BISSCHEN RUSSISCH

Hey guys!  

It has been a good week!  I went on a few awesome splits, one with a pretty new Elder, Elder Christensen, and one with the Assistant, Elder Hughes.  Both splits went really well, and I was impressed by the abilities and enthusiasm of both.  We have been teaching a decent amount but hope to definitely be doing more of that.  We got a lot of appointments set up for the remainder of this week, though, and so I am optimistic and confident that we can be hitting some goals that we set.  As a district, we decided we were going to try and get six baptisms this transfer.  That is a big goal for us, certainly, but I know we can hit it.  I will be super happy if we do, but I think the biggest thing is that we do the work worthy of those and then be satisfied with our efforts and learn from it.

We taught a few interesting people this past week.  Some people seem to be wanting to quarrel about the gospel rather than learn it, so there are a few we won't be meeting with further.  On the other hand, a few of these people are actually ready and prepared and I hope to be able to see progress with them in the future.

I learned a little Russian in my "free time" in the evenings before bed this last week, just because there is a pretty good amount of Russians in the Nuremberg zone as I noticed when I was in Bayreuth.  I just learned a few phrases as well as most of the alphabetical pronunciations as well, and we actually got a potential investigator through that!  I told some Russians in broken language that "God is our father, and we are His children" and they freaked out and wanted to meet with us after I explained further, in German though, that we were there to share a message.  We had a really, really good lesson with them, and I totally thought we could have invited them to baptism, but at the end they said they did not have any more interest in learning more, and after discussing, explained that there was no way they would read the Book of Mormon or set another appointment any further than "we will see what happens".  I will probably hold off on learning another language, though, until I can get permission from President, and actually be fluent/ish with German.  It is nice to have a few phrases up your sleeve from other languages though, because people tend to freak out and I think it is a nice way to show you care.  

Бог наш Отец. Мы - дети Бога. 

Probably not even written correctly.

But yeah, other than that, we went to MLC, were in Frankfurt for the AP split, visited the courtroom in Nuremberg last Thursday on P-Day, and have been working hard as we should.

I am grateful for the chance that I have to be a missionary and to preach the glorious message of the restoration.  I find it wonderful how the simple prayer of a boy in New York has resulted in the restoration of the fulness of the gospel, the subsequent happiness and peace brought to millions, and the spreading of the gospel worldwide into the homes of Idaho, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Belgium, Japan, Albania, Germany, Russia, and many other places.  I am grateful for this gospel and hope to grow in my comprehension of how significant this truly is.  I love God and know that He watches out for all of us.  He knows us and our concerns and the heavens are once again open for us to receive answers to our questions.  We merely need to reach upward.

Elder Wallentine 

N U R E M B E R G

HEY GUYS.

I GOT TRANSFERRED.

After another three transfers of being somewhere else, that being Kaiserslautern, I have been transferred yet again to the motherland a.k.a. Nuremberg! It is nice to be returning! Although I did not serve in Nuremberg city itself, I was in its zone earlier if you all can remember when I served in Bayreuth from December to April. Bayreuth was my favorite area because of the growth I experienced there and the amount I was able to push myself, and so let's see if Nuremberg will be able to leave a similar mark. It has been a great experience so far.  I am on a streak of 3-3-3 for transfers in my areas (4 1/2 months per area). It is a nice pattern to have, because it is long enough to get good work done, but it also doesn't allow for all that much time to develop ward relationships and friendships.  It would be neat to have an area in which I could spend 6-9 months in, and have that be my "crowning area" so to say, but hey, the Lord might have something else planned, and again, I think three transfers is still a really good interval.

Regardless, I did not feel as though I was going to be transferred from Kaiserslautern.  I thought I was certainly going to hang in there a little longer.  It was a little heartbreaking at first but I quickly got over it.  Kaiserslautern has some of the most wonderful people I have met on my mission so far, and I loved and cared about our investigators and members there.  On the other hand, the number one attraction in Kaiserslautern is the city council building, and it is only the biggest attraction because it is tall (and by tall I mean taller than the rest of the buildings in Kaiserslautern) and has a bar/cafe at the top.  So I am looking forward to having some cool p-days here in Nuremberg again.

But yeah, I get to go on splits all throughout the zone now, including Bayreuth, for which I am fairly excited! I heard Bayreuth had a long while where the work slowed down after I left, but in the past weeks it has been rising again.  They also have a baptismal date with Bravedo! That made me  E C S T A T I C  to hear that he is again interested in the church and the gospel, and I hope that we might be able to visit him again on a split or something!  But all in all, I am excited to keep an eye on Bayreuth and to work with the missionaries there, because they both seem awesome and dedicated to getting work done. The reason why the work has often times been at a halt is because there are multiple people in the city who seek to waste the missionaries' time, invite them over for even hours on end, and take advantage of them. Luckily, the current missionaries said they won't be falling into it, and I trust them, so I expect good things this transfer. 

Another interesting thing about this transfer is something that hasn't happened since the MTC: There will be four Elders living in this apartment instead of two. It is certainly going to be interesting to see the dynamic with everything. I think that it is good that there is an increasing number of missionaries in cities like Nuremberg, because I think that way our efforts can be used in the best ways possible.

In other news, when I got transferred, the mission office put me on a path that took me through Stuttgart, which was cool. I had an hour long delay there, so I had Burger King and waited.  Other than that, transfers went smoothly.  I talked to some cool people as I was going to my new area, including a girl that I had about a 20 minute long conversation with in Stuttgart. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that any of the people had interest to learn more of the church through missionaries, but they were introduced to it! Also, my suitcases are getting progressively heavier and burdensome, so I am excited to see how it will all look when I go home someday lol.

Lastly, I said goodbye to Elder Crossley after two transfers, and it was a lot of fun to work together with him.  I can honestly say that we did our best to be exactly obedient and diligent in all we did. It was a wonderful companionship. My companion's name now is Elder Fawcett, who is two transfers older than me and seems to be an awesome Elder! We are having a good time and working hard right now and I am excited for this transfer.

That is all I have for you guys! Keep up the good life!

Elder Wallentine 

There is not a single one of these pictures that does not scream purely "awkward":

 T H I R D.  W H E E L.  (AND RIGHTLY SO)

Remember friends, as a missionary the standard distance between you and a person of the opposite sex is MINIMUM 15 BOOK OF MORMON LENGTHS.

Spirit Truth

Hello, Menschen!

It has been a good seven days since I last wrote you all.  We have been pretty busy with splits and visiting district meetings throughout the zone.  We went on a split with the Ramstein American Elders and I got to go on a split with our district leader, Elder Rogers.  It went well, and we worked pretty hard to find some people.  In addition, I got to go on a split with one of the Elders in Idar-Oberstein, also an American area, and I went with a missionary named Elder Cameron.  We also were able to work hard and have a few lessons, although many appointments fell out.  The Ramstein Elders might be bringing us American food at the end of this week, so we will see if that works out!

I gave a talk in my branch about the ward mission plan.  That was fun.  We also had two cool investigators at church that day.  Church went pretty well that day and our investigator, Tensor, met lots of great friends and they invited him to all sorts of activities and so forth.  It was awesome and I was happy to see it.  It seems that the branch was pretty excited about it.

We also visited a less-active family to teach them how to host a family home evening.  I think it wasn't especially effective, but it still brought the spirit in strongly and reminded me of all the family home evenings I had back home.  I am grateful to my parents for doing that so often back home.  THANKS, MOM AND DAD!

We had a lesson with a man at the university in Kaiserslautern yesterday which was interesting.  He told us, about the restoration, that he felt there was no way he could believe in the authenticity of the message and of God without physical proof.  Being an engineering student, he said that he was very mathematically and scientifically centered and that believing from an internal piece of evidence would be impossible for him.  Maybe, he claimed, if there was physical proof, he would believe, but because he had previously tried to find it without success he said that was no longer an option.  This is something I have heard from many, many people, both on and off the mission, and I can understand the concern, especially when we live in a more competitive and proof-centered society than possibly any other time in human history.  As I thought about a possible solution for this issue, I thought of the words of Alma in Alma 5:

45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

In case any of you aren't quite familiar with Alma as a person in the Book of Mormon, I will point out that one of the most interesting parts about his life is that he, earlier as a non-believer who fought against those who believed in the existence of God and Jesus Christ, witnessed an angelic manifestation which quite literally knocked him out and off his feet.  Why is it, now, that he didn't bring this up as a source of his knowledge of the truth which he taught?  Many would think that he would have no other option, but to accept the existence of a higher power after that.  Yet, according to him, that was not necessarily the case.  The manifestation in and of itself was what perhaps caused him to acknowledge his failures and have a sore repentance, and begin a search for a knowledge, but it was not the source of his knowledge.  The fact of the matter, which is repeatedly illustrated through the Bible, Book of Mormon, and other standard works, is that spiritual witnesses and testimonies do not, and cannot, stem from physical proof alone.  The primary and only source of enduring spiritual conversion comes from that which Alma stated: Fasting and praying for many days, earnestly and sincerely wanting the truth, and a humbling before God to prepare oneself for a spiritual manifestation from the carrier of truth--The Holy Ghost.  If spiritual knowledge was dependent on proof, then perhaps the children of Israel would have been more diligent in keeping the commandments of God after seeing the waters of the Red Sea part or Moses striking the water out of the rock.  Perhaps Laman and Lemuel would have not made Nephi's life so miserable after having witnessed so many great this, from the Liahona to the loosening of fast arm-bands.  Jesus Christ himself perhaps would not have been rejected by His own people, at least as rapidly and violently as reality showed, had they been able to use His wonders as reason to believe and follow.  

To truly discover the truthfulness of the message that I am currently giving another year of my life to, you must have a desire to believe, or a desire to desire to believe.  You must seek it out, and pray to God, and fast even from time to time, and ponder the words of God's servants in your hearts.  Then, if you pray to God, having faith in Christ, I can promise you from the bottom and the sincerity of my heart that you will receive an answer.  It might take time, it might not.  Nobody ever said that it would be as easy as a Google Search, because spiritual knowledge must be carefully searched for and truly, willingly found, and a reason why it is so enduring is because of the dedication it takes to acquire it.  But if you have the desire, and if you look in the right places, your doubts will be answered, and you will receive an answer.

Thanks for all you do!  I love you all!

Elder Wallentine 

Spirit Nudges

Hey friends!

It has been a pretty good week!  Lo and behold, we were able to get back in touch with Herr Seidl, and we have an appointment with him tonight with a member.  I don't know what exactly happened to cause us to lose contact and be shut down in a phone call, but we are back on track.  In addition, we have come in contact with another great investigator, Tensor, who we dropped as a result of losing contact. He finally texted us after about five weeks of no contact and we will be meeting him tonight as well.  We got two of our baptismal dates back and had to unfortunately drop the rest, or get dropped by them. It is okay though.  The one we dropped has not been making progress and has told us that he wants to become Christian because it is more "liberal" than other faiths (I mean that in the true sense of the word, not politically.  I try to avoid that in my emails lol). Not having the best intent hindered his progress, and we tried to help him form it anew, but he was not willing in the end to sacrifice. Unfortunately, we had to give him the hammer, but he might come around in the future.

This week has been filled with splits and zone conference as well. We had a power split last weekend with the Mannheim Elders, Elders Deus and Dutson.  Elder Dutson, my split partner, was in my group in the MTC, so it was nice to catch up a little, even though we didn't get to know each other all too well.  It was a fun split, though--both of the Elders are pretty cool.  After having zone conference, we went on another split with the Heidelberg Elders, Elders Domingues and Kumpf. That was also fun and it is always a pleasure to work in Heidelberg. Those are also two really cool missionaries.  Heck, my entire zone is pretty cool, so shout out to all of them.

By the way, splits = exchanges.  I don't know how often either one is used in America, and I am pretty sure you know both of the terms, but I'm just checking.

Zone Conference went well.  I talked about the importance of us showing our appreciation to God and Christ through our efforts to share His gospel.  We truly are blessed to be among the relative few
on Earth who have been able to partake of the Living Water, and so we should theoretically be happy to share it will as many other people as possible.  Granted, it is easier said than done, but it is something all can work towards.  We then practiced contacting run-throughs and discussed what we can do to overcome obstacles preventing us from talking to all we can.  I think it went well and it is always fun to share trainings with people.  Also makes me more willing and excited to practice what I preach, haha.

A few pretty cool things happened this week.  I have noticed lately that I have become somehow less effective with my finding.  Although we have been much busier with other things now than I ever have been on my mission, I noticed that it still has been harder for me to be effective at finding when I do have time, even though I feel I am pouring about as much if not more effort in than usual.  I realized that it had been a somewhat decent chunk of time since I had started my contacting sessions of with a sincere prayer to find someone who would have promise and interest.  One day this week, on Tuesday, as I felt confused when I wasn't making any progress with people on the street, I remembered this and decided to say a prayer asking God for guidance to find someone who was ready for the restored gospel. I continued contacting, and got denied a few more times, until I met an
American man who told me he was having a difficult time in his family and felt that he needed help.  We were able to teach him The Restoration there and he enjoyed it a lot, and then we set a return
appointment with him.  That solidified a powerful lesson to me in multiple regards.  I think that I often times try to "take over" for the Lord in His work, where I begin to think, whether consciously or
not, that I can do parts of this on my own.  Of course, that is really presumptuous of me.  I realize how much more effective, and fun, missionary work is, when we seek the direction and help of the Lord, and to be the tool in His hands rather than the hands themselves. I think that this goes for other aspects of life aside from missionary work, too.  I can't remember now who said it, I believe it was Ezra T. Benson,  but I agree with the statement that the Lord can do far more with our lives than we will ever be able to if we allow Him to work through us.

Also, I find it interesting how I never got a strong spiritual impression after the prayer to go in any particular direction. I decided to just continue my work in a similar fashion, and that is when I met that man.  Spiritual guidance has been one of the most difficult things for me to grasp as a missionary in the form of promptings and how they come.  However, I have learned that we can be guided to people, and people can be guided to us, without us even knowing.  I think that the trick is that we place ourselves in a position of worthiness to be guided, and we show God we desire by our prayers and actions.  If we then move forward, working diligently, keeping our ears open, we will find that God will use us to move His work forward.  Sometimes, He doesn't need to shove or push us.  But He
will guide us in ways we may not even realize were possible.
Thank you for all you guys do!

Love,
Elder Wallentine

On a split with Elder Dutson:

Spirit Water

Servus!

This week has been...decent.  By that, I mean filled with the usual.  We are working in Kaiserslautern some more for the summer...some more for the summer...summer for the some more...summer for the summer...

That was weird.  Sorry.

Some heartbreaking things have happened, although they haven't hit their full stride.  One of our super-promising investigators, Herr Seidl, ended up still not being able to come to church.  When we tried to gain contact with him by telephone, he hung up on us.  We are going try and visit him directly to see what has been up with him, but I am hoping that his heart will be softened again.  He is probably one of the people I've most liked to visit on my mission so far, because he was enjoying each lesson so well and making progress.  Hope is not lost for him, though.  He has a big heart and is a great guy and I'm sure he will open back up.

In the past week, distributed among exchanges and last preparation day, we have gone to Saarbrücken, Rhein-pfalz, and Mannheim.  Good cities with lots of cool people and missionaries!  The work continues to move forward.  For some reason, it has been oddly difficult to get new investigators for the past little while, and so that will change.  Actually, it has already begun to change because we have been finding some cool people this week!

I am preparing for a training that I will be giving at zone conference this coming Monday.  As part of my study for it, which is focused on finding people to teach, I was lead to the story in the fourth chapter of John.  During this, Jesus speaks with a woman from Samaria at a well outside a local city of that country.  In the conversation that ensues, Christ asks the woman for some water to drink.  After being questioned by the woman for His reasoning in dealing with a Samaritan woman, whom the Jews should have despised, Christ responds by asserting: 

"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." (verse 10).  

Later in the chapter, Christ speaks with His disciples, and responds to their request for Him to eat, saying: 

"I have meat to eat that ye know not of...[which] is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work [...] Say not ye, 'There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?'  Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." (verses 32, 34-35)

I found the 'theme' of food and sustenance in this chapter to be both powerful and influential in determining the role of Christ and His servants.  It was clear in both scenarios that Jesus's main focus was not resting upon literal or physical food or water, but rather a different, more spiritual conception.  At the same time, at the moment that these people heard His statements, they seemed to overlook their true meaning, thinking solely of the physical.  Though the Samaritan woman and perhaps the disciples, too, had access to these physical needs, they were speaking to the one Person who could provide for something spiritually much greater, and who could not-to-mention go without food or water.  Truly, the water that Christ offered and the meat which He had would prove to be of much greater worth in the eternities than any physical meal or feast.

Don't worry, now.  I am not about to announce that I will stop eating or drinking, because as mortals we do need to provide for those needs.  However, what I find especially important is that we recognize the importance and seek after the living water which has been offered to us, especially if we are to want to help others do the same.  There is a famine in which many live.  It is not a "famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:12).  Thank goodness, the Lord has restored His gospel and has provided millions with the chance to receive it, but many continue to thirst--even if they do not know it.  We need to find them, and I think a vital principle about finding those people who are ready can be learned by observing the Lord's statement in John 4:35, cited and italicized above.  We need to realize that there are people searching and wanting this water now.  We need to find them.  They are on the streets, in the homes, in the busses, and just about everywhere else.  This is why we need to talk to everyone we can.  Though they may not all immediately recognize that, those who do, and we, too, will find the truthfulness in the Lord's statement:  "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (verse 14). 

This week, we are going on a hike for preparation day.  I am wearing my Lederhosen and nobody can stop me.

Servus!

Elder Wallentine™