Hi Guys!
Well, it's been an interesting week for languages. Since our last zone training meeting, we've been attempting to follow the mission president's request to emphasize German between companions and at our district meetings, at least from 9 AM to 9 PM. So we've been making an effort to do that with the result that we're picking up all kinds of new words we would have otherwise never had a need for: like Platzdeckchen=placemat or jaemmerlich=miserable. It's also been good to pick up the Du language which is sort of the German version of thee and thou, primarily used by close friends or when speaking to children however more and more commonly used amongst the Austrians. We have been asked to refrain by the mission leadership from using it with members of the church or our investigators but sometimes it raises a few eyebrows. At any rate, as a married couple we're definitely expected to use it with each other so we're using a form of the language that we don't get very often.
I mentioned last week that I had the opportunity to give a talk in the International Ward which was in English so I've been working this week to translate it all into German. It took a while but I finally got it all finished yesterday. I'll give it to one of the natives here and have them refine it for me. Many quotes which I took from a couple of conference talks, I initially translated on my own and then went to the German version in the Liahona to see how they translated it. Some of the time I was pretty close but many times it was quite a bit better with the professional translations at hand. At any rate, I'm now ready to go for a talk in German, assuming I can make sure they assign me a similar topic.
The institute class on Wednesday was 2 Nephi 17-24, all Isaiah and even though we get it in English I don't think it was any easier in German, Italian, Spanish or Hungarian. But the manual was very helpful and we've decided that you're never too old to pick up a better understanding of what Isaiah was trying to say. Did you all know that he's the most quoted Old Testament prophet in the New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Dead Sea Scrolls! As we got to chapter 19:6 I couldn't help myself and they got a full stanza from the Messiah "For unto us a child is born, unto us, a son is given...etc." and even a little family history about our annual Messiah Sing-In's.
Most of the rest of the week was heavily into travel as we finished all of the apartment inspections in the far out cities of Wiener Neustadt and St. Poelton. The latter city was an adventure because we don't know it very well but went shopping for a dryer as the last transfer, which occurred on Thursday, left 4 elders in that apartment and therefore they were eligible. We got there early in the train station and then had to figure out which bus to take to get to their major shopping center. There we bought the elders their dryer and made it back to their apartment for their inspection. Then we hunted around for a place to eat lunch and at their request joined them in a joint teaching session at the church with a young lady who's had about 10 lessons but didn't seem to be making much progress. She admitted she didn't have a belief in God, didn't pray and didn't see that it made much difference what religion one believed in. We gave her a little Alma 32 about how to develop her faith and finally even a little Alma 13:27-29. about what might happen if she procrastinated too long. I bore her a witness that the time would come in her life when she WOULD want to know these things and remember what we were teaching her now. The elders thought it would be a make it or break it session and for now it seemed to be a break it event. We'll see what the future holds for her.
Family home evening was quite good on Monday night with three "seasoned" investigators there and the spiritual thought was given by a sweet young sister only a member for about a year. She talked about the importance of missionary work and was able to involve each of the investigators personally into the discussion. I ended up irritating Grammy by speaking with one of them afterwards well into the evening,until about 10:00 pm.. We were giving a presentation in our district meeting on the creation (in German, remember!) the next day so we had a lot of scriptures in our memory and this one lady informed us that her group of Free Christians was predicting the end of the world on September 30 of this year. I told her I wanted to have a good discussion with her on October 1 but in the meantime we were talking about what would happen to the earth at the time of the Second Coming. We were able to review the pre-earth life and the earth's spiritual creation and she was fascinated to discover that the earth had even been baptized and was stilll awaiting it's baptism by fire. I discovered a cool scripture which we didn't quote her in D&C 88:17-20 which I will leave you all to peruse at your leisure.
The district meeting went well with Sister Parker perfecting her German with excellence. Other than purchasing an electric oven which together with the dryer sets us back about 900 Euros (we eventually will get reimbursed by the mission) everything else led up to the weekend highlight. Our young sister Aigerim chose Elder Parker Eldredge to perform her baptism on Saturday and although she was planning on having the Bishop confirm her today, he continues to be too ill to attend the meetings and so she asked me instead. It was special to be able to participate in that fashion and so we again attended the International Ward today for her confirmation where I'd spoken last week. She was approached by many in the ward afterwards, including several who spoke to her in Russian as well as German, though for most the primary language is English. Here's the photo of the attendees including the sisters, the elders and Elder and Sister Tew who serve in Graz, Austria but first introduced her to us back in June as she had lived with their cousin as a foreign exchange student back in Utah.
We all went out for pizzas afterwards and it was definitely a high point for us.
This indeed has been an interestingly full week for us. First with trying to speak German more often and then being asked to give a little discussion in German at our District Mtg. It went quite well but it is nice to know you can still use simple words to discuss important things. During the week as the Elders brought a young woman to teach at the Center, they also asked me to "Joint Teach" with them. I am still taken back when they ask me to do this, usually it is the sisters who ask for help. It turned out very well, as it was a young woman I had met a month or so before with the elders. Strangely enough, I had been thinking about her and wondering what had happened with her because she had been so receptive to the message. It was great to help because she had studied out the pamphlets and scriptures, (with highlights and questions,) the elders had given to her, but hadn't been able to get back together with them. It is great to feel the spirit in these moments.
(Sister Parker) The most exciting thing this week, of course, was Aigerim's baptism on Saturday. The baptismal font was beautiful with inlaid mosaic tiles that created an upward light expression above the water. It was fun to help her dress and prepare for this moment. This baptism comes at the culmination of many months of waiting for the right time. The above picture doesn't show you all the sisters, elders, and ourselves who worked with her, taught her and had many gospel discussions with her over the months since we first met her in June. She has become like a granddaughter and a friend to us. Her baptism was very special to all of us and a sweet spiritual moment as she went down into the water and came up clean and pure. Likewise was the confirmation, and Grampa gave her a sweet, thoughtful blessing. These are moments to remember forever.
Today as we talked about prayer in Relief Society I thought, "you are never too old to be reminded to take time to do things right." We discussed how we wouldn't lay on the bed or by the bed half asleep and talk to a friend, or the many other ways we sometimes don't think about Heavenly Father there beside us, listening. This week let's think about how we are praying and what we are saying. I know how much I love everyone of you. You mean the world to me. Heavenly Father loves you so much more.
LOVE AND HUGS
Grammy, Grampa,
Mom, Dad,
Elder and Sister Parker
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