Wow. I don't have too much time
to write today. This week was COMPLETELY packed. Monday was P-day, Tuesday we
drove with the Buchanans to Singen to have a quick District Leader Training
meeting, Zone Training Meeting (3 hours long) Interviews (3 Hours long) Spend
the night in Singen (ISlept on the floor with no pillows or blankets. It's made
me much more grateful for the warm bed that I have.. Then the next day Have a 1
hour District leader Meeting followed up by a 6 hour long Zone Conference. It
was incredible and very uplifting. :-) For My interview with President Miles I
got a new Temple Recommend, Which is all there was time for. I had the
interview in German. SO COOL. :-)
Zone Conference was amazing as
always I love them so much. There used to be one part in particular that I
really enjoyed and that was the testimonies at the end, which are given by all
the missionaries who are going home before the next Zone Conference. This time
I was in the program. I never ever ever thought that would happen. It didn't
really hit home that I have really been here two years until I walked up to the
Microphone.
What made it the worse, was that Elder Chapman bore his testimony
first, and started crying, Then Elder Davies likewise. Two missionaries who
have become great friends, then I am supposed to get up and bear testimony. I
managed not to cry but I was choking up the whole time. Back when I first
arrived you bear your testimony at your first Zone Conference and at your last.
My first Zone Conference was when I was in Dornbirn. My last one was in
Ravensburg. SAME DISTRICT. That was hard. At least we aren't in the same Zone as
we used to be, if we were in Winterthur I would have lost it. Elder Davies
first area was Singen. So he was the most emotional of the (5) (Elder Gubler
and Wilson followed after me). It was incredible however. IT was an incredible
experience those two days. After that we jumped on the IRE SPRINTER back to
Ravensburg.
The next day was Thursday, We
had scheduled an exchange and were to be in Lindau at 10, which means we needed
to catch a train at 9. We got up and studied as normal, then as we were getting
ready to head out the door, I notice that a pocket in my bag was open, and my
wallet was gone. I panicked way bad. I knew that I had it in the train, because
I had bought a snack from a vending machine in Singen at the train station and
put my wallet into my bag.
So I panicked and started looking around the
apartment frantically, and getting more and more upset and stressed as time
went further. I stopped and prayed. After that I got up, and looked a bit but
it was obvious it wasn't in the apartment, and must have fallen out sometime in
the train. I called the DB lost and found and reported the wallet as lost, and
that is all I could do. With the panic we missed the first train and pushed
back the exchange one hour. I had come to the decision, that I couldn't do
anything about the wallet in that moment, report it to DB and pray that I would
get it back that is all I can do. (As well as block the credit cards). We exchanged
and I felt peace, that everything would be ok, and we had a great exchange! We
had two fantastic lessons with Jason and Vladimir. It went really well. I am
glad that I put that out of my mind because if I had been worrying about the
wallet it may have very well ruined the exchange, and lessons.
Jason and Vladimir are both
doing really well. Jason bore the coolest testimony about prayer during that
lesson. He says that he has noticed a change since he has started meeting with
us. He said before he used to stress out a lot about various things, but now he
just thinks "Hey I have prayed, I don't need to worry anymore" and
then he feels peace. He is a computer programmer and has been working on an
intense project for Chrysler, and on Sunday he said that he would be completely
full this week and not have too much time because of the project.
Then on
Monday night he called us and told us " I have some great news! I finished
the project today!" He went on to describe how he had prayed that morning
for God to help him out with the project, that he could finish it earlier and
he finished it that very day. And said that he knew he got it done that day
because he prayed and God helped him. WAY COOL MIRACLE! He has an
incredible testimony of Prayer. He had never prayed before in his entire life
until we met him. It was neat because in that lesson, after he told us that he
doesn't worry about things as much I told him how I lost my wallet and needed
to pray and also got peace that everything will be ok. It fit really well,
maybe that was why I needed to lose it.:-)
Vladimir was so excited to meet
with us that he called and confirmed the appointment a couple days early and
then the day of to make sure we didn't forget. :-) We had a fantastic lesson,
he had watched a few General Conference Talks, and like them a lot. We started
talking about the plan on Salvation and he loved it a lot. He is taking up
everything we teach like a sponge. We could have been there for HOURS. He loves
talking with us. We only stayed for an hour though. At the end he asked us how
we are so happy and positve all the time and asked it it was possible for him
to also be that way. We promised him there was.
I am so excited to teach him
about the gift of the Holy Ghost and read with him about it. That is exactly
what he wants. I am so excited for him. Sadly he didn't come to church though,
he called me that morning saying that he couldn't sleep all night long because
he was feeling really depressed and all of the bad things that had happened to him
were haunting him and that he was very tired and needed to sleep. But he wants
us to come and visit him on Thursday. We recommend watching some mormon
messages, praying and reading in the Book of Mormon when he was feeling
depressed. He liked the idea, and at one point in time he was feeling
depressed, he told us that he prayed and felt peace. :-)
Things are going really well. Losing the wallet was hard,
and at the same time I was feeling so incredibly stressed out about these
upcoming transfer calls. I have never wanted to leave an area, but I have never
felt so strong about it before. This week there was a point in time where I was
feeling so terrified of transfer calls that it was consuming me. We have seen
so many miracles here, and we have 4 really solid investigators at the moment,
who will all most likely be baptized with in the coming month, and after
struggling for so long and after finally getting this far being transferred
would be SO INCREDIBLY HARD.
The wallet thing happened about the same time. I
wanted to talk to President Miles (during my interview) and request that
I stay for my last transfer, but I didn't end up doing it. At the end, Peace
finally came through praying, as I was praying about the wallet and the
upcoming transfer, a scripture ( I think I mentioned it a couple weeks ago)
came back to my mind "Lass dir an meiner Gnade Genügen". Let my grace
suffice you. -2 Kor 12:9. That really hit me in that moment, and it has changed
me. Everything that was causing me stress over the past few weeks, I was able
to let go. I don't know how things will turn out, but I am going to do
everything that lays in my power, and will trust God in doing the rest.
Even if
I get transferred and never see the Wallet again, even if I am going to need to
go about the process of getting a new Visa and everything, I know that
everything will be ok. That God has a plan, and that he is there and will help
me. It may not go as I want it to. It may not be as planned, but at the end, I
will be happy. I know that. Deuteronomy 8:15-16
I wish you all a fantastic Week!
Love,
Elder Ryan K. Christensen
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