Enjoying Splits, Making progress with Bruder L.

Well this week has been weird becasue I went on two splits and had two all day meetings this week. Pretty much did no proselyting in our area!, but it was fun to say the least. I first went on a split with Elder Frickey in Mainz! We had great time because we served together in the same zone in Dortmund. We got to teach some cool lessons and got to do some fun finding! Its fun to go and work in other peoples areas! 

Then we had then actually overnight at our apartment and the next morning drove them to Zone Conference held in the Offenbach Chapel. It was a really good Zone Conference mainly because we talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can better change lives and make differences and how they ground us and help us explain really want we need to do here on the earth. Elder Robinett and I were in charge of Enduring to the End and we gave a fun example  about how we are all walking up a staircase and we can just walk halfway up and say okay I'm finished! But we have to make it to the top, meaning make it to heaven, we can't stop, randomly in the middle. Baptism is not the end it is merely another step (but very important step) in the journey of life. Then we related this example to our missions. Just because you serve a mission and make it eventually to the day of Eternal P-Days doesn't mean that you have reached eternal life. We as missionaries can't go less active after getting home from our missionaries, as was said last year in genreal conference "swan dive back into Babylon". It was cool and I think it was a good visual analogy.

Then the next day we had Mission Leadership Counsel it was fun to see some friends all over the mission and talk about issues and how we can fix them. One of the biggest topics was the fact that playing Sports to get to know investigators is not coming across as effective and missionaries are getting hurt. I defending the side of the issue that we should play sports because I have seen a lot of success. After much discussion we decided that we can play sports we just need to make sure that we are following the spirit and not getting to competitive. It was fun to talk and counsel with President Stoddard!!

Well then we had a cool experience because then I went on a split with Elder Manner a new missionary in our zone who is serving Michelstadt. It was fun,  he is a great Elder who is really has such a strong testimony and is a diligent missionary! We did a ton of finding and got ice cream!! hahah then we went to the wards multicultural evening and played soccer with some of the little kids in the ward! I love splits!! they are so much fun! You just get to go and be yourself and help lift elders and help them find the joy in missionary work!! Great Stuff!! 

Well Bruder LG came again this Sunday and we didn't even remind him!! He was sitting there and then we talked to him a little and then this lady came up and invited him to sit next to her!! It was great! He then stayed the whole 3 hours and really liked it!! So cool he is making so much progress! 

Well crazy week ahead of us! We have a lot of stuff to do and things this week we are invited to do Rat des Religions and we are doing a infostand for the Deutscher Einheit Religion Celebration which the main celebration is being held here in Frankfurt!!! ITs going to be cool!! A once and lifetime opportunity!! 

Love ya, a ton and remember to pray whenever you need answers the Lord is there just waiting to forgive us and help lift us during times of struggle and trial. Remember the importance of the Atonement and how we can truly be forgive of our sins! 

Love 

Elder White 

Went back to Offenbach...mending hearts

Well it has been a crazy week as usually, I feel like I say that every week, but hey it is the honest truth! But yeah this week was good!

Elder Robinett was pretty sick for a couple days and so we had to chill at the apartment and take it easy for a couple days. It was really boring because he would go to sleep and I would just be there chillin after doing all my studies. I did a lot of cleaning and reading. It was pretty chill, but stinks. Its funny you look forward to free time while you are proselyting and then when you actually get the time you are bored and don't know what to do! But yeah he is all better now, I nursed him back to health.

Well also this week I went on a split back in Offenbach!! Actually in my same apartment! it was great I even slept in my same bed! It was weird though coming back to this apartment that I had served in a year ago and remember what I felt like first coming into the doors and being a new missionary! It was weird and actually I'm pretty sure I was there actually on the same day I actually first got to that apartment 1 year ago! Weird being back. But great split, I kept having the feeling we needed to go and contact and it was just this nagging feeling to go out and contact people. We had a lesson with a member and then we were heading to go by on one of the old people that i use to teach and we got two people in a row. One we committed to church and then the next one gave us his address and we made an appointment out! It was cool they were one right after another! Then we had dinner later with an senior couple while the offenbach elders did correlation. We got a great dinner and had a good time, it was actually the BS family who were there when I first got there. Cool stuff! Then after that I had this feeling to go to the Main and I started playing basketball with some kids and then ended up playing one on one and then while I was playing Elder Andrew the elder I was on the split with contact this kid. He talked to him for a good hour and then actually got him to come to the church and get a book of Mormon and exchange numbers! It was a  split full of miracles, it was cool also the next morning I went over to Troys house, my old GML, and we talked for an hour! Great Split Learned a lot! 

Also this week, last week we called this family randomly and they let us come over. The wife is a member but inactive and the husband wanted to get baptized but the problem was somethings happened and they got offended realy bad. They went off on us about how offended they were that the bishop said this and the missionaries said that. It was intense!!! They were so mad, but we just started talking we calmed the wife down. To the point where she stopped talking and listened and we talked about how this chance is a chance for us to use the atonement. But at the end the hisnabdn was still against the baptism and taking the lessons again. But the wife said this time she would take the lessons and help him. So we got a return appointment! It was a crazy lesson but we definitly felt lead by the spirit! 

Well this week has been great, this next week is going to be all over the place and a little crazy because we are going to have multiple people staying here in our apartment because of transfers and shuttling the new missionaries around. But thats okay it part of living here and the work! The Gemeinde Mission Leader had the gospel principles class yesterday and he said something that was cool. We are not only responsible not only for the people in our area but also for companions. Some sometimes we are have to be missionaries for our companions and the missionaries around us! 

Love ya

Elder White

Lots of Activity with Investigators...

Well this week has been interesting but full of miracles. I went on a split Tuesday with Elder Taylor from Offenbach and we found this man from Portugues that said we could come back it was a cool spiritual experience where we were early for an appointment and went dooring and found him!! So cool!! 

Then on another split this week with Elder Robinson, we were doing some finding and we were walking and i had this idea to door this building, second door that we rang the lady pops her head out of the window and says "elder come up!" we went up and found out that he father in law was a mormon and she loves the missionaries and the church and said to come back next week!! It was so cool she wanted us to get to know her family and husband.

Then we made some calls randomly from the Area Book and got a hold of a part member family that said we could come by this week and meet with them! It was cool he actually wanted to get baptized originally but it didn't work out mostly because he wanted to get baptized to quickly!! haha who would have thought hahaha

Yeah we have seen tons of miracles and have had some interesting experiences. We did a street display in a town called Mainz this last week and i found this guy that he visited Utah a ton of times and had really enjoyed it and wanted to meet and talk about what we believe because he just thinks that it is so cool!! That was cool and then he came back two minutes later because he had another question! You could see that excitement build in him and his curiosity rising! Hopefully it pans out well for the Mainz Elders

This week we have a meeting hopefully with S (basketball guy) on Sunday after church with a member from the ward. So that will be fun! 

Also K. came to church but sacrament was a little interesting great testimonies the problem was the Frankfurt Germany temple was closed last week and that was all the testimonies and i think it went over his head a little so he didn't have a huge spiritual experience at church like we hoped for. But all hope is not lost we have gotten him to church and he is reading in the scriptures the Lord will bless him with the answer after careful study and perseverance! 

Love ya tons 

Elder White 

Working with Three Investigators, Splits with MTC companion...Feiern (German 3 week Summer Holiday) is almost over

Well this week has been pretty crazy, we have seen a ton of miracles and have seen a lot of success. The whole basketball investigator is going really well, like we said he wants us to meet his wife and we are going to eat dinner at the R. house to teach them which should be awesome! Unfortunately the R. family wasn't at church because of Feiern (summer holiday) so we have to figure something out. But yeah luckily it is coming to a close next week. I have been putting up with 14 weeks of  Feiern with tons of people out of town and on vacation. Its really annoying because the wards die and people are gone and Germans go on really long 3 week vacations so that is rough, but it is almost to the end, so that makes me happy!

We found a new investigator named K. he is super cool and really just chill. We need to get him feeling the spirit to realize that there is something here, but I think he is starting to recognize that! He is super cool, I will have to send you his Facebook info because he runs YouTube channels and is a consultant for Apple. He couldn't come to church this week because he was shooting a music video in Köln for a Heavy Metal band! He is super down to earth and really a God fearing man, which is the first step. We are excited to see miracles ahead.

We had a great lesson with two of the less actives we are working with. They are making a ton of progress and I think within the next couple weeks one could be reactivated. He is a super awesome guy named Jens, he works for Deutsche Bahn so his schedule is crazy but he is really trying to get to church. he actually called us randomly this week and asked us to come over talk which was cool we got to give a blessing and things were really good! He is a good man with a sincere desire.

This week I also got to go on a split with the old Missionary Training Center (MTC) companion Elder Bezzant, he is awesome! A great missionary who loves the gospel and really has a sincere desire for the people. It was cool the potential investigators we found through out the day and the fun we had talking about the good ole days of the MTC.

Then we also got to go back to Offenbach and do a street display and that was super fun to go back to the city that I first started my mission in! It was cool and really fun to see all of these places I have walked and contacted and to then be back 7 months later. Those elders there are doing great and really bringing the work forward! 

Then on top of all of that we got to visit the Darmstadt District meeting and got fed by the Senior couple there afterwards which was awesome! They had an amazing meeting and the spirit was really strong.

Then also funny story I found one of Christian Decker's High School Physic teachers, his name is Elder Newman. He said he was a teacher at Highland High school and then I asked him if he knew Christian Decker. He was like "Yupp" haha it was pretty funny I told him about all the cool stuff he has been up to and how is is doing really well. It was funny just the people you run into here in Frankfurt. Especially since the First Quorum of the Seventy is assigned to the international ward. They work right accross the street from us!

Yeah also in our mission is the lady from the BYU TV show, The Food Nanny. Her name is Sister Edmunds! She is the most out going lady here! She has a ton of energy and sets up diet plans for all of the missionaries! She is awesome! I will have to tell her next time I see her that her daughter lives in Aunt Haylee's ward in Colorado! 

Well this has been a great week of memories and miracles and fun experiences. Probably what I would leave on end is the simple testimony of the Atonement. For all those that read this email and are feeling down trodden or depressed. I ask you these two questions 1. When is the last time your opened your scriptures? 2. When was the last time your prayed? Never forget there is no cave, no crevasse, no hole, no place on earth where the eternal rays of the atonement don't shine. It was crazy but it is true, so to all those who make mistakes and feel like there is no other way. There is and I have a firm unshakable testimony that the atonement of Jesus Christ can change good men to great men and change hard men into god fearing souls.

Love 

Elder White