Week #44 The Lord wants to be Merciful

What an interesting week! Last Tuesday does not seem that long ago but a few things have changed so it seems a little farther away. Maybe it was the train ride that made that happen. I guess I should let you know, I made it to Vienna! We call it Wien in German so I think I might just stick with that:). Wien is a beautiful city! I mean, Germany is nice but I have to say that I really like Wien. I have only been here a few days but this city is easy to fall in love with. 

A cool building in Wien. I will send you pictures of the city as time progresses. 

There are just so many cool buildings! 

Anyway, even though I only had Wednesday and Thursday in Lahr, we still got some work done. We had a former investigator call us on P Day asking for help with moving stuff. We went by Wednesday and she showed us the attic of her apartment complex. There were a few random things and then two cabinets. They were not too heavy but the stairwell was awkward with twists and turns. We had to think smart about bringing them down. It reminded me a lot of my days of working in HVAC and just helping with moves. I am sure my boss or my Dad could have done a better job of moving that stuff done but we got it! After some more moving, we sat down with this investigator and shared with her a Spanish Book of Mormon. We had an impression to bring one and it was really useful because her main problem was how the Bible and the Book of Mormon work together. She was really nice and more open than what she was when she met with missionaries before. 

Silly selfie during the service project

On Thursday, we met with a guy named Michael. We sat down and ate lunch. He wanted to know what made us different and how we showed our faith. We talked about the Godhead, the Restoration, FHE, prayer, and scripture study. He thought it was all interesting and he even agreed with our belief in the Godhead! I hope he continues to progress because he was really cool. 

Friday was travel day. We got a bus at 6 in the morning and went to Offenburg (It is in the Lahr Area). I then took a nice train to Munich but it went through Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm (my first area), and then Munich. I then took my luggage to another train. The final stop for that train stop was Budapest but I got off in Wien:). We went through Linz, Salzburg, and Sankt Polten. From afar, they look like wonderful places. Sadly, I could not see more than the train stations themselves. There were some cool sights along the way. This mission is really beautiful. Especially Wien.You better all be jealous;) 

Anyway, my first few days in Wien were great. We had another moving project for a member family (it seems to be that time of year). On the streets, I met some cool people from European countries. In the Stuttgart zone, I met a lot of people from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In Wien, there are a lot more Europeans. I met people from Sweden, Czech Republic, and Croatia. It kind of got me thinking of how these experiences could only come through the mission. I could not meet these cool people at home but I was lucky enough to come out here and meet all these cool people. That's another wonderful thing about this mission :)

So my area is called Wien 5. We have more of the outside parts of Wien. We do work in the city but our members live in the more suburbs, I guess. Anyway, sacrament meeting was wonderful. This ward is so cool! They asked me to conduct the music so that was interesting. I thought I did okay:). I also got to talk to my wonderful family on Sunday. I love them so much! It is hard being away but I am glad that I have such a great support team here on the mission and also at home. I am really a lucky guy. 

Yesterday, I met this guy named Christian. He is from Croatia and he was way nice. He said yes to talking but asked if we could sit down. We ended up talking for twenty minutes. We talked about family, the mission, God, and the Book of Mormon. Christian got to know the church from a famous basketball player in Croatia who was a Mormon. I do not know who it is but I guess missionary work can happen in unique ways. He is really into family and he wants to help his son become a good person. I love meeting these kind of people. 

So this was when I was talking to Christian. The Zone leaders came from behind and took a picture. I like it. I just wondered if Christian noticed...:)

I thought a lot this week about how God loves to be merciful. He gives us patience, love, and second chances even when we do not deserve it. Last night, I was out on our balcony (we have a balcony with our apartment) and just looking into the city. I could not believe where I was and what I was actually doing. This life is hard for sure but God is our best teammate. He knows where we can go in life and He will extend that mercy so we can get there. 

Night Shot of our view in Vienna

Well, have another wonderful week everyone! You are all fantastic! 

Elder Evans

A döner pizza I got with Elder Parker