Abbildung meines Sinnes

Hallo mein Leserkreis!

Here is Elder Foster writing to you from Neubrandenburg all the way to the polish border. But really our area here is huge. I am pretty sure our area alone is about half the zone if not more. It is hard to believe that I am already in a new area. I have a whole new district now and a whole new place to call home I guess. It is almost as if I was never in Erfurt. There is certainly a different attitude that missionaries take on depending on what part of the mission you are in and unfortunately in this part of the mission. There is the joke that we are the Zion Campers which you have to know a little Church history to understand that one. But I find it unfortunate because as far as I have seen, this area isn't any more difficult than it is in other areas of the mission. Honestly the real struggle is within the missionary in these types of areas. You have to work harder but you will still get the same result, you just have to be willing to sacrifice. Although in this particular area I would say that there is an added level of responsibility in this area. This last Sunday I had to give a talk, translate, and teach a class and that is apparently going to be the pattern every Sunday. However with the added responsibility comes a little bit more sense of usefulness.   

Truly what is needed here is to live a life in joy, not only to endure for we have every reason to be optimistic in this world. President Hinckley insisted once, “Tragedy is around, yes. Problems everywhere, yes. But look at Nauvoo. Look at what they built here in seven years and then left. But what did they do? Did they lied down and die? No! They went to work! They moved halfway across this continent and turned the soil of a desert and made it blossom as the rose. On that foundation this church has grown into a great worldwide organization affecting for good the lives of people in more than 140 nations. You can’t, you don’t build out of pessimism or cynicism. You look with optimism, work with faith, and things happen.” A constant concept that has been in my mind is...how did the early missionaries do it? There were less missionaries and even less so members during that time but they managed to have great success. I remember a member in Weimar that told me about the first baptism that took place in the river in the park. And all that went through my mind was how did this missionary manage to baptize anyone? On Sunday they probably met in the missionary's apartment with maybe one or two other people and somehow they managed to make a small branch over time. The only reasoning that came to my mind was that this missionary and simply the early missionaries had testimonies of unbelievable strength. They must have truly known this work was true and truly known that the spirit would testify their words to those with whom they would speak. These kinds of things just make you reflect back on your testimony and your own drive and faithfulness. However let us make no mistakes and say that it is only because the great forerunners of this church that we are still a church today and still growing at an astounding rate but rather it is because of the foundation of which everything is built upon and that is Jesus Christ. "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." And that is why we should continue forward with hope and with optimism, no matter how much it seems that we have left behind or how much we have suffered because we will blossom no matter where we go so long as our foundation is still the same. And above all we will receive an eternal reward and peace that is precious above all earthy things and that is most desirable after only a taste of the divine love that the Lord gives us when we set our trust in him.  

Well I am not sure what else to say about this area seeing as I have only been here for a week. I just want to forget myself and go to work but sometimes the responsibilities and the expectations hinder me from doing that. I just have to focus on what I am doing right now and then things always go alright. Which is why sometimes I don't like P-day because there is just too much time to think about where you are and where you are going instead of just going and doing. I hope you all are enjoying your summer on the other side of the wall. I am enjoying mine even though it hasn't really felt like a summer yet. It has actually been a pretty cool temperate as of recently even had to where my jacket a couple times last week. But honestly I am fine with it because I don't like working in extreme temperatures anyways. But anyways I hope you all have a lovely week. And this is Elder Foster signing out.  

Tschüss!

 

Hallo ge!
So it seems that I have the mystical power to be able to predict whenever I will leave an area because at the beginning of this transfer which also happens to be a short 5-week transfer, I had the impression that I was going to be leaving. And low and behold by tomorrow I will be in my new area. A few other interesting facts that I might add is that there are only three districts in all of Germany, and in case you do not know what that means, it is simply the organization of the Church in certain areas. When there are not enough priesthood holders and members in a certain area in a country or in a state then it is mostly like a district, which basically means that it is still a bunch of small branches and not big enough to form the leadership and the programs that make up a stake. And back to the main point, so out of the only 3 districts in all of German, I will now have served within all of them. The Erfurt district was added to the Leipzig stake, if I have heard correctly the Oldenburg district is in the process of becoming a stake, and now finally I am in the Neubrandenburg district. I guess my duty is on the front-lines. Haha also in other news but my new area. Not to be discouraging or anything but this area that I am now entering is the most infamous area in our entire mission. Haha I remember when I used to joke around with people about getting sent to Prenzlau. And hey what do you know, here I am. I am not scared or disappointed or discouraged or anything of that sort. It is kind of exciting in a certain way, I will really have to give my all and rely on the Lord. It is unfortunate that I have to leave Erfurt so soon. I am going to miss a lot of different things about it.

It is kind of funny though because I just served in an area where I was responsible for two different areas and had to share a car with another companionship. And now I am going to an area with the exact same circumstances. Oh and I am also going to be the district leader there as well. And this time there will be a sister companionship in my district as well. When I think about it, it really was an interesting experience to be a district leader for abunch of missionaries that have been out on the mission longer than I have.

More news this next week is the last week that I will have President Kosak as a mission president. So there is a lot of change going on right now in the mission, not too mention that the giant wave of new missionaries is going to come in seeing as it is the summer now. AND this last week I hit my year mark when I first entered the MTC. Whoa!

It is fastest and the slowest year of my entire life. I am glad there is still a year left; I don't know how I am going to feel when I only have 6 months left. There is still time to get even better though, to increase in every sort of way and to help others all along the way. I am simply teeming with an odd energy and desire to make difference in my life and the life of other...sometimes a really odd feeling to say the least.

Once again I must say how awesome it is to meet so many cool missionaries and people on the mission. And fortunately a lot of them I will actually see at BYU when I get back. And probably even Amin,my Persian aka Iranian friend will be there. Haha last week he even called BYU, U of U, and Utah State. So, although he may not get baptized here in Germany, Elder Karpowitz and I will finish the job when he gets to BYU. Haha so cool and hilarious. Being out on a mission really does just make you a more social person I guess and you kind of have to seeing as you have to talk to people every single day.

Although on a random note in the last couple weeks I have been invited by girls to go to parties on at least 3 separate occasions. All I am thinking is: Who the heck invites a guy clearly dressed up as a missionary that you just met on the Bahn about ten minutes ago to go to a party? Anyway, I will be keeping in contact with a lot of people that I have met on my mission and I am very grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here.

But that is about all I have time for today I hope you all had a nice week and that the coming week will be just as good. I love you, I miss you, and I pray for you.

Tschüss,
Elder Foster