Imagine waking up on a beautiful sunny day in Switzerland. A view of the gorgeous Alps with the sound of the bells from grazing cows in the distance. It's just beautiful right!? :) Yes it is! Until…one of your neighbors starts smoking weed. All I can say is that so many people smoke weed over here. And the cops don't do anything! Haha anyways onto the week!
Well the week has been rather slow, but if everything was exciting then nothing would be exciting…haha. Manly what's going on right now is just the normal business. We are currently trying to contact referrals of people the members have given us which is surprisingly really hard. Everyone is on dang vacation! Because I am an American I only have 27 days left in Switzerland. I'm getting the best out of it I can.
Montag- We traveled around with a less active and visited this real cool old castle that he grew up in. Then went to an Emmentaler Cheese Factory in a small village. We got some ice cream there and then walked up a huge hill and sat on a bench with a view of the Alps to eat it. After that we came home and had a member appointment with the Jakob family. "le Tour de France" was also on this day ten minutes away from where we live! Elder Lucas ,my broski, got me a shirt from it. :)
Dienstag- On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays we do this parkour workout in the forest with a member. It's crazy cool! There are a bunch of stations in the forest to do different workouts and we jog from station to station doing them. It's cool because there is nobody else around mainly because it's at 6:00 in the morning and somewhat deep in the forest. After we finished our forest jogs by 7:00 we came home, showered, ate and did studies. Then we had lunch and tried to contact referrals. That was pretty much our day.
Mittwoch- we went to the Temple in the morning because we didn't have time last week. After that we came back to the apartment and ate lunch with the Biel Elders. We were having interviews with President in Zollikofen. After we ate we headed to the church for interviews. It was a really good training I thought. We talked about obedience and success. After training and interviews we had a member appointment with the Filbrandt family. Then we went home and planned.
Donnerstag- we did our morning jog in the forest then studies. At 11:00 we had GMK (Ward mission correlation meeting.) We ate lunch and worked on transitioning the area book to the iPads. After that we went to a member appointment with the Flemming family but we accidentally took the train too early to Fraubrunnen. Luckily we had some cookies that we had baked earlier so we brought them by a less active family in the area. It was really good and we were able to sit down and talk with them a bit. They just had a new baby a couple weeks ago and the father wants to bless it in church but he said he's not prepared or ready yet. It is our perfect chance to try and get them going to church! (They actually went to church! :D)
Freitag- in the morning we had studies and then for Lunch we took a bus to Münchenbuchsee to eat lunch with the family Von Allmen. It was a really good time. :) I love these guys!!! After lunch we shared a spiritual thought about not judging. In the evening we had an appointment with one of our investigators, Gabriele, she is coming along but rather slow. It's really hard to work with her because she wants an answer before she takes any steps, which isn't showing faith.
Samstag- in the morning we ran in the forest then had studies. After that we ate lunch, and then played soccer with our neighborhood. Normally every Saturday at 10:30 we play soccer with a member family, the Bern Elders and what ever less actives, or investigators we can find. Whenever someone walks by we naturally invite them to play also. So it has grown to be pretty big and now we have quite a few non members from the neighborhood there every week. It is really good and will hopefully be able to start teaching some of them! :) That was all of the interesting things that happened.
Sonntag- I like it here because we actually have time to do personal study before church. The morning bells go off at 9:00 and it's loud enough that they actually start church at 10:00, instead of 9:00. I gave a talk on how we are here to help save others based on the talk "To the rescue: We can do it" by Mervyn B. Arnold in the last General Conference. It was ok, I guess haha. I used the poem that everybody used at their farewell "Ladder of Hope". We made a translated version into German because there isn't any. If you haven't read this poem I highly suggest doing it. It is a bit long but the message is great! After church we came home and did weekly planning.
The Spiritual thought of the week is pretty deep.
Psalms 139.
1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
There is a Joseph smith translation for verse 8 that says "The Lord will perfect me in knowledge, concerning his kingdom. I will praise thee O Lord forever; for thou art merciful, and wilt not forsake the works of thine own hands."
