The Area Known as Waiblingen...

Received April 23, 2012

So this week, I have decided to devote a lot of my email to the lovely area known as Waiblingen. This is my fifth area on my mission and last week we received a "non-transfer" call to inform us that we are both staying in Waiblingen. It is not too common that one stays with the same companion for three transfers in a row, but it's happened to me twice now. That's kinda strange but whatever. Both Elder Smith and I, admittedly, find it a little difficult to work in Waiblingen and I, without complaining, will try to explain why. Case 1: This is Schwaben. They got their name from a Hebrew word that indicates that they ignored the command to return to Israel after leaving captivity. So yes they are actually from the "lost" tribes of Israel (see the works of Prof. Dr. Terry Blogett for further clarification). Not much has changed since they still are a little bit on the hard hearted side. Case 2: There are some slight problems in the ward which we can do nothing about and which have actually scared away quite a few investigators. Case 3: We don't really have anything to do by way of Area Book work since pretty much every referral and every former has been contacted.
Enough with the "woe is me" though. Reasons why Waiblingen is awesome:
We just started a "program" with the members that will hopefully get them to start thinking about giving the missionaries referrals. It works by letting them set the time limit and picking their own way of doing things. We are just trying to get them to want to do missionary work.
For John: Schorndorf (one of the bigger cities in the area) is the birthplace of Gottlieb Daimler. Yes, the Daimler of Daimler-Benz.
The Schwäbishe Wald is mostly in our area and has some lovely sights.
Schwäbish is a funny dialect of German.
The church is a 3 minute walk from our apartment.
Heinz Naumann is one of the nicest people I've taught.
There are many members who really love having the missionaries over to eat and will always take care of us.
So as you can see, there is a lot to say for Waiblingen. I am looking forward to staying and helping out this area. It really does just need a boost and we can help it get going. With the goal of 300+ baptisms this year in the mission, we need to do our part too. We will be working on finding the people that will hear and then getting them ready for baptism. That's what this work is all about.
On that note, I'd like to devote my Book of Mormon message today to the favorite chapter of my beloved sister. Namely, Ether 12. I think that our biggest problem nowadays is that nobody believes anything anymore. Well, Moroni has something to say about that. He wrote, "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Well, that's what everyone is having an issue with. They ask us questions like, "Where is God and why is he letting all these horrible things happen to people?" Are you looking for God? Have you tried to find Him? Have you exercised even a particle of faith enough to just get on your knees and ask Him? If so, your faith is weak. However, there is hope! Christ said, " And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." That's an awesome promise, gel'?
Well, the time has come. This week will be fun. Yes I did get my package, beloved mother of mine. We already made a package of red beans and rice. It turned out ok, but I know what went wrong and I will fix that next time. The funny thing was that the little Lindt chocolate carrot came from so far just to come back to Germany next door to it's mother country. Have a great week and have fun in everything you do. Tschüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüüß!