German Election Drive

Hey everyone!

This week has been pretty good, although just as I felt I was going to last week, I have gotten sick.  It is pretty mild though.  Nothing to lose any sleep about.  The biggest annoyance with it is that it messed me up when I was trying to give a training at zone conference this last week.  I started coughing uncontrollably at several points during it, which was pretty funny but I felt that it was sort of ruined because of it.  It's no problem though.

Here's a cool story: A few weeks ago I was on an exchange with another Elder when we contacted a lady on the street.  She didn't recognize us as missionaries for the church, but we introduced ourselves and the reason we were there, and invited her to hear a message about the gospel.  She said she had interest and gave us her number!  We didn't have contact for several weeks.  However, this past week, I was finally able to call her, and set an appointment.  We came over and met with her, and we began to teach the message of the restoration.  Here is the exchange, summed up:

"Thank you for letting us come over today.  We appreciate the time you are taking for this.  The message we have is centered on Jesus Christ.  Regardless of your belief, this will help you.  [...] It all starts with God.  Among many other ideas in the world about God, we believe that He is our Heavenly Father."

"Yes, I know this."

"Great!  Because God loves us, He gives us families."

"Yes, I know this.  I already believe it.  I have been baptized already."

"Of course, but just give us a few moments because we will explain that..."

"No, I already know your message.  I am a member of your church."

"...Really?  Do you know which church we are?  We aren't the Catholics, or the Jehovah's Witnes--." 

"Yes, I know.  You are MORMONS.  I am already a member of your church."

Anywho, that was very paraphrased, but it turns out that this woman was baptized in her home country in Africa.  She is here but since she arrived she lost contact with the church, because she couldn't find it.  She has also travelled through Finland or some other north-European country, and also ran into some Elders there by chance.  She seemed happy to meet us and find out where the church actually was, and we will be working with her in the next little while.  There are a few weird things about the situation from which I intend on finding out more, but she said she will be coming to general conference!

In other news, we got cut off in traffic by a German politician last Sunday!  Check that one off the bucket list!  It was THE Sebastian Brehm, can you believe it?  I posted photographic evidence below.  DISCLAIMER: THE CAR WAS STOPPED WHEN THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN.  I AM A RESPONSIBLE CO-DRIVER.

ALSO, A cat or squirrel must have gotten into our car hood, because...well, just look at the picture.  

That is all I have!  I appreciate the support and hope things are well back home!

Love,

Elder Wallentine 

Five Minute Dungeon

Hey folks!

It has been a good week! I had the great chance to come back to Bayreuth for a split.  That was awesome, and we got the chance to come in contact again with some former investigators.  The Elders there have been doing great work.

Turns out the Elders set a baptismal date with an investigator back in Nuremberg while I was away, too!

I bought a board game today called "five minute dungeon".  It is nice, because it takes five minutes.  I expect some of you to play it with me when I come back.

I have no other news other than the fact that my heart is quasi beating!  I might be getting sick, but just with a cold.  I feel something coming on.

Love you guys!

Elder Wallentine

A small update...

Hey guys!

This week has been good!  I will probably keep this letter somewhat short if I can manage.  I do not have much to report, other than the fact that the work continues to go well.  We now have four people who have told us that they have interest in being baptized, and that they will prepare for baptism at some point at the end of September or through October, depending on the person.  They have interest we know, and now it is time to develop readiness.  I would love to see a baptism this transfer, and that will certainly be feasible.  On the other hand, I believe that the people we are meeting with will probably need a bit more time in order to develop faith and repent, which is probably more important than my cyclical six-week schedule.  We will see.

The zone is going well!  We were able to have a split this week with the Schweinfurt Elders, and I went on a split with Elder Mejia, a really cool Elder from Columbia.  We did some good work and found some good people, and had a good time.  Pretty good.

I don't know what else I should write.

We sang in church last week!  And I am just as tone-deaf after having learned German than I was before :]  But I manage not to get kicked off the stand.

Have any of you seen the movie "Monuments Men"?  Today, we got to look around the tunnels in Nuremberg where they stored much of the art that was raided and protected through World War II.  It was pretty solid and interesting to hear about.  Some good WWII history and background information there, and they played a few audio-clips in German from the leaders at that time...pretty heavy stuff.  Also, I consistently underestimate just how thoroughly Nuremberg (and other cities for that matter) was destroyed during that time.

I hope things are going well back home for everyone!  As the States continue to have weird things happening to them, with hurricanes in the south and fires in the north, I will keep you all in my prayers and wish you all the best.  Remember that I would love to hear or continue to hear from any of you, and hear about your crazy lives in the last while!

Love you guys!

Elder Wallentine

The British Have Come

Hey!

Hope you guys are doing well!  Things are going pretty well over here in the Nuremberg Motherland.  We have been finding some really cool people, and I feel that we will be having success with them.  I can see some problems that could be had in the future, and we will be trying to help them overcome them, but I think to say that this would be a major hindernis right now would be more-so conjecture than anything else.  However, they are things to be taken care of.  

We met one pair of guys named Michael and Robby from the U.K. and South Africa.  They're cousins and we have had some awesome conversations with them.  In addition to that, we have met another man from the U.K. named Joseph, whom we have also taught.  He is super receptive and we all thought the Plan of Salvation would be very powerful for him.  I think he enjoyed it, and he said he would be baptized on the 23rd if he found out it all was true and got things figured out, so we will see how that rolls!

The district has been doing awesome, though.  We have been meeting a huge amount of people, and the other Elders and Sisters are doing a phenomenal job at finding new people and setting dates.  I really have been impressed.  There is also a nice balance of older and newer missionaries in the district, which is also cool.  I don't know which one of those I am, though.  In addition to that, the zone is doing well!  I am able to hear a lot of about Bayreuth, my second area, which I am really happy about.  It seems the Elders there are doing a fantastic job at finding people and they have a few that they are working with for baptism.  

This week, I read yet again in one of the most chilling parts of the Book of Mormon.  In fact, I read in the book of Mormon--for those of you who may not be entirely familiar with the book, there is a book in the Book of Mormon titled "Mormon".  So I hope I made it clear that I truly read in the book of Mormon.  This first paragraph is probably pointless.

I find Mormon to be a truly heart-wrenching story.  Perhaps that is because the two preceding books both give accounts of exceeding obedience and joy among the people and of the preaching of the gospel in the land of the Nephites and Lamanites.  We read beforehand that "surely there could not [have been] a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God" (emphasis added), and we read in Mormon that such a state was entirely and utterly annihilated by the peoples' own wickedness.  In Mormon 5:17-18, he wrote about his people as follows: 

17 They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father.

18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.

Mormon further laments in 6:17-20:

17 O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!

18 Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss.

19 O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen!

20 But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.

I can't imagine the feelings in his heart as he witnessed degeneracy in his society grow like a plague, even until it caused the very foundations of civilization as they knew it to collapse under it.  

Why, in sometimes vivid imagery, would Mormon decide to put this story in the book?  What do we stand to gain from studying and talking about the destruction of this ancient people?  As I thought about this in my study, I thought about the state of our civilization now.  Is it possible, perhaps, that Mormon and son Moroni were attempting to   warn us of the many dangers that would ultimately cause societal destruction in our day?  We live in the time of the last days.  There will probably be increasing crime, chaos, and catastrophe as time goes onward.  These together are forming a great danger for degeneracy for us and those who surround us, and we see increasing divisions and chaos, riots and mobs included, rising in many cities in the world today.  We may look around and ask how we can put a stop to all of this, hopefully before it is too late.

Friends, in this increasingly tumultuous world of filth and danger, where nations threaten nations and people riot in the streets; where plagues of hunger, thirst, sicknesses, and pride sweep through populations; where we see ever-more calamities arising from the sea and from the land and the sky; let it be known among all this, that there is only one thing that can bring lasting peace to this world, and that can save us from these dangers, likely physically but certainly spiritually: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Thank goodness, God has delivered a way out of this to us in this time.  In His great mercy, he has extended to us an invitation to follow Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, and He desires the happiness of all of us through obedience to Christ's Gospel and the ordinances thereof.  Many people, Latter-day Saints or not, are already familiar with the gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ, and if that be the case, we must focus on expanding our understanding of it.  The full gospel of Jesus Christ, and the ability to carry it out, has been restored in this time.  We invite all to come unto Christ and partake of His peace and love.  In these difficult times, he will give us peace "not as the world giveth", and the strength to endure and help others along the way.  I know that and I will continue to try my best to invite people to partake of it.  

Thank you for again having the long-suffering to actually read [a part of] these letters! I hope all is well and that you guys are enjoying your American food!

Recht schönen dank,

Elder Wallentine 

This is my "I don't know what I am doing" face:

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