Dearest Family,
Greetings from Germany!! The weather has taken a turn for the worse this week (in my opinion, at least...), and it even snowed on Saturday!!! It's not even November yet! I thought I was going to die! Anyway, I have since realized that missionary work is a lot less fun when it's freezing temperatures, you don't have any appointments and so you have to just talk to the people on the street (who are also not enjoying the weather, and do not enjoy being stopped). But yeah, the work goes forward regardless. I have been using the weather as a way to start conversations in buses, I just tell the people that I am from California, and that this weather is ridiculously cold, and then we get into a nice conversation, which often leads to me talking about how I'm a missionary...it works pretty well.
Well this week we finally came into contact with a few of the people that the missionaries had already taught, it was kind of weird though, because all of the 'investigators' here in Heilbronn had had no contact with the missionaries here for at least a few months. Well, that's what their record says anyway, and so we have just been having introduction lessons with all of them, trying to get to know them, and see how we can help them the best
I don't think that I have already written about this, if I have, I apologize, but in the mission we started doing finding days every week. That means that once a week our whole district comes together in one area, and we spend from 11-18 just finding. So we talk to the people on the street, or we go to a neighborhood in the area and we go dooring. It was started in Zürich zone in the last few transfers and they saw some pretty good success from it, and so now we do it every week. It's tough sometimes doing so much finding, but it helps find interested people that we can hopefully turn into investigators, and it's nice to spend a little bit more time with the Distrikt.
So yes, one of the members of our branch went to the Rathaus, and we are allowed to talk to people again. We just can't talk to them in buses, at bus stops, or at the train station. Elder Buck and I have since realized that we are actually finding a ton of potentials together. I think more than I have in my whole mission so far. We started talking to people on Wednesday (although, I still did it a little bit before...), and since then we have find nine people who are interested in hearing more about the gospel. The only problem that we are having is turning these people into investigators. By that I mean, actually meeting with these people, and helping them come closer to Jesus Christ.
Anyway, I guess I'll answer the questions right now, so I don't forget:
I got the letter from Daniel this week, but I didn't get the one from you set, maybe later today, who knows? Christmas list? Mom, I have no idea. A watch. Besides that...I really don't know. Elder Buck gave me some of his thermals this week, because they were too small for him, and they fit pretty well, so I think I can survive with those. Umm, I really don't know. Music? I always appreciate a few more CDs or something. Or you can just send me my ipod with a bunch of churchy songs on it. I'm trying to give you ideas, but I can't think of anything. I'm sure right after I send this I'll think of ten things that would be awesome, then I will forget to write them down, and have this same problem next week.
We did not have any nonmembers in Church today, though like ten people promised us they would come. That is so frustrating to me! I don't understand why people always promise they will come to Church, and then just not show up! Arrgh. I did however receive a referral from one of the members of our branch presidency, although the address isn't in our area. But still! It was a referral, and I got to make our Zone Leaders very happy by passing it on to them.
Now for Father:
1. Halloween. Hmm, that is a good question. Well, they don't really carve pumpkins here. Some people do, but it is not near as wide spread as it is in America. I only know this, because we planned a Distrikt Pday for today, and Elder Buck and I had to track down pumpkins, which we did, and now we are sitting in this internet cafe with six pumpkins with us. We got some weird looks. Especially as I was trying to shove one of them into my backpack... That wasn't even the worst part though. As we were walking away from this store carrying our pumpkins, we saw our bus coming, and I had just called some of the other Elders in my district, and so then we had to start running. I had one pumpkin in my backpack, two in this bag, and I was talking on the phone, and I had to run, and I mean run. It was really hard, haha. Anyway, I don't think they do trick or treat, I don't know, I guess I'll find out on the 31st, but maybe you should ask Daniel, he has already seen two Halloweens here!
2. Things with Elder Buck are great. We really understand eachother well, and so far I have the feeling that I can really be myself with him, and actually be funny. I didn't always have that feeling with my other companions. But yeah, things are going pretty great.
3. See above.
4. The work is going alright, like I said, we are finding a lot of potentials, we just need to do better at getting appointments with them. We went over the ward list yesterday with just a member, and so I think this week we may be able to try and meet with some more less-actives, we'll see what happens. We don't have a ton of appointments for this week, not yet at least!
Anyway, this morning we listened to a great BYU devotional from Elder Holland (Elder Buck has a MP3 player with a ton of great talks), called Remember Lot's Wife, or something like that. Anyway, I only mention it, because I realized that I have been making the same mistake as Lot's wife. I have been living in the past, and I haven't been trusting that the Lord can make things better for me. I don't know, I can't articulate these thoughts that well, but I realized that there is still some major attitude adjusting that I need to do in order to make myself happier. But I'll do it, and I think it should help me for the rest of my life too.
Anyway, I'm tired of writing, and I have already written a ton. Love you tons!
Oh wait, that email from Niklas was way cool too. You can have him send me an email if he wants, and then maybe I can send him a letter or something once I hace his address, I'd love to stay in contact with him.
Love,
Elder Merkley
PS I was going to send a picture of me on the first day where it snowed, but my camera is somewhere under the pumpkin in my backpack, aka, not worth the hassle.
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