Hallo hallo meine liebe Damen und Herren!
Well here we are, already at the half point of another transfer. And the excitement and suspense continues to increase. What will even be done with me after this transfer? But in other news as of yesterday the Erfurt district is officially now a part of the Leipzig stake. All the new leadership positions in the bishoprics and the high-councils have been decided and sustained. It is truly a new era for the Latter-day Saints in the Thuringia area. Some tears were definitely shed at the stake conference yesterday. It is certainly an interesting to see the circumstances of the members in this part of the world. From what I have seen, it seems like everywhere it looks like everything is going down. However on the contrary, I do not see the big picture or the great plans the Lord has in store for Germany. Because in all reality there has never been a bigger presence of the church in Germany and there has never been more members at sacrament Meeting every Sunday. But as President Boyd K. Packer has said, "Der wahre Erfolg des Evangeliums Jesu Christi wird an der geistigen Kraft eines jeden einzelnen Mitglieds gemessen werden."...or wait I mean "The true success of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be measured by the spiritual strength of its individual members." So, although it is our duty to help spread this gospel across the world. The strength of the church truly lies in the testimonies of its members. For as we have seen time and time again in this church. We thrive in times of adversity because we know in whom we trust. Even though times may be tough for the members and the missionaries in this area there is still a bright hope for those who will continue to put their trust in the Lord.
To get on with the weekly report, there can honestly not be a whole lot said about the missionary work this past week because we only had two days to actually do anything. Why? I shall proceed. So this week we had a Mission-Conference in Berlin on Friday and then stake conference on Saturday and Sunday in Leipzig and Böhlen. And because my companion had a Mission-Conference in Frankfurt on the exact same day we had to get together with other missionary from our own missions and then take our separate paths. And we did this on Thursday before the conference on Friday because we were going to be spending the night the night in Glienicke (right on the northern border of Berlin) because there was no way we were going to do all that coordination Friday morning and take a long train ride to Tiergarten in Berlin and be there at 8:30 a.m. like we were told to. Not to mention the Deutsche Bahn (basically monopolistic train company in Germany) decided to go on strike this Weekend and ruin everybody’s plans. So by some miracle all the missionaries got where there were supposed to be. Oh and did I mention that in Glienicke there was ten elders in one tiny apartment and one shower. So it is safe to say that this week was a little hectic and I have spent far too much time sitting in the Berlin Hauptbahhof.
But now to actually get to what happened at said conferences. So we had a Mission-Conference in Berlin because....we are getting iPads. Now I know you are all probably squinting your eyes at the screen now and saying to yourselves "really?" But here me out for a second here… So as what many missionaries imagined or what you might be imagining now is that during this conference we were being taught how to use them and be informed about them basically...wrongo! Who in my generation doesn't know how to use an iPad? That would just be a silly thing to do. Actually the main purpose of this conference wasn't really focused on the iPads at all. But rather being a disciple of Christ in the digital era. And they actually brought up a lot of good points. For instance their two biggest worries about this is one we will lose sight of purpose as missionaries and number two they are afraid we will miss-use them in any number of ways that technology is being abused in every day. However first of all I have to say that the First Presidency has said that they trust us and that is cool in itself and also something to take into consideration. But some of the major points that they talked about that really struck me were this concept of inoculating a generation. And that at least in terms of the church, we have already inoculated a generation away from cigarettes and alcohol. And although there are still those that have problems with that I would have to say that is true. Most of the people I knew or where around were not effected in anyway by those things not even really a flick of desire or curiosity in such things. So now for this generation we are trying to inoculate a generation from pornography and other types of abuses or overuse of technology. Those of us especially those that are my age are going to be the forerunners for such a thing. We have to be like the people of Ammon and bury our swords a.k.a. whatever practices so that we can help raise our own children to be as the stripling warriors of old. Also another great point is that just because a missionary has had a two year break from technology and hasn't really had the opportunity to continue those bad habits in the past. Does not mean that he will be completely cured of them when he gets back. If a missionary cannot control himself while on the Mission with these opportunities he is frankly doomed when he backs back home where the opportunities and temptations will only increase. So to me it makes a lot of sense and there should not be a reason to be afraid of technology or to constantly be the voice of warning. I can already see how technology can help missionary work in so many ways and I am truly grateful for this opportunity to learn how to safeguard myself and to be a part of something that could only help and be of benefit to future generations and my own children someday.
Well unfortunately that is about all the time I have to write today. But before I go I would like to share a little quote I heard that actually goes quite well with this entire letter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. And I hope you all have a great week ahead of you. Love y'all!
"A bird sitting in a tree is
Never afraid of the branch breaking,
Because it's trust is not in the branch
But on its own wings." (Unknown)
Tschüss,
Elder Foster
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