tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78615277488298625292024-03-05T17:42:27.172-08:00Elder Aaron S. Baxter LDS Mission Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-42854805535602207702016-03-06T17:46:00.003-08:002016-03-06T17:46:44.149-08:00Into The WestAfter 2 years, the time has come to say goodbye to Germany...<br />
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It was a curious final few days of my mission. Recalling from last week, I ended the week sick, which had some effects on me throughout the week. Monday, P-Day, was ultimately spent packing while still feeling a little sick to my stomach. It wasn't enough to keep me home bound the whole day, I was able to do shopping and emails, but at the same time, appointments had to be rescheduled because both I and a member we would be taking were feeling too queasy for the task. Of all the times to get sick on a mission, your final week is probably not the best.<br />
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Tuesday I was able to meet with others. The day started by saying goodbye to an Elder in our area being transferred. We waited with the staying Elder, Elder Domingues, for his new companion to come to Hanau. After lunch, Elder Russell, an Elder I knew from my days in Siegen came in to Hanau to join Elder Domingues. My companion and I then drove to meet with a less active member and so I could say goodbye. The member had us sing some hymns with him and we read a scripture with him and we invited him to continue meeting with the Elders, because he's kind of a hard guy to stay in touch with. After meeting this member, we then met his parents (also in the ward) so I could say goodbye to them. We really just talked and read a scripture with them, because these members LOVE to talk. In the evening we had our last meeting with the ward mission leader and choir practice, and during that time we also went to the hospital to say hello/goodbye to the assistant ward mission leader who had recently had a surgery. <br />
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Wednesday the original plan we had went completely out the window. My companion was to leave for Frankfurt to pick up his new missionary while I stay in Hanau with the other Elders, but Elder Domingues became sick. So instead of staying in Hanau, I got to go to Frankfurt a day earlier than planned and I was able to spend the day with the Tech Elders, or more specifically Elder Pfleumer, a past companion of mine. I was also able to attend the trainer/new missionary pairing meeting and escort those missionaries to the hotel they were staying in that night. It was fun to spend the day in Frankfurt and meet the new missionaries that would be filling in for my group that would be leaving the mission. <br />
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Thursday all the leavers met in Frankfurt for one final day. We all went up to the Main Tower in Frankfurt with the mission president and his wife to get an overlook of Frankfurt, and then we had a short street display before heading to the mission home for some final words from the mission president and advice for the future. We then went to a restaurant for a final German meal (my stomach still feeling a little small from being sick), and then we met in the Frankfurt chapel for the leavers testimony meeting. I got to see some familiar faces at the meeting, there was a slideshow of pictures from all of our missions, and it was a great testimony meeting, including some final words from a member of an Area Seventy who was in attendance. We then all left for the hotel, said goodbye to the mission president, and then played a game before getting some sleep for the travel home. Friday morning we took a taxi from the hotel to the Frankfurt Airport, and before we knew it, all of us leavers were on a flight leaving Germany. The flight to Atlanta consisted of a 9 and a half hour travel time, and all the willpower I had to not look at the guy sitting close to me as he was watching "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Surviving the trip, us leavers divided into smaller groups headed to different locations in America, and then I was on a plane to Salt Lake City. It was close to a 4 hour flight, and the travel and anticipation started to get to me then, but I was able to meet my family at the Salt Lake Airport in one piece. It was exciting to see them all again, and then we drove to our Stake Center and I was released as a missionary from my Stake President. <br />
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Wrapping it all up, I'll leave with some thoughts and my testimony. I am so grateful for my time serving as a missionary in Germany. There were many experiences I had and people I met that I will never forget. From my "Golden" days in Offenbach, a baptism and friendships made in Paderborn, serving as district leader in Schweinfurt, acting as a branch secretary in Siegen, to finishing in Hanau, it has rightfully been an adventure in every aspect. I know that God lives and that he is our loving Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is his son, and through his son we can return to our Father in Heaven. Christ's church is the true church, and it was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, and through it we can know that Joseph Smith really was called of God, and that God still speaks to us today. Isn't that great?! I think so. Although my mission may be over, it's not the end of the world but rather the beginning of a new chapter of my life; one in which I know if I do my best to follow the example of Christ, I will receive the heavenly help I need moving forward in life and ultimately one day return to my Heavenly Father. Until that day, may your life be blessed, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. <br />
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Saying Goodbye To Germany</div>
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Welcome Home Aaron!!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-86292946126627423172016-02-29T07:07:00.000-08:002016-02-29T07:07:25.862-08:00Is This Really How Things Wrap Up?You know you're getting old on your mission when the expiration date of the milk you're drinking is your release date.<br />
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So it was, this week. As for starting the week off, P-day was your usual list of things to do, with nothing really out of the ordinary. In the evening my companion and I had planned to meet with a man other missionaries had met with, but now he has moved to Hanau. After waiting a while, we got a call from him informing us he couldn't make it, but we could meet the next day. For Tuesday we traveled to district meeting, which was all about working with members, and then I was off on my last split of my mission. My district leader and I worked in my area, and we met with the man we were hoping to meet with the day before. This guy is Arabic and met missionaries who gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon in his mother language. After reading some of the book, he decided he wants to change his religion. In other words, we got a solid new investigator! The day ended practicing with the ward choir.<br />
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Wednesday my district leader and I drove out to meet with a less active member we work often with. It was my last time with this member, so we said goodbye before we were done visiting him. We then drove to the city of Gießen to end the split. Returning to Hanau, my companion and I met with our eternal investigator to read in the Book of Mormon with him. We also met a woman at the church who some members wanted us to meet. She had keys to the church building for several years, and was returning them to the bishopric. We were there to say hello and invite her to meet with us. She has our number now, so maybe someday...<br />
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Thursday early in the day we drove to the Church's distribution center in Europe to get a new car. What we got was a brand new 2016 Toyota Yaris hybrid. It's a really nice car for a missionary vehicle. Later that day I went through some legal work saying I was going back to the states, and then we met with our eternal investigator to read, and then met with our new investigator. Because he comes from the Middle East we have to get special permission to continue teaching him, which an appointment with the mission president was set up for that reason. That'll happen after I'm home. Friday was weekly planning day and also some work on the ward list. At the end of the day we met with our ward mission leader and his family to have dinner with them. It was a "thank you for helping with the piano last week/goodbye Elder Baxter" appointment. We shared a thought about the Gospel of Christ with them, and had a good time.<br />
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Saturday we helped a member clean her dusty attic with our ward mission leader, and we met with our usual investigator to read. At the end of the day we did some coordinating work with the other Hanau Elders and had our transfer call. Elder Ireton, my companion, will be training a brand new missionary next transfer. All was set to have an awesome Sunday the next day where we would have an investigator there, I would say a farewell testimony, and we would teach the youth during the second hour of Church, followed by a member appointment after church. We were ready for a great day... and then I threw up. Yup, that's right, at like three in the morning Elder Ireton and I woke up to upset stomachs and we both had to vomit. All of Sunday turned out to be a sick day for us, never leaving the apartment. What a bummer to the end of the week! Especially my last full week of my mission! Not fun, but what can you do other than keep moving forward....<br />
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In conclusion to this weekly update is attached two pictures that look similar. The differences being the first picture being taken in the year 2014, the beginning of my mission, the other being taken this last week, the end of my mission. I did my best to replicate the picture of me standing in front of the city hall and Brothers Grimm statue (despite that bothersome sun shining right in my eyes). Time is a funny thing, isn't it? I have one more weekly update to give next week to finish my story as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Germany Frankfurt Mission. Until then, may the Lord bless you as I know he has blessed me.<br />
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"Golden" 2014</div>
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"Leaver" 2016</div>
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The New Car</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-32609273130837908242016-02-22T08:59:00.000-08:002016-02-22T08:59:57.489-08:00"Almost There..."Five out of the six weeks of the transfer are over now, but all in all it was a pretty good week!<br />
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Monday during P-Day my companion and I got to head to Frankfurt and do some shopping before I officially leave Germany. During that time I got to see Elder Sollis, a past companion of mine, and we ran into an investigator from the AP´s or assistants to the mission president. At first this guy just started talking to us when we were ordering some food, and through it we found out he was actually investigating the church, so once again, it´s a small world. That evening we went with a member to visit a single sister in the ward that can´t make it to church that often. She asked for a priesthood blessing, which I had the opportunity to give, and afterwards we had a really good discussion with her about missionary work, and she got really excited about it all. Walking away from that appointment, the member we were with talked with a guy just walking by and asked it he was interested in quitting smoking. Through that we set up an appointment to meet with this guy in a few weeks and help him out. It was a way cool end to the day!<br />
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Tuesday we met with a less active member that I actually met two years ago when I was on a split in Hanau. It was fun to catch up with this guy finally. We also read in the Book of Mormon with our one investigator, and ended the day meeting with the ward mission leader and practicing with the ward choir. Wednesday we worked on member list work for the ward, and met with another less active member and talk about the commandment of fasting. Thursday we had district meeting in Wetterau like usual, this time the zone leaders were in attendance. District meeting went way overtime due to everyone giving really long thoughts for those who were asked. In summary though, we talked about the role of the Holy Ghost in missionary work. That evening we were also able to read in the Book of Mormon with our investigator.<br />
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Friday was when life picked up. We woke up early in the morning to travel to Frankfurt so my companion could apply for a new passport (he lost his). Because I wasn´t applying for anything, I had to wait outside the US Consulate for nearly four hours in the snow watching a security guard help people in line for the consulate who curiously enough looked a lot like the actor Martin Freeman. I did get to talk to some people at that time, and even share the First Vision with an older German man, but at the end of the whole ordeal, I was pretty done. After warming up, we read with our investigator, met with a member to get to know him better and talk about missionary work, and then in the evening we helped our ward mission leader transport a piano into his home. <br />
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Saturday was much more quiet than the day before, with a lot of walking in rain, weekly planning and fallen out appointments. I even dared look at my luggage situation before I come home that day. Sunday was a nice day in church. I got to translate the second hour of church for an investigator from the other Elders, and in the evening meet with the man we are reading the Book of Mormon with. Through all this reading, we have come to better understand this man´s understanding of the Gospel, and while he doesn´t know a lot, at least now we know. <br />
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Just one full week left now...<br />
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At the church building</div>
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Seeing the sights </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-53398846288486115312016-02-15T06:01:00.000-08:002016-02-15T06:01:19.914-08:00A Whole Lot of the Book of MormonSo, the week flew by rather quickly. <br />
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Monday was an interesting day for multiple reasons. To start off, I had to pick up my last companion´s driver´s license at a government building and then mail it off to Elder Merkley. At that point it was raining rather hard outside, so we spent the free time of our P-day playing Settlers of Catan with a member. In the evening we drove out to spend family home evening with the new 2nd counselor of the bishopric and his family. As we arrived, so too did the Bishop and his family. We ended up having one big family home evening and dinner together, which was fun. The spiritual thought turned into Christlike attributes and how they are better than what the world sees as important in the character of man. <br />
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Tuesday was another rainy day, with us walking around in it checking up on less active members and seeing if they were actually still around or not. Later in the day we met with our investigator we read the Book of Mormon with, and read about Nephi and obtaining the brass plates. We were wondering if this investigator was getting anything when reading out of the Book of Mormon, but as we read that chapter together, he showed he was paying attention to what we were all reading together. We finished the day with ward choir. Wednesday all of us Hanau Elders took a train to Friedrichsdorf, where the temple is, for a zone training meeting. At the end of the meeting they asked the leavers to bear their testimonies like they always do, but that meant it was my turn to give a testimony. It was a good experience, but man, time is really speeding up now! After the meeting and reading in the Book of Mormon with our investigator, we met up with the ward clerk and sorted out the work we had done so far on the member list, and then we were involved helping out with Young Mens. We talked about Preach My Gospel, and helped them practice teaching missionary lessons. Mission prep, one could say.<br />
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Thursday we traveled out to do some more member list work, and found everyone in the area to still be around. After reading in the Book of Mormon we thought to go by a Syrian family we know. They are always super busy so it´s hard to meet, but this time we were able to stop by briefly, see how they were doing, and finally give them a copy of the Book of Mormon in Arabic. As for Friday, after weekly planning we met with an investigator and mostly talked the whole time about how the Book of Mormon is not the Bible, but another testament of Jesus Christ. After that, we read with our other investigator, and that about summed up the whole day. Saturday, Elder Ireton woke up to an ingrown toenail, so we had to deal with that for the first part of the day. We did some more member list work and visiting/reading the Book of Mormon with our investigator. That was kind of a hard day because this investigator has been complaining almost non-stop about a medical problem he has, and how terrible his doctor is. We asked if he could try letting go of his grudge against his doctor, and he got a bit mad. <br />
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Sunday was Valentines Day, which was hard to remember the whole day, but oh well, whatever. We didn´t have any investigators make it to church, but we had some good interactions with members. Later in the day when visiting our investigator and reading in the Book of Mormon together, I tried to change my attitude of frustration to being more positive, something talked about in church, and it helped a lot. Despite this investigator still having frustrating problems, I felt more at peace than in the days before. Valentines Day was also the day I hit the teens as to how many days I have left in Germany. <br />
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Like I said, time is flying.<br />
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Playing games</div>
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Zone Meeting</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-58172012152197416212016-02-08T07:11:00.001-08:002016-02-08T07:11:57.236-08:00Karneval Begins AgainAnother week, another chance for adventures.<br />
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Well, to start off the week, after normal P-day activities, we spent family home evening with the recently released bishop and his family. The family is basically German and American, so the conversations kept on jumping back and forth between German and English, but it was a really fun time, and we had the role to share the spiritual thought for family home evening, which was about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Ireton used a fire demonstration for a visual representation, which was pretty cool. Tuesday (Groundhog Day!) we had some time to make contact with less active members. All we came up with in the end was a refugee house with no less active member, but now the ward knows, and finding these less active members is an assignment we received from the ward. Plus, during that time I managed to snap a picture of a landmark in Hanau: the Philippsruhe castle. That evening we met with our ward mission leader and practiced with the ward choir.<br />
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Wednesday we had a split, and I served in Hanau with the companion to the district leader. We were able to meet with a less active member we meet regularly with, and this time talk about following the prophet. During studies the idea came to me to watch the talk from President Monson from the Priesthood session of the last General Conference. It turned out really well, and was exactly what we needed. Thursday there was district meeting, which was all about learning the language in our mission. We played a game centered around asking questions, which was pretty fun (and I won!) Friday was weekly planning and meeting with an investigator. This guy has been meeting with missionaries for forever, but seems to have never really read the Book of Mormon. During weekly planning, we got the idea to ask this investigator if he would be interested in reading the Book of Mormon a little bit every day with us, so we asked and he said yes! So it looks like from here on out, we will be reading a chapter of the Book of Mormon every day to help out this investigator in reading the Book of Mormon. <br />
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Saturday we had a full day of appointments. It started by driving out to Fulda to meet with a potential investigator, but when we got to our destination, the man was nowhere to be found. Because of expensive parking and us thinking we still had a pretty busy day, we weren´t able to hang around in the area that long. Upon returning to Hanau, we found a parade being organized right in front of our apartment. It was for Karneval, so that meant a lot of costumes and beer. It was fun to watch from our window while eating lunch. All appointments continued to fall out throughout the day, except for reading a chapter in the Book of Mormon, so I´m grateful that appointment still worked out. Sunday was Fast Sunday, my last Fast Sunday of my mission if you were to be specific, and the investigator we are reading with was able to make it to church! Church was great, and it was fun to see how the ward is carrying on with the new bishopric that was instituted last week. We were also able to read the Book of Mormon with our investigator a couple of hours after church, and ended the week eating homemade pizza with the other Hanau Elders for dinner. <br />
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The transfer is now halfway done, with Karneval well under way! <br />
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Philippsruhe Castle</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-78891672256108062732016-02-01T07:15:00.000-08:002016-02-08T07:12:19.422-08:00Gas Theft and Leaver´s InterviewSo, January came to a close, and a lot happened, most of which was unexpected.<br />
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Monday was a usual P-day with using our free time to play games with the other Hanau Elders. In the evening my companion and I got a ride from a member in the ward to visit a less active member together. We were encouraging this less active member with reading in the scriptures, so for our appointment we all read in the Book of Mormon together. Tuesday we had no appointments for the day, so we used our time trying to find less active members who live in the area. During that time some guy gave us the number of his ex-wife and said she wanted to visit our church. That was cool!<br />
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On Wednesday we did some more less active work, and then we got a call from our district leader informing us that he and his companion would be using our car for the day. We let them take it because they already had our mission president´s approval, and then we took a train to meet with a member we thought was less active. It turns out she was more active than we were led on to believe, which made for a nice surprise. We were with the other Hanau Elders for this appointment because we couldn´t find any male member to help us out in visiting this single sister, and we had a really good time talking about the Book of Mormon and helping her out in her plans for sharing a copy of the Book of Mormon with a friend. After that appointment, I got a call from my district leader and his companion asking how to fill up the car with gas, and that´s where the adventure began...<br />
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Thursday we took a train to district meeting and then got our car back. As we were back in Hanau preparing for an appointment, we got a call from the vehicle coordinator in our mission telling us that the day before our car was identified for filling up for gas and getting a car wash and then not paying for it. We asked our district leader and his companion about it, and they said they thought they had paid for the gas, but didn´t get a car wash. As we took a look at the receipt from the gas stop, we found it to be only for a car wash. Obviously there was some sort of mix up at the cash register when they went to pay for the gas. We continued on with the day, visited a member with another member and talked about concerns this returning member was having, and at the end of the day we took a picture of the receipt for the mistake car wash and emailed it to the mission office. The next morning we got a call from our district leader and his companion telling us we needed to pick them up right away and drive out to where this gas station was to pay for the gas, because the police were now involved and looking for them. So, we picked them up and drove two hours to get to a gas station so they could pay for the gas, and then drive all the way back. At this point of the month, we didn´t have any more kilometers to use for the car, but the mission told us our limit was out the window and we needed to get this whole mix up fixed. Everyone in the car was pretty tired, some more than others as you can see in the picture of us four Elders in the car.<br />
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Was the day done yet though? No! Despite our already long day, we helped out in cleaning the church and then meeting with an investigator and talking about the importance of the restoration. Elder Ireton and I were pretty done with the day at that point. Saturday we did a lot of weekly planning and attempting to visit an investigator and less active members. Sunday came around and we had the unique opportunity to have our mission president in attendance and teach about the Book of Mormon in the second and third hour of church, with the help of the four Hanau Elders. We also saw the Bishop and his counselors be replaced by a new bishop and counselors, making for a unique day. After church, President Stoddard pulled me aside for my leaver´s interview. It went really well, and I was able to spend something like an hour and twenty minutes for the interview, talking about various subjects of life when I return home. I feel like I have some better direction as to what I will be doing with my life after my mission now. <br />
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What a whirlwind of a week! To finish it all off, I thought I would throw in another picture of Ultron and I just for fun. <br />
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Gas Thieves??</div>
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Ultrons</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-32340959158027696462016-01-25T07:16:00.002-08:002016-01-25T07:16:44.207-08:00Transfer 16The 16th transfer of my mission has finally come around. This is a unique transfer because it is also my last six weeks of my mission. Where did the time go?!<br />
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It all started on Monday preparing for my companion to leave to his new area. There was packing, ping pong, and saying goodbye to members. The following morning Elder Merkley jumped on a train and I waited a few hours with the other Hanau Elders to wait for my new companion to arrive. During the wait, I ran into an investigator who we had lost contact with because his phone number had changed. Needless to say, I got this guy´s new phone number. After a little bit of time, my last companion in the field showed up: Elder Ireton. He´s been out on his mission just a few months shy as to how long I´ve been out, and for the first time since the MTC, he´s my first American companion that doesn´t come from Utah. He´s a way friendly guy. We spent the rest of Tuesday getting Elder Ireton situated in Hanau, meeting with our ward mission leader, and practicing with the ward choir. <br />
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Wednesday we had a lot of time dedicated hitting the streets, and we actually found some good success getting contact info from others. In the evening there was a special worldwide broadcast for missionaries put on by the Church. It was titled "Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts" and was all about the basic purposes of missionary work and the Gospel, specifically: faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. The next day we had district meeting with a couple of newcomers in the district, including the new district leader being my district leader in my last area. We talked about the mission broadcast and got to know each other better and then it was back to Hanau. That evening we drove out to visit with a less active member and we discussed the importance of scripture study. <br />
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Friday we had several appointments planned out with investigators, but they all fell through. With no set appointments, we used the time finding and got some more contact info from others. Also, I got a package in the mail from the mission office, namely a 4 step ladder. It was addressed to me, and while my companion and I don´t know exactly why we got it, we do know it was intended for us and is probably for our bunk bed that doesn´t have a ladder. Random, but ok. Saturday I baked brownies for a member appointment because we would be visiting an older member on her birthday. We got to the member´s house, and she had her family and friends over, most of whom were less active or nonmembers. We got to visit with all of them. After we left, we attempted to visit some other less active members. Sunday was ward conference in Hanau, so there were a lot more people at church than normal. Elder Ireton introduced himself, we sang in the choir, and during the second hour of church we got to meet some nonmember friends of a member family. It was a positive experience, and the members were really happy with us being able to meet their friends. <br />
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Time is rushing by, but it´s not over yet. A lot of great things happened for the first week of the transfer, and if things continue this way, I´ll be really happy with the end of my mission. No matter what comes though, I´m sure it will be a good transfer. <br />
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Aaron and Elder Ireton</div>
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4 step ladder</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-20745245222504831372016-01-18T07:27:00.000-08:002016-01-18T07:27:06.880-08:00Lego BuddiesWith the last week of the transfer, came many adventures. So where do we begin? P-day of course! The day was actually my companion´s 20th birthday, so in the morning he opened up some presents and made a nice breakfast. After emails, we traveled to Wetterau, part of our district, because we were invited to play a game with other missionaries. What it ended up being was a "Star Wars" themed "Dungeons and Dragons" game. Talk about a nerdy experience! It made for some good laughs though, so it was kind of fun (although I don´t think "Dungeons and Dragons" would ever be something I would commit myself too). My companion and I then went out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant for his birthday, and then we made a visit to a member. Tuesday Elder Merkley and I got some contact information for a potential investigator from Elders in our district to check out. The guy wasn´t home, but we were able to get something set up the next day, and then we knocked on doors in the area. We then picked up a member to drive out to Fulda to make a visit to a member and her boyfriend who is investigating the church. The member we took with, and the member we visited herself are both very missionary minded (she has three children who have served missions, one who is currently serving) so it was a great experience to meet and talk with the boyfriend, plus there was some amazing food. <br />
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Wednesday we were able to meet with the potential investigator we set out to meet the day before, and he was way prepared for the Gospel. He comes from a Muslim background, but he was asking all the perfect questions about the nature of religion and the purpose of life. We then met with another investigator and talked about our Heavenly Father. We also gave this man a copy of the Book of Mormon in Spanish, which was actually a way cool experience. The man seemed so touched and grateful for the copy of the Book of Mormon, it was special to see. Thursday was district meeting, and we got a district picture because we figured some changes would be coming for the next transfer. In the evening we helped a member with a home teaching appointment. The family we were visiting consisted of a single mother recently reactivated in the church and her six year old son. At the beginning of the appointment, I was asked by the home teacher if I could help out this six year old boy build his Star Wars Lego he was showing off and distracting everyone with. After two hours of legos, games, and everything six year old boys love, this kid and I were the best of friends while the home teacher and my companion talked to the mother.<br />
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Friday my companion got a call from our mission president informing him he would be serving as a district leader for the next transfer in another area. We then went out to Fulda again to meet a woman who has had contact with missionaries for nearly 20 years. She is very firm in her faith she has, but we had a really good discussion, and gave her a talk to read from the last General Conference in October. We then spent a little bit of time at an Elders Quorum social we were invited too, and then drove home in the snow that had just started to hit. Saturday Elder Merkley and I met with a man we call every night at 9:30 to see how he is doing. Something is wrong with this guy´s head, and he´s known the Elders for years, but he´s a really nice guy. We then met with a less active member and talked about the importance of church. That evening we got a call telling us I would be getting a new companion in Hanau, and Elder Merkley would be going to the Nürnberg Zone. <br />
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Sunday there was snow in Hanau, Elder Merkley said goodbye to the ward, and then our Brazilian Elder gave his very first talk in Germany. Elder Merkley and I then had a dinner appointment with some members: the single mother we visited for home teaching, and then her parents who are also in the ward. During this time I found out how much the six year old boy I played with really appreciated me. His mom and grandparents told me I was like an older brother to him. Wow! This home teaching appointment really turned out to be something!<br />
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I´ve only got one transfer left now for my mission. Whatever may come, bring it on! <br />
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Aaron's district</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-25182605238565621972016-01-11T06:54:00.000-08:002016-01-11T06:54:29.629-08:00Always On The MoveIt was the first full week of the year in Hanau (and everywhere else in the world), and of course the week started with another P-Day. Besides the usual shopping and emails, we as the Hanau Elders had a rematch or two against a member with "Settlers of Catan." We also in the evening went by a family from Syria we met a few weeks back, and while they were still too busy to meet this whole week, they still seemed happy to see us. Tuesday we went about trying to get into contact with some former investigators and referrals. In the evening we met with our ward mission leader and then had choir practice.<br />
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Wednesday was a pretty cool day because as we were out continuing to find former investigators, we ended up meeting one without knowing it at first. It was really confusing trying to find the place where this guy lived, so we asked a man in the area. The man we talked too claimed to be the neighbor of the guy we were looking for, but later admitted he was the guy. He was just making sure we were not from another church. We set up a time to meet and then took a train out to Fulda to meet with a new member in the ward. We met in a cafe over hot chocolate and talked about missionary work and got to know the new member better.<br />
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Thursday we walked out to a town we thought was a lot closer than it really was. That made for a multiple hour adventure walking in the rain to stop by an investigator and former investigator. Along the way we found a "Word of Wisdom" pamphlet on the side of a street with contact info for the Elders in Offenbach. What are the chances of that?! We did get to visit with an investigator and then decided to take a bus to end the trip. At the end of the day we met with a less active member and we were able to give him a blessing when he asked for one. Friday we had a zone training meeting in Friedrichsdorf, where the Frankfurt Temple is. Planning was the theme of the meeting and setting goals (a new year, anyone?). That evening my companion and I had help from our ward mission leader with meeting an investigator and teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. Unfortunately, we don't know if this investigator really has any interest, so we will have to see where things go from here.<br />
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Saturday we were able to visit with the former investigator we ran into on Wednesday and set expectations. He has a lot of positive memories of when he met the Sisters years ago, so that's great! After that, our plans weren't really working out with investigators, but at the end of the day a member said we could share a spiritual thought with him. After the thought, he showed us his progress record when he was investigating the Church years ago, that was really cool. On Sunday there was a mission farewell for a future Sister missionary, and I got to give a talk for part of the Sacrament meeting. It was about finding happiness every day, and I used Elder Wirthlin's last talk from General Conference in October of 2008 for the focus of my talk. It went over well, and to close the week, as we were out trying to meet with an investigator, we met the landlord of the apartment complex we were at and learned he is actually a member. So while we didn't get to see our investigator (he wasn't home), we did find a less active member. Despite plans being warped or thrown out the window, somehow things still work out<br />
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More Brothers Grimm Art</div>
.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-12421008809156764452016-01-04T07:56:00.000-08:002016-01-04T07:56:02.038-08:00Year´s End...First and foremost, I totally made it into the newspaper! It's old news, actually, but the ward recently gave me a copy of the paper to hold onto for memory's sake. Somehow the ward in Hanau got a spot in the newspaper to say that two missionaries, the brand new missionary here and I, moved into Hanau, which is pretty cool!<br />
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With the start of the week, I tested my courage and decided to cut my hair by myself. It turned out alright, could have been better, could have been worse. With the seasonal sales in Germany after Christmas, I was able to find a brand new suit and shoes for an awesome deal, so now I got something nice to wear for when I'm back in the states! P-day was also spent playing "Settlers of Catan" with a member and the other Elders, and finding someone in the ward to help with a future teaching appointment, which was surprisingly hard to do, but in the end we found someone.<br />
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Tuesday all plans we had fell out, so we ended up going to a small town and knock on some doors. We did meet a man who was in charge of the local church in the area, who recognized us as Elders and was happy to see us, so that was nice. Wednesday was district meeting, where the zone leaders showed up and talked about how missions change people if you let it, and later in the day we met with a woman we met with last week. She actually did the commitment we gave of her reading Moroni 7 in the Book of Mormon, which made for a nice appointment talking about, faith, hope, charity, and good things coming from God.<br />
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Thursday (New Year's Eve!) my companion and I ventured out to a town called Steinau to find a less active member. Sadly, we couldn't find her, but we did find a cool little castle and stuff about the Brothers Grimm all around the town. We also had a dinner appointment with a member family, the parents of the family both being return missionaries, and having a great visit talking about sharing the Book of Mormon with others. My companion and I then stayed up to watch the fireworks and welcome in the new year from our apartment. We tried to capture the moment of all the chaos outside, but taking pictures of fireworks never seems to turn out that well. Oh well, welcome 2016!<br />
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Starting the new year, my companion and I planned for the next week, and then we went on a split. I stayed in Hanau with my district leader, and he inspected the apartment. The next day we drove out to meet with a less active member we meet regularly with and talk about faith and repentance. The split ended, and then it was off to Sunday. The most notable event that happened in church was that I taught the lesson in Sunday School, with the new topic of the year being the Book of Mormon. Of course it was daunting to be in a ward that's bigger than anything I've known my whole mission, plus I am still getting to know the majority of the members, and then teach in German, but I was told it turned out well, so hooray!<br />
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In reflection, a lot happened in 2015, my year completely dedicated to serving the Lord. It went by fast, and I feel I can say I am happy with the year and how it turned out, which is the most I could ask for. On to the new year!<br />
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Making the News</div>
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A Cool Little Castle</div>
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Brothers Grimm</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-10629497229450344912015-12-28T08:26:00.000-08:002015-12-28T08:26:22.078-08:00Christmas Comes But Once A YearChristmas 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!<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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!<br />
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Christmas in Germany</div>
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Ulton checking Aaron's stocking</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-40736403111356058772015-12-21T09:00:00.003-08:002015-12-21T09:00:58.921-08:00Project: Christmas PartyThe Christmas tree is up, so Christmas day is pretty much around the corner now!<br />
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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!). <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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Now let Christmas begin!<br />
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Aaron's Christmas tree</div>
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Advent Calendar</div>
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Utlron' approves this message</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-40489027071820312642015-12-14T07:19:00.000-08:002015-12-14T07:19:32.027-08:00Back to HanauTransfer 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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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It´s cool to be back in Hanau!<br />
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The Hanau Elders</div>
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Christmas market</div>
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Seeing the sights</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-42513810850694719162015-12-07T06:53:00.001-08:002015-12-07T06:53:29.475-08:00Farewell to SiegenWell, it turned out to be my last week in Siegen, and what a hectic week it was!<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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Aaron and Ultron enjoying an advent calendar</div>
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Saying goodbye to Siegen</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-61125826477638164542015-11-30T08:13:00.000-08:002015-11-30T08:13:13.470-08:00Weihnachtsmarkts!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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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Lego Fun</div>
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One Giant Christmas Tree</div>
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Aaron and Ultron's Thanksgiving</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-76372220295185895292015-11-23T08:59:00.000-08:002015-11-23T08:59:19.759-08:00Hardships and BlessingsWhat 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Celebrating Aaron's Birthday</div>
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A Doctor Who pillowcase present!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-16030039863076612732015-11-16T05:54:00.000-08:002015-11-16T05:54:09.590-08:00Cars! 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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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! <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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More Star Wars Fun</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-36307280550978846202015-11-09T06:25:00.000-08:002015-11-09T06:25:01.403-08:00Going InternationalIt´s amazing, all the different cultures you encounter in Europe. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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! <br />
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District meeting from last week</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-49534828325282783092015-11-02T05:26:00.000-08:002015-11-02T05:26:09.465-08:00This is HalloweenThe 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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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Let the Holiday Season Begin!<br />
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Halloween Fun</div>
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Aaron with his pumpkin</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-70503649762074907572015-10-26T06:20:00.000-07:002015-10-26T06:20:51.807-07:00Great Scott!The future has finally arrived, come this last week, and here is what happened out in Sigen during that time:<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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The future looks bright! <br />
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Bowling with the zone</div>
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The "Future" is here</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-6599466392828539942015-10-19T07:59:00.001-07:002015-10-26T06:21:30.474-07:00Cars, Toys, and Baptismal DatesIt 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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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In summary, there was a lot of service this week, and also setting two baptismal dates!<br />
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Giving in to the Force</div>
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His reward</div>
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[Mom note: His little brother, Hyrum, noticed the temple in this picture first]</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-24426975228771505192015-10-12T10:34:00.001-07:002015-10-12T10:34:31.673-07:00Beatlemania!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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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Alles Gute!<br />
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Monuments Men</div>
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Beatles Guitars</div>
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Ultron</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-24859189341759918302015-10-05T07:40:00.000-07:002015-10-05T07:40:49.967-07:00My Last General Conference on My MissionThe 185 Seminannual General Conference hit, making for 4 General Conferences since entering the MTC. Oh how fast the time has flown by.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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It´s hard to believe the next time General Conference rolls around, I will be home! <br />
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Aaron setting up for Conference</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-28658515731934094172015-09-28T07:27:00.001-07:002015-09-28T07:27:23.669-07:00I Saw The Rains Down In AfricaWell, the week had quite the African theme to it, making for an adventure in and of itself. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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!<br />
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The Siegen church meeting house. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7861527748829862529.post-35730895082818298722015-09-21T06:58:00.001-07:002015-09-21T06:58:54.184-07:00Transfer InsanitySo 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Aaron and Elder Sollis</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0