Week #59 In a Place of Miracles

Being in Vienna is one of the coolest things I've ever done. I kind of take it for granted but I won't do anything like this ever again in this city. 

That being said, there were transfer calls this week and I am staying in Wien 5. Weird thing is that Elder Buss is leaving. He will be going to Linz. It is in the Salzburg zone. I hope he enjoys it. As for my new companion, I will be picking up Elder Jensen tomorrow. He has been out almost 10 months. I have heard great things about him and I am excited to work with him. It will be my 4th transfer in Vienna which is weird to say but it is true. I can't believe it is almost September. It is kind of crazy to think about. 

We had interviews with President Brown.  I love how dedicated President Brown is to his missionaries, the Lord, and the work. He is very spiritual and knows exactly what we need to hear. At least I think so. It was crazy to sit down and talk about how far we have come this past year. 

We had a cool lesson with Reinhard this week. We gave him to the Wien 3 Elders because he lives closer to their church. I first met Reinhard on Mariahilferstrasse in May and I have been meeting with him ever since. He has showed surprising interest in the Book of Mormon, church, and what we do as missionaries. In the middle of our appointment, there came an opportunity to ask him if he thought what we taught and what we do really is from God. I'll be honest that his answer surprised me when he said yes. He explained that he knew that we take our jobs very seriously and that our message is important to us. Elder Bushman later asked if he found out that this was the truth for sure, would he be baptized? And his answer was "Ja, sicher!". We actually sat pretty close to where I met him the first time and I've been amazed ever since how some of the prepared people are right in front of us and we may not know it right away until after we work with them and give them a chance to choose.

We also met Anthony again this week. We had set a baptismal goal for October 20th with him and we thought he was pretty solid until his next appointment. He refuses to work because he believes God will provide absolutely everything he needs. He also wanted to join us as missionaries but I do not think he had the right purpose in mind. He ended dropping us right there and leaving. It was hard but I have learned that we succeed when we invite. I would have loved to see him be baptized but there is only so much in my power. Despite the drop, I am still grateful for the experience. 

We also met with our friend Baris again. He could not meet for 2 weeks but when we met again, he said that his girlfriend would fome along. They had a lot of questions, particularly about the Book of Mormon. After we answered them all, we invited them to church and they said they would come! I will let you know how that goes next week. 

Since starting mission prep and being on the mission, I have learned that my purpose is invite others to come into Christ and help them receive the Restored Gospel. There is a bit more to it of course :) I have recited that purpose in English and German a lot and there are two words that stick out to me: come and receive. Obviously I can't force anyone to come and receive but I can invite and help. And it is incredible to see who really is willing to take that invitation. Of course there are many who say no and walk away.

Nevertheless, faith can be a driving force in seeing people to keeping commitments and being baptized. There are miracles out there. Even though not all of my experiences have been positive and fruitful, I still have faith that there are people out there who need the Gospel and they can only find it through personal help and invitations. 

Love you all so much! My invitation to you these week is come and receive what the Lord wants to give you. It is worth it!

Elder Evans 

 A waffle for a cone with chocolate, banana, and frozen yogurt! Yum! 

We found an astronaut in the mall today