Diese Woche war echt toll! Super awesome week!
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| Me on a very festive street in Langen, not knowing what to do with my hands |
We had an awesome district finding activity in Darmstadt this last Saturday. It was a lot of fun. We talked to a bunch of people and I'm really starting to totally get over my fear of talking to people and enjoy it. We found some really cool people with some really sincere questions that we were able and to help them sort through. For instance Elder Rösner and I talked to a guy who is from Eritrea who had fought in their military for 18 years. His German was really weak, and his English was just passable enough to communicate in. He asked us how he can know which church is the true church of God. He said it is really confusing and hard since there are so many different Christian churches that all teach from the Bible, but with so many different interpretations. I, by random chance, had a copy of the Book of Mormon in Ahmharic on hand and we were able to talk to him about how it helps clarify the exact questions he had. We were able to explain using the scriptures that when we truly want to find truth, we need to ask God. It was just really sweet and he said afterward that we had answered all his questions.
We also had Pfahl Konferenz (Stake Conference) this weekend, and it was really amazing. Our stake president is a really, really good man and good speaker. We also got to hear from a Sister who used to serve in the general young women's presidency, and her talk was amazing. I learned a lot, and I'll talk a little bit more about that later :)
Also we had Zone Conference which was super cool! I was able to talk to some of the missionaries who just entered the MTC before we left. They are awesome, and the meeting was really instructional. I learned a lot, and recommitted myself to work harder.
Also I've officially started jumbling my English with German grammar, which makes for some really wonky sentences haha. "We can about the Book of Mormon speak" is I think what I said to Elder Mortensen haha
We went on another Split this week! I stayed in Langen and got to serve with Elder Chamberlain, who was actually in my ward over summer at BYU. He's a really good missionary, and we had a lot of fun and did a lot of finding.
Also funny story with that. There was this funny little old Croatian lady that Elder Fawcett and I ran into about 6 weeks ago. We passed her on the street, and then a few hours later we ran into her again so we talked to her. I've since run into her 3 or 4 more times and not once have we managed to keep the conversations under a half an hour hahaha. She talks A LOT. And she swears I can't speak a lick of German even though I understand everything she's been saying. She's super funny. She's like 5 foot and 75 with her shawl and she's hilarious. Also tells us all the time to get married already. She's quite the character.
Anyway, on our split we ran into her again, and she was talking to someone on the street. But I wanted to say hi, and we were in the way to go by on someone, so I just said hi and was about to go again but I couldn't get out in time and so we got trapped in another half hour long conversation haha. But her friend actually was really cool and sincere. She had some really sweet questions about what happens after this life and why there is pain and sorrow in the world. We were able to help answer them and give her a copy of the Book of Mormon so she could find them herself further. She's really awesome, and we wouldn't have food her if it weren't for the crazy Croatian lady haha.
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| Elder Chamberlain and I |
So the spiritual thought this week comes from something that someone said in Stake Conference. It really struck me.
So when Jesus is dying on the cross, the Bible says:
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
Now this is a key part of the Atonement. This is the Crux of the entirety of the Plan of Salvation. This is the most important part of the history of mankind. And God leaves his only son comfortless at his time of greatest need.
God asks us to have faith in his son Jesus Christ and to trust him. Well this is how God showed his trust in Jesus Christ. He put everything on him. He trusted Christ that even though Jesus couldn't feel His presence , he would still choose His way. He left everything up to Christ.
And the reason this struck me so hard was because there have been multiple times recently where I have felt like I've been forsaken of sorts. That I'm given really hard trials and insecurities and weaknesses even though I'm being completely obedient. I've felt like I've been punished for doing nothing wrong. And I know that trials are ways to come closer to God, but I've had a hard time understanding why it feels like sometimes I'm left alone in them.
But the same way God showed his trust in his Only Begotten, he sometimes does the same thing with us. Sometimes he lets us struggle because he trusts us to all choose Him even though we can't see him guiding us. When we feel most alone, that is when it is up to us to persevere. To continue our faith. And if we can have faith when we feel most hopeless, if we can continue to walk in righteousness when it is darkest, that's how we can live up to His trust.
So now, if I ever feel like I'm trudging through life alone, I'm going to know that it's just because God trusts me to keep on trudging.
Life is good, really good. God is good. He loves you! You're awesome! Don't give up, just keep trudging!
I love you all!
Elder Harps
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| Our district just before Sister Thurgood got emergency transferred to Wetterau |
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