Woche 30

Elder Adams trying
his first Döner! 

Ayyye! Hallo aus Langen!

This. Week, Was. Awesome.

Best week of the mission so far!! Elder Adams and I have been seeing so many miracles. We've been so busy its incredibly hard to even find time to find new people because of how many appointments we have. So we've been maximizing the time we have on busses and trains to contact as many people as possible at all times. It's brought a ton of miracles. Sooooo cool.

MARY WAS BAPTIZED!!!

Mary's Baptism. She's so sweet :)

It was easily the sweetest baptism I've ever been to. She is so sweet and so humble. And Elder Clarke was able to come back and perform the baptism for her. She was so excited! We had thought that he wasn't going to be able to make it back, but he ended up getting permission the day before and she was so happy! When he showed up she was so so happy. It made for a perfect baptism. When she came up out of the water, she said "T'ank you Lord! T'ank you Lord!". She is so sweet. It was such a happy moment and a perfect baptism. She is so wonderful :)

Phillip is excited for his baptism on Saturday. He's committed to live all the commandments and is doing stellar. I'm way proud of him. We haven't really done anything to get him here, he made this decision a long time ago. We just gave him the nudge to take the step. I'm way way excited for him. 

Langen is so awesome!!! MISSIONS ARE AWESOME IM SO 'HAPPY AND EXCITED

THIS WEEK WE HAD THE COOLEST TUESDAY EVER

So Tuesday morning we woke up and I felt really strongly that we were going to find somebody to prepare for baptism that day. So we decided to talk to every single person we ran into in order to find them. We planned out our day and checked every decision with our gut to make sure it was in tune with the spirit and it was a crazy plan. We ended up going to a nearby city called Egelsbach and go by on a referral we had gotten. Well we got there and talked to everybody and their dog and klingeled some houses as we walked to the other side of the city. Then we got there and it was a wrong address. The building was all under construction and nobody was living there. So we kept going and started slowly making our way back to Bahnhof. We got stuck in a long conversation with an old man, then got a quick drink cuz it was blazing hot, then made a few calls to some potential investigators before we finished walking to Bahnhof. A young man walked by on the other side of the road and I felt like we should talk to him, so I ran him down and after 5 attempts we got him to stop cuz he had headphones on. Then we talked briefly about the Book of Mormon, but he wasn't interested. We started walking away, and Elder Adams said, "Wait, that old man in the store was watching us as we talked to the boy, and he just came out as if to talk to us. Let's go talk to him". So we turned around and walked back and talked to this old German man sitting on his steps. We started talking to him and he told us that he absolutely loved the Mormon church and had always been fascinated by us and our organization and sharpness. He was familiar with the Temple in Friedrichsdorf and said he'd always wanted to go inside but couldn't. We invited him to join us in our normal Sunday meetings and he was way excited to. When we told him that we had a copy of the Book of Mormon on hand and it was a free gift, he didn't believe us. When we finally gave him one, he said in broken english "This is for me a DREAM". Then he kissed the book, and kissed my hand and thanked us profusely and swore to us he'd read and pray about it. He was so so excited to read the book. And when we told him that we could come visit him and teach him more about Christ and his restored church, he repeated again "This is for me a DREAM! A DREAM!". He IS SO COOL. He told us to come by any day and teach him and we are going back tomorrow and hes so awesome and missionary work is awesome and following the spirit works. There were so many other miracles that night as we kept going and talked to more and more people and ended up in a completely different city than we meant to. Holy cow really planning inspired is the coolest thing ever!

Something I've been working on this week and can only recommend to all of you is this.

I've really been thinking about who I am and where I'm going and where I want to be. I've been thinking about all my weaknesses and just trying to identify exactly WHY I'm not where I want to be. I've been working hard with a lot of prayer and study to discern what exactly is holding me back from talking to more people, from praying with more intent, and most importantly just truly giving way to the spirit and letting it work through me. I don't want to hold back at all and so I've really been working on understanding and overcoming my fears and inhibitions and it's been AMAZING. I really am making progress because I'm making myself really take time and understand exactly what it is I'm up against. What exactly is holding me back from reaching my potential. I Invite you to do the same. Write out exactly your vision of who you would like to be or how your would like to improve, and then figure out exactly what is holding you back. What is keeping you from being all you can be. And then rely on Christ and attack those things with energy and hope. Overcome and improve. Become who you want to be come and let Christ mold you into all you can be.

I love you all! Missions are fantastic! Life is awesome! I'm so so excited!

Habt die beste Woche eures Lebens!! Ich habe euch Lieb!

Tschüß!!

Elder Harps

Elder Adams and I in Neu Isenburg

Neu Isenburg sunset

Woche 29

So uh, this week didn't go as planned

Elder Adams and I,
 trying Currywurst for
his first time

Elder Clarke and I saying goodbye.
 I'll miss him

Not only did I NOT leave Langen, Elder Clarke DID. He was called to be A Zone Leader in Kaiserslautern and we was way sad to leave. But not only that but I'm TRAINING here in Langen!!! LIKE WHAT??! 

I'm so stoked to train Elder Adams!! He's from American Fork Utah, just graduated a few months ago, and he's so awesome!! I've basically been bouncing from place to place this week cuz I'm so excited to work with him. His German is fantastic already, with 3 days under his belt. He's already working hard. He's super super happy to be here and I'm really like so excited. Ahhhhh!! 

This also means, because I'm training, I'll stay here in Langen for 2 more transfers, so about 3 months. That'll make 9 months in Langen when I finally leave haha. Good thing I absolutely love it here :) 

Us and Mary

 Elder Adams and I

Mary is doing fantastic. She was so so sad that Elder Clark left, but she's still super excited for her baptism this Saturday. She's understanding everything, and she's just super sweet and humble. I love her and I'm so excited to see her enter into this covenant with God :) 

Phillip is also doing awesome. Right on track for next Saturday. We are meeting with him tonight, gonna be awesome. I'm way excited, he's way excited, he too is sad that Elder Clarke had to leave. But he's awesome. Super excited for him

The Manics are doing well, though they are ALSO now facing family pressure. Fortunately Mlodn's father is visiting in a week and so we will be able to meet and speak with him. Then also baptize him haha. We are going to be praying Fasting that he can have an open heart and support the Manics in their decision to be baptized. They are awesome. I can't believe how complicated their lives are. It hasn't been easy one step of the way, but they are conquering step after step. They are so humble and so faithful. 

Elder Clarke, Philip, and Zinnah

So this week's thought. 

In the Book of Mormon, they use the word "wax" a lot. And I really love it. There is a proverb that says "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".

Alma 37:6

"6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

Many small things, many small efforts, compounded together can overcome anything. Repetition, practice, diligence. This applies to everything. Learning to play music, studying at school, art, developing faith. Lots of small steps together can cover a journey of a thousand miles. 

One way I saw in the scriptures that this principle applies though, is to pride. 

Helaman 11:36-37

"36 And in the eighty and second year they began again to forget the Lord their God. And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. And in the eighty and fourth year they did not mend their ways.

37 And it came to pass in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction."

Their pride and iniquity didn't come all at once. It says that they waxed into their iniquity and their pride. It wasn't sudden, but consistent slackening in their Diligence lead to serious pride and wickedness. 

But on the converse, Helaman 3:35

"35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

Humility can also wax. Through consistent efforts to turn to the Lord, we can overcome our pride and wickedness. We can wax stronger and stronger in our Humility, and this scripture promises that we will be filled with joy and sanctification. Both Pride and Humility, opposite traits, come over time. Both come from small efforts compounded over time. 

Elder Jeffrey R Holland said it really well, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, watch your step" 

We take steps every day. We never stop walking. Every choice we make is a step. So we need to really think about where we are walking. Are we walking towards our Savior? Are we walking towards something else? Are we waxing in Pride or Humility? Where will we be in a thousand miles? In 10 years? In 2? In a month? In a week? Where will we be at the end of today? Are we truly walking towards our Savior Jesus Christ? Are we living our lives as he would? 

Are we watching our steps? 

I invite you all to really be conscious of where you are walking. Think about it, and decide if what you are doing is bringing you closer to Christ. Come unto Him. 

Watch your steps. Let Christ "[fill your soul] with joy and consolation" 

I love you all! Life is awesome here in Langen! I'm so excited!! 

Habt ihr eine schöne Woche! Bis bald! 

Elder Harps

Elder Adams and I

Last Pday in Darmstadt

Elder Clarke and I

Us and the Frenkels

Us and our Ward Mission Leader's family, the Kempeners

Us and the Manics

Us and the Müller family! Their 5 kids are absolutely hilarious.

Woche 28

Ayo von Langen! :) 

This week was awesome. Also sorry for the long email :D

Like I mentioned last week, the work here in Langen is doing awesome. We are working on getting 6 people to baptism right now, and we are spending almost all of our energy on them. We are in a pretty heavy teaching phase of the work and it's awesome. 

Mary is doing awesome. She already understands a lot of principles from the gospel, she just needs a little clarity and guidance to put all the pieces together. She's doing fantastic though, and we've been bringing a whiteboard with us to our lessons and is helped a TON. She is clearly a visual learner, and she has been understanding so much better with the added visual aid. She will be baptized next Saturday in the 26th :) 

Phillip is another date we set this last week. He has on and off been coming to church for 6 years and has been coming consistently for 8 months. He's really awesome, and though he is nervous about telling his family, he's committed to baptism on the 2nd of September :) I'm way excited to see him commit to this major step in his life. He just needed someone to nudge him to finally make a decision, but it's a decision he made a long time ago. Way way excited for him. 

Us and the Manics and the bag
of their tabacco and coffee

The Manics are doing great. They have been struggling with living what we call the Word of Wisdom, which entails not drinking Alcohol, coffee, tea (green, black, and white), not smoking, and not using illegal drugs. Mlodn struggles with smoking and Dzula struggles with coffee. Well this last week we taught them about Fasting and we all decided to fast together for them. Then the next day we came over and had Mlodn crush his cigarettes and throw them into a trash bag. Dzula threw out her coffee and they both committed to live the word of wisdom. So far, it's been 5 days and they are totally clean. It's truly a miracle, because Mlodn has been smoking since he was 11 and he has wanted to quit. But Fasting is awesome, and it's truly been amazing. They are awesome and I'm way way proud of them. 

Went on 2 splits this week with Elder Rösner and Elder Sticht. Way fun, and I stayed here in Langen for both. Way way fun. 

Us all at a Baptism in Darmstadt 

K so on Saturday we get our transfer calls. I'm probably leaving this time, though it is always possible that I stay. We'll see, but next week I may be in a new area and a new companion. Stay tuned. I love it here but I'm also ready for something new. Mal schauen (dunno if that translates well. But it means "we'll see") 

K so I also have a long spiritual thought this week too. It was something I studied I studied in my personal study.

When do we sin? Is it sin to have bad thoughts or think about doing bad things? Does God punish us for the thoughts that pop into our heads? If I imagine myself killing someone, is it a sin? 

While I would say that it is not a good thing to dwell on such thoughts when they appear in our minds, thinking something and doing something are vastly different. Thinking about killing someone doesn't hold even come close to the gravity of actually murdering someone. Sin is not simply thought. We sin when we knowingly act in disharmony with God's laws. 

True to the Faith (a book we use) defines sin as such:

"When we willfully disobey God’s commandments, we commit sin. We also commit sin when we fail to act righteously despite our knowledge of the truth (see James 4:17)."

It is not simply the thought that counts when it comes to sin. Simply thinking bad things is not a sin. 

Again, when bad thoughts are dwelt on, they usually lead to bad actions, so don't be thinking that you can think whatever you want and nothing bad will ever happen. While we cannot always control which thoughts pop into our head, we can control what stays there. Thoughts lead to actions, so it is very important to control and discipline our thoughts, but bad thoughts themselves are not usually sins. The thought does NOT count. It is our action that is the sin. 

However, this same concept applies to faith and works. 

Last district meeting for the transfer

We cannot expect God to judge what we have done wrong by our actions and what we have done good by our thoughts. 

James describes it very well in the New Testament. James 2:17-18 reads:

"17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." 

Faith without works is dead. Simply loving God and professing our faith in him is not enough. If we do not act upon the faith we have, our faith is" dead". James actually explains it further really well in the very next verse. 

"19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." 

Satan has faith to too. He knows darn well that there is a God. He knows that God is our father, that Christ is our Redeemer, that Christ suffered and died for us. He knows that the Book of Mormon is true, he knows that it is important to be baptized, he knows it all. "the devils also believe, and tremble". So the difference is that while Satan has faith, his actions are those of pure evil. He knows, and actively chooses otherwise. It is not enough to simply have faith, or to have a testimony of the gospel. If our actions do not line up with what we profess to believe, it is all for naught. 

Christ didn't say "Come, think about following me". He calls to us, "Come, follow me". 

If we don't strive to live the gospel and truly live our lives the way Christ would live them, our faith is dead. Action is how we show God and our fellow man our faith. Our faith grows and increases in power and confidence as we live in accordance with what we believe. We are happier and more at peace. We can truly feel the Savior's love as we strive to follow in his footsteps.

Now this is often mistaken and thought that this means that we have to earn our way to heaven by our works. This is not true. 

"we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."  2 Nephi 25:23

We are only saved by Christ's amazing grace. Christ has already paid the price. He extends salvation to us when we truly try our hardest to follow him and love God. He doesn't care how good our bad we are, he cares about how hard we are trying. The Pharisees were incredibly Obedient to the law, but they were not trying to follow Christ or he charitable. The publicans and the harlots were sinners, but they were humble and tried to follow Christ. (See Matthew 21:23-32)

Faith without works is dead. But I also like to say that faith by works lives. If you truly want to feel the power of God more in your life, try to follow Christ more. If you want to show God your faith, do his will. Act. "If ye love [Him], keep [His] commandments" (John 14:15). Go out today and be a little better. Pray and ask for help in your journey to become as He is. Come, follow Him. 

Love you all! Have a great week! Sorry for the long email! 

Tschüß! 

Elder Harps 

A cool garden in Darmstadt

Taco Night a few weeks ago

Woche 27

Hey everyone, this week has also been interesting. 

Last Thursday and Friday I was still in Offenbach with the Zone Leaders and we split with the Office Elders on Friday. But then on Saturday I was with the Office elders in Frankfurt and I had to do weekly planning by myself to try and get Langen back in some form of working order for Elder Clarke. I called a bunch of people and set up a bunch of appointments and smashed my head on the wall because it was really boring. Then that Saturday night I stayed with the Assistants and we went to the airport Sunday morning and picked up Elder Clarke with Präsident Boyer. 

Elder Clarke is such a stud. I have the utmost respect for him. He's hurting a lot but he's working hard nonetheless. He and I have been working to get the area back up and running. He is still mourning, but he isn't letting it incapacitate him. He's working through his grief and moving forward. He's such an inspiration. Please keep praying for him and his family. 

Talking to people in the streets.
There is a lady watching in a window
behind  us.  She looks interested.
I should go back and find her!

We have been having an awesome week this week as far as the work goes. We have been working with some nonmember family members of a family in our ward. Her biological mother is from Liberia and is visiting for a few months. She's such a sweet lady. She has a ton of Faith. She also has reduced hearing and vision and a crazy thick African English accent but she's making wonderful progress and will be baptized on the 26th of August. Her name is Mary and she is awesome. 

Another guy we've been teaching is named Philip and he is dating the daughter in that same family. He's been attending church regularly for about 8 months and one of his best friends is on a mission in Salt Lake right now. We have an appointment tomorrow with him and plan on committing him to baptism. He's way cool. 

Talking to people in the streets

The work is going great here in Langen. All of our crazy crazy efforts to talk to everyone these last few weeks are really beginning to pay off as we now have a solid number of really solid people we are Working with. It's awesome here in Langen. 

Next Saturday is transfer calls and there is a pretty solid chance that I leave Langen and I'm really torn because I love it here and want to see all these people make it to baptism but I also am excited to move on to other places. We'll find out next Saturday though. 

So this week in district meeting I gave a Thema (I don't really know exactly how to translate that. Lesson kinda thought thing) on serving other people and I did some really cool stuff as I was preparing for it. 

A LOT of times as a missionary, we start talking to people and they immediately say, "Nein, keine Zeit" and I often want to just grab them and be like "YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU ARE MISSING. LISTEN TO ME" if I'm being honest haha. They just really don't know what it is that they are turning down. 

But if they could just see how much this gospel has blessed my life and could bless theirs, they would turn in a heartbeat. If they could just see how much God it can bring. 

Elder Allan, Elder Ault, and I
with the Manics again

And what Preach My Gospel (a book we use to help us preach the gospel) explained is that the way to show them is to serve them. Service is love in action. They may not be willing to listen to my words, but if they can see the love I have for them, the spirit can manifest to them. 

In the Book of Mormon, the story of Ammon is a great example of this. He came into the land of his enemies and simply told the king that he would be his servant. He served the king and protected his flocks from Robbers and because of his service, the king was touched and he and his whole people were converted to the Lord. It all started with service. 

When we serve people, we show them our love. That is how they can see our love without us saying it. 

But it's also important to note that above nurtures love. If we want to increase our love for someone --  whether it be a friend, family member, acquaintance, companion, leader, teacher, whoever -- service will increase that love. 

So very out there and serve this week! It will bless your life and the lives of everyone around you. It will bring you closer to the Savior

I love you all! Habt noch einmal eine schöne Woche! 

Elder Harps

The Bulgarian man who kissed me last week

The MASSIVE FREAKING SPIDER WE FOUND

Sunset in Langen. I love Sunsets 

Woche 26

So this week was very different. We received some devastating news. 

Last Wednesday night President Boyer told us that both of Elder Clarke's parents died in a plane accident. He has an older sister who is getting married next month and a 17 year old sister and 16 year old brother. He went home this last week to mourn with his family and be there for the funeral. He is making sure everything is in order, but he's coming back out into the mission field early this Sunday morning. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. 

This week I spent with our Zone Leaders in Offenbach, and we managed Langen as best we could from a distance. We all are very sorry for Elder Clarke, but we also tried really hard to work diligently this week because there isn't anything we can do to help at the moment. It was a really good week. 

Rare picture of us contacting.

We worked our tails off and it was really great. It was a lot of work trying to manage two areas, but I called and canceled as many appointments as possible and then we went to the rest. We spent a lot of time outside street contacting as appointments fell through and we saw a lot of success. On Friday, we found a bunch of people pretty evenly spread through the day, which taught us that we need to be constantly looking or we would have missed them. But the next day we spent 4 hours contacting in the sun and found nobody until the last hour. Which also taught us that we can't give up simply because we aren't seeing results. Sometimes the Lord tests our patience and endurance before he blesses us. We worked flipping hard,and we learned a ton. 

We also split while in our awkward tri-companionship thing so we had a Companionship that was Elder Allan from Offenbach, me from Langen, and Elder Robinson from Frankfurt. It was a little weird. Also way fun to reconnect with Elder Robinson from the MTC. He was one of my companions for part of it. Way way fun. 

I hit my 6 month mark on Tuesday. That was weird. Very very weird. The last 6 months have literally evaporated.

Also Elder Ault and I got kissed this week. By a very smelly and scruffy Bulgarian man. He said "AYYYYYE" then ran over and shook our hands, then kissed us on the cheek. His hands were sticky. And then after he didn't let go of my hand and asked me for 2 Euro. Fortunately we escaped after and got on our bus. That was one for the books.

Also we had Zonenkonferenz which was awesome. It was focused on finding people and I learned a ton. I love Zone Conferences. They are way fun and way enlightening/inspiring. Got a lot of new ideas I want to try and apply to be better at finding people. 

This week's thought is a scripture that has really helped me in my attempts to better myself. It comes from the Book of Alma. Chapter 5 is Alma speaking to the members of the church. Verse 14 reads:

"14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" 

This is Alma talking to the already existing members. He's talking to all people who claim to follow Jesus Christ. 

I sometimes get complacent. Never consciously, but sometimes I feel like "alright I'm good". I usually don't notice, but when I read this, and it says "Have ye received his image in your countenances?" it always makes me think. When people see me, when they see my actions, words, and otherwise interact with me, do they see Jesus Christ in me? Can they tell that I am his discipline? Am I patient like he is? Do I love like he does? Am I kind in all things? Do I serve? Am I living my life the way Christ would live it? Have I received his image in my countenance? When people see me, do they see the Savior working through me? 

I always realize that even though I may be doing well, I can do better. I can work more to become more as He is. This scripture always helps me reevaluate my progress and be honest with myself. 

That's my invitation this week is to really reflect on whether or not you have received His image in your countenance. Pick something to work on to become more like Jesus Christ. Work on it this week

I love you all. Please pray for Elder Clarke and his family. Have a great week.

~Elder Harps

We built furniture for a member and then she fed us.
 Elder Ault and I built the closet thing behind us

Elder Ault and I

Us and the Manics. Their kids are all goons haha

Bayerisch Festival while we were in
Aschaffenburg this week