Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Week 21- What I learned this Christmas


Guten Morgen Liebe Familie,


Well, it has been another great and wonderful week here in Meißen.  And it was a wonderful christmas week as well.  As I sit here writing you, it turns out, that Christmas came just a little late, and we have a think layer of snow on the ground.  But it has been a great time this past christmas week, with some great expierences.  
 
Due to the Christmas time, and Germans love to just celebrate whenever they can, procelyting was really hard this week.  Whenever we saw people on the street, it was them getting out of their car or the bus and walking 10 feet to the house next to them, full of food in their hands.  So they were not too excited to sit and talk to us for a while.  But were able to get some things done this week.
 
On Tuesday, the night before Heilige Abend, we were able to spend that time with our two investigators, Rene and Uwe.  You probably hear about them the most, because I have been teaching them ever since I came here in Meißen.  Uwe has expressed his desire that we would like to be baptized again, but finds reasons not too.  I feel that he is alittle scared of this change in his life and I feel that he feels we wont be able to do it.  So we have been working with him as hard as we can, and this week, we decided to focus alittle more about the Birth of Christ.  We were able to read with him the story of the Birth of Christ and we were also able to watch Joy to the World with him and Rene.  And while I was sitting there, watching Joy to the World on probably one of the most smallest colorless tv's with only a candlelight to shine in the room at the time, and the tiny little christmas tree in the corner, I felt the most calming Spirit.  I was so grateful at that moment that I am here, able to serve these people.  I could easily be home right now and celebrate christmas with you, but to be here and help those and love them that are learning more and more about their Savior and how they can better have Him in their lives, has been such a great blessing.  You could tell that the Spirit was there.  I know that Uwe has a long way to go with his conversion process, but I know that the Spirit testified to him that night, as it did I, that the Savior knows him.  That He loves him and is willing to be patient with him.  
 
We were then invited over by my branch president, President Vogler, to his house for Heilige Abend.  But first, we were able to go and sing at a retirement home with the whole Ortlieb/Vogler family.  That was great and it was great to see the branch giving back to their community there.  The thoughts were a little overwhelming because all I could think then was about Grandma.  I know that she is with me now and she is not too far from me.  We then were able to go back to their house and celebrate Christmas German style.  In Germany, they open all their presents the night before on Christmas Eve and then they gather around as a family, and certain family members have things or stories prepared to share with the family.  And we had a very German meal with Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, and Kartoffeln.  Very German.  But delicious.  And we were able to spend time and get to know their family alot better and enjoy the time with each other.  
 

On Christmas Day, we were invited over to have christmas with the Williams Family.  And so we also were able to expierence a British Christmas Dinner.  We were all given a big giant chicken, with vegtables, potatoes, bacon wrapped sausages, and so on.  And British people go all out.  They have confetti, little table presents, and they have witzcakes (joke cookies, not fortune cookies).  We were also able to spend time with them and went on a very German tradtion, go on walk around the city.  They were a great family to spend christmas day with.  We had a lot of fun and were able to share with them a great message about Christmas.  And then we had skype, but you already know that, and that was a blast.  I had alot of fun getting to see everyone and see the smiles on all their faces.  

 And now we come to today, were we are again invited over to an Ortlieb house to spend the second day of Christmas with them.  So we will have fun their tonight.

I love you all.  I am so happy that I was able to see you and I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas.  If there is one thing that I have learned during this Christmas season, is that Jesus Christ is truly our Peace on Earth.  I know that through Him, and through our faith on Him, can we find and feel peace and joy during this time, no matter what the circumstance can be (trust me when I say that).  And that this wonderful time we expierence during Christmas, can be ours throughout the rest of the year.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior.  I know that he expierenced everyone of my pains and afflictions.  He expierenced everyones pains and afflictions, even those who at the moment may reject Him.  Becuase He loves us.  All of us.  And with this great and wonderful plan of salvation that we have, we may find joy and peace that our goal on this earth is to expierence joy, obtain exhaltaion and return to our father in Heaven.  

 I wish you all a wonderful christmas time, and my prayers are for you.  Thank you so much for your prayers, they give me strength during each and every hour that I am here.


With all my Love,
Elder Bretzing

Market place at Christmas


 

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