“He is MY Prophet!”

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So our Wi-Fi in the church broke… So at the moment we’re going to go look for Wi-Fi in the mall to send our emails… But if you’re reading this we found internet!

This week we had a ward BBQ! Our eternal investigator came and had a great time (he’s known the ward for quite a while) some members invited some of their non-member friends, and they also had a good time!

At the end of the week we were able to meet again with our eternal investigator, we kept bringing up quitting smoking and he agreed that he wanted to recommit, but then kept changing the subject. Finally I was a little bold with him and asked him if he would pick a date to be done with smoking. He said he would have one next time we came. We also cleared up the “being damned by a second baptism” with the bible and it made perfect sense to him (Thanks Todd). I hope he does, he could really be baptized quick if he would just quit. He even backed us up (Mormons in general) when a preacher of some sort told him something negative about us. He told him, along the lines of “maybe you should go inside and actually meet them!” He’s a really funny guy, giant beard, and looks like Santa.

Last Saturday was the day Joseph and Hyrum, were martyred about 171 years ago, I’ve been studying quite a bit about the prophet and his life, he gave the Lord his all and was not afraid to seal his testimony. The last 2 verses of “a poor wayfaring man” really touched me in a poetic way concerning the prophet and his life.

6. In pris’n I saw him next, condemned

To meet a traitor’s doom at morn.

The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,

And honored him ’mid shame and scorn.

My friendship’s utmost zeal to try,

He asked if I for him would die.

The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill,

But my free spirit cried, “I will!”

7. Then in a moment to my view

The stranger started from disguise.

The tokens in his hands I knew;

The Savior stood before mine eyes.

He spake, and my poor name he named,

“Of me thou hast not been ashamed.

These deeds shall thy memorial be;

Fear not, thou didst them unto me.”

My President Henry Kosak goes home tomorrow and I’ve been happy to call him MY president, when speaking of the prophet Joseph, he always loves to share that “He is MY Prophet!” He is mine as well. Have a wonderful week and remember the prophet.

 

Elder Winkel

President Kosak while he was in charge of institute and seminary in Russia! And a sketch he drew of the prophet.

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The First Lesson

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Not much new this week besides that we TAUGHT THE FIRST LESSON, yeah we’ve taught it before, but this time it was different. We talked to someone on the street, made an appointment, then we went and the person was actually there… and he was pretty normal. It was I think the first time that I’ve taught the first lesson where it was like how I thought being a missionary would be. We met at his friend’s house who is an atheist, we got to know them, they’re both in about their mid 20’s, and then we taught the restoration, ACTUALLY how we practice every day. I don’t know how to explain it… I felt like I was in an episode of the district or something.

He and his friend found it really interesting because we gave it to them straight at the end, we told them that we are just inviting others to try out what we’re sharing, because we believe it brings joy, and that we can receive an answer that it is true… they were shocked… because we didn’t try to force our beliefs on them (not naming any names). But it went well and the atheist even found it interesting.

Last week on Wednesday I went on exchange with Elder Perez in the city of Plauen, we had a lesson fall out then we taught a couple guys from the Middle East. The one guy spoke only Arabic, so we had a Book of Mormon, one in Arabic and one in German side by side, to help him understand… then we worked on teaching him how the alphabet works, baby steps…

Then later the other guy we taught German to speaks pretty good English, and he really wants to learn German, so we taught him German for a while and he taught us Arabic for about 45 minutes! Crazy hard language, but I learned some things.

Things are going better right now, maybe because it is summer right now so people don’t hate us as much… haha, but it’s good, last week we taught 3 lessons! A ton better than the week before when we only had 1, but progress is coming!

On Sunday the ward mission leader let us know that the person who was supposed to give the lesson in church, wasn’t prepared so they threw it to the missionaries! So last minute we planned a lesson on the spot to teach the ward. So we taught the… 1st lesson! (Restoration) we went through every point and asked “Why it is important that investigators understand this concept?” go look up in preach my gospel and ask yourself the same questions! (Chapter 3)

When things get hard “Pray, and then go to work!” – Captain Cronin

Elder Winkel

“Going” to Church

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This week was good, stressful but good. We met with S our eternal investigator of 10 years, he’s been making progress, reading in the scriptures and coming to church, we talked about baptism, and he showed me a page in this old evangelist book, talking about how you’re damned if you get baptized twice. (He left the evangelist church) I asked why he was baptized the first time, and it was because his grandma told him he had to. Then he just kept bringing it up so I gave it to him straight with “is THAT the work of God? Or is that? (pointing to the Book of Mormon), that is the question!” I was trying to follow the spirit so hard… hopefully something got to him, he seemed a little unhappy with me after, and then he didn’t show up to church the next day like he said he would so we will see what happens, after thinking about it I gave him the simplest answer I could, so hopefully something happens.

We’ve been going through a GIANT less active list. So far we found 5 people that have moved and 2 people who have died… like their neighbors told us they died we didn’t actually “find” them. We’ve also been able to make some contacts out but when it comes to meeting again, people find it super weird… so we’re working on that, it’s always hard to tell if someone really has interest, then they give us their number, when we contact them later they realize who we are and block our number… but we’ll get it, with the help of the Lord ANYTHING is possible!

This week trying to contact less actives, I’ve thought about church quite a bit and why we want them to come!

I really like what Elder Bednar said in this talk about “going” to church.

“In our customary Church vocabulary, we often speak of “going” to church, “going” to the temple, and “going” on a mission. Let me be so bold as to suggest that our rather routine emphasis on “going” misses the mark.

The issue is not going to church; rather, the issue is worshipping and renewing covenants as we attend church. The issue is not going to or through the temple; rather, the issue is having in our hearts the spirit, the covenants, and the ordinances of the Lord’s house. The issue is not going on a mission; rather, the issue is becoming a missionary and serving throughout our entire life with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. It is possible for a young man to go on a mission and not become a missionary, and this is not what the Lord requires or what the Church needs.”       Elder David A. Bednar      “Becoming a Missionary” (October 2005)

I’ve been so grateful for church here on my mission, it is where we can help our investigators feel that spirit that is there, I heard a statistic that an investigator is 80% more likely to be baptized if they’ve attended church, and I fully believe that.

This week don’t just GO to church! Enjoy it, embrace it. It is a place of refuge, if it’s not, then take a moment and ponder, the spirit will embrace you and you will feel at peace.

Elder Winkel

News from Minden: the woman from Ghana, and her 10 year old daughter that Elder O’Keefe and I found are going to be baptized on the 28th! On Wednesday an 18 year old girl that had to wait until she was 18 will be baptized, and on Saturday a 2 year investigator that we helped teach will also be baptized! SUPER EXCITING!

Photo of the District

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Berlin Again

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Monday night we stayed in Merzahn with Elder Glissmeyer and 10 other elders in a tiny apartment in the ghetto of Berlin. A night to not be forgotten! Elder Oliphant was also there!

This zone conference was also our last time with President and Sister Kosak. President’s last testimony was simply about the Restoration, the magnitude of it, and why we are here to share it with all our heart, might, mind, and strength (D&C:4). He also shared his deep and profound love for our Prophet Joseph Smith. I also have this love for Joseph Smith, he had a purpose, and he was well aware of the consequences, but he also had a perspective, an ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. With an eternal perspective we have no reason to fear or doubt. Unfortunately that doesn’t make life always easy, but that’s okay because without the bad, we wouldn’t know good, and that wouldn’t be much fun right? (I like to have fun)

I hope that this week we can always remember the Eternal Perspective and remember the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Elder Winkel

Panorama

 

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Hope

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This week we went by Herr G and he had a friend over. His friend apparently comes over every Wednesday because Herr G is most of the time alone, and… he has pretty bad Alzheimer’s. We had no idea but that explains why he hasn’t been following any of our commitments… because he just doesn’t remember.

But his friend said he’s met with some of our missionaries before and asked me the question “why are we here on the earth?” Before I could give him the answer, he cut me off and said he’ll just give us his address and number and we’ll have lunch at his house and talk about it. So hopefully we can get that arranged this week.

We also have a new investigator, he’s been a contact on our list and we’ve been over a billion times but he’s never home, but we finally made contact and made an appointment. He IS the fastest speaking German I’ve talked to… The members have told us that he talks fast… my trainee didn’t know what hit him. And in my head I was always a few sentences behind. But we taught the 1st lesson again and he committed to read so we’ll see how it goes!

Later today we are going to Berlin for Zone Conference tomorrow and spending the night in Merzahn with the one and only Elder Glissmeyer (from my MTC group) it will be a hoot.

Studied a little about “Hope” this week, Romans 8 gives a nice insight:
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for
what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it?

Hope requires a trial of faith, really a time period patience with faith that you will receive.
Faith that you WILL receive. The Lord will make it happen!

Tschüß!!
Elder Winkel