LETTER #15 - SCHWARZENBERG/ANNABERG-BUCHHOLZ

Hi Family!
This last week is one I will never forget. The week went good with teaching and finding people. We had quite a bit of appointments get cancelled but the ones that worked out were really good. On Wednesday I went to Freiberg for a split with Elder Taylor. It was fun working in Freiberg and with Elder Taylor. Then Thursday came back to Schwarzenberg with Elder Killpack.

The whole week was building up to Saturday and Sunday when we would be able to hear President Uchtdorf speak. On Saturday morning we were up and on the road to Berlin by 5am. We met in the Tiergarten ward building in the middle of Berlin. This was the first time in about 2 years when the whole mission was going to be together. I attached a picture we took a little before Pres. Uchtdorf got there.

Elder Killpack and I went in, got our seats, studied and waited for the meeting to start. An hour or so later President Pimentel came in and said he just got off the phone and that President Uchtdorf would be there in a couple minutes. All the missionaries got really quiet and everyone just waited. We heard the doors open and in the foyer you could see Elder Teixeira, President Kopischke, and then President Uchtdorf. They all came in and the whole room filled with the spirit it was such an amazing feeling. President Uchtdorf went up to the mic and said He wanted to shake all of our hands, so we went row by row and shook all of their hands. It was a really cool feeling. Then the meeting got started. 

Elder Teixeira talked to us, then President Kopischke, and then President Uchtdorf. It was a two hour meeting and President Uchtdorf spoke to us for the last hour or so. I learned so much in that hour, I'm really grateful we were able to have that meeting with them. After that meeting Elder Killpack and I took the Freiberg Elders with us and headed back home. On the way back we stopped at a place outside of Dresden called the Weihungs Ort. It’s a place on the top of this hill that looks out over the valley, Dresden, and the Elbe River. President Monson concecrated Eastern Germany for the preaching of the Gospel there in 1975.

On Sunday there was Stake Conference, which was why President Uchtdorf was in Berlin in the first place. It was a multi stake conference though. It was all the stakes in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. So everyone in those three countries watched the broadcast coming from the Tiergarten ward building. President Uchtdorf also spoke at the end of that meeting for about an hour too. One of my favorite parts of his talk on Sunday was right in the middle. He was telling us a story then he said. There are only 2 possibilities; either the Church is true, or it is not. There is nothing in between. Then he was silent for a little just looking out, tears came into his eyes and the spirit flared up like a fire. Then he said, “It is true”. You could see in his countenance that he knows without a doubt that this Church is true. It was so amazing. He then continued with his talk. He told us that earlier that morning, when the sun was coming up, he and other Priesthood holders gathered together to consecrate the land once again. He said he did it under the direction of President Monson and that it was a very spiritual experience. He talked about when President Monson did it in 1975 in Dresden. He even said President Monson wanted to come back and do it himself. Then he told us that President Monson chose last year, that Feb 21 would be the day when Germany would be consecrated again for the spreading of the Gospel. I thought that was really cool. I don't know why, but President Monson set that as the date for when they would consecrate the land. This weekend was full of spiritual experiences that I will never forget.

Things are going really good. There is still quite a bit of snow, still pretty cold. All in all though, everything is really good. I love being here and I love being a missionary. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the true church. And that the only way we can find true happiness and inner peace, is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the examples I've had throughout my life that have helped me build my testimony. I love being able to go and share this message of peace and joy with everyone every day. I hope everyone is doing good, thanks everyone for everything. I love you all so much. Have a good week, be happy!
Elder Puriri

He forgot to tell me some stuff in his first email so he sent another quick one.  It ended like this...

This weekend really was so amazing. The spirit was so strong hearing from President uchtdorf. He was like right in front of me, it felt like he was just talking to me. Such a cool experience. K gotta go, I love you! tell everyone I love them!

LETTER #14 - SCHWARZENBERG/ANNABERG-BUCHHOLZ

Hi!

Yes Mom I got your letters last week. Whatever gets sent to my old email address gets forwarded to my new one for a while. After a certain amount of time though they will stop doing that. What soccer tournament is this weekend, and who’s playing in it? Has high school soccer started yet or is that more towards the end of the month? Oh and I did get that package last week, thanks a ton. It’s always sweet to get a package. The long letters are fun to read don't worry and I do like the details and the stories! They don't make me homesick at all. They make me laugh and I like being able to picture what is happening while I read them. That was cool you put that book in the package though. I'll use it for lessons and stuff at district or zonemeetings where we can teach in English. The Emergen c stuff was pefrectly timed, I only had 3 more then I got a whole new box. All the snacks are good too, I forgot Valentines Day was coming until I got that package and saw the valentine’s cards in there. Definitely losing track of time it’s pretty crazy. February seems like it just started but its halfway over, feels like I left yesterday but I've been gone for 3 months. We are already in the 4th week of this transfer its crazy. So much has happened!

This last week was really cool. It started off way slow, our appointments kept getting canceled, which means we spent our time on the streets finding instead of knocking doors. Which in the cold can be kinda lame, or we try to go and teach members which is always good too. The week started off slow though, then after Wednesday everything just started working our so good. Our appointments all went through, we were able to meet with a lot of investigators, then on Saturday we invited a bunch to church as we visited them, and they all agreed to come! Except some were from Annaberg and would go to church there, and the others from Schwarzenberg and would go there. Both start at 9 so Elder Killpack and I had to be in both wards yesterday. We went by a family in Schwarzenberg Saturday night and asked if they would do splits with us so we could go to both wards. So Elder Killpack stayed in Schwarzenberg with the dad, and I drove over to Annaberg Sunday morning with their Son who just got back from his mission. It was such a cool Sunday! We met at 8am and split. Cedric and I went to Annaberg and were able to meet with the Ward Missionary leader there and we went and picked up the investigator. Elder Killpack and Olaf went and picked up the investigators in Schwarzenberg, and everything worked out so good! It was kind of weird not being with Elder Killpack since I've been with him since Dec 16 or something but it was cool the Ebisch family did splits with us. They are always so willing to help us out with anything its awesome. One of the investigators in Schwarzenberg has a baptismal date for the end of this month it’s so cool. It's the coolest feeling being able to help people come closer to Christ. The spirit is always with you and teaches through you to help them in the best way.

President Uchtdorf is coming to Berlin on Saturday and the Berlin Missionaries have a meeting with him Saturday morning! I'm way excited, its so cool being able to hear from the leaders of the church. This last week I was reading the General Conference Ensign from November and I read President Uchtdorf's talk about the Love of God. The way he explains things is so awesome. The thoughts it provokes and things you realize are so cool. We always hear God loves us, and we need to love God. The thoughts in this talk explain why though. Why he loves us, why we need to love him, and so many other things. The talk definitely made me think, Elder Killpack and I read it together. We were able to share a lot about this talk throughout the week with people we ran into on the street, and with people we were teaching. It's pretty amazing how that works. Every morning during study I read something that I will use and need later that day. Every morning! I love it! I’m definitely lucky I get to spread and share God's love each day with every single person I talk to.

We had lunch yesterday with this family in Schwarzenberg. An older couple, and their daughters whole family it was awesome. We were all talking though and the Grandpa said he wants to serve another mission! He just barely finished a 5 year mission last July. It hasn't even been a year yet and he wants to serve another one. He's such an awesome man. The whole family was laughing and like slow down Grandpa it was pretty funny. So cool though. I love being out here and am so grateful for the things I experience each day. I hope everyone has a good week! Be positive, be happy! There is something good in everything! God knows us all and blesses us always with the things we need and with the things that will help us in our eternal progression. It may not always be what we want, be it will always be what is best for us. Look for the good, and learn the lesson God wants you to learn. I love you all so much. Thanks for everything.

Elder Puriri

LETTER #13 - SCHWARZENBERG/ANNABERG-BUCHHOLZ

Hello Family!
First off, I have a new email, isaac.puriri@myldsmail.net. The church made a new email for all the missionaries and our mission just got assigned our new ones. Pretty close to the old one but whatever, thats the one to use from now on!

This last week was really good. We were able to get a lot done that we didn't really expect. We were driving around alot and back and forth between our two areas, Annaberg and Schwarzenberg. We had an appointment with a guy in the Scwarzenberg area on Friday, it was pretty interesting. We were trying to teach him about the plan of salvation but he kept going off about a bunch of random things and the lesson wasn't going anywhere and it didn't feel like it was going good. Our goal going into this lesson was to set a baptismal date with him for the end of this month but it didn't seem like we were going to be able to do that. Then out of nowhere Elder Killpack found a quick moment of silence and just asked him if he would get baptized at the end of this month. I wasn't sure what the guy was going to say, we had been off the whole gospel topic for a while. The guy didn't even hesitate though, he just answered back 'of course'. We were both kind of shocked, it was pretty cool though. We set the date with him now we just have to help him work towards it. It was crazy how the lesson just didn't feel like it was going good then we just randomly asked him and he said of course. We were definitely happy though.

Yesterday we went to church in Annaberg, we switch off every other week. The fast and testimony meeting was really good. I love hearing the member’s testimonies, and I got a chance to bare my testimony as well. Fast Sundays are always way cool. An investigator that had been taught a few years ago that hasn't had any contact with the church since just showed up as well. We had never met her but the ward remembered her so that was pretty cool too. Miracles happen everyday its crazy.

So on Friday we had a zonenrat (zone conference thing) in Dresden. During Presidents talk to us we got some pretty crazy news. He got a letter and he read the beginning of it to us, this is what it said: “The First Presidency has determined that the Germany Hamburg Mission will be dissolved, and the boundaries of the Germany Berlin and Germany Frankfurt Missions will be realigned to include the area of the discontinued mission. This will take effect 1 July 2010. … It is a positive move as the Church continues to expand throughout the earth and as ward and stake leaders and members take a more active role in missionary work. This consolidation will be announced in the Church News on 13 February 2010. … Thank you again for your excellent service, which has to a large degree, made this consolidation possible.” I couldn't believe what he had just read. When this happens, our mission gives the Erfurt zone to the Frankfurt mission, and then we take all of the Hamburg mission zones except one, which also goes to the Frankfurt mission. Our mission will still be called the Germany, Berlin mission. Except now we will cover pretty much all of northern Germany. All the missionaries in the Hamburg mission when this happens will become Germany, Berlin missionaries. It’s pretty crazy! This means that after July 1, I could be transferred to the Hannover area or Hildesheim and work where I did my exchange! I could be transferred anywhere in Northern Germany pretty much, but the fact that I could work in Hannover kind of freaks me out. Although if I am in the Erfurt Zone when this happens, I will become a Frankfurt missionary for the rest of my mission. I'd definitely rather stay a Berlin missionary but I don't have a say anyway, and where ever I end up is where I'm supposed to be. Pretty insane! Mission boundaries are changing, didn't really expect that one. Anyway though, everything is going really good. There’s so much to do and keeps us busy which is good. Thanks everyone again for your letters, love, and prayers! I hope everyone has a good week. Be happy! I love you all.
Elder Puriri

IN THE SNOW

LETTER #12 - SCHWARZENBERG/ANNABERG-BUCHHOLZ

Hello Family!

The first week of the transfer is already gone, time is flying by. It feels like we don't have enough time to get everything done. This last week was sweet though. We started off way good, we cut pday short and taught 3 lessons on Monday, you're usually lucky if you get one lesson on pday. We go to Freiberg once a week for a District meeting then yesterday we had to drive to Dresden for another meeting. Dresden is such a beautiful city; we were there during the night and drove over the bridge. You get an awesome view of the Alt Stadt and the reflection in the river. Dresden was one of my favorite places to go during my exchange. We have to go there on Friday for a Zone conference as well so that should be good.

Last Monday our third lesson was to a member that lives in a small place called Oberwiesenthal and he lives up on the top of a mountain there called Fichtelberg in a ski resort and manages that. He's our ward mission leader in Annaberg and he's like 24, served in Athens, Greece mission. He's way cool. It was good lesson, pretty sure he taught us more then we taught him though. The drive home was so crazy though. I have never seen so much snow in my whole life. The trees up on the top of that mountain were totally caked in snow. You couldn't see any green. It really was like a winter wonder land ha it was cool. I'll try to send some pictures either today or next week.

We've been teaching this lady in Annaberg since I got here and she hasn't really been making any progress and wasn't keeping the commitments we were giving her. So this last week when we went we were going to teach the 3 pmg lesson and push baptism hard and if she didn't take it, we were planning on just telling her we couldn't keep coming back. Towards the end of the lesson when we started talking about baptism she kept saying she was baptized already as a baby. I thought of Moroni 8, but didn't really think that would be best thing to read to her since it’s pretty intense to say the least. I had it opened though and Elder Killpack saw and shook his head 'yes'. So I slowly eased into it and had her turn there with me and I picked out the scriptures that weren't way too harsh. It was so cool, she read it and then all the sudden had a bunch of questions. She asked if baptizing babies is so bad, why do we do it, who came up with it? Killpack explained a little bit about that and she started to think maybe she does need to be baptized again. We're going back tonight and I'm excited to teach her more!

Yesterday headed to church we were a little disappointed because we couldn't get any investigators to church. On the way there one called and asked if he could get a ride to church, so we talked to a member and they went and got him. Then a guy we talked to earlier this week, who told us he doesn't have any more interest in the church and doesn't want to have anything to do with religion anymore, just randomly showed up! He wants us to come teach him this week. Then this couple we stopped teaching a while ago just showed up too. The husband is a member but the wife and daughter are not. We stopped teaching because they pretty much just liked having us over for dinner or to talk but didn't like when we would try to teach them. Then yesterday at church the wife came up to us and said she wants to be baptized! She says she knows it’s the right thing, and she wants us to come back and start really teaching her and her daughter this week. Headed to church disappointed and left church in awe. God works in mysterious ways. All those investigators just came on their own it was so cool. We couldn't even believe what just happened. Then last night in Dresden it was district leader training, so Killpack and all the other DLs in the Dresden Zone did that and their companions, we all went finding.

I went with an Elder from Finland who has been in Germany now since last Wednesday. I met him in the MTC and was actually supposed to come with him. We are the only 2 Elders in our group so after the 2 years we'll head home together. Most groups are quite a bit bigger than 2 but ours was small this time. Finding with him was really cool though. It was a quiet night, snowing, we were in Dresden, and talking to people about the gospel. Doesn't really get a lot better. It was only for about an hour but it was sweet. This next week is going to be good! There’s a lot to do and definitely not enough time. I'm excited though. Thanks everyone for everything! I love you all. Have a good week, be happy!

Elder Puriri