LETTER #32 - NORDHAUSEN

LAST LETTER FROM THE BERLIN MISSION

Hi family!
Yea this is my last email home as a Berlin Missionary! Pretty crazy huh? This last week was absolutely amazing though. A week packed with blessings, miracles, and very spiritual experiences. A good week to close my time in the Berlin mission. Sister Muhlestein said that to us the other day. She said 'Think about this Elders, this probably won't happen much in your life. You are able to close your time in a mission with an amazing week and a baptism. Then next
week as Frankfurt missionaries you will open your time there with a baptism.' I thought that was pretty cool! The past couple months I have been on the western boarder of the mission with everything off to my east. Now I will be on the eastern boarder of the mission with everything else off to my west. That’s kind of a weird feeling.

Anyway, on Wednesday the Erfurt zone met in Jena for our last little Zoco with President Pimentel. It was a very good meeting with lots of mixed feelings. We had a short briefing on the Frankfurt mission then President and Sister Pimentel both talked to us for a while. Then we had lunch and spent the last little bit just talking to each other. I was in the chapel with Elder Killpack and Loynes just talking then we saw President and Sister Pimentel going around hugging people saying goodbye and realized he was heading towards us. It was not a very good feeling. I almost wanted to turn and go the other way and avoid saying bye to them. As I hugged them though I thought of Alma 17:13, then I wasn't as sad anymore.

Editors Note: Alma 17:13 says, And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.

I love the Pimentels very much and am so grateful I had to opportunity so serve with them. Now the Lord has other has other plans and the work will go on!

On Saturday Evelyn was baptized by her husband! I can't explain how amazing it was. Sister Muhlestein has pictures and I will get them from her this week and send you them next email. It has been a blessing to be here in Nordhausen and to work with Evelyn and Daniel and their family, to be able to see the progress they have made in the gospel and see her Daniel who is a priest be able to baptize his wife. At the baptism I gave a talk and The Muhlesteins and Elder Loynes and I sang a song. The spirit was constantly strong and there the whole time. As Daniel baptized her and Evelyn came up from water I got such a happy feeling I felt like I was going to start floating up. After they had changed Daniel bore his testimony and started out with ''Well there isn't a much better feeling then baptizing your own wife.'' so cool!! Then yesterday Evelyn was confirmed in church. They also have 3 young children, Mila is 4, Grace is 2, and Jonathan was born in March. So after Evelyn was confirmed we were able to bless all the children. Elder Muhlestein blessed Jonathan, Elder Loynes blessed Mila and I was able to bless Grace. I didn't think I'd be doing a baby blessing for a while still ha but it was such a cool experience.

Ahsan was also in church Sunday and was able to experience all this as well. During Priesthood Elder Loynes and I went with Ahsan into another room and taught him in there. We went through the baptismal questions and taught tithing with him. We hadn't committed him yet to paying tithing but he then he said ''Well the Church is going to get a lot of money from me if I'm going to be a pilot!'' He's such a cool kid, and still progressing in the gospel towards baptism. Sunday was the cap on an amazing week. Last Sunday we also called and organized a Priests quorum in the branch and set them apart and a few Sundays before that set apart a few sisters in their Relief Society callings. I had never set anyone apart before, blessed a child, or given blessings, then for the first time I did it in German ha. Such an amazing blessing though and it has helped me to appreciate more the power of the Priesthood and what it really means.

Saturday after the baptism in Erfurt Elder Loynes and I caught a train and hurried back to Nordhausen for other stuff we had planned. When we got back we only had about 30 minutes before an appointment that would end the night. So we went and did some doors real quick hoping to talk to lots of people and make out a few appointments. After about 25 minutes we still had nothing but we didn't want to go to our appointment without making out at least one appointment. (by the way lots of times when we do doors we go to where there are big apartment buildings and at the bottom outside there is a 'klingel box' is what we call it. Just with everyone’s names on there and a door bell type thing you push and they answer and speak through there phone and you speak through the box at the bottom.) So the second to last guy I klingeled answered and I started talking about the Book of Mormon and towards the end of the conversation I told him we would like to come back later and give him the Book of Mormon and talk about it for a little. I waited for his response and by this time was I had only heard 'Nos' or just a click and the people had hung up so I wasn't expecting anything really. Then he said 'ummm yea.' I didn't realize he had said yes so I started talking back as if he had said no then in the middle of my sentence I realized it and asked him again if he had said yes ha. He said yes again and we made out an appointment!! Such a miracle. Then we ran to our appointment with Mr. Tämmerich. It was the second time we were meeting with the guy. We gave him a Book of Mormon and talked about the Restoration then Elder Loynes started talking about baptism. So I joined and we ended up asking him if would be baptized on July 31 and he said 'If its the true church then of course!'. It was a spiritually overwhelming day full of miracles. Elder Loynes and I walked home from that appointment kind of in a happy daze ha. An amazing baptism to start the day, a miracle making out an appointment with so little time, then a guy accepting a commitment to baptism. An amazing last week in the Berlin Mission. 

I am very grateful for the blessings and miracles I am able to see. And I am excited for what the future in the Frankfurt mission has in store. Things have been going good! Allergies have calmed down ha. And the weather has been warm. Germany beat England yesterday, Elder Loynes wasn't too happy about that. USA lost to Ghana, I wasn't too happy about that. Other then our teams losing in the world cup it was a close to perfect week ha. I kinda wanted England to win but also glad Germany won so that the World Cup Atmosphere stays around. Its lots of fun. Well I hope everyone is doing well. Seems like people have kind of been sick lately, I hope everyone starts feeling better. I love you all so much!! Thanks for everything. Focus on the good and have a fun week!!
Elder Puriri

FAREWELL FROM PRESIDENT AND SISTER PIMENTEL

From: Colleen Pimentel [mailto:colleen.r.pimentel@gmail.com]
Sent: Samstag, 26. Juni 2010 16:04
To: Jay Pimentel
Subject: Please forward to Erfurt Zone
 
Dear Elders and Sisters:
We had a wonderful time with you last week. Thanks for sharing your favorite thing of the week. We will remember the sweet memory that we enjoyed together. We heard about the terrific finding activity you participated in. Way to go! We love how you work together to bring to pass good things. You continue to bless the lives of those you meet. Here is the photo of the Zone. We look forward to hearing from you in the future! May the Lord's blessing be with you. We love you!
President & Sister Pimentel

PRESIDENT AND SISTER NINOW

On July 1 Isaac will be reassigned to the Germany, Frankfurt mission.  During his mission he will experience three different mission presidents.  How often does that happen?  President Kevin Ninow and Sister Lisa Ninow will be watching over my missionary for the next year.

Kevin John Ninow, 44, Germany Frankfurt Mission; Woodlands 1st Ward, Houston Texas North Stake; seminary teacher; former counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, high priest group leader, stake mission president and missionary in the Germany Hamburg Mission. Divisional president, Huntsman Corp. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to Frederick George and Norma Leonette Muir Ninow. Married Lisa Broadbent, five children.

A stake Young Women president, Sister Ninow is a former ward Young Women president, counselor in a stake Young Women presidency, counselor in a ward Primary presidency and visiting teaching coordinator. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Thomas Ray and Edith Norwood Stovall Broadbent.


President Ninow was born in Calgary...the town I grew up in.  That's an interesting coincidence.  He is also younger than me.  Hopefully Sister Ninow is keeping a blog somewhere and will post pictures.  I think I have been spoiled by Sister Pimentel.  

LETTER #31 - NORDHAUSEN

Hello hello!

No Mom I didn't get the package yet. Maybe later today or tomorrow I dont know. This last week was pretty exciting though! Lots of cool stuff happening right now. This coming wednesday we're all going to a city called Jena for our last meeting with President Pimentel. Pretty sad but it will still be a fun day.  We pretty much have 9 more days in the Berlin mission then were gone, its a crazy thought. We still basically know nothing about the Frankfurt mission. It's like starting all over again. Its exciting though!

Evelyn's baptism is this coming saturday in Erfurt. It's definitely been a blessing to be able to teach their family and to see them make progress together in the gospel. Daniel, her husband who was baptized in January, will be baptizing her this weekend. He's way excited about that its awesome. Yesterday in church we were talking to people about the baptism and seeing who all wanted to come. An investigator we had was the first one who spoke up and asked when, where, and how much it would cost to get there. Pretty suprising but very cool! We told him we would all take the train together and that it wouldn't cost him anything so now he's coming! That will be really cool as well. 

We've been teaching Ahsan a few times a week as well and helping him progress towards his baptismal date we set with him. I was a bit worried about it the other day but then we taught him after church yesterday. We watched the Restoration in the church. Ahsan even brought his friend. As we watched it I could feel the spirit way strong. I love reading in the scriptures or watching the church films like that and feeling again the spirit and truthfulness of it all. Towards the end of the movie where Joseph leaves his house and heads to the forest the song Joseph Smith's First Prayer begins to play. Ahsan started humming and Elder Loynes and I were kind of confused wondering why he was humming. Then he said 'We sung this song my first time at church right?' Then he just kept on humming! It was cool! He had remembered the song. At the end of the movie we asked how they both felt and his friend spoke up first and said 'You definitely feel something different when you watch that'. It was an awesome lesson. Ahsan even asked for a copy of the movie so he could have it and put it on his laptop. It is pretty humbling to see how the Lord prepares people and the power of the spirit. You realize you really are just in instrument in the Lord's hands. It is a really good feeling though.

We were also able to meet with Xiang again. The lesson we had with his was way cool. We asked him about his reading and if he had any questions or anything just right at the beginning. Then he started talking about the first time we met with him and how we talked about prayer. He said 'when we were praying I had never felt like that before'. Then we had also told him he could pray by himself and could pray before tests and stuff when he needs help and he reminded us that we told him that. Then he said 'I had a really big test and needed all the help I could get so I tried praying like you said and I felt like I just got this power from somewhere, its hard to explain'. It was cool hearing him talk about prayer and how it had helped him, and as we continued to talk and read in the scriptures he had lots of questoins. All very sincere and like he

just wants to learn and take it all in. We ended up talking about baptism with him and he understood everything so quick and asked lots of questions about baptism. We ended up setting a soft baptismal date with him for July 10 but he may be too busy between now and then with Finals and all and he is going back to China for the summer holliday. If that doesn't work though he said he would want to do it when he gets back. He's an awesome kid though. Again just seeing how God has prepared people and leads us to them or them to us. 

We're obviously working hard, trying to accomplish a lot, but with all the people who are making such amazing progress it pretty much feels like we aren't doing anything! It's definitely a blessing to be able to work with these people though. This last week was full of miracles and blessings. I'm having fun and learning lots. I hope everything back home is going good. Have a good week everyone, be happy! Love you all!

Elder Puriri

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT PIMENTEL

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Jay Pimentel

Date: 2010/6/20

Subject: An alle Missionare der Erfurt-Zone vom Präs. Pimentel

To: "berlinpres@ldsmission.eu"

Cc: Colleen Pimentel

(In English below):

Tolle Neuigkeiten! Die Distrikte der Erfurt-Zone werden ihre DCMs diese Woche am Mittwochzusammen in Jena um 9:30 Uhr abhalten. Die Assistenten, Sister Pimentel und ich werdendorthin kommen und Mittagessen mitbringen! Richten Sie Ihre Pläne dementsprechend aus, daunsere Feier bis ungefähr 14:00 Uhr andauern wird.

Hier sind einige wichtige Informationen, die Sie an Ihre Eltern weitergeben sollten: Von nun ansollten keine weitere Briefe oder Pakete für Sie an das Missionsbüro in Berlin geschickt werden. Schicken Sie diese an das Büro in Frankfurt. Die Telefonnummer lautet 069 9706 4350 und die EMail Adresse des Missionsbüros in Frankfurt ist 2019604@ldschurch.org. Die Postadresse ist Germany Frankfurt Mission, Corneliusstrasse 18, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Wir werden die Post am Mittwoch dieser Woche mitbringen. Wenn Sie Materialien von der Berlin Mission haben möchten, rufen Sie das Büro bis spätestens Dienstag 12:00 Uhr an. Der Missionspräsident der Frankfurt-Mission, Präsident Kevin Ninow trifft Pläne die Erfurt-Zone am Samstag, den 3. Juli besuchen. Halten Sie siuch diesen Tag also frei. Sister Pimentel und ich sind mit den wunderbaren Missionaren, die in der Erfurt-Zone sind, sehr zufrieden. Ihr seid fantastisch! Ihr seid ein Teil der Wunder, die täglich geschehen und ich bin mir sicher, dass Sie diese auch weiterhin erleben werden. Wir finden & belehren. Wir taufen & behalten.

Wir haben Sie sehr gern und freuen uns mit Ihnen am Mittwoch zusammenzutreffen. Bis dann, vielen Dank und alles Gute.

English:

Great news! The districts in the Erfurt Zone will hold their DCMs this week together in Jena at 9:30 am on Wednesday. The Assistants, Sister Pimentel and I are all planning to come and we’ll bring lunch! Plan accordingly because we won’t finish our celebration until around 14:00. 

Here is some important information to pass along to your parents. No further letters or packages to you should be sent to the Berlin Mission office. All should be sent to the Frankfurt Mission office. The phone number there is 069 9706 4350 and the email address of the Frankfurt Mission office is2019604@ldschurch.org. The mailing address is Germany Frankfurt Mission, Corneliusstrasse 18, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. We will bring Post with us on Wednesday this week. If there are supplies you want from the Berlin Mission office, be sure to phone the office by noon tomorrow (Tuesday), so we can gather what is needed and bring it on Wednesday. 

The Frankfurt Mission President, President Kevin Ninow is planning to visit the Erfurt Zone on Saturday, July 3, so keep that day available on your calendar. Sister Pimentel and I are so very pleased with the wonderful team of missionaries assembled in the Erfurt Zone. You are amazing! You are part of miracles that happen every day and I know you will continue to experience them. We find & teach. We baptize & keep.

We love you and are excited to be with you on Wednesday. Bis dann, vielen Dank und alles Gute.

Präs. u Sister Pimentel

LETTER #30 - NORDHAUSEN

Hiiiiiii,

Things here in Nordhausen are going pretty good! This last week we had interviews with President Pimentel in Erfurt. Technically it would have been the last time we see him since the mission changes on July 1. But President didn't want to say goodbye yet so he's coming back to Erfurt on the 25th and we're going to have kind of a goodbye party thing. As much of a party as missionaries can have ha. Interviews were good, I'm very grateful that I was able to have Pres. Pimentel as my mission president. It will be very sad having to say goodbye. I'm going to have to say goodbye to 3 mission presidents, that doesn't happen very often. The other goodbyes won't come for a long time though so that’s good. The weather this week was warm! Pretty sunny most of the week, it only rained like 2 days this last week.

The World Cup started!!!! It’s pretty bitter/sweet. It’s awesome its happening and all but very annoying that I can't watch any of it or anything. On Friday we were in an appointment and I kept looking at my watch and it was about 4:00pm and all I could think about was that the World Cup was kicking off right then. It was a very hard lesson to focus in ha. England played USA on Saturday. I was antsy the whole night wishing I could have been watching it. Elder Muhlestein texted us when it was over and told us the score of it. Then I was able to go to sleep ha. This next month it's going to be hard to focus completely on missionary work. Germany’s first game was last night. There is a big public viewing screen in the middle of the city and there were tons of people there. We walked by around 8:30pm on our way home which was when the game was starting and the place was packed. We stood outside the 2 fences at least 100 yards from the screen and watched the kick off and then we felt dumb because we were leaning on the fence trying to see from that far away ha and people were walking by looking at us funny. The two missionaries leaning on the fence trying to see a screen that far away ha. Entrance was free and all so I think that’s half the reason people were wondering why we were trying to see from that far away. That’s about all the soccer I've seen in the last 7 months ha. 2 minutes on a screen I could barely see 100 yards away. Then we just headed home. As soon as we got around the corner though the crowd just exploded it was crazy, Germany scored in the 6th minute. And went on to score 3 more. It was pretty ridiculous sitting at home everytime Germany scored horns would blow and you could hear people outside. So we knew by the end it was 4-0. It’s the weirdest feeling not being able to watch any of it; it’s like this inner longing to watch inside of me ha. Somehow I'll have to focus more, it’s just real hard.

Yesterday was cool though. Church was very good. There were two members of the District Presidency there. It was my turn to lead sacrament meeting so I was hoping not to mess up or say anything weird with them there ha. It went really good though and they both gave really good talks. Ahsan also made it to church yesterday. He came late and Elder Loynes had to go outside and find him, he made it though! In Sunday school one of the District Counselors taught the lesson on the importance of Scriptures. It was an awesome lesson but he was speaking fast and I wasn't sure how much Ahsan was getting out of it. As we were leaving the church I was talking with Ahsan and he said 'I need to be reading the Book of Mormon more huh? I also feel really good reading it.' It was so sweet! We talked more with him about the Book of Mormon as we walked with him on his way home. We're going to teach him again on Tuesday, he's such a cool kid. Evelyn is also doing very good, were going to teach her tonight. Things are going good!

When Pres. Uchtdorf was here talking to us he told about an experience he had in church here in Germany. He had taken a non-member to church and then the program didn't go as he expected it and he didn't think the members were as nice as they could have been. As they left he wanted to apologize to his friend but then his friend told him that that was one of the most spiritual experiences they had ever had. Then Pres. Uchtdorf went on to say that he should have trusted the spirit and not been so arrogant. That the spirit is more powerful then we know. That was what I thought of yesterday with Ahsan. I wasn't sure how much he was getting and was kind of worried and thinking I would need to explain it all a little bit differently. But as we left the church Ahsan proved me wrong! He had felt the spirit and understood the importance of scriptures. I'm grateful for all the people I've been able to meet so far on my mission and that I've been able to be a part of teaching them about the Gospel. I feel like I've learned a whole lot more from them in comparison to what I've been able to teach them. Things back home sound like they are going good. I can't believe summer games has already happen. That was the last tournament I played in, the last real game I played in was a year ago!

Time flies way too fast. I bet the boys all did pretty good with their teams. I hope everything else is going good and that everyone’s enjoying the summer feeling. I love you all so much! Thank you for everything. Have a good week and be happy!

Elder Puriri

LETTER #29 - NORDHAUSEN

Hello Family!

I'm good Mom, Elder Loynes is good, and Nordhausen is good. Its been warm and sunny the last few days its beautiful, other then that fact that for some reason I have allergies in germany and thats pretty annoying, but things are still good. For breakfast I had a piece of toast and a banana...because thats all we had left ha. Then we went shopping after study and bought food for the week then I ate more. We make it week to week ha. 

This past week was pretty good! Tuesday we took Elder Kearl to the train station and sent him off to Berlin. It was kind of weird knowing was going home. Saw him off then I went with the Muhlesteins that morning until Elder Loynes came in around 11:30. Ran his stuff to the apartment and got to work! I was hoping that Elder Smith from bloomington would come into my district or zone, but he's not even close. He'll stay in the Berlin mission and I'll go to Frankfurt. It would have been fun to see him.

The week kind of went by in a blur. Elder Loynes came to me then we did an exchange with the Gotha elders a day later or something, had to go to Erfurt twice this week for meetings. It has been really busy. During the tausch with Gotha I stayed here in Nordhausen with Elder Chidsey. We had an appointment with Ahsan (from Bangladesh) and I was really looking forward to it but we went by and he wasn't there. There was a Vietnamese girl there that we talked to and she said she would tell Ahsan to call us later. That night we had finished planning for the next day and were just kind of talking and getting ready for bed. then at 10:35 the phone rang. I was kind of confused because usually at 1030 we go to bed and nobody calls after that time. So I answered it and it was Ahsan. He apologized for not being there and said 'Can you come tomorrow?' I said of course and we made out a time. Then before he hung up he said 'oh yea I have a friend that wants to  come too is that ok?' And of course we said yes. It was pretty cool that he called! Then the next day Elder Loynes and I went by and met in Ahsans room. We sat down and he said kept apologizing for not being there the day before. Then he said and I haven't been able to read as much in the Book, I have had lots of tests in school and have had to study. So we asked where he was at in the BoM. He grabbed his, opened it up and goes 'I am only at Alma 32'. It was so cool! E. Loynes and I were both way excited and kept telling him he's doing good and to just keep reading. Then he said yea I like reading this book, while I read it I feel really good. It was pretty much perfect. Right before we started he said oh wait I have to get my friend. Then he went out and grabbed the Vietnamese girl we had talked to the day before! It was so cool. We had planned to teach about the 2nd half of the plan of salvation to Ahsan but since this brand new girl came in we weren't sure what to teach. E. Loynes looked at me as Ahsan went to go grab the girl and goes 'what do we teach? what do we teach? what do we teach?' We both just kind of started laughing, we weren't too worried, we just weren't sure exactly what to teach. So we prayed and opened up Alma 7 and read about the Atonement of Christ in those 6 verses. The Bengali BoM only has selected sections and sadly didn't have that chapter. So we read it in Germany and explained it verse by verse switching back and forth between English and German making sure they were getting everything. Ahsan was way interested and you could see he was learning a lot. After we had finished talking about those 6 verses we began talking about our part of the atonement again. Ahsan is studying to be a pilot and on the wall in front of his desk he has airplane designs and pictures and stuff. We said that as he studies and when we looks up he sees those pictures and that is his goal. Something he can always look up and see. Then we talked about having a goal in the gospel and said we would like to set a baptismal date with him. He just completely agreed and said yes goals are very important and if we don't have them we don't accomplish anything. This whole time he had basically been saying the perfect things ha. So we set a date with him for the beginning of July! He asked where it would be and what time and all and was writing it all down trying to figure it out, then we told him not to worry about it and that we would go there together ha. Then he looked at the girl next to him and goes 'She's going to come too'  it was so cool. He invited her to his baptism and even asked if we had a book in Vietnamese for her, so when we go back tuesday night we will give her her book and hopefully she will continue meeting with with us as well. It was such an amazing appointment. It went basically perfect and as Elder Loynes and I lwere leaving we both were so happy. We didn't know what to say and could hardly believe what had just happened. It was a very cool experience and I'm way excited about continuing to meet with Ahsan.

The Lord is preparing people all over the place, we just have to do our part to find them, and our part to have the spirit with us, and the Lord really does the rest. I've experienced that so many times already. I haven't known what to do in a lot of cases, but I pray and trust the spirit and the Lord works miracles. I am very grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and the real power that it has. It was pretty cool in conference when Julie B. Beck was speaking she said 'The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life'. I have definitely seen the truth in that and will continue to work on developing that skill throughout my life.

I'm having fun and learning so much all the time its awesome! I hope everyone back home is doing good. Thank you for the letters love and prayers! I love you all so much. Have a good week. Be happy!

Elder Puriri