Week #19 Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd

November 21, 2017

Week #19 Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd

Hello Family and Friends! This week went by so quick! I thought I was just writing emails! It has been a good first week into the transfer. This transfer is weird because it is only until December 15th. The next transfer after that goes all the way until February. We will see if I am still here in Ulm or if I go. Either way, the Lord knows what he is doing.

Wednesday we met with Ephraim again. He's a good guy and loves God. His brother Chris was also there. He told us that he actually met with missionaries and was still interested in our church. It was so cool to meet someone who has a dedire yo learn more. Sometimes they seem so rare but they exist! At home, I worked on our paper area book. We have a lot of less actives and former investigators. I hope we can give them all a second chance this Christmas season. There is a tiny spark in them that could be rekindled and they know people who might be interested. Missionary work has so many options.

Thursday we met a cool girl on the train named Rudy. She lived in New York for a little bit and knew some English. She was really interested in what we do and in our message. Sadly, she looked up a ton of articles about polygamy and was really disturbed. Still trying yo keep in contact but the lesson is the Internet is so dangerous when it comes to testimony or understanding of the truth. We have to be careful about our resources and intent behind our searches.

Friday we visited one of our less active members Sister Kasch. She is such a nice lady but never comes to church. It is difficult with her husband who is not a member. I pray someday she can come back.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Godwin was baptized! I have been working so long to see this and praying it would happen. Godwin is such a good kid. At the baptism, we asked him to bear his testimony and he nailed it! He has grown a lot the past few months and I am glad I got to be part of it. Saturday evening we met with Markus and Said. We taught Markus the Plan of Salvation and he really liked it. He even said he would come to church! We also met Said and finally taught him the Restoration. His German is not the best but his Arabic is good. Sometimes I wonder why he keeps meeting with us when he disagrees with us often but we love him anyways.

Sunday was going to be a busy day but three of our appointments fell out. We had a wonderful time at church because Markus came and Godwin got the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was such a spiritual event for me. For Sunday school, I taught Godwin and Markus the Gospel of Jesus Christ while Elder Walton taught priesthood. Godwin had a lot of questions about who would go to heaven. I explained to him my answer with a classic metaphor. When you have someone over to your home, you want them to come in but if they have muddy boots, you would ask them to take it off. It is the same way with heaven. God wants all of us to return to him but if we will not tske off the "muddy boots ", we can't go back to Him. That is why repentance is so important. I think Godwin understood better after that. I tried to commit Markus to a baptismal date but he said he was not sure and he needed more time. Usually, agency annoys me but I am glad Markus is taking this seriously.

Monday was alright. We had district meeting and had homemade pizzas for lunch. In thr evening, we went to a youth club with Said. They had ping pong, billards, and other cool games. We played a big group game of Around the world in ping pong. It was a ton of fun and a new creative way to find.

For a spiritual thought this week, I wanted to share my a new favorite song of mine. It is the subject line "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd", a song by William J. Kirkpatrick. The third verse and chorus are the following:

Green are the pastures inviting

Sweet are the waters and still

Lord, we will answer thee gladly

"Yes, blessed Master we will!"

Make us thy true under-shepherds

Give us a love that is deep

Send us out into the desert;

Seeking thy wandering Sheep!

Out in the desert they wander

Hungry and helpless and cold

Off to the rescue He hastens

Bringing them back to the fold

Oh, how glad I am that I have the oppritunity to be an under-shepherd of Jesus Christ! There are so mamy looking for truth and what a gift we have for them. The gospel is true and provides safety for the soul.

I hope you all have a good week. Bis später.

Elder Evans

Answers to Mom's questions

1. When do you do your laundry and where? I do laundry about twice a week for whites because I have so many whites. For darks, it is about once a week. We have a machine right next to our apartment that is just for us. Each level has their own washer and dryer. It is pretty nice.

2. What is your typical day like? I wake up at 6:30 and do regular exercise, breakfast, and getting ready. After planning our day, we study and have lunch. Sometimes we will take breaks in between studies so we can be more effective when we study. We have lunch and then we get on the streets. Finding, Lessons, Visiting Less Actives. Dinner gets fit in later. We do calls and texts later in the night. I write in my journal and usually get to bed around 9:30 pm.

3. When have you had an answer to a prayer on your mission? Oh, good question. Monday during district meeting. Sunday night was hard because I had to call the branch president and it was so hard because I barely understood his German and I could barely talk. I prayed for more help in German. The next day during district meeting, he called again and I was able to do so much better and I felt better about my German.

4. Do you know your neighbors? I really dont know my neighbors. I rarely see them.

5. What is something you like about your companion? Elder Walton does a really good job learning about other cultures and little bits of their language. This helps out in finding because they can see he has taken the time to learn about them and their people. Sure, some do not continue to listen but others walk away impressed.

6. Best thing about being a missionary is watching people grow. Godwin is a good example. When I first met him, he was shy and did not open much. As I have met him more, he has shown more trust in God and in me. It also helps to see people who listen to one of our lessons and testify of it afterwards. For example, we taught our friend Markus the Plan of Salvation. Afterwards, he said it was awesome. He really liked it. I love it when people love the truths that we love.