Monday, November 30, 2015
Member Pics
The member's stole my iPad during church and took a bunch of pictures. This is what I ended up with.
November 30, 2015
Hello, I finally have time to do some writing.
It is amazing here in Austria (Österreich aufdeutsch). It is so beautiful during Christmas time!! I can understand the people pretty well which is a surprise. The people here are so one minded. If they don't to talk to us or just aren't interested, they will say, to our faces, "I am ignoring you.”….Haha. On the other side when you become friends with them they are the most loyal friend ever and will be there for you always. Anytime they we have had someone tell us they are going to church they go, which has been really nice. They also don't like when you beat around the bush. You have to get straight to the point.
Okay so this weeks breakdown.
Monday- We had a district P-day for Thanksgiving! It was really fun. Everyone made something to eat but we don‘t have turkey here :P so we just made Schnitzel instead. We played American football and had a great time. If any of you know Ammon Takau, his cousin is my zone leader. I was on his team so naturally we won!
Tuesday- We had district meeting. I love district meetings because it gives me good practice in teaching people in German. I taught about member work and how important it is as a part of being a missionary. Working with the members is essential! We also got a referral for someone named Brother Schopf. His brother is a convert to the church and sent us an referral email. We had a really good lesson with him and will be going back to next Wednesday.
Wednesday- We didn’t have anything planned. So, just took one of the busses as far as it would go. We ended up in Pichlinger. It was a cute little dorf with not that many houses. We met this old couple that invited us in for tea (herbal of course) and Lebkuchen (really good German cookies). We talked to them about God and life and their beliefs. It was really cool talking to them. The crazy thing was that the old man, when he was a kid, went to one of Hitlers academies. He told us how he had seen Hitler before. Which is crazy!!! Another fun little fact is that Hitler used to live here in Linz, where I am serving, and his house is still here.
Thursday- We went up in the country and the hills it was soooooo pretty!!! Nothing really crazy or interesting happened this day but the view was so beautiful! Iin the afternoon, we taught the group of Persians! We love the Persians so much. Someone has to translate for us but we are all still really good friends. They all come to church every Sunday and are just amazing people all around. They are coming amazingly!!! We literally might start a Persian branch before we leave the area. We met some more Persians and they came to church yesterday. We have a whole different class in church for them.
Friday- This wasn't a really good day! We had two lessons fall through. It was kind of disappointing but we didn't let it get us down!!
Saturday- Saturday was a really good day!! We had a Straßenausstellung, which means a street display. We pretty much just did that all day. We had Books of Mormon in every language and gave out a lot! We met a lot of cool people and it went really well. We also ate at a Japanese sushi place with one of the members which was amazing!!
Sunday- Sunday was pretty good. We went to church but my companion was sick. One of the members took him out of class and gave him DoTerra oils to help and told me to, "make him use them!!" Haha. We ate at a younger couples, the Winkler‘s. They are the cutest, coolest, couple ever and their food was amazing! Sister Winkler even gave me her cookie recipe! :D
Update on Rumy- He was kind of overwhelmed with the baptism challenge so he is going to take some time until January. We will be there for him anytime he needs anytime. I really love him and it makes me sad but it doesn't really get me down. People usually have 7 different times coming in contact with the church before they join on average.
I love my mission so much. It has been the best decision I have have made in my life by far. I have learned so many things already!! I can't even write all of the things I learned!! I love you all. Until next week.
It is amazing here in Austria (Österreich aufdeutsch). It is so beautiful during Christmas time!! I can understand the people pretty well which is a surprise. The people here are so one minded. If they don't to talk to us or just aren't interested, they will say, to our faces, "I am ignoring you.”….Haha. On the other side when you become friends with them they are the most loyal friend ever and will be there for you always. Anytime they we have had someone tell us they are going to church they go, which has been really nice. They also don't like when you beat around the bush. You have to get straight to the point.
Okay so this weeks breakdown.
Monday- We had a district P-day for Thanksgiving! It was really fun. Everyone made something to eat but we don‘t have turkey here :P so we just made Schnitzel instead. We played American football and had a great time. If any of you know Ammon Takau, his cousin is my zone leader. I was on his team so naturally we won!
Tuesday- We had district meeting. I love district meetings because it gives me good practice in teaching people in German. I taught about member work and how important it is as a part of being a missionary. Working with the members is essential! We also got a referral for someone named Brother Schopf. His brother is a convert to the church and sent us an referral email. We had a really good lesson with him and will be going back to next Wednesday.
Wednesday- We didn’t have anything planned. So, just took one of the busses as far as it would go. We ended up in Pichlinger. It was a cute little dorf with not that many houses. We met this old couple that invited us in for tea (herbal of course) and Lebkuchen (really good German cookies). We talked to them about God and life and their beliefs. It was really cool talking to them. The crazy thing was that the old man, when he was a kid, went to one of Hitlers academies. He told us how he had seen Hitler before. Which is crazy!!! Another fun little fact is that Hitler used to live here in Linz, where I am serving, and his house is still here.
Thursday- We went up in the country and the hills it was soooooo pretty!!! Nothing really crazy or interesting happened this day but the view was so beautiful! Iin the afternoon, we taught the group of Persians! We love the Persians so much. Someone has to translate for us but we are all still really good friends. They all come to church every Sunday and are just amazing people all around. They are coming amazingly!!! We literally might start a Persian branch before we leave the area. We met some more Persians and they came to church yesterday. We have a whole different class in church for them.
Friday- This wasn't a really good day! We had two lessons fall through. It was kind of disappointing but we didn't let it get us down!!
Saturday- Saturday was a really good day!! We had a Straßenausstellung, which means a street display. We pretty much just did that all day. We had Books of Mormon in every language and gave out a lot! We met a lot of cool people and it went really well. We also ate at a Japanese sushi place with one of the members which was amazing!!
Sunday- Sunday was pretty good. We went to church but my companion was sick. One of the members took him out of class and gave him DoTerra oils to help and told me to, "make him use them!!" Haha. We ate at a younger couples, the Winkler‘s. They are the cutest, coolest, couple ever and their food was amazing! Sister Winkler even gave me her cookie recipe! :D
Update on Rumy- He was kind of overwhelmed with the baptism challenge so he is going to take some time until January. We will be there for him anytime he needs anytime. I really love him and it makes me sad but it doesn't really get me down. People usually have 7 different times coming in contact with the church before they join on average.
I love my mission so much. It has been the best decision I have have made in my life by far. I have learned so many things already!! I can't even write all of the things I learned!! I love you all. Until next week.
Monday, November 23, 2015
November 23, 2015
This week has been good. We have been traveling around a lot. To Salzburg and Ansfelden and such. There hasn't been that much designated lessons tracking or street contacting. We try to talk to people on the trains as much as we can.
I love every single kind of weather, except for hot and wind. I love it when it rains. It has snowed twice. It has been pretty good I have been using my jacket a lot though.
We did knock on a door and the lady answered it with not pants on. It was so funny! She sent her kid to the door after that.
The Persians are doing really good we had 11 people in church this Sunday!! 4 of which were the Persians! In priesthood we asked them if they believed what we were teaching them was true. They said 100% they believe it. I have no doubt they meant it. The ward is awesome over here. They take the time to translate for them and answer there questions.
Rumy is still on for baptism but he's been in Vienna for a couple of days playing music.
In zone conference President Kohler talked to us about Paris. He said now is the best time to teach people, when they need comfort and have a lot of questions. We are not in direct danger from what happened in Paris but we are supposed to be ready in case something happens. President Kohler talked about how all of the Middle East is fleeing from their countries because of all the war and terrorism. A lot go to Germany and going through Salzburg is how they get to Germany. He mentioned how we can't teach the people in the Middle East but the Lord is brining them to us so the teachings can get to the entire Earth.
We still haven’t gotten another bike but one of the inactive members, Brüder Ivanoeski, gave us two snow bikes and two sleds! The sleds are vintage and soooo Coooool! There is so much vintage stuff over here mom would die!! We have been helping him a lot with his house.
We have a big meal for Thanksgiving with the district and zone leaders. Then played some football after.
This week Elder Albrecht and I translated and a live talk from England. Elder Russell Ballard spoke and it was really good! He challenged all the people watching to bring one person or family to sacrament meeting the Sunday before Christmas. I would normally think this to be hard but after being out here I realize how easy it is! So, I'm challenging you to bring someone to church that is ether less active or not a member. Good Luck!
I love every single kind of weather, except for hot and wind. I love it when it rains. It has snowed twice. It has been pretty good I have been using my jacket a lot though.
We did knock on a door and the lady answered it with not pants on. It was so funny! She sent her kid to the door after that.
The Persians are doing really good we had 11 people in church this Sunday!! 4 of which were the Persians! In priesthood we asked them if they believed what we were teaching them was true. They said 100% they believe it. I have no doubt they meant it. The ward is awesome over here. They take the time to translate for them and answer there questions.
Rumy is still on for baptism but he's been in Vienna for a couple of days playing music.
In zone conference President Kohler talked to us about Paris. He said now is the best time to teach people, when they need comfort and have a lot of questions. We are not in direct danger from what happened in Paris but we are supposed to be ready in case something happens. President Kohler talked about how all of the Middle East is fleeing from their countries because of all the war and terrorism. A lot go to Germany and going through Salzburg is how they get to Germany. He mentioned how we can't teach the people in the Middle East but the Lord is brining them to us so the teachings can get to the entire Earth.
We still haven’t gotten another bike but one of the inactive members, Brüder Ivanoeski, gave us two snow bikes and two sleds! The sleds are vintage and soooo Coooool! There is so much vintage stuff over here mom would die!! We have been helping him a lot with his house.
We have a big meal for Thanksgiving with the district and zone leaders. Then played some football after.
….CHALLENGE….
Thursday, November 19, 2015
November 13, 2015
Zurich Apartment Balcony
....Our Questions for him this week....
- How come only 1 bike between you?.....Because idk!?! Haha
- Can you apply for a driver's license?.....Yes, we are supposed to get one.
- Do you cook at home?.....Not really.
- Do the members feed you?.....Yes about once a week.
- Are the Persian men - Christians or Muslim?.....They are Muslims but they don't practice it.
- How is your companion? Who does he remind you of?.....He is really cool. Um…Brayden Jocylen
11/13/15
We invited Rumy to baptism and committed him for December 13th! Which is really crazy! We also got our hair cut today in a Turkish barber shop. We taught all of them for a good hour about our church. They were asking really hard questions. They were all really nice. The Persians are going great. They are really advancing and learning a lot. There is one other person that is ready for baptism. We will be asking him next time. Our zone goal for baptisms before the end of the year is 9. We have 8 areas in our zone so that'd be crazy! Hopefully we can just do our best. I have learned too much this week to write about it all. One thing I can say I’ve learned is the best way to find interest in the people. It is to find out what they believe and build off of that then relate it to our church. When they understand that you are there to help them come closer to God, not just to baptism, them they are a lot more receptive!
Friday, November 13, 2015
November 9, 2015
We have one bike so we just ride the Straßenbahn and trains. I have a ticket to ride anywhere but we walk a lot down town too. Downtown looks like the strip at night! The teaching is going really good!! We are losing 3 Persians because they are going to Wells
:( but we will be gaining 3 more. They are really into the gospel and we love them so much! We have two people that are ready for baptism so hopefully everything works out. There is a really big H&M downtown that I got a winter jacket from. There is also have a really nice hat shop downtown. There have these really cool hats I like. I'm probably going to get one! Have you ever herd of the candy gummy bears? It’s called Haribo. They make literally every gummy candy in the world. It is the most popular candy in Germany. They were playing a bunch of commercials from like the 40's and 50's in the store. It hasn’t gotten too cold expect one of the nights was pretty cold. I can understand the people here. I have even been sleep talking in German. Church this week was amazing! All 6 Persians came. We had a really good lesson in priesthood with them. I think out ward is the biggest in the mission It is almost the size of my home ward.
My daily schedule!
6:30.….Wake Up
7:00 - 8:00.…..Exercise
8:00.….Shower, Eat and Get Dressed
9:00.….Personal Study
11:00.….Comp Study
12:00.….Eat
1:00.….Language Study
rest of the day……Find or do a lesson.
Haribo gummy factory
Persian Group
Me and Elder Albrecht
downtown (above); hauptplatz (below)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
November 11, 2015
The trip over was pretty good. It felt like about the distance to Cali from Las Vegas. We woke up at 3:30 am had cereal and went to the airport. Our flight left at 7:10 am. I was the travel leader. We also drove past the old Trafford, which was really cool! Never thought I'd see it!
München is the coolest place I've ever been in my life!!! You have to come here!! We are staying in München tonight and then heading out on the bahn in the morning. My trainers name is Elder Albrecht and I am serving in Linz Austria. It is the second biggest city in Austria. I'm really happy because me and Elder Johnston are both in the Vienna stake. I think my trainer is from Missouri. The first night I got here we went to go this girl. We were talking to her at the door about how a friend referred her. It as about 10 minutes into the conversation when she started laughing. She said, “I can’t do this anymore! I’m a returned missionary!.” Hahaha…it was so funny my trainer and her set it up.
I can understand the people quite well! It's amazing because I don't even know how! Haha! I handed out a Book of Mormon to an Italian auf Deutsch. It was really awesome me and Elder Lucas snagged a book after we got our areas so we could hand it out on the train. We started talking to him and found out he was catholic. He prays to God and believes that God watches over him. The cool part was that he asked us for the Book of Mormon! We had to get off the train so I flipped to the introduction page and had him read it as we got off. He was very thankful and shook both of our hands twice! It was really cool because we both felt the spirit! Before we left that morning Elder Lucas and I prayed to find someone and it worked! We were the only ones to hand out a Book of Mormon.
The best part is that I have a love for the people, even before I talk to them. It's amazing! I really care for them and it really helps teaching. It makes me happy just to talk with them about life. I don't just try and get them to take a Book of Mormon. I sincerely get to know them and care for them. I ask them where they work, live, like and believe. Then once I find out what they're interests are I tie it into the gospel. It really works!
It's crazy there are so many refugees here. We are teaching four Persians that don't speak German. We have to speak through translator, We are also probably going to baptize this guy from Ecuador named Rumy. He already seems like a member because he participates in church so much.
p.s. We also have a huge ward and I'm in the German choir yay!...
München is the coolest place I've ever been in my life!!! You have to come here!! We are staying in München tonight and then heading out on the bahn in the morning. My trainers name is Elder Albrecht and I am serving in Linz Austria. It is the second biggest city in Austria. I'm really happy because me and Elder Johnston are both in the Vienna stake. I think my trainer is from Missouri. The first night I got here we went to go this girl. We were talking to her at the door about how a friend referred her. It as about 10 minutes into the conversation when she started laughing. She said, “I can’t do this anymore! I’m a returned missionary!.” Hahaha…it was so funny my trainer and her set it up.
I can understand the people quite well! It's amazing because I don't even know how! Haha! I handed out a Book of Mormon to an Italian auf Deutsch. It was really awesome me and Elder Lucas snagged a book after we got our areas so we could hand it out on the train. We started talking to him and found out he was catholic. He prays to God and believes that God watches over him. The cool part was that he asked us for the Book of Mormon! We had to get off the train so I flipped to the introduction page and had him read it as we got off. He was very thankful and shook both of our hands twice! It was really cool because we both felt the spirit! Before we left that morning Elder Lucas and I prayed to find someone and it worked! We were the only ones to hand out a Book of Mormon.
The best part is that I have a love for the people, even before I talk to them. It's amazing! I really care for them and it really helps teaching. It makes me happy just to talk with them about life. I don't just try and get them to take a Book of Mormon. I sincerely get to know them and care for them. I ask them where they work, live, like and believe. Then once I find out what they're interests are I tie it into the gospel. It really works!
It's crazy there are so many refugees here. We are teaching four Persians that don't speak German. We have to speak through translator, We are also probably going to baptize this guy from Ecuador named Rumy. He already seems like a member because he participates in church so much.
p.s. We also have a huge ward and I'm in the German choir yay!...
Mission house...President and Sister Kohler
He says these are Doner Kebabs---a Turkish dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, normally lamb but sometimes beef or chicken.
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