Ciao!

MTC Roommates Reunion:

Elder Botcherby, Elder Janis, Elder Gibbons, Elder Robins

 

Ciao! Yeah, that means hello and goodbye in Italien :) Can you imagine walking up to someone on the street and stopping them by saying "goodbye?" That's how it goes in Italy haha. Anyway, back to Germany!

 

LOOK! It is my MTC roommates! :) We all slept with our heads towards each other at leadership council so we could talk about all sorts of stuff on Thursday night. We talked for a little while... haha. It was great seeing Elder Botcherby again! He is still mostly how I remembered him, just no worries about German anymore, and basically just even more awesome than he was in the MTC 18 months ago. That is right, we all hit our 6 month mark on Saturday. What in the world?!!!

 

In our mission leadership councils, we spend the first night talking about the gospel. Sister Miles usually picks a Christlike attribute to talk about, and this time it was hope. So we led a huge discussion on hope, heard lots of stories and such. Then President Miles talked this time about the Atonement and repentance, and that was incredible! It helped me to have a lot more hope, because hope is rooted in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was really cool how that all fit in together; that is the gospel. The next morning we go through business, so all the things we have to talk aout in our zone training meetings, things that the missionaries have to know. For example, President Miles is opening up another day where we can go and email potentials and investigators throughout the week, for just an hour. He wants us to be able to be in contact with these people as much as possible, and send them cool links to lds.org and stuff. The zone leaders and the sister training leaders have been doing that for the last transfer, and tomorrow we will open it to the whole mission. It is pretty cool to see the inspiration that comes as a council. After lunch, we do training, so we do roleplays and such. Dad asked how we are trying to involve the members. We are doing it through family mission plans. We visit the members in their homes, talk about cool opportunities or experiences they have had, and then watch a short clip from the hastening the work broadcast, a clip that the mission made. It is all the missionaries singing "Hark all ye Nations" and then some of the talking, and then at the end it is the family who does service and invites friends and stuff. It brings the Spirit so strongly! Then we invite them to make their own family mission plan, for example in a family home evening. Then we will follow up and bring supplies and support them in their efforts! We have been trying to do this and perfect it almost this whole year. But this is really how the Alpenländische Mission München is going to push forward. I have had some awesome experiences so far. And the Stuttgart Sisters are tearing it up with the family mission plans. The idea is to support the members in inviting their friends to learn more. So what kind of things are they trying at home?

 

Interviews were great, we had a wonderful district meeting with Sister Miles, and then we switch out talking with President. He did not drop any hints about transfers, no haha. But, he asked Elder Horlacher how long we had been working together. "Three transfers," said Elder Horlacher. "Oh, so Elder Gibbons is in his 4th transfer as ZL?" Elder Horlacher, "Yeah." President: "Well, I don´t know what is going to happen, but stay on your toes." Hahaha so Elder Horlacher is kinda spooked, and I take it as President doesn't know yet exactly what is happening. Or he enjoys messing with our minds. Haha. He has like almost 300 missionaries in the mission, spread across 3 countries, and he has to do transfers for everyone and interview them all. It is incredible what he does. On my tausch with Elder Gubler in Munich (I was in Munich the whole weekend, donnerstag bis samstag) he spoke very highly and lovingly of President and Sister Miles. They do so much. I got the chance to sit and talk with Sister Miles for a few minutes at the mission home as Elder Gubler was having a temple recommend interview with President. She is so awesome. She takes lots of pictures from the mission and orders herself books with all the missionaries and different meetings and whatnot. And for the cover of the newest one, she put a picture of Wörthersee! In Klagenfurt :) I had a dream last night that I got transfered to Klagenfurt. I was pretty happy :) I shared lots of the things that you and Dad said in your emails last week, which I printed out. It fit perfectly with the things we talked about at MLC, it was pretty cool. 

 

Well, R_____ is doing so well! We met with her three times last week, I believe, despite the craziness. She is so excited :) and we watched a Mormon Message the other night and she sent it to lots of her friends. She had lots of pain on Sunday, and we had given her a blessing on Saturday, but she wasn't able to make it to church. BUT, one of her "friends" decided to come to church. This friend was there a few weeks back as the Bensons came with us to see R_____. He has been telling R_____ that she can't be baptized so soon, that she can´t let us rush her. R_____ always tells us about it, and it is hard for her. But, gestern he decided to come to church and fight his case. So he talked with the bishop, and told the Bishop how he has been searching for the true church for 10 years, how he is now with a different church, and that R_____ can't possibly be baptized so quickly. Thankfully, the Bishop told him what was up! He said that obviously this man should try some other way of searching, because whatever he is doing now isn't working. So he told him that R_____ had made the decsion herself, which she did, and then he said goodbye and left. I didn't talk to her friend, because I would have been too angry. But, R_____ called us after church and was SOOO angry with her friend, because he called and told her what he had done. She is not inviting him to the baptism, and she was totally fighting for her right to her agency :) She is so ready! We are finishing the few commandments we have left and the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end this week, and then she will be interviewed on Sunday or Saturday. We have lots to prepare for the service! That is next week!! 

 

We are meeting with A_____ tonight, whose wife is the member. Br. Finotto is coming with us :) then we are going to R_____ after that. It will be a good day. We found lots of people last week, and they need to become new investigators, if they know what is good for them! ;)  Haha we will see.

 

Um, I am running out of time, but I hope you have a great week! Know what is cool about the word "hope" in a gospel sense as compared to the world? Whereas the world's connotation has a sense of uncertainty, the word hope in the gospel means assurity, peace. Think about how you use the word hope in everyday life. I thought about the song "I hope they call me on a mission." Doesn't mean the same in the worldly sense of the word, does it?

 

Enjoy all that life has to bring! Choose to be happy. And rely on the Lord, because He will never let you down!

 

I know He lives, and He lives to silence our fears and take our burdens from us! :) No better reason to smile!

 

Elder Jalen Gibbons