A Mission Conference in Berlin, Missionary iPads, and other missionary things.

April 27, 2015

    I am doing fantastic here in good old Germany and the people are so great here. Remember when I said two years is a long time before you dropped me off at the MTC? It still seems like it BUT I feel like my mission is going by fast and the older missionaries say it will just get faster and faster. I mean I have three more weeks and then I will be four months out and done with my training. That is 1/8 of my mission right there. That is weird to think about by I am not thinking about it too much.

Elder Fisher with the Elder from Clovis, California

    The Berlin Mission Conference which was fun and it was good experience—There is a mission tour going on right now and mission conferences happen when there is a mission tour.  They announced that iPads are coming to our mission and we got trained on how we are going to use them. We will receive the iPads in the next 1-2 weeks they said. That is exciting. I feel like it will help a lot with using every moment to do the work of the Lord more effectively. They gave us a big lunch after the area authorities spoke with us and then after lunch, we were able to spend another 1 and a half hours listening to Pesident Kosak (the mission president).  I didn't meet anyone interesting on the street this week but during the mission conference I met an Elder that is from Clovis, California and he knows Jessica King  from our stake so that was fun to find out. (a bonus is a picture of all the missionaries located at the bottom of the blog page)

    

    After the mission conference, our train didn't leave until almost 6p.m. So we walked to the train station and saw some cool things along the way to the train station. The picture I sent is of the Brandenburg Gate.   We did come back to Halle the same night and got home about 8p.m. 

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was built in the late 1700s and the site of
some really exciting historical events.

    
    We had stake conference this past weekend and they announced that our mission is taking part of the Germany Frankfurt mission and the Erfurt District from that mission just joined the Leipzig stake (which is Elder Fisher’s current zone). Other than those few things there hasn't been anything too exciting going on here but we are working hard and trying to do our purpose the best that we can.

    Every missionary could use more ties dad (in response to a question from dad), you should know that. I wear everything on a regular basis and I even still need to where my winter jacket from time to time. We have a washing machine and dryer in our apartment and an iron and ironing board.

Quote of the week: "Anger is an indication of weakness" Gordon B. Hinkley

    Scripture of the week:  talking about the people in the land of Mulek, the Anti Nephi-Lehi people, and the Stripling Warriors.  Alma 53:19 "And now behold, as they never had hitherto been a disadvantage to the Nephites, they became now at this period of time also a great support; for they took their weapons of war, and they would that Helaman should be their leader.".  (mom note: as a mom, I love the description of these young men in verse 20, "And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strenght and activity; but behold, this was not all--they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted."       

Love you and love seeing the pictures

Love,

Elder Fisher

April 2015 Germany Berlin Mission Conference.  Can you find Elder Fisher??

Hymns in German, Choir, and Personal Study

April 20, 2015

   I am doing good here in good old Germany, but I am starting to think that it will never really warm up here. (mom note: the weather seems to be staying below 70 every day) We went finding this week for a lot of the time and did a lot of area book work to get ready for next week.  Nothing too exciting happened this week but I did go on companion exchange this week and that is always fun.

   We ate at a member's house yesterday that said missionary eating appointments on Sunday are like the story of Joseph of Egypt, there is seven years of plenty and then drought until next Sunday. I thought it was pretty funny.

   In Halle, we have two hours of church on Sunday and the church just rents space in a building. The hymns we sing are the same ones that we sing in English but they have been translated into German.  I think a lot of the hymns in German are better because of the wording no offence to the English hymn book it is still great but German is a little bit better. I have not had to play the piano in church but my companion does have to in priesthood session quite a bit. The ward choir sings about once every three or four months and the choir sang for our ward conference this last week.

   For the weekly Seminary class on Wednesday, there is a teacher that usually teaches it but the missionaries make up half the class or the whole class most of the time.

   We serve in the community each week and our normal weekly service at the soup kitchen near where we live.  The sisters serve there too but on a different day.

   For personal study, I read a chapter from the Book of Mormon in German a day, then I read a few pages from the book of Mormon in English while highlighting and marking scriptures that relate to missionary work in a copy of the Book of Mormon I bought in the MTC.

   When we start teaching someone new, we usually start with the restoration but we always let the Spirit guide in the lessons.

   Scripture for the week is from Alma 43: 1  "And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth."

This is so great because after Alma's sons left on their missions he couldn't rest from doing the Lord's work either.

Love ya mom & dad

Elder Fisher

Travelling Around the District and Spring Has Really Arrived (No Winter Coats Needed)

April 13, 2015

   Mission life is good and I feel like I am adjusting to it pretty well and that I am learning a lot. My German is going along good and I am working very hard at it. It seems easy but once you get more into the language you feel like you have barely scratched the surface of learning the language.

   I like pretty much everything I eat here and yesterday I had this lunch where it was this sweet roll kinda thing and then you put cherry sauce and vanilla sauce on it. I am going to ask for the recipe next Sunday--it was so good you have no idea.

   

The snow that fell in Halle.

The weather here was like the weather the Richins have in Minnesota two weeks ago and I was finding in it so that was fun.  Now there are a few flowers blooming and some buds on trees but nothing to big yet. Other than that nothing too crazy or exciting except I was able to go finding without my winter coat this week and that was awesome.  

   Both of my companions so far have been pretty talkative elders so I think the Lord is really trying to tell us something when it comes to talking.   My companion is good but we are sometimes different personalities. We are getting along good but spending 24/7 with anyone can feel like a long time. He works hard though so there really isn`t too much to complain about. But we only have 5 more weeks in the transfer so it will go pretty fast and then I am done with my training!!!! Ahhh!!!!

The cathedral in Naumburg

   I haven't been able to watch the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference yet but I have been able to listen to it because we listen to them in the mornings or at meal times. We also get the Liahona issues in English and German. The primary has about 10-12 children in the ward. Our stake from the bottom part of the stake to the top part is probably two hours by train but I am not sure--I haven't travelled it yet.

One of the towns in the Halle district

   We did have someone a month ago that was like the golden investigator with the perfect questions and everything but he had to go to Luxemburg to look for work. His wife stayed and came to church every week but she only spoke Spanish so we couldn't really talk to her.  Yesterday her husband came back but only for three days and they are moving back to Spain. He said that he reads from the Book of Mormon every day for thirty minutes because it brings him so much peace and he said that he knows where the church is where he will be staying and he is going to go with his friend. I was so happy for him and what the Book of Mormon is doing for him and his family--it is unbelievable how ready he is to receive the gospel.

 

The best snacks for long train rides are
German chocolates

 It has been a finding week this week. We went to the southern point of our area this week and visited a family and try to visit some less actives but all the less actives were moved away. We met a lady that calls herself Miss Rainbow and that was really interesting and she kept talking about her uncle that was a Mormon and lived in Salt Lake. We also talked with a lot of other people but is probably the funniest story that I have had this week. Also we met this guy that said he wasn't on our side and we asked what he meant by that and he said I am on the bad side. That was pretty funny too.  Almost all of the immigrants are from Africa but not one country specifically. There are a lot from Nigeria though but I have talked to people from Mali, Cameroon, Morocco and other places like that and it is really cool.

Two scriptures for the week:

1 Thessalonians 2:4 "But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts"

and Romans 1:15-16

"So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also."

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. “

   These two scriptures show what a great opportunity we have to share the gospel with others in our life while we have the fulness of the gospel and are blessed with that great knowledge.

   Quote of the week

"There is no growth in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the growth zone. So get uncomfortable!!" Missionary work isn't comfortable but it helps us to grow and to progress to become more and more like God.

  

Everything is going well here in Germany and hope you have a good week this week again.

Love you and hope all goes well

Elder Fisher

Easter and General Conference

April 6, 2015

    We were able to watch the morning sessions live in the church but the other sessions had to wait until later to be watched. We watch the all the sessions the same weekend except for Sunday afternoon. We had an investigator come for one hour of conference on Saturday night to watch the Saturday morning session.

   We had Easter dinner at the Bishop’s house but here in Germany the Friday before and the Monday after are both holidays. On the Friday before Easter, we ate at the Bishop’s mother-in-law´s house.  By the way, she is sending you pictures of me, I do not know when though. Today (Monday) we are eating at another member’s house.

Halle district

    Besides having like 3 meals in one week with the members, there aren`t too many crazy stories except the weather here has been crazy like it snowed this past week but the snow is all gone now. I guess we got a lot of weather from the Hurricane Nicholas I think it was so because there was a lot of wind and rain this week and that made the work really fun.

   As for Halle, I have really only seen the chocolate factory which there will be pictures next week from that. The city I am in has a lot of people from countries in Africa but also a lot of Germans so our city is pretty diverse but I heard it depends on the area I am in how many people from other cultures there are.

The Leipzig Zone (April 2015)
Picture from the mission blog

   I haven´t gotten the envelope or package yet but I did get a letter from grandpa last week. We have a mission wide conference on the 24th of April this month so I will check when I am in Berlin because they might give mail out.  If not, I have zone conference the week after so I can get my mail there too.

    This week has been good. My first transfer in Germany is officially over and I find that hard to believe (the transfer period is six weeks). Everyone in my district is staying except for one sister who is going to the Hannover zone. We have had the opportunity of doing a lot of finding this week but not as much as others because we had a lot of meetings this week and had to be at them and it took time out of our schedule. We have a senior couple in our zone but there are in Leipzig so we only see them when we have the zone stuff. We have call-ins with the district leader every night and the zone leaders do not really call us unless they feel like they need to call us. 

    Scripture for the week Alma 29: 1  "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!"

I think this expresses what the missionaries should desire when serving their mission-- that they could cry to every person repentance so they can partake of salvation and be able to praise God.

Love

Elder Fisher