This week was INCREDIBLE! Absolutely incredible. To sum it up, since the last e-mail I wrote you, we have taught 11 lessons, found 7 new investigators, set 2 baptismal dates and found 10 potentials. ABSOLUTELY A MIRACLE.
Wow. I don't know what to say. We have been so blessed, especially when you consider that we spent our entire saturday doing service for members and investigators, no teaching or finding at all on that day. Incredible. And we have found some of the coolest people!
So monday, after we ate with the Buchanans and taught Derrick we biked with Derrick back to where he lives to stop in on a Sri Lanken lady that I back in week 2 of the transfer ( this past week having been week 5). She was there and invited us right in to teach her ( huge advantage of being in a 3 sum, is that we don't have to turn down appointments with single women because no one could come with us). But she is so cool. She has lived here for a year, speaks a fair amount of German, but no English. Luckily she is Evangelisch, meaning she is already a Christian and has a bible, because otherwise it would be much harder to communicate. We read a lot of scriptures out of the bible and try to explain them. Which has been working, and we have had two good lessons with her this week. It was so great, when we were leaving the 1st lesson on Monday night she told us "alright, Friday at 6 I will be expecting you DON'T FORGET!" When we went back on Friday she had invited her friend to join us. It was great!
Tuesday I gave a baptismal interview and did an exchange in Dornbirn. I enjoyed it WAY TO MUCH. Especially English class that night, which was attended by some members, the Repnicks who I have mentioned before. It was so much fun to see them again and get to talk to them. Like I said, brother Repnick has become fully active in the church again and is now serving as a ward missionary. Also, there was less active who I tried to contact who at that time turned me down somewhat coldly, but now her and her daughter have become completely active ( only about a month ago!) She decided that something was missing and wanted to come back. That was SO COOL.
Wednesday we exchanged back with Dornbirn only to ride all the way to Singen to an exchange with the Zone Leaders in Which Elder Wasden went to Singen and Elder Janis came to us in Ravensburg. That is where the most miracles happened. We set a goal to find 8 interested people on the exchange. It was VERY high, especially because we didn't have too much time to find people. But we set out with prayer and hope to make it a reality. Well, God is truly a God of miracles, with 3 minutes to go before the end of the first day we had found 7 interested people, but we still had 3 minutes, and since we were so close to achieving the goal for the exchange on the first half of it, we went out to to find the last one. We walked around the corner of the apartment, Elder Janis and Kingery went one way, I went another ( we have found then when 3 people talk to 1 on the street that it can get intimidating, so usually one splits off and talks to someone else). I saw a couple of college students walking down the road and went up and talked to them, with a prayer in my heart that I they would have interest. They did! 2 of them, so we found 9 interested children of God that day. Absolutely incredible. Truly a miracle. And we made appointments with 3 of them. It was an incredible exchange, and we saw so many miracles. It is crazy! We were able to meet with those 3 the next morning before we exchanged back and all the lessons went well. Absolutely incredible. Right after we exchanged back we went on Splits with the Elder Buchanan, and I went with him to visit a family that I found on the street in Bregenz last year and reffered to Ravensburg. That was an adventure, but no one answered, and we can't confirm that they live there anymore. :-( But it was a lot of fun doing splits with Elder Buchanan. :-)
Friday we had weekly planning and met with Zohrab again for the second time. He is from Afghanistan, and can't speak so much german, but we gave him a book of Mormon in Farsi (Persian) and he said that he would read it and pray about it. We will see if we can meet again with him this week. As previously mentioned we also met with Nancy and her friend and that was also great. :-)
Saturday was our day for service. We did service for Sister Kiefer and her husband ( who isn't a member but has come to church every week for a year or so) and then had a spiritual thought with them. That was neat. Sister Kiefer also asked me to give her a blessing ( as she was going to spend 2 months visiting family in Ogden Utah) before she flew, being a bit nervous for all the flights and connections and things. That was really neat, I love being able to give blessings, and love it when people ask. It truly is a unique thing, to have Gods Priesthood power and be able to use it. :-) Later that day we fixed Sister Stevens bike, and helped out an investigator the rest of the day. It was a good day, but because it was a full day of service I was in a short sleeve T-shirt and jeans the whole day, it felt really weird... and none of us actually enjoyed that aspect of it. The service was great though! :-)
Sunday... We had high hopes to have 3 investigators in church, but something really sad about Ravensburg, is on Holidays and sundays the Buses don't drive until after 10:30. So the Earliest that anyone could get to the church by public transit is 11, but church starts at 9:30 and because it's so small church only lasts 2 hours. But in Branch council we had a great discussion, and hopefully will be able to start church at 10, and flip the hours, so that Sacrament meeting is last. If we did it any later, that would severely disconvience those active members who come a long way to church every week, so we can't start later than that. There wasn't anyone who could pick up our investigators, so we are going to need to work things out. But on the brightside, the branch watched the "Hastening the work of Salvation" broadcast which was good to see again. I was worried I was going to need to translate it to English, but I didn't end up needing to. :-)
This morning just before e-mails, we went and visited two of the potentials that we found during the exchange, and we had an incredible lesson. Chrisina, the wife wasn't there, but the neighbor was, so we have 2 baptismal dates currently and hope to set one with Christina on Wednesday when we teach them again. They are Nigerian, but have been here awhile.
Well this is Week six, which means that this coming week is transfer calls. I know I said awhile ago that I would most likely be staying here for the rest of my mission, I really hope I do, but with the circumstances anything can happen. Threesums usually only last one transfer. Which means one of us will probably go. Elder Kingery has only been here one transfer longer than Elder Wasden and I. Due to that it is likely that he could leave, but because I am the oldest missionary, there is a huge likely hood that I will be transferred away and that they will stay and work together. :-( Which isn't a bad thing other than I wouldn't get to stay. We shall see what happens. I learned along time ago not to really expect anything with transfers, it never seems to happen the way I think it could :-). So we will see. The Buchanans are hoping and praying that we all stay, or that a 4th missionary will be sent. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. We have so much to do, and work in the area would really pick up if we had 2 sets of missionaries, but we will see what happens.
So many good things are happening. And we have been praying and working hard for miracles, like I mentioned the branch hasn't had a baptism in well over 2 years. We hope to change that :-). I am conviced that the Branch will be a ward someday, completely convinced. And it is toward that goal that we are working. God with be with us. He has been and will continue to be, we have been so blessed, and I can't help but only be grateful for all the blessings that we are recieving. I said it last week, but I will say it again, God truly hears and answers our prayers. I know it. And I invite you all to try it! :-)
I wish you a great week!
love,
Elder Ryan K. Christensen
P.S. sorry I left my camera cable at home... I know, I am the worst at sending pictures, but I will work on it ( with your luck I will finally get better sometime toward the end of December ;-)) (Thank Goodness for the Buchanan's who post pictures of the Elders on their blog!)
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