Insights and Events in the Life of Elder Harps: Woche 55

Schönen guten herrlichen Tag!!

Diese Woche war AUCH verrückt!!

It's been basically nonstop craziness this transfer. Like I don't remember the last day we just had to ourselves in Dortmund to just work! I know for a fact we won't have one until at least Monday. It's awesome. We get to work at maximum capacity and see God support and strengthen us as we run from one thing to the next!

Elder Burch had to buy glasses this week! It was really funny because he got his eyes dilated and couldn't see for 24 hours and he looked like he was high. We also had interviews with Präsident Boyer this week which is always such a blessing. He is a great man.

We also split with the other elders in our district! I got to go to Hagen with the amazing Elder Jukes! He's in the same group as me, and we are in the same district in the MTC! It was a blast. Hagen is a cool city, though smaller than Dortmund. It was great split!

So we have some way WAY cool people we're blessed to work with :)

Shumon and Shekh are two men from Bangladesh who the other Dortmund Elders were teaching before they had to close. So we picked up their teaching and they are preparing to be baptized next Saturday on the 3 of March! They are super excited for their baptism, and they just GET IT. They are loving the Book of Mormon and are reading a ton. They read every day, they have read the first two books of Nephi already and have received an answer that the Book is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. They are just growing so much its beautiful to see! They have given up smoking and while it's still hard for them they are overcoming. They are just awesome. We are way excited for next Saturday :)

The other ones are a wonderful less active family we have been meeting with. They are so sweet! The husband has been trying really hard to prepare himself to receive the priesthood and he's been reading and praying and growing and he's awesome! He's so humble and so ready to do anything to come closer to his Savior. Even wake up at 5 to ride a night bus to church! (which fortunately didn't end up being necessary, but he was totally willing!). His wife has been inactive for about 20 years and she doesn't believe in God really anymore. But last Thursday we met and read all together of it the Book of Mormon. We picked a chapter (Alma 7

) and it was basically directly speaking to them the entire time. They had bad some concerns and worries and stresses and it just directly addressed ALL of them. The spirit was super strong, and at the end, she said that she's seen too many crazy coincidences and that maybe it all really IS true. We asked to go think about it and she let us give her a Priesthood blessing, after which she was crying.

So their whole family came to church on Sunday (and LOVED IT. "It felt like coming home"), and we've been messaging them constantly through the week. They are on fire, and are soaking up all the spirit they can. She prayed for the first time in 20 years, then prayed again. They said "We are talking, and we really want to keep up this momentum we've got. Can you help us with that?". They are so sweet and we love working with them! God really has a plan for everyone and even when we as humans would have long ago given up, God is infinitely patient and waits for us to return and come unto him.

We are all Prodigals who must come to ourselves and start the long journey back to our Father. And he waits and watches faithfully and eagerly for that day when he can see us still a ways off, and run to us and fall upon us, and kiss us. Put a ring on our hand and his robe over our shoulders and tell us we have made it home.

God is so good. He will use us to work miracles if we let him. He knows each of us and eagerly awaits our return