April 1, 2013

3 weeks of catch up....

This week sure was an interesting one. Last of the transfer and last one with my long time companion and good friend.   I'll share some highlights...

Monday evening we decided to stop by a former investigator. He was sooo excited to see us and we had a very good discussion.  He had been recently reading in the Book of Mormon, which was a nice little news, especially since we hadn't had contact for a while now. We read together in the Book of Mormon and talked about its power to help us. He prays daily and sincerely and it is something that has changed his life and reading is something that he doesn't like very much so it was a great step that he had been reading a bit and that he noticed it helping him.

Tuesday was a fun day. We visited a less active brother and had a nice gospel discussion and then ate at Elder and Sister Paul's. They are sooo cool. The epitome of righteousness and properness and service. They told us awesome stories about their service as Elder Paul was mission president in East Germany before the wall fell. Such cool stories about a place I know and grew to love the last year of my life, but they experienced it as it was still under communist rule. Awesome. They paid us many compliments and that was nice too. They said they would have gladly had us in their mission in the DDR.

After that we did a lot of finding. Like a lot. We found some super cool people. A young polish mother and a russian couple. 

Wednesday we had district meeting and an exchange. I exchanged with a really cool elder from Ogden. We planned the day together and went out and did it. Lots of fun. We taught an english class later and had a sunday school class with a few investigators there. Things didn't go according to plan throughout the day but we talked about it afterwards and came up with some things to do better. Fun day in miserable weather.

Thursday was leadership conference in Hamburg. That was a fun and helpful day. President taught us about faith and used the You are special book to teach us. He said that the stickers in the book are like stickers on us saying that we can't baptize because we are in Germany. We talked about building faith and how we can know that we can baptize. It was all zone leaders and district leaders and was super beneficial. We played soccer at lunch of course and got real sweaty. Then in the afternoon the aps taught about correcting with love. We practiced helping and correcting elders on exchange. That was I think really good for everyone. It is not an easy thing to do.

Friday we traveled to Onsabruck for a baptisimal interview. My companion did the interview and I got to know the elders there a bit better. That was good. The candidate was super ready and the branch is really supportive.

Saturday we visited a sister in the branch and also taught 3 people.  My companion got to say goodbye to the people and that was nice for him. Fun day. Lots going on and good visits. One hadn't read though and we could tell his faith wasn't like a few weeks ago.

Sunday was really good. That was branch conference. Visitors from the district presidency. We had a less active brother and an investigator come to church! Finally, we got them both to come.  Cool was the sunday school. I was with a less active english speaking brother, my companion was with two investigators, and the Pauls took our other investigator. We all read 3 Nephi 11 and watched the part of the testaments where Christ comes. That was really powerful and my companion bore a powerful testimony of the Savior at the end. Something to remember.

After the meetings, which were great, we ate together as a branch and then went to branch council. The council wants to focus on young single adults and we are going to focus a little more on the university students. Good meeting.

Later that day we taught the russian couple again.  He showed us all these papers about his great uncle and ya we offered to help him find all these people in the genealogy center in the church.  He couldn't pronounce my name and kept calling me clinton and my companion hillary hahahah he loves those two. All we could do was laugh because he didn't care that we couldn't understand anything coming out of his mouth but kept talking and talking in russian. They promised to read Alma 32 together and we left.

Monday we visited a sister again because she wanted to cook for my companion one last time. It was really fun and she was sweet as she asked him to pray for her one last time. I think she bring us just as much joy as we bring her.  Cool was that she got an answer to her prayer. She had asked us what we thought, if she should move or stay here and we taught about prayer and revelation and she got her answer to the question she had been praying about. I asked her how her answer came and she said,  from God!  and how, saint de esprit ,spell check of Holy Ghost in spanish.

Later we gave another sister a blessing. She is a great lady who we had been and are working with, with her nonmember friend. She was sick and we went with the Pauls and gave her a blessing. She was very appreciative and thankful. Then we were invited again to eat with another member family. My companion got spoiled but we weren't complaining. It was a nice last day for him in Oldenburg.

Tuesday I picked up my companion!  He is most likely my last companion unless something crazy happens, and he is a great elder. So glad to have him as my last comp. He is very relaxed and thinks a lot so our personalities are super similar. He is diligent, full of faith, and obedient so I am going to have no problems staying on track here towards the end. We get along really well.

For his first day we visited a less active brother and then did some doors! Found a cool russian guy who was super interested in the plan of salvation. He was very interested in the resurrection especially. Besides him we found a few more people so it was a good night of doors.

The next day we had a super good district meeting where the topic was planning! I was soooo happy because that is something we have been stressing and something that our missionaries needed work on. Our district leader did a great job and we were very happy with that.

We taught the russian couple again that night and that didn't go too well. He is interested but the language barrier is too much and she is too involved with her congregation to give the restoration a real chance. We bore powerful testimony but the seed was unfortunatley thrown on hard soil.

Thursday we visited an investigator and then had a lesson with another investigator. Elder Paul taught with us and Sister Paul entertained the kids. With her we had come to a point where she is either going to keep the commandments, or we are basically not going to be able to go further. We had a really great lesson.  Elder Paul was fantastic.  She said a great closing prayer, asking for help to make the right decisions. We were really hopeful the situation would turn out well.

That night we had english class. Only two students but we kinda expected that. They really enjoyed it and we had a very good gospel discussion with one at the end. She has some barriers up but shows promise to learn more about us.

Friday we had another baptismal interview in Osnabruck for the daughter of a member. She was well prepared and everything went smoothly. Baptisms are great.

That afternoon we had some good appointments. One with our new investigator. She is very open to learn. . We taught the plan of salvation and the part about the resurrection seemed very important for her. It went really well and she is going to read and pray before next time.

Saturday we helped with a move in the morning. The friend of a brother, who has cancer, and to whom we gave a blessing a few weeks back, was moving and we helped. It was impressive how many people were there. It was like the elders quorum in Utah almost haha. That was nice to give some service and to explain to some people who we were, and the wife of the man was very very appreciative. We then had an eating appointment and later did some doors and got a walk in with a very nice family.

Sunday was good but all appointments ended up falling out. That happens more often than not so it was no biggie. We were stoked anyway to do some doors at a student housing place.

Monday everything fell out so we did more doors and found a couple cool people. It is sometimes upsetting that there is so much corruption and confusion in religion that many here don't give the gospel a chance. It is hard to blame people sometimes when all they have heard is bad things and had bad experiences. The honest seeker of truth will find the peace and truth of the gospel and those are the people we are trying to find.

Tuesday we met with one of our investigators again. He had been reading and I asked him on the phone what he thought about what he had read and he said he just wants to know it it is all true. We taught him about revelation, specifically about studying out in the mind, asking a specific question, and being told in the heart and the mind through the Holy Ghost. It was way good. Later we gave a nice sister a blessing with my favorite member.

Wednesday was zone conference!! My last one sadly, but it was fantastic. We learned about Christ and the resurrection, and about risking the awkward to talk to the extra person. The best was the testimony meeting at the end. Missionaries can bear such great testimony.  I had the opportunity also to bear testimony.  I don't really remember what I said, I didn't have a plan of anything to say but I felt the spirit really strong and felt a connection with heaven and with the others in the room. It was a sweet sweet experience. Just feelings of love and joy in being a servant in God's army.

Thursday was an exchange. We taught had a really good first teaching appointment. She is a super cool super serious woman who is really kinda searching the waters when it comes to religion. We showed her through the church and talked a lot about prayer. The spirit was really there as we talked about the power that comes from speaking with our Heavenly Father. We challenged her to ask God a question, whatever she wants to know the most from Him. She is really busy but we will meet again in April sometime.

Friday we had good appointments, including dinner with a favorite member family. They prayed that we could find someone the next day and we did! He came to church with us yesterday! After church yesterday we also taught a muslim doctor in the hospital about the plan of salvation. That was a cool expirience to teach someone whose beliefs are very similar except for that Jesus is the Savior, about Jesus being the Savior for saving us from the effects of the fall, on Easter Sunday. Only on a mission. Gotta love it. Well I'm really out of time now but that is my update I owe! Love you all very much, this work is true!

Elder Clayton