Grüß euch!
One complete week of training under my belt... and Im fairly certain it was your prayers that kept us afloat this past week!
This letter might be a little short, but we are just a little
pressed for time! I still love you all very much, even if I can only
share a few stories from last week!
WE SET TWO BAPTISMAL DATES! WHOO! It was a miracle and a half, so let me tell you the story.
We met a woman and her son on the street about three weeks ago- the
woman speaks no german, but the son translated into Turkisch for her,
and we brought them a Book of Mormon. We had a decent first lesson (once
again the son translated) and he told us his Father would also possibly
have interest, and he gave us an adress. We didnt really have contact
with the family after that, even though we tried.
So... Elder Woolsey and I were planning for sunday
evening, looking for the best use of our time. We thought we could go
try and find this address, and tell the man we had spoken with the son!
So we went out to the house (he was the very top of a large, ghetto
apartment building) and we knocked! No answer. Now here was the
inspiration from the Holy Ghost... Elder Horlacher told me he tries
"appointment notes" sometimes, where you leave a note on the door with a
return time and number. So we figured "why not?" and left one saying we
would come back tuesday, but we werent really expecting much.
We come back tuesday
evening, said a prayer he would be home... and Viola! He was actually
waiting for us! he invited us inside, opened up an Almdudler (an amazing
Austiran beverage. no worries, no alcohol!) and we introduced the Book
of Mormon for him! He wanted us to come back because his son Kenan, had
actually told him about us! So we set a return appointment for thursday, and asked him to invite his son.
Thursday
evening, they were both there waiting for us! We taught the
restoration, and it seriously went perfectly. JUST BEFORE we had gone
into the lesson, we recieved a text from the Zone Leaders, saying two
areas in our Zone had set baptismal dates that day, so we took that as
inspiration, and decided we wanted to try and set some also.
The lesson went GREAT and they had some great questions. the
father, Hasan, speaks decent german, but Kenan, the son still translated
a little bit for him. By the end, the both understood that there is
only one true church, and we showed them a picture of baptism. They had
never heard of baptism before, so we explained it and they got so
excited! Hasan agreed to be baptized on the 24 of August, and Kenan on the 28 of September!!
They had a lot to learn and will need a lot of patience understanding,
but they are a miracle and an answer to prayers. We have been praying to
find people to teach, and I have always hoped to find a family. What a
blessing!
Other exciting events for the week...
The police showed up at our apartment thursday night at midnight.
The just walked right in and shined a light right in my face as I was
sleeping. I just out of bed, threw some shorts on and went to talk to
them- still half asleep. Somehow I managed a conversation in German with
the police officer when I was still half asleep, and he was looking for
Elder Horlacher. Turns out he had lost his wallet- still confused why
the police officer just broke into our apartment at MIDNIGHT to bring it back... but whatever. We were grateful... kinda.
We also had a huge ward grillen! We had 30 Kilos of Pig meat, on a
big skewer roast... Ill have to send some pictures next week when we
have more time!
Training is going well... its still a little difficult to do all of
the talking and teaching, because elder woolsey is still trying to
learn german, but Im enjoying it. It gives me lots of good practice!
We had record heat this week! 40° C (no idea what that is in F°)
and 90% humidity... awesome! Plus AC doesnt exist in Europe, because
they believe its bad for the enviroment, so its hot whether you are
outside OR inside- you just kinda get used to being really hot and
sweaty all of the time, regardless of where you are! Poor Elder Woolsey
looked like he was going to die in the heat, with all the walking we do
everyday. Im sure he'll get used to it though, I just have too much to
think about during the day to notice Im dripping with sweat! the
hankercheif I got in the MTC as a present has sure turned into a nice
sweat rag!
Well, my time is up. I sure love you all, and thank you for
everything yall do for me (mostly prayers, they are the most effective
form of help)
Adventure is out there!
Elder Bartholomew
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