Christmas Comes But Once A Year

Christmas came around again, and a lot of cool stuff went down!  For P-day we went to Frankfurt to check out the Weihnachtsmarkt.  It was cool, despite the rain that was falling throughout most of the day.  At the end of the day we visited a member in a hospital, and the bishop showed up at the same time, so we were able to visit this member together.  Tuesday we stopped by a family from Syria that my companion met on a split the week before, and we were able to sit down and talk with the family.  They were very open to meeting with us, which was pretty exciting, and we are hoping for the best with this family.  We also met with another investigator and talked about prayer and at the end of the lesson he gave the closing prayer.  To finish the day we met with a less active member and talked about the Plan of Salvation.  It has been great to see the steps this member has been taking to return to the Church!

Wednesday we met with a lady who lives across the street from us.  She met missionaries in the the past, and now we are back in contact with her.  We had a member help us out and talked about the nature of God.  At the end of the day we helped the member we were with create CDs for Christmas presents.  We also learned that the member we visited in the hospital passed away.

Now, on to Christmas!  For Christmas Eve, we helped the member we were with the day before a little bit more, then spent some decent time baking brownies and cookies for an appointment in the evening.  We visited our Ward Mission Leader and his family for Christmas Eve, where we had a nice dinner, talked about the reason of Christmas, opened presents (socks and Lightsaber themed pens for the Elders!) and upon returning back to our apartment we opened our Christmas Eve presents (Star Wars Episode VII pajamas for this Elder!). Christmas day we woke up, opened the rest of our presents and our stockings, had breakfast with the other Hanau Elders and played a card game, and then we went out to visit a member family.  We started by calling family via Skype, which was really nice, and then having dinner.  The family we were with invited a man they met at a grocery store to dinner as well that evening, and we ended up talking about the Book of Mormon with this man and more or less teaching a first lesson.  It was cool to see the family involved in missionary work!  On the second day of Christmas we picked up the other Elders and drove an hour to visit a family and have dinner together.

Finally, on Sunday, we didn´t have any investigators make it to church, but it was a good day none the less.  The members talked about helping less active members return to church, and it was great to see them talking about it.  Well, that´s how I spent my last Christmas on the mission!

Christmas in Germany

Ulton checking Aaron's stocking

Project: Christmas Party

The Christmas tree is up, so Christmas day is pretty much around the corner now!

A lot of the week was spent preparing for the ward Christmas party in Hanau, which made for some really cool experiences.  Monday I got to visit the Hanau Weihnachtsmarkt and pick up a few souvenirs.  The Rathaus in Hanau had a advent calendar in the windows, like the Rathaus in Paderborn last year, and this one, from what I hear, is the largest advent calendar in Germany.  The images they put in the windows are of scenes from the stories of the Brothers Grimm.  That night my companion and I met with a man who years ago had contact with missionaries, and was very open to meet with us again.  We also invited him to church and the Christmas party (both of which he ended up showing too!).

Tuesday we traveled around delivering party invitations to less active members, and along the way, I found some pretty geeky graffiti which of course Ultron got a picture with.  In the evening I went on a split to the city of Giessen.  Wednesday on my split we went out to a town to talk with people, and in the evening we had dinner with a member family.  After that the split ended.

Thursday we had zone conference in my first area, Offenbach.  Elder Johnson of the Seventy was there, and Christlike Attributes was the theme of the conference.  What was unique to me about this conference was that when we closed by singing "Called to Serve" (in German, of course) it hit me that this was my last time in a zone conference, and I would never have an experience like that ever again.  It was a powerful little moment, for me.  Friday we met with a man who lost contact with the missionaries, and set expectations with him.  We invited him to the Christmas party as well, and he ended up bringing his entire family the next day to the party!  Outside of that, we continued to give out invitations, and then set up tables in the church.

Saturday was the day of the party, which we helped set up, and then practiced with the ward choir before the program started.  We had a lot of people show up that we invited, which was really cool to see.  With having a large ward, it was a little overwhelming to get to know those around me, but I survived.  We ended the day cleaning up after the party.  To close, in church we had two investigators come for sacrament meeting, which was themed for Christmas.  Us Elders sang with the ward choir for the program and we ended the day attempting to visit the member in the hospital we visited last week, but she was moved to another hospital.  So, instead, we talked with people on the streets.

Now let Christmas begin!

Aaron's Christmas tree

Advent Calendar

Utlron' approves this message

Back to Hanau

Transfer 15 has begun, and it started with a new area for me: Hanau.  What´s cool about Hanau is that this area was a part of my first district, and I had a few splits in Hanau back in the day.  So, it´s pretty cool that l'll likely wrap up my mission here.  It´s the place where the Brothers Grimm come from.

The week started with wrapping up in Siegen by doing last minute shopping for P-day, and then saying goodbye to a member in the evening.  The next morning I packed up everything I had, and then drove down to Frankfurt.  Upon reaching Frankfurt, I met my new companion, Elder Merkley, and another Elder in Hanau, Elder Niebergall.  We then took the car that belongs to the Hanau area (which I am responsible for) and traveled to Hanau.  I got to unpack, get to know the other Elders a bit better, and then we did a joint home teaching visit and attended choir practice for an upcoming Christmas party in the ward.  Wednesday we all had a member appointment together, and then Elder Niebergall left us to go to Frankfurt to pick up his new missionary/golden that he would be training.  That evening, Elder Merkley and I met with less active member, who, surprisingly enough, turns out to be related to my old stake president back home.  Small world.  

Thursday we met the new missionary in Hanau, Elder Domingues.  He comes from Brazil and can speak pretty good German and English already, plus he´s way funny.  We then had district meeting and got to know our new district.  An Elder I was in the MTC with, Elder Brande, is in my district, and the missionary who was trained by my trainer immediately after me, Elder Arneson, is our district leader.  So, in summary, I have connections in my new district.  Friday was of course weekly planning and also a correlation meeting with the other Hanau Elders.  We also tried to visit another less active member.

Saturday was yet another move for me on my mission, but this one was much more organized and supported by other members than the last one I had.  Rather than taking a week, it only took half a day.  Elder Merkley and I then took a train to Fulda, a city that years ago had a branch, and met with a potential investigator.  We taught about the Restoration and it was a good appointment, but sadly, the man we were visiting didn´t want us to continue to meet with him.  Despite that, Fulda was a pretty cool place, including an impressive Weihnachtsmarkt, a Catholic Dom, and a castle across the street from the Dom.  Sunday was stake conference, which was centered on Christ and Christmas, and then we visited an older member in a hospital and read a scripture with her.  We ended the day meeting with our Ward Mission Leader, something I haven't had since my first area.  He´s way cool, plus he loves all things Star Wars and Marvel, an added bonus.

It´s cool to be back in Hanau!

The Hanau Elders

Christmas market

Seeing the sights

Farewell to Siegen

Well, it turned out to be my last week in Siegen, and what a hectic week it was!

Monday, otherwise known as P-day, was spent almost entirely helping some members move from one apartment in Siegen, to another.  What was fun about this move was that my companion and I were really the only ones who could help, the only ones who could lift heavy stuff, we did it all in the rain, we spent 11 hours in total that day helping, and our car got hit by another car when it was parked.  It wasn´t that bad of a fender bender we got, but still, it was a long, long day.

Tuesday was district meeting in Dortmund, and immediately afterwards we went back to the members we helped the day before, only this time with the senior missionary couple, to do renovations in their new apartment. Later that night, I started my Milka advent calendar.   Wednesday we were able to catch a breather, take care of P-day tasks such as grocery shopping, and we were able to visit our American investigators and talk about the Priesthood and had a really good appointment.  Thursday was a bit of a blur, but I know we did one hour of moving, and in the evening we visited the international family, and introduced them to the game "Simon Says" as we were teaching English.  They absolutely loved it.  Friday we had to run around doing different errands such as getting the lights on our car replaced.  Both my companion and I felt like we had no idea what we were getting into walking into a car dealership in Germany to fix our lights, but we survived somehow.

Saturday we had lunch with the senior couple, and then it was back to the move.  It was the final day, and we were able to get everything done, and we also got to know the less active son of the members we helped and build a relationship with him.  That evening however, during the move, I got a call from the mission saying I would be transferred to Hanau.  The next day at church, I got to say goodbye, bear my testimony, and then we visited three different member families in a row, all of which we were fed meals.  That left Elder Sollis and I at the end of the week with really full stomachs.

It was a great time serving in Siegen, a time that went by too fast, but now I´m looking forward to serve in Hanau for my final two transfers in Germany.

Aaron and Ultron enjoying an advent calendar

Saying goodbye to Siegen

Weihnachtsmarkts!

The week started off with a bang as my companion and I traveled to Dortmund so we could have a split.  First though, for P-day we met up with the Dortmund missionaries to check out the Weihnachtsmarkts.  I was able to visit this particular Weihnachtsmarkt last year, but I got to spend some more time with it this year.  There was the giant tree, lots of food and souvenirs to buy, and overall, the feeling of Christmas in Germany.  That evening I stayed in Dortmund for the split, and me and the Elder I was with were able to meet the recent convert family I helped find when I first had a split in Dortmund a few months back.  The next day two investigators, who were two very interesting people, and then we ran around a hospital trying to find an investigator that checked out right before we arrived.

On Wednesday the split ended and returning to Siegen, we met up with leaders in our branch to set up home teaching.  Thursday was Thanksgiving!  Our day started early catching a three hour train to get to Dortmund, because we wanted to play it safe with our car and the limited amount of kilometers we have each month.  We had district meeting, and then afterwards Thanksgiving dinner together as a district.  It all turned out very nicely, and then we took the long train ride back to Siegen.  Friday consisted of weekly planning, and somehow my companion changing the layout of our apartment during the midst of it.  We also tried to meet with a few people, but to no success.  Saturday we went to the church to set up a projector for Sunday, and then meeting with a less active family, and in the evening helping members prepare for an upcoming move.

Finally, on Sunday, we showed the new Christmas initiative from the Church to our branch.  We also had our American investigators show up to church, this time in a suit, and a member brought her friend, someone she introduced to us a few weeks back.  It was great to see them all make it to church.  After church, we went with a member to visit a less active family, and then we helped the member we were with in figuring out FamilySearch.  It was a very busy week.

Lego Fun

One Giant Christmas Tree

Aaron and Ultron's Thanksgiving

Hardships and Blessings

What a week it was!  It all started Monday after a quiet P-Day, when we learned the less active we had been working closely with (cleaning his house, doing groceries) passed away.  That was sad, but we had to move on and teach English to the international family we have been visiting, which went over well.  The next day we had lunch with the missionary senior couple, visited our American Investigators, and in the evening played badminton.

Wednesday was also a hard day because in the morning, my companion received a call from our mission president, informing him his uncle passed away.  It wasn't easy for my companion, but he is a champ. That night we were able to visit a less active family and share the Gospel with them. Thursday was my 21st Birthday, and it was spent at a zone training meeting, learning about the new Christmas initiative from the Church, going on a split with my district leader, visiting some members who made cheesecake for my Birthday, and then visiting the International family, who made dinner and cake for my Birthday. At the end of the day I got to open a package from home with a few gifts.

Friday we ended the split by driving back to Dortmund to switch back. Along the way, a man drove around me on the Autobahn to get my attention and tell me something on the front of the car had come loose.  I was able to fix it upon arriving to Dortmund.  Saturday we did weekly planning, and in the evening we met with an investigator to talk about the plan of salvation.  Sunday was a pleasant surprise because we had a big turnout, including our American investigators, and half of the international, part member family as well.  It was exciting to finally see them make it to church for who came, and they had a good time, the son who is a deacon was even able to pass the sacrament.  Finally, in the evening we had a dinner appointment with a member, ending the week.

Celebrating Aaron's Birthday

A Doctor Who pillowcase present!

Cars! Cars...

The week kicked off with P-day, which was largely spent doing emails and going out to eat for lunch.  In the evening, my companion and I visited a less active family, and the children of the family have taken a real liking to my companion, wanting to play rough with him.  The next day we drove to Dortmund for district meeting and we had an entertaining thought given by my companion about working with recent converts and family history, where we practiced being characters from movies and talking about our family histories as if our characters were missionaries.  Surprisingly enough, I ended up being Ron Weasley, much to my district´s delight.

Driving back from Dortmund, we went out to see our American investigators and talked about the life of Jesus Christ.  Sadly, on the drive over to our investigators, I missed a speed limit sign and ended up getting caught by a camera speeding.  That night, we visited the family from the night before, along with the missionary senior couple, and showed them a little bit of "Meet the Mormons," making for a really good appointment.  As if my car troubles weren´t enough that day though, driving back home, we went to fill up our car with gas, but right as we left the gas stop, I got pulled over by an undercover police car.  Turns out the left turn I made to get into the gas stop was illegal, and I received a 30 euro fine.  I wasn´t happy.

Wednesday we spent some time in the morning helping a member with his garden, along with another member who was also there.  A really nice meal was prepared afterwards, but I was fasting for a 20 day fast our branch was doing.  Oh well.  We then helped a less active member with some shopping, and in the evening we visited the international family again.  They surprised us with dinner, making for a really long appointment, but we got to know their needs better and a better idea as to how to teach them.  The next day was pretty quiet concerning appointments, but we did visit our investigator with the African shop, and we also managed to share a copy of the Book of Mormon with a man on the street.  Friday was weekly planning, translating some materials for a member, and an appointment falling out, and Saturday we helped a family move into our branch.  We did it in the rain and mud, along with a spiral staircase we had to climb over and over again with large, bulky objects like couches and cabinets.  It was fun though!

Finally, on Sunday we had a busy time, helping with some translating work in Relief Society, our American investigators continuing to come to church, and after church financial stuff.  We then visited a member and showed him "Meet the Mormons"  (it´s on Youtube now, making it really easy to show to people now) and in the evening having dinner at the apartment of the missionary senior couple, along with the rest of the district.  We had a "practice Thanksgiving dinner" to test out if the senior couple could cook a turkey before the day actually comes.

And to end it all off, going grocery shopping today, there was a big Star Wars advertisement posted at the store, indicating that next Monday something Star Wars related will be going on.  Naturally, I got a picture.

More Star Wars Fun

   

Going International

It´s amazing, all the different cultures you encounter in Europe.

Starting the week off, for P-day my companion and I did some shopping, ping pong, and in the evening we visited a less active family with a member and we were fed African food.  Since coming to Siegen, it has been quite the experience trying to figure out how to eat African food.  It was a good appointment however, so I can´t complain.  Tuesday was district meeting in Dortmund, but I can´t say the picture included with this update was from this last district meeting, actually it comes from a week earlier.  That´s what happens when you don´t get any good pictures during the week.  After district meeting, we were able to visit the African Shop, and while there, we were able to sit down with a few people and talk about the Gospel, and specifically, the nature of the Godhead.

Wednesday was  busy!  It started off by visiting the member we help with groceries, along with our branch president.  We shopped for groceries and did a little bit of cleaning there before we left to meet with our American investigators.  With them we talked about fasting, which made for a good appointment.  In the evening we drove out to meet with the part member family with South American roots, along with our branch president and his wife.  During that appointment, German, English, and Portuguese was spoken, sometimes all at once!  We fought through it though, and taught about the Plan of Salvation, inviting the Spirit during that time.  Thursday we got to meet with a member who returned from her mission not too long ago, along with her neighbor who is not a member.  The member was excited to meet, and we got to share a quick message about our Heavenly Father.  We also went back to the African Shop in the evening, and got to talk with our investigator, the lady who runs the shop.

Friday was weekly planning, and then we went to help the less active member we do groceries for do more cleaning around his house.  We are working to help this member get back into the habit of praying every day, and he´s making progress!  Saturday we thought to visit a less active member from Africa, and we were able to meet and share a message about Faith and overcoming trials.  We then briefly visited an older member who can´t remember much anymore, and then we dedicated the home for our investigator who runs the African Shop, along with a member, who we then visited and had dinner with.  Sunday we got to see our American members make it to church again, which is always a blessing, and that about explains the week!

District meeting from last week

This is Halloween

The end of October snuck up this past week, including Halloween!  To start everything off, P-day was spent looking around at shops, including going to IKEA just for fun.  In the evening we talked  and did some planning with the senior couple involved with our branch.  Tuesday we drove up to Dortmund for District Meeting, and said goodbye to a sister missionary who would be transferred out of our district into another area.  Upon returning from Dortmund, my companion and I helped out two members in our branch do home teaching.  Because of that, I got to meet some more less active members in our branch, which made for a good experience.

Wednesday we set out to explore the region of Siegen that contains the University and see if there was anything we could do for missionary work.  We also helped out a less active member with shopping and then visited the African shop.  Thursday we worked on former investigator records and in trying to find these people.  In the evening, we met with a part member family that has South American roots.  This was the first time we met with this family because they were on vacation earlier, so it was really cool to get to know them.

Friday we were asked by a less active member if we could pick up a cabinet she bought from someone in the city.  We were able to do that, and also build the thing for her, which ended up taking a lot longer than anyone thought it would.  Saturday was Halloween, and we kicked off the day meeting with an investigator, and we had a cool experience where we asked the man we were meeting with if his wife would be interested as well, and she ended up getting involved in the appointment as well!  After the meeting, I attempted to make brownies for an appointment later in the evening, and right as the brownies were finished, I somehow managed to drop half of them on my right hand, burning a few of my fingers.  I spent some time with an ice pack on my hand after that.  In the evening though, we were able to visit a less active member family and we showed them how to carve pumpkins and talk about the importance of church.  Finally, on Sunday it was testimony meeting, and after church we went with a member to visit an older member who can´t get out of his home too much.

Let the Holiday Season Begin!

Halloween Fun

Aaron with his pumpkin

Great Scott!

The future has finally arrived, come this last week, and here is what happened out in Sigen during that time:

Monday was P-day, which involved the usual shopping, emails, and then the not so usual driving to Dortmund to do bowling with other missionaries in the zone, and starting a split with my district leader back in Siegen.  Tuesday we drove back to Dortmund for district meeting, and on the way I realized the card we had to pay for gas was missing.  That put a bit of a panic on the day because we were starting to run low on gas.  Despite the odds though, we were able to make it to Dortmund safely, and then drive out to visit our American investigators and teach them about tithing.  At the end of the day we had an apartment inspection from the missionary senior couple in our zone, and right after that the card for the gas was found in a pocket of a jacket my companion owned.  

October 21, 2015 at 7:28 am my district leader and I celebrated the arrival of Marty Mcfly by making a video using all the materials we had in connection to "Back to the Future."  We then drove to Dortmund again to end our split, and then Elder Sollis and I helped a less active member buy groceries.  Right as we were done with that, I managed to get a picture of me, my companion, and a toy DeLorean at 16:28, which, for California, was 7:28.  We also visited the African shop that evening.

Thursday we went to a tire place to pick up winter tires for the old car we had, but they didn´t have them in yet.  We also did some looking for trying to find options for a weekly service project in the community.  Friday we had a good experience talking to someone on the street and sharing the Gospel, although nobody we talked to accepted more than a pass along card.  We also helped out the less active member some more by doing dishes and picking up medicine for him.  Saturday was transfer calls, where we learned that Elder Sollis and I will continue to work together in Siegen, and then we did planning for the next week and helped out a lady in our ward transport groceries for her so she wouldn´t have to carry them all on a bus.  At the end of the day we had a brief visit with a member.  Finally, on Sunday, we had our American investigators come to church, and the last session of General Conference was shown.  After Church, we went out with a member to visit a less active family in the branch, and then we had dinner with the member we were with.

The future looks bright!

Bowling with the zone

The "Future" is here

Cars, Toys, and Baptismal Dates

It was a busy week in Siegen!  It all started on Monday, where I finally caved in and submitted to the power of the Force and bought cereal with a Star Wars Episode VII toy.  The rest of the P-Day was spent actually not really having a P-Day, but rather, cleaning a dirty, dusty shed at a member´s house for six hours.  After that we did emails, and then went to bed.  Tuesday we traveled to Dortmund for district meeting, and afterwards went out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant for lunch.  Upon returning from Dortmund, we got a call from a member asking us if we could pick up some groceries for her.  We did that and then she asked us if we could pick up a TV she bought online from someone in the city, so we did that as well.  That basically consisted all of Tuesday.

Wednesday we went to a less active member´s house who is confined to his home, and picked up a shopping list from him.  We ended up having to go to three different grocery stores for this member (he used to be a chef) and then rushing over to an appointment with our American investigators because the shopping took longer than we thought it would.  The appointment afterwards went well however.  Thursday was unique because we drove from Siegen all the way to Frankfurt, to trade in our car we had with a newer one.  That trip involved seeing the first snowfall of the season, and struggling to find a parking spot in the busy streets of Frankfurt.  It lasted all day.

Friday we had our usual weekly planning, and afterwards going back to the less active member´s house and doing his dishes.  We also were able to visit the African shop and got into a discussion about the gifts of the Spirit and living as Christ would.  Saturday we went to the member we helped on Monday and spent a little bit of time at the self reliance program he put on (the whole reason for us cleaning on P-Day in the first place) and switching out the new car with the senior missionary couple's car.  We also went out to get some shoes for an investigator to help him get to Church, and visited a less active family with a member.  Finally, on Sunday we had our American investigators show up to church, and we invited them to baptism for the end of the year, which they accepted!  We also were able to visit a member after church and help out in writing an email in English.

In summary, there was a lot of service this week, and also setting two baptismal dates!

Giving in to the Force

His reward

[Mom note:  His little brother, Hyrum, noticed the temple in this picture first]

Beatlemania!‏

Another week in Germany means more adventures!  It all started on Monday, otherwise known as P-Day.  After shopping and emails, my companion and I went to go visit a "Schloss"  in Siegen and see the sights.  Being a Monday, the day when everything is closed, we were not able to go into the Schloss or the museum there, but we got to walk the grounds a bit and found a memorial relating to events in WWII about allied soldiers that discovered art hidden by the Nazis, stuff relating to "The Monuments Men."  From there, we walked into a shopping complex and found that the place had been decked out with showcases containing things that belonged to the Beatles!  They had guitars, drums, outfits, the works, and it was fun to check out.  We also caught up on the last General Conference session that day.

Tuesday  we traveled to meet a potential investigator we met earlier in the African shop the week before.  When we arrived at the address, we were a little lost because we couldn´t find where the man lived, but thankfully we found him when he walked out of his apartment, and we were able to meet.  We also visited the African shop and taught our investigator about the Sabbath and tithing.  Wednesday, in the morning we teamed up with a member and helped an older member pick apples from trees, and then we went out to a hospital to give a blessing to a member who got into a bike crash.  Later that day we visited the member we teamed up with to say happy birthday.  Thursday we traveled to Dortmund for a zone training meeting, and also interviews with our mission president.  All went well, and then we traveled out to meet with our American investigators and teach about keeping the Sabbath day holy.

Friday was weekly planning, and then we met with our acting branch president and senior missionary to help clean an apartment for a less active member.  That took some time, and in the evening we went out to eat with the missionary senior couple.  Saturday, early in the morning, we ran to the hospital to give a copy of the Book of Mormon to the member in the hospital.  We wanted one to share with somebody he was rooming with there in the hospital.  After that, we got a phone call from from our American investigators asking if we could come visit them, so we did.  Strange enough, one of them wandered off before we got there, so our time was spent trying to find this investigator, but sadly it didn´t happen.  Later that evening we worked on preparing materials for an upcoming baptismal date for our investigator with a baptisimal date.

Sunday was fast and testimony meeting, and I got to conduct sacrament meeting for the first time ever.  We also had our American investigators come to church, which in and of itself was a miracle because they live far away from the church and can only get there by train.  They made it, however, and that´s what counts!

Alles Gute!

Monuments Men

Beatles Guitars

Ultron

My Last General Conference on My Mission‏

The 185 Seminannual General Conference hit, making for 4 General Conferences since entering the MTC. Oh how fast the time has flown by.

The week started with P-Day, which was spent doing emails, playing Monopoly, Ping Pong, and Kicker.  In the evening we tried to meet with a member family, but sadly the husband was sick, so they asked us to come again the next day.  Tuesday we drove to Dortmund for District Meeting, and there my companion got to meet the district since first coming to Siegen.  From that point on, we started a split where I drove back to Siegen with the companion of the District Leader, and together we visited the African shop and the family from the day before.  At the shop, our friend of the Church with a baptisimal date was too busy dealing with customers, but we were able to sit down at the shop and talk a little bit with people there.  We also left with a prayer as we always do there, and then visited the family and talked about Elder Scott´s last General Conference talk, which focused on prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and attending the temple.

The next day we drove back to Dortmund to finish our split, amongst heavy construction on the roads making for driving next to semi-trucks in some uncomfortable tiny lanes.  Upon receiving our normal companions, we split back, and my companion and I went out to visit our American investigators.  We taught about the law of chastity and how if they live it they can prepare for baptism.  One understood what we were saying, but the other did not, so we have some work to do to make sure everyone is on equal grounds there.  Thursday we went to city to continue working on Visa stuff for my companion, and we also had a meal appointment with a member, who at the time of our arrival, was on Skype with a return missionary who served in Siegen at the beginning of the year.

Friday we had our usual weekly planning session, and we visited the African shop again.  This time we were able to talk a little with the lady with a baptisimal date, and we also got to know some other people as well and passed out multiple copies of the Book of Mormon and invited everyone to General Conference.  From there, we teamed up with the senior missionary couple and visited a family in the branch and talked about the temple and General Conference.  Saturday was the the National day of German Unity, which meant everything was closed down and nobody was outside.  We visited a less active member and helped him out with a few cleaning tasks, and then we went to the Church to set up General Conference.  That consisted of setting up a projector and a sound System, which I had a lot of fun setting up.  My companion and I were the only people present for the first session of Conference.

On Sunday members showed up for one session of General Conference, but for the majority of the time, it was really only us, the Elders, and maybe one or two other members.  The talks given in conference were really good though, and it was great to see three new Apostles of the Lord called!  For me, Conference was an uplifting time and I know that the words spoken were spoken by prophets, seers, and revelators.

It´s hard to believe the next time General Conference rolls around, I will be home!

Aaron setting up for Conference

I Saw The Rains Down In Africa

Well, the week had quite the African theme to it, making for an adventure in and of itself.

For P-Day, Elder Sollis and I looked around a little in Siegen, but we were not able to come up with much to do.  The highlight of P-Day really was writing emails.  After P-Day, we had an appointment with an African member family, and talked about what the Gospel of Jesus Christ meant to them.  The next day was Frodo and Bilbo´s Birthday, and the day was spent driving in the rain to the city of Düsseldorf to get to Zone Conference.  It lasted the whole day, and was centered around the third missionary lesson: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The most peculiar part of zone conference, however, was the Food Nanny, a lady from a BYU show, showing up and giving a presentation about cooking.  You might as well have placed us in a studio and added cameras to her presentation, and it would have been an episode of her show.

Wednesday after lunch, my companion and I struggled for hours trying to get a brownie recipe right.  We had an appointment with multiple members, one of which was having a birthday, and we were volunteered by someone to make brownies.  Eventually though, we ran out of time and ingredients, and had to result to buying some cake in a store.  We then went to the African shop we go to every now and then, and managed to sit down with two guys and the woman who runs the shop, and talk about the Restoration of the Gospel.  It was cool because the lady who runs the shop bore testimony about the Church, and she isn´t a member!  After that appointment, we went to the multiple member appointment, and a member gave a presentation about joy and the Gospel.

Thursday we drove out to meet our American investigators.  Originally we had a plan to talk about one of the commandments, but we ended up talking about the Gospel of Christ, and inviting them to baptism.  They are really close to agreeing to be baptized!  We drove back to Siegen afterwards and visited the African shop again, and talked to multiple people there, and then asked the lady who owns the shop if she wanted to be baptized, and she said yes!  The next day we tried to meet with some members, met with an African investigator and his friend, and tried to fit in Weekly Planning all at the same time.

Saturday we tried to meet with another African investigator, but due to miscommunication, we ended up in the wrong town.  We also visited the African shop and taught a little bit more, and tried to meet with a member family, but when we got there, they had visitors and no real time to meet with us.  Finally, on Sunday it was Stake Conference in Dortmund.  There I was able to see multiple members I knew when I was in Paderborn, and see one of them receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Sadly, the man I baptized was not able to attend, but I heard he was doing well.  After that we met with a member and helped him set up a Skype account.  And that´s the week!

The Siegen church meeting house. 

Transfer Insanity

So out in the Germany Frankfurt mission, transfer day came and went again, only this time I was in the eye of the storm. The week started with P-Day, as usual, and the time was spent at a member's house for lunch, and scrambling to get my companion packed. Early the next day, we drove up to Dortmund for district meeting, and everyone said goodbye to Elder Pfleumer there, and then we drove down all the way to Frankfurt. From there, Elder Pfleumer stayed in the mission office to start learning the ropes of being a tech elder, and I went off with another Elder working in Frankfurt, and together we tried to deliver a copy of the Book of Mormon to a Russian, and we had dinner at a Pizza Place with some young adult members.

The next day was the day the new missionaries flew in from the states. What did that mean for me? It meant I ran around with Elder Pfleumer and the tech elders all day. We started off driving to the airport to meet the new missionaries and pick up their luggage. We then ran back and forth throughout the day between the mission home and the mission office. We also picked up the trainers for the new missionaries at the central train station, and transported everyone to a hotel at the end of the day.

Thursday was transfer day, and there I got to see past companions again, and meet my new companion, Elder Sollis. We drove back to Siegen despite rainy weather, slow traffic, and a car show in Frankfurt, making everything hectic. That evening we stopped by a member family to introduce my new companion. The next day we dealt with city registration and visa stuff for Elder Sollis, and we drove out to have an appointment with our American investigators. We ended the day planning for the next week. Saturday we saw some more members and visited the African Shop again, and found a new investigator. Sunday was a busy day because of ward council, having back to back dinner appointments, and learning about how to do secretary duties I have never done before. All in all, a pretty jam packed week.

Aaron and Elder Sollis

Unexpected Change

It was the final week of my 12th transfer serving in the Germany Frankfurt Mission, and this is what happened:

So on Monday for P-day, my companion and I tried on Lederhosen for fun.  Other highlights included as you may have noticed last week, checking out the new Star Wars VII toys, and attempting to meet with some members, and my companion tearing apart and rebuilding a hair cutting razor so it would work again.  Tuesday we drove in the rain to Dortmund for district meeting, and afterwards spent some time as a district hitting the streets and sharing the Gospel.  During that time, my companion and I found a power box with the Frankfurt Temple drawn on it, so of course I had to get a picture.  In the evening we played badminton with a member and refugees, and got a bunch of food from another member.  That was a surprise.

Wednesday we visited the member in the hospital again, the African shop we visit every now and then, and made cookies for the member that gave us a bunch of food the day before.  In return, the member gave us even more food.  Thursday we drove out to visit our American investigators, and talked about the Priesthood, and had lunch with them at a Chinese buffet.  We also visited a member, and helped him with some odds and ends, and listened to him talk for an extremely long time.

Friday we were hit with an unexpected phone call.  My companion got called to serve as a Tech Elder for the next transfer, something nobody was expecting.  We were surprised, but we still had work to do, and had a really good appointment with the member in the hospital about the Plan of Salvation.  The roommate for the member in the hospital even asked us who we were, and a few nurses, so it was fun to share the Gospel a little that way as well.  We also worked on making our own Plan of Salvation, something the mission is doing.  Saturday was the transfer call, where we found out how the next transfer will go down.  We also had time to visit an investigator, run some errands for the member in the hospital, and break the news that Elder Pfleumer was leaving to a few members.  In the evening we got a call from the current Tech Elders asking us to come to Frankfurt earlier than normal so Elder Pfleumer could learn the ropes of being a Tech Elder.

Sunday was a busy day, because we had the lady who runs the African shop come to church (we had to carefully plan as to how we could get her there) and we had a bunch of visitors from Utah come for Sacrament Meeting.  Because of that, I ended up translating the meeting for the ones who couldn´t speak or understand German.  I know the Lord helped me out there!  Elder Pfleumer gave his final talk in Siegen, and then we visited multiple members throughout the rest of the day so my companion could say goodbye.  It´s sad we only had six weeks together, but what can you do?  We had a great time together, and I hope what lays ahead brings a lot of miracles!

Wearing Lederhosen

Temple Power

The Force Is Awakening

It was the second to last week for my first transfer in Siegen, and this is how it all went down:

Monday was P-Day as usual, what wasn´t usual about the day though was we had a lunch appointment with some older members in our branch, and helped them configure their tablet with Apps from the Church.  Tuesday we traveled to Dortmund for district meeting, which was about finding people, and after that we visited the member who was in the hospital to see how he was doing.

Wednesday was interesting, because we had multiple appointments teaching about the Restoration of the Gospel.  The first appointment was with an older German man, who has met with missionaries before.  It turned out to be a rough appointment, because he was completely rejecting us, but we didn´t dare let him have the last word.  Immediately after that, we visited a shop run by the African lady who knows us, and she had us sit down and preach to a guy who was there.  So we taught about the Restoration again, and it went way better than before, and I could feel the truthfulness of what my companion and I were saying (plus it was in English, which makes things even easier.)  In the evening, we saw a news report about a news team that followed a Mormon family in Germany, and explained some stuff about the Church.  It was ok, could have been better, could have been worse.  Thursday we visited the member in the hospital again to help him out with some odds and ends, and visited the African shop again, and sat down and taught the Restoration to three guys, who were all willing to listen to us.  It was great!

Friday was the usual planning for the next week, which was followed by us finding a member who fell out of contact with everyone a while ago.  He´s moved to a different city out of our area, so he´s gone now, but somehow we caught him as he was visiting a friend in our area.  We also had dinner with the senior missionary couple who runs the branch.  Saturday morning we helped our American investigators move a fridge, and taught a little about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we also visited a member in a developmental center and talked about Christ.  Sunday was fast and testimony meeting in Church, and we closed the week by visiting the member in the hospital.

Now it´s off to the final week of the transfer!

May The Force Be With You

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Well, my week started in a zoo.  For P-Day we traveled to the city of Dortmund to gather as a zone and we went to the local zoo.  We had fun there, and of course some pictures were taken.  Immediately after P-Day, I went on a split with an Elder in my district in Dortmund, and we ran a Monday Family Home Evening Night in the Dortmund Church.

Tuesday we had district meeting, which was about the Holy Ghost, and then I continued on the split by visiting a member and an investigator who comes from Jamaica.  Even though the lesson we had planned with the investigator sort of fell apart, the lesson we did have focused on the needs of the investigator, and we had a really good experience.  Wednesday we ended the split and my companion and I went out to support a member in a hospital.  We also went out to visit a former investigator who has known the missionaries for a long time.  This lady runs an African shop, and while we were there we meet a couple of other people who all took an interest in our message.

Thursday was largely spent helping a member with his family history, and on Friday we planned for the next week, visited the member in the hospital, and met with a member and his wife (who is not yet a member), and talked about the Law of Chasity.  It turned into a really good discussion about the importance of families.

Saturday we had planned to work with a lot of the African people we know, but things didn´t totally work out.  Appointments fell out, people weren´t home or busy, etc.  Sunday came along, and self-reliance, physically and spiritually, seemed to be the theme of the meetings.  We had three investigators come to church, including our American investigators.  After church, we had a dinner appointment with a member and ended up watching the church film, "Legacy," with the member.  The week ended with call-ins with our district leader as usual, but this time I learned that the investigators I helped teach and found in Dortmund during the splits actually came to church, which was exciting to hear.

Until next week!

At The Zoo

Ultron went to the zoo too.

BONUS PICTURES

Sent especially to his little brother, Ryan

Look Ryan!  It's in Germany too!

May the force be with you!

Adventure Around Every Corner

I am now well into the middle of my first transfer in Siegen, and the adventure hasn´t stopped yet!  Starting off the week, for Pday we went around exploring the shopping region of the city so I could better familiarize myself with the city.  We ended up getting a parking ticket by accident, which we weren´t too happy about, but hey, what can you do?  After our Pday was over we teamed up with the senior couple that helps out our branch and visited a family in the branch.  A good experience.

Tuesday we helped out a member translate a letter from German into English.  Because I was the only English native speaker, I ended up doing a lot of the work.  After that, we were invited by an older member in Siegen to play badminton with his friends and students from the university in Siegen.  Elder Pfleumer and I ended up playing badminton with a bunch of guys from the Middle East who couldn´t speak German or English.  Wednesday we visited a member who was in the hospital to see how he was doing, and we drove out to meet our American investigators and had a good lesson and answered questions they had about how to read the Book of Mormon.

Thursday we drove up to Dortmund for district meeting, my first one in my new area.  After the meeting, I went on a split with our district leader in the city of Dortmund.  While on the split we passed out invitations to a Summer Grill put on by the church in Dortmund, and we stumbled upon a Romanian family that embraced us and the Gospel with open arms.  We were trying to find an apartment, and as we were going up the stairs, the family saw us as we walked by their door, and asked who we were.  Before we knew it, we were inside their home talking about how they wanted to come to church.  The next day before we split back we visited the family again and gave them copies of the Book of Mormon in Romanian, which they were excited about.  What a way cool experience!

Saturday was spent planning for the next week and getting into contact with members.  Sunday came along and we had three investigators come to church, probably a new record for my experiences on my mission, and after church we visited the member in the hospital again, with the senior couple, and in the evening we had dinner with a member.

Time is moving fast!

Ulton is still hanging around with the Elders

Defending Your Life

It has been quite the first full week for me here in Siegen, but it´s been a lot of fun!

Starting with Monday, we had a member call us wanting to meet us, implying we would go into a forest.  We ended up walking through a forest for something like three hours, while the member just talked with us.  There was a tower at one point along the path we were walking, and Elder Pfleumer and I got pictures up there.  After that we met with a family in our branch in the evening.

Tuesday we attempted to visit investigators, with some success.  We tried a potential investigator, but he was heading off to work and said we could try again on Saturday.  We then met with a woman who has known the missionaries for a long time.  She was friendly.  Other investigators or less active members we tried that day ended up not being able to meet.  Wednesday we met with two solid investigators.  They are a couple, and they come from America.  At one point, one of the investigators brought up the film "Defending Your Life" to try to get a point across, and thanks to my parents showing me that film years ago, I was able to understand where he was coming from and what he was saying!  In the evening we had some stuff come up in the branch that we had to take care of, because we have leadership callings in the branch.

Thursday we traveled to Dortmund for a zone training meeting.  There I was able to see a past companion of mine from Paderborn.  He is still there, and we were able to catch up, and I got to see some pictures of a recent baptism they had in a river in Paderborn.  That was really cool to see.  The meeting was all about the Plan of Salvation and practicing teaching this Gospel topic.  In the evening we came back to Siegen and took care of some more branch business.  Friday we planned for the next week, and met with the senior couple who is involved in our branch at an Asian restaurant, and discussed what we could do for the branch, and after that we went out to try to meet with a family in the branch.  Saturday we were able to meet the potential investigator and talk about the Restoration of the Gospel with him, that was a good experience, and we visited a member who is currently in the hospital.  We ended the day meeting with some more members in the evening.

Sunday came and we had a Ward Council meeting, which went well, and we had our American Investigators show up to Church!  I translated German into English for them during Sacrament meeting, something I haven't done much, but I for the most part was able to keep up.  After Church we helped the member in the hospital get some stuff in his apartment as he stays a bit longer in the hospital.  All in all, a good week.

Up in a tower in the woods.

I See Siegen

The start of my 12th transfer came and went on my mission, and I am now in a new area.

To start the week off, I spent my final P-Day in Schweinfurt by going to Würzburg and meeting up with the Elders there and visiting the Residence, a beautiful building located within the city.  We were not able to take pictures inside the building, sadly, but it was beautiful, and we even ran into some Mormons who were touring the area.  In the evening my companion and I, along with the other Schweinfurt Elders, met with the Bishop in our ward and said goodbye.

Tuesday we had a final district meeting together, and had a motivational speech complete with background music from an Elder who would be completing his mission within the next few days, and learning about the importance of the Sabbath by making sandwiches, a lesson given from the senior couple in our district.  After that, most of my time left in Schweinfurt was preparing to leave.

When transfer day came, my companion and I woke up early in the morning so we could drag my luggage through the city to get to the train station before 6:00 am. At Frankfurt, I got to see multiple missionaries I met in the past, and met my new companion, Elder Pfleumer.  He is my second Swiss companion.  We loaded up my luggage in the car for my new area (yes, my new area has a car) and traveled to Siegen.  From there, we unloaded and tried to meet with some people on Thursday and Friday.  Saturday came, and we got picked up by a member and traveled to the temple in Frankfurt, to visit it one last time before it closes until 2017.  That was a great experience, and then we traveled back to Siegen and met with another member and met the senior couple who works with the branch in Siegen: Elder and Sister Jones.  Elder Jones is branch president, my companion is first councilor in the branch presidency, and I am now the executive secretary in the Siegen Branch.

Sunday we had some meetings, and then I helped the member who took us to the temple pick up an older member to get him to church, and I met the branch.  After church, I helped get the older member back home, and my companion and I visited the member who took us to the temple.

Things are off to a quick start in Siegen!

Last time with the Schweinfurt District

At the Frankfurt Temple

Elder Pfleumer and Aaron see the temple

Into The Woods

What a week it has been!

P-day went pretty easy as usual, doing shopping and emails. My
companion and I picked up comp ties as well. Tuesday rolled around
with district meeting, where we did predictions of where people would
go for the next transfer, learned about learning German, and the
Würzburg Elders did a rendition of "Into the West" for an Elder in the
district who will soon be heading home. I had a split with one of the
Würzburg Elders afterwards, and together we did former investigator
work, finding, and having fun. Wednesday evening we ended the split,
and my companion and I made brownies for going by on people we know.

Thursday we helped out the other Schweinfurt Elders, met a man I met
before who just wanted to argue and left us on the street abruptly
when we wouldn't surrender to his ways, and visited a member with our
bishop in the evening. Friday during weekly planning I got a phone
call from the mission president saying I would be released as district
leader, and afterwards we did former investigator work and had a run
in with the arguing man from the day before, twice.

Saturday in the morning, we along with the other Schweinfurt Elders,
made breakfast and listened to our transfer call. There I learned
that I will be transferred to the area of Siegen, which is in the
Dortmund Zone, the zone I was in when I was in Paderborn. After that
we helped an American member cut wood in the forest, which was fun,
and in the evening did game night. Sunday was my last time in the
ward here in Schweinfurt, and I also called the woman who believes in
aliens and said goodbye to her. In the evening I did my last call ins
with the district. I can't believe how fast my time went as a
district leader! I enjoyed the opportunity I had to serve with my
district, and am anxious to see what lies in store!

Cutting wood

Former Investigators

Once again, time flew by this week.  Starting off with P-day, we took it easy again, and in the evening my companion and I set out to find a former investigator, but sadly he had "no time" to meet.  Tuesday came around and for lunch we were going to put good use out of our new oven and make a Shepard´s pie, but right as we started cooking, the power in our apartment went out.  A few hours later the power was restored, and we were able to continue with our lunch.  For the rest of the day we went out to find some former investigators and ended up helping the other companionship in Schweinfurt.

Wednesday we had a district meeting in the morning, and following that the zone leaders from Nürnberg drove up for a split.  I stayed in Schweinfurt, and together with the zone leader, we helped out the other Schweinfurt Elders and did some more finding former investigators, only this time the weather was really hot and humid.  The next day we took a long train ride to Nürnberg to end our split, and while there I saw some other Elders I knew from early on in my mission.  I got to talk with them a little bit before we traveled back to Schweinfurt and had a dinner appointment with a member family.

Friday was once again finding former investigators and planning for the next week.  Saturday we also tried working with former investigators, and we had our usual game night in the evening with youth in the ward.  Sunday was church, and in the evening we visited an investigator.  He surprised us this time at the start by saying it was time for a prayer, which has never happened before, so someone is picking up on something!

I guess you could say a lot of the week was spent out and about seeking out former investigators.  There is still a lot of work to do there, but we had a start this week, which was good, because we have a ton of former investigators listed in our area book, and everybody deserves a second chance.

Ultron helping Aaron take a "selfie"

We Got an Oven!

This week again was full of dealing with district leader responsibilities, but before all that, let´s go back to the beginning of the week.  Pday we took it easy and then in the evening my companion and I had a dinner appointment with a family in our ward, which was really nice.  Tuesday, we had a district meeting and then a split with the other Schweinfurt Elders.  What was interesting was we did a role play in the district meeting of talking to people on the streets, and I pretended to be someone I met earlier in Schweinfurt who says he was a wizard.  Later that day on the split, my companion and the Elder he was with actually ran into the guy in the streets.  On my side of the split, we tried talking to people by the river, but for the majority it was all couples who were more interested in each other rather than some Mormon missionaries.  After that attempt of talking to people, we tried out a restaurant that the Elder I was with really wanted to go to.

Wednesday, we split back and tried some more finding but not much came of it.  Thursday, when we were going through our area book looking at former investigators to see who we could try to make contact with, the other Elders called asking for help.  The rest of the day was spent helping them out.  Friday we did some service with our Bishop for someone he knew, and then soon after, the other Elders called us requesting help again, 30 minutes before they had to do something.  My companion and I had to rush across the city to get to them, but we made it.  Later that night, we met with our Landlords again, this time with our Bishop, and it went pretty well.  After the visit, the Landlords told us they had a new oven for us, so our Bishop helped install it.  I guess I should say we have been going a few weeks with a broken oven, so it was exciting to get a working one again.

Saturday we planned for the next week and had our usual game night, where we made makeshift Apples to Apples cards because we could not find the game in German.  Sunday we had a nice time in Church, and in the evening we tried to visit some people we know.

Until next week!

Our new oven

The Life of a District Leader

It has been quite the week for my companion and I.  Being a District Leader sometimes means helping out others in the district, and there has been a lot of that going on.

After a P-day of shopping, emails, and miniature golf, my companion and I went out to try to get into contact with some investigators before they left for vacation, and we were successful.  The next day we had district meeting, and a split with the other Schweinfurt companionship.  During the split, we were able to visit some investigators, and we were able to share a message about believing and knowing.  I know I felt the Spirit at the end of the lesson, and I am pretty sure the investigators felt it as well.  That was a good experience.  I then ended up having an hour and a half long phone call with the woman who has had alien contact.  We´re still working on trying to do a church tour with her.

The next day we split back, but not too long after that the other Schweinfurt Elders called asking for some help.  So we ended up going to their apartment and baking snickerdoodle cookies with them. They then later delivered the cookies to a part member family in the ward.

The following day I went on another split; this time with an Elder in Würzburg.  There we shortly visited an investigator, and attended institute, which was put on by the senior couple in our district. The next day we did some service for a member in the Würzburg ward.  When we split back we went out to eat together at the Schnitzel place in Schweinfurt that gives a lot of food.  Then Saturday my companion and I got another phone call from the Schweinfurt Elders, requesting help.  They had been going through a lot of stress, so later in the day we allowed them some time to cool down and ate dinner together.  Sunday we had the Stake President visit our ward, President Schwartz, who was the Mission President when I first came to Germany.  It was fun to see him again, and have a little bit of interaction with him.  The rest of the day was spent planning for the next week, because we didn´t get a chance to do it earlier in the week.

Every day is an adventure in the mission field!

Lots of food is good

Hot 4th of July

The weather was nice and hot this last week in Germany, but at least
that didn't stop good things from happening.  It felt like every day
of the week my companion and I had something scheduled or needed to
do, which made for a good week.

Early in the week on Monday, my companion and I went to the city to
get my companion registered in Schweinfurt and what not.  Tuesday was
interesting because on that day we had an appointment with the woman
who believes in aliens,  that I had met earlier during a street display.  She
really is a nice lady with a lot of interesting ideas and events from
her past, at one point she told us that she was on the Ed Sullivan
show, and a bunch of other stuff relating to that time period.  As of
right now we are looking to set up a tour of the church with her and
see how that goes.  Wednesday my companion and I were able to meet
with an investigator, and we helped out the other Schweinfurt Elders
with a few of their teaching appointments.  Thursday we travelled to
Nürnberg for zone training, which took up the whole day, and on Friday
we were able to meet with our landlords again.

On the Fourth of July we went to Würzburg for a ward grill.  That
lasted all day because we got there early to set up and we helped
clean up.  There was a bouncy house for the kids there, a good
barbecue but no one wanted to be outside because the weather was so
hot.  Still, it was fun to have the entire district together on the
Fourth and celebrate a little, even if the majority of people
attending were German.  Sunday was just as hot, and we visited the
Bishop after church, and in the night there was an impressive
lightning storm.

The adventure continues next week!

Schweinfurt Elders

Bouncy house in the church