Week #24 Marvelous to our Eyes

Wow, that was a good week. And a quick one as well. It is fun being a missionary at Christmas time. There are so many reasons to be grateful, particularly for the Savior. Lots of good lessons this week. 

On Wednesday, we took the sacrament to a member who is in a resting home. It is so cool how the same Spirit accompanies the sacrament whether it is in German or English. Later that evening, we went to Stuttgart to practice for a musical number. More on that with zone conference. 

(Companion Selfie and having fun in a telephone box)

On Thursday, we did a lot of vorbeis. It was cold and rainy so no one was on the street. But... I had the impression to stop one guy and he actually gave me his number! We have had troubles trying to reach him but it was comforting to see at least one person would listen that day. We had an investigator lesson with this guy named Ruben. He is a cool dude who can also speak English but we stuck with German. We tried to teach him about the Book of Mormon but he told us he was not very interested in that. He wanted to know how we live our religion. That was kind of hard because we live our religion by reading the Book of Mormon and following the principles within. Of course other stuff as well but the Book of Mormon is quite influential in how we live our religion. Anyway, it was hard to see someone turn such an amazing book but we continue to pray for them and hope they come around. 

On Friday, we had zone conference! I sang "And Can it be?" with Elder Larson and Sister Hunsburger with Sister Hunter on the piano. The song is expressing how amazed we are of the sacrifice of the Savior and can it really be possible that He had that much love. It is a beautiful piece. A lot of the training had to do with Christmas symbolism, the Book of Mormon, and staying strong in winter times. Missionary work can sometimes be a struggle in the winter but with faith, we press forward. 

 Zone Conference/Christmas party

Gift exchange at the party 

Elder Hansen won some Root Beer!  Yay!  My sugar intake has risen this Christmas! 

Zone conference Christmas meal! 

On Saturday, we found a potential through dooring which is kind of rare. We had a quick member appointment before running over to another town to be on time for an investigator appointment. Sadly, the investigator showed up late and he could not come to church. We went to Stuttgart and the plan was to go caroling by the street display. However, it was hard to sing when I really wanted to go finding. I did not have a lot of this time to find and we were on Konigstrasse which is so busy. I just stuck with finding and was able to find a couple of people alone. Missionary work is so much fun! 

Sunday was interesting with it being Heilige Abend or Christmas Eve. We had only one hour of church and we got a lot of gifts from members. I love the members here! They love to help missionaries. We have so much chocolate though. Elder Hansen and I were trying to cut down on chocolate but that won't go too well hehe :) We spent the rest of Sunday spending time with members and studying the scriptures and the language.

Gifts the members have given us (I got a German cookbook!)

Yesterday we experienced a miracle. Elder Hansen and I have been praying for more success and every once in awhile the Lord blesses us in little ways.  We got the train to go to a member appointment and 30 seconds after we sit down, the guy across from me asks if we were Mormons. Our stop was 3 minutes away but within that time, we were able to get his number. The Lord has given us small miracles and I couldn't be more grateful. 

I found something really cool in the scriptures. In Mormon 9:16, we read, " Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes?" I love that line. It is marvelous to think of the humble birth of our Savior. It is marvelous to read and ponder about His teachings and miracles. It is marvelous to think about His sacrifice but even more so to rely on it. It is marvelous to know that He lives but to know that He does so much more than that, that he exerts all His energy, all His Love for us. Isn't it marvelous to know that Christ is our way to joy, peace, and eventually to God's presence? I hope that I can remember His marvelous works and sacrifice more often and internalize His teachings more often.

What do you do when you find a public book exchange? You guessed it ;)

Love you guys! Hope you have a wonderful week! 

Elder Evans 

Hey guys, it is the MTC! 

We went on the streets the day after Christmas. It is a holiday for the Germans so there was literally NO ONE!! 

We don't have a machine dryer. We let the natural air do its magic. 

We found a really cool bridge the other day  

Note from mom:  We had a great time skyping Mason on Christmas day.  Here is a video of him giving his testimony in German.  (you will need to click the link in the blog at the top to view the video)