Feeling Like a Big Dude on "Wrecking Balls"

Well this week was almost a downer I must admit. We didn't really have any numbers up until Sunday. We had a zone P-day on monday and since it takes so long getting back and forth we didn't have any time to do any streeting or doors after we got back.
On Tuesday we had a district meeting that went a little long and did not get back until 6 and then we had to go to Aalen for a meeting with one of our investigators. Her name is Frau Kozera. She has some different beliefs about Jesus Christ. She believes he actually founded Budhism, was a rabbi, and that everything in the bible about him is true except that he died. She thinks he walked to India and worked more of his 'magic' out there until he died at the age of 86. Well anyways she is quiet an interesting investigator. She actually started telling us about the fact that she knows there is three heavens and that people are not going to hell for things like not knowing about Christ and babys dying before they are born. She belives pretty much everything except that Jesus was the Christ! and it isn't a small thing to teach either. We have had trouble getting her to church as well. She says she will go and then the next time she says she wants nothing to do with churches that she knows God and that is all that matters. So on Tuesday we tried talking to her, we only got to talk a little bit about the miracles that Christ had done when he was on the earth when we ran out of time and had to go to the Bahnhof. She told us when we left that we could come back but she did not want to talk about church at all she just wanted to talk to us. So that made us sad.
Then we went to our next appointment and an older couple we had talked to just a week ago and given a book of mormon dropped us as well. Apparently they had Jehova witnesses that visited them and told them mormons are devils in disguise and that if they even talk to us they will go to hell. Then they told them to give the book of mormon back to us because it would 'allow devils into their home'. I have never had any trouble with Jehova witness's back home. I had some that were friends and co-workers! But the JW here hate us and I don't feel the kindest feelings back honestly. I don't ever contend with them or pick them out. But it still makes me a little sad and angry whenever I hear people confuse us for them because apparently JW here do a lot of missionary work as well but instead of just trying to teach a lesson or talk to people they tell people they are going to hell if they don't listen or such. So then people curse and yell at us assuming we will do the same thing.
I guess it is a good way to help build up love and charity for people. I should learn to love the German JW instead of resent them. And please do not assume all Jehova Witnesses are like this. As I said I have never had a problem with a Jehova witness where I lived and think they belive in things that only better themselfs I just don't like the German JW I guess.
So after lossing 3 investigators in one day we had a free day the next day. We tracted the whole day and only found one house that wanted to hear more. The guy was way normal! He was probably about 27 or so already had a really nice house in a really nice area (which is way expensive in Germany). He was married, had a 5 year old son and was genuinly interested when we had arrived his wife had answered but did not really want to talk to us so he saw us, hung up his phone, and came to talk to us. We told him the whole message of God, Jesus Christ, and the restoration. He listened and we told him we had more to share with him when he had time. He asked if it was only for a little while because he had to go some where but wanted to talk to us right then. We told him we would only talk for a few minutes and come by another time when he had more time. He invited us in and then his wife saw us walking in. She started telling him she really did not want to talk to us and did not want us in their house. He was very sorry but told us we would have to leave. We gave him some brouchers and he said he would call us some time. That was the decent thing on Wednesday. The rest of the day consisted of 'Ich hab meine religion!' (I have my religion) and 'ohhh Jehovas...' so we did not get any more lessons or investigators.
Then on thursday we had a luch appoinment with a member who fed us both twice our weight in food. ( We have litteraly had to eat two whole chickens at her house each with three salads, a ton of sides, and two desserts!) I am suprised I have yet to throw up at a meal appointment seeing as to how I should not be able to physically fit all the food they give us! I guess it is some sort of weird, but helpful gift from god. After that we decided to walk to an area and do doors. An area far away enough for us to loss some poundage we had just but on. We yet again had no sucess and afterwards met up with Frau Kozera again. We still taught her about Christ because if we don't teach her something I don't think we should be wasting time just talking and messing around. She was not angry and still listened about Christ. Still no progress however.
So then we got home and my companion, being the hard worker he is, said 'I wish we could do more service, we never get the chance to do service'. two hours later we got a call while we were in bed and it was a member needing some help moving stuff the next day. We had a free day and told him we would be there. We spent almost the whole day moving stuff to a dump. The members brother would sort things that would stay and go. I would carry the stuff that had to go to a garage a block away and my companion and the member would take the garbage to the dump.
My job was way fun, even though I had to carry some way heavy stuff once I got it to the area where it had to be picked up I was supposed to break down big stuff so it wouldn't take too much room in their trailer. So I got to 50-year-old dressers and bed frames up against stuff and jump on it or something to break it apart. I didn't have any tools, just my body. So I felt like the two big dudes on the show 'wrecking balls' it was way fun, and tiring.
So after we visited our appointments after words (after we had showered and changed) we where beat. Then we got another call. More service. I was kind of tired already and not really excited about it. And the next day we ended up spending the whole day helping a member move. Who apparently only knew us and had to decide what had to go and where it needed to be put so it was just me and my companion moving a whole house by ourselves the whole day. By the time we got back neither of us could move. We both had too many bruises and cuts from larger stuff that had fallen on us or one of us had dropped as well. We didn't break anything but some things broke us. So after a long week of work I felt bad because we had not found any real investigators, and we had only been able to teach two lessons. Our numbers looked way bad compared to our numbers from all of our other weeks.
But then on Sunday we got some help! A random member who is not active and a little crazy had told her friends about the church and brought them to church. She actually did not stay, but that is why she is crazy. The couple did not understand a lot of the meeting because the speakers used a lot of references from the book of mormon. Afterwards one of the members that knew them from somewhere came and talked to them with us. They told us that they were not very religious. That the man did not believe in God at all because they had a disabled son and that the wife was now only a little religious. But that a week or so ago they had began praying to know the truth and answer. They told us we could go over to their house in a week on Monday. We have already began preparing about how we will teach them and what exactly they need to hear. They have searched for the truth and we want to make sure we can give them the answers and show them that God does love them and that their are trials but that we know that we can live together again after this life and that their son will be made whole.
It was great to be able to have to blessing of some people who geniuenly want to hear the truth and are searching for it brought to us after a week that seemed long and pointless! I felt so relieved and blessed. Especially since the night before when we have to set goal when we got to people in church I said zero since we had had no success but my companion said one. I asked why one? And he was just like 'I don't know, lets just have faith' at the time it was kind of like a pointless number to put down but the next day I really learned to have some faith in times when I did not expect!
On Sundays the first counciler, brother Mücke, picks us up. There are differnt people that feed us each sunday. Yesterday was the branch President. No matter what though all meal appointments take at least 3 hours! it is ridiculous! My weight is about the same. I lose weight for a while and then we have days were we are not really active cause we already have appointments and when people feed us they feed us a ton! I always feel sick by the end. So then I gain the weight right back. We have a weeks worth of food in our apartment all the time. So it is not bad. We spent the morning cleaning and will finish when we get back in a little bit. Our apartment looks way good now. I should have taken before and after pictures. I got a call from the mission home that the package mom sent has arrived. I will get it Wednesday when we go to Zurich because there is something not right with the way I am registered and we need to go straighten it out. Elder Middleton got his birthday package and was very grateful for it. He felt bad getting stuff from other people he didn't really know. So he let me chose the tie first. I liked the yellow one. They are called paysleys and were very popular in the MTC and a lot of people like to have one so I was happy I was able to get one.
If you send a package here 1 of 2 things will happen. Either a. if someone is here they will sign for it and leave it in our hall for when we get back or b. the post leaves a note saying you have a pakage and to pick it up when you get a chance. The post office is not far from us either so packages here would probably be better. I am doing a companion exchange tomorrow with the elders in Göppigen; I will go with Elder Byers for the day.
Well this week has been very eventful and I hope that everything is going great in everyone elses life. I love you all and hope everything is going great for everyone!
love Elder Hargett