LETTER #20 - NORDHAUSEN

Surprise!
Hello Family!
So we are doing emails on Saturday this week because of Easter! Easter is a very big holiday in Europe. Yesterday everything was closed, Sunday everything will be closed, and Monday everything will be closed. So we have to do emails today.
 

I'm in Nordhausen now! The city is a little bigger then my last area, still a pretty small city but I love it. There are straßenbahns I can't remember the English word. Tram...I think but straßenbahn is cooler anyway. I like not having a car anymore. We walk everywhere and ride the bahns. I didn't like sitting in a car driving everywhere. The branch here in this area is pretty small. It’s got about 17 members or so. They don't have enough priesthood holders to have a branch presidency. So, not only am I a missionary here but I am second councilor in the branch presidency. I was pretty surprised to find that out. There is a missionary couple in Nordhausen, the Muhlesteins. Elder Muhlestein
is the branch president, Elder Mason in the first counselor and I'm the second. So this will be a new experience as well. 

 

On Monday we have a few lessons and visited the members and said bye to everyone. It was pretty hard. I love Schwarzenberg and everyone there but the Lord has a plan for me in Nordhausen. Tuesday morning caught a train and headed out up to Nordhausen. It was about 5 hours by train. I had to umsteig...switch trains (do we have one word that describes that?) in Zwikau and Erfurt. That was slightly difficult having 2 big suitcases trying to hurry through a train station, it was fun though. Riding trains and straßenbahns reminds me of my time in Hannover its weird. This area is actually pretty close to where I was before, but it’s in another mission so I can't exactly go and visit people there ha.
 

I got to Nordhausen late Tuesday afternoon. We went to the apartment which is also pretty cool, then grocery shopping. Then we went to work! As we left the apartment and were walking down the street this guy on a bullet bike pulled over on the other side of the street and waved for us to come over to him. We went over to him and he explained his dad is American and was a Vietnam veteran and is m.i.a. He had actually never met his dad and has been trying to find out if he is still alive or where he is and all that. We talked for a while and he explained he had done a lot of research trying to find him and then one of his friends suggested he talk to 'those two guys that walk around in white shirts and talk to people' because their church does stuff like that. He said he had been looking out for us the last few days and today was totally 'random' because he left work late and took a different way home then usual and saw us and thought 'its now or never' and called us over. We exchanged contact info and organized a time to meet at the church with the Muhlestiens since they do the family search stuff. It was pretty cool! We had been walking from the apartment for no more then 2 minutes. If we had stayed a little longer in the apartment we would have missed him, or even if he would have left work on time or something. When we act on the promptings and feelings we have miracles happen!
 

Yesterday we taught a young guy in his mid 20s or so from Benin, Africa named Ignacio. He is studying in Nordhausen right now but only speaks French and German. So we brought him a French Book of Mormon and taught the lesson in German. It was one of the coolest lessons! We read parts of 3 Nephi 11 and talked about baptism. We tried to set a baptismal date for the 25th of April but he was a little hesitant. He realizes how big of a decision it is and doesn't want to rush. He said 'I will be baptized don't worry, I just need to think about it.' We talked a little more about the 25 and what baptism means and the gift of the Holy Ghost and he seemed to like the idea more. At the end of the lesson we asked him to pray about the Book of Mormon and what we talked about. He said he would do it then he said he was going to pray about April 25 and ask God if that is the right time for him to be baptized. It was so way cool. I still can't believe how God prepares people to receive the Gospel. It’s so amazing.
 

I love Nordhausen already and am excited to be able to serve here. We have to go to Erfurt now to watch conference! The Erfurt church has a satellite connection so most the missionaries in the Zone will be going there to watch it. We will watch the Saturday morning session (Utah time) tonight then we will watch the rest tomorrow, except for the Sunday afternoon session. Which we will watch next Sunday because of the time difference. I'm way excited though for conference. I don't think I've ever really looked forward to conference this much. 2 years ago this day I was watching conference in Hannover with the Missionaries serving there! crazy crazy.

I hope everyone is doing good, I saw Eric got transferred as well! Sounds like he's doing good. Pretty funny we both got transferred at the same time. Well have a good week! I love you all! Enjoy General Conference!!
Elder Puriri
 

 

ps We got the wrong address for the Nordhausen apt. (Mom I still got your letter though, it came fast this week!)

It’s not 'Stuhlberger' its Stollberger Str., other then that, everything is the same! Pictures, Me with the Ebisch Grandparents and their Daughter and her Family in Schwarzenberg. Then Elder Lersch and I in the Car!