said he doesn't want to meet with us again. Hamed was an investigator for 2 weeks. We met with him 4 times, and had the most amazing spiritual lessons. He was planning on just learning English with us, but instead, learned about Heavenly Father's plan for himself on this earth. He knew what we were saying was true. He told us. If you were put right into these lessons, you could feel and see that thing that we call "real intent." But there was a problem because of his religion. If he were to change and then go back into his country, he would be killed and is wife would leave him. So, he made his choice, he chose the safe one. But he knew, that he had found the right way, and all we can do now is pray that he finds a different way to get to the path that God has for him.

That's the biggest heart wrencher, I believe, of a mission. It's when you have been teaching someone for a while, and gotten close to them. You have grown to love them.  Then, you offer them this piece of the puzzle that they have been missing their entire life, and they reach out and grab it. Then the next day they say, never mind. :) Rough eh? But on the other side of the spectrum....

We have a good friend in the ward, Emmanuel, who is from France. He texts us on Saturday night, and says that he is bringing a friend to church and to the appointment we were having after church in his dorm at the Uni. As we met with her and talked, she had a lot of questions. She had been raised in the Catholic church her entire life. In the past, when she had questions, people would chastise her or tell her that she should just do it and not question it. She really didn't like that, and so has just been going about life, living really a religion that she didn't really believe in. As we talked about the doctrines of the church and how anything we have questions with, we can ask God, and study, and He will give us the answers. We talked about the Plan of Salvation, and our personal stories of what made us realize that Christ was really there. It was amazing. You could just see it in her face. When we would tell her something and it's like a light bulb that hadn't been turned on, but was there, was suddenly turned on - and she loved it. She said out loud when we were closing: "Why couldn't someone explain these things to me earlier?" :) It was such a humbling experience, and great to see someone finally reaching what they've always wanted.

The lesson that I learned this week, was from the Book of Mormon. There are SO many examples of where the people are distraught, have times of trial and sickness, and the list goes on and on. But what is important, is they call upon God, ask for HIS strength, and HIS power. I've realized that I'm nothing without that. I realized, that the great stumbling block of men, is Pride. Pride is absolutely the foundation for all evil. I hate it. Ha ha. So, as I read the Book of Mormon, it's amazing how the process follows: pride, fall away from God, realizing the pit they created for themselves, struggle, the repentance process, and then the climb back up. I love the scriptures.

One more thought, with that in my mind, was really an experience I hold so closely to my heart. It meant so much to me at the very moment it happened, and was exactly what I needed. We were coming into the chapel for sacrament, and everyone was busily running around, finding places to sit and chatting it up. As we found a seat and were about to sit down, I notice a man, sitting in the back row, all by himself. You could tell that he was absolutely drunk. He had the strong stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke. I looked at him in worry and thought to myself, "Should I go sit by him? Why isn't anyone else sitting by him?" At that moment, a member, I don't even know his name, went and sat right next to him and smiled. The drunk man proceeded to rock back and forth and do his own thing. But that member, the look in his eye, you could see his intention. He just wanted to give this man some company. He stayed with him the whole sacrament meeting until he left right before the closing song. It touched me so much, and made me really feel that pure love of Christ. That love that He has, for everyone of His children.

I love the gospel, and I love teaching about it. This week, was a big stepping stone for me. I'm so eternally grateful, for the chance to be out here. :) Life is at it's best when you're having fun!

Mucho Lovo

Elder Mayne

 Me and my homie Elder von Wallwitz on V-Day eating our choco. :)

I was so tempted (still am) to buy these shoes.

 When you're on splits and only have one set of keys, kinda sucks. :)

Letter #81 - The Only True Path to God

This week, was FILLED with spiritual highs and spiritual lows. But, it was one of my favorite weeks on the mission. It's amazing how often these occur. The biggest highlight of them all, was the wonderful opportunity of giving a theme [thought?] (idk how to best say it in English) at a camp/fireside for those who are preparing to go on missions. We talked about having a testimony and really preparing yourself spiritually. I talked about the Book of Mormon and shared my testimony of it. Then, we asked them to just take 5 minutes to pray and ask God where they are at, and ask the questions of their hearts. Well, after that and after the APs gave their theme, we had a testimony meeting. One of the boys said that he had been praying for so long to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He had gone on some wrong paths and as he did that. He said that he got a confirming answer that it was true, that he is forgiven, and that God loves him. It has changed his life. The Spirit there was incredibly strong. To top that off, another boy bore testimony that the gospel is what is perfect, not the people, and that the Spirit told him that. It was really just one of the most amazing experiences.

I had my own experience with the Spirit. I had a lot of thoughts this week about life, and what not. Then, in my mind came a thought. I woke up into a dark room, and as I looked around, there was no light other then the light seeping through the cracks of the door across the room. I stood and up and immediately noticed the shape and conditions of my hands, feet and arms. I was a yellow, bright clay figure. I touched my square head and wondered in awe at what I was.

After I examined myself completely, my curiosity came back to me and I walked to the door and opened it. As I opened it, whatever expectations that I had, were in vain. I walked into an absolutely gray world - gray skies, gray buildings, gray grass, everything was gray. As I started to walk about, I felt cold, and a little afraid. Then, a drop of gray appeared on my toe. I was astonished. I tried to wipe it off, but couldn't. So I finally accepted it, and decided to explore more of the new gray world. I walked for a while, and then started to see other clay figures. I ran to them, hoping that I would get information of where I was, and who/what I was. But, I noticed something different about them. I could tell there pace was slow, dragging their feet. Their features were plain, and the only distinctions that I noticed were 2 slits for eyes and one for a mouth. They had their heads down, and walked with pitiful pain in their eyes. They were the same shade of gray as everything else around us. I came up to one and touched him on the shoulder. His countenance immediately sprung backward, and he looked upon me with sheer terror. As we stood there staring at each other, I noticed that where I had touched him, was now a spot of yellow. He became furious and starting yelling, but no words came out. His countenance had said enough, and I felt ashamed, as if I had done something terribly wrong. He left with no breath, and also with no more yellow on his shoulder. I looked down and had a bad feeling in my heart. I saw to my surprise that my legs were now splattered with gray. Again as I tried to furiously wash away the marks, they wouldn't come off. I couldn't help but ask myself, "Why am I here?" And, "why am I yellow, and everyone else is gray?"

These thoughts occupied my mind until a large bell, that I hadn't noticed before, rang in the middle of the square. Immediately, from every different angle, these clay people would appear, with there heads down and moving at a slow paced walk. They walked into one building, one after the other. After I watched these people pass by, I noticed that some would look up occasionally, and see me. Each would have different reactions. Some would turn to the other and laugh or say something. Others would immediately look away. But, the reaction I saw the most, would be the ones that looked at me longingly, as if I looked familiar to them.

I watched them all walk into this building, and as the last ones piled in, my curiosity got the best of me, and I walked in too.

The building was a Mess Hall- a cafeteria. Everyone was sitting down and eating. It looked like people were talking to each other, but I couldn't hear anything. As I walked over and down each isle, I kept feeling more and more uncomfortable. I just felt like I didn't fit in. I felt uneasy. I felt like I shouldn't be there. I turned to go back, and then found myself face to face with one of the gray figures. His strong stance said he didn't want to move. I tried to go around him, but He moved to block me. I felt trapped. I turned around and walked down another isle and tried to go up a different way. Again, another figure stood up to block my path. I felt lost. I looked down and noticed that more than half of my body was now gray. I began to worry. I didn't want to lose all of the yellow. I looked around at the other figures hoping that they could offer me help. I reached out and grabbed one of them by the shoulder. He froze. His body slowly began to turn yellow. I was amazed. And then suddenly, everyone surrounding him started yelling their silent screams. Almost immediately, like the flip of a switch, he turned gray again, and shook my hand off his shoulder. I couldn't comprehend what I saw. I was in agony, but I didn't understand why. I wished I could help him. But then my thoughts turned to back to me. I saw that people were getting up from their tables and were walking towards me. I didn't want to be in there anymore. So, I started running. I only got so far, before another figure blocked my path, and then another, and another. I was suddenly completely surrounded. I couldn't see an opening, much less the door where I had entered. It seemed like there was a thousand of them, just standing there, watching me. What could I do? What should I do? Then, they moved in on me. I crumbled to the floor and put my face over my head, and started to cry. They were all around me. In silence, I was left to my desolate self. I looked at myself, and notice that almost my entire body had become gray. Only a small part remained, on the left side of my chest. It felt like it was the only life left inside of me. I cried out for help, as if someone in this world of gray would be there, to help me keep this small part of yellow inside of me.

As soon as I cried out, a light came, as if it was from the sky. The Light filled the room and was brighter than anything I had ever seen.  All of the figures around me fled away, except for a few who were so enticed by the new appearance. In the Light came a figure, one that was not of clay, but still familiar. He came down right next to me and knelt down and, as he looked at me, my first thought was to run away. I was scared. I felt unworthy, as if every part of my being was not worthy to look upon this man. My thoughts raced back and forth, and just before I decided to get up and run, the angel spoke: "Fear not my child. Come unto me, and be clean." I pushed all thoughts out of my mind, and made a sudden movement. It felt like I leaped into his open arms. I felt the overwhelming feeling that I knew I had felt before. I just did not remember where. I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I looked into His eyes, and I knew He felt the feelings I had just experienced as well. As I took in the moments of His embrace, I opened my eyes. I saw my hands. They were yellow again. I looked down at my body, and it had returned to it's perfect yellow. I straight away looked around me and saw that the other clay figures, who stayed behind, were also yellow. They had turned back to the way they had been before.

I love this Gospel, and I know that the Atonement is real. I know that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ. The Atonement is the ultimate example of charity, and it is for everyone, no matter what state you are in. I invite you all, to take a step back and see if what you are doing, is really what you think you can do, or is it what the world has told you to do. As you read my story, I hope you will follow whatever impressions you had.

Love you and have a great week!!! :)

Elder Mayne

 Beautiful Heidelberg, and me stickin' my head out the car. :)

The "Homies": Joe Murphy and Christian Allred, 

who both are recently returned missionaries (Christian this week). 

They literally are the tightest homies. :)