Good Works

Good Works

Family!

What a great time to be alive and living! Things are going well here in Rosenheim as I am beginning to get myself acquainted with the place. Its neat how different areas here are and a big one I have notice is how much we walk! Now Im not complaining or anything dont take it wrong but we sure do a lot of walking. The buses here are different and we dont have a pass like we did in Heilbronn. But its good though I enjoy it and we have more opportunties to meet and talk with people along our way. We have had some really cool experiences actually this week with some really neat people and this week I have learned a lot about service. As I arrived here we only had one investigator so we have spent a fair share of time finding but also we have had some great service opporutinties and not just planned but also unplanned which is so cool!

I will start off with one that just happened yesterday which was a great adventure and I learned there is more to service for just those we serve. We were yesterday in a city to go by on a less active and former investigator. Sadly the less active had no interest and the former no longer lived there. While walking to the less active along the way we found a wallet on the ground and decided to pick it up and see if we could find any information to return it and it turns out his address was inside! We asked a lady as she walked by if she knew the street and she didnt but pulled out here handy dandy smart phone and looked it up. It was an 18 minute drive with a bike in a small village outside the city. We decided to go by on the people we where there for and then if we had time go there. Turns out with no luck with our less active and former we had time so we went for it! We had our goal to return this wallet and we were determined as we walked out of the city and started off down the road. As time went by we werent sure if we were going to make it back in time to make our train but we kept going. We got there knowing we werent going to make our train back but went anyway to the door hoping they would be home. He opens up the door and was overwhelmed we had his wallet. His face was priceless and he was so happy to have his wallet back. One part of service is to gladden the hearts of others and that sure did happen as he saw his wallet. It also gladden my heart and made me happy to see his joy and happiness and I think that is a part of service that we receive joy too as we serve. The thing that makes this story perfect is that they wanted to give us money but we didnt take it. Instead I asked if they could drive us back to the train station and they did! The Lord really does provide in all things!

Another neat experience this week was we met a lady on the street this week and shared a Scripture with her about praying to God both in morning and night. She told us she had a strong belief in God and throughout the years she lost hope. She wasnt too interested in meeting again but after we left we hoped that this scripture would at least help. A few days later we saw her again! She told us we had thought a lot about the scripture we shared and how she was thinking of praying again after all these years. We talked a little more and introduced the Book of Mormon and little more this second time and shared with her Moronis promise. She really enjoyed it and took the book having us mark this scripture because, "it made her feel good." The Book of Mormon can heal all questions in our crazy and busy lives. So neat to share it with others.

One more story of the week is the last few days we have notice a man on a bench by the train station and so one day we asked him how things were going and if we could at all help out. He is from Hungarian and is here for work but wants to get back to Hungary to his family. He is a very humble man and we really wanted to help him out, so last night as we saw him we decided to get him a little something to eat before he left today back to Hungary. Last night during are planning we felt that we should give him a Book of Mormon in Hungarian and try and get his address so we could give it to the Elders there. So this morning for morning sport we decided to take a jog down town with a Hungarian Book of Mormon hoping we would find him before he left and after a while we did find him! He took the book and gave us his address it was the coolest thing ever! What a miracle to find him this morning but something I have really learned is miracles happen according to our faith and if we have faith we act. We act and go about doing good to those around us and desire righteous blessings to be fulfilled. We sure hope that now we have acted on our faith and gave him a Book of Mormon and received his address he will meet with the missionaries in Hungary and that righteous desire will be fulfilled. This is a wonderful work and as we do good works according to righteous desires miracles will happen!

I love you all very much and pray for you daily.

Elder Jerman

This is Jason's reply to some questions we asked about his area, the ward, living with 3 other missionaries, (even in the MTC, he has always been with only one companion) and his time with our exchange student a few weeks ago.  What we can learn about his new area, Rosenheim, is that it is half the size of his other area, but twice the members. :)

Things are going great in the new area. It sure is different and interesting from going to a place I knew so well and the people and then coming here and now learning a new area and new people but its all part of the growing process. I unfortantily did not give him a Book of Mormon but we did talk about what I was doing now as a missionary and he didnt seem too interested in it as he is Prodistant and active in that but I will for sure keep in contact with him and see if I can have the missionaries in his area give his family a visit that is a great idea that I didnt think about, thanks dad.

Its been pretty fun living with another companionship there is both pros and cons. Its so fun to come home at night and cook and have dinner together and talk about the day as a missionaries and all our adventures and neat things that happened and this week we had a chance to go to a members house for dinner all 4 of us which was so fun! It was just like a big family. It is tough though sometimes getting ready in the morning and so we can start studies on time and then also at night getting to bed on time. We make it work though and we have spilt our area in half, its one big area but they work on one side and we in the other with the members, less actives and investigators there. If we find a investigator that lives on their side we give it to them to teach. The ward is way fun we have about 50 to 60 active members so its not overwhelming big like 100 or something but its good and there are a few members that are great with missoinary work and actual we have an investigator that was a refferal from a member but we have just met with him once and wont until october again. But members are so important. Thanks for all your words, thougts, pictures and ideas. You are so supporting and always remind me to go a little harder. Thanks for all you do and I love you!

Love,

your son Jason

This is what he said about the two pictures he sent.

1. This was a crazy day as we had to walk on the side of the street through small villages like this one to reach a less active but it was so soooo soo beautiful with the green fields, the rain and the mountains!! Such a neat adventure.

2. More beautiful mountains and a church. Our area borders Austria so we were almost into austria but not quite! ;) We did service for a less active that practicually lives in the mountains. Its her house and then forest and I absolutley loved working in the yard right on the mountain side. Oh that is for sure one thing that gives me joy! :)