Scharfmacher!

 

               

(Barom, in the middle, is the Sisters investigator from Iran from Bremerhaven area.)

 

Moin, sehr geehrte Damen und Herren!

Welcome to another episode of this week’s Bremerhaven missionary adventures. Except it seems that there is never really a real beginning to these letters because my mind goes blank the minute I start to write them which is not too good because I do not have a ton of time to type today. But going forward this week wasn't too bad other than we didn't find anybody new. Although it was kind of an eventful week or as much as a missionary can really say. On a more related note last week was the last week of the transfer and I am staying in Bremerhaven with my companion, he is actually the first companion that I will be staying with for more than just one transfer. It is actually interesting because our district is undergoing a big change in people. Elder Pilling and I are actually the only companionship that is not changing in our district. Even one of the sisters here in Bremerhaven is leaving and she was only here for this last transfer. It is okay though because the missionaries in our district needed to be straightened out a little so hopefully this change will lead down a better path.

When it comes to missionary work we didn't do too bad this week. We managed to find an old investigator and committed him to baptism. It was kind of cool too because we walked with him all the way to the beach and taught him there on a bench by the coast. And then we finally got back in contact with the Serbian family that we lost contact with because they were on vacation and recommitted them to baptism because they were not going to be ready for their baptismal date that was set for this coming weekend and also if you see any of the pictures that I have sent. We also went to Bremen with some of our investigators to go see a baptism which always got to love those.  We even asked Paul afterwards if that was something he still wanted to do. And he said yes so of course Elder Pilling and I are very excited to hear that he is still excited to get baptized himself.

Something else that has been good this week is that we were able to keep in good contact with a lot of our investigators and finally had some more people come to church. The gospel principles class that we missionaries teach was actually pretty bumping this last Sunday. And we even set up an activity night at the church to take place every Friday night. Unfortunately none of the members showed up to it this time. haha but at least some investigators did.

Oh and here is a little story about something that happened just yesterday. So last night Elder Pilling and I arrived a little late to our apartment because of the bus schedule on Sundays. But we get there and we get to our door and I try to put the key into the door but it won't go in. So of course I am a little bothered by that and frustrated feeling like an idiot because I can't even put a key into a key hole. But after a couple annoying attempts, I decide to check the key hole and then when i look inside it. It looks like a little metal rod has been shoved into the keyhole so you can't put your key in it, or worse yet not even get inside your apartment. And when we look above into the little window it looks like a light is on inside. And we were 98% sure that neither of us left a light on. So we were both curious as to whether someone broke into our house or if someone was in there right then. So we decide to call the zone leaders to tell them that we are late and that we are also not really locked out but sabotaged out of our apartment. And then they told us to call the A.P.'s (Assistants to the President) and then eventually the Mission President called us and by then we had walked outside behind the apartment building to look into the back windows of our apartment to see if anyone was in there or if there really was a light on. And it didn't look like anyone was in there or that there was any light on at all. So that weirded us out even more. But then we just had to figure out where we would spend the night and we were calling all these members and the president was gonna call members for us. But luckily I was able to dig out the nail that was shoved into our keyhole with a pen. Which we then cautiously opened our door and checked all the rooms to make sure no one really was there. There was also no light on it was just an illusion from the light in the hallway. So yeah I guess it was either just some punk or some neighbor that doesn't like us because we are Mormon or American or something. Haha but that was a little experience from this week.

So in ending this letter I want to touch up on something that I talked a little bit about last week. In regards to why a missionary is sent to where he is sent and why he gets the experiences that he gets while on a mission. A little light was shed on it for me while I was reading in Jeremiah. SO Jeremiah, like Mormon, was called to labor among a people for whom there was no hope because they refused to repent, and "the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually." Mormon, after witnessing the destruction of the Nephite nation, cried out for his people. Here was a righteous man, one of the best, lamenting over his people who were so blind, so foolish, so spiritually dead. Jeremiah as well mourned for his people's wickedness. You may think of Jeremiah as a harsh man as you read his harsh words against the Jewish people and the lives that they were living, but he was not. His motivation as well as Mormon's was love. A Prophet does not select where and when he serves. God chooses when and to whom a prophet is sent. One may be an Enoch and build Zion, or a David O. McKay and preside over the Church in times of peace and prosperity. Another may be a Mormon or a Jeremiah and try in vain to save a rebellious and corrupt people. Each has his calling. Each has his time. Each has his own lesson for you to learn. So just as it is with the prophets it is likewise for the missionaries. Each missionary has his own lesson that he needs to learn and his own role in the great plan that God has prepared for us. So as long as a missionary strives with all his heart, he will fulfill exactly was God's will demands. Hopefully I can keep myself filled with such thoughts as my mission continues forward.

Tschüss,

Elder Foster