25 - 31 JANUAR 2016

Friedhof Monument

It has been a busy week. Two elders with whom I've been working on addictive thoughts and actions (not word of wisdom) had a bit of a crisis this week. One wrote me an email feeling so hopeless because he had relapsed. He is so hard on himself. I sent him back Nephi's psalm in 2 Ne 4. It is so beautiful, and I told him that Nephi knew how he felt. We will speak this coming week.
      Others struggle so much with problems. I find great worth and happiness in helping them see their worth and feel the Savior's love for them. These young people are so wonderful, but they put so much pressure on themselves, and often feel so worthless and hopeless.
     Another elder from Switzerland has had some fetishes since he was a small boy and is struggling. He was very hopeless and about ready to quit. Our talk together was helpful, and I was able to focus him on the love of his Savior and faith in the Atonement. This comforted and gave him hope. I need to stay close to him.
      I've learned more about working with addictions with missionaries since being out here. I find it most powerful to focus them on spiritual and temporal roots. We first talk about desire and I focus on Mosiah 3:19 about our carnal body opposing our spiritual body. I help them plant the seeds of their recovery tree and nurture 3 spiritual roots: love for God, love for self, and love for virtue & charity. I have found that the root of drawing close to the Lord and feeling his love for them helps them feel greater love for him and for themselves as a son of God. This naturally nurtures the third root of love for virtue and charity. I use D&C 121:45-46 frequently regarding this root. I have numerous temporal things they practice to fight against addictive thinking, but the spiritual ones really help these missionaries and focus them on the power of the Atonement. Good stuff!!!
      For about 2 months I've worked with an elder who doubts the reality of God, the Savior, and the restored gospel. His parents have tried hard to get him to stick it out, but he thinks he should return home. His mission president speaks only Portuguese and so he has asked that I do the counseling with this elder. We've had long talks, and I have asked him several times why he doesn't choose to believe instead of choose to doubt the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We've had many long talks and have become good friends. I really love this elder and feel he could be a great missionary if he would give up his doubts and choose to believe. He has been trying to read the Book of Mormon and pray for an answer, but with doubt in his heart. Naturally, he was getting no answers that he could recognize. Finally, this weekend we had a little break-through. His parents finally gave in and said he could come home, but assured him that he would not get a testimony at home. This took the pressure off and he began to feel that he shouldn't go home, but try more. The words of Elder Holland came to his mind not to quit and to stick it out with a promise that a testimony would come sooner or later. He asked me about that and I assured him this was the Holy Spirit speaking to him. He has begun to pray again and to choose to act in faith instead of doubt. I told him that the issue was not whether to return home or stay, but whether to believe or doubt. I think we might save a potentially great missionary from making a tragic mistake.
     The senior couple in charge of senior devotionals was trying to come up with someone to speak for their devotional at Valentine's Day. I kind of jokingly told them that I had a pretty interesting love story that I could share. Long story short, I'm the Valentine Day devotional speaker. My love story is a strange story because of its setting. One doesn't expect a love story to come out of human conflict, especially Vietnam that was so filled with pain, bitterness, and suffering. Nevertheless, this is where I truly learned about love on many levels: love for God, love for family, love for freedom, love for people that I didn't love or thought I hated. I learned that love comes by sacrifice. It changed my entire perspective on almost everything in my life. So, that is going to be my love story for the seniors. Years ago, I published to my posterity a story of my Vietnam experiences called "No Greater Love." I'll read short excerpts from this document. I hope it will be enjoyable and meaningful for them.
      The winter so far has had little or no snow and has been moderate in temperature. Saturday, we sat down and planned out the trips we want to take before the last five months of our mission are gone. In February we are going to Hammersheim below Hiedelberg for an overnighter on 12-13 Feb. The following week (18-20 Feb) we are taking the train to Bern, Switzerland to the temple. In March (17-19) we are doing an overnight along the Fairytale road in eastern France (Colmar to Strasbourg). Then conference weekend we are driving to Dresden and on to Berlin to see my old mission grounds. Then in May (4-7) we are taking the train to Paris and seeing the sights. Perhaps towards the end of May (25-28) we will drive over to Ghent and Bruge Belgium (on the coast) and see it. It, along with a few other cities, is known as the Venice of the north because of its many canals. June will be our last month on mission. Depending on how things work out with our replacement, we may take a few days and fly to Rome, Italy and visit Rome. Then, we would fly back to Frankfurt and return home from there through Amsterdam, Netherlands.
      Time is going so quickly by. With these trips to look forward to, it will go even faster. Of course, I take my computer and telephone with me, which is my office, so that I can always be reached by mission presidents and missionaries. Our car is fitted with Bluetooth so I can talk without using my telephone, which is nice. The GPS works pretty well also, so we can get around Europe pretty well. These trips are not all just fun and travel, but often times talking on the telephone.