Unihockey!

What can I say about this week?

Not much, we worked hard and oh! We played unihockey with the ward, which was really great. Unihockey is hockey but you run in a gym back and forth and back and forth, I was sweating so hard! We played for 2 hours or so and I was dead. 

I do not have anything really spiritual to share this week, I would just want to share a quote from David A. Bednar, "Absolute truth exists in a world that increasingly disdains and dismisses absolute." This statement is powerful, we see truth(miracles, healings, spiritual gifts, revelation) all around us and yet how often do see it and yet reject it. I have heard from people that God used to exist, he created Earth and man, then left. How is that possible? We see truth everyday that proves God exists. Hospitals, people are saved everyday, that is a miracle. How do people reject these signs of truth? I do not understand because there is truth all around us and yet people do not see it. 

Anyways I hope to hear from you all soon, but if not I understand, you are all busy with school and things.

Love you all,
Elder Annen

The Desire, A Will, All Given Freely

Oh Family, I love you all and am not sure what I am going to write about this week....

We had Zone Conference and heard from President, who shared some imspired words that we as missionaries needed to hear, we need to work harder, we need to improve, anyways, I feel so impressed that I need to change if I am to become a missionary. I say become a missionary because I feel like I am not one. Its a process. We are all going through this similar process, whether we are moving forward or backwards, we are all becoming missionaries. The only things is, are we actually trying to change and do better? Are we really good at repently, daily and joyfully?

This week we also had more service and guess what!?! Stacking wood again! These Swiss people really like wood. I think all of them chop wood all day and then ask the missionaries to come by and stack it, haha, who knows?:) That is a hard and tough job but I enjoy service projects. Well, nothing else significant happened this week so why not share a spiritual thought?

In my personal study, I have been truly, deeply trying to understand the life of Jesus Christ. I feel so impressed with the Atonement. I know that I can email and tell you how I feel but you wont feel understand the deepness of understanding and love that Jesus has for all of us. I realized that Jesus Christ truly gave everything for us. He couldnt feel pain. He couldnt die. Yet He died. He suffered incredbile pains. How is this so? He loved us. He loves us. Jesus Christ willed Himself to feel pain.

How many of us would force pain upon ourselves? How many of us, if we could control the ability of life, would force death upon ourselves in order for others to be happy? I am so impressed with this this past week. Jesus truly performed the greatest sacrifice, full of love, charity for each one of us. I stand all amazed. Really I do, He suffered, and dead because He wanted to. He wanted to do it for us. Incredible. Well, I know you may read this and not have a huge impact on you, but I feel so deep inside that Jesus, loves each and every single one of us. I love Him! And I love all of you, hop to hear from you soon!

Love,
Elder Annen

General Conference Weekend

Dear Family,

Oh man! General Conference Weekend! How was it? Having a few days off of school and enjoying the weekend listening to some of the most inspired talks I have ever heard! Really that was fantastic! So for this week I will give some highlights then mostly talk about Conference because, wow, that was a special event.

This week we had some time to get a little more excercise, and so we went for a run and played some soccer with some Europeans and man! They are so incredible at soccer, I would just run around, trying to look like I was doing something, and hope they would pass to me. Haha oh I am so humbled by that experience... Honestly, soccer is a fun sport, but it humbles me because I realize how bad I am at it. And now I want to get some proper shoes, cleats, but oh well! We also had exchanges this week and helped an old man move wood from his old tractor into his house. He spoke crazy swiss german, and kept saying gelb! After everything... Yellow? Why does he keep saying gelb? or Yellow? That didnt make sense to me. 

General Conference.... What a powerful event! I will talk about my two favorite.. Uchtdorf`s and Jörg Klebingal talks, Uchtdorfs from Priesthood session and Jörg from Sunday morning. "Lord, is it I?" What a powerful statement... I cant think of any comment to add to this wonderfully simple phrase. How often do we look at others and saw, wow THEY need to change that. THEY shouldn't do that, why are THEY doing that? I like the story of the Solitary Dandelion, he talked about. In summary, therre was a man with a perfect lawn, completely green, bushes trimmed, lawn mowed, weeds removed, and the yards was perfect. His neighbor always admired his lawn. This neighbor would look at the lawn everyday and think wow what a beautiful lawn. As the neighbor walked past this perfect lawn, he noticed one dandelion. Why would the man with the perfect yard, not pick up this weed? The rest of lawn was amazing. The neighbor kept thinking about this as he walked into his house, with his yard being covered in dandelions. How often do we see mistakes in others but not in ourselves? I would ask if all of you would ask yourselves... "Lord is it I?" Will you please look within your heart and ask "Lord, Is it I?"

Jörg Klebingal gave 6 amazing tips for finding peace in ones life..

1) Take responsibility for your spiritual confidence, if you arent happy with it, change it! Dont blame others, take responsibililty

2) Take responsibilty for Physical confidence, if you arent happy with it, change it! The body is a temple. Read the Word of Wisdom, it says the exact, perfect diet. Meat in ONLY times of winter or famine, eat good! The Word of Wisdom is the perfect diet

3) Obedience, do things for the right reason

4) Become REALLY good at repentance, happy joyful repentance everyday.

5) Become REALLY good at forgiving

6) Accept trials and experiences... This is something I struggle with and I like what Jörg said. In times of trial "force a smile, look heaven ward, and say `Lord I know why I have this trial` "

Anyways really powerful talks. I love you all!

Love,
Elder Annen

From President Kohler

Dear Families of our Alpenländische Missionaries-

As we approach the holiday season, we want to reach out to all of you and thank you for your support.  It is an honor to serve with your great missionaries in such a special part of the world.

We know that you are anxious to send Christmas packages to your missionaries, and want to ensure that each missionary gets his or her package by Christmas.  In order for this to happen in a mission as large as this one, with over 270 missionaries, this takes some careful planning and coordination.  We will be delivering the packages as we go around the mission for our Christmas conferences. For this to be possible we need you to ensure that your package is delivered to our mission office by Dec. 1st (address below).

We would also like to invite you to support us in our goal of having a baptism in each of the 68 wards or branches in this mission by the end of the year.   Join us by uniting your prayers and fasts with ours in drawing upon the Lord’s blessings as we invite and help others to come unto Christ.

We love your missionaries, appreciate their service, and are grateful for your faith and prayers.  May the Lord continue to bless you and your families.

Liebe Grüße,

Präsident and Sister Kohler

Alpenländishe Mission

Lommelstraße 7

81479 München

Germany

How Much Wood, Could a Woodchuck Chuck....

Dear Wonderful Family!

First off, Jessica.... Happy Birthday!!! I cant believe you are turning 16 and will start doing so much more, dating, driving, and have a great time at high school dances and whatever! So Happy Birthday, I am so excited for you! I also want to apologize, because I have hand written letters for you all for your birthdays, but I have kein stamps to send them to you:( So I am really sorry, when I send these letters and they will be about 3 months late or whenever I have time to get stamps. My companion never gives me time to email, let alone, buy stamps and write letters, so I apologize! A thousand apologies!!!

This past week has been full of meeting with investigators, having finding days, service, eating with members and just really busy times. I think I will tell about the service project. So we woke up at 6:30 as usual, got ready and headed off to this service project in Weinfelden. We went to family Reisen`s house and helped chop and stack wood, which was surprisingly fun! I remember when Jeremy came home and he was so into physical, hard, work and now I can understand why he felt that way! So we had one person handing long wood planks to the sawman who cut the wood, then put it into a wheelburrow and my job was to stack the wood into a nice pile. Not really that exciting for a normal person, but as a missionary... This was a great thing to do! I love doing service, its one of the greatest blessing here out in the mission. When I come home I definitely want to do more hardwork. After working for 3 hours or so.. We had a delicous lunch, with fries, bratwurst, bread, and hardboiled eggs, apple juice made from Family Reisen`s apple trees, and man! It was absolutlely amazing! But they play the funniest game with their hardboiled eggs.. So one person holds and egg and another person holds another. Then they smash the eggs together and see which one is the "bad egg" and cracks. Then they swap sides of the eggs and play the game again. Anyway I thought it was a funny game!

In studies this week, I found a really interesting story in the book of Mark, chapter 9. Jesus had his transfiguration on the mount, and came down. Jesus was in a, what I would call, a "spiritual high." He had just been praying and communicating with Heavenly Father and angels. Anyways, He comes down, and a man comes to him with a son that is pocessed. The Apostels had tried to heal him but they could, this next part literally saddend me. Jesus say," O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you." He was so sad from how little faith the Apostels had. He asked how much longer, he would have to cooperate with this "faithless generation." The father begs Christ to heal his son, knowing that he, himself, doesnt have great faith or have a great belief. Christ replies " If thou canst believe... All things are possible to him that believeth" Now let me quickly switch to another idea. Do you remember the song "Believe" by Josh Groban? If you have forgotten, the main chorous goes like this....

"Believe in what your heart is saying

Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need

If you just believe"

I find this to be so interesting, " You have everything you need, if you just believe." I think of the faith a child has for christmas ever year. They have such a great excitement, great faith that Santa will come. They have geniune belief. Geniune faith... And yet Christ says," If thou canst believe... All things are possible to him that believeth." If we all could simple believe, thats it! Believe! All things are possible! I know this to be true! I know it with all my heart and soul. Because I have seen people who have nothing. No loving family, no money, addiction, and yet they have enough. How do they have enough? Because they believe. That simple. 

"You have everything you need
If you just believe" 

I leave you my testimony and ask that we do the simple thing, believe, Come follow me, its all a simple phrase. I love you all!

With love,
Elder Annen

It's Only A Mountain

Wow..... The last week has been absolutely insane... First off...... Bum...BUm... BUM!!! The Säntis, the most intense mountain. Ever... The climb reminded me of the story of Jeremy`s, with climbing mountains. The hike started out really warm, with a little bit of fog. I was wearing my giganticous coat and sweatshirt just in case and man I started sweating to bad, it was completely disgusting. So I took that off and kept going.

The hike was easy, then it got steeper and steeper... And narrower and narrower... One side is next to a rock wall and the other is a cliff. I could only see 3 people ahead of me then all the fog hid everyone else. We climber higher and higher, narrower and narrower,steeper and steeper.. The weather started to turn bad. The wind picked up, and was blowing like crazy! Then the rain came, and I was wet from sweat and wet from the rain. We kept climbing up and up. Then the temperatures started to drop, and snow, and wind grew stronger and stronger against us. We were walking through snow, ice, slush and remember... We are next to a cliff and a rock wall.. Talk about between a rock and a hard place, or at least a hard fall^^ Then we got to a solid rock wall and we climbed straight up it, with no equipment and no gear, just straight up in the crazy weather. 

We climbed and climbed. Then we got to the top.. A path covered in snow, mostly ice, and a cliff on both sides. One wrong step and bye bye Elder Annen. But of course, there was a miraculous chain, covered in ice that we could hold onto. I didn't bring gloves. I was told in my mission call to buy some on the mission in winter time. So held to that chain with hands that screamed in pain because first of fear and second because of how cold it was. My hands were completely numb and yet they burned with the freezing chain. We kept going and came to a drop off where 30 feet we went down 50 feet then straight back. People,missionaries, were slipping everywhere and that was so scary. Because if one slipped everyone behind them would be in trouble. We climbed and with frozen, blistering hands, faces, wet feet, we made it to the top.

The most interesting connection came to me though. The chain was freezing, the path narrow, surrounded by mists of darkness... Anyone seeing a connection? I thought of the iron rod story. The chain was freezing and I wanted to let go so badly the whole time. We have to hold to the rod even if it kills our hands. I have to go apparently and will talk later.

Love you,
Elder Annen

A Pretty Relaxed Week

Well family, this week has been pretty normal and a little upsetting....

A brief summary sense last time I wrote.... We went to the hospital a few times to visit Saila, and I hope things go better for her. She has really had a hard life. I also had exchanges with the elders in St. Gallen. We went to one appointment the Baygül family from Turkey and sadly they were not home. So we went to a less active and GUESS WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? Also nicht home. So went to Institute and ate some Mexican food. It tasted really good because well.. I was super hungry! But it definitely was not as good, as Mom`s Mexican food! Honestly, the Mexican food here is definitely not healthy and not even all that tasty compared to Cafe Rio or home food. Then we went to the apartment and went to bed, Whoot Whoot! Favorite part of the day for sure! Next day we switched back from the exchange and yeah. We went to Nina and GUESS WHAT? She wasn`t home either.... So we went home and studied.

Then yesterday we had part of a p-day because I wont be on tomorrow, or be having a p-day tomorrow. So really nothing exciting happened this past week, but morgen wir haben an awesome hike!!! We are getting up at 4 in the morning, and climbing the Säntis, which is this huge mountain, and hopefully next week I can send some awesome pictures. Anyways, I don't know what else to say...

I am doing pretty well, and am excited to be able to work more. I love you all and pray for you all.

Love,

Elder Annen