Happy May!

Ah family! 
Yet again a time to write to you about my week adventures. I realized this week the importance of telling you about my experiences both fun and spiritual. There is nothing else like a mission and you experience some things only on a mission and lately I have just been telling you about what I have learned so I am more than pumped that I now can share some experiences with you this week! 
I actually have an experience from the week before that I have got to tell because it is so great and fun. It was when we were on our aus tausch (exchange) and I was in Ludwigsburg. That night we had an eating appointment with an Itailian man and youve got to know a little background of this man before we get started. He name is Oslwaldo and he is less active in the church but he is a very friendly and loving small oldish man. He has been coming to church lately and everyone knows him because he really just loves everyone human being! His German is a little Italianized which just makes it fun! So we went over for dinner and right off I felt this mans love for me! He greeted us with hugs and kisses (kisses just for Elder Chapman (the missionary I was on exchange with)) but I could tell it was going to be a good night. To start off with he gave us some German bread kind of roll thing and sliced off some cheese and slapped it on there. It was probably the biggest slice of cheese I have ever ate on a slice of bread. It actually reminded of the RM and the tongan eating the butter slice! After that we were full but then came the pizza he ordered. The pizza man drops it off I for reals it was the biggest box of pizza I have ever seen! There was no way we could eat the whole thing so after we ate what we could he packed it in a bag along with other goodies for the week and after our message sent us off again with hugs and kisses and our arms full of food. He was so giving and loving! I did not even know this man but the love he showed to me was a love I really know he gave and it wanted me to share it with other people. Thats really what love can do as we show our love for others and then they pass it on! The world needs more Oslwaldos! 
This week we have had the opportunity to do some service the last few days. One was with a less active we have just these last two weeks have got in contact with. It was really cool because the first time we met with her at the end of our conversation she told us a experience that she prayed to Heavenly Father asking for some "cool, fun" guys would show up in her life. The next day we called! Good thing we qualify in those two areas. But it has been good meeting with her and doing some service for her. 
Something fun that I have started up again on my mission is playing the piano! Okay well I have only played once but ever since I have got here every week in Priesthood we have no one play the piano for the opening song so this last week I decided it would be fun to learn a simple hymn and play it on Sunday. You might be wondering how I did this so what I did was picked out a hymn and wrote the notes of just the right hand down and then drew a piano and in my personal study I would kind of practice for just a couple minutes and then when Sunday rolled around and since we get there about 15 minutes before everyone else I practiced on the real piano! It was really fun to do and only tho it is the right hand its at least something! So im excited to maybe learn some other songs. Church is great tho, it has been changed from 9 to 930. I got the opportunity to bare my testimony this last week in Fast and Testimony meeting. We dont have a lot of members here but I really can tell they are a family and so it has been fun to be apart of them. 
Yesterday we had an experience a missionary doesnt very often experience so Ive got to share this one. So we were going by on a referral that was given to us and on the way there when we were walking across the street was a "New Apostle Church" the doors was open and there was something going on. There were 2 men greeting the people coming in and they saw us and called us over. They were very impressed with us being so young and our desire to share what we believe and so they invited us to join them! The activity was Küche and Koffee and so when we came in there was tables with cakes of all sorts and lots of people. They were just to begin as we came in so they said prayer and then afterwards introduced us to whole place! They said, "We have some missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints with us today, Elder Merkley and Elder Jerman." We felt very welcome but a little out of place. Once we drove right into the cake all was well. We met some very nice people that were so friendly and it was neat to talk to them a little bit what we were doing as missionaries and why we decided to come on missions. They shared also a little bit about there religion and cool to find out they have Apostles as well but much more than us. Around 260 and we actually got the opportunity to meet one! Didnt quite fell like it would meeting one of the 12 Apostles but still pretty neat. It was a great experience and it really got us thinking about how it is like for our investigators when they come to church and how important it is for the members to make them feel welcomed and start a friendship. We cant of course offer Koffee but I believe we have something to offer that will bless their lives forever. This gospel is something unique and special we all have the opportunity to share and even though the people dont always recognize us, we are a tool in Gods work showing his love for each of his children we talk to and give the opportunity to accept his gospel. 
I love you all and I am glad I could share some experiences of my mission and let you be apart of it. Cant wait for what the future has in store and I know with Faith in Jesus Christ its going to be good. Also cant wait to skyped you on Sunday! Im really excited to see you! Ah you guys are just the best! Love you family! 
Elder Jerman

Train ride near Heilbronn

Heilbronn District