LETTER #41 - NORDHAUSEN

Meine Familie!

Hi! It’s Thursday night and I’m emailing you. Kind of weird. But it was a crazy week, but so amazing!! So many things happen every day that I can't like remember and differentiate between days ha. They just all happen and I try to learn and grow and do what I can and yea. Days mix together and time flies by. But yea I guess I just forgot to tell you that? I don’t know I just never thought about it I guess.

Anyway! So Sunday night we got a call at about 6pm from the elders in Erfurt and they were telling us about the train times for Monday morning since we were going to Frankfurt. They said "yea so the train leaves at 5:18am" I just started laughing playing it out in my mind me and Elder Gassman trying to make the train at 5:18 in the morning when we would have to get up and all. Then he goes "oh 5:18 from Erfurt" then it wasn’t so funny anymore ha because its about 1 hour and 20 min train from Nordhausen to Erfurt. Then it was ok though because they said we could come down that night and then just get up and go from Erfurt. So that’s what we did! Elder Gassman went with Elder Conrad to Gera and I went with Elder Conrads comp and the zls in Erfurt to Frankfurt in the morning. We walked from the Elders apartment in Erfurt to the banhof at like 445am ha. 4 guys in suits with backpacks on carrying duffelbags walking through the middle of this silent dark city at that time. We figured we probably could have done doors right then and had a good chance at catching everyone at home, but we figured we probably wouldn’t catch them in the best mood so we decided against that. 

Train ride to Frankfurt though then we changed trains and caught a smaller one to a smaller part outside of Frankfurt called Friedrichsdorf where the temple is! The church building is on temple grounds and they have like dorms on grounds for people to stay in who come from far away. So about 30 of us missionaries were staying in those. It was such a cool 3 days. Kind of like the MTC again but a bit more intense/advanced I guess. It was a very spiritual few days.

We spent all day everyday on temple grounds and when you're there you basically can't see off temple ground because of the hills or buildings.  So we had beautiful temple grounds surrounding us and the temple right there and the whole atmosphere the whole time was so cool.  It just felt good.   

We got taught a lot from Pres. Ninow and we did a whole ton of roll playing and practicing the stuff we were learning. It was so good. Learned a ton and realized how much more I need to learn. It always works like that I swear. There was one other elder there from the Berlin mission but other then that it was mostly Frankfurt elders with a few from Munich mission and Hamburg. It was cool though being able to meet all of them and learn from everyone. Lots of very cool spiritual learning experinces. Apparently we are having this meeting every other month for at least the next year. I may not go to every one but I hope just because it was amazing. Such a cool learning experience.

Today we had a district meeting and it was so good. Everyone is just excited about the new stuff. And like its not really knew its just stuff we never really thought about that we could be doing to improve our teaching.

Sorry if this email doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’m basically still overwhelmed with lots of ideas and new things and haven't had a chance yet to sit down and just figure it all out. Maybe I think Saturday morning I have study and can do that. Tomorrow it’s back to Erfurt for a meeting thing. But just for the morning. It’s crazy we haven’t been in Nordhausen all week! Today we were but this morning we were in Erfurt, tomorrow morning we’re in Erfurt.

I feel like a new missionary kind of. Like when we got back last night we had one hour to go out. As we prayed and left our apartment I just felt new like refreshed kind of. Today was also good. We even caught Xiang again at home! He went back to China in the middle of June I think it was and today we went by and he was there! Awesome guy and we made an appointment out with him for later. Things feel really good right now. I've also been learning a ton about the importance of the spirit. How much a literal and real role he plays in our lives. I've been focusing more on the spirit and been praying to better recognize and understand the Holy Ghost. It’s amazing how much of a difference I’ve noticed. It makes me excited to improve it more and for the things that could come from that.

Yea this email is kind of confusing probably. Saturday I have study and can hopefully organize my thoughts then my email on Monday won’t be so all over the place! I’m gonna send some more after this email from a p-day we spent with the Muhlesteins visiting a denkmal...memorial probably I think. Its pretty huge and cool though.

The spirit is amazing though. Study up about it and pray for it and learn to recognize and better that ability. It is a life long process and requires a constant effort. We talked about Captain Moroni and that verse that says what would happen if every man were like him and Pres Ninow simply said "you get there by every little decision". I've been thinking about that lots. Anyway before I confuse you anymore I’m gonna end this and go home ha. I love you all so much!! Find the good in everything and be happy!

Elder Puriri