Address

Elder Aaron Baxter
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Kirche Jesu Christi
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

aaron.baxter@myldsmail.net

Monday, April 27, 2015

Missionary Work In The Digital Age..."Almost There!"

Hello Everyone!

Early in the week I went on a split with the newest Elder in my district after a district meeting. Together we made some brownies for investigators to deliver and try to meet with.  After I got back with my companion, we visited a member to deliver the sacrament to and helped him out with some small acts of service, it was a good time.  My companion and I also got back into contact with an investigator we thought we had lost, which was exciting, and the future looks really hopefully there!  Midway though the week all four Elders in Schweinfurt helped out in a primary activity the evening before we were to travel to Frankfurt.

We woke up at four in the morning to take some trains to Frankfurt.  For the first time on my mission, I got to take an ICE train, which are known for being really nice trains.  That was fun because the ICE went through some cities I worked in earlier in my mission back when I was serving in Offenbach.

The mission conference with Elder Bednar was good.  We had a large discussion with Elder Bednar as a mission about "missionary work in the digital age" along with the area president of Europe, and the director of the missionary department in the Church.  We got some booklets relating to the topic of the day, full of pictures of missionaries using stuff like iPads and stuff, but right at the end of the conference, it was announced we were not getting iPads yet, with no explanation as to why.  The most we got was a "soon."  A little bit of a bummer, but the mission conference was still a great time, and we learned a lot during our time with Elder Bednar.  In the end, the conference was making sure we stay focused on the missionary purpose as we move forward with technology on the mission.  I also got to see the Elders I was in the MTC with a year ago, and we made sure to get a picture together.

Ending the week, my companion and I did some finding work, and met a guy who claimed to be a kung fu wizard, and we met a nice family who let us in right away when we knocked on their door.  Turned out they were playing a board game and invited us to play with them.  We got to share a little bit about ourselves, and they invited us to come back next week so we could share more.

All in all, a good week.

Ultron on the ICE train

Aaron with his MTC Elders

Monday, April 20, 2015

Aliens From The Fourth Dimension

This week involved a street display, a split, and time with the members in the ward of Schweinfurt.

Early in the week we had district meeting, where we met the Elder who joined our district in Würzburg, and after that all of the Schweinfurt Elders did service at the Bishop´s to lay bricks for a driveway.

The following day I went on a split with one of the other Schweinfurt Elders, and worked in his area.  Together, we visited a family in the ward, and went to a Bible Circle.  At the circle, we ended up participating in a scavenger hunt throughout the city.  It was fun, but difficult, because it was at the end of the day and it was getting dark, so it got hard to find the objects we were looking for.  We had to find numbered envelopes throughout the city that had clues to the location of the next envelope, along with scriptures about the last week of Christ´s life.

Towards the end of the week we went to visit some investigators, but when we came by, they were drunk and therefore we didn´t meet.  On Saturday we had another street display, and there I got into a discussion with a woman who claimed to have contact with aliens from the fourth dimension.  The aliens told her spiritual things, and while she actually had some gospel truths, she was a bit crazy.  It was quite the experience to hear what the woman had to say about aliens and God.  After that we had an activity with the ward and in the evening we did our weekly game night with the youth in our ward.  On Sunday I got to teach the new Teacher in the ward how to set up the sacrament, and we had some visitors from the stake come, so church was a fun time.

On the 24 of April I will be traveling to Frankfurt for a mission conference and there we will be receiving iPads.  The week should be pretty great!

Aaron in front of the Schweinfurt City Hall

Monday, April 13, 2015

Wurzburg, Chalk, and Meeting New People

The past week for me started off by finishing watching all of General Conference.  It was a German Holiday, so things were a bit slow outside.  The next day was our Pday, and for it the district gathered together in Würzburg to see the sights around the city, and then we ended the day with a district meeting and said goodbye to an Elder in our district that completed his mission.

Wednesday my companion and I did some more chalk art, and afterwards helped the other Elders in Schweinfurt with a lesson.  After that my companion and I visited a family in the ward, and we had planned to share a lesson about temples with them, and it turned out to be perfect, because the next day the family was going to travel to the Frankfurt Temple!

Thursday us and the other Schweinfurt Elders got together to do a giant #BecauseHeLives along the Main river.  A few people talked to us there.  In the evening we did some door to door finding, and met some people that hopefully in the future investigate the Church.

The next day, Friday, after we were done with planning for the next week, we had planned to do some doors in a certain area, but when we got there I felt like something was off.  We ended up going to a different location, and there we met an older couple who were friendly (and hilarious) and set up a time to meet again.  We met with these people on Sunday, and while it is hard to teach because they talk so much, we still had a great experience.  Saturday we also helped a less active member transport wood, which was fun, and I finally met one of our investigators.  She works at a Thai massage place, where we meet her, and she is really cool!

I got to see the work move forward a little bit in Schweinfurt this week, and it was great to see!

Seeing the Sights

#BecauseHeLives

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Easter Surprise

So a new transfer on the mission has come around in the Frankfurt Germany Mission, and with it we learned that iPads will be coming to our mission soon and that our mission boundary will become smaller, with us losing "the East" (areas like Erfurt, Weimar, etc).

April Fools!

Ok, not really.  We really are losing part of our mission and we will receive iPads.

My week consisted of going on a split with a zone leader in Nürnberg, a zone training meeting in Nürnberg, and General Conference mixed with Easter.  With the split I knocked on some doors, and met a member, who turned out to be the grandfather of a girl I went to school with.  Small world.

With the Zone training meeting, we discussed for the most part The Book of Mormon.  We also all went out as a zone to pass out cards for the #BecauseHeLives program from the Church.  It was a good time.

Saturday my companion and I met with a less active member, and then it was General Conference!  We spent all of Sunday at the Church watching General Conference with our Bishop and his wife.  Ultron got into General Conference also.

Ended the week doing some chalk art on a sidewalk and drew out the plan of salvation along with some phrases and such.  No one was really out when we did it, but maybe someone saw it afterwards, you never know.

Of course, every week is a new adventure, and I look forward to these upcoming weeks, especially concerning iPads!  Until next week!

Happy Easter!

Watching Conference

Watching the Prophet

Plan of Salvation

Here is another picture from the week. 
 We kind of all ended up buying matching cardigans for cheap and wearing 
them for a meeting at our Bishop´s house. 
Bonus Picture!!  The Schweinfurt Elders in Easter cardigans.