From Mom 9/13
Dear Family,
This is one of those weeks that I wish our mission had been just one year and that we were through. We’ve had a few cancellations and talked to a few RUDE people. I can hardly stand it when people start badmouthing the church when they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s all I can do to not want to retaliate but I kept my mouth shut------but it sure makes me mad when people make accusations and say things about the church that aren’t true. They get their information from others who are opposed to the church. The Jehovah Witnesses are very strong here and they are really down on the church and tell all sorts of things to make us look bad. Sometimes I feel like we are in a real battle----a battle for the truth. It takes a lot of energy to stand up for what we know to be true and sometimes I just feel clear worn down. Satan is doing such a number on so many families. President Hinckley said recently that there is more wickedness in the world right now than ever before. I believe it and being out “in the world” sure makes that evident. I am so very, very thankful for the protection the gospel gives us and the hope for better things if we “hold to the rod”.
I had my lack of the language thrown in my face this week. We were visiting an inactive sister. We visited her once before and she asked if we would come back. I should have known we were in for trouble when we sat down and she went into the other room and got all the church books she had, including two books of Mormon, and handed them to us. She didn’t want then anymore. She did keep the two bibles she had and told us that is her religion. Dad asked me to give a prayer and I’m too big of a chicken to do it in German, so I said it in English. Well, she let me know that she thought it was awful that we had been in Germany for a year and I couldn’t even say a prayer in German!! I don’t know what makes me so afraid to try it. I know what to say but I get cold feet when I’m around someone else. Anyway, that certainly didn’t do a lot for my self-confidence. She kept referring to the church as “your church” indicating that she didn’t want to be a part of it. When she left the room, I told Dad I didn’t want to come back again but after the closing prayer, which Dad gave, she asked us when we’d be coming again. We couldn’t believe she wanted us to come but she said, “Of course I want you to come.” I think she’s just lonesome and likes the company. It’s hard to know when to cut it off and when to know if continuing our visits may bring a softening of her feelings. So we told her we could come in a couple of weeks and she said she would be with her daughter in a couple of weeks and asked us to come next week. I told Dad that I will NOT pray!!! But if we continue to go there, I’m going to get my courage up and just show her I can do it. The only problem with that is that she’ll think I do know this language and wonder why I don’t say anything the rest of the time. I’ll be so glad when this language issue is a thing of the past-----like when I get home.
We’ve done our share of “marriage counseling” this week. Sunday a sister who is in the middle of a divorce called and asked us if we would come over. Her husband wanted to come and visit their children and he has an order that there has to be a third person there for him to visit. They are both such good people but things have happened and they just don’t seem to be able to forgive and move on so they have chosen to “move out” instead. That Dad and his two little boys played and had so much fun together and when it was time for him to leave it about broke my heart to hear the little boys ask why he doesn’t live it their house any longer. Last night while we were at the church for institute, the bishop came in and told Dad there was a phone call for him. It was Stephanie’s husband and he just didn’t know what to do. Stephanie had locked herself in the bedroom and he didn’t know why or what to do and asked Dad to come over. Dad just dropped me off here and went on over and about an hour later our phone rang and it was Stephanie. She was wondering where her husband was. I told her that he had called Dad and I thought Dad was at their place talking. I told her to look outside and see if they were sitting in the car . That’s where they were. Dad talked to both of them for a few minutes and then came home. Stephanie told Dad that she was just very tired, (she had been baby-sitting most of the day) and she just wanted to rest and so she went into the bedroom and locked the door. This young husband about went nuts trying to figure out what he had done wrong!! We get two or three calls a week from them. They’ve just been married since May and are having to make a lot of adjustments in their lives.
Saturday we met with another couple that is having problems. She had told us how she felt but we told her she needed to tell her husband how she felt. She asked us if we would come and be with them when she told him. Talk about getting right in the middle of things!! She really unloaded and he just listened. When she left to answer to phone, he said he was shocked. He had no idea she had these kinds of feelings. He works out of town and is just home on weekends and she had told him last week not to bother coming home anymore. But she changed her mind during the week so he came home. We didn’t stay long after she had had a chance to get her feelings out but we did see her on Monday and it seemed like things were better and they had made some fun plans for this coming week-end. I think she had just let a lot of feelings build up and once she got them out they were able to do something about them. And so, that’s the marriage counseling part of our week!
We have had some positive experiences. We had our last Eternal Marriage institute class. The last three weeks have been on, true love, choosing the right companion and differences between men and women. We’ve had some lively discussions and have had a lot of fun with it. But the kids were very serious about wanting to make the right choices and the information we shared with them from the manual was very thought provoking for them. They are just so great to be around-----so committed and for the most part, very knowledgeable about the gospel and very committed to live by its principles. We also see progress with Anna Berner, Alex’s grandmother. She was on vacation with her family for nearly a month and we could tell we had lost some ground but it ended up being a very good discussion. The last time we met with her she asked us if we could talk about where we go after we die but when we started this time, she wanted to know where we were before we came to this earth. The idea of being “spirit children” of our Heavenly Father was a new idea for her. We had a good discussion and she seemed to grasp it and be very happy with this new thought. It’s fun watching her while we’re talking. You can tell when she doesn’t go for what we tell her and you can tell when she likes what we teach her. Her eyes and her face just light up. She continues to read what we ask her to read and she always has lots of good questions. We asked Alex if he would be our “member missionary” and talk to her about some of the things we talk about. She adores her grandson and is very proud of him. He has such a strong testimony of the gospel and we feel if she can hear his testimony of these things that will go a long way in her gaining her own testimony.
Tim Palmer is the inactive member who has 3 sons with his “live in” wife. She has found someone else she is interested in and wants him out. He loves his boys and they love him and he is really torn. As we met with him this week, he bore his testimony to us of the truthfulness of the gospel. He knows that the way he has been living is wrong and he feels real sorrow for it. We encouraged him to continue to ask our Heavenly Father for guidance and for strength to help him know what to do and he told us he didn’t feel worthy to pray. Then he broke down and just sobbed. We asked him if he would like a blessing. On top of everything else, he broke his heel a couple of weeks ago and that is very painful so he is feeling a lot of pain both emotionally and physically. He said he would like that so Dad gave him a blessing. He seemed to relax some after that. When we were leaving he said, “Sister Price, I know it is hard for you to be away from your family but you have been sent here for a purpose. Your being here has been such a blessing to me.” That’s payday for a missionary.
And so, life here in Germany goes on. A mission is certainly not a vacation. It is hard work----not so much physical work but spiritually and emotionally it can be very draining. We are thankful if we can help lighten some burdens and we always hope we can bring others to know the peace and comfort the gospel can bring. And I would not be truthful if I didn’t admit that I’m glad we’re on the last third of our mission!! My brain is about worn clear out and some days I feel like I have nothing more to give and just need a break from talking to people. But we are glad we are here and for the experiences we are having and especially for the wonderful people we have met.
We, like all of you, will continue to pray for Brent. I think our prayers and letting him know that we love him is about all we can do. The rest is up to him and the Lord. The Lord has already done his part and is waiting for Brent to want His help. We will hope and pray that Brent will come to know this.
Know that you are always very much in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much for the good letters and keeping us up to date on what’s going on in the family. We are anxiously awaiting the telephone call from the hospital in Ogden! One morning this week I was just laying in bed thinking about things and I could just visualize this cute, happy little boy just being so excited that it was nearly his time to come to earth. What a wonderful but humbling thing it is to know that these little ones come to us directly from our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for this wonderful knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s plan.
Much love always,
Mom
This is one of those weeks that I wish our mission had been just one year and that we were through. We’ve had a few cancellations and talked to a few RUDE people. I can hardly stand it when people start badmouthing the church when they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s all I can do to not want to retaliate but I kept my mouth shut------but it sure makes me mad when people make accusations and say things about the church that aren’t true. They get their information from others who are opposed to the church. The Jehovah Witnesses are very strong here and they are really down on the church and tell all sorts of things to make us look bad. Sometimes I feel like we are in a real battle----a battle for the truth. It takes a lot of energy to stand up for what we know to be true and sometimes I just feel clear worn down. Satan is doing such a number on so many families. President Hinckley said recently that there is more wickedness in the world right now than ever before. I believe it and being out “in the world” sure makes that evident. I am so very, very thankful for the protection the gospel gives us and the hope for better things if we “hold to the rod”.
I had my lack of the language thrown in my face this week. We were visiting an inactive sister. We visited her once before and she asked if we would come back. I should have known we were in for trouble when we sat down and she went into the other room and got all the church books she had, including two books of Mormon, and handed them to us. She didn’t want then anymore. She did keep the two bibles she had and told us that is her religion. Dad asked me to give a prayer and I’m too big of a chicken to do it in German, so I said it in English. Well, she let me know that she thought it was awful that we had been in Germany for a year and I couldn’t even say a prayer in German!! I don’t know what makes me so afraid to try it. I know what to say but I get cold feet when I’m around someone else. Anyway, that certainly didn’t do a lot for my self-confidence. She kept referring to the church as “your church” indicating that she didn’t want to be a part of it. When she left the room, I told Dad I didn’t want to come back again but after the closing prayer, which Dad gave, she asked us when we’d be coming again. We couldn’t believe she wanted us to come but she said, “Of course I want you to come.” I think she’s just lonesome and likes the company. It’s hard to know when to cut it off and when to know if continuing our visits may bring a softening of her feelings. So we told her we could come in a couple of weeks and she said she would be with her daughter in a couple of weeks and asked us to come next week. I told Dad that I will NOT pray!!! But if we continue to go there, I’m going to get my courage up and just show her I can do it. The only problem with that is that she’ll think I do know this language and wonder why I don’t say anything the rest of the time. I’ll be so glad when this language issue is a thing of the past-----like when I get home.
We’ve done our share of “marriage counseling” this week. Sunday a sister who is in the middle of a divorce called and asked us if we would come over. Her husband wanted to come and visit their children and he has an order that there has to be a third person there for him to visit. They are both such good people but things have happened and they just don’t seem to be able to forgive and move on so they have chosen to “move out” instead. That Dad and his two little boys played and had so much fun together and when it was time for him to leave it about broke my heart to hear the little boys ask why he doesn’t live it their house any longer. Last night while we were at the church for institute, the bishop came in and told Dad there was a phone call for him. It was Stephanie’s husband and he just didn’t know what to do. Stephanie had locked herself in the bedroom and he didn’t know why or what to do and asked Dad to come over. Dad just dropped me off here and went on over and about an hour later our phone rang and it was Stephanie. She was wondering where her husband was. I told her that he had called Dad and I thought Dad was at their place talking. I told her to look outside and see if they were sitting in the car . That’s where they were. Dad talked to both of them for a few minutes and then came home. Stephanie told Dad that she was just very tired, (she had been baby-sitting most of the day) and she just wanted to rest and so she went into the bedroom and locked the door. This young husband about went nuts trying to figure out what he had done wrong!! We get two or three calls a week from them. They’ve just been married since May and are having to make a lot of adjustments in their lives.
Saturday we met with another couple that is having problems. She had told us how she felt but we told her she needed to tell her husband how she felt. She asked us if we would come and be with them when she told him. Talk about getting right in the middle of things!! She really unloaded and he just listened. When she left to answer to phone, he said he was shocked. He had no idea she had these kinds of feelings. He works out of town and is just home on weekends and she had told him last week not to bother coming home anymore. But she changed her mind during the week so he came home. We didn’t stay long after she had had a chance to get her feelings out but we did see her on Monday and it seemed like things were better and they had made some fun plans for this coming week-end. I think she had just let a lot of feelings build up and once she got them out they were able to do something about them. And so, that’s the marriage counseling part of our week!
We have had some positive experiences. We had our last Eternal Marriage institute class. The last three weeks have been on, true love, choosing the right companion and differences between men and women. We’ve had some lively discussions and have had a lot of fun with it. But the kids were very serious about wanting to make the right choices and the information we shared with them from the manual was very thought provoking for them. They are just so great to be around-----so committed and for the most part, very knowledgeable about the gospel and very committed to live by its principles. We also see progress with Anna Berner, Alex’s grandmother. She was on vacation with her family for nearly a month and we could tell we had lost some ground but it ended up being a very good discussion. The last time we met with her she asked us if we could talk about where we go after we die but when we started this time, she wanted to know where we were before we came to this earth. The idea of being “spirit children” of our Heavenly Father was a new idea for her. We had a good discussion and she seemed to grasp it and be very happy with this new thought. It’s fun watching her while we’re talking. You can tell when she doesn’t go for what we tell her and you can tell when she likes what we teach her. Her eyes and her face just light up. She continues to read what we ask her to read and she always has lots of good questions. We asked Alex if he would be our “member missionary” and talk to her about some of the things we talk about. She adores her grandson and is very proud of him. He has such a strong testimony of the gospel and we feel if she can hear his testimony of these things that will go a long way in her gaining her own testimony.
Tim Palmer is the inactive member who has 3 sons with his “live in” wife. She has found someone else she is interested in and wants him out. He loves his boys and they love him and he is really torn. As we met with him this week, he bore his testimony to us of the truthfulness of the gospel. He knows that the way he has been living is wrong and he feels real sorrow for it. We encouraged him to continue to ask our Heavenly Father for guidance and for strength to help him know what to do and he told us he didn’t feel worthy to pray. Then he broke down and just sobbed. We asked him if he would like a blessing. On top of everything else, he broke his heel a couple of weeks ago and that is very painful so he is feeling a lot of pain both emotionally and physically. He said he would like that so Dad gave him a blessing. He seemed to relax some after that. When we were leaving he said, “Sister Price, I know it is hard for you to be away from your family but you have been sent here for a purpose. Your being here has been such a blessing to me.” That’s payday for a missionary.
And so, life here in Germany goes on. A mission is certainly not a vacation. It is hard work----not so much physical work but spiritually and emotionally it can be very draining. We are thankful if we can help lighten some burdens and we always hope we can bring others to know the peace and comfort the gospel can bring. And I would not be truthful if I didn’t admit that I’m glad we’re on the last third of our mission!! My brain is about worn clear out and some days I feel like I have nothing more to give and just need a break from talking to people. But we are glad we are here and for the experiences we are having and especially for the wonderful people we have met.
We, like all of you, will continue to pray for Brent. I think our prayers and letting him know that we love him is about all we can do. The rest is up to him and the Lord. The Lord has already done his part and is waiting for Brent to want His help. We will hope and pray that Brent will come to know this.
Know that you are always very much in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much for the good letters and keeping us up to date on what’s going on in the family. We are anxiously awaiting the telephone call from the hospital in Ogden! One morning this week I was just laying in bed thinking about things and I could just visualize this cute, happy little boy just being so excited that it was nearly his time to come to earth. What a wonderful but humbling thing it is to know that these little ones come to us directly from our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for this wonderful knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s plan.
Much love always,
Mom
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home