Week Sixty-five

Well, to start everything off, I have to mention that I forgot my planner in the apartment. So this email might just be weak. So sorry really I'm kicking myself. But It's OK. I'll try to remember everything that happened this past week. It shouldn't be too hard! This week did go by kind of slow. Elder Collins and I both realized it. I think it's only because transfers are coming up soon! This Saturday morning will be transfer calls. It's exciting to think about, but it's also rough. Totally bittersweet. I've been in Rostock for 5 transfers! That's like a third of my time in Germany. And it's going to be hard to say bye. Whether that happens next week, in 7 weeks, or in 13 weeks. It's just gonna be rough! Plus traveling is really just a pain in Germany. Suitcases on the train is just really annoying. Well anyways, let me try my best to remember what I did last week.

Montag: Last Monday was actually great. T took us to the zoo!

 

 

 

He knows that I just love zoos haha. That's definitely something that has come out since coming on a mission. Animals are fascinating. And zoos just rock. I can't compare the Rostock Zoo to the San Diego Zoo, but it's still way big and cool. Right after emailing, we went there. We got to see some interesting animals. Like cheetahs. They make super weird noises. Kind of like birds. And meercats are great. I really like the monkeys though. There's this intense exhibit called 'darwineum' which is about evolution and stuff. The monkeys are the only cool part. Elder Collins unfortunately left his planner in the zoo on accident...the monkeys now know all our plans. After the zoo, we went and got some Döner. Pretty good stuff. We shopped for the week, and that was it! Monday night, we met with F in his apartment. We read in the Book of Mormon with him. He has been taught everything, and really wants to be baptized. He knows that the Book of Mormon is true and everything. We're working with him and trying to help him stop smoking, so he can keep the Word of Wisdom and be baptized. He's made some great progress! We pray that he can be baptized when the time is right for him.

Dienstag: I don't remember too much about Tuesday...I know that we were waiting to have an appointment with C M, who found the church by himself, but he showed up late because he had been in the hospital. Haha like a crazy story! But he was released from the hospital and came to institute! Good stuff haha. C is awesome. He investigated everything himself, and then came to us and said he knows it's all right. So we're working with him. He should be baptized on the 11th of May! Coming up soon. I don't know if I'll be here for that though...

Mittowch: Wednesday was a good day. We had district meeting in the morning, which went pretty well. We had a lot of time and it was very relaxed and just nice to talk. We had district Ratteil, which is like the time we talk about our investigators and how the work is going and everything, and it was just way good. We're doing our best to help each other out. The Schwerin elders and we are pretty stoked on the work. After district meeting, we ate some leftover deliciousness from institute. Like this apple pie thing that sister Holbrook made. Prima. After that, the Schwerin elders helped us to help F. We went and helped him take out parts of his old kitchen and put in new ones. It went surprisingly really well haha. We replaced a cupboard and a coat rack. I hope they stay up though. It felt way good to just do some work and to help F. We ate Döner, and went home and got dressed and all rode the train to Neubukow with T. It was actually pretty hot that day, I remember. Which is a great sign. We got off and the Schwerin elders kept riding. We helped T teach his English class, which was way fun. And then we met with their family and had a spiritual thought. It was an overall good day.

Donnerstag: Thursday, again is hard to remember. We've been trying to take care of spring cleaning off and on, so I remember doing that. I also remember eating some good food at home. We make excellent food. We rode the bus out to Bad Doberan and met with A and O at the Heim there.



We had to take over teaching them for the time that the sisters are gone out of Rostock. We set out a date to be baptized with Anthony for the 25th of May! I also remember walking a lot and going by on a lot of older investigators. We have this list that we're whittling down. It's going well. We also had Family Home Evening that night, which went well.

Freitag: Friday morning was Gemiko. After that, we ate some food with Sister Holbrook. The leftovers from FHE. We taught C M that day too. D, a new member, was there in the lesson. It went really well! We talked about the apostasy and restoration. And that's when we set out his date to be baptized on the 11th of May. Miracles are happening in Rostock, and we are helping people come closer to Christ! After that appointment, we had a ward cleaning in the church. I vacuumed a lot. Then we went on splits. The Zone Leaders came up from Neubrandenburg and picked me up and I went back with Elder Wolfley. We got back pretty late, just in time for us to make a chalk drawing of a part of the plan of salvation. That was way fun.

Samstag: I woke up in Neubrandenburg haha. Got some good study in. We went and held a class with members on how to invite friends to church and stuff which went well. Came home, ate some lunch, and went out again and had another good lesson with members with a focus on inviting others to church. It went well. We did a lot of doors in a nice neighborhood, which was super fun. We didn't find anybody, but it was good to be outside and talking to people. We also went by on a lot of contacts for them. I got to practice my Russian skills with a lady. We had a very short conversation with consisted of, 'How are you? Good, How are you? Good, Book of Mormon?' Haha it was great. We then went to Bahnhof and greeted Elder Collins and Elder Hansen. Then Elder Collins and I bought Döner and rode home.

Sonntag: Sunday was a very good day. We had three investigators come to church! That was wonderful. T also gave a great talk about forgiveness, which was just uplifting and great haha. We ate with Schwester G in the church right after, which was pretty good. After all this, we went home and realized that we had a referral in our mailbox haha. So we went by on this guy, but he had no interest. We came home, had a great planning session for the week, studied, and das war's!

The week was well. This week should be great haha. I'm looking forward to doing some good work this week. This could potentially be the last week in Rostock. We'll say probably actually haha. I've been here a long time. There is nobody in the whole zone that is still here when I got here, which is crazy. That makes me the King of Mecklenburg. I feel old! Ending my 10th transfer in Germany. I only have 6 left...I wonder if the time has flown by for everyone else. I still remember going into the MTC. I remember that day crystal clear! And now, 15 months later. It's a great thing. I love being a missionary.

I'm so jealous to hear about the weather in San Diego! Even though the weather is getting better here (it's pretty sunny and warmer now), it just doesn't compare! It's great to hear the Kenny is doing well in Boise. Missionaries rock.

Other then that, everything really is going swell. We'll be closing the books on this transfer at the end of this week, and starting a new one. Exciting times family! To be honest, I really do think I will be transferred next week. But I'll be stoked if I can stay!

I had some way good studying opportunities, and heard a lot of good talks and such last week. I'm reading through the bible right now. I'm in 2nd Samuel. I love the Bible so much. I just feel like there's so much to learn. And I love learning. We totally have a lot to learn from the lives of the people written about in the scriptures. Just think about the lives of Saul and David, and how different they were, but how they made similar mistakes. It's good to know that everyone makes mistakes, even those in high power and of a high knowledge and learning. But it's even better to know that we can be forgiven of these mistakes. Tobias shared a really great story in his talk about a man. This man had somehow and at sometime done something really bad. It got him in prison for like 10 to 15 years. It was so bad, that he stopped communicating with his family out of shame. For around 15 years he sat in prison with nothing, only the thoughts of regret and terrible sadness. But he payed his time and was going to be released. He sent a letter to his family that said he was coming home. He added that the family should tie a ribbon to a tree at the train station that he would get off to go home, only if they would take him back and forgive him. If he saw no ribbon, he would just keep riding the train and know. As he approached the train station however, he noticed not only one ribbon on the tree, but hundreds! Of course the family wanted him back! The feeling of being forgiven is one of the greatest we can experience. And we really need to work hard to forgive those who deserve to be forgiven. Sharing this feeling is helping these people.

Hopefully I can be forgiven of a lot of things haha I sure have done my share of dumb things in my life. I know that our Heavenly Father forgives us when we repent and try to make things right. And I'm so grateful for that.

The work is going pretty well in Rostock. To be honest, I feel like I'm leaving soon. I feel like I set this area up to explode with success and baptisms, but now I'm leaving before it all happens!! Hopefully I'll stay and get to see some reward for my efforts haha. We do teach a lot. A lot of people actually find us in Rostock. It's a huge blessing haha. we've had 4 people 'find' us, and they all had baptismal dates at one point. None are baptized yet for various reasons, but they were prepared enough to find the truth. It's always their decision in the end if they want to accept the truth or not. But finding people hasn't been the biggest problem. It's still hard though. Our health is doing well this week. It's on an upswing haha.

I really like that subject about trial and hard times. I actually just gave a workshop about that in district meeting, and related it back to obedience, and how obedience is always the key to success and getting through hard times. It went something like this:

We made a list of things that make us happy as missionaries. The list included: good health, knowing that our families are doing well, nice people, baptisms, seeing success, good weather, good friends on the mission, and so on.

The thing is, can we still be happy people if one or all of these things are missing? Well of course. D&C 121:1 is Joseph Smith in Liberty Prison. He asks God where he is..because he totally felt  alone. He had friends in the prison with him, but the times were hard. He didn't really have those things on that list haha. But the advice that God give him is cool. 'My son, peach be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;'

This life, these hard times are incredibly temporary. It's hard to think that way always though! 2 Nephi 2:27 basically lays out this it's our choice if we are going to happy. And the 25th verse kind of tells us that it is super possible to be happy!

The last point is in Joshua. 'Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.' Talking about being obedient is the key! Not turning from the Right or Left, being obedient, is the key to 'prospering'.

That's a very short version of it all haha

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Pollard