No Success Easily Won Is Worth It

25.08.15 

Interesting day. We finally found a translator for the Serbians. Well, he speaks Bosnian. Miroslav, he lives in Lankwitz ward in Berlin, and we sky per him in to translate for us. Turns out Stanoje doesn't understand baptism at all...but they have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, of the word of wisdom, and of the prophet Joseph smith!! Yay!!  Also talked to our Eritreans about baptism because there was one this Saturday...they probably didn't understand a word we said...they are just always like: "ok. Yeah. Ok." Whatever. 

26.08.15 

Had my first interview with President Fingerle today. It was really cool getting to know him a little better. Turns out he went to school for "Wirtschaftler Pedigoger" or someone who trains cooperate businessmen. Yeah, so he is the ultimate German cooperate executive. Sounds like a pretty good mission president, right?  He was then later asked to work for CES, first as director for southern Germany, then for all of Europe...which means my first mission president was the CES director for Russia...and my second was the CES director for Europe...hmm. Interesting.  When I asked how one prepares for such callings and jobs, he said the usual things; "testimony, scriptural knowledge, good finances, physical and temporal and spiritual preparedness."  Then it got very pointed. "Das wichtigste aber, ist dass man glücklich verheiratet ist." "The most important thing, is that you are happily married." He then talked for a couple minutes about how important a spiritually strong wife and gospel-centered marriage are. I was not sure how to react to that...thanks?  Message received in any case. 

27.08.15 

Had district meeting today...super super spiritual. I might finally be figuring out how to be district leader. Like, 7 transfers later. Oh good, great elder burton...  It does kind of feel like we are beating our heads against a wall sometimes though. We make very little progress in this area, in this district, as far as missionary work goes. We all try very hard, there are a lot of very good missionaries in my district. But...the work is just a little slower here. We still can't get Stanoje and his family to church, they won't do their part now. And talk to a former investigator lady who said she'd drive them. The Spanish elders are struggling...cause they are trying to find a needle in a haystack, a Spanish speaker who is prepared to learn about the gospel, IN GERMANY. yeah. Lots of hard work for us. But no success easily won is worth it...or something like that. 

28.08.15 

Went to a City-Festival in Schwarzenbek. There were like 200 people there...which is about 175 more then usual for Schwarzenbek. Joy of joys...  That's probably the hardest thing about this area, is the lack of people everywhere but Lüneburg. No, the hardest thing is getting people to church. Cause honestly, it is usually the poorer people, the people looking for improve,net in life, who accept the Gospel. That is how it has always been. And unfortunately, poor people in German don't own cars. 

29.08.15 

Went finding for 6 hours today in Lüneburg. No success. But lots of walking. :)  Had an asthma attack again...first one in like 6 months...ran up some stairs too quickly. Smooth elder. Smooth. I had an inhaler with me, but the headache I got afterwards was monstrous,..  Also visited 2 flea-markets today. One during lunch break, then one during dinner break. Bought a pair of dress pants for 2 euro. They fit too!! American style. So, very square. But they fit. Not the most attractive...but they work for P-day and maybe a day when I don't care what I look like. Not bad. 

30.08.15 

So. Church today. A Family Visited, the woman's parents live in the ward, they are newly weds who live in America. She is from Germany, obviously, and he is from Bolivia. Yeah, Bolivia. Next time I say lets go to Bolivia...No, they were cool though. His accent was awesome, he only spoke English and Spanish, so I translated one talk for him while his wife fed their 2 month old child.  Then, during sacrament meeting, these 2 ladies walked in. Very plainly Arabic. They sad down, and I and the ward mission leader went and sat on their sides. Turns out they both spoke Arabic, and 1 spoke English, so I then proceeded to translate for them, the speaker speaking German, I speaking English, and one lady speaking Arabic for the other lady. What never seen these two ladies before. 1 from Syria, actually, and 1 from the Gaza Strip, Palestine.  Turns out they are 2 mothers from the refugee camp about 10 kilometers away. It would be absolutely awesome that they just walked into sacrament meeting by themselves, but...unfortunately, they came for the wrong reasons.  Someone--not us--gave a different family in the refugee camp our card, and told some of the refugees that if they came tithe church there would be money and food and clothing for their children. When these women heads this, women without husbands, with 3 and 5 children respectively, they made the decision to walk alone, in the rain, Sunday morning, from the camp to church, to look for help.  Definitely one of the worst, prat least least favorite, experiences of my mission so far, is having to tell these 2 mothers that we don't have money to give them. That we don't have any ability to help them get a better apartment, or clothing for their children, who are already cold, even though it will get much, much colder. We offered all the spiritual and emotional help we could, we gave them a bible and a Book of Mormon, we invited them to bring their children to church next week and to help them feel comfortable in the ward during their time here...but we were very honest about not having the power to change their temporal situation.  I hated that. I hated it.  

Viele Grüße, Elder Burton