Doing My Best: Mainz Week 12

May 18, 2015

Hello Family beziehungsweise Mom and Dad,

Lots of rain isn't helping with the drought? Is it just not enough, or is it run off since the ground is hard and dry? It seems like it rains here all the time compared with home. Not really hard rain too often, but lots of sprinkles 'light showers'.

Youth employment day [Dad note: a Saturday seminar for youth teaching them about interviewing and other things about finding a job], that's fun, is Emily thinking of getting more consistent work, or is she still doing a lot of babysitting? Glad to hear Austin's birthday was fun, wish him Happy birthday from me (if he doesn't read my emails) there will be a small present for him in the mail one of these days. Your youngest son is a teenager now! How's that?!

Yeah, it seems like Taylor's doing really well too, glad to be back in Germany :) Part of his old ward here.

I haven't heard anything else about the woman in Langen, hoping she's doing well, but I really don't know. Splitting with Elder Rowe was a lot of fun [Dadnote:Friend from the RSM area, also in Frankfurt Mission], catching up on home, different being the 'older' missionary on a split considering that I'm pretty new myself, but lots of fun overall. No one is being transferred, Elder Fitzgerald and I are still working together, actually no missionaries in my district (my companionship, the sisters in our ward, the Langen Elders) were changed. Working hard together for another 5 week transfer :)

Good priesthood meeting and Talyon's farewell [Friend Going to the Netherland/Belgium Mission] , Wow that came fast, another missionary headed out from the Las Flores ward. Connor and Tommy coming home pretty soon too [Friends returning home from Chile and Seattle repectively] .

This week I led a discussion at a missionary meeting. 'teaching people to teach how Elder Bednar (an Apostle of the Lord) teaches'. I did my best, doing my best to use the tips I was trying to teach as I tried to teach them :) Do you like the word usage there? Main thoughts, basically that he invites the spirit as he teaches, and he loves people. Having good questions prepared when leading a discussion is really helpful. Not questions that are so broad that they don't go in any specific direction, but also, not so specific that you're playing jeopardy with the class. It was fun :) Loving people, and helping people who have a desire to grow to build their faith is wonderful. I know that as we invite the Spirit, the Holy Ghost to teach, hearts will be touched and people will change and grow.

Have a fun week! Be safe, remember who you are, all of those good things!

Love,

Elder Blanchard

PS. I uploaded pictures, have fun. Working on taking more, I carry my camera with me more often now [request made by mom and dad].

We Missed Our Stop: Mainz Week 11

May 11, 2015

Hello Family!

Mom haha, so fun to skype, it went so fast! Glad you could have a fun Mother's day:) Another son sent off to Germany too, getting to skpe with Taylor and I while we're in the same time zone. carry on with Preschool busy-ness. And I'll upload and take more pictures :) could you have Emily send me that letter? Just to the mission office would be good.

if you want to send mail

Elder Hayden Blanchard

Kirche Jesu Christi

Corneliusstraße 18

60325 Frankfurt a. Main

Germany/Deutschland

Dad: Lots of rain, that's good to hear. Often when people here that I'm from California, right after they talk about how nice the weather is they talk about the terrible drought, hoping for that to get better. It rains pretty often here in comparison. Ouch, poor Taylor, hope his leg is feeling better [dad note: shin cut while doing box jumps]. I still have a nice thick scar on my foot from the sharp rocks of San Onofre (spelling?). 

This last week Elder Rowe and I (yes, Austin Rowe from the RSM stake [Dad note: Rancho Santa Margarita is the neighboring stake to Hayden’s home, he knew Austin before going to Germany]) went on a split together in Langen. We made good plans at night and were excited to take public transportation to a city just up north. 'Unfortunately' we missed our stop and ended up where we started, with an appointment at 3 and the time being quickly eaten up, we decided to talk to people in the area instead. Walking down the street and talking to people, we met a woman with a lot of stories. Spoke a lot of languages and had lived all over as well. She lived in San Jose California for a while and while she was there she found the church. She'd been to a variety of different churches but felt the most at home in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She eventually moved to Germany but lost contact with the church, she thought that the closest church to Langen was in Frankfurt. We chatted and walked together to the church house in Langen. Even with work struggles and things like that she made it to church yesterday! If we had been on the bus or in the city where we had originally planned to be we would definitely not have met her. It's wonderful to see how the Lord works to put people in our path, or to put us where we need to be to accomplish his work.

Have a great week, Love you all!

Elder Blanchard

Hey whats that Street name?

I wanted to run: Mainz Week 10

May 4, 2015

Hello Family!

As far as mothers day skyping, that time works great for me. If you send your skype info here that would be helpful. The Family at whose house I'll be skyping said they have good internet and aren't worried.

So much fun with Taylor home, busy with lots of different activities!

Good to hear about Austin's progress, scouting and other fun as well :)

Dad, as far as pictures, I should probably take more :) Also struggled to figure out the WiFi but I can load a lot all at once when I bring them to email, it's just a matter of taking more.

To answer questions: We haven't gotten iPads yet, the shipment was delayed or something of that nature happened. Probably in a month or so. Yes I will have skype available. I haven't set up a new facebook account (at least not yet, and I haven't heard many specifics there). The weather is great! There wasn't snow when I got here and it isn't too hot yet either. We have a couple of investigators and some potential investigators, people who expressed some interested whom we are not yet teaching. Mission conference was amazing, Elder Bednar answered a lot of questions and asked questions of missionaries, it was a spiritual highlight to be taught by an apostle of the Lord, things that I learned and will apply for the rest of my life. I don't know if he's over my area, but he is very much involved in missionary work. The temple is amazing as well, another highlight each 6 weeks there.

This last week has been so much fun! some highlights of the week:

I went on a split to Langen again [Dad note: His brother Taylors 1^st area], I said at the beginning, 'I want to run on this split'. I meant go for a run in the morning, and we did that too :) we ran to a park, played ping pong there for a few minutes, then ran back for our morning exercise. We were running late for a train later in the day and ran probably 1.5 miles through a city. (church clothes and those shoes, good times). Later in the day we were walking back home from a lesson and saw someone taking down a wall in front of his house with a sledgehammer. We offered to help and he accepted! we went home and changed into 'service clothes' then got to break down a wall for an hour, hard labor. I was sore for the next couple days, it was great :)

Someone went on Mormon.org  and asked for a Book of Mormon this week. We were really excited to go bring that by and teach them about the Book of Mormon, what it is, and how much truth we have because of it. Really to teach about the message of the  restoration of the gospel. The man who asked for the book wasn't home, but we talked to people in the neighborhood for the next few hours and at 3 houses found people who were interested in learning more!

I'm also giving a devotional, lesson type thing, at a missionary meeting tomorrow. Teaching how to teach, humbling considering that I've only been out for a few months. Praying and hoping that the spirit will be the teacher and not me!

Have a great week! I Love you all!

Elder Blanchard

Mission Conference with Elder Bednar!: Mainz Week 9

pril 27, 2015

Hello Family!

Lots of Questions :) I'll keep that time in mind [time for skyping] and work on Mothers day skyping options :) Having iPads will change some things, but at the core not much about missionary work. It's a new tool just like flannel boards were 'back in the day' :) Then, now and forever though, helping people to learn about and know Christ can only come through the spirit. Sharing our faith and helping others to build their own faith. Facebook, email, study materials, and church videos are tools that will soon be added to the shed.

That was a part of what we talked about with Elder Bednar here for mission conference. The meeting with him was so powerful. Elder Bednar answered asked the missionaries questions and answered our questions in a very open, discussion atmosphere. He really helped us, answering our concerns and focusing on the foundational doctrine of the gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance. Baptism/covenants. The Holy Ghost. Agency.

As far as exercise goes: I do abs every other day, lots of pull ups and pushups, and I occasionally use exercise bands. I've gone running once, on a split.

Fun fun, picking up Taylor and sending him back to Germany soon after, switching up what you did last August. Picking him up from the airport and sending him to school. [Father note: We picked Hayden’s Brother from school, BYU, and on May 4^th he flies to Germany, Dortmund area, for an internship for In-West]

Thank you! Stay strong, be happy!

Love,

Elder Blanchard

[Fathers note: we asked several questions but seems time was short as was this entry.  Gathering all the 254ish missionaries in the Frankfurt mission and having them in one place makes for a busy time. I’m guessing Hayden’s time was short for this one.]

Tribulation and Jubulation: Mainz Week 8

April 21, 2015

Hello Family,

Glad you liked the video :) Mainz Allgemeine Zeitung is the local newspaper. Mainz is a large city (like large enough that in our Grammar book Mainz is often mentioned/used) and the newspaper has a website as well of course. 

Emily! So much fun at German camp, I remember that :) have her send me a letter in German (or an email, letters are cool too) 

Austin as well. Gut gemacht beim Fußball spiel! way to go :) [Well done with soccer] Earning Merit badges as well, Little brother working on passing Taylor and I up.

School is ending already, whoa! Have fun picking up Taylor, and I will be in Mainz for at least his first few days here, potentially more but we'll see what happens with the next transfer.

Elder Fitzgerald has been our for 10 Months now, his family is in Orem, two older siblings two younger. He's the distrikt leader in our Distrikt as well now.

More mission calls, exciting ward news! Congratulations to the Sheppards! Bekah headed off as well, Connor and Tommy coming home, the Las Flores ward is staying busy :)

German is going great, still improving and growing, working on remembering and relearning Genders for words. One regret from high school German is that I didn't focus too much on learning Gender and case when I learned vocabulary. Learning Gender so that I can hide that I'm American (haha, doing my best).

Service and lifting opportunities... hmmm, I got a pull up bar the other day for my doorway and morning exercise has become more fun. The other day I was on an exchange in Frankfurt and we went to a man's house to help him paint (the international ward sister missionaries had met him there and were doing service and teaching him) but when we got there he just had questions and preferred to have a lesson, it was so much fun! Talking about Christ! He had had some really hard experiences in the past years, his wife had passed away and he had other struggles as well. Really relying on Christ, putting his trust in him helped him to get through it. he said,' there's a time for tribulation and a time for jubilation'. Holding out, trusting in God and knowing that there can be joy at the end of our struggles, being grateful the good, and when nothing seems to be going well, being grateful for Christ. He is there always to buoy us up, to make our burdens light, 'to Succor his people'. Job in the bible, losing Everything, but always recognizing where his blessing had come from and knowing that as he trusted in God things would be ok.

We had a lot of fallen out appointments this week, But, a bunch of people who we had given cards to or talked with called us this week as well, SO exciting :) Life is good, working hard, happy, loving being a missionary!

Love you all!

Elder Blanchard