Stuffed like turkeys, Reading Dutch, and the Love of God

This week has been a very long, completely packed week! I don't know even where to begin. So with Elder Heinrich leaving this week, we got slammed with eating appointments. This is where I learned a very key lesson NEVER SCHEDULE 2 EATING APPOINTMENTS IN THE SAME DAY. The members here all think that Missionaries are bottomless pits, so they make an unbelievably large amount of food and expect you to eat all of it. And it is also a manner of politeness to eat a lot of food ( Heavenly Father is truly merciful to send me to a place where it is good manners to eat a lot of food ;-) ). Anyway we had an eating appointment on Tuesday for lunch, (where they stuffed us like thanksgiving Turkeys) that eating appointment was at 2:30 or so ( we actually got to do a bit of missionary work, talking to the grandpa of the family) anyway it ended at roughly 4:30. Well, a mere 2 hours later, we were scheduled for a dinner appointment. I could have easily gone without eating because I was still full from the lunch that we had. But again they made a ridiculous amount of food for us, and we did our best to eat as much as possible. Oh  mercy, while trying to tie my shoes I was praying that my stomach wouldn't rupture... I have never been so full in my life! 

Transfers were incredibly simple and quick. 8.25 Thursday morning Elder Heinrich boarded an RE to Stuttgart, and Elder Stokes got off. That was it. In a matter of seconds I had a new companion and we were getting back to work right then. Meanwhile a few other people I know waited for a few hours for their new companions to arrive, some traveling for up to 7 hours by train. But yeah, fairly unexciting for Elder Stokes who came from Tübingen ( which is directly adjacent to this area). As I have previously stated he comes from Australia, Brisbon to be exact. Its weird having a new companion, but it will be a good transfer, he is a good Elder. 

The next biggest thing that happened this week was daylight savings. Yes Germany apparently does it too, just at a different time. I feel bad for the elders who just came in on Wednesday ( which, had I not fast tracked would have been when I came in) just as they are getting over Jet lag, Daylight savings! That had to be miserable. But they will be fine come next week. 

Guess what? I can understand Dutch. Read it, hear it, and comprehend it ( speaking and writing is entirely different). Its actually easier than Schwäbish! (a dialect of German native to the area where Ryan is serving) It made  sound like a weird discovery, but let me explain. Something that you hear about often is how Dutch is a mix between German and English, I have been told a dozen times that if you can understand English and German, you can understand Dutch. And have heard some missionaries say that they have picked up the Dutch Book of Mormon, and have understood it. I have heard people speak Dutch, and let me tell you, its weird! Its not German, its not English, but I can understand it! And yesterday I had free time, so I found the Dutch Book of Mormon and started reading. This is where it is really weird. It looks weird, it doesn't resemble German in the least degree, but I can understand it! It blew my mind, I sat and kept reading it, checking my German and English to make sure that I was really understanding it. Its the weirdest feeling in the world, when someone tells you that you have the ability to understand a language you have never even heard before, and sure enough you can! 

As far as our investigators are concerened, almost all of our appointments fell out this week, we were however, able to meet with the Romanians yesterday. We managed to find a sister in the Stake that can translate from German to Romanian.. It was an incredible lesson! It lasted 2 hours, but the first hour was mainly Sister Kiefer ( the Romanian sister) getting to know the family, and allowing them to get to know her. I think that was one the best things that we could have done for them, finding someone who comes from their same country, who found the missionaries, and came to know for herself that it was true.Then sharing her witness  with them that the church is true. We talked about eternal families. How God loves our families so much that he has prepared a way for us to be together with them for eternity. This I think touched Danny, I found out recently that his dad was murdered when he was young, around the age of 12. And hearing that it is possible to be back with him, and his mom, as well as his current family in the Celestial Kingdom of God, I think brought him a lot of hope. After explaining this to the family, they asked us " how can we get these blessings?". We then talked about baptism, and challenged them to read and pray to know if what we were talking about is true. We will see next week how things will unfold from there. But after learning about his dad, it makes me think on how blessed I have been, first, not having to experience the sudden death of someone close to me, and having the knowledge that families are eternal. What a blessing that is! That we can be families for eternity, being able to enjoy time with parents and siblings forever, as well as with spouses and children. Knowing that nothing can ever take that away, save it be for our own personal unrighteousness. Its a very neat thing to contemplate on. 

In my recent study I came across something in 3rd Nephi 17 in verse 9 he heals all of there sick and afflicted. But something caught my eye, in the German versions he healed "jeden einzelnen". Which means "each and every one". It could have simply said "he healed them all" but instead it emphasizes that it was EACH and every ONE. This wasn't by any means a group healing, it was individual, I imagine that he went to each, and healed them personally. Going back to verse 7 He tells them to bring everyone that was afflicted for one reason or another, but the word "maimed" stuck out. The continent had just experienced a terrible catastrophe, cities where destroyed, fires, earthquakes, and floods, wiped out a large portion of the inhabitants. By no means could the amount of people who were maimed be small. Despite the large number he healed them EACH and every ONE. Later in the same Chapter, he takes the children, and blesses them ONE after another. This shows us that we are not just another person, we are not another face in the crowd, another prayer to be heard and answered. We are individuals of great worth to God, and to Jesus. The Atonement, on a much larger scale was done likewise. It was individual. Its a great reassurance that we are of worth to God, so much that he takes time to answer our prayers individually. He loves us individually, He hopes for our individual success and happiness, in this life and the one yet to come. Its neat to think about. 

Thats all for now, I guess I didn't have this much to say after all... But that is how it goes I guess, it was a fairly typical week save it be for transfers. I hope all is well at home! Thanks for the letters and for the support!

Love, 

Elder Ryan Christensen