The Last Email!

Mission tour conference with Elder Dyches of the Seventy.

These are all the missionaries at that meeting who are heading home soon.

 

Elders Curtis, Gibbons, Botcherby, and Sessions singing a

special musical number at the conference

 

Elders Hancey, Gibbons, and Allan

 

Hallo :) 

Well, I got a suitcase, but for free. So we can just buy a decent one at home :) F_____, an investigator here who loves the elders but just wasn't ready to meet with Elder Weston and I, we went out to eat with him last week, and I asked him where I could possibly find a decent suitcase. He went that evening to the Red Cross, where he volunteers, and grabbed a used suitcase that will get me home. For free! He is great! So no worries about the suitcase problem, unless I lose everything again haha. 

Also, I am excited to teach the Priests on Sunday, but I have no idea what the Come Follow Me program says, I have no copy of it. You´ll have to get me the manual or whatever. And I would love to go to Janet´s graduation on Saturday morning. I suppose we could discuss the topic more on the way. Or just talk about the mission. Schau ma mal.

We had lots of stuff going on last week, it was so much fun! Honestly the beginning of my birthday was just okay, wasn´t in a great mood, but then we got to go see all the other missionaries and do our finding day, and it was so great! Elder Allan and I had a blast, just like old times. And he even brought me a Dr. Pepper and some Rittersport and a little letter/poem that he and his companion wrote. What a great "Sohn" :) haha. He is a good kid.

 

It was a lot of fun as well at the mission tour. I think that picture you saw, Mom, was when Elder Dyches had all those stand up at the front who were at their last zone meeting. And then he asked us all to think for a minute about a one-word testimony of our mission experiences. I went first, perhaps that is when Sister Miles got the picture. My one word testimony was "overcome." And then yes, we sang for the musical number. No idea how that went. Haha. 

Then we had a ward hockey night on Wednesday night, and that was a lot of fun! I played on team Kärnten with Kevin Mauch and Br. Husz (GML) and a couple other members. We did really well. They were all impressed at my abilities, but so was I. I guess playing soccer and having tactic helps in any sport haha, even when playing with a stick in your hand. It was so much fun! When I would score a goal Maxim would freak out and be so excited hahahaha. Good times. And then Thursday was our ward trip, picnic thing. That was fun, we played soccer with some of the youth for probably 2 hours. F_____ was also there, the familie Barosch invited him. :) He is great, we got to go eat with him Saturday morning, too. And I sat by him at church. Elder Botcherby and I taught the second hour class on Sunday. It was a good last Sunday auf Deutsch. We got the time right at the beginning to bear our testimonies. And after that I felt only peace, and like Aunt Nikki wrote me last week, I finally felt an assurance that the Lord was happy with my work. I read Alma 5:7 as part of my testimony, and F_____ had me write it down for him, because it struck him inside. He also told Sister Barosch, who told us, that that was the most wonderful testimony meeting he has ever been in. I was simply humbled to know that for some reason or other, unknown to me, I was able to share a scripture that will hopefully lead F_____ the right direction. He thanked me after church for coming into his life. And I am thankful that he came into mine. So ist es. 

We also got to go teach Z_____ again at M_____´s place. I was really happy with how it went. I was worried at the beginning, but eventually Z_____ just opened up and told us about her spiritual journey. She has had it rough, but she said now that she finally sees a light coming into her life again. We get to meet one more time on Wednesday before I go.  I am way excited. 

Oh, we also got to build a bed this last week. Way fun. We started in our lederhosen, but it got pretty warm. But our room smells like fresh cut wood, it is nice. We went to the familie Zornig one last time, she cooked us steaks, it was great. And then they wished me all the best, and told me to remember that the Lord has a very special woman reserved for me hahaha. Very nice of them :) 

 

We have a full packed schedule this week, it will be lots of fun, and probably the quickest week of my life. So ist es. 

I know that the Lord Jesus Christ has made it possible for every single one of us to find peace, to receive strength, to push forward, and to attain all that the Father has. We didn´t sign up for this opportunity because it would be easy. but you and I, every one of us, although we don´t remember, saw great potential and joy in the chance to come to this earth. How can one know this? Believe in Christ, that He is, and that He created all things. He speaks to us today through His servants the prophets, and will speak to us personally depending on the strength of our connection with Him and our Heavenly Father. Trust in Him. Trust in His servants, and let Him witness it unto you through the Holy Ghost. We know all of this because the Prophet Joseph Smith was led by the hand of God to establish the fulness of the gospel on earth once again, after many years of darknes and confusion. I know he was a Prophet, and I believe what he taught. That is why I am here, and that is what I will continue to live for. Nothing can take from me the peace that I have felt and the love I have cherished as one of the servants of the Almighty God here in His vineyard. "Siehe, ich bin ein Jünger Jesu Christi, des Sohnes Gottes. Ich bin von Ihm berufen worden, sein Wort unter seinem Volk zu verkünden, damit sie immerwährendes Leben haben können." (3 Nephi 5:13). The Savior lives for us, and we must live for Him. 

And now, I finish my writings of the proceedings of the last two years.

Bis Aufs Wiedersehen :) lebe wohl

Elder Jalen Gibbons