Das steht auf einem anderen Blatt.

Hallo! Hallo!
Well this week I will just have to get right down to it because I don't have a whole lot of time. So we will see how much I will be able to write before the time runs out. First and foremost, this week has been a long one with the creeping sense of responsibility always at my tail. It has really been interesting since my district had gotten bigger. Which means I am now making calls from the time I am done planning until about 5 minutes until I have to go to bed. Not to mention when you serve in this area you have to play a bigger role in your ward/branch or whatever you want to call it because the missionaries are one of the few priesthood holders around. I remember when I was first on the mission wondering how I would ever manage to be able to do stuff that I am now doing on a regular basis. It is quite amazing to see how the Lord will make you good enough for that which you have been called to. I am pretty sure that the only way I could have more responsibility in the mission is if I were to become A.P. or something and oh please oh please do not wish that upon me. haha this letter will be kind of all over the place because I will be reciting the week starting from the end of it or literally yesterday's events. But anyways yesterday my companion and I were in Prenzlau for Church and if it is your turn to go to Prenzlau then you know you either have to give a talk or a lesson or preside over the meeting, or mix and matches of all of that or possibly even everything. But despite all that it really is like a small family. Whenever I get the opportunity to go there and I am blessing or distributing the sacrament I am always grateful to look at the few determined and faithful members that are there to renew their covenants with the Lord. And although this Sunday we had some visitors from the branch presidents family it still gave me the same sense of gladness to be with them all. On this Sunday my companion and I also had the lesson for Sunday-school and our lesson just so happened to be about the marriage and the family. Woo! Haha at first when I saw that, that was to be our assignment. I thought to myself. Why us? Haha everybody else in the entire branch has had far more experience and far more knowledge on these things than we do. But actually it turned out quite well. Although I was one of the people teaching the class, I really got something out of the lesson that I had never really though about before. Maybe later I will go into more detail about what we talked about, but it suffice me to say that I now have a greater and more meaningful understanding of the Lord's covenants and the work that we do in Temples. 

After church was over we were invited by President Skibba and his family to go have a picnic by the lake in Prenzlau with them. And actually something really cool about that is this. So President Skibba's brother actually lives in Australia but he was here in Germany visiting some family members. And he was talking to us and asking us where we came from, so the usual questions we get asked. But he was talking about how he had friends in the area of where I lived. And then he said Siegfried Meyer was one of his friends names. And I was thinking to myself that sounds kind of familiar and then he talked about how he used to own this deli in salt lake city called Siegfried's Delkatessen. And immediately was like whoa whoa who I know that guy and have met him and I have been to his house and everything. And then he talked about how he went to his house to and ate smoked fish with him and then we laughed about that because that is the exact same thing that I did at his house. And then also come to find out that they grew up together and then get this the very area where I am serving is where Siegfried grew up with this guy. So that was a pretty crazy coincidence. Haha I just have all these crazy coincidences on my mission. 

In closing of my letter I will talk a little bit about what has been going on work-wise in the area. So a little over a week ago we found this young looking guy on the street and got his number and actually set up an appointment for the next day. But unfortunately he didn't show up the next day. However the day after that as we were going by on one of our investigators and he ended up not being home. The thought came to me to call up this guy and so I did and hey what do you know he answered. And I simply asked him if he had anytime right then and what do you know he had time. And so fifteen minutes later we meet up with this guy and we are talking to him and we gave him a book of Mormon in Russian. And so really I come to find out that he has really had a rough time in Germany and actually got into a big accident and had to get an operation and then he was given medication for the pain which he ended up just getting stronger and stronger dosages of. Until eventually he started doing drugs. And actually when we found him he had just been in the clinic for the past 3 weeks. It is very interesting to see how the Lord put him there for us just when he had gone through so much over the past two years. I wish I could go into more detail but I have to go catch a train to do an exchange. However he came to English class and also to our activity night, yeah bringing back the ol' Bremerhaven days, and yeah just pray for him that he will be willing to heed the promptings of the spirit.

Anyways I hope you all have a great week!
Tschuss,
E1der Foster

Ich bin die Zone!

Hallo hallo! 

Well another transfer has come and gone and a new exciting one begins. And of course this transfer I will be staying in Neubrandenburg and Elder Kilgrow will be staying as my companion. Actually this round of transfer calls was quite interesting because just about everyone in our zone is staying. Some people are starting their fifth transfer here which is not so normal for someone to stay in one place. And for some of those in my district that wasn't the happiest news to here that they were staying because this part of our mission has a bad rap so to say. We are called the Zion-Campers after all. I think that it is unfortunate that most of the missionaries believe that sort of thing and that it actually hampers their work rather than justifying it. There was actually a companionship that stayed in their apartment the whole day because of the news that they had to stay another transfer in the Neubrandenburg zone. That was kind of unfortunate to hear to be honest. But I will get back to that in a second. Other changes that are happening is that my district just got a lot bigger. And by that I mean at least 3/4 of the Zone is now in my District. Haha and just because of that reason, I had to let the Zone-Leaders know who was really in charge around here. By that I mean the next time they called me I told them that "I am the Zone!!," which they replied with,"Yep." So thus began and ended the bloodless takeover of the Neubrandenburg Zone. Haha okay, no not really but I had a fun time messing with the Zone-Leaders about it. 

 In all honesty this week wasn't exactly the grandest of weeks. It seems that everything that we did have going for us ended up in ruins haha. The first and probably the hardest thing was that the baptism that we would have had this last Saturday didn't happen, not because the individual wasn't ready to enter into a covenant with the Lord but rather because he was deported to Italy three days before it was supposed to happen. So that wasn't very pleasant news. And then of course this week we had many experiences of people having absolutely no desire to listen to anything we had to say and not just that but going out of their way to actually try and stop us. Haha we were knocking some doors on a street called Paradieswiese, which literally translated means Paradise Meadow, and let me tell you it was far from a paradise haha. It includes and old lady spying on you from her balcony in a not at all inconspicuous way and much much more. haha another investigator who we actually haven't met with for three weeks said that he was vacationing so he didn't have time to meet with us but then proceeded to say that we needed to take a break from meeting each other until September. And another investigator went on to tell us and show us his gun, taser, and many knives that he would use if he felt in danger and would even use them on us if need be. Haha we are probably not going to visit him anymore. Lots of other appointments fell out and yeah it was just one of those weeks were nothing really went right. However nonetheless I will not be kept down! We are not torn asunder and hopeless! I know that the Lord can give lead us to those who are ready, He knows His children and where they live and if they are ready to hear His word. But I truly think there is something that many of the missionaries in my district need to learn. And I think they and of course I as well are learning it. It is actually since being here that I have become truly grateful for the opportunity to be a district leader and to be there and try to help out everyone in my district. It was cool to actually see that the very same missionaries that I was talking about earlier who stayed in their apartment the whole day after transfer calls. Are the same ones who are now rededicating themselves and who have told me that they are looking forward to becoming better missionaries and this time around putting more of their heart into the work and just learning more how to love those around them. It inspires me to be better as well and to really do all that I can to serve the Lord.  

A trippy experience that I had this week was when a former missionary and his family came to the church and had a little get-together with the ward members and us. And what made it trippy is that it was Elder Karlen! Who just so happens to be one of my first zone-leaders and who I actually lived with for the first three transfers or about 4-1/2 months of my mission. I love that guy. But wow that experience really made me look at the clock and think wow the time is going by and it will be time to go home before I know it. And I already know now that things will never be the same again when I get back. It is just so surreal. Not to mention everybody I know is getting married haha that is funnier than anything else to be honest. Both of my trainers are married too, including the first sister training leader that I met in my first transfer in here in Germany. So life is just rolling on by me. But yeah I am still excited for this work and I honestly just want to continue missionary work for the rest of my life in one way or another. Hopefully this next transfer I will be able to give even more of myself to the work. Anyways have a great week and I pray for you all daily. 

 Tschüss,

Elder Foster