This week was just FANTASTIC. Really it's because of the wonderful weather. The attitude has totally changed here in Germany because the weather changed. ;) Spring is here, and it brings many great things to be thankful about. It's beautiful here, and I am just happy all around. This week was a good week of missionary work and fun. :)
Monday:
Went to the Nürnberg Castle and then played some ultimate frisbee. Sorry, I forgot my SD reader card at home today, so I can't post any pictures (dont hate). I promise they'll come and they're good. :) But the weather... :)
Dienstag:
We had distrikt meeting at the Nürnberg chapel, and then I went on a split to Graffenwöhr with Elder Ellesworth! He's a great guy, and we had a great time together. Went and rode in a car for the first time!! Wahoo!! :) Ha, Graff is way tiny and its good that they have one. We also went on to the army base there and taught a lady whose husband is out right now and is coming home in 40 days. I have gained so much respect for those women, who have to take care of everything while there husband is deployed. Especially since she had three boys, all under the age of 10. Ha! It was quite the eye opener. Then we visited another American family, and it was super weird to be talking and teaching in English so much. But, it was also great. :)
Mittwoch:
Nothing special. Split back, went and ate food, did our media hour for the week, and then went to this sweet old couple's house and helped lift their couch up. :) They really appreciated us coming over, and it was nice to here all these cool stories of old Germany. :)
Donnerstag:
Zone Training! I love Zone Training. It's one of my favorite moments on my mission. Just because I get what I need from it every time, and feel reboosted and revived and ready to go for the transfer. It's a great time and I learned a lot. :) Then, because there was a distrikt leader meeting after, and Elder givens is the distrikt leader, we stayed there for a while. Then we went into the middle of Nürnberg and did a street display using family history and a chalk drawing on the ground. It's hard to write on cobblestone, but it was a cool experience. :)
Fritag:
Super cool day. Met some guys on the bus and invited them to our sport at night, and they came! In the morning we went to our church because the other elders had an appointment. Then as we were coming home, we saw our investigator Tom playing basketball outside! So naturally, we played with him. :) Then this random guy stopped by and asked to play with us too. Then we talked to him about Christ and what not. He was muslim and had no intrest. But, we left him with some good questions thath got him thinking. His wife is Christian. So, hopefully something comes out of it. :) After basketball, we met with Bruder Steinbrecher, who was excummunicated from the Church and wants to come back. We had a good talk with him. He really reminds me of Santa. Ha. :) We both have a feeling he could be baptized with his kid on Easter. So, we will see how that goes this next week. :)
Sonntag (nothing special happened on Saturday):
Had a GREAT day at church. I was totally nervous about my talk, because the guy called us yesterday at 10 pm to ask us to give a talk. But I trusted in the Lord, and got to talk about my family, which was awesome. :) The ward and their relationship with the Lord is really building, and it's wonderful. It's super exciting to see, and I just love church. It just gives me that extra spring in my step, to keep going one more week. :) Great day.
I LOVE LIFE. Honestly, I am so happy sitting on this little dinky computer at a sketchy internet laden. :) Missionary work is the work that will bless your life in more ways than doing anything else. It will make you more happy than anything else in the world. My parents got there jobs in Virginia, and I am super happy for them. I just want to say that, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!
This life is great, and I am loving working with Elder Givens. He is such a great example to me, and we work great together. The thing that I learned this week, is this: that Charity, for ALL men, is most desireable above all things. Most importantly, if we strive to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in everything we do, our life will be so much more amazing and easy. Every relationship we have, whether it be friend, marriage, or whatever, will be strengthened through believing on Christ. This I know. Strive to be charitable this week. Read Moroni 7:45-48. And try this week, just to think of others. I love you all. Oh, and really quick, after mentioning being charitable:
Elder Mayne
Isar Strasse 4
91053 Erlangen
DE
:) Have a great week my lovely family and friends. Love you all. I'll send pics next week!!!!
Elder Mayne
Monday, March 10, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Letter #32 - 2nd week here in the Big Erlangen!
Ha! What an interesting week. Germans are definitely interesting, but i love them. At the moment, there is a carnival going on, and people are going crazy. It's basically like Halloween. You dress up and what not, but you just party. So, obviously missionaries are kind of excluded from this. :) We are banned basically in other areas just in case something happens. So not too much has happened this week, because we can't do too much. But trost dem, stuff happened this week and I loved it. :) So...
Tuesday:
Met with our investigator, Tom, the 15 year old who loves basketball. We had a fantastic meeting with him. We talked about Prayer, and he said he would start praying at home! We have a great relationship with him, and we love him.
Mittwoch:
Not too much happened. :)
Donnerstag:
Interesting day, we had a split with the other Erlangen Elders. I went with Elder Stout, who is a great guy. We had a great day planned out, and then found out from a text from the APs about the carnival, that we couldn't do any of it really, ha. So, we had a great meeting with this sweet old lady in our ward, Schwester Winter and had a classic missionary moment. We stuffed our faces with food, it was so rough. But, so good at the same time (the missionary life). :)
Fritag:
Helped a member in our ward move a couch up to the 4th floor in an apartment building. :) Then had sport abend which is always great. Tom came and we had a good lesson about the commandments and what not. We finished the day with weekly planning. :)
Saturday:
Did some service in Nürnberg for our Youth in the stake. :) It was so fun. They planned the activity where you go on a plane ride, and then you crash and then you go to the 3 kingdoms of glory and what not (course it was planned by an american). It was funny, because they would speak in English and then in German so everyone could understand. It's definitely interesting. :) I got to be the photographer and it was super fun. :)
Sunday:
Finally, got to meet the members in the ward!! It was so great, and i am excited to work with them. There's a lot of old ones, but a lot of younger ones too. So, it's a good balance. We went to a family, the Molnars, and had a HUGE lunch with them. He served a mission too, and knows missionaries can't deny food. So, he takes advantage of that. :) This family is awesome. He has a son serving in Italy right now, which is super cool. :)
This week, sorry, was not super exciting. :) But, what I learned is that really, the Lord CAN make us so happy. He has given us commandments to bless us, not to make us sad or restricted. He really wants the best for us. If we strive to just simply WANT to follow his commandments, he will bless us in remarkable ways. I love the Mormon message, "The Will of God." It really is so true and helps us be humble and recognize His significance in our life. :) I love everything about my mission. The thing that I love the most, is the opportunity to just help people. I want everyone to know that I really do care about you - no matter what our past is or even if we have a past. I know that the Lord, He has a plan for you. If we simply just trust in Him, using Christ´s Atonement to help us live up to the full potential he has for us, we will reach the goals we set for ourselves. We will be happier than we have ever been. This is what I testify to and believe, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Mayne
LOVE YOU ALL!!!! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! Sorry this week is boring, ha. It'll be better next week. Promise. :)
Tuesday:
Met with our investigator, Tom, the 15 year old who loves basketball. We had a fantastic meeting with him. We talked about Prayer, and he said he would start praying at home! We have a great relationship with him, and we love him.
Mittwoch:
Not too much happened. :)
Donnerstag:
Interesting day, we had a split with the other Erlangen Elders. I went with Elder Stout, who is a great guy. We had a great day planned out, and then found out from a text from the APs about the carnival, that we couldn't do any of it really, ha. So, we had a great meeting with this sweet old lady in our ward, Schwester Winter and had a classic missionary moment. We stuffed our faces with food, it was so rough. But, so good at the same time (the missionary life). :)
Fritag:
Helped a member in our ward move a couch up to the 4th floor in an apartment building. :) Then had sport abend which is always great. Tom came and we had a good lesson about the commandments and what not. We finished the day with weekly planning. :)
Saturday:
Did some service in Nürnberg for our Youth in the stake. :) It was so fun. They planned the activity where you go on a plane ride, and then you crash and then you go to the 3 kingdoms of glory and what not (course it was planned by an american). It was funny, because they would speak in English and then in German so everyone could understand. It's definitely interesting. :) I got to be the photographer and it was super fun. :)
Sunday:
Finally, got to meet the members in the ward!! It was so great, and i am excited to work with them. There's a lot of old ones, but a lot of younger ones too. So, it's a good balance. We went to a family, the Molnars, and had a HUGE lunch with them. He served a mission too, and knows missionaries can't deny food. So, he takes advantage of that. :) This family is awesome. He has a son serving in Italy right now, which is super cool. :)
This week, sorry, was not super exciting. :) But, what I learned is that really, the Lord CAN make us so happy. He has given us commandments to bless us, not to make us sad or restricted. He really wants the best for us. If we strive to just simply WANT to follow his commandments, he will bless us in remarkable ways. I love the Mormon message, "The Will of God." It really is so true and helps us be humble and recognize His significance in our life. :) I love everything about my mission. The thing that I love the most, is the opportunity to just help people. I want everyone to know that I really do care about you - no matter what our past is or even if we have a past. I know that the Lord, He has a plan for you. If we simply just trust in Him, using Christ´s Atonement to help us live up to the full potential he has for us, we will reach the goals we set for ourselves. We will be happier than we have ever been. This is what I testify to and believe, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Mayne
LOVE YOU ALL!!!! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! Sorry this week is boring, ha. It'll be better next week. Promise. :)
Monday, February 24, 2014
Letter #31 - ERLANGEN!!!!
Guten Morgen my wonderful family and friends!!! This week has been crazy and it seems like a month has really gone by, from Saturday and the baptism, to now. It's been so great though. My new comp is Elder Givens and he is from Richmond, Virginia and we work great together. :) I love it here in Erlangen. But the sad part, it is expensive to use the internet, soooo... not a lot of time to write crazy good weekly letters. But, I will try my hardest. :) But I HAVE A REAL SHOWER. Ha, I will start from Wednesday this last week and we´ll go from there:
Mittwoch:
Such a hard day. Had to pack forever, and then went to basketball, and talked to Mario forever. He is such a great guy, and he really is one of the greatest examples to me. I didn't get to get a picture with him, but he gave me his basketball, which I took gladly. :) I gave him mine, that is beaten up and ratty. He said he'll send me a picture of where he is going to put it in his house. :) I am so glad I got to meet him, and I just am so glad, that I can use one of my talents to bring others closer to Christ. :)
I JUST LOVED THIS WARD SO MUCH AND I HATE GOODBYES. That's the constant thought I had the entire week. :)
Donnerstag:
Transfer day! Met my new comp, Elder Givens and he is just AWESOME! Oh, and I am super excited to work in Erlangen. It's so beautiful, the apartment is wonderful, there's a university here, so a lot of young folks, and I am just ready to work. :)
Fritag:
We had Sport night at our church, WHICH HAS A BASKETBALL HOOP!! Ha, it was so so cool. And our investigator, Tom showed up. He's a cool kid, who loves basketball and naturally the Lakers, because thats the only team they know out here. We had one of the best lessons with him, and he said that he will start reading the Buch Mormon. He said he has never read a book before!! So we´ll see how that goes. :)
Samstag:
We had Stake Conference meetings, and a Priesthood session (or so we thought). It was actually Priesthood Leadership Meeting. So, we were with all of the Bishops and Counselors and it was awkward. Luckily President Schwartz was there, and told us to stay. :) Then, we had our Stake Conference meeting, and the entire Feucht Ward was there, and ah, I became trunky of my old area. :) All the members there were so nice, and all of us were happy to see eachother. :) It was a great time and President Schwartz spoke some powerful words which were great.
Sonntag:
Once in a life time experience. There was a broadcast, only for Germany, Österreich (Austria) and the Swiss, and it was broadcasted from Salt Lake City. Elder Bednar spoke, IN GERMAN, and Richard D. Hales, and a couple others. It was such an amazing experience, and I soaked up all that I could from the experience. It really ah, was so inspiring and to see Elder Bednar, talk in German, and be so grateful for his experience on HIS mission in Germany, was amazing to see.
I LOVE Erlangen. It's such a beautiful part of Germany, and I am glad I am staying in Bayern (Bavaria). Something I learned this week, was just, our potential. And how Satan will tell us, and do EVERYTHING he can, to tell us we came from somewhere else, that we are alone, this church isn't true, we don't have a testimony, or whatever. But, we are NOT alone, and we can ALWAYS win against him. He will always be there. But we, have the things, the tools, to protect us. I know that he is my enemy, and has brought me down so many times. So many times have I questioned my testimony of this Gospel, if it's really true, and if I really am worthy to be here. But then I remember, the way the Lord has shown me His love. Remember those experiences he testified of His love to you. Satan will tear you down so much, and Christ will always uplift us. Do the things that will help you have a testimony. If you feel like you do not, do the things that will get it back! Read the Book of Mormon, and ask if it is true. He is always there, helping us. I have understood, all that I can accomplish, BECAUSE I have given myself to Him. I am nothing without God. Read Alma chapter 26. It is the best missionary chapter ever. I love it. But don't give up. Don't give up on yourself, or your testimony. We are never alone. And for that, I am eternally grateful and I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Mayne
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! My english is terrible now, ha. But let me know if i can do anything ok?? LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Mittwoch:
Such a hard day. Had to pack forever, and then went to basketball, and talked to Mario forever. He is such a great guy, and he really is one of the greatest examples to me. I didn't get to get a picture with him, but he gave me his basketball, which I took gladly. :) I gave him mine, that is beaten up and ratty. He said he'll send me a picture of where he is going to put it in his house. :) I am so glad I got to meet him, and I just am so glad, that I can use one of my talents to bring others closer to Christ. :)
I JUST LOVED THIS WARD SO MUCH AND I HATE GOODBYES. That's the constant thought I had the entire week. :)
Donnerstag:
Transfer day! Met my new comp, Elder Givens and he is just AWESOME! Oh, and I am super excited to work in Erlangen. It's so beautiful, the apartment is wonderful, there's a university here, so a lot of young folks, and I am just ready to work. :)
Fritag:
We had Sport night at our church, WHICH HAS A BASKETBALL HOOP!! Ha, it was so so cool. And our investigator, Tom showed up. He's a cool kid, who loves basketball and naturally the Lakers, because thats the only team they know out here. We had one of the best lessons with him, and he said that he will start reading the Buch Mormon. He said he has never read a book before!! So we´ll see how that goes. :)
Samstag:
We had Stake Conference meetings, and a Priesthood session (or so we thought). It was actually Priesthood Leadership Meeting. So, we were with all of the Bishops and Counselors and it was awkward. Luckily President Schwartz was there, and told us to stay. :) Then, we had our Stake Conference meeting, and the entire Feucht Ward was there, and ah, I became trunky of my old area. :) All the members there were so nice, and all of us were happy to see eachother. :) It was a great time and President Schwartz spoke some powerful words which were great.
Sonntag:
Once in a life time experience. There was a broadcast, only for Germany, Österreich (Austria) and the Swiss, and it was broadcasted from Salt Lake City. Elder Bednar spoke, IN GERMAN, and Richard D. Hales, and a couple others. It was such an amazing experience, and I soaked up all that I could from the experience. It really ah, was so inspiring and to see Elder Bednar, talk in German, and be so grateful for his experience on HIS mission in Germany, was amazing to see.
I LOVE Erlangen. It's such a beautiful part of Germany, and I am glad I am staying in Bayern (Bavaria). Something I learned this week, was just, our potential. And how Satan will tell us, and do EVERYTHING he can, to tell us we came from somewhere else, that we are alone, this church isn't true, we don't have a testimony, or whatever. But, we are NOT alone, and we can ALWAYS win against him. He will always be there. But we, have the things, the tools, to protect us. I know that he is my enemy, and has brought me down so many times. So many times have I questioned my testimony of this Gospel, if it's really true, and if I really am worthy to be here. But then I remember, the way the Lord has shown me His love. Remember those experiences he testified of His love to you. Satan will tear you down so much, and Christ will always uplift us. Do the things that will help you have a testimony. If you feel like you do not, do the things that will get it back! Read the Book of Mormon, and ask if it is true. He is always there, helping us. I have understood, all that I can accomplish, BECAUSE I have given myself to Him. I am nothing without God. Read Alma chapter 26. It is the best missionary chapter ever. I love it. But don't give up. Don't give up on yourself, or your testimony. We are never alone. And for that, I am eternally grateful and I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Mayne
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! My english is terrible now, ha. But let me know if i can do anything ok?? LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Letter #30 - Goooooooooodbye Feucht, my Heim :(
Oh man oh man, did this week end my time here in Feucht with a BANG. It was one of the most stressful, rewarding, awesomest, faith testing, spiritualest weeks of my life. :) I am being transfered to Erlangen, which is not so far, still in the same stake as Feucht and the same Zone. So, I won't be too far from my "home". But let's start with Wednesday, because thats when the exciting things happened.
Mittwoch:
So, on Monday and Tuesday, we started preparing for our street display that was on Friday, Valentines day, and by golly there was a lot to prepare for. But on Mittwoch, we did all that we could to prepare and then we had to catch a train, to go to Nürnberg. But, I couldn't find my planner and I needed it tonight. Ha, and so we spent 10 min looking for it, but with no avail. So normally, walking to Banhof takes about 12 min. So... we had 5 min to schaf (catch?) our train, and I got there in 4, and held the door for Elder Wichtermann because he got there in 5, ha. But, it was a miracle. Then, when we got to Nürnberg, our train to Ansbach, is on the very last gleiß (stop?), and we arrive at Banhof 3 minutes before the other train leaves, and we are on gleiß 1. So I had to RUN again, ha all the way down, and made the train with 30 sec to spare. And we were splitting, and Elder Ludlow was with me, going to Ansbach, because we were having the baptismal interview for Chris! When we show up, we find out Chris´s ex-wife showed up at his house, right as he was walking out, wanting to sign papers and what not. Satan knew how to hit him hard. So, we weren't able to have the interview, but we scheduled one for Friday and prayed really hard that it would go through.
Then, Elder Ludlow and I came home, had a really good talk on the train about life. Btw, I love this guy, he is my brother. Then we met up at the church in Nürnberg, because it was institute night. Then, Elder Wichtermann went on a split with our Zone leader Elder Williamson, and the Nürnberg elders had to leave (this may be hard to follow, just know it was crazy). So, we ended up sleeping over at the Zone leaders, becasue we would've been super late if we came all the way home. But, it was a great sleepover and I love Elder Allen and Williamson and they are great examples.
Donnerstag:
So it was a bad move, to sleepover. Ha, because we had to go home first, before distrikt meeting in Nürnberg, to go grab stuff for our suprise birthday party that we had planned. Then, we had to come back to Nürnberg, and then go to Feucht. So you could say we were pretty stressed. We remembered, after the fact, that we couldn't ride on the trains before 9 oclock with our ticket, so we got a ticket and will have to pay for it when it comes in the mail. So, that didn't help the day. We went to distrikt meeting, then went to Feucht, to our Church, in the pouring rain, and set up the birthday party for the Ackermanns and it was sooo worth it. The Ackermanns have been going through just a hard time, and so I wanted to help them out a little bit. The party was great, the kids were crazy, but it was super fun. :) It was amazing that we were able to do all this in one day. Then we came home, and remembered that we had to do everything for our street display tomorrow. So, Elder Wichtermann went to bed. Ha, and I ended up... staying up later than the average missionary should and finished most of the things that we needed to do. Fun stuff. :)
Fritag:
Street display! Gosh it was crazy. But, crazy good. We handed out hearts and candy and Buch Mormons and love. It made so many people happy and we got some potential investigators from it! It was so awesome! Then, I went on another split (I'll save the details, ha. Crazy) with Elder Ludlow, to Ansbach, to have our second attempt at an interview with Chris. Everything went through and he passed! The Reeders were SO NICE that they bought us Popeyes chicken, off the American military base there. My goodness, was I in heaven! Nothin' like good old 'merican food. :) Then, since we got home late again, we slept over at the Nürnberg elders apartment. Luckily, I had a toothbrush this time. :)
Samstag:
TRANSFER CALLS!! Crazy. Going to Erlangen and serving with Elder Givens. I am super excited and he is a cool dude, so it'll be fun. But, we shouldnt have slept over again, because we had to go back home, grab stuff for the baptism, and then come back. Ha, it was crazy. But we made it to the church, and made a program, and then had Chris´s baptism. Wow! It was an amazing experience. I was expecting the spirit to be super strong, and it was. When he got out of the water, I came around the font and hugged him and asked him how he felt. He said he felt that the weight on his shoulders was gone, that he can finally feel, happy. AH... it was soooo COOL! Then, he bore his testimony at the end and it was so powerful. I think, that I was more happy, that he just ended up making this decision, rather then it was his taufe (baptism). I think the journey and the relationship there, is what makes the baptism, so special. I am so grateful that the Lord trusted me in helping Chris make this choice. He is going to change many lives, because he changed his own. :)
Sonntag:
Hardest day ever. I had to say goodbye to all the people I loved, made relationships with, and really showed I loved them. The Feucht ward will always be my home, no matter where I am or where I go. I love the people there. I gave a talk about faith, and was a ball baby. The people in this ward, I just love them so much. They have really changed my life. It's amazing to see, how we have grown together. A lot of people expressed their love for me, and they gave me a lot of presents. The kids especially liked my talk. It made me feel loved and that I actually did something here. But just like a movie moment, I just looked into the chapel and closed the chapel doors. I was in my own little world, and thought about how wonderful this place has been. I am so grateful for the Gemeinde (Ward) Feucht. :) Thank you.
After that, we went over to the Ackermanns and had a going away party. Man, that was hard. The Ackermanns, are the missionares' favorite family. But I think, they mean more to me then just that. They are my friends, and my examples. They really have impacted my life, and I love them just as I do my own family. They are amazing people and I am SO blessed for the time I have had with them. They are amazing. :)
This week, I just have a couple quotes because this letter is super long, ha. :) President Monson said, ( I used these in my talk) "We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." Then, "The future is as bright as your faith." :)
Thank you all for your examples and the wonderful impact you have made in my life. It really, has made me change and become better. Have a great week you all!! Ciao!
Elder Mayne
Mittwoch:
So, on Monday and Tuesday, we started preparing for our street display that was on Friday, Valentines day, and by golly there was a lot to prepare for. But on Mittwoch, we did all that we could to prepare and then we had to catch a train, to go to Nürnberg. But, I couldn't find my planner and I needed it tonight. Ha, and so we spent 10 min looking for it, but with no avail. So normally, walking to Banhof takes about 12 min. So... we had 5 min to schaf (catch?) our train, and I got there in 4, and held the door for Elder Wichtermann because he got there in 5, ha. But, it was a miracle. Then, when we got to Nürnberg, our train to Ansbach, is on the very last gleiß (stop?), and we arrive at Banhof 3 minutes before the other train leaves, and we are on gleiß 1. So I had to RUN again, ha all the way down, and made the train with 30 sec to spare. And we were splitting, and Elder Ludlow was with me, going to Ansbach, because we were having the baptismal interview for Chris! When we show up, we find out Chris´s ex-wife showed up at his house, right as he was walking out, wanting to sign papers and what not. Satan knew how to hit him hard. So, we weren't able to have the interview, but we scheduled one for Friday and prayed really hard that it would go through.
Then, Elder Ludlow and I came home, had a really good talk on the train about life. Btw, I love this guy, he is my brother. Then we met up at the church in Nürnberg, because it was institute night. Then, Elder Wichtermann went on a split with our Zone leader Elder Williamson, and the Nürnberg elders had to leave (this may be hard to follow, just know it was crazy). So, we ended up sleeping over at the Zone leaders, becasue we would've been super late if we came all the way home. But, it was a great sleepover and I love Elder Allen and Williamson and they are great examples.
Donnerstag:
So it was a bad move, to sleepover. Ha, because we had to go home first, before distrikt meeting in Nürnberg, to go grab stuff for our suprise birthday party that we had planned. Then, we had to come back to Nürnberg, and then go to Feucht. So you could say we were pretty stressed. We remembered, after the fact, that we couldn't ride on the trains before 9 oclock with our ticket, so we got a ticket and will have to pay for it when it comes in the mail. So, that didn't help the day. We went to distrikt meeting, then went to Feucht, to our Church, in the pouring rain, and set up the birthday party for the Ackermanns and it was sooo worth it. The Ackermanns have been going through just a hard time, and so I wanted to help them out a little bit. The party was great, the kids were crazy, but it was super fun. :) It was amazing that we were able to do all this in one day. Then we came home, and remembered that we had to do everything for our street display tomorrow. So, Elder Wichtermann went to bed. Ha, and I ended up... staying up later than the average missionary should and finished most of the things that we needed to do. Fun stuff. :)
Fritag:
Street display! Gosh it was crazy. But, crazy good. We handed out hearts and candy and Buch Mormons and love. It made so many people happy and we got some potential investigators from it! It was so awesome! Then, I went on another split (I'll save the details, ha. Crazy) with Elder Ludlow, to Ansbach, to have our second attempt at an interview with Chris. Everything went through and he passed! The Reeders were SO NICE that they bought us Popeyes chicken, off the American military base there. My goodness, was I in heaven! Nothin' like good old 'merican food. :) Then, since we got home late again, we slept over at the Nürnberg elders apartment. Luckily, I had a toothbrush this time. :)
Samstag:
TRANSFER CALLS!! Crazy. Going to Erlangen and serving with Elder Givens. I am super excited and he is a cool dude, so it'll be fun. But, we shouldnt have slept over again, because we had to go back home, grab stuff for the baptism, and then come back. Ha, it was crazy. But we made it to the church, and made a program, and then had Chris´s baptism. Wow! It was an amazing experience. I was expecting the spirit to be super strong, and it was. When he got out of the water, I came around the font and hugged him and asked him how he felt. He said he felt that the weight on his shoulders was gone, that he can finally feel, happy. AH... it was soooo COOL! Then, he bore his testimony at the end and it was so powerful. I think, that I was more happy, that he just ended up making this decision, rather then it was his taufe (baptism). I think the journey and the relationship there, is what makes the baptism, so special. I am so grateful that the Lord trusted me in helping Chris make this choice. He is going to change many lives, because he changed his own. :)
Sonntag:
Hardest day ever. I had to say goodbye to all the people I loved, made relationships with, and really showed I loved them. The Feucht ward will always be my home, no matter where I am or where I go. I love the people there. I gave a talk about faith, and was a ball baby. The people in this ward, I just love them so much. They have really changed my life. It's amazing to see, how we have grown together. A lot of people expressed their love for me, and they gave me a lot of presents. The kids especially liked my talk. It made me feel loved and that I actually did something here. But just like a movie moment, I just looked into the chapel and closed the chapel doors. I was in my own little world, and thought about how wonderful this place has been. I am so grateful for the Gemeinde (Ward) Feucht. :) Thank you.
After that, we went over to the Ackermanns and had a going away party. Man, that was hard. The Ackermanns, are the missionares' favorite family. But I think, they mean more to me then just that. They are my friends, and my examples. They really have impacted my life, and I love them just as I do my own family. They are amazing people and I am SO blessed for the time I have had with them. They are amazing. :)
This week, I just have a couple quotes because this letter is super long, ha. :) President Monson said, ( I used these in my talk) "We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." Then, "The future is as bright as your faith." :)
Thank you all for your examples and the wonderful impact you have made in my life. It really, has made me change and become better. Have a great week you all!! Ciao!
Elder Mayne
Monday, February 10, 2014
Letter #29 - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!! I LOVE IT HERE!!
Ok so, I have not enough words to describe my love for missionary work and the things that happen. I have never had such a happy week, in my entire life. This week was an absolute blessing and has changed me forever. So with that said...
Montag:
I bought Lederhosen :) Ha, thats all i am saying. ;)
Dienstag:
Rough but great day. We had a great time at Gemigo, or missionary corrolation meeting, for the first time in a while with our ward mission leader, and it was awesome!! We are planning some great stuff for this ward. But then we had a Termine with Sasan, that fell through, which stunk. So we had to go do some other things that were needed. Sasan is so cool, just can't understand us too well. Pray for him, ya?
Mittwoch:
Totally random day. So Elder Ludlow called, because his comps were going up to MLC in Frankfurt, so he would have no comps for the day. So, we went to Nürnberg for the day and were his comps, ha. It was hard though, my German, I just was so down and couldn't talk to anyone. We went dooring at some student donheims and it was awesome, met some sweet people and gave out a lot of buch mormons.
Donnerstag:
Ha, so this is when things, just changed. We went to the Frenzel's and had some more Spätzle and it was so good. She taught us how to make it and it was awesome. :) Ha and then, we came to the church, because we were going to cook lasagna, catch a train, and then drop it off at the Ackermanns. Ha so we get off the bus, and then I forget that I left my camera. I was on the verge of tears. I was just like, ok, I don't care, lets just go do this and then catch the bus after. So, we went to the Ackermann's and doorbell ditched them. Ha, I felt good afterward, then waiting at the bus stop was killer. But, I kept praying that it would still be there. And then I felt like basically, I had to earn it. There was one person that was waiting at the bus stop, an 18 yr old kid, with headphones and smoking. Ha, and I was like, I gotta go talk to him. So, I went and had a great convo with him. Cool kid that was visiting his grandma and is going to school in Nürnberg. Got talking about families and respect and what not... We talked all the way till the bus came. It was the same bus and we talked to the driver, and he had my camera!!!! Ah. It was such a blessing and we got a text von Sister Ackermann, saying she was super stressed that day and had no clue what she was going to cook for the kids and then we banged on the door. :) It was great that we got to help her.
Fritag:
Ah, zone training. I started fasting after the Frenzels, so i could have a great experience here. I loved it. I learned so much and I felt, so important to the Lord. I knew that he Loved me, and that I have a purpose here on earth. Ha, we watched one of my favorite mormon messages, trunkiest one too ha, Earthly Father, Heavenly Father. I LOVE this one, ha. I just had some amazing thoughts and insights. And ha, at zone training we had a fun activity that I will show some pictures of later. It involves doughnuts.
Ha but so, right after, we went to Gunzenhausen to have a meeting with Chris and Catalina. I had two doughnuts to eat, that I could have ate on the way. I was starving. But I thought "Father, I am turning over my natural man, my natural desires, and giving myself to you. Please, let some miracle happen." And wow, what a miracle did happen! We watched "The Restoration" dvd for our lesson and asked what does that make us want to do. Chris started talking about how he has been inviting friends to church and how he just knows, how can it not be true? His testimony was so strong and so, we asked him, how does he feel about baptism? He said, I want to be baptized!!! We are having it this upcoming Saturday!! Oh wow, everyone was just, stunned! And the Reeder's, the ehepaars, that have been teaching Chris, were so happy and it is so nice to see that he will be baptized, because they are going home in 3 weeks, ha. Ah, such an amazing blessing and believe me, those doughnuts tasted so good afterwards. :)
Samstag:
I GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE AGAIN!!!! Ah, this experience was such a blessing. This will be my preachy moment combined. I just learned, in this temple moment, how much the Lord, really does know me. I know I slip up sometimes and I am just like Adam, in the garden of eden, when the Lord asks, Adam, Adam, where art Thou? And Heavenly Father knew where he was, but he was making Adam, choose to act, choose to come closer to Him. I love Adam and how obedient he was to the Lord. Satan was right with him, in his presence all the time, as a real person! But not once, did he even take a second to consider breaking His Father's commandments, for Satan. He loved his wife so much also, and ah, I just had so many thoughts in the temple, that really, really brought me closer to my purpose of life. One thought that I had, that was so overwhelming that I couldn't help, but just cry, was the Savior's love for each one of us. I have never felt such an amazing feeling, in these two days. Friday night, I just prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for what has happened and I asked for a hug. I felt his love so strongly, I still cannot comprehend the feeelings I felt - and that I have been feeling, for every person I talk to.
I love my parents and their words of advice that go along exactly with the feelings I have had this week. I have lost my self in HIS service, and I have found myself. I have served Him with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I am ordained, to do this work. He walks with me, every single day. For that, words cannot express my eternal gratitude. :) For those who are going to serve missions or who are members that are doing missionary work, just serve. You will feel the Lord's presence, and His love. Of this, i testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
Ask me questions if you need anything. Love you all :)
Elder Mayne
I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Family have a great week in DC; and friends, I love you all. :)
Montag:
I bought Lederhosen :) Ha, thats all i am saying. ;)
Dienstag:
Rough but great day. We had a great time at Gemigo, or missionary corrolation meeting, for the first time in a while with our ward mission leader, and it was awesome!! We are planning some great stuff for this ward. But then we had a Termine with Sasan, that fell through, which stunk. So we had to go do some other things that were needed. Sasan is so cool, just can't understand us too well. Pray for him, ya?
Mittwoch:
Totally random day. So Elder Ludlow called, because his comps were going up to MLC in Frankfurt, so he would have no comps for the day. So, we went to Nürnberg for the day and were his comps, ha. It was hard though, my German, I just was so down and couldn't talk to anyone. We went dooring at some student donheims and it was awesome, met some sweet people and gave out a lot of buch mormons.
Donnerstag:
Ha, so this is when things, just changed. We went to the Frenzel's and had some more Spätzle and it was so good. She taught us how to make it and it was awesome. :) Ha and then, we came to the church, because we were going to cook lasagna, catch a train, and then drop it off at the Ackermanns. Ha so we get off the bus, and then I forget that I left my camera. I was on the verge of tears. I was just like, ok, I don't care, lets just go do this and then catch the bus after. So, we went to the Ackermann's and doorbell ditched them. Ha, I felt good afterward, then waiting at the bus stop was killer. But, I kept praying that it would still be there. And then I felt like basically, I had to earn it. There was one person that was waiting at the bus stop, an 18 yr old kid, with headphones and smoking. Ha, and I was like, I gotta go talk to him. So, I went and had a great convo with him. Cool kid that was visiting his grandma and is going to school in Nürnberg. Got talking about families and respect and what not... We talked all the way till the bus came. It was the same bus and we talked to the driver, and he had my camera!!!! Ah. It was such a blessing and we got a text von Sister Ackermann, saying she was super stressed that day and had no clue what she was going to cook for the kids and then we banged on the door. :) It was great that we got to help her.
Fritag:
Ah, zone training. I started fasting after the Frenzels, so i could have a great experience here. I loved it. I learned so much and I felt, so important to the Lord. I knew that he Loved me, and that I have a purpose here on earth. Ha, we watched one of my favorite mormon messages, trunkiest one too ha, Earthly Father, Heavenly Father. I LOVE this one, ha. I just had some amazing thoughts and insights. And ha, at zone training we had a fun activity that I will show some pictures of later. It involves doughnuts.
Ha but so, right after, we went to Gunzenhausen to have a meeting with Chris and Catalina. I had two doughnuts to eat, that I could have ate on the way. I was starving. But I thought "Father, I am turning over my natural man, my natural desires, and giving myself to you. Please, let some miracle happen." And wow, what a miracle did happen! We watched "The Restoration" dvd for our lesson and asked what does that make us want to do. Chris started talking about how he has been inviting friends to church and how he just knows, how can it not be true? His testimony was so strong and so, we asked him, how does he feel about baptism? He said, I want to be baptized!!! We are having it this upcoming Saturday!! Oh wow, everyone was just, stunned! And the Reeder's, the ehepaars, that have been teaching Chris, were so happy and it is so nice to see that he will be baptized, because they are going home in 3 weeks, ha. Ah, such an amazing blessing and believe me, those doughnuts tasted so good afterwards. :)
Samstag:
I GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE AGAIN!!!! Ah, this experience was such a blessing. This will be my preachy moment combined. I just learned, in this temple moment, how much the Lord, really does know me. I know I slip up sometimes and I am just like Adam, in the garden of eden, when the Lord asks, Adam, Adam, where art Thou? And Heavenly Father knew where he was, but he was making Adam, choose to act, choose to come closer to Him. I love Adam and how obedient he was to the Lord. Satan was right with him, in his presence all the time, as a real person! But not once, did he even take a second to consider breaking His Father's commandments, for Satan. He loved his wife so much also, and ah, I just had so many thoughts in the temple, that really, really brought me closer to my purpose of life. One thought that I had, that was so overwhelming that I couldn't help, but just cry, was the Savior's love for each one of us. I have never felt such an amazing feeling, in these two days. Friday night, I just prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for what has happened and I asked for a hug. I felt his love so strongly, I still cannot comprehend the feeelings I felt - and that I have been feeling, for every person I talk to.
I love my parents and their words of advice that go along exactly with the feelings I have had this week. I have lost my self in HIS service, and I have found myself. I have served Him with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I am ordained, to do this work. He walks with me, every single day. For that, words cannot express my eternal gratitude. :) For those who are going to serve missions or who are members that are doing missionary work, just serve. You will feel the Lord's presence, and His love. Of this, i testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
Ask me questions if you need anything. Love you all :)
Elder Mayne
I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Family have a great week in DC; and friends, I love you all. :)
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