Sept 11, 2011

I heard about a new family moving into the ward. That seems weird since I am half the world away in Innsbruck, but in a letter from the Ward Council. It was really good to get. So, if they feel like it's pointless. It isn't. It seems like things are going good. I wrote them back, but if you want to say thank you to them from me that would be great. It seems like the ward is doing really good. I don't remember really having that much happening all at once. Mind you, growing up I never really cared, but now that I am on a mission it is strangely, much more important. The branch here is so good to the missionaries. Last week we said we needed more people to come teach with us since we can't teach single sisters alone and quite a few people came to talk to us. It was awesome! This week it was hard though because it was the Branch Temple Week. So from Wednesday morning to Saturday Evening most of the ward was gone in Frankfurt at the temple. They go once a year and the kids do baptisms everyday and then they have stuff for them, and the adults go to two sessions a day I think. It seemed like a lot of fun, and I think it's gotten the branch much more excited about the gospel and doing the work. Which is something a missionary always loves to see.

This week has been really good though to say the least. On Monday we had P-Day and didn't really do anything too special. On Tuesday we met for a District Meeting and thought about things that we could be doing better with JAE center. Elder Perry was assigned to be over the Europe Area a while ago, and said that he had a vision of the church, and that the success would come through the members aged 18-30. That is why they have JAE centers. He said that they would be the people who would shape the church in the coming times, and that is where missionaries would have the most success. I believe it 100%. These are the generation of people who grew up in a time very different from their parents, without the War, without the Iron Curtain, without the Berlin Wall, without tons of things. They are ready for something different, and they haven't been hardened by such terrible experiences. Anyways, the point about focusing on JAE's is that Innsbruck is a University city. Once school starts again, in a week or two there will be 20,000 more people here. Which is unreal! There will be a lot to do and I am excited. I don't know if I will be there for it, but it will still happen. Which is exciting!! Later that day we went to Telfs, a small city about half an hour away from Innsbruck. We were going to teach a friend of a member but we got super lost, so the member had to come pick us up, then we went to his house and taught his non-member friend. It went really good. I am feeling better and better about my languge skills. Obviously, still not that great (I've only been here for 10 weeks now, but still not bad considering). The lesson went really well, also his name is B. I feel really good about him though, and since he already has a member friend it will be so much easier for him.
On Wednesday we went on a Joint Teach to P and Brother L, the Opera Singer came with us. It was such a good lesson! I love P. She was telling us about how she knew that the Book of Mormon was really the word of God and how one of her friends said otherwise and she got really mad at her friend, and defended it in front of everyone and then nobody made fun of it anymore. She is really awesome. I think she is really close to being baptized and I think that having Brother Lyndsey there was really good. Him and his family are awesome. They are just good people who are nice to everybody and even though they aren't so great with German and everything, they try their best and still help others in the branch. I also had my first real experience teaching the Word of Wisdom. Always fun. We taught it to M and I think she understood it. We've been meeting with her every day this week. She is really making some progress now and now has been opening up more and more which is good because we can help her based on what he concerns and questions are. Yesterday we tried to set a baptismal date with her, but she wasn't too sure about it and felt that it was too soon. So we don't have a date yet, but she is getting really close. She has changed a lot since we met her on the bus 6 or 7 weeks ago and I am excited to see what the future will bring for her.

The rest of the week was really good as well.
All in all things are going good here. I feel like I am sort of fitting into the way that things work and understanding things that I need to change and do to become a better missionary. And there are a lot of things! Haha! Luckily I still have quite a bit of time. I know I have never worked this hard in my life, but I don't think I have ever been so happy. Not laugh until I cry happy, although that happens quite a bit too, but just happy. I am so thankful to be here where I can realize what is important in life and what really isn't. I have been studying a lot in my Patriarchal Blessing and it is amazing! I love it so much. The more I read it the more I wish I could just fast forward 20 years and see how everything happens, but then I would miss so much.

Anyways, I don't have too much time. I love you guys a lot. I know the church is true. The more I learn the more I realize that it is, there is no way that this is made up. I am so thankful for everything that you guys have done for me and all that you have taught me.



Sincerely,

Elder Connor J. Thompson