February 8, 2016
Subject: Re: February 7, 2016
Hello Family,
Mom,
That´ll be a lot of fun
for Emily, send me pictures of Mormal :) [DN:
LDS sponsored Formal Dance Mormon+Formal=MormaI] creative way to ask too,
Max. Austin haha, keeping your room clean is great! There are lots of
missionaries who do that really well and lots who don´t, it´s really important
to keep your room clean. Making your bed and doing those little things starts a
habit of success and care for your day. The spirit cannot dwell in unclean
temples. Alma
7:21. You can focus better etc., and you´ll have to clean it anyways, so
why not just clean as you make a mess and not live in a filthy room?
You´re welcome for
loading pictures :) [DN: Hayden’s camera can upload pictures to a “cloud” site….when he
gets around to it. Hehe]
Dad,
The refugees are really
grateful. I talk to refugees on the street fairly often, but don´t teach any
because they pretty much all go to the international ward. I only teach
in English on the street here. It is looking like they´ll be opening up an
Iranian branch in the international ward if they keep progressing as they have
been. Lots of baptisms here. Last week I taught a lesson in Spanish as well.
The refugees are very humble and there are people from all over. Syria, Iran,
Afganistan, Romania, Eretria (next to Ethiopia, probably spelled wrong)
We almost started to
teach a family whom we met at the baptism
[DN: Chinese lady a couple weeks ago, had 25 friends at her baptism]. The
father was injured recently though and it just hasn´t worked out.
It was pretty cold like
two weeks ago but it´s starting to warm up now. I can´t see my breath anymore
when I walk outside, which is weird, but it is still probably really cold in
comparison with home.
Yep, Elder Hörtig is in
some of those pictures [DN: Elder Hoertig
is from Rancho Santa Margarita. Babys/toddlers/1stGrade he and Hayden were in
the same Ward]. I also went on a split with him maybe 2 months ago or so.
This was a fun week,
like I said, taught a lesson in Spanish, Elder Taylor and I were also picked
for some sort of Spanish pilot program, so we´ll have some sort of class for a
week or so. Dreams come true and prayers are answered, I´m actually going to
learn spanish on my mission :)
We spent some good time
with members this week, supporting our ward (a move and a few appointments with
members). We planned a zone training that is focusing on working with members,
brought one of our sick (actually sick, not slang or anything) investigators
cookies, had really hard workouts (stopped insanity at the end of the week but
we´re still working out really hard and get up early).
I had a few really good
chats with Elder Fitzgerald [DN: Hayden’s
1st companion/trainer] (since he´s one of the assistants to
president and is here in Frankfurt) and really enjoyed that.
I guess to close this
list of little thoughts from the week I´ll share about desires and faith. That
is one of my favorite patterns in the scriptures, how often desires are spoken
of. Desiring righteousness, or to do good, or to be better or any of these
things, is so important. No matter where we are, who we are or what we can do,
change, progression and growth always start with a desire. Having or exercising
faith starts with a desire. One of the classic places in the scriptures where
this is talked about is
Alma 32:27
But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment
upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more
than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a
manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
Faith can almost be
compared to attitude as well, believing that we can do something. Do we truly
believe that we can change or that others around us can change? Do we believe
we can achieve or become what we put our minds to? It all starts with an honest
desire. Jesus Christ and his atonement changes people. It is so wonderful to
see people be changed by Him, to see their burdens made light as they come to
know their Savior.
I love you!
Hayden
Hayden and Elder Hoertig
Hayden and a group in Frankfurt
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