First area . . .Groitzsch, East Germany

We finally received an email from Brandon along with a few pictures.  His area is Groitzsch, Germany. 


I'm in the ward house!  Just got home from dooring and talking to a few people.  We ran into a guy whose wife died and had a good long talk about how we can live after death but he said it wasn't for him.  That is a big excuse for people around here, is that they are just stuck in their ways and don't want to change.  Sorry for the slow typing, I'm using a German keyboard.

The area is really good.  I'm in a small town called Groitzsch.  Smaller than Beaver.  Our area covers a ton of small towns that we call Dorfs.  We have a car because our area is so large and our ward covers about 1hr drive in each direction from Groitzsch.  The ward members are amazing.  Their testimony is so strong!  Every body was so nice and came to meet me.  I bore my testimony in church and it went really well.  They say my German is really well for just leaving, so that is good.  Elder Guccione is amazing.  He works so hard.  He is a great example to me.  It's really funny.  I think that he has gone a little bit crazy because you can hear him as we walk mumble words under his breath like "Taufe, Taufe, Taufe" which means baptism.  He is a great trainer and we both get along great!  He was born in Germany.

It is very very cold.  But bearable!!  Thanks to the under armor, my white shirt, my suit jacket and my overcoat and my scarf and gloves.  Don't worry, I'm warm I promise!  We actually went shopping for food today for the first time and I got some bread, meat and eggs!  Thank you for the Bars because they saved me.  We have a lady in our ward named "Omi"  or "grandma"  She feeds us twice a week!  I will get a picture of her this next week but she is so so sweet and feeds us until we can't move.  She is the person in the ward that really takes care of us.  Our WML is Enrico and he is just awesome.  He comes with us to all of our investigator lessons and helps us with anything we need.  

This is what a lot of East Germany looks like.  There are a ton of buildings here older than America.  Still standing and it's just nuts.

Yes we are definitely in East Germany and you can see it and see the story of the war just by looking at a person in the eyes.  Omi went through the whole thing in Berlin.  She always starts to get really emotional talking about it but she has actually seen Hitler himself and everything he did first had.  The stories that she tells are amazing.  Here is a picture of what it looks like here everyday.  I haven't seen the sun one time.  Very flat with a lot of farm land.  It's gorgeous to me.  It rains a lot but not like pouring.  

There are a lot of cobble stone roads here and just a ton of aweseome buildings.  I will tell you a little about our investigators!!  Schwester Hölding is an investigator that we have and she has recently been challenged to be baptized last Friday and she said yes!  We were so excited for her and she is planned to get baptized on March 16.  We have another named Peter who is old and sick and can't do much but he is very sincere and logical.  The only thing keeping him from baptism is giving up smoking so that is what we are working on with him.  

We worked in Berlin on the day that we arrived and it was a ton of fun!!  So many people. Now we have about 3 progressing investigators and about 6 other investigators.  

This is a view from our appartment.  It is kind of cool, our appartment sits on top of the ward building.  There are a few grocery stores in Groitzsch but that is about it.  We are at the city center. 

There are a lot of mean people here.  A lot of doors slammed already but when you find that one person that will sit and talk with you, it makes all of that worth it.  Germans don't like to change.  They like their way of life and they would like to stick to it.  Very few will hear us.  But like it says in our purpose, to invite others to come unto Christ.  That's all we can do. 

Good job!!  Well I had better head.  It was great talking to you and I love you and I'm doing great here.  Just ready to work.  I love you all and can't wait to share more stories.