Hey everyone!
It was a pretty quick week this time around!
That is, except for Thursday. I can say with all honesty that Thursday felt
like the longest day of my life. Was it bad day? No. I actually enjoyed it,
but it lasted FOREVER. I think it was because we had a split in the morning,
went straight to district meeting afterwards, had two lessons with a new convert
and then a less active right after, and then had an emergency split. Luckily,
no actual emergency occurred, but one of the Essen Elders just had to go with
his bishop to go teach their investigator, and his companion stayed behind
(something about the nature of the lesson and request of the investigator that I
won't spend too much text on explaining). The split was pretty good, though. I
also had my first interview with our mission president, President Stoddard, and
that was pretty awesome. He's a really great guy. We're getting a new
President in January, though.
We tried our hardest to get some of our
investigators to church. We had a specified meeting location with one of them
planned out on Saturday night, to be at 9:00 AM Sunday at said place, and we had
a ride set up and everything, and the meeting location was pretty close to his
house, apparently. But unfortunately, he didn't show up. Still not sure what
happened, but we will continue to employ more ways to increase these people's
desires to come to church and partake of the Atonement. I hope we can see
success with this sometime.
I also came up with a new type of contact that
we have encountered several times on my mission so far. We will be going
door-to-door contacting through apartments, and ringing the doorbells on the
outside of the buildings. Sometimes, when a person wants to see who it is, but
doesn't want to walk down to do it, or let them inside the building, they will
poke their head out the window and shout at us to get our attention. It's a
funny image when they are on the top floor. I've named them "Monty Python"
contacts:
"Would you like a Book of Mormon?"
"Uh...no, sorry. We've already got one."
*turning to other people in the room while
chuckling*
"I told them we already got one."
Love it. But it would be much better if they
would just let us in and accept our entire message, naturally.
ALSO, I LOVE GERMAN. HERE ARE A FEW
THINGS I HAVE LEARNED AND EXPERIENCED SO FAR THAT I HAVENT TOLD YOU ALL
ABOUT:
1. The word for lightbulb is Glühbirne, which,
when translated literally, means "glowing pear."
2. A Meerkat is called Erdmännchen, which, when
translated literally, means "Little Earth Man."
3. People here use "hammer" in place of "bee's
knees" essentially. "Er ist der Hammer" just means "he is a really cool guy."
I will certainly use this when I come home some day, even--no,
especially--if nobody gets it. So, anticipate that a little over
a year and a half from now.
4. In Essen Central Train Station you will
often hear a German warning over the intercom, saying to hold onto your personal
belongings firmly to prevent them from being stolen. Then, an English
translation plays afterwards, saying: "Attention guests. There are
TRICKSTERS in the train station. Please be alert."
5. "Zeug" means "stuff" (sort-of?) and
"Spielzeug", "Werkzeug", "Feuerzeug", meaning "toy", "tool", and "lighter",
translate literally into "play-stuff", "work-stuff" "fire-stuff" respectively.
6. Alarm clock is "Der Wecker", which I take to
mean a translation to "The Waker".
7. The word for groceries is "Lebensmittel",
translating literally into "LIFE SUBSTANCE".
Anyways, those are the things I can currently
remember. More to come.
Time to switch to a little more serious and
important note:
This morning I read Mosiah 2-3. I really enjoy
the part where King Benjamin lists off two things to note and follow concerning
God as our Father in 2:23 and 24. I feel that much much of the chapter, he
emphasizes how keeping the commandments is one of the best ways to show our
gratitude to God, even though nothing we do will ever make up for all he has
given us. While reading through the chapter and Book of Mormon institute
manual, I saw the following quote concerning Christ's Atonement by Neil A.
Maxwell:
“Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and
other worlds, ‘astonished’! Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not
experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process
of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so
much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! No
wonder an angel appeared to strengthen him! (See Luke 22:43.)
The cumulative weight of all mortal
sins--past, present, and future--pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and
sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of
the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (See Alma 7:11–12; Isaiah 53:3–5; Matthew
8:17.) The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup
might pass from Him, but with this relevant citation. ‘And he said, Abba,
Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me’ (Mark
14:35–36).
Had not Jesus, as Jehovah, said to Abraham,
‘Is any thing too hard for the Lord?’ (Genesis 18:14). Had not His angel told a
perplexed Mary, ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible’? (Luke 1:37; see also
Matthew 19:28; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27).
Jesus' request was not theater! In this extremity, did He, perchance, hope
for a rescuing ram in the thicket? I do not know. His suffering--as it were,
enormity multiplied by infinity--evoked His later soul-cry on the cross, and it
was a cry of forsakenness. (See Matthew 27:46.) Even so, Jesus maintained this sublime
submissiveness, as He had in Gethsemane: ‘Nevertheless not as I will, but as
thou wilt’ (Matthew 26:39)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1985, 92; or Ensign, May
1985, 72–73).
We simply cannot comprehend the extent of
the Atonement and what was experienced by our Savior in the completion of it.
But we can understand that it was indeed a great suffering that was endured by
Christ lovingly for us. And we can understand that the Atonement of Him is
accessible, so long as we remain humble and consistently do our best to keep the
commandments of God. I know that Christ is our Lord, Savior, and King and I am
so grateful for His Atonement!
And with that, I think that's about all I have
for you guys. We're on our way to the Bochum Christmas Market right now. I
hear this one is even better than Oberhausen's (I totally assume you guys know
what that means exactly).
I love you guys. Thanks for humoring me by
reading my letters, and I sincerely thank you for all the prayers. I think
about you all often, both my family and many of the awesome people I have met
along the way.
Love,
Elder Wallentine
I think this is a swan but I am afraid to make a
conclusive opinion right now. We walk by it about three times a week at
least.
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