September 24, 2012

      Well first of all thanks for the birthday card for elder Nielsen. We got it today and he loved it. 2nd I found elder Chapman in München bahnhof. (train station) When I went to Munich to pick up elder Nielsen he was also there because it was transfer day. 3rd, well I filled out all of the papers and such for a swiss license, now I am just waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It should come this week. and yes I withdrew the money, but it was only 200 franken. crazy translation fees. I needed personal money to send you the voice recorder back, and I thought I needed it for a swiss license, but they didn't ask for any money, so we will see if they send me a bill, and I figured I would withdraw more money because sometime soon I will buy more souvenirs and I need to send a lot of stuff home, so be prepared. One day soon you will receive a huge package in the mail. :)

              

  Well, this week has been really amazing. Mostly because we had 4.6 investigators at church yesterday! Kebrom, Kurt, Bernard, and Yuri with his 2 kids (they are the .6) It was great! And it really just showed me that God is leading this work, and he knows what we need and how to do his work. Another cool experience yesterday helped me learn that as well.

                So when we went to München to pick up our new companions, Pres Miles met with all of the trainers and he talked with us about the importance of studies. He told us to never miss personal, companionship or German study. Even on Sundays. That was hard for me, because in the past with all of my companions we counted church as our studies and with the training program which includes 2 hours of comp study, our Sundays would then be shot. Church from 10 to 12 (church is only two hours in Chur (Did I tell you that?) then talk with members, walk home, get home at 13, eat lunch til 14, then comp study for 2 hours and German study for 1 hour. Now it’s already 5 o’clock. Day is over. I didn't like it, but hey, Pres. Miles is the guy with inspiration, so what could we do? We had to obey. So yesterday was a day like that. We even had ward council after church, so we didn`t get on the street until 6 o’clock. But the very first person we talked with was a lady from Germany, and she told us she is searching for the truth, and wants to meet next week. Then the next person we talked to was a man from Pakistan, and he and a friend both wanted to learn more, and then we finally got to the guy we wanted to go by on, and we couldn`t find the right door, so I just knocked at a random door, and it was an old lady and her son, both from Eretria, and they let us in and wanted to learn more. Within 15 minutes we had found 5 people who wanted to learn more about the gospel. It was both amazing and humbling. It really showed me that I know absolutely nothing. All of my skills, all of the experience I have, all of my knowledge, it all surmounts to nothing, if I don`t have the spirit. I have knocked doors and streeted for 9 hours without a break and haven`t found 5 interested people. Yet the Lord can send them all to us, one after another, all because we (mostly I) humbled ourselves and followed the counsel of the Lord. I testify that this principle holds true in all aspects of our lives.

                The Lord can do more with 15 minutes then we can do alone in an eternity. The Lord can do more with 9/10 of our income then we can do with all of the money in the world by ourselves. The Lord can do more with 6 days in a week, than we can do alone with 7. But the natural man doesn't see it that way. So often we only see what lacks or how little we have. Like the widow and Elijah, sometimes it seems like the Lord asks us to offer up everything, when in reality He is trying to give us everything. I testify that if we will give what is required of us by the Lord and our priesthood leaders, then like the widow our oil and our flour WILL NOT FAIL. "For with God is nothing impossible." That is my testimony, and I know it is true. Thanks again for all you do, you are the best mom ever!

Liebe
Elder Terry

More Random Pictures

Here are some more pictures from Sister Miles's blog.  These were taken in June I think, when he was still with Elder Sanderson.

September 17, 2012

Dear mom,

            well I am writing you a letter from Chur! In the library, but they have a really weird keyboard, so there will be a lot of spelling mistakes, and my letter might be a little bit short. but there is a lot to tell.  (I corrected the spelling errors, sorry just my little OCD thing. I didn’t correct his grammar though because it’s fun to see how hard it is to think in another language.)
            1st, as we were in Zürich last week to get me a drivers license, a lady stopped us on the street, told us she was a member from Canada, and she has a 9 year old daughter who wants to be baptized. Can you say MIRACLE? The silly driver’s license place was closed because there was a big festival, but somehow this lady found us in the middle of the crowd. And we gave her info to the Zürich elders, and now the 9 year old has a baptismal date! Oh yeah.
            We also met with Elder Nelson this week. It was really cool. Man that guy is smart. I don`t think I have ever met someone who knows so much as he does. He told us a lot of cool stuff, about repentance and how we can give all of our hearts to the Lord. Apparently the Greek word for repentance is metanueo or something like that, and it means that we must have a change of knowledge, change of belief, change of spirit and change of breath. It was really interesting. He said a lot of other good stuff, but this keyboard is not so functional.
            Now, on Thursday we were finally able to work in our area, and man, the Lord had a lot of miracles in store for us. So Thursday we were on the streets, and we talked to a cool guy from the Salvation Army (random facts and questions, did you know they are a church? I always thought they were just a charity organization or something. And remind me sometime to tell you about the origin of the Salvation Army) anyways, we gave him a Book of Mormon and had an appointment last Saturday, and we will meet with him again this week. We also invited a guy on the street to come to church on Sunday, and low and behold he was there! And he liked it and we have an appointment with him this week. We also found a cool guy named K_____ from Eretria, and he has family, and wants to learn more.  All and all it is really good because the work here is starting to move forward. It is just awesome. And our gml is super pumped to do missionary work, and is getting the members excited. Man this work is the best. There is nothing better then working with our Heavenly Father to save the souls of men. This church is true. I testify that the Keys of the Priesthood have been restored, without which there can be no church of God. I testify that through the ordinances of that Priesthood we can access the purifying, redeeming, changing power of the Atonement, which ordinances are requisite to enter the kingdom of God. I encourage everyone to ponder on the power of gospel covenants as we partake of the sacrament weekly. I hope you have a great week, and that you feel better soon :)

Liebe,
Elder Terry

With Elder Chapman

Driving to St. Moritz with Elder Nielson

St. Moritz

September 10, 2012

Dear Mom,

                Well this week was definitely something new. I have to admit, it has been really weird. The whole training, whitewashing, and having a car thing is a lot of changes, but we are starting to get a hold of it. On Monday we got to know our one investigator, Y____. He is from Chile, and is super cool. Unfortunately he had a really great relationship with the elders before us, and was really hurt that it was whitewashed. So at first he didn`t want to meet with us. But our GML and his family invited us to play soccer with them and Y_____, so we got to know him. He has started to like us but it might take awhile. So in the meantime we have just been trying to get know the members and find new investigators. We have found some cool people, but unfortunately we haven`t been able to make out any appointments with them. GR..... oh well, its part of life, and I am learning to be more bold and to explain better our purpose and how we intend to help people.

                Fun experience of the week:  We had to drive 2 hours through the mountains to get to some members. But it was beautiful. They live in near a city called St. Moritz. Supposedly it is famous, but I guess not famous enough that I knew what it was.  But the 1928 and 1948 winter Olympics were there. It is really beautiful. But 2 hours one way in a car is WAY TOO LONG. I was going crazy. Literally. I brought our area book with us and was hoping that I could call some people, but low and behold, not so great reception. Who woulda’ thought?

                But guess what? Leichtenstein is in our area! And we have members who live there. And supposedly it’s against the law to preach the gospel there. We will see :) So if I suddenly withdraw a lot of money it is so that I can bail my way out of jail :) hahahaha jk. Maybe :)

                Okay enough about the area, we really did experience some miracles this week. We were on the streets in Sargans, a cool town, and we met a lady that is from Portugal. We made out an appointment with her, and on the next day we brought her a Portuguese Book of Mormon, and asked if she knew anyone who would want to learn more. And of did. So we made out an appointment for Saturday and she promised to bring her friend. On Saturday we went to the appointment. M______, (the Portuguese lady) wasn`t there, but her friend was :) cool huh? We have the numbers from both of them, but no appointments for this week, but we will set up some appointments. (funny German note. I almost wrote "Make out appointments" because that is what you say in German. I think that all new missionaries find it funny because it is "make out".)
                Another cool story. We visited a less active sister, and she really wants to return to activity. We are visiting her this Wednesday and will set a date for when she wants to go to the temple.

                Well Tomorrow Elder Nelson of the quorum of the twelve comes to Zurich, so we get to meet with him tomorrow and Wednesday. I am so pumped. It is going to be great. Well I hope that you have a great week, I love you!

Liebe

Elder Terry

September 3, 2012

Dear Mom,

                Well here are your answers.

1, I am extending. Most definitely.  (President Miles asked Andrew to extend his mission so we had a little chat about doing that in his last letter.  That means Elder Terry won’t be home until the end of March)

Second my new address is

Elder Andrew Terry

Alpine German Mission

Kirche Jesu Christi

Grünbergstrasse 1

7000 Chur

                My new companion is Elder Nielsen. He is from Denmark, and is super cool. I love him already. Next week I will send you pictures. Today we are in Zürich to get Elder Nielsen registered, and we are sending emails from the Apple store. Pretty smart right? Its free here, but you have to stand the entire time. But who cares, Its free?

                Now about the area.  Chur is probably the most beautiful area in Switzerland. And the biggest. But we live right in the mountains. Elder Nielsen likes to run, so we have gone running every day, and in 2 minutes from our apartment we are on a dirt trail running up the mountains. It is amazing. I love it already. And now I might be able to lose some weight. We will see. Other then that I really don`t know much about our area. We arrived late Thursday night, and we had no appointments. So we just started walking around looking for new investigators and getting to know the city. Our gml or ward mission leader is sweet. He and his family are from Ecuador, and they are really awesome. Sunday we got to know a lot of the members and we made out appointments with a lot of members, so we will start working through them.

                On Sunday we went to the first councilors house. He is really cool, mostly because he is from Orem, UTAH. He graduated from Orem high in 1997. Weird huh? anyways, that was cool. They actually have a sweet ward mission plan here so I am excited to start working with the members.

                We have experienced a lot of cool miracles this week. First of all on Saturday we were on the streets in Chur, and we saw two women. We talked to them. They are from Serbia and are flüchtlings, I think that is refugees. So they live in a refugee camp. We gave them a card and invited them to come to church on Sunday. And surprise surprise, they showed up on Sunday. With their 2 husbands, and with in total their 11 children. The branch in Chur had to use 3 trays for the sacrament for the first time in years, maybe ever. So that was cool. Unfortunately they are looking for financial help, so they talked with the 1st and 2nd councilors and hopefully we will be able to help them a bit. They seemed a little bit disappointed that we couldn`t help right away, but we invited them to come to church again next week. We have also given away 7 BOM in the last 3 days, so hopefully we will see the fruits of our works pretty soon. Anyways, I hope things are going well back home. Good luck with everything, I love you a lot!

Liebe

Elder Terry 

Zone Conference--June 2012

At the Bern Temple--August 2012