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.
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.
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
Elder Puriri
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