From Dad 5/4
Hi everyone,
There is a lot of rain in the forecast for the coming week. The corn and other crops are about 6 inches out of the ground and the rain will be a welcome change for the farmers. We have seen some signs of sprinkler pipes but they are few and far between. They planted new lawn all around the front of the Church two weeks ago. The seed still sits on the ground waiting for moisture. A lot of faith goes into how things are cared for in Germany.
We have a lot of peace of mind today about how things are at home. It is amazing to see how the Lord’s hand moves in our family. I will be eternally grateful for the sacrifice mom made to want to come on a mission in the first place and then to say she would be willing to learn a language and go wherever we would be called. We have been given such good assignments here in Germany. It is so fun to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ literally changes people’s lives.
Ron Peterson’s wife is serious about joining the Jehovah Witness organization. At present we are not able to meet in his home and he does not have sufficient strength in the gospel to come to Church yet. So thanks to the telephone we meet over the phone. We talked for about half an hour this week. At one point he said, “Martina are you listening?” She said, “Do you have something to hide?” I suggested to Ron it is good to encourage Martina to listen. No more was said about that subject. We talked about how of all the churches in the world today no other church has adopted more of the teachings of the restored Church of Jesus Christ than have the Jehovah Witnesses. The only thing we would hope is that in time many if not all will accept the rest of the teachings. We talked about the anger and fear in their home. We read from the D & C 64: how those who are unable to forgive (translated means not becoming angry in return) carry the greater sin. He listened and thought about that. We hope his heart will be able to accept it fully.
Maybe next week we will get our first letter from Zach in the MTC. How exciting! We hope this is a great weekend for all of you who are able to be together. We hope it will be a great weekend for everyone! Mom checks the blog as well as email daily. When we open the mail box and see a letter from home (usually from grandchildren) it is a highlight of our day. There was a receipt for a package in our box yesterday and mom can hardly wait for Monday!
Christian Dorsch, the one Stefani Hoerndlein hopes to marry, had not been in his own ward or spoken to anyone there for over a year and a half. He called last weekend and wanted assistance to get reconnected with his own ward. His bishop was very nice and looked forward to meeting with Christian again. Next Christian called someone he knew and they met and after a long conversation parted friends as though nothing had ever come between them. Then Sunday after meeting with his bishop and feeling much peace there he visited another friend and they had dinner together and it was well after dark before he left to go home. This is a young man who has been deeply depressed and would always sit on the back row alone in Church at Wuerzburg. It is so good to see him taking the initiative and rebuilding friendships again.
Last Saturday Petra Kempa called convinced she had found scriptural support for her involvement with astrology and her horoscope. When we met Tuesday for 3 ½ hours (a little out of range of the recommended 45 min. discussion meeting time suggested) she said, “I am a black/white person. There is no middle ground.” (We had talked the week earlier about the 10 commandments emphasizing how we use the Lord’s name. Petra had no problem with making the changes that would require [they were minor and more of the traditional way God’s name is used in southern Germany]. We then asked her to read the first commandment to have no others Gods. This upset her. She was amazed to think we even would consider this was something needing to be discussed. That was the end of the discussion on that item that day.) She wanted to know if I felt she was breaking the first commandment by her involvement with astrology. When only a week ago we couldn’t even discuss the subject it was amazing to me she had come so far in her faith and strength to want such an answer. Last week she had no intention of giving up her lottery playing. We read a couple of excerpts from President Hinckley’s talk in conference two years ago on gambling. She then volunteered this week to close her lottery account and not open any new ones. I hedged. I said if I tracked my horoscope I would be breaking the first commandment. That was not good enough. She gave us an out. She said, “Tell me what you think. It doesn’t have to be what the Church says.” I said yes. Then she was happy. She said had I not given her a direct answer she would have lost much o her respect and confidence in what she had been taught so far. She also said for the present she has no plans to change but did not rule out in the future no longer needing or wanting to follow her horoscope. What she did say which is what we have been hoping and working toward was, “I will turn away from anything that will lead me away from following after Jesus Christ.” We left happy campers that day.
Have a great week. What a privilege it is to be a member of this family.
Love always,
Dad and Grandpa
There is a lot of rain in the forecast for the coming week. The corn and other crops are about 6 inches out of the ground and the rain will be a welcome change for the farmers. We have seen some signs of sprinkler pipes but they are few and far between. They planted new lawn all around the front of the Church two weeks ago. The seed still sits on the ground waiting for moisture. A lot of faith goes into how things are cared for in Germany.
We have a lot of peace of mind today about how things are at home. It is amazing to see how the Lord’s hand moves in our family. I will be eternally grateful for the sacrifice mom made to want to come on a mission in the first place and then to say she would be willing to learn a language and go wherever we would be called. We have been given such good assignments here in Germany. It is so fun to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ literally changes people’s lives.
Ron Peterson’s wife is serious about joining the Jehovah Witness organization. At present we are not able to meet in his home and he does not have sufficient strength in the gospel to come to Church yet. So thanks to the telephone we meet over the phone. We talked for about half an hour this week. At one point he said, “Martina are you listening?” She said, “Do you have something to hide?” I suggested to Ron it is good to encourage Martina to listen. No more was said about that subject. We talked about how of all the churches in the world today no other church has adopted more of the teachings of the restored Church of Jesus Christ than have the Jehovah Witnesses. The only thing we would hope is that in time many if not all will accept the rest of the teachings. We talked about the anger and fear in their home. We read from the D & C 64: how those who are unable to forgive (translated means not becoming angry in return) carry the greater sin. He listened and thought about that. We hope his heart will be able to accept it fully.
Maybe next week we will get our first letter from Zach in the MTC. How exciting! We hope this is a great weekend for all of you who are able to be together. We hope it will be a great weekend for everyone! Mom checks the blog as well as email daily. When we open the mail box and see a letter from home (usually from grandchildren) it is a highlight of our day. There was a receipt for a package in our box yesterday and mom can hardly wait for Monday!
Christian Dorsch, the one Stefani Hoerndlein hopes to marry, had not been in his own ward or spoken to anyone there for over a year and a half. He called last weekend and wanted assistance to get reconnected with his own ward. His bishop was very nice and looked forward to meeting with Christian again. Next Christian called someone he knew and they met and after a long conversation parted friends as though nothing had ever come between them. Then Sunday after meeting with his bishop and feeling much peace there he visited another friend and they had dinner together and it was well after dark before he left to go home. This is a young man who has been deeply depressed and would always sit on the back row alone in Church at Wuerzburg. It is so good to see him taking the initiative and rebuilding friendships again.
Last Saturday Petra Kempa called convinced she had found scriptural support for her involvement with astrology and her horoscope. When we met Tuesday for 3 ½ hours (a little out of range of the recommended 45 min. discussion meeting time suggested) she said, “I am a black/white person. There is no middle ground.” (We had talked the week earlier about the 10 commandments emphasizing how we use the Lord’s name. Petra had no problem with making the changes that would require [they were minor and more of the traditional way God’s name is used in southern Germany]. We then asked her to read the first commandment to have no others Gods. This upset her. She was amazed to think we even would consider this was something needing to be discussed. That was the end of the discussion on that item that day.) She wanted to know if I felt she was breaking the first commandment by her involvement with astrology. When only a week ago we couldn’t even discuss the subject it was amazing to me she had come so far in her faith and strength to want such an answer. Last week she had no intention of giving up her lottery playing. We read a couple of excerpts from President Hinckley’s talk in conference two years ago on gambling. She then volunteered this week to close her lottery account and not open any new ones. I hedged. I said if I tracked my horoscope I would be breaking the first commandment. That was not good enough. She gave us an out. She said, “Tell me what you think. It doesn’t have to be what the Church says.” I said yes. Then she was happy. She said had I not given her a direct answer she would have lost much o her respect and confidence in what she had been taught so far. She also said for the present she has no plans to change but did not rule out in the future no longer needing or wanting to follow her horoscope. What she did say which is what we have been hoping and working toward was, “I will turn away from anything that will lead me away from following after Jesus Christ.” We left happy campers that day.
Have a great week. What a privilege it is to be a member of this family.
Love always,
Dad and Grandpa
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