you a solid report. I've not been feeling well and it's been a rough
couple of weeks because of that. About two weeks ago I woke up in the
middle of the night to extreme stomach pain. They almost sent me to
the ER. Long story short, I've had a stomach/intestinal virus that is
still lingering.
Two weeks ago we went to the concentration camp in Bergedorf called
Neuengamme. This one was a little different than Sachsenhausen, the
one I went to in Berlin. It actually was originally a satellite camp
of Sachsenhausen and turned into it's own massive complex. It was
mainly a work camp. Still awful conditions and an absolutely weird
feeling to it as you walk around. Here are some pics:
We've still done our best to get work done in the times when
I have felt well. Fortunately we continue to be blessed with opportunities
to find and teach. Our shining friend of the church is named Jafar. I
have to smile every time I say his name because it's so cool. He's
from Afghanistan and he's so awesome. He comes faithfully to every
family home evening, institute, and Sunday meeting. He loves the
activity of the church and loves being there. The members are great to
him, especially the Farsi speaking members who really fellowship him.
He wants to be baptized and will be baptized as soon as he gets
permanent residency. Church policy has changed and prospective members
must have permanent residency in Germany prior to being baptized.
Another friend of ours is an American living here with his wife and
daughter. He's an aspiring Christian rapper. He was found the week
before I got here when Elder Adams was visiting the man's parents who
are inactive members of the congregation. We really emphasize the
restoration when we meet with him. He's read a lot of unfavorable
material about the church and because of it, he finds it hard to
believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. My dear friends, all that one
most do is read the Book of Mormon, come to church, and sincerely pray
about it, and he will gain a testimony of it's truthfulness. Nothing
can replace that. If you really want to find out, you will do what it
takes to get the answer.
We have another friend from Syria. He was raised Christian and walked
into the church on his own about a month ago. He has a sincere desire to
find the truth. He's very busy though with German class so it's hard
to get him to church. We met with him today and he really enjoyed
Mosiah 18 and he's coming to institute tomorrow.
A Ghanaian walked into church two weeks ago and at first we didn't
know he was a member until he told us he was baptized here in 2014.
He's a super nice man who hasn't been to church in awhile since he
works in Wismar. We met with him twice since then--one of those times
he made us some African food for lunch. Unfortunately, I was not
feeling well so I didn't eat. The next day we had a zone preparation
day and played some soccer.
Speaking of Ghananians, we've taught a Ghananian family a couple of
times now that I when visited on exchange with an elder from Bergedorf.
The mom is awesome and loves the church. Unfortunately she works as a
maid in a hotel and is always there so she can't come as often as she/we
would like. But her brother is fresh off the boat from Ghana and came with
us to church last week. He said he likes the teachings. Another man walked
into the church last Sunday saying he met with the missionaries a few years
ago. We couldn't find a record of it but he says he'll probably join the church
because he already follows commandments like the word of wisdom haha.
He's super nice though he has pretty severe ADHD. Here I am doing some
street contacting and getting a haircut:
I was bummed last week because while working with a trainee in the zone,
we found a super nice woman who was really interested in our
message. She invited us over but the address she gave was not good.
I'm hoping it has something to do with the fact that she said she was
in the middle of a move. Maybe that's the building she moved into but
her name's not on the doorbell and we couldn't find her in the
building/none of the neighbors had a clue. Here we are talking to some
of our members:
We found a super nice lady the other day. She said that we talked to
the right person because she was going to church for the first time
ever this week and is trying to develop faith. She took a Book of
Mormon, said she wanted to get together, and that she'd also come to
church with us next week. High hopes there.
I gave a talk in church this past week. My topic was 3 Nephi 27:27. I
took it from the angle that we become like Christ as we make covenants
with God. I love this quote from Elder Bednar: "As we are yoked with
Him through sacred covenants and receive the enabling power of His
Atonement in our lives, we increasingly will seek to understand and
live according to His will." I realized that Elder Bednar's talk from
last month was basically the talk I wanted to give but it worked out. We
also attended a fun party with the members:
The administrative work with the zone is going alright. Still trying
to do a lot of coaching with these younger missionaries. Many are
reeeally young and inexperienced. We have zone conference this Friday
with a seventy, Elder Adler. I really enjoy working with these missionaries:
My last transfer starts next week. I'm crossing
my fingers that I stay here for my last four weeks. I think the only other
option would be to send me to the office since I'm going mid transfer. I
hope that's not the case. I'm excited to be healthy again so I can finish
with the pedal to the metal. Hope everything is going well on the other side.
Love ya,
Elder Tanner Germann
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