Zeugnis geben

Roger asked Jason some more specific details about his new companion's dad.   Did you find out if Elder Gomez's dad's first  name is Jesus? If it is, its the same Elder i worked with in La Coruna, in Spain. He was a great guy, very enthusiastic and he worked hard. I think he was on his mission for a year, then had to serve in the Spanish army for 6 months, that was the rule back then for all men 18 and over. Then he came back and finished his mission, if I am remembering correctly.

Roger found a birthday card given to him signed by Elder Gomez.  He wrote:

​

Kind of neat to think about those things so long ago. We had such a great time together, us 4 missionaries. We served way up in the northwest corner of Spain and had great adventures and taught a lot of people, or we sowed a lot of seeds way back in the day.

 This is Jason's reply. 

Thats him alright. All that info is right. What a cool connection and its been neat for us this week to be thinking on our dads and how we are doing it now! We have 

​a neat bond  :)

​

With new companion, Elder Gomez Torio.
"Our dads served together in Spain over 40 years ago!"

 

​

Family!! 

Ah what a great way to start an email ever week. I love it and I love my family. Its been neat this week working on my Family Booklet to share with others. There is a neat spirit to it and I know I have been blessed with such a wonderful family that I can share with my other brothers and sisters here in Vienna. In my studies this morning I learned about how as we focus our service to our brothers and sisters we will learn the value and love that the Lord has for them. It cant be done just in words, there most to action and I am grateful we can all serve others everyday and learn that love. 

Vienna is quite the place and there are many opportunities to do so. Its been neat to learn as well that no matter where they are from we can serve them and then hope as they travel back to where ever they are from that they are in Gods hands and he will further their preparation in accepting the gospel. Its funny because usually in the subways we meet others visiting Vienna and you can tell they are as they dont know their way around. We ask if we can help (even though I dontknow my way around) We still do our best and its so neat the people you meet. We met someone from Salt Lake City whoisnt a member but has a brother who served a mission. I know him meeting the missionaries in Vienna and receiving help will help him along his path. It is all in Gods time though. We also met another couple from American and they actually are originally from Columbia and so Elder Gomez Torio went off with them in Spanish. Its just great to leave a good impression with everyone and more importantly a testimony. Something that invites the Spirit, a feeling they hopefully wont forget and will mean something more to them one day. 

I have learned more this week about my testimony and sharing it and how key that is. Last Monday in the subway talked with a way nice, friendly young man and made out an appointment for Thursday. Thursday came around and we met at the church and I was really excited for this opportunity and helping him receive and accept the gospel. It was a great meeting but afterwards when the time came to commit him and invite him back he had no interest whatsoever. I was really saddened but the impression came to bare testimony because that is something what you can leave. 

The work is moving forward here, I am grateful to be here and I hope we can rely and act upon the prompting of the Spirit to find the ones the Lord has prepared for us in this time. I know the Lord is aware of us and as we are obedient, preach our simple and clear message, ad bare testimony we will be led to those ready to hear and accept it. 

I love you deeply and so grateful for the love you show to me. I hope you have a great week, stay safe and make memories! 

Much love,

Elder Jerman

Elder Jerman in Vienna, Austria.  The Schönbrunn palace is near where they live. 

Pres. and Sister Mile's Homecoming

The returned missionaries from the Alpine German Speaking Mission were asked to come up and sing "Called to Serve" in German with Pres. and Sister Miles.  They have had over 550 missionaries and the building was filled like stake conference. 

Alpine Returned Missionaries sing "Called to Serve" in German

Copy this link to go to Brother Gilmour's Facebook post to listen.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152339291572886

We were able to meet them afterwards at their home in Bountiful.  They just arrived home yesterday!  Sister Mile's dad, Elder Russel M. Nelson was on the stand, spoke at the end and shook our hands after the meeting. 

It was a great day!

Pres. and Sister Mile's Homecoming Day

Cousin, Sister Courtney King, serving in Japan, is in this "HAPPY" video

Pharrell Williams - "Happy We Are From Morioka Iwate"

What a fun clip to watch!   www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpZcZLDkVAQ  Sister missionaries at 3:11.

Elder Jerman's cousin, Sister Courtney King, is serving in the Japan, Sendai mission.  She came upon a festival near the train station in Morioka where she and her companion were street contacting. Soon, they were invited to join in the street dancing and she said it was her favorite day ever on her mission as she felt so much a part of Japan. Watch the first 3 minutes of these cute people and then at 3 minutes and 11 seconds, look for the darling, "happy" sister missionaries! It's super quick and then it moves on to just the opposite scene. I would think everyone in Morioka would want to watch this and maybe they will recognize these bright and happy girls and want to meet them!

New Beginning

Elder Nielson and I at Schloss Solitude

In front of a church, pretty common when you walk the streets of Germany:)

*Kaleen writes:

Yesterday, we went to Lindon to the Homecoming talk of Elder Moon who just arrived home the day before.  He served with Jason for the last 5 months as Zone Leader in Stuttgart.  When some of the missionaries there heard Jason was being transferred to Vienna and working with a missionary from Spain, they knew his name was Elder Gomez.  This got Roger to thinking about an Elder Gomez who was his District Leader in Spain, 40 years ago.  He remembered him being tall and a very enthusiastic missionary from the Canary Islands (just off Spain). So he asked Jason today in his letter if his new companion had any connection to the Canary Islands.  This is his reply.  

"You won't ever believe it!! I have just talked with Elder Gomez Torio (my companion) and we have figured out that the Elder Gomez who you served with is his Dad!!! He is tall and has green eyes, He grew up in the Canary Islands and was converted when he was 17 or 18 and at 19 went on his mission. So we are pretty sure it is him!  We will have to double check and you can too but how neat is that! 40 years later, both of the sons are now working together in Austria!!!  If this really is true, this connection, how neat it is! We are serving together and we hope to do as you two have done in the past. How neat it is to think on that and it will gives us motivation and we know we will receive help and see many miracles with our time together. 

I love you and thanks so much for your love and support. Oh man, we are so excited for this next week, how neat it would be if this is true!! :)"  

Elder Jason Jerman

 I sure loved Stuttgart!! 

June 23, 2014

New Beginning

Family!!

So great to here from you today! What a beautiful day, its good to be alive and living another day! I have made it safely to Vienna and excited to be here and starting anew. It will be a change in many ways but I am grateful for this time right now on my mission to recommit myself, set new goals and visions. There is still much to accomplish and I am grateful that I am here serving the Lord. There is nothing better I could be doing.

So I will first go over the last days in Stuttgart and then move on to the adventure I have already had here in Vienna. On Monday night we had an appointment which fell out so we had our back up plan to go by on a less active in the area and it was quite the night trying to contact on the street as hardly no one was out. They were all watching the game, but I must say it was a neat atmosphere to experience on every corner people watching the game and cheering on their team. Its neat something like that can bring a nation together. We did actually have an unexpected opportunity to serve come up. There was people from another religion carrying bags of clothes and such to load up to deliver and we asked to help out. So neat that the Lord gives us unexpected opportunities to serve, we must be humble enough to recognize them and act upon it. My last day got to have one last appointment with Lilliana and her family. It went really well and it was neat to see the progress she has made in the last little while. She is well into the Book of Mormon and is starting to understand the doctrine really well. As we read one passage, she explained to us how she is convinced that it is true and knows it is the right way. I am excited for her and her future, I know all will be well along with all the others. Its sad saying goodbyes and as you look back on the time and those you had the opportunity to serve and teach, its neat to see what actually they taught you and how my testimony was strengthen from them.

On Thursday, zipped up the bags and was off for almost a full day of travel across our mission to Vienna. It was fun being able to go through Rosenheim and having memories come back into mind. We got into Vienna that night and it all began. I will be serving in 3rd ward in Vienna. There has just been two elders here and they are now spilt up (but both still here) and we have now 4 Elders. I am serving with Elder Gomez Torio from Toledo Spain. We talked, but we will have to double check but we believe that our dads served together in Spain!! What a miracle and small world if it is true! To be together now at this time and to do just as those in the past have done, share the gospel to Gods child whoever they may be and bring them back to their loving Heavenly Father.

We have had some really great last few days. I am so grateful to work with him and learn from his example. This weekend for our ward, they celebrated 40 years of being a ward and 30 years in the ward building. What a special time to have them come together and celebrate it. We had a celebration activity on Saturday where members came and also brought friends. Great to speak with them and get to know them both. Then Sunday was also a special meeting and there was one who came back from the Saturday party. His name is Orlando and we actually have grown a good relationship with him, so after church we went with him to the family who invited him. We discussed with him and he had questions and it was neat to have the members answer and bare their testimonies to him. There is no better way to do missionary work. How great it is to have the members be the big part of it and feel the joy missionary work brings. I know this time here will be great as we keep working hand it hand with them. Gods work is one and as we all work together to do our part we will experience that great joy and blessings that are in store for us and our loved ones.

Have a wonderful week and I love you all so very much!

Alles gute,

Elder Jerman

Transfer Day for Elder Jerman.  He is off on the train for Vienna, Austria!   Sister Winter (same district for 6 months) stays in Stuttgart to wish the departing missionaries Good-bye.

from Elder Nielson's letter

Sadly :(  Elder Jerman will be leaving me after 4 great transfers here in Stuttgart he is off to WIEN 3.  He´ll love it there but I will sure miss him.  I´ve learned a lot from his example and I hope and pray to be able to take what I learned from him, remember it and apply it. 

Another great part of the week was singing.  Elder Jerman and I decided that we would start singing every time we teach Lilliana (the investigator from Portugal) so we sang "ich bin ein Kind von Gott" (I am a Child of God) and then later. I stand all amazed.  It was a cool experience and I think we will begin doing that more often :)  I really like it despite my shortage in singing ability ;)

Osterreich???

Stuttgart district P-Day outing 

Teaching - Elder Jerman, Elder Nielson and Sister Winters.

Family!! 

Great to hear from you and to hear your summer is going well. I love hearing from each one of you and hearing what is going on with you as you grow up. I love all of you very much. It has been a great week here in Stuttgart, I have really enjoyed the time here but my time has come to an end and I will be moving on. We got transfer calls on Friday morning and President Miles called and said that I will be transferred to.....Vienna Austria!!! I am going to Austria!! Its hard to believe after being in Germany my whole mission but the time for me has come and I have mixed feelings as I will be sad leaving Germany but at the same time exciting to be going to Austria. Also something to that is my new companion is from Spain! I will tell you more next week but this next week will be a time of many new experiences and I am ready to take it all with full commitment. I have learned a lot here in Stuttgart and overall so far on my mission and it will be neat to be going to a new area to apply those things and recommit myself to this wonderful work. 

Well with that exciting news, this past week has gone really well and there is much going on which I know will move forward and no progress will be lost. Monday night we were for a short time at the YSA center and we were surprised when we saw Damaris there! She just cant stay away, even if she doesnt recognize it or doesnt want to I know she knows this is right. Her goal has always been telling us something that will change our way but as she keeps coming we have seen progress of her changing her view. We met with her later in the week with a member as we had a main goal of her feeling the Spirit and recognizing it, which is always the harder part. We sang "I am a Child of God" with her and prayed to start it off and right after we knew she had felt the Spirit. It was really neat and we also have sang some hymns with other investigators as we have met with them this past week. I am so grateful for the many ways we can all feel the Spirit confirm the truth. At the end of lesson with Damaris she prayed! She has never prayed and so there is a new hope with her and we will see where it goes from her. Lilliana is also doing great as we met with her and what is neat is that Filipe (her boyfriend) joined in with us. He usually just sits on the side but we invited him to join and they both had great questions and know it is the best as they progress together. 

Yesterday was a sweet and sour day, being the last time here in church in Stuttgart. These members are wonderful and I have learned to love them for who they are. I am grateful for their efforts and support and hope I can work with the members in Vienna effectively. No time with members are wasted as they are so important in this work. It was neat to have the young men come up to say goodbye. I am going to miss them all but I know the future holds much good with new people, area and land. All which is in need of love, I hope to do all the Lord expects and I know we all can do what the Lord expects as we get on our knees and go to him in pray. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

much love,

Elder Jerman

Dinner at member's home in Stuttgart.

Playing games

Walking with kids of a member family.

Angels from on High

Family!! 

It is so great to hear you are doing so well, as I read the letters from you I marvel of how blessed we are. Let us not forget to remember to thank him who has given us all we have. We are so blessed to have a knowledge of a loving God that wants and is ready to bless us with more than we can ever imagine if we will but only follow him and be obedient to that which he has given us. The greatest commandment which he did give was to love God with all we have and are and the 2nd like it in loving our neighbor. This week a returned Sister in our ward here in Stuttgart gave her testimony on how she learned the language of love. Its a neat opportunity to serve a mission and learn this language but truly we can all learn this language and we serve and care for those around us and how neat that no matter where we are or what our calling is missionary or not we can all serve our God and others. 

Things are staying busy here in Stuttgart and it has been a great last week. To start it off I was on an exchange with a good ole friend from home Elder Allan. It was so neat to work together and see how far we have come and what we still want to accomplish. We experienced a cool miracle working together in finding someone new to teach. I sometimes wonder how the Lord does it so perfectly as he prepares those and then leads us to them, but I do know he timing is perfect and as we are obedient and following the soft promptings his work will move forward. So we talked with this guy on the street going to an appointment and he said we could come by later that day if we had time and after our appointment we did have some time so we went by and started talking with him when a couple friends of him walked in and also engaged in the conversation. To make a long story short we ended up making out another appointment with one of his friends who is really interested and whats to learn more. Our day turned out a lot different than we had planned but at the end of the day we knew it was how the Lord wanted our day to go with the people we met and helped along the way. 

We have been in good contact with Lilliana and Steven this last week who are both doing really well. Lilliana and her family invited us for dinner one night and we had some real Portuguese food which was fun. We talked about the blessings of the gospel with her family and they said they have been doing family prayer and have notice a difference, oh the love of our God as we obey. We invited her to baptism but she is not yet ready but knows it is something she desires. She really wants to come to church as well and on Friday when we visited her it was neat because of neighbor or hers was there and also listened in to our message. She wants to come as well but unfortunately Lilliana's boyfriend is the one that is holding everyone up. We hope to work with him and overtime with pray and faith that he will gain the desire to come once again as he is a less active member. Steven is also doing great and I feel we have a great relationship with him. We had a member with us last time so that was also good to get him involved with young single adults. Yesterday as we met with him after church it was neat to have him say that he knows that this path which he is taking is the right path from him, he isnt quite ready for pray but as we patiently and lovely move forward with him his desire and faith will grow and it wont be because of the things we say rather of what he experiences and what he feels and I know that is also why he knows this path is the right path. 

A neat experience for the week going along with Steven was when we met with him earlier in the week and talked about faith. He has grown much faith since the time we first met him and it continues every time. At the end we offered him a blessing as a act of his faith because he is kind of going through a difficult time. He accepted and it was really neat as we did so I imagine Angels also around us in the circle placing their hands on his head. I know that the Priesthood power is real and that it is the power of God. We are blessed to have it once again on the earth, the same power Christ had and has as he leads this church. I am so grateful that we can serve Gods children no matter who they are or where we are to help them reach Gods ultimate goal or having everyone of them come back to live with them. 

I love you all and so thankful for the love you share! I hope you have a great week and especially Alicia for your 16th birthday! Our family is growing up but I love you all the same! 

Liebe Grüße,
Elder Jerman

Sack lunch at Chinese Gardens.

Pres. Kohler quote at their Provo Farewell

"There are 280 missionaries in the Alpine German-Speaking mission and I already love them all."

Pres. and Sister Kohler

Lehi's Dream

Last Suttgart District picture before the Bensons go home!

Family!! Great to hear that summer has started off great back home. I hope you have a great one making memories and spending time together with loved ones. Time is something I dont think we will ever quite grasp how precious it is but we still can use it well! I cant believe the May has come and gone and now our time in June starts up. We had a great end of May has we finished up the week. We were in Munich on Thursday and Friday. We had our leadership council meeting and it was quite special as it was the last one for President and Sister Miles. I was quit privilege to be there and to hear their testimonies and as we sang our closing hymn to see them tear up. I thought of them and all that they have given to these people and to the Lord these last 3 years. They are wonderful examples and we will miss them. They will still be coming around for one last zone conference with everyone in a few weeks and then they will be off. Also on that note the Bensons will be heading home tomorrow!! They have also been great and yesterday at church it was really neat at the very end after sacrament meeting ended the ward stood up and sand, God be with You Till We Meet again. They have been great here in Stuttgart the last 21 months. We did get to meet the new couple as well, The Zauggs from Texas will be serving here and we are excited to work with them. As we were singing that song I thought and I hope that I can on my last Sunday say that I gave all I could in serving my time for my mission. There is still much to do and I am grateful for the time I still have, a good reminder to stay concentrated on the work and on these wonderful people here. 

Things are well in Stuttgart, we had good contact with those we are teaching and are making progress with them all, exercising our faith along the way in finding new to teach. That is one thing that is so important and nothing gets done in missionary work until we have someone to teach. You never know who will be the one who will receive you and who the Lord has prepared I think back on Steven when we found him about a month ago on a day for him where he was struggling and think that if we hadnt opened our mouths because of this or that but because we obeyed both us but more importantly he was blessed. We have met twice with him this week, and it has been a blessing for meeting so often. He has made great progress, I can remember the first time we met and he couldnt say he believed on God but now he is at the point where that faith has grown. It hasnt grown because of what we taught but rather because of what he has experienced. Knowing that God lives and he loves us is the foundation of our testimony and as we share that love with others and invite them to experience it as well, that is how they will gain the knowledge. I love how this gospel is a living striving gospel where we can live it to come to the knowledge of the truth of it. We also met with Lilliana and her family. They are doing well but she seemed stressed out just as any other mother with children. We talked about the Family A Proclamation the World and the blessings. Something else neat this week was that a themed presented itself as the week moved on. At the end of the week I think we taught about Lehi`s Dream 4 or 5 times whether it be with investigator, member or less active but it goes back to a living gospel and how we walked the path clinging to the rod to the tree of life. We cant stay still or we wont progress towards it, we most do something in order to get there. I am grateful that we can walked that path everyday and also invite others to get on the path no matter where they are. 

One neat thing was going on an exchange this week to Ulm! I know that Adam served there and it was neat being there and remember that and the service of him and many others who has served in the past around the whole world. This is a great cause and the time and effort is worth it to bring Gods children back to him. I am grateful for the time I have to serve and I am also grateful that this service doesnt end once I get released. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a lifelong service and blessing. I love God and the calling he has given me! 

I love you all and hope you have a great week enjoying the summer time!! 

Much love,

Elder Jerman

With Elder Nielson at a pretty park close to König Straße.

​His companion, Elder Nielson had this in his letter.  "Steven is making great progress.  I love him so much!  We met with him two times last week and taught him first the plan of Salvation and then second we talked about Prayer.  We have a great relationship with him and he loves to meet :)  Were seriously so blessed to teach such a wonderful young man...  right now he is still struggling to pray.  So when you pray for him can you pray that he will have the Faith and the confidence to pray and that he may know that Heavenly Father wants to hear from him?  We are planning to meet with him this week and teach him about faith.  Because he said when he prays he really wants to do it with all faith.

Oh haha cool side note. He read Lehi´s dream the other day and so we also talked a lot about that and he didn´t understand the great and spacious building very well. So we explained it... then, after the lesson we went outside and there were a couple of young kids who were being a bit.. well let’s just say sassy with us and after we went by Steven made the connection that those kids were like the people in the great a spacious building who were pointing their fingers haha :) It was awesome.

Another cool side note for all "füßball" fans.  The Coach of the USA SOCCER team in the world cup is from Stuttgart.  So Germany will be representing America there haha  .​

P-Day fun in Stuttgart.