Menschen Kinder.. Erfurt. Was für ein woche !‏

"Man...Erfurt. What a week!"

What a Crazy, Interesting, Successful and Memorable week here in Erfurt. Saw the hand of the Lord in my life this week. That’s for sure!

So as of right now, I am in this big sketchy Casino using their computer because the Library that we usually use is closed for the next few weeks. And we checked out a couple of other internet lades but they all cost like 4 Euros per hour. No thanks, too expensive. Haha. So I took a page out of my Golden Cycles and thought, hey we can go to a Casino. (Elder McGinn and I used a Casino in Erlangen) So here we are. Haha the Mormon Missionaries in a Casino. Funny, right?

So this week. Hmmm, where to start. Me and Elder Norman got a referral from Coburg, they said they found a Young Woman named Danna (pronounced Donna) and that she lived in Erfurt and we should call her and make an appointment. We called her up and she was actually really excited to meet with us. So we met with her and had the Erfurt Distrikt Präsident as our joint teach. We answered her questions about the Restoration and then taught her about Der Erlösungsplan (The Plan of Salvation). It was super powerful and seriously the Spirit was so strong. It felt as if you could reach out and actually grab it. So at the end of the lesson we committed her to baptism on the 24th of May. She accepted . So Keep Danna in your prayers. We are meeting with her again this week. So excited. I have never run into someone so prepared on my mission. What a miracle.

Also this week Normy and I were going by a Potential Investigator’s to see if they had any legit interest in meeting with us. Unfortunately they didn’t. So we had like 20 minutes till we had to catch the StraßenBahn to our next appointment. So I said, “ok, lets hit some Doors.” We hit one door. No answer. “Ok well we have time for 1 more Door.” We knock on this door and a young Chinese student answers the door. We just so happened to have a Chinese Book of Mormon on us. We are in Germany of all places, with a Chinese Book of Mormon. We give it to her and ask her if she believes in God and she said "nein, notch nicht" or "No, NOT YET." Key words there, NOT and YET. And then we bore testimony to her about the church and that blessings that come from the gospel. And then I felt to bear testimony that this church has been a great blessing to my family and that because of it I can be with you guys forever. And seriously, it felt as though I was a hand puppet for the Lord. Never ever before has my German been so clear and has my testimony come out so smooth. It just worked out great. So, asked her if we could come back and teach her. She excitedly said yes and asked if we could come back on Tuesday at 11! Yay. So pray for Fangyuan. It was a blessed find.

It was also the first time Ive been asked on my mission if I was from Germany.  So yay, my German is going really well.

So this week we had an appointment with a Less Aktiv. We went in and he was pretty Drunk. So we knew we were in for a treat. So he busts out more alcohol in the appointment. And we have told him that when we are there he can’t do that. But he is just Sloppy Drunk. Like beyond reasoning. And so Normy grabs the alcohol off of the table and …. BOOM. He snapped. He got up and started yelling and freaking out and threatening to kill us and what not. And he grabs this bottle like a club and is freaking out at Normy for touching the drink. So I got in between them and looked at him and was just like "Sei Ruhig. Sei Ruhig! Sei Ruhg!" I’m like, “calm down, calm down” ... and he went off on this rant just saying horrible things and still threatening to kill us. So me and Normy start heading for the door and I was still trying to talk it out with him. But he was just GONE. No reasoning with him. So finally I was just like, “What ever. Bye dude”. We walked out as we were walking out he was still cussing his brains out and he told us, “I am done with this church and I am done with you. I never want to see you again”. So we were just like, “Ok, What evs Homie. Tschüß.”  So we left. Sunday rolls around. Guess who is at church and a little more sober? Yup . Our buddy that threatened to kill us. Haha, good times. We told the Branch Präsident what happened and he told us, “Don’t give up on him. Visit him some more. He needs it”. And we were like, What the heck?! Really? Ok. So we are meeting with him again this week. Pray that he won’t be drunk this time! Haha, Seriously. Mission Life. Who would have thought? I love it. But its interesting sometimes.

Erfurt is doing really good. The ward is still treating me so well. I am staying nice and busy and new people to teach just keep popping on up. There are so many miracles. I’ve learned that if I keep open eyes and try to maintain an attitude of gratitude that there is never a boring day. And that when you look for them and pray for them, miracles come. I’m not sure if it is a Gospel Principle or not. But I have myself convinced now, after my time in Erfurt, that miracles and good things will come when you are out doing what you can do. Remember my e-mails when I first came into Erfurt? I was a little bummed, the work was not doing very well. There were not very many lessons being taught, and this was and has been the "East, or the Stinky corner of the mission." But now look at it. I am loving life, I would love to stay here the rest of my mission. The work is bumpin’.  Normy and I are workin’ it. We have been so blessed. I know none of this would have happened without the help of our Heavenly Father. I have really learned a good couple of lessons on Faith, Hard Work and Relying on God out here. Transfers are this week. Find out on Saturday what happens . I’m praying that Ill get to stay here though.

Also, Interesting news. I’m sorta torn on wanting to stay in Erfurt for a long time. Found out that the Leipzig stake is being re organized and it is taking in our District. Leipzig stake is in the Berlin mission. If I am still in Erfurt when the new Stake is formed then I would most likely be sucked into the Berlin Mission.. So yeah. We shall see what happens. What ever the Lord wants. But I really want to stay in the Frankfurt Mission with all my buddies.

Good job guys at getting your Preach My Gospels and reading from it that is so good. It makes me really happy!! Read and study that as a family.

Thank you guys for everything that you do for me and the prayers on my behalf. I hope you know that I am praying for you guys individually morning and night. I know that families are forever. Thank you so much for always being there for me. You guys are amazing. I love you!!

Bis Nächste Woche!!

Love Elder Anderson

Wir Haben So Viel Wündern Gesehen‏

"We have seen so many Miracles"

What an awesome week we had here in Erfurt. We saw a ton of success this week and I am still loving this area.

My Easter was pretty good. It is so weird having Holidays away from home. I miss the fun little traditions that we have as a family!

For my Easter, We went over to the familie Schumann for dinner. It was way fun, they had the whole family over and they really made me and Normy feel at home.

This week we got a call from the Coburg sisters. They gave us a refferal for someone to teach. Her name is Dana. Pray that the appointment will go well with her tomorrow!

Also, there is the Russian piano guy! Met with him this week. That was way cool. We are going back by this week to give him a Book of Mormon and he said we could teach his family!! We are really stoked for this one. Families are harder to come by out here! Aghhh, Anatovili is his name. pray for him. I need to make a movie about some of the experiences and stuff that has happened on the mission. It is crazy. Like I don’t even tell you guys in e-mail all that I see. I have them all written down. But many stories will be better told in Person. I love being a missionary, hahaaha.

Herr Höhn tschüßed us this week. That means that he decided he didn’t want to meet with us anymore and that he had no more interest. He requested that we make a special note so that missionaries don’t visit him again. Bummer, Right?! I was pretty sad about that one. But hey, life goes on!

We are doing so well here in Erfurt guys. Like it is amazing to see the turn around that has happened. We are staying busy. We are finding, We are teaching, and we are trying our best to baptize!

I don’t know why I am so happy! But I am happy! Maybe cause its starting to get sunny? Or maybe for the first time in a year, I finally feel like I really get what is going on and how to do it. Life is so good!

Aghh, crazy, Elder Ogden is dying this transfer! I came out and he was like, “aghh, man I still have a year left.” Time goes by so quickly.

So this last week I was reading in LuB (D and C) section 76. This is the awesome scripture where the Prophet shares his testimony and says simply, "...He lives". Super powerful. I know to that our Savior Jesus Christ lives and that he is our advocate with the father. What an amazing church we belong to. The true church of Christ on the Earth. I am so so so proud of you guys for talking to that couple in San Diego about the gospel. That is seriously so amazing. I’m proud of you!!

Thank you guys for everything that you do for me. I love you times a million.

Bis Nächste Woche !!

Love

Elder Anderson!

Erfurt Beginn Wirklich Wie Zu Hause Fühlen‏

"Erfurt is really starting to feel like home"

This last week was a super solid week, the work is starting to really move forward and this place is really starting to feel like a home away from home.

So this last week for P-day the entire Zone came out to Erfurt. There is this month long Frühlings fest that goes on right on DomPlatz. It happens every year. So when you come and pick me up in a year, we can come back and visit Erfurt and visit the fair, haha, hint hint. But it is way fun. They have a ton of Carnival rides and what not. It is pretty fun.

This week they had Zone Training in Erfurt. So the zone was here again on Mittwoch (Wednsday)! It was really good and the Zone Leaders threw mashed potatoes at me as part of an object lesson, haha. Punks. They got the idea from the General Conference talk. It was a good lesson though, and it was way fun :) I really love this zone.

So this week an investigator named Nargila called us up. She needed help moving a piano. Normy and I thought it was just going to be a small Piano, but when we got there we realized that this was a full size Piano! And we had to take it up steps! Just me and Normy. We made some make shift shoulder straps with some rope and we got it up the stairs finally after about an hour. It was crazy. And then we had to push this thing through the city about 1 mile away! Haha. Luckily for us this random Russian guy comes up with a piano cart and helped us push it along. Really nice guy. He might have interest in the Gospel. He is a piano worker, "UFC" fighter and owns a massage parlor. So that was a real adventure, haha. I got pics but I’ll send them next week, I forgot my cord. :(  Oh and then we get home and I take off my shirt and there are blood blisters all over my shoulders and back from our make shift shoulder straps!! Haha Might need to go over to Anatovoli's place for a massage haha.  

During the week we met with one of the most animated members in the ward. His name is Brüder Schulze. He made us this food called DDR schnitzel. I will need to run a couple of 5ks to burn that one off haha. But at his house, he noticed that I had big holes in my socks. And he was like, “no no, that won’t be happening to my missionaries”.  And then this humble guy went into his room and gave me a couple pairs of socks! He is seriously such a great guy.

Then later on in the week on Saturday, we got invited to this member’s 80^th  birthday party! A ton of members were there and I just felt so welcomed and at home. And then to top that all off there was this member named Maik. He asked if we wanted to walk home with him and his wife. It was about a 20 min walk. And it was just a walk. But I really feel at home here. Erfurt is a good place.

As far as investigators and stuff goes, we are doing pretty good. We met with one of them last week and tried to commit him to baptism. But he said no and we think we might have scared him away. So please pray that he will keep on meeting with us! We are also meeting with a ton of less actives every week. Life is good. No baptisms yet. Key word, YET. But we got a ton of stuff to keep us busy and life is treating us real good :) !

I love you guys! Thanks for all the support.

Spiritual thought for the week.

Moses 1:39 read it. Think about it. how cool is it that god loves us enough to give us eternal and everlasting life?!

Also. I am following up. Have you guys all gotten your own Preach my Gospel? If no, Go get one, or I will order one to the house for you. And If yes. good :) what did you guys learn?? You too, Kyrstin. What have you learned this week :)? Haha.

Gotta bounce, love you guys!

Love,

Elder Nikora Philip Anderson

Ich Liebe Mein Leben‏

"I love my life"

District Sportracting

I am loving life right about now. General Conference was such a big booster for me. I went in with a lot of questions on my mind, so I decided to pray about it and ask for some divine answers to my questions. It was unbelievable how many answers I received and how many things were said that I could use to directly help bless this area. I have really learned and grown to love General Conference out here. It is such a blessing.

Along with Elder Ballard, I would encourage you all to get a Preach My Gospel and to study it. Read through it and you will learn so much and you will help hasten the work of Salvation.

Elder Watts
trying to down a giant
 handfull of noodles haha

Missionary sleep over,
drinking soup with
noodle straws, haha!

As for Erfurt, I love this area so much. I really wanna spend a good amount of time here. It is a beautiful city, the tiny branch here is interesting to say the least, and it is really just a good area. I love being out in the "East", as missionaries call it. I also love the District. This week we met in Jena and we have the goal of being the most unified, happy, successful district ever. This last week we met in Jena, and to have some fun, grow some unity and find some people we had a quick district meeting and then we went out and did some sport finding in the city. We had cards and a soccer ball and football and we went to Paradise Park and just started a pick up game and invited people to play with us. Boom 2 investigators found!! Like it is such an awesome opportunity to work with all the people that we have out here. The missionaries in our District really are something special. Love them all. Love the City. I’m happy.

Mykola again, haha,
 he wears these things
everywhere, i love this guy.

Our investigator
Mykola at GenCon

The work is picking up. We had Gemeinderat (Ward Council) this last week. And for the longest time this ward has been tougher to work with. But this week, we were just like enough is enough and we took it and we conquered. We really just spoke up and voiced it like it was and didn’t really hold back, we were really apprehensive about what was going to happen, but it all worked out and we got a ton of support. Like never before have we had members coming up and asking if they can teach with us! And then, also in Gemeinderat, we secured a Sunday in May where we are going to combine Relief Society and Priesthood and we are going to teach them and get them ready for some missionary work! All of Europe has a "Month of Invitation" in June, and this lesson in may is really going to help us out with preparing for that.

Us and Herr Höhn at
 the first session of GenCon

Our investigator,
 Herr Höhn at GenCon

This last week was really good. We had some good growth opportunities and the work progressed! So there was this one day where we were just having a really hard time. This guy that we were teaching just strait up told us to leave him alone. And then a little later that day as we were contacting this lady came up to us, and just started bashing us and telling us we were racist and psychotic. And then an activity that we were planning on having fell out and I was just fix und fertig. I was so frustrated that day, we went and sat on a park bench for a little bit to just relax and calm down, while sitting there I was looking at the Heavens and I was just said "Please, just give me a break!" And then I said a little prayer in my heart. And literally 3 minutes later we get a call from Marcel, who had previously fallen of the face of the planet. He wanted to meet that night and buy us some food. Oh the tender mercies of the lord! And then the rest of the week was good cause we got 2 people to conference and won ward council.

Pics of our District last cycle. The  Jena, Erfurt, Weimar crew.

Thank you guys, thank you so much for everything you do for me and the time that you take to write me. Thank you for just letting me always know that you care. You guys really mean more to me than anything else in this world.

I love you!!

Bis Nächste woche !

SERVUS

Elder Nikora Philip Anderson