I think I've heard of Elder Petersen before, but I never met him. Flab naget Andrew, when I asked how long I was referring to time, not distance. Yeah, I'd say that Germans and Englanders have their own special brands of stubborness. Germans like their beer, and Englishmen like the f-bomb, or so I've heard. I can make the joke even better Andy: no matter how kind you are, German children are kinder. Heidi if you'd like a break you could send Allison to me. I'm sure people would be more willing to talk with us if we had a baby around. The weather has gotten colder Joey, but not much lightning. We'll keep movin forward Cap'n K'nuckles. That's crazy that Zane got called here, Dad. Quite the popular mission, apparently.
Can't hardly remember what went on this week. We met with our investigator Frau Heumann, who basically told us that no matter what we say, her work is going to be more important to her than the Gospel. But she also said that she isn't giving up her goal of being baptized, she just needs time to put her work situation in order possibly find a new job. Until then, we'll just have to hope for the best.
We had exchanges with the Elders in Bielefeld and I ended up working in Bielefeld with Elder Despain (and yes, he actually does come from Spain), which was pretty solid. We taught a younger lady and I feel like the Lord has definitely prepared her. She's read all the way up to Alma in the Book of Mormon and you can tell that she really ponders about what we discuss with her. The thing right now is that she wants to be 100% sure about the church before she lets herself be baptized, so we talked to her about what faith is and how if she sincerely asks God (she also finds it a little bit new and uncomfortable to pray) about the Book of Mormon and baptism, she'll receive a confirmation. It's awesome to know that there really are people out there, searching for the truth.
We had some interesting interactions with members this last week, specifically during the priesthood meeting. Last week we talked about tithing, which basically ended up turning into a battle of whether or not we're supposed to pay 10% of everything we have or 10% of income. And then yesterday we had a nice conversation about scripture studies up until the member sitting next to me made a comment along the lines of: "Well, scripture study is all well and good, but I've been reading the scriptures for over 60 years, and that hasn't stopped me from making tons of mistakes. And I know I'm not the only one. I'm surrounded by liars and hypocrites, especially you (pointing to a member sitting behind us)! If scripture study helps us so much, why are we all such horrible people?" After a few minutes of chaos things started to settle down, and the rest of the lesson turned into the topic of judging others. A little bit crazy, but I think it makes a good point. We can go our whole lives doing what we're "supposed" to do, but that doesn't mean Heavenly Father is going to force us to make all the right decisions. We still have our agency, but if we have a sincere heart when we pray, study and attend church, then God will give us the direction and strength that we need to make good choices. And for those times that we mess up, which we all have, Heavenly Father sent his son to suffer and die for us, so that we can pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward. It's awesome how the Gospel applies to everyone no matter how long we've been in the church or how "experienced" we are.
That's all for this week, tchuess!
Elder Larsen
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