Monday, October 28, 2013

"I Used to Have Faith Like You Two."

Howdy!
It sounds like there is a ton of stuff going on at home! I had no idea that they did an evening for parents with missionaries out in the field. That is pretty cool! How many missionaries do we have out in the field from our ward now? I had forgotten that Isaac was already gone!
My week was pretty awesome! This area just gets more fun everyday! I will try and send some photos today if I get the time, and if the computer cooperates. We did a lot of finding this last week and we saw some really cool experiences! I even got to work on an exchange with one of my friends from the MTC who i didn't think that I would ever see in the field because europeans go into switzerland and never come out. But we talked with a billion and one people! I had a really cool experience that was like a miracle to me. We stopped this man and asked him what he believed about Jesus Christ and he said that he used to believe but he now thought that it was all nonsense. He tried to prove us wrong with his logic (he was a very intelligent man), but we simply bore testimony. As I was giving my testimony he began to cry, and once I was finished he said, "I used to have faith like you two." We told him that we could help him get it back, but I think he was a little bit proud and upset that he didn't get the last word so he told us no. But it was a miracle because this man felt the spirit for the first time in a long time, and I know that will be on his mind and help him regain his faith.
We also had an "Area book finding day" where our district all got together and we looked at each others books and helped organize and update. Our goal was to call every single person in our book and set up appointments and renew old potentials. We found several really cool people that sounded like they really want to meet with us. It was the first time that I had one of those finding days and It worked out really well!
Elder Brose and I get along way good and we work hard everyday. It's also fun to have two other elders in the apartment to talk to at night and at meals. They are both crazy but really funny too.

I haven't seen any october fest stuff around here yet. But it is starting to feel a lot like halloween and there are some decorations going up in the shops. But halloween isn't really that big here. I'm sure they'll have parties and stuff but trick or treating doesn't really exist. that's weird here.
But ya, that is a little bit about what is going on over here. Thanks for writing and letting me know how you all are! I love you all and am thankful for all that you do. Talk to you next week!

Elder Eldredge

Monday, October 21, 2013

Hello Germany! (and Switzerland!)

Hello from Konstanz!
Image courtesy of www.langenargen-tourismus.de
This was a pretty crazy last week with transfers and everything. I can't believe that i was still in haag just a few days ago! My last few days there were really amazing! We met with a lot of members and investigators that i had known so that I could say goodbye. It was pretty sad saying goodby to b----- for a while. I spent a few days slowly packing whatever i didn't need just a little at a time. But finally the time came for me to leave.
Transfer day was absolutely insane! I got on a train at 8 that went to Attnang Puchheim, then a train to salzburg where I had to wait for about an hour. I got on a train at 12 to munich which takes an hour and a half. From the time that my train arrived in munich, to when I was supposed to take the next train was 4 minutes and that didn't happen because the first train was late, so I waited in munich for about three hours. That was really fun and I got to see a lot of my friends from the MTC and other places that I hadn't seen in a while. I got on a train at 4:30 to zurich and I was in charge of three goldens with a sister katey lewis, who knows matt gowans. But that train takes about 4 hours, so I got into zurich at about 8.30, dropped off the goldens and took a train back to st. gallen with elder stank, who is in my apartment. We got into konstanz at about 10.30 (don't worry, our leaders knew) and it was about a 20 minute walk to our apartment. Luckily we got permission to wake up at 7.30 the next morning. But that was how my day went.

My new area is way awesome! We walk so much it is amazing! But it is really pretty so I am ok with it. I am still a little lost and I never know where I am but I am starting to get a hang of it. Elder Brose is way cool and we get along way good! We have a four man apartment and the other elders are Elder stank, from germany, and elder pugh, from england. They are in charge of the swiss part of our area, and we are in charge of the german half. Our apartment is way cool too! It has two floors to it with a big spiral stair case in it. We have a lot of fun. Our district is also pretty huge with 12 people in it. One of my european friends from the MTC is in it which is awesome because I didn't think that I would see him until we go home. Our zone is about 40 people. Me and elder brose are the only americans that really see switzerland besides a few people who have a certain amount of european blood, so we are pretty blessed.
Image courtesy of www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk
Our branch has about 70 active members in it which is really big compared to haag. Everbody is really really nice and they treat us very well. Alot of them are very excited for missionary work. I got to give my testimony in sacrament meeting yesterday, as well as elder stank because we are new in the ward.

It seems that everything at home is going really great! Stinks that grandma took a tumble! I hope she is doing better now. All the kids seem to be growing up way fast or I have just been gone longer than I think. That picture of the guys having ultimate practice made me want to be right there! 
Well thanks for writing and sending the photos! It's nice to feel somewhat up to date so thanks for those. I think and pray about you all every day. I hope that you have a good week! I will talk to you all soon!
Love,
Elder Eldredge 

Monday, October 14, 2013

So Long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen to Austria!


Where he is going!
Well, it is time to say goodbye to austria :'( But I get to say hello to Germany and Switzerland! Ah yeeeaaahhhhh! I am a lucky guy. I will be one of very few americans who ever see swiss alps! I am going to a place called konstanz. It is in germany right on the edge of Bodensee, and it is a part of the St. Gallen stake which means that P-days, district meetings, zone training/conference, and interviews will all be in Switzerland! The wife of the missionary couple in linz was actually baptized in konstanz, and she said that it is the most gorgeous place! It is right on the water and there are swans everywhere! Well I am excited!

But life at home looks pretty fun! One of the Elders in our district is pretty jealous of ben being able to be on the field and do that stuff. Those twins look pretty cute! And big too! Before i get home they will probably speak better english than I do! 

Well this week was pretty good! I was pretty nervous for transfer calls all week so I was glad when the day came. But we had zone training in salzburg and president and sister miles ended up coming to surprise us which was fun! We talked alot (again) about how we can work together with our members. It is a pretty serious topic I guess because everybody around the world is getting drilled on it all the time. Elder Armstrong made muffins for everybody at zone conference which was way good. His muffins are pretty impressive.
 
We have been passing out a lot of invites to our german/english class for the last two  or three weeks and our first one was this thursday. Only two people showed up and one of them needed to learn german and the other wanted to learn english. so we did a small split class. I was trying to teach this guy german but he didn't know english and he didn't bring a dictionary for armenian so there were a few times when I got pretty animated and it probably looked like we were playing sharades instead of working. But he was cool and we ended up getting onto the topic of religion but he said that he wouldn't care if the book of mormon was true or not so I couldn't do to much for him before it was time to go. But he will come this week again and bring his wife so that is good. 


Some things never change!


B----- is doing really good lately! he came to both sessions of our stake conference and got to know a lot of people. He really likes wearing a cross because it's black and matches his jacket so it is funny to see him. He keeps asking why nobody else wears them even after we have explained it to him several times, but that is ok. He promised me the other day that he would read the entire triple combination that I gave to him, which is good because his only problem is that he has less desire to study the scriptures but he is getting better at it. Only two weeks until his baptism and than he can work on getting to the temple!

A little more detail
Yesterday we had the second half of stake conference in wels at 10 in the morning so we went there and all of the missionaries in the whole zone came and that was really great to see a lot of them before we all go off to other places. After the meeting there was lunch at the ward building in wels so everybody went there, and since it was sunday there weren't very many trains so we had to wait until almost four to catch a train so we got to talk to a lot of people in those hours. It was really fun though and I got to say goodbye to the members in haag before I go. 

Well that was my week this week! alot of meetings and learning! It looks like you all are doing well and having fun! I miss you and will talk to you all next week!

Love,

Parker


Ben, 

would you like a chicago bulls hat? I'm pretty sure that's all they sell here because every turkish kid has one. and have fun with baseball before it finishes up for a while. Tell lisel hi, and that she is cool.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Conference Weekend

Hello!

This week was great! We got to do a lot of fun stuff because of conference. We spent the weekend here in Linz because they weren't showing it in Haag for some reason. But we got here on saturday afternoon to help pick up the new couple missionaries that we be working here because the weidmans are going home on wednesday. We helped them with their bags and we showed them their apartment and all that before going to the first session of conference.

 Because of the time change the first session was saturday night at 6. One of my favorite talks was Elder Dube's. I really liked when he said "Look ahead, and believe." Because you can watch conference at home on your computer, most of the members just stayed at home so the church wasn't too full but there was still some really fun people there. On sunday, we watched priesthood session at 11, the saturday session at 2, and the sunday morning at 6. I still haven't seen the last sunday session yet but i should be able to soon if not today. 

B----- is doing awesome still. We watched "The testaments" with him and I think that gave him the push to start reading in the book of mormon a bit more. I actually ordered a triple combination for him and wrote my testimony in the front for him. I am planning to give it to him before I leave. Speaking of that, we get transfer calls this friday, and I will almost surely leave Haag. Sadly we have stake conference this sunday so if I get transfered I won't be in Haag for my last sunday to bear my testimony.




Things with E. Armstrong are good. We still don't talk much but I have grown to be ok with it. It was nice to be in Linz for a few days with the district because I got to talk as much as I wanted. We had a really fun pancake party between sessions with some of the YSA's and the whole district. It was really fun to get to know some of the people in linz better. Plus the pancakes were awesome!

We have zone training in salzburg tomorrow, and it will be the first one of this transfer which will be weird because alot of people left and came since I last saw the whole zone. I have been the only one of my mission age in my zone since i got here besides one sister from germany who i didn't meet in the MTC. Hopefully I will get to see my MTC buddies soon!

It looks like you all had a good time watching conference! Cody looks like he's been cutting down trees and wresting bears before going to the mens club to arm wrestle with his mates. I am a fan. I also thought that ben was haley because his hair looks crazy long! Thanks for those pictures. I will send my cards in the mail this week now that i found the right packages.

Well not too much else has happened this week. Actually we did have a street display and we gave out a good amount of books and flyers. I even met some americans in a small town in Austria. I don't know what they were doing living there. But they were nice and really excited to see americans.

But ya that is what my week was like. Lots of fun and lots of work! Thanks for writing and sending those photos, and I am glad that you got back from china safely. I love you all and I will talk to you next week!

Love, 
Elder Eldredge 


Thursday, October 3, 2013

P-day in Linz

Hey!
Hong Kong looks awesome! I sure hope that i get to go there someday! This  week was pretty good! We were given an unreal amount of food this week so our fridge is stuffed full! My capacity for food has really increased and I can eat for quite a while before stopping.




B----- is doing really great! He came to church again this week and he even spoke up during the mens class. He really impressed members with how smart he is. It was funny because it is only his second time in church but he knows everything so the members are pretty impressed by him. We moved his baptismal date to the 27th so that more members could be there.  He is really excited and hasn't had problems with the word of wisdom for over two weeks!
We met with a less active woman in our ward a few weeks ago and she has come to sacrament meeting for about a month in a row now. It is really cool to see how well the members invite her back and make her feel welcome again! One of our members came up to me and asked for five Books of Mormon that she is planning to give out. I was pretty impressed because she has already given about five away before.
Yes the apartment is still very clean. And still pretty quite. This transfer has gone by extremely fast! I can't believe that I have been with E. Armstrong for almost five weeks now! I will almost for sure be transferred somewhere else in a few weeks and it is a weird feeling just imagining that I won't be here for a while.
Today for P-day we went up this big hill in Linz and there is a way cool viewpoint where you can see all of Linz. It was really windy but a lot of fun. I forgot my camera but the weidmans took a ton that I will send to you.
We had a street display in linz on friday. they only get one per year here so we had everybody there from 10 until 6. It was a long time in one place but it was really successful because we gave out around 20 Books. We had some members sing hymns while we talked to interested shoppers. I made a really cool Muslim kid think real hard about Christ being the son of God (they don't believe that). He seemed to really be touched and he even took a book.
I realized yesterday that, because of general conference and stake conference in two weeks, this last sunday could have been my last time in that ward building and that it could be a long time until I see a lot of the Haag members. It was pretty sad because I didn't get to bear my testimony before I left.
Well not much else has happened. Just working a lot. The whether is getting colder and it definitely feels like fall now. The colors haven't changed too much but there is a lot of cold wind and crunchy leaves.
I guess I will talk to you all next week! Thanks for writing. I hope you travel safe back home.

Love,

Elder Eldredge