Another Successful Week - Aug. 24th

Dear Fam,

Pleased to report that its been another successful week here in Erlangen. We've been meeting with some truly prepared people who are strengthening my testimony as I try to help them develop theirs.

Our week started out on a really good note last Monday evening when we went back to work. We went by an old Contact in this apartment complex where mostly University students live. We weren't able to talk to her but another girl came walking up the steps just as we were about to leave and Elder Gneiting started talking to her (He's really good at trying to talk to everyone. I've definitely learned from his example in that regard). Surprisingly she let us right into her apartment and we were able to give her an entire first lesson. The spirit was very strong throughout our entire discussion with her and, although she didn't want a return visit from us at this point in time, we knew that she felt something and was prepared by the Lord to receive our message that day. It really has been a blessing for me to work here in Erlangen and be able to see so many faithful people my age.
We were finally able to meet with Walter Ganther, our newly converted Jehovah's Witness, again this week. He came with us to David and Marylin Auras', some awesome members in our ward, for dinner and we watched the Restoration DVD together. Walter really enjoyed it and has no problem believing that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He's really interested in the Book of Mormon, and will no doubt have read the whole thing by the end of this week. He's a man who is seeking after the truth, which is why he became a Jehovah's Witness, and will recognize it with no problem once he reads it and prays about it. We'll be shooting for a baptism date with him within the coming week or so, so keep your fingers crossed (or praying would probably be better)....I think I made this same joke in another email. Man I really need to get some new material.

...Uh, anyway, We had a great second appointment with Ingrid and Ludwig Strixner on Friday. Ludwig is very quiet, but you can tell he's very intelligent and listens to everything we say, and I respect that. Ingrid is really just at the starting line in her understanding. We had planned to watch the Restoration for this appointment but Ingrid's concerns sent the discussion in a totally different direction. She told us that Its hard for her to believe that God is our heavenly father, and that he could possibly know and love all of us personally. Despite the lesson going in a totally different direction than what we had planned for, Elder Gneiting and I were able to rely on the spirit and give one of the best lessons we have ever given in our companionship. The spirit was very strong and as we bore testimony I could see in Ingrid and Ludwig's eyes that they were both touched by our message. They will be on vacation for the next couple weeks, but we already have an appointment scheduled for when they get back. I'm really excited to see what happens with this great couple.

My mission as constantly reminded me how much I love people, and how life is all about people and connections and the relationships that we build with each other on this earth to build each other up and prepare together for the next steps. I have received so many blessings on my mission, but I think my greatest blessing has been the relationships that I've been able to have with all of this wonderful people in this part of the world- The members, the people I teach, and even the people I talk to every day on the street.

My mission has also made me realize how grateful I am for the people back home, my friends and family. I hope you all know how much I love and how much you all mean to me. I pray for you always and feel closer to you all than ever, even if I'm on the other side of the world.

Take care!

-Andy

Fruitful Week

I'm pleased to report that the past week has been unbelievably fruitful here in Erlangen. Its been a long tough transfer, but because we've worked hard, the Lord has blessed us with lots of very prepared people. Aouni, our young single investigator from Syria, is enjoying everything we are teaching him. We had a great lesson on the plan of salvation with him, thanks to Brother Auras coming along for a joint-teach (the guys a stud). We're gonna try to set a baptism date with him this week so everyone keep your fingers crossed (praying may be better). We finally were able to meet with Walter Ganther again and will be trying to set a baptism date with him in the coming weeks as well.

Two weeks ago, during a companion exchange, Elder Gneiting and Elder Achtmann ran into an older couple picking plums off of their tree while going door to door. Out of his love for food, Elder Achtmann asked them what they planned to do with these plums they were picking. They told him that they were going to make a plum cake (its a German pastry thing, not an actual plum cake like one you would imagine in America) and invited them back to have some when they actually made it. Elder Gneiting and I were able to go by yesterday and enjoy the afternoon with them. Ingrid, the wife, was very interested and open to the Book of Mormon. She hung on our every word the whole time. It was one of those special appointments where you know that the people you are speaking with are really feeling the spirit when you testify the truth to them. We'll be meeting with them again on Friday and I'm very excited to see what happens.

The future also looks very bright for two amazing young families in our neighborhood, the Jud's and the Sahiti's. The Sahiti's live in our building and we've become very good friends with Herr Sahiti over the past few months. He loves to talk so its been quite the struggle to actually have a real appointment with him and teach him the gospel, but things are picking up and hopefully we'll be able to teach him more and make some commitments with him as the days go on.
We met the Jud's through the Sahiti's and were finally able to meet with Andreas last night as well. He was raised as a Jehova's Witness and had some bad experiences there so he's lost his faith in God, but was very receptive when we met with him. The spirit was definitely there and he is still open to find God again. I think he really listened when I told him that The Book of Mormon could be the missing link in what he searched for and didn't find in his faith years ago. We weren't able to make out another appointment with him, but we see them around all the time and I have very high hopes for him. Its great to see these wonderful families and build friendships with them, but its also so frustrating to know how happy they would be with the gospel in their lives. All we must do I guess, is have faith, patience and love for these families. After all, the Lord's time isn't our time.

This last transfer has been a tough one, but I've become stronger, and learned more about myself than ever before. I've also come closer to my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ than ever before. To put it simply, in a fit of discouragement I knelt in prayer last week and received a very profound witness from the Holy Ghost that, despite my mistakes and weaknesses, the Lord is with me and is pleased with the work I am doing and the testimony I am sharing with others. As cliche as it may sound, This week I have felt spiritually born again, and hope that this transformation will be able to bless the lives of the people I teach.

Love you all and wish you all the best.

Alles Gute!

-Andy

The Lord Provides Service Opportunities

The days on a mission are definitely long, but the weeks seem to fly by faster and faster (welcome to the Andy Andersen cliche festival). Overall, I'd say that this was a pretty light-hearted and fun week. It began with a great companion exchange. I worked with Elder Hardy and was able to buy an awesome to bike helmet and old German army sweater (see pics attached). I was sick of looking like a total doofus with my goofy helmet every time I rode my bike, and When I saw the helmets that Elder Hardy and Elder Achtmann had bought the day before, I had to have one. Its hilarious when all four of us ride somewhere together now, the three of us with Army helmets and aviators and Elder Gneiting cringing because he's so embarrassed to be associated with us, Naw he's a good sport.

A couple days ago Elder Gneiting and I had a pretty spiritual finding experience. We've been trying out different techniques for finding lately, and on Friday we decided that we would try spending an hour just looking for service opportunities. At first we kind of just walked around our neighborhood, knocked on a few doors, with no success. We decided to get on our bikes and ride around for a bit and low and behold, we happened to ride past some people moving into an apartment in a building pretty close to ours. They were pretty confused as to why we would want to help them move at first, but of course gladly allowed us to help. It was pretty clear that we had touched the hearts of everyone involved in the move, which is all we could have asked for, and were even able to talk to the brother of the lady who was moving in and gave him a Book of Mormon. He seemed very interested and said that he was trying to come closer to God. Anyway the moral of the story is that The Lord had provided us with the service opportunity we had prayed for, and a person that he had prepared to accept the gospel. It was just the reminder I needed that this is the Lord's work, and that All we need is faith and vision to find those that the Lord has prepared.

Aouni came to church yesterday, which was really exciting for Elder Gneiting and I. it was our first investigator at church since we started working together. He also agreed to let us teach him twice a week. I have a really great feeling about Aouni. He has an amazing guileless quality to him and his heart seems pure and ready to accept the truth.

Yesterday evening we were finally able to visit a referral that we had been trying to get in touch with forever. They were an older couple called the Bergbauer's. They didn't have much interest in the gospel but were very interesting to talk to and fed us an unbelievable meal with all these different courses and everything. and Herr Bergbauer was basically a german Patrick Stewart, which of course was awesome. He and I talked about Utah quite a bit (they had been there on vacation the year before) and it was the first time on my mission where I felt really proud to be from Utah (ha ha). At the end of our appointment Elder Gneiting and I sang a hymn for them, and Frau Bergbauer's heart was very touched. It was just one of those times where you meet great people who, although they don't have interest in our message, had a great spirit about them and felt something when they talked with us.

Elder Gneiting are going to be working on "Catching the vision" this next week and for the rest of the transfer, which basically means improving our attitude, Christlike love for the people, and hope for people to be baptized. I have a really great feeling about the future of this area and hope that the work I do here will be a big help in the progress of Erlangen.

Take care fam. You're always in my prayers!

Love,

-Andy