2013 - My spiritual breakdown

Hey friends! :)

4,588,601. That's the number of people that like mormon.org on facebook right now. It has nothing to do with this post but I just think it's amazing and I feel I should share it. Social media are just such a neat, non-intruisive way to share the Gospel! If some stranger knocked on my door and told me he would like to speak to me about Jesus, how many people would not open the door, even if they were receptive for the message if they just listened? A lot. Heck yes. But if a friend shared an inspirational quote or video from mormon.org on my facebook profile, that would get me much more interested :) Social media is the Missionary tool number one of the future and even of the present. And millions will join the Church because of the inspiration they receive from things shared on facebook, twitter and pinterest. Now, that's amazing! :)
So, I invite everyone who reads this to share a Mormon message or a quote as their status or on a friend's wall right after reading this post, and watch the magic happen :) It really works, I promise.

What this post (my first blog post) back in Germany is about is a very statistical spiritual breakdown. haha. I don't know if anyone really cares. But maybe it will be interesting. Now, be aware that I don't really know what I'm going to write. I'll just let the Spirit guide. 1 Nephi 4:6 practical application right here! :)

What a great year it was! Here are some highlights:

Baptisms!

Baptisms are so amazing! I wrote about it in my last post (check it out :) ). I had the pleasure to attend yet another one here in Germany this weekend, but this is not all! There have been four converts baptized this year in my ward in Germany this year. As far as I can tell all are still active and strong :) Of people I know (like really), Martin and Adrian got baptized, but there were many, many more I got closer to after they joined the Church. Altogether I've attended some 15 to 20 baptisms this year and if I somehow can make it, I'm usually there if I can because it's so important to show support to those going this important step :)

Missionaries!

I am blessed with so many friends who are serving Missions, many (Sisters in particular) who have left this year. Those include:

• Sister Kartchner in Washington Federal Way
• Sister Horlacher in Cape Verde Praia
• Sister Horlacher in Kentucky Louisville
• Sister Whatcott in Tennessee Knoxville
• Sister Sheridan in Denmark Copenhagen
• Sister Packard in Denmark Copenhagen
• Sister Nielsen in Ukraine Lviv
• Sister Zisumbo in North Carolina Raleigh
• Sister Alston in South Dakota Rapid City
• Sister Watts in Russia Vladivostok
• Sister Gamble in Washington Kennewick
• Sister Bailey in Australia Brisbane
• Sister Boudesoque in New Jersey Morristown
• Sister Hassard in Ukraine Doneczk
• Sister Schumacher in Brazil Porto Alegre North
• Sister Frederiksen in Hawaii Honululu
• Sister Rogers in Canada Calgary
• Sister Tribe in Canada Montreal
• Sister Ungermann in Alabama Birmingham
• Sister Hamblin in Massachusetts Boston
• Sister Carter in Spain Barcelona
• and my biggest hero of all, Sister Starr in Georgia Atlanta 
• Elder Evans in Chile Antofagasta
• Elder Billings in Canada Edmunton
• Elder Ferguson in Singapore
• Elder Christensen in Alabama Birmingham 

I have probably forgotten tons of people, but with the exception of a few, all those above have something in common. I went to their farewells. Wow. What a year it has been for my Missionary friends :) I definitely have some amazing company :) Not to mention all those who leave soon. This list would be a little too outrageous haha ;) 

My Mission call!

I've been called to the Alpine German-Speaking Mission to do something full-time that I've done all along...Missionary work! :) I'm so excited!! Getting a call from the Prophet of God to serve in the Mission out of 405 that is for YOU. 

Going through the Temple

...because a Mission isn't a saving ordinance, but this is. Thanks to my buddy Danny Rubio (curtesy of the Massachussets Boston Mission) for taking me :) A day I will never forget! Here's proof :)

That will do. What a great year 2013! What a great year 2014 ahead :) See you then! :)

Pascal

Farewell Talk

Many years ago, when Howard W. Hunter, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,

visited with Missionaries at the Provo MTC preparing to serve all throughout the world, he was

asked for one piece of advice that would apply to all the Missionaries present. After short

consideration, he replied, "I want you to remember that you only have a limited time to serve the

Lord full-time, but the rest of your lives to think about it." Now here I stand before you, as someone

who has been a member of this Church for a shorter period of time than the intended length of this

"limited" full-time service. What a pleasure it is to speak to you today.

As I prayerfully decided on a topic for this talk, much came to mind. This Gospel has certainly been

put into place to enrich and bless the lives of all of us! However, we are withholding ourselves from

many of those blessings and joys of life if we lack hope.

In the scriptures, we learn that hope is a certain belief. Unlike factual knowledge, however, it is a

certain belief in things to come. It is a strong manifestation of trust and faith in the plan that the

Lord has for each one of us. It means that we give ourselves to Him, trusting and knowing that good

things are to come, regardless of how dreary our current circumstances may be.

The old words of wisdom hold true: A man may survive three minutes without air to breathe, three

days without water, three weeks without food, but no three seconds without hope.

As Moroni, an ancient prophet in the Americas, worked on compiling the records now known as the

Book of Mormon, he commented in the Book of Ether: "Whoso believeth in God might with surety

hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith,

maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always

abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

In this statement, we learn two basic truths about hope: First, it is present in those who believe in a

loving, caring and merciful God. Think about it: The most perfect, powerful and great being in the

universe has promised you to receive all the blessings He has in store for you, if you stay faithful

and live righteously. And, as the perfect and loving being God is, He does not break promises. I can

ensure you that He will hold true to the things He revealed to you, by Himself and through the

words of the prophets since the beginning of times. And, certainly, His blessings are far greater than

you can imagine and with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ, we can certainly attain them. Now,

may I ask, is that not reason to hope?

Second, the world is a better place if hope is a widespread fire rather than a rare glim. There is, of

course, much to be fearful about these days. Think about terrorism, wars, government crisises

around the world, financial woes, national debt, unemployment, the loss of importance of the family

throughout our society, and much, much more. At first sight, there seem to be enough compelling

reasons to justify your personal lack of hope.

However, it is not so. While the commotion around us sometimes seems overwhelming, we live in

what most likely is the most choice time in world history. The fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

is restored, along with all Priesthood keys, and most importantly, we may peacefully go to sleep at

night with a certain knowledge that none of these things will ever be taken from the Earth again.

Never before in history has this Gospel been known to and accepted by more children of our Father

in Heaven. Never before have there been more worthy Priesthood holders throughout the world,

seeking to serve all those in need. Never before have there been more full-time Missionaries

seeking out and teaching those who have been prepared individually by our Heavenly Father to

receive this Gospel. And, finally, we know that families can be together for eternity and that death is

nothing but a temporal barrier between us and those we love. On a more worldly, but no less

important note: Never has a larger percentage of the world population had access to clean water,

enough food, medical care, hygene and education. And with combined efforts of people of all faiths,

we continue to work on improving further. Do not be deceived by those who make their living off

bad news. There is much to be optimistic and hopeful about.

When pondering about hope, I cannot help thinking about one of the most influential men in my

own life. For most of my childhood, I was raised by a single mother. Through dedication and hard

work, she managed to always ensure a fairly comfortable income for our little family of two.

However, since her job required her to often work long shifts with limited time to take care of me,

my grandparents also played a major role in raising me. Thus, without a real father to relate to

through most of my childhood, my grandpa became my first and most important male influence. We

spent much quality time together: In the summer, we would often go on bike rides or go swimming.

In the winter, we would often solve puzzles or watch winter sports on television for hours.

My grandfather grew up in humble circumstances. Born in western Poland to a family of

glassmakers, his occupational fate was predetermined. After the end of World War II, him and his

parents were expelled from Polish territory, like thousands of other Germans living in the same

area. He grew up to be an excellent soccer player in East Germany, began working at the worldfamous

Zeiss glass-producing company in Jena, but often felt discouraged about his future in the

communist country he lived in. Despite being employed at the most acknowledged glass factory in

the world, he often encountered weeks and even months at a time without work. He knew, though

not necessarily being a young man of Christian faith, that there must have been more for him in

store to hope for.

One day, as his soccer team played an away game near the border between East and West Germany,

he decided to take a leap of faith and escape from the country that held him captive. He hid

underneath an abandoned bridge that crossed a small stream that, at the time, marked the border,

and waited for the change of the border guards. As the exchange came, he ran for his life, and

finally made it into the freedom of a West German refugee camp. While he was fully aware of the

hundreds of others who had been imprisoned or shot to death for similar escape attempts prior to

his, he later expressed to our family that his hope for a better life for his family and for a better

world as a whole led him to making his decision.

I am eternally grateful for the hope, courage, faith and vision that my grandfather had as a young

man. After the joyful life he wished and hoped for, he lost his second battle with cancer six years

ago, actually exactly six years before the day I will report to the MTC. I miss him dearly, and I

know I will one day see him again and thank him for everything.

My dear friends, this Christmas season comes as an annual reminder to us that without hope, there

would be not much for us to be. As I accept my calling from the Lord to serve as a full-time

Missionary in the Alpine German-Speaking Mission for the upcoming two years, I testify to you

that Jesus is the Christ. Through Him, all things are possible and should be hoped for by us. He is

truly the Savior and Redeemer of the world. And He calls you home ceaselessly, with open arms, to

your Father in Heaven. I know that when I give my all to Him, He will give His all to me. Never

 

forget that the Lord has been merciful with you, and that He will continue to be so. This is His divine

 

and unchangaible promise to you. Remain faithful, hopeful and trust in the Lord. This is my prayer

 

for you, in the sacred name of the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Dawning of a Brighter Day :)

Friends! :)

I have the best excuse EVER for not blogging in over a month. I fully immersed myself into my schooling. Now, it was not necessarily successful (i.e., there probably wouldn`t have been much of a difference had I had a social life over the past month) but still, I am proud of myself and of my level of commitment.

What`s new, you may ask? First and foremost, I would like to thank more than 1,000 people for visiting my blog! I just logged into the admin pane for the first time in forever, and this statistic just blew my mind :) You guys are awesome! :) That includes you, dear random strangers, and also all future Missionaries who I have yet to meet. This blog-stalking phase before and after getting my call when I just googled random Missionary blogs from everywhere...yup. I`m not alone with it! :) That is true relief right here. This is quite big for me, indeed.

Second, my farewell is this Sunday! Three months before I leave (this is probably record-breaking). It`s my last Sunday in Utah before flying home to Germany for some family-time. And since I have nothing scheduled for a German farewell yet, this is gonna be my farewell. My talk has been written for about two weeks now and I feel very prepared and ready to give it :) I`m also speaking with Cectpa Fullmer...what a great opportunity! She is amazing and I couldn`t wish for a better co-farewell speaker. She`s truly gonna be rocking it in Siberia... :) My talk will be on hope, quite an essential trait for someone serving a Mission in central Europe (BUT it works! See below!). All are invited. Ogden LDS Institute Chapel, this Sunday at 10:50 a.m. :)

Third, school is done. Wherefore I`m blogging again. And I do indeed have my Associates Degree. :)

Fourth, I got my flight data. And here it comes. I`m flying out on March 20, early in the morning. No surprise right here. BUT now on to something shocking. From Cologne, I am not flying straight to Manchester, as I had previously expected. I am flying to MUNICH instead. And then to Manchester. How many people can seriously say about themselves that they flew into the city with their Mission home before going to the MTC? I am flattered. But then again, this leaves us with a regular round trip flight from Munich to Manchester to Munich. Which is probably cheaper for the Church than doing it the fancy way :) I`ll be in the field for good on April 2. Just FYI.

Fifth, I want to make this post at least a little bit spiritual, in that I want to say how much I love baptisms and how much I love to see people change their lives prior and after. Actually, the Savior has His hands in this big time. However, that shouldn`t discredit the effort that each convert (young or old) makes in their life to change and to emulate the life of Jesus Christ, and to adapt those principles to themselves. I loved having the opportunity to witness two wonderful baptismal services this past week here in Ogden. The Spirit was so beautiful and strong and many people showed up even though there was actually a blizzard going on outside.

Now, what do baptisms look like in Europe? The same. It`s the same Spirit, commitment and Priesthood authority involved. I joined the Church in this very place and I have gotten enough of a sense for the nature of Missionary work there. It`s not easy, at all, but if you are a preparing Missionary called to serve in western Europe (maybe even the Alpine German-Speaking Mission), I can testify to you that baptisms, miracles, reactivations and many other things happen here, just as elsewhere. For example, the Germany Frankfurt Mission (the Mission just north of us) is likely going to baptize somewhere between 50 and 60 converts this month! This is quite amazing and reasonably close to many U.S. stateside Missions. And, honestly, nothing will keep this from happening everywhere in Europe pretty soon. We might never be the South America of the 1980s, but there are certainly people everywhere throughout Europe (and probably MILLIONS of them) who have been prepared to receive this Gospel and are only kept from it because they know not where to find it (Credit where it`s due...Amos 8:11-12). There might be no more exciting time to shed light, hope and happiness to a part of the world where all three things are notoriously lacking. :)

I`m excited to serve as a Missionary! So. Very. Excited. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all of us and that, if we but turn our hearts to Him and use the ultimate sacrifice He so willingly provided for us, we will not only be filled with eternal happiness in the life to come, but also in this life, right now, and at this very moment. Sometimes, the world tries to instill in us the thought that our lifestyle in hope for a better next life means that we have to miss out on the joys and blessings of the NOW. But nope. Actually, following our Savior Jesus Christ is a source of INSTANT joy and happiness. The real kind. Not the counterfeit. :) I have felt the weight of my sins lifted, and I testify that it`s real and that there probably is no better feeling :) I invite you all to learn about it! The true nature of God, who is our literal Father in Heaven, and who loves us and is seeking to bless us consistently. The nature of eternal families. And the true nature of hope. :)    

Love,

Elder Friedmann :)