Monday, August 13, 2012

August 13, 2012


Dear Mom,
                Well unfortunately because of our telepathic bond you have made me sick, because Saturday I started to feel it a little bit in my throat, and then Sunday it got a lot worse. So I am sick as well. And so is Elder Sonne. But we are surviving and moving forwards, naturally, and enjoying life as it comes, one runny nose at a time. Man cross country camp is the best! No really, like it is the greatest. I think that cross country is what helped me prepare the most for a mission. You learn how to set goals, work hard, but what I found the most valuable is that I learned how to overcome adversity, and that life is exactly like missionary work and like cross country. In cross country you have a coach, who gives you workouts that could possibly kill you sometimes, or at least that is what it feels like, but he doesn`t do that because he wants you to suffer, or because he hates you, but because he wants you to succeed. Throughout life (and missions) God gives us challenges, not because he enjoys seeing us struggle, and not because he is displeased with us, but because he wants us to succeed. God knows what all good runners come to learn, that it isn`t the easy runs that make you strong, it’s the ones that push you to the very edge and beyond, that make you strong. And so if we ever desire to be worthy to live with God again, and to be able to become like him, then we must stick with our training plan, and use the hard moments to our eternal benefit. The apostle Paul summed it up nicely when he said,
9  "And he said unto me, My  grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." So that is my little plug for cross country. If you want to be a good missionary then go to church and live the gospel, and go to cross country. There is no better preparation for life.
                Well now about our week. We were busy to the extreme. I don`t know if I have ever had so much stress on my mission. We had to plan and prepare for zone conference, as well as plan and prepare a fireside. But let me explain. So on Thursday we had our zone conference, and for your information I played the piano, well more precisely hymns before the meeting started since I couldn`t accompany during the meeting because I was conducting, but zone conference went really well, I always love to spend time with Pres. Miles, he is really an awesome man, and it is cool to learn from him. (side note, because Sister Miles is the daughter of Elder Nelson, he is coming to visit our mission. Sept. 11 and 12 we get to meet with him) then afterwards we had an austausch with the Assistants, I got to work with Elder Carter, which was way fun, and they stayed the night at our apartment, so it was cool to spend time with Elder Sanderson again, and then Friday we had a fireside that we had planned for Newly baptized members and investigators, and it went really well. That was the stress. Now for the good parts.
                Well I_______ is really struggling. Elder Sanderson and Elder Sonne met with her on our austausch. She was sick and in the hospital and relapsed into depression, but things are starting to look better, we have an appointment with her tomorrow, and hopefully things will go better, but she definitely needs continued prayers. She is awesome and has a lot of faith but is facing a lot of opposition right now. M_____ is also making a lot of progress, he came to church this week and we met with him almost daily. But he also has a difficult situation, looking for work so that he can help out his family in Africa. So keep him in your prayers as well.
                We also have L_______, an awesome man from Tibet, who is super funny. He can`t speak very much English or German, but we were talking to him about Tibet and he told us that Switzerland is flat, and the mountains in Tibet go straight up. It was super funny. Only people from Tibet can look at the Alps and call them flat.
                B_____, the lady from Equador, is making a lot of progress as well. She came to church again this week. She has a hard time understanding the apostasy because she is really strong Catholic, but she wants to learn more and is eager to read, so things should continue to go well there.
                Well school starts today actually here in Switzerland, so everyone is back from vacation. Summer is over. Man, that is crazy. I am not ready for cold weather. Oh well, what comes, comes. I hope that you have a great week, I will be praying that you get healthy again so that I can be healthy, and I am still working on the voice recorder, and be working on it I mean I have listened to it all but haven`t recorded anything, so it could take awhile, but the important thing is that I LOVE you. You are the bomb.com!

Liebe
Elder Terry

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