Geliebter Brüder und Schwestern,

This week, this week. To be honest this week wasn't that great. And I am sure that any return missionary would understand this kind of week. Where everyone that you made out an appointment with fell out and even people who you found the week before who seemed to have great interest don't answer any of your phone calls or texts. We even got a media referral from the office and then when we went to the address of which we were given. His name wasn't written anywhere on the building or on the doorbells. We still managed to meet with people but it just really felt like a down week. I am also not too keen that my last two companions and the general group of missionaries I am around are either leaving this transfer or will be the next transfer. It is hard to keep the faith and hope I had at the beginning when I am around missionaries whose fire or passion for the work at least to me seems a little stale, for lack of a better word. Now don't get me wrong I am around a lot of cool and good missionaries. But sometimes other side effects are attached to those who are wise and experienced. But nonetheless all is good and I will never give up no matter what comes my way. Because as much as I want to have an astounding conversion in Christ and be better in so many other ways right at this moment. It will not be so. For amongst those few astounding conversions like Alma, the sons of Mosiah, Enos, and Paul. Whose absolute conversion to Christ was right then and there and went on to prove it with their words and deeds and with all their might, mind, and strength. There are hundreds of thousands of others whose conversion to Christ and acquiring attributes of Christ that come line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little. So I know that if I look forward with an eye of faith and a brightness of hope in Christ. I will become the disciple and person I need and want to be.  

And now I wish to share with all of you a talk that I really like by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. It is called “Why Not Now?” It is pretty short but very powerful. I would invite you to read it and also based upon what you'll observe, learn, and feel.. what will you do now?

 

"My brothers and sisters, I should like to speak of and to a particular group of important individuals. These are they who fully intend, someday, to begin to believe and/or to be active in the Church. But not yet! These are not bad individuals, but good individuals who simply do not know how much better they could be. Such individuals often stay proximate to—but do not participate fully in—the Church. They will not come inside the chapel, but neither do they leave its porch. These are they who need and are needed by the Church, but who, in part, “live without God in the world” Eph. 2:12

To such individuals, in the brief, imploring invitation which follows, be assured there is a real craving for your companionship and a genuine need for your unique strengths.
There are reasons for your commitment to be made now, for as the rush of hours, days, and months grows stronger, the will to commit grows weaker. Events to transpire soon on this planet will dry up the options for the lukewarm, for the issues raised by Jesus are irrepressible issues!
If, however, you really do not wish to commit now, then let me warn of the following:
Do not look too deeply into the eyes of the pleasure-seekers about you, for if you do, you will see a certain sadness in sensuality, and you will hear artificiality in the laughter of licentiousness.
Do not look too deeply, either, into the motives of those who deny God, for you may notice their doubts of doubt.
Do not risk thinking the unthinkable, lest you find yourself drawn with a deep and powerful pull toward the reality that God does exist, that he loves you, and that finally there is no escaping him or his love!
Do not think too much about what you are teaching your family, for what in you is merely casualness about Christianity may, in your children, become hostility; for what you have not defended, your children may reject angrily.
Do not reflect on the practicality of gospel standards such as abstaining from alcohol; for if you do, a surf of statistics will wash over you, confirming that abstinence is ultimately the only cure for alcoholism that is both preventive and redemptive. You will also see that the living of one protective principle of the gospel is better than a thousand compensatory governmental programs—which programs are, so often, like “straightening deck chairs on the Titanic.”
Do not think too much, either, about other doctrines, such as the importance of love at home; because if you think about them very long—in a world full of orphans with parents—you will be grasped by a reality that will make your teeth chatter.
Do not think, either, about the doctrine that you are a child of God, for if you do, it will be the beginning of belonging.
Do not dare to read the Book of Mormon seriously, or you may suddenly realize that it is inlaid with incredibly important insights from a millennium of sacred history.
Do not overpack the luggage you plan to take with you when you leave this world, for we simply cannot get most mortal things by celestial customs; only the eternal things are portable.
Do not pray, for you will get answers from a listening and loving Father.
Do not think too much, either, about the possibility that there are living prophets in the world today. Think instead about how those who are so sustained seem quite ordinary in many ways. Forget that other prophets were fishermen and tentmakers—ordinary enough to scarcely be noticed—except for what they said and what they did! For the winds of tribulation, which blow out some men’s candles of commitment, only fan the fires of faith of these special men.
Do not let yourself reflect too much on the social, political, and economic indicators that suggest the gathering storm, lest you realize that there is an inseparable connection between the keeping of the commandments and the well-being of society.
Do not read what the holiest inhabitant ever to live on this planet said about the necessity of certain ordinances, or you will see that he allowed for no exceptions, including himself.
Do not search the scriptures to see if good people still need the Church, for the best being who ever lived organized the Church—because random, individual goodness is not enough in the fight against evil.
Do not, if you have been offended, recall that while you may have been bumped by an ecclesiastical elbow, the chip was on your shoulder long before the elbow appeared.
Do not be fully honest about the hypocrisy of those in the Church who may pretend to be better than they are, or you will soon realize that there is also another form of hypocrisy—appearing to be less committed than one really is!
Yes, brothers and sisters, it is best to avoid all such things as these if you wish to continue to delay deciding about Christ and his church.
However, Joshua didn’t say choose you next year whom you will serve; he spoke of “this day,” while there is still daylight and before the darkness becomes more and more normal. (See Josh. 24:15).
When Jesus called his first disciples, the scriptures record that they left their ships and nets “straightway.” They didn’t ask to join Jesus after the fishing season; they didn’t even delay their response in order to make just one more catch. They left “straightway”! (See Matt. 4:20)
Act, my brothers and sisters, for once the soul is tilted toward belief, and once there is even a desire to believe, then marvelous things begin to happen! Once one leaves the porch and comes inside the Church, then one not only hears the music more clearly—he becomes a part of it.
Act now, so that a thousand years from now, when you look back at this moment, you can say this was a moment that mattered—this was a day of determination.
Never mind, therefore, that you have made an investment of self and time in inactivity. Never mind that there is an accumulation of pride that will make it difficult to acknowledge that you have been wrong, for it will never be easier to do than it is now.
All must know that feeling which is associated with a broken heart and a contrite spirit—by which we are cleansed by the hot, holy fire of a special shame, so that we might, thereafter, have a more pure love and a greater capacity to serve both God and man. Hearts “set so much upon the things of this world” D&C 121:35 are hearts so set they must first be broken.
Indeed, one of the most cruel games anyone can play with self is the “not yet” game—hoping to sin just a bit more before ceasing; to enjoy the praise of the world a little longer before turning away from the applause; to win just once more in the wearying sweepstakes of materialism; to be chaste, but not yet; to be good neighbors, but not now. One can play upon the harpstrings of hesitations and reservations just so long, and then one faces that special moment—a moment when what has been sensed, mutely, suddenly finds voice and cries out with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mark 9:24)
The truth is that “not yet” usually means “never.” Trying to run away from the responsibility to decide about Christ is childish. Pilate sought to refuse responsibility for deciding about Christ, but Pilate’s hands were never dirtier than just after he had washed them.
The past of each of us is now inflexible. We need to concentrate on what has been called “the holy present,” for now is sacred; we never really live in the future. The holy gift of life always takes the form of now. Besides, God asks us now to give up only those things which, if clung to, will destroy us!
And when we tear ourselves free from the entanglements of the world, are we promised a religion of repose or an Eden of ease? No! We are promised tears and trials and toil! But we are also promised final triumph, the mere contemplation of which tingles one’s soul.
My friends, there are footprints to follow where we must go—made not by a leader who said, safely from the sidelines, “Go thither,” but by a leader who said, “Come, follow me” Luke 18:22 And our mortal leader is a prophet who is showing us how to lengthen our stride.
Yes, for those in the Church’s courtyard or on its porch, ask not “for whom the [Church] bell tolls; It tolls for thee.” (John Donne, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII.)
And, if you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord [see Philip. 2:10–11 and Mosiah 27:31] why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will mean much less to kneel down when it is no longer possible to stand up!
Meanwhile, may we be different in order to make a difference in the world. And may God hasten that time for all our sakes, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." 

So hopefully you read all of that. But oh what inspiration do I draw from this talk. He is truly a disciple of the Lord. Even though this week wasn't the greatest of weeks it only fans the flames for my faith.  It only makes me want to try harder than I ever have before. Not as a kamikaze effort but to simply be as Mormon and simply stand up and boldly say. "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." 3 Nephi 5:13 I have found while being on my mission that the more honest and sincere I am about showing my love to those I teach the more bold I can be. To recall an experience this week. While me and Elder Collins were in Bad Falling Bostel this week. We taught an old investigator from the Elders that came before us. And from what I could tell from the teaching record they had put a lot of effort into this man and by that I mean probably a little bit too much when it came to him getting baptized. That I think he actually didn't want to be taught by them anymore or had to take a break. But he let us in when we stopped by his place and was quite happy to see us. You could definitely tell he liked talking to the missionaries. So we were having a good discussion and it was going in a good direction. So me being me I thought well hey I am never going to stray away from my purpose as a missionary and the importance of baptism. So i kind of started the idea of why does he think we are missionaries or what does he think we try to accomplish as missionaries. And then I got the point where I said something about where it is not enough to simply teach about eternal life but we invite people to be baptized so that they can partake of it. And of course the moment I mention baptism, he raises both arms in the air with fists balled and in an exaggerated voice says "Baptism!" It is actually quite funny in hindsight when I picture him in my head doing that. But as he was explaining a little about his reaction a scripture popped into my head and of course I had to share it. So I shared it and gave my testimony and explained how much we care for people and for them individually and never wish to take away anyone’s faith but only wish to give them more. And he had actually calmed down and was actually completely silent. And then my companion asked a great question and the discussion went right back on track and I think progress was actually made with him. I left a lot out of that story out but just to give you a quick background on this guy and why he is so hard is this. So he is a devout Catholic and has been in it his whole life so obviously it is really hard for him seeing as it feels like home to him. He has no problems with what we teach other than his only concern is which church has authority part. Which I am actually kind of confused about it because he has been taught a lot of things that are totally not in harmony with catholic doctrine. And that he believes the Book of Mormon is 90% true. Which also doesn't make sense because you can no longer even make a decision at that point of whether it is true or not. So basically his only concern is the authority of the churches. But yeah great guy wants us back over and is actually going to make dinner for us next time too. But essentially that experience for me really helped me to understand that if I show my love then I can be bolder about the truths that I have a testimony of.  

Other two random events that I want to share are about Saudd the recent convert from Iraq and Kim who is the Sisters investigator but is going to be baptized this October. So first Kim who I only know through the Sisters and have seen and talked to at the Knabe eating appointments and at church. She actually asked me herself if I would give the ansprache (talk) at her baptism. So I guess you never know the effect you can have on people. But now it just makes me really nervous to give a talk. And now the other event with Saud: So Saud has only been a convert for a couple weeks now. But in fast testimony meeting yesterday the bishop invited him to come up and give his testimony. And Saud doesn't have the greatest German soooo luckily we had another investigator Najeem who is from Syria and knows Saud and speaks English as well as Arabic. So basically what happened was that three people were standing at the pulpit. Saud talked in Arabic, Najeem translated into English, and then the first counselor translated it into German. It was a sight to behold for sure and was really cool. And of course the best part was the testimony itself. It really set the pace for the entire meeting and you could feel it. So amongst the not so fun parts of the week I still l experienced tender mercies of the Lord that just make me even more excited to be a missionary.  

Well that is all for this week I hope you enjoyed the letter and the talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. I hope all is well and i pray for you all daily.  

Tschüss! 

Elder Foster

 

Wir haben keinen Salat mehr!!

Haaaalllooooo! 

Where to even begin this letter my mind draws a blank unfortunately. Not that it means I had a boring week. But it was actually a pretty good week. I think we taught more people and found more people this week than any other week I have had on my mission thus far. To sum up some things that I have learned this week or that I want to do better on goes a little bit like this. Number one: commitments, commitments, commitments. I repeated them for emphasis. Because far too often do we ask an investigator to do something as simple as read a few things out of the Book of Mormon and pray about it and then come to no avail. Usually when they tell us that they didn't read or something like that we say something along the lines of "oh it’s okay, I understand, it happens, people are busy." I know that I need to be understanding and caring but at the same time if you do not show those who you teach that you are disappointed and that it truly is so critical then they will never understand the importance and they will never progress. I cannot force them and I cannot do these things for them. But I care about these people and this is an important work with no time to waste. So I must help them to understand how important it is for them to keep the commitments that my companion and I give them.  

Another thing that has truly affected me this week is scripture study so much in fact that an hour of personal study is no longer enough for me. It goes by too quickly and I still want to keep going. When I study now I have my scriptures out, my study journal out, the student manual book out, and I frequently look at the cross-references in the footnotes. Never before in my life have I studied the scriptures this intently and also like never before have I been as blessed by the scriptures as I have ever been in my life. Never has my purpose or my understanding of Heavenly Father been so clear. Even as I read in the scriptures I see the same thing. Whenever the people went back to the scriptures, went back to the prophets, and went back to the Holy Spirit. They become a delightsome people that were not deceived and their minds clear between what was right and what was wrong. 

Even when you think you know everything about the most simple of saving principles you find out even more. Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." From this scripture and in Enos in the Book of Mormon, I realize something a little bit more about prayer. When we "wrestle" before God in prayer when we truly try to eliminate all vain repetitions and insincerity in our hearts and truly use prayer as not just a way to ask for our blessings and thankfulness but rather as a way to submit yourself to the will of God. You will find out that all the other blesses will come. Heavenly Father is an absolutely perfect, compassionate, understanding, patient, and forgiving Father. He does not delight in persecuting those of his children who misstep. When your prayers are used to submit yourself to the will of the Father, then will you receive the perfect blessings that you would've never have thought to ask for. 

Now I will take the time to answer a few questions. Number one probably being how is the language coming?!?! Haha well it is coming along just fine. It is up to where I want it to be? Do I sometimes still get nervous when giving a spiritual thought at a member’s house? No and yes. The more relaxed I am the better I can speak German and the more I can understand it. Can I function as a missionary on my own? Yes, yes I can. The language is never the problem. It is all dependent on confidence in yourself and of course your faith in the Lord. When you keep that bright attitude all is well. Something else about the mission when it comes to baptisms and confirmations is: the actual baptizing is usually done by a member in the ward but we always participate in the confirmation which honestly is just as important as the baptism. To put it in the words of the prophet Joseph Smith you might as well have baptized a bag of sand if there is no confirmation and the receiving of the Holy Ghost. Honestly I cannot remember much of my own baptism but I can still remember quite clearly my confirmation and how I felt during and afterwards. So it is very nice to have that feeling again when I was standing in the confirmation for Saud which was just yesterday actually. Also P-Days go by really fast. We just do some studying, cleaning, grocery shopping, emailing, and then whatever time we have left we got to sites around the area like castles, gardens, museums, and of course we wander around Innenstadt and go window shopping and what not then P-day is pretty much over. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to keep a strict workout every morning because it is so hard to wake up and you honestly just feel physically weak. I can't remember a day were I haven't been so very tired. So when I am not doing push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. I am laying on the floor with a blanket over me blinding staring at the ceiling for around a half hour or so. But yeah everything is going great and it is still only the beginning of my mission. I only hope to see continued progress as time goes on. As far as I can see everything only gets easier as time goes on. It won't ever be easy don't get me wrong. But I will only get better and better. Simply remember the happy state of those who keep the commandments of God. I am blessed both spiritually and temporally. I hope all is well back on the home front.

 Tschüss,

Elder Foster

Taufe und Apostel

Haaalllooo!

 

So this week was a very interesting week to say the least. First I got my new trainer or really more like my new companion because basically I showed him around and introduced him to everyone and led him everywhere. So I really don't feel like a trainee anymore. And then secondly the "entire" mission met together for the first time ever in Berlin to be taught by Elder David A. Bednar. It is already surreal just thinking back on it. And then finally came the baptism of Sxxx and of four other people. So you could say this week was quite an eventful week. 

 

I honestly do not know where to start. There is just too much too say about this week. It was a good week to say the least. It is nice not feeling like a trainee. It was a fresh change of pace when I became the one who had to explain our investigators and the area and had to lead the way to every appointment and essentially everywhere. Just honestly felt more like a missionary. I think I have opened up more to the ward and other people in general now. What is bold today is not bold tomorrow I guess. I still feel like there is so much to do in this area and in so many ways that me and my companion can grow our program. It is exciting to see when you start to see a pattern in your learning and growth progression. You start to see how you can improve with a little bit more clarity in mind. 

 

So as I said before the "entire" mission met together because Elder Bednar was coming to speak to us. So on Freitag everyone who lived a good distance away from Berlin had to take a train to go spend the night in apartments with other Elders or Sisters who lived closer to Berlin. So my companionship and the zone leaders were sent to Marzahn to say the night before we got up early on Samstag Morgen to head to the church in the heart of Berlin where Elder Bednar was coming to teach us. It was cool to see all the other missionaries that were in my group. But wow I can not even explain how crazy it was to have Elder Bednar literally a few feet away from me. And it wasn't like he came and he gave a one hour talk and then it was over and then we left. But instead we were literally taught by an apostel. There were microphones passed around in the audience as he asked us questions and we asked him questions. And we did that for three hours, no break and it went by in an instant. And really I learned so much from what he said but really as with me and with everyone else. We learned the most from the spirit. By the end of the meeting of course not everyone was able to ask what they wanted nor did we talk about everything that we wanted. But every single person raised their hand when Elder Bednar asked if we received answers to our questions whether they were talked about or not. As each week passes by on my mission, I slowly see my mission in a different way and change my goals of what ultimately needs to be accomplished. I just think about my mission and say wow Heavenly Father is a genius! A mission is so critical for the missionary himself and for those the missionary teaches. One of the things I am grateful for is the chance to truly know my savior. How can you truly know the master that you did not serve? To serve the Lord is personally know the Lord rather than to merely know about him. So in one way a mission has helped me so far is that it has helped me set a pattern for the rest of my life to serve God. Not just on my mission but beyond especially. And you can never lose when you serve the Lord, you always gain you never lose no matter how hard it may seem. You always end up on top of whatever it may be that is in your path. It makes me think of a scripture in D&C 82:20 which says in German "Ich, der Herr, bin verpflichtet, wenn ihr tut, was ich sage; tut ihr aber nicht, was ich sage, so habt ihr keine Verheißung." Unfortunately I have a ton of scriptures memorized in German but not in English which can be annoying when we are teaching people in English. Good thing I still know what they mean. So what that means is the Lord is bound when you do what he says, when you keep his commandments, or when you follow him. He will give you what you need, he will always keep his promises. Unfortunately, we break our promises with each other and with the Lord. But because we have the atonement and because we have sacrament and because of all of that we can repent. And repentance doesn't mean that we constantly scrub and clean ourselves of sins but rather that we constantly grow and become better. Perfect does not mean to be without failure but rather to become complete. And I know through the Lord Jesus Christ we can all become complete. 

 

Unfortunately, I am already out of time. And I didn't even have time to talk to you about the baptisms we had this Sunday. It was so nice to see so many people be baptized one right after the other. It was truly a miracle. I love this work it is such an important work. But I still hope that you all are doing well back home. And I pray for you all everyday. 

 

Tschüss!

Elder Foster

Der Anfang und Das Ende

Zones Oldenburg & Hannover


 September 8, 2014

One transfer down and fifteen more to go! That is both a big and small number in this case. There is both enough time and not enough time. An ever increasing thought in my head is that before I know it the end will be here. The mission will be over and it will all feel just like a dream. Unfortunately during my first transfer here I have been around too many missionaries that were leaving or this was their last transfer and once again my new companion who I will be finishing training with is also leaving this next transfer. So I have had far too much time looking at myself in the beginning of the mission and looking at all the missionaries at the end of their mission. I only hope I can see continual progress in everything that I do. This next transfer I will be staying in Hannover and my new companion is named Elder Collins.

It is one of those okay weeks you have after having had a really good week. Except for my austausch with Elder Weber and that we met with one of our investigators three times this week. First lets talk about the investigator his name is S. Who I only said a little about in my last letter. So he is from Iraq and he is 23 years old. And originally his baptismal date was set for October 12th. But because he took the lessons so well and has been keeping his commitments far better than anyone else has and has a strong testimony and just a great guy in general. We changed his baptismal date to the 14th of September. But unfortunately because he is from Iraq and he doesn't exactly have a visa or I am not quite sure what he has but he is here legally. We may or may not be able to baptize him this coming weekend. Which is pretty unfortunate because he doesn't even want to go back to Iraq, ever! We even asked him. And he said,"Why would I ever want to go back to Iraq, I want to stay here in Germany for the rest of my life?" and we were like yeah I know right? So yeah because of the rules it probably won't happen this coming week. But I have hope because as soon as he gets the okay from the mission president I know he will get baptized. So I shouldn't worry about it.

So the other memorable thing this week was my austausch with Elder Weber in Nienburg. And both of us are new missionaries so yeah it was quite different for both of us because there is no trainer to bail you out if you don't understand what they are saying or if you are not sure what to say yourself. And I am happy to say that both of us can totally do it! Woo! Haha In fact I think I actually learned more on my austausch with Elder Weber than I felt like I did with my trainer Elder Lyon the whole week. So it was kind of the highlight of the week knowing that I really can do this missionary stuff on my own in the German language. We even gave out a couple Book of Mormons and got some contact information and even got a referral, which referrals are almost nonexistent unfortunately.

Oh and I almost forgot about some eating appointments I had this week that we pretty interesting. Okay so this week I had my first Fufu which is an african food that we had at one of our african members house. And this lady her name is D invited all the other missionaries to her house to have Fufu. So we get there and wait there for a little bit and then she finally comes out of the kitchen and has bowls of food already made for each and every one of us. And basically what is inside this bowl is a red somewhat spicy broth and then a bunch of chicken and then a big pile of fufu which looks and feels like a softer bread dough blob. And then you just eat it all with your hands so you're just sitting there sticking your hands into this chicken fufu blob soup and it is quite a sizeable portion. And of course I get the most amount of fufu in my soup and she is like eat it all! But what is funny is that so at first I only thought there was chicken and fufu in the bowl. But then the other Elders were asking what kind of fish did she use.And I am like what?! There is fish in there? And then I look at the odd piece of bone I am holding in my left hand. And I am like hey, that's a fish head and I even look a little bit harder and I am like hey, there is an eyeball on this side. And I look on the other side and there is no eyeball. So I had basically already ate this entire fish head without realizing it because I thought everything inside was chicken. So I am just sitting there saying really? Because I am the one who got the most fufu and got the fish head. So i finally finish my bowl and of course I am the last one finished eating. I am already way full. And then blam! She comes out with a giant pan of rice and cooked meat and vegetables and serves us all up a whole new plate of food. I never wanted to take a nap so bad in my life after eating that meal. It took some real energy to eat all that.

Later that week the Sisters invited the Elders to come to this eating appointment for a member whose birthday it was. And that day while we were in the middle of traveling on the bahns to get there it gets pushed to another time so the other set of Elders couldn't make it to the next time because of an appointment they had during that same time. And then we almost didn't go because we were given bad directions and we were gonna be late. But the Sisters insisted that we come. So we finally get there and it is just us, the Sisters and the lady whose birthday it is and her little children which neither of them were older than 5. A giant table is filled with KFC and McDonalds food. And of course what do you know we were insisted to eat everything and you aren't just going to refuse the Sister on her birthday and she did buy it all. So basically me and Elder Lyon saved the sisters that day from utter food destruction. And even during the meal Elder Lyon looks at me with a cup full of fries and whispers "help me!" Yeah so that was a pretty interesting experience as well and glad we went to make it a merry event for this Sister and her children and I am sure the american food was to please the missionaries so it all worked out.

Well that is about all the time I have. Hopefully my letter made you laugh just a little bit and brought a smile to your face. I am doing well here in Germanland. I hope everyone is doing well back home and I have not forgotten to keep all of you in my prayers as well.

Mit reuegem Herz und zerknirschtem Geist,

Elder Foster

 

Die Möglich Zunkunft

Moin! 

 

I am never sure how to start these letters to be honest. So let’s talk about what is about to happen in the mission and what may happen to me quite soon. So after this week it will be the end of my first transfer in Germany. Which means a couple of things: One of them is that my trainer is going back home. Which means that I will either get a new trainer or I will become a trainer; Why you might ask? Well a new batch of missionaries will be coming in this next transfer and another batch will be coming in the transfer after that. So basically very shortly we will have a very young mission. Because many missionaries are leaving at the same time to go home and even during the trainer/trainee phone conference we had last week, President Kosak said that it would not be at all odd if some of us will be training or becoming district leaders or zone leaders after our first transfer.. 

 

Something really cool about my area is that we have tons and tons of cool members. I cannot think of a member's house that we have ate at or that we have visited that have not been cool in some way. They are always willing to help the missionaries too and to go to appointments with us which are really awesome as well. The Kn family even has all six missionaries in Hannover come over to their house every Thursday for dinner and encourages us to bring investigators which we hope to do this week. One of my favorite families is the K family which is Schwester K and her two kids a boy (14) and girl (12) and their two dogs. We usually go over for family home evening and give a short lesson and have some Abendbrot (a cold dinner consisting mainly of breads, sliced meats, cheese, and pickles) with them. They are just a sweet little family and they make me laugh. Especially when we ask the girl a question and she proceeds to bite the table and the dog’s ear instead of answering our question. Haha so fun stuff to say the least. 

 

So this week was way better than last week in terms of missionary work. We had a baptism last week but everything else this week was far better  as in just more in every single area. We even set up two baptismal dates which is really exciting. The first one was very interesting too! So every Friday or at least that is the plan now. We head out to Bad Falling Bostel or I like to call it Bad Bostel (for fun) which is this cute little dorf about an hour away by train. There is a British military base nearby so a bunch of British soldiers live there and we happen to have some members there, too.

 

But anyway, we met with this man  and his nickname is “ Ice” so that is what we call him. He and his family are from Fiji but they are stationed here in Germany because he is in the British army. But it was interesting at first when we began the lesson. It was just me, my companion and him because his wife was outside trying to entertain and settle down their two kids that are just a little bit older than 1. So the first thing he says is that he is a Jehovah's Witness (which is kinda annoying because everyone always thinks we are Jehovah's Witnesses but that is another story) and that is what he is and that is what he is going to stay as. But he is always happy to talk about the gospel and will always invite missionaries inside his home. So you are already thinking oh great he is already telling us he is not going to switch churches or so to say. Because I don't really see it as switching churches.  So we taught him the lesson and discussed with him and gave our testimonies. By the end he had completely changed. The spirit was there and you could really feel it. And he said he would really give it a go at reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it and if he got an answer on his side he would get baptized on October 12th. Very interestingly enough too, he said that he wasn't baptized in the Jehovah's Witnesses church because he is in the military and you can't be baptized if you are. Ice has actually been trying to get out of the military because it is truly his desire to get baptized. So I really felt like we were sent there to him. So I have a lot of hope for him. We also got another baptismal date with a man named S from Iraq. His German isn't very great so sometimes he is hard to understand but he is a very cool young guy in his early twenties. 

 

Okay, now I have to tell another tale. This last Saturday as we were going around to some of our contacts before heading home for the night and we had just left this compound and were heading back to the Haltestelle (train-stop). We stopped a man before getting to the Haltestelle and he didn't say much to us but still asked us if we had time. We said yeah and started following him to where he lived which coincidentally was in the same compound we had just left. For some reason, I get this feeling that this is either going to be really good or really weird. So we get to his apartment he lets us in and we sit down. He turns on the radio and then we just sit there in silence while he stares off into space. So we finally start trying to talk to him and its weird because we would talk to him in German and then he would respond back in English and then we would start talking in English and then he'd be like "I don't understand." And then we would switch back to German but he would still talk back to us in short English sentences. So, during all this I notice that he only uses one arm because his other arm is handicapped so it’s really thin and it doesn't move and just is kinda hanging there. So I got out a Book of Mormon and started talking to him about it. But he just stops us and says here is a good book. And then gets up and grabs a book from his book-shelf and hands it to my companion which from the cover you can already tell that it is a sketchy looking book. And of course the first page my companion randomly opens up to has inappropriate drawings of people. And my companion is just like "what?!" and the guy is like, good book right? And my companion just looks at me and is like no no and has a very awkward expression on his face. The guy grabs the book away after he goes through a couple pages. The whole time I am just trying not to burst from laughter and I am unsure if that is the book he wanted to grab in the first place because of how he grabbed it back and got another book from the book-shelf and handed it to us and once again said, that is a good book. This one didn't have any pictures in it but even then he didn't say anything about the book other than it was good so, we were like okay? By then we knew it was time to leave. He got us some glasses of water and my glass was kinda shady looking not even sure if I should have drank out of it. Yet somehow he still wanted us to come back and said he would come to church tomorrow although he never ended up doing so. I don't think we are going back but shows how different the experiences are while out here in the mission field and perhaps even demonstrates how lonely or in need people are and how we can reach out if even we really did nothing other than sit with this man for a while.   

 

So we had a great week to say the least. That concludes another weekly update of the mission. But I hope everyone is doing well as always. I think the home-sickness is starting to kick in just a little. But naturally, I am glad to be where I am right now on a mission, no place I would rather be. Schönen Woche noch!

 

Tschüssy! 

Elder Foster