Guten Tag Family & Friends

Hello everyone! This week was way fun. Before I talk about my week, I want to send a late Happy Birthday to my cousins Jacob and Caitlyn. Sorry I missed them. Also, Happy Birthday on Friday to Aunt Rene. I hope you have a wonderful day! Finally, Caitlyn: I am so proud of you for deciding to be baptised last Saturday. What an awesome, wonderful thing!! I wish I could have been there with you but I'm sure Grandma gave a better talk than I would have anyway.

So my week:
The first thing was probably at zone conference. Were I found out my area, Ellwangen, is one of the lowest baptizing areas... ever. They had a baptism about 2 years ago and everyone was way excited. What really made me extremely happy though was when they put up the numbers for each district in our zone. Our district, Göppigen, had the highest numbers. When I looked at it I saw that the numbers for our area looked a lot like our numbers so I was pretty excited that the other two companionships in our district must had done just as good as us until some one told me that the numbers are all the companionships numbers combined. Between the other two companionships they were only able to teach one other lesson and all the rest of the numbers came from me and my companion! The AP's, ZL's and president Matern all came over to talk to us about how impressed they were with our numbers. We not only raised the bar for our district, but for the whole zone! I was so excited to know that having a trainer that is willing to work hard and constantly challenge and help me has already been paying off!

President Matern is probably the single coolest old man I have ever met. He has only learned english through having to speak it with a majority of the missionaries. And he is very leinyet(wow i know I spelled that wrong) with the rules but in a good way.

We didn't end up doing another companion exchange. Instead we just went back to Ellwangen, which takes three hours from Stuttgart, and did some more doors. This week we havn't found any new investigators. It made me sad, but I guess it has helped me realize we won't always have good weeks. So instead now before we ring a bell I close my eyes and say a short prayer to myself hoping that the people we are going to try to talk to will be able to feel the spirit. So far we have gotten yelled at more and more people have yelled and cursed at us. But there is no better way to build up your faith and be able to give your all to those who want to hear you then to see how rare and special those people are out here. We have started to teach the Plan of Salvation or lesson 2 to a few of the new investigators we have found and a they all take it differnt.

We have a Buddahist lady who is convinced Jesus did not die but acutally walked to India after the people persecuted him and lived there till he was 86. She is convinced because the India people have all these documentiations that point to the fact that Jesus did in fact visit them a short time after his death. Which is exactly why we tried explaining that we know Jesus visited all the people of the earth after his death! That is a key reason we have the Book of Mormon and why we ask people to read 3 Nephi 11! Even history of the Aytecs point to a 'bearded white god' they have neamed queztelcoat visit them! Still I understand that many of these people have lived with beliefs there area has pressured them into. It seems ever area in our mission is very strict in one or maybe two religions yet the people admit they don't even know why they believe it they were just born into it and they are fine dying with it. It makes me quite sad.

Also many people yell at us telling us they do not want to be converted. I wish I could explain in German better that our purpose is not to convert people to our religion. But, to bring all those we can unto Christ. And that is our goal. And that is what me and my companion have tried doing differently then a lot of missionaries out here. We try bringing everyone to Christ. Even though it is awkward talking to people on the Bahnhof of talking to people in the street that have twenty piercings or stuff of that nature. We try everyone and that is what makes the difference. It's the people you usually would not talk to that are the ones that really seem to want to hear what you have to say.

I have also grown an appreciation for the members of our church that are willing to talk to people like missionaries even though they arn't missionaries. I can not even stress how much more of a difference it makes when you talk to your friend about how this is important to you then when two random guys try talking to you about it. The members out here are trying to tell their friends about it and they are getting over their pride to do it. That is the reason our area is now becoming successful. If the few Germans out here who live miles away from each other can talk to their friends about their beliefs then why is it so hard for the people in America who have tons of friends near them who can help them talk to their friends about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The best missionaries out here arn't us at all. Its the few teenage girls out here who are extremly popular and cute who arn't afriad of losing that by seeming weird. I've never met teenagers out here like the ones here. They arn't dragged to church. They already are missionaries.

Well after all my random rambling I can finally talk about something fun again. My companion had his birthday this last week. I felt kind of bad because I hadn't gotten him anything. So we decided on our train rides we would read German magazines and comic books. So I bought him some comics and magazines. I just sat there translating it and trying to learn the more German way of throwing sentences together. And then I got hit with a surprise I had heard about but for some reason did not really think about. Basically I was readying a readers digest and then I turn the page and the whole next page was basically just pornography. I was kind of shocked that a magazine about the x-men movie and video games that anyone could buy just randomly threw that out there. I ended up spending the rest of the time on that train ride just tairing out pages every here and there. I was kind of shocked and at the same time it made me feel for the members and just women out here in general. No wonder there is so many depressed girls here! They have to live up to a ton! Plus I can't imagine always having to watch yourself even just flipping through a magazine. Well after all that was done the magazine was a good way to learn some German vocab and also keep up with world events. So Im not as in the dark about the world as some people thought. It surpirses me how little I actually miss those things though: reading, t.v. and video games. I mean I do miss them a lot. But, it does not seem at all like something I would break the rules for or ponder about all day. Instead I'm more worried about every other thing going on.

I can't lie. I've officially turned into a corny nerdy missionary. I hope no one hates me. But, I'm surprised how much a mission does change a person and how aware it makes you of other peoples concerns. Even though Germany is a pretty rich country I still see poverty. I even see a lot of racism and things of that sort still. There is a member who is developing a mental disability and his family has pretty much abandoned him because of it. Even though now he needs them most. I would ask for you to pray for him but the truth is every single person in the world needs to be prayed for. So if your going to pray, pray for the people out there who are having troubles and need help to get through them. Well sorry this letter was full of things I have felt and not totally entertaining but this week was not especially entertaining so it all works out. Hope the best to everyone out there!

love Jeff Hargett