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 

Teaching Basketball skills leads to a new Investigator

Well this week has been full of running around dead tired and not
sleep at home for half the week!! But that's the life of being busy
and help people out. We also don't have a car anymore because of the
accident last week so are in the middle of getting my license which is
taking some time but hey it will come eventually! It's good because
it's keep us fit and busy and tired.

Well we found a new investigator finally this week and he is super
awesome!! The Lord is mindful of our talents and skills because Elder Robinett and
I love playing basketball to death!! We had this member
call us and say, "Do you know anyone that can play basketball?" I
about laughed and told him about Elder Robinett and I. He said "
 I have this friend and we want to get ready for a basketball game we are
playing against some friends." and then he said " Afterwards you can share a
short spiritual thought and the first lesson." So we met them at the gym and
taught them how to shoot and dribble and then shared our message and although we weren't
super prepared his friend was interested and took a Book of Mormon and said he
would think about it! Then two days later we met again and played and
they got super good and are awesome now at playing basketball. Well after the
practice we sat down again we had heard that the member said that his
friend was worried about not having time to meet so we went in and
shared the message with them him about the plan of salvation and I was
about to share with him the baptismal commitment but then I just
decided to commit him to continue meeting with us. He said that he
would continue but he said he felt bad his wife was at home and
couldn't hear this too!! Then the member offered to have us over for
dinner and we could come over and his wife could cook us Mexican
food!!! Hahaha it was an amazing miracle because we have been waiting
for a miracle and the Lord sent it to us!!

Well the zone is doing great and the time is flying by! It's so cool
how we are seeing things changes and being apart of the Frankfurt
family! I have tried every time just to share love with all the people
in the zone. It has been awesome! It's weird how we haven't really
numbers wise seen a ton of success but we have been working on talking
with everyone! It is truly the way that we find the true joy and
success in this work! The importance of the atonement and the joy of
missionary work come after we do all we can if we want to find joy you
have to give it all! That's how the atonement fills the whole we
can't!!

Love ya
Elder White

Part of the Frankfurt zone at the Frankfurt Temple

More of the Franfurt Zone at the Temple

Riding the train with Elder Van Ballegooie

Elder White with Dean's Cousin Henry Miller, who was on a lay over in Frankfurt Germany and happen to attend the same ward that Elder White is serving in.

Street Display..New Ward..

Well it has been a crazy and sometimes stressful past couple days. From scraping the side of the van (not me), to things falling out and disappointments. It has also when quite the learning experiences! I have been able to go on a ton of splits and learn from a ton of elders! That has been super fun, although splits are hard because its like sleepover after sleepover in random apartment after apartment. But that is okay! I have met some amazing elders!

The ward is still overwhelming!! It was crazy on Sunday we probably had about 100 people, I was still just so confused on who talk to and who i should get to know! It weird because its like the size of the normal ward back home. Here in Germany its just different...honestly have grown to love small branches of 40 people because it is easier for it to turn into a family. But this ward it amazing and they are very self sustaining. In most smaller wards it is sometimes the missionaries that get all of the responsibility and really sometimes turning into running the ward. But this ward has really everything under control! Which is  nice because then you don't have to worry about the ward as much and can just focus on members and finding. It has been weird and sometimes hard because we have the assistants, us the zone leaders, the sister training leaders, and the university elders. So you have all of these rock-star elders and sisters who are on their game! It is crazy! But fun at times! 

Well this week we did a street display in Frankfurt which we were there for only an hour and then left for a service project. We were dying that day because it was so hot and then we show up to the house and we ended up getting everything loaded (in our proselytizing clothes) then we had to ride to the new apartment but there was enough room in the truck we we rode in the back were it was easily 110 degrees!! It was funny. There was just 3 of us and by the time we made it to the apartment we looked like we had taking a shower in our clothes. Fun German service projects!!

I went on a split in Langen with Elder Rowe and that was super fun!! I got a chance to see his area and get to know how he likes to do missionary work! It was fun to because I got to go and meet with a member from Offenbach who they meet with who I use to meet with! that was really cool to see Bruder Lubowsky again!

Then we had a split with Elder Walker and he has been in Germany for 11 days! He is fresh off the plane but he is a great elder with a great story! We went contacting most of the day and handed out a Book of Mormon and then later handed out another one! It was cool how the lord leads us to those that were prepared to hear the word! 

Later in the week we were at a street display in Darmstadt and it was funny because it was game day in Darmstadt. We got the attention of a really obnixious drunk guy! I have gotten really good at talking to drunk people and getting them to leave! But there were these teenagers that come up to the street display and they started asking a ton of questions about what we believe and why were here! We started talking alot about the plan of salvation and they had a ton of hard questions but I answered them all for them! Then we got to the end and explained about the Book of Mormon and I said hey so our whole religion hangs on this Book of Mormon. I said if it is true then we have found the truth and if not we are crazy! hahahah they loved it and ended up taking the book!! 

That is my message for this week! the gospel hangs in the balance on this book!! If it is true we have found the fulfilled gospel of Jesus Christ The lord doesn't leave room for comfort and complacence!! either we are in or we are out, no room for fence sitting!! Because it is true!!

Love yall!

Elder White

!

Saying Goodbye - Crazy four hour train ride - Settling into Frankfurt

Well it was sad saying goodbye to everyone in the Gemeinde in Hamm. It was really cool though the morning that I was leaving we were riding to Bahnhof and I looked around me and up at the sky and just got this feeling that I had fulfilled the Lords purpose in Hamm. It was great and I was so happy. I got to say goodbye to the the G. and the D. C. family. Then right before I left our awesome Gemeinde Mission Leader gave me a ride to the train station and then gave me a hug and told me I was always welcome in his house! That was super cool for me to hear and then randomly we saw Bruder W. one of the other men that i really looked up too!! It was pretty cool!! Great way to leave Hamm!!

Well the train ride took 4 hours and I was the travel leader and we had 12 people with close to 36 bags we were carrying between trains. It took us an hour to get everything situated for the first train and then it was late and we had 4 minutes to get 36 bags from one train to the other. It was insane I was just throwing bags off the train and running with these huge suitcases! It had to have looked so funny!! But anyways we all made it, but unfortunately one sister lost her bag on the way she probably wont ever get it back. :(

Well I met Elder Robinett, my new companion that I know from the MTC and immediately we started doing stuff we pretty much spent the whole day just running people around and taking all the leaving missionaries to the hotel it was weird and crazy! Then the next day we had to do more random stuff!! It has been a crazy and new. 

Well our area has really no investigators...which is a little weird but honestly the whole mission is struggling right now with the work. But I'm really excited because we have set a goal for 16 baptisms in the next 2 transfers! And we set a goal this week to find two new investigators!! It going to be super fun!! As much as it is frustrating because we are suppose to be an example the whole zone we are literally just doing the Lord's work. Elder Robinett and I were talking about it yesterday and he said something that really stuck out to me he said "You know if the Lord really wanted too he would let everyone here in Germany baptize every week, but that is not his plan he has a different plan. Even though baptisms each week would be ideal for us!" It so true the only thing we can do it plead with the Lord in prayer and then go out and work!! 

Well I'm excited what is ahead of us!! Things here in the Frankfurt zone are going to blow up. And me and Elder Robinett just need to lead way!! 

Cool story, second day I was here I really wanted to find someone. We prayed before we left the apartment, and I asked the Lord to lead us to someone that we ready to here the gospel. We walked outside to the train and I started talking to this guy and he a took a Book of Mormon! He didn't give us his phone number, but the lord fulfilled our prayer!! 

Miracles really do happen!! Love you all and pray for you daily!! 

Love Elder White  

Hamm Mission Leader

Made it to Frankfurt!!

Transfer to Frankurt Zone

Well it has been a crazy week of changes.

Well I got transferred to city of Frankfurt! I am called to be a Zone Leader. crazy stuff!!!

So that means that on Wednesday I'm going the 4 hour journey back to the home base!!! I'm excited though because my new companion is one of my friends from the MTC! His name is Elder Robinett.

SO yeah that is super exciting and also crazy, it seems like it all just happened so fast, sometimes I don't know if I'm up for it, but then I remember that the Lord qualifies those who he calls so I have faith that he will help me in this new area and position. And really in the end that all I need!!

Unfortunately that means that I'm going to be missing the baptism of Birgitt, but that's okay. She and her husband are pretty bummed, not going to lie,  but they really want me to be there for when she goes and does baptisms in August at the Frankfurt temple. I think I'm going ask my Mission President for special permission. Because not only is she going to be there to do baptisms, but then also a Family I have grown really close with, is getting sealed and they really want me to be there too! 

I wish I could be there for the baptism on Saturday, but honestly,  Birgitt is an amazing woman and it was with her through her conversion process and that brings me comfort is that fact that she is getting baptized its all about the conversion.!!! 

I have mixed emotions leaving Hamm. For one thing the ward is awesome and I have grown to love them! Two, The Glöckners are here and the Diekmanns. But on the other hand I'm going to Frankfurt to a district with all my friends and to a amazing ward and going to one of the coolest cities in the mission! Its a toss up...

Fast and Testimony Meeting was yesterday. I had been fasting all day simply for answers. That day I had to teach Elders quorum and then the gospel principles class,and it gave me a chance to share my testimony. Then during fast and testimony meeting I got up and announced that I was leaving and giving my testimony for the last time in the ward. I told them my love for them and how I will miss them. Afterwards, Bruder Wulff got up and shared his testimony, he looked me right in the eyes from the pupit and said "I have had the chance to teach with Elder White and he is a good missionary". It was so cool but it was really hard to have to hug him and say goodbye. Then later Birgitt got up and looked over and told us thank for being patient with her and never giving up. She said how excited she was and how happy she was that she is being baptized. That was cool!! At the end everyone told me thank you for my work.

 Later that day, we haven't seen Emil in a while and were kind of scared that he is falling off the map. So we decided to go by and figure what was up. We did and we found him at his apartment. He came out and told how his mom thinks that we are a cult and that she wont even let him leave the apartment. She got scared after we gave him a priesthood blessing and that he said "I KNOW ITS TRUE!" Right now we just have to be patient because he mother is mental sick and that's why they are here in Germany. He said he knows beyond a shadow a doubt it is true and he knows God will give him a way to be baptized! Simply he is converted and Baptized in his heart. Wish we all could have such faith like him, even with opposition staring him in the face he continues to say "my God will protect me". Great way to say goodbye to him. 

Well my foot has started hurting again. I kind of rolled it and three days later I woke up and just couldn't walk on it. You don't need to worry. I waited till the end of church and had the bishop give me a blessing. He said honestly exactly what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear, funny that's how the Lord works. He said that my foot would take time and that the Lord needs me to take care of myself, he said its okay to not be 100% working all the time, that their is nothing wrong with pauses. The Lord understands. As much as a hate admitting it, the Lord is exactly right!!!

Well I'm excited for the new adventures that await me in Frankfurt. I know things can be up and down, but the Lord is always there for us. 

Here is a cool quote a read this morning that gave me goose bumps

"You write down in your little black book that in the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help and you have it on both sides of the veil and you must never forgot that one thing. When disappointment and discouragement strike, and they will, you remember and never forget that if your eyes could be opened you would see horses and chariots of fire. As far as the eye can see, riding at reckless speeds to come to your protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven in defense of Abrahams seed." 

Jeffery R Holland

No words..simply the veil is thin

Love 

Elder White