Dad: How goes your missionary work? What experiences have you had teaching? It took me awhile before I felt comfortable talking to random strangers. I realized later that no one is random because The Lord puts people in our paths or missionaries in the path of people who need us.
Elder Lingen: Its tough in some different ways. We don't have right now any progressing investigators, and only a couple of non-progressing investigators (In case it's different now, progressing is when they've had at least two lessons and are keeping commitments). We have one woman that is dating a less active member, but we can't get a hold of either one. We haven't taught very many lessons at all. I'm concerned, but I have faith that as long as we keep working hard, we will do what the Lord wants. We might even baptize someone!
As for door approach... we actually haven't been dooring yet. We have to spend a lot of time driving, but I guess we are also dragging our feet to do that particular activity a bit. Street contacting is also hard to fit in, but we can do it while going to appointments, so we can do that more often. I'm still nervous because I have no idea what people are saying most of the time, but it's not so bad.
A story about that:
We were walking to the house where the less active member lives to try to get a hold of him and his girlfriend, and we had to park on the other side of this park. We walked over a bridge into the park, and I looked up and saw a woman. I felt that we needed to talk to her, and as we got closer she actually walked up to us. She asked what church we belonged to, and, fearing that she was a JW that wanted to fight, we gave the full name of the church. She said "Mormone?" we nodded, "Ich brauche ihre number sofort!" (I need your number immediately.) She was taught in the past by another set of elders but she hadn't been able to get contact with them, the number she had didn't work and her husband is not friendly to churches. She told us about how she had been praying for a gelegenheit (opportunity) to meet with missionaries. And to give a direct quote: "Ich will mich taufen lassen!" (I want to be baptized!) We gave her a number or two and got an email address. We've sent an email and received one, so we have contact now. With any luck she will be at church next week and we can begin teaching her. Ich bin begeistert! (I am excited!)
So, of course, no one is random! Holy cow!
A - What do you spend most of the day doing?
Elder Lingen - Driving. After that, probably eating/preparing food for ourselves or to drop off to members. Then probably walking to old investigators houses to see if they still live there or are interested.
A - Are you still running in the morning? If you do I am so jelous that you get to run through Germany! That must be so beautiful and unique!
Elder Lingen - We unfortunately are not running every day. Its really hard to get up and going enough to motivate yourself to go running. We'll get there hopefully soon! We do run through the cemetery sometimes though!
Mom: You've met Sister Ziegner? We are Facebook friends. She has shared several pictures of you and your companion.
Elder Lingen: We've met sister Ziegner for sure. She's the branch präsident's wife. They were out of town for the first few week I was here, but we see her pretty frequently. They have two boys probably 8 and 5 or so, and a daughter that is a few months younger than I am, who has just put in her papers today. They're pretty cool.
Elder Lingen: If its possible, can we set days that everyone emails, like Tuesdays for the kids, Wednesdays for the extended family, Thursday for non-relatives and Friday for mom and dad? Then I could write letters during the night between planning and sleeping, and send them on Monday. I've done that for a couple of letters that I got between the MTC and here. Maybe we could try it out for next week or maybe on a smaller scale this week.
Elder Lingen: Its tough in some different ways. We don't have right now any progressing investigators, and only a couple of non-progressing investigators (In case it's different now, progressing is when they've had at least two lessons and are keeping commitments). We have one woman that is dating a less active member, but we can't get a hold of either one. We haven't taught very many lessons at all. I'm concerned, but I have faith that as long as we keep working hard, we will do what the Lord wants. We might even baptize someone!
As for door approach... we actually haven't been dooring yet. We have to spend a lot of time driving, but I guess we are also dragging our feet to do that particular activity a bit. Street contacting is also hard to fit in, but we can do it while going to appointments, so we can do that more often. I'm still nervous because I have no idea what people are saying most of the time, but it's not so bad.
A story about that:
We were walking to the house where the less active member lives to try to get a hold of him and his girlfriend, and we had to park on the other side of this park. We walked over a bridge into the park, and I looked up and saw a woman. I felt that we needed to talk to her, and as we got closer she actually walked up to us. She asked what church we belonged to, and, fearing that she was a JW that wanted to fight, we gave the full name of the church. She said "Mormone?" we nodded, "Ich brauche ihre number sofort!" (I need your number immediately.) She was taught in the past by another set of elders but she hadn't been able to get contact with them, the number she had didn't work and her husband is not friendly to churches. She told us about how she had been praying for a gelegenheit (opportunity) to meet with missionaries. And to give a direct quote: "Ich will mich taufen lassen!" (I want to be baptized!) We gave her a number or two and got an email address. We've sent an email and received one, so we have contact now. With any luck she will be at church next week and we can begin teaching her. Ich bin begeistert! (I am excited!)
So, of course, no one is random! Holy cow!
A - What do you spend most of the day doing?
Elder Lingen - Driving. After that, probably eating/preparing food for ourselves or to drop off to members. Then probably walking to old investigators houses to see if they still live there or are interested.
A - Are you still running in the morning? If you do I am so jelous that you get to run through Germany! That must be so beautiful and unique!
Elder Lingen - We unfortunately are not running every day. Its really hard to get up and going enough to motivate yourself to go running. We'll get there hopefully soon! We do run through the cemetery sometimes though!
Mom: You've met Sister Ziegner? We are Facebook friends. She has shared several pictures of you and your companion.
Elder Lingen: We've met sister Ziegner for sure. She's the branch präsident's wife. They were out of town for the first few week I was here, but we see her pretty frequently. They have two boys probably 8 and 5 or so, and a daughter that is a few months younger than I am, who has just put in her papers today. They're pretty cool.
Elder Lingen: If its possible, can we set days that everyone emails, like Tuesdays for the kids, Wednesdays for the extended family, Thursday for non-relatives and Friday for mom and dad? Then I could write letters during the night between planning and sleeping, and send them on Monday. I've done that for a couple of letters that I got between the MTC and here. Maybe we could try it out for next week or maybe on a smaller scale this week.