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
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