Week #34 The Mercy of our Heavenly Father

Servus! Wow, it has been a good week so far. Not a ton of missionary work but we had a few meetings and there was a lot of spiritual upliftment this week. I needed it especially and it was great to feel the Spirit powerfully this week. 

Killesberg Tower

On Wednesday, we had a normal work day with finding and working with members. It was really cold and I began to lose feeling in my ears but it started to warm up this week which is great! 

Thursday was Zone Conference. I love our mission leaders and President and Sister Brown. We discussed new finding ideas and how to use the Book of Mormon in our work. Sister Brown shared some spiritual stories and taught about the doctrine of the premortal life. For lunch, we had homemade maultaschen and potato salad! Yum! German food is delicious. President Brown shared with us the Easter campaign here in Europe: Always there. It refers to how the Savior is always there for us in joy and sorrow. We also discussed how to invite the Spirit more in our work. Zone conference was really good but it went over time and we had to leave early to get to a member appointment. The members are so helpful in this area. We had a member appointment and the chance to deliver the sacrament to a widow in a resting home. We decided to go on member splits. I went with our ward mission leader Bruder Metzner to deliver the sacrament. It was the first time I was alone on German and it was so much fun! I could see how much I understood and how much I could communicate if I tried my best. Of course it was not perfect but I enjoyed it. 

District selfie

Friday we had interviews with President Brown. President Brown is very spiritual and loves to serve his missionaries. I loved being able to talk with him. We went on some finding after interviews and came home afterwards for studies. I was confused on what I should study for personal study and I had an impression to review my notes from the mission conferences I had with Elder Ballard on the mission (1 in the MTC, 1 in the field). I review the scriptures the speakers gave and the tips they had. I started to feel a renewed energy for missionary work. I was so excited to be a missionary the next day. A lot of the notes focused on remembering who we are serving and why we are doing this work. It was a wonderful reminder of how great this work is. 

First selfie with my new phone

Saturday we did the Ausstellung in Stuttgart. The Ausstellung is a great tool because people feel more comfortable to ask questions and see what our church actually is. We also had stake conference that night. Elder Sabin came to Stuttgart to reorganize the new Stake president. I loved his talk the most because he talked about the reality of the Atonement. The best line was "He did not pay the price to only say 'Not you.' " The Atonement is meant for everyone and Christ really can understand our struggles. He also shared how our lives as members are special because we do not fear death, only sin. We know what will happen and what we can obtain. 

(A picture with a sister that is good friends with someone in our ward)

Sunday was stake conference. They had a new stake presidency but I did not recognize anyone who was called. Anyway, Elder Sabin did a great job discussing revelation in these callings. He shared how President Nelson was called as a stake president by Spencer W. Kimball. President Nelson was super busy as a heart surgeon but he had faith and took the call. President Kimball blessed President Nelson that he would perfect a surgical procedure and by doing so, it would take a lot of pressure off President Nelson. President Nelson later used the surgical procedure to save President Kimball's life. The surgery went perfectly and President Nelson had an impression that President Kimball would soon be the prophet. It was an awesome story. I loved it particularly because revelation is such a big part of our Church and in our lives. After stake conference, I got to talk some members from Ulm! Ulm was my first area on the mission. It was so great to see them; I have special love for those members. 

Monday we had district meeting in Ludwigsburg. I led a discussion on Luke 15 and the parables of the Lost. The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal son are very different stories but it proves that we are all lost in a way. It is through the Atonement that we become found again by our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We did some finding before going to a meeting with our ward mission leader. We also went to FHA (FHE) with a family in our ward. We discussed doing the small things like reading the Book of Mormon. We also had some snacks and played a few games. 

It was a good week for sure. I learned a lot this week about how merciful God wants to be. Everything from the Atonement, revelation, and the parables of the Lost reminded me about how much God loves His Children and wants to show them mercy. I thought it was cool in the parable of the Prodigal son of how much the father wanted to see his son again. When he saw him coming, he ran to meet his son. The father did not see the prodigal but he saw his son. God is the same way. He knows we struggle sometimes but when we come to Him, He sees His children. He knows there are weaknesses and struggles but he sees potential before anything else. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Elder Evans 

Q&A from mom: 

-What are you doing for p-day today? We had no plans but we stopped by the Institute center and helped a bit with cooking for the institute dinner. The Stephensons, our senior couple, took us to the Killesberg Tower. Elder Stephenson is teaching me today how to make handmade rolls, no machines. I am loving it :) 

-What has been a miracle you have seen lately? My understanding in German is starting to grow. I always worry that it is not going to last but I am understanding more and being able to understand more quickly. 

-How the weather?  Are you warm? Last Wednesday was so cold but ever since then, it has been warming up. A little bit of rain but mostly warm, sunny days. 

-Have you got the smart phone yet? Yes, I love it! I will admit that it is kind of weird but I also enjoy it a lot. 

-Do you ever play the piano? Yes, my goal is to play more often. I have been switching off with a sister in our ward with accompanying sacrament meeting. March is my month. I have been working on Paul cardall music as well. 

Video of a musical number that Elder Evans participated in

More pictures of Killesberg Tower