Hello And Goodbye, A Barbershop Devotional, And Becoming A Native

Hallo zusammen!

 

The weeks really are going by so fast. We had transfers again this week, and I am staying in Duisburg! Elder Breinholt is also staying, but Elder Hayward, who came in with the Ukrainian missionaries, left just after a week and a half. His first Sunday he introduced himself to the ward, and the next Sunday he said bye. It was sorta weird. I felt bad but everytime we would introduce him to a member the member would say (in German) "Oh I feel so bad, he can't understand anything we are saying right now!" And then they would chuckle a bit. Everyone prays for Elder Hayward so that he can learn German fast!!!!

 

This week we had quite a few member appointments which was really awesome. We went over to the Pabst family on Monday (our stake president and his family). Their kids are all so crazy, and I felt like a celebrity because two of them were fighting over who got to sit next to me at the dinner table. They are such an awesome family, and I have such respect for all you moms out there like Sister Pabst who currently have to or have had to deal with little children (especially my mom when she had to deal with me). It was definitely a crazy evening. Later on around 8:45 we mentioned how we had to go because Elder Hayward to finish packing and we had to get up early, but President Pabst got out his mission scrapbook, so we were there till about 10 as he reminisced about his mission (don't worry we lived right next to them). He kept talking about how much he missed it and how fast it went by. It made me think how I really have to make the most of the time I have here on the mission, because it's really a once in a lifetime opportunity and it really isn't that long.

 

We also had a youth game night yesterday which was a lot of fun. Me, Elder Breinholt and a couple of the adults played a game sorta like Yahtzee, and let me say, Germans are all nice and polite on a normal day, but when it comes to games, you better watch out. They aren't crazy and loud when they get competitive, like my family, they just chuckle to themselves because they see they are winning by 2000 points and then they give you the dice, asking to give them a challenge. It sorta reminds me of a cat playing with a mouse before it eats it. I won once so I guess you could say I won the respect of the members. 

 

Last night we were leaving the church from our youth activity, and we heard a grunt and someone fall, and then we saw an old man had fallen in the middle of the street. One of our members also quickly came to help. For the next 20 minutes or so we helped him get back to his apartment and up the stairs. Before we left, he pointed at Elder Breinholt and said "Der kenn ich!" (I know him!). He said that a couple more times and then he said bye and shut the door. Needless to say he seemed a bit out of it, but we saw him out walking this morning so he's doing alright. We think. I was just thinking though since it was dark and later in the evening, if we hadn't been there the old man may not have had any help. If our member's appointment hadn't been canceled, we would not have been at the church then, and we wouldn't have been able to help him. There are no coincidences! The Lord is in the tiny details of our lives.

 

Elder Breinholt and I (and the rest of our district) have decided to do this 44 day German challenge where we just grind German study for 44 days (about one transfer). That includes only speaking German from 9am-9pm. We started it yesterday, and it was definitely hard, but we accomplished it. We spoke about 90% German throughout the day and it actually felt really awesome. I didn't realize how much I could speak until I stopped speaking in English. I am going to be one of those missionaries who come home and pretend like they forgot how to speak English! 

 

Today I Was getting my haircut, and the guy was trying to guess where I was from since heard an accent. He guessed the Netherlands so I am glad that I didn't immediately giveaway "HEY I'M AN AMERICAN!". He started asking why I was in Germany, and he said how he was also Christian and we had an awesome conversation about the Gospel. Even though he was in the middle of shaving half the hair off my head, I surprisingly felt the Spirit really strong. I gave him our number and he said he would like to come visit church sometime, but I forgot to ask for his number so please pray from him that he will actually reach out to us!

 

We also met with another one of our members and his girlfriend (they both speak perfect English, so it was a relaxed appointment) and we shared a spiritual thought in Mosiah 18:8-10. I love these verses because it really sums up our goal as people who love God. If we love God, and want to live with Him again, we bear others burdens, we comfort others, and mourn those who mourn. And most importantly, we stand as witnesses of God and His love at all times and in all things. God wants us all to come back to live with Him again, and by doing the things listed in these verses, we can accomplish that.

 

Sorry for the long email, but it gives me an excuse not to write in my journal today (sorry mom!)

Tschüsseeee!

Elder Lando

 

1. Two professional german bakers

2. Us and the Pabst Family

3. The power drift

4. Surprise birthday party for Vishnu (surprise cause it was like a month early)

5. Cool archeological excavation site





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