Lord is with Us, when we turn to him things will work out

Dear Fam,

The holiday season is finally here in full force. Must admit, my first Christmas season away from home and all of you is making me a little homesick, but I'm more than glad to be here, and very grateful that I get to serve in Germany where Christmas is such a big deal. The town is lit up with Christmas lights and the Christmas markets are out in full force. Hopefully I'll be able to get some good pictures today and also get a few little Christmas presents for the fam ;)
I must admit, being transferred to Landshut has definitely been the toughest transition of my mission. Being a senior companion has definitely been a little more stressful than I imagined. When I first got word that I would be senior companion in a new area, I thought I was totally ready. I was right in the fact that my time in Erlangen had prepared me for it, but the past two weeks have definitely been humbling. I feel a whole new wait of responsibility and accountability on my shoulders, which is causing me to have half the energy I used to. I can honestly say I've never been so tired on my mission, or in my whole life for that matter.
Yesterday proved to be the catalyst, or realization that I "wasn't in Kansas anymore." As Elder Hansen and I added our numbers up for the week, we realized that we hadn't even come close to achieving what we had wanted to. It was the first time in my mission that I had been so hard on myself, blaming myself for our lack of success, and it didn't feel good. I felt like I had failed this area, and failed as a senior companion. After about a half hour of talking about what went wrong, I made the decision to stop feeling sorry for myself and just get on with it. Elder Hansen and I made some goals as to what we can do better and I feel pretty confident that this week will be much more successful. I guess in the end all I need to do is be patient with myself and remember that I need to do is my best and turn the rest over to the Lord. My only problem is that the spirit is willing but the flesh is week. I could get a lot more done if I wasn't so dang tired all the time. Just gotta have more faith and keep on goin' I guess. Thank you for your prayers family. I feel them strengthening me every day.
Despite the tough times, the week definitely wasn't a complete loss. We had an amazing appointment the other night with Surin, an investigator from Romania. As soon as we went into his home Saturday night, I felt the spirit of a good, faithful family living in that house. I knew that we were meeting with someone special. President Auras was with us and really caught the vision for this family, which will be a huge help for the future. We taught them the plan of salvation, and it was great to see how well they accepted it. The real miracle was when Surin explained to US the three kingdoms of glory before we could explain it to him. President Auras really got a kick out of that and shared the experience in fast and testimony meeting yesterday. Elder Hansen extended Surin and his son the commitment to baptism at the end of the appointment. They didn't quite say yes, but they were very positive about the idea. If it weren't for the language barrier, this family's understanding would have lead them to baptism already, so we just need to adapt to their needs by being patient and teaching with a little more simplicity. It is our goal to have a baptism this transfer, and I feel pretty strongly that Surin will be that baptism. Hopefully we'll be meeting with him tomorrow and bring Bruder Reisinger, also a stud of a member in our ward. The whole family will also be coming to our Ward Christmas party next Sunday evening, which will be a huge help in integrating the family into the ward.
Kind of having an interesting epiphany right now. As I wrote that last paragraph, I found that I was focusing on the highlights of this past week and once again feeling good about myself and the work. Just another sign that the Lord is with me and when we turn to him, things will work out.
Enjoy the holiday season and know that I am with you always. Take care!

-Andy