My Heart is Full ---- Pictures at the end:)

Oh I miss you guys!  How goes you people.  I miss yer.  You are my bestest perple.  English is just terrible...Wir sprechen nur Deutsch!  Deutsch klingt einfach so schön!  Man weint wann ein echter Deutscher spricht.  Bischof Juchau kann daß bestätigen.  

I won't write the whole thing in German but I love it!  But I still won't.

Are missionaries allowed to get high from this work?  I'm feeling just the love of it cloud my body!  It is very important for a missionary to be obedient and to be "a missionary", sometimes you just need to love the members and people there.  They are real people who you need to love and not to just open your mouth at.  I have really learned to love the people here and I believe that  will make my whole mission.  The love that I have for these people comes from Christ and it is the love that He has for them.  It is so cool and I can't be grateful enough to feel it go through me everyday.  Every time that I have been given the opportunity to exercise my priesthood power, I feel the love that the Savior has for these people that He is trying to communicate with.  This feeling even brings me, yes, even Elder Hays to tears. 

This General Conference was amazing.  I can't tell you about it because of how amazing it was and I just have a ton of ideas and goals that I need to organize in my head first so I will tell you about it next week:)  I can share my favorite quotes though!

-A house is held together by the unity of the father and the mother.

-After joining the church, we are not only promised peace in this world, but Eternal Life in the next world.  (work + commitment = peace + endurance = Eternal Life)

-Destiny is not determined on how many times we stumble, but how many times we GET BACK UP. This is the enabling power of the Atonement.  

-Let loose of your PRIDE and live in UNITY.

It was all just so awesome...

This week Elder Young and I chose a scripture to base our week on.  It was Ether 12:19 And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even ^abefore Christ came, who could not be kept from within the ^bveil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an EYE OF FAITH, and they were glad.

To me, an eye of faith means to see the heavens and the earth as one place.  To really KNOW that angels are working by our sides, God Himself is working here for the bringing to pass of His work of Eternal Life.  An eye of faith means to believe that we are in DIRECT connection with the Hand of God.  He touches us every day.

I have a letter that I want to share with you.  This shown to me by my good Elder Thomas Young.

"My Precious Friend!

I just wanted to let you know how much I love and care about you and how I greatly desire to become a meaningful part in your life.  This morning when you awoke, I was already there with you in the light of My beatiful sunshine that filled your room. I was hoping that your would say, "Good morning" to Me; you didn't.  So, I thought maybe it was just a little too early in the day for you to notice me.  

Again I tried to get your attentino when you stepped out of your door.  I kessed your face with a soft gentle breeze.  I breathed upon you my fragrant sweet breath scented flowers.  Then I sung you a love song through the birds in the trees.  You just walked right passed Me.  

Later on in the day, I watched over you as you were talking with some friends.  How I wished that you would talk to me also.  I waited and waited, but you just went a log your day.  This afternoon, I sent you a refreshing shower and glistened to you from each raindrop.  I even shouted to you a time or two with thunder trying to get your attention.  Then, I painted you a lovely rainbow in the midst of my fluffy white clouds.  I just know you would see me then, but you were unaware of my presence.  This evening to close your day, I sent you a beautiful sunset.  After that, I hoped that you would see Me and wink back.  You never did.

Tonight, when you went to bed, I spilled moon light upon your face to let you know I was there with you.  I was hoping that you would talk to Me a little while before you went to sleep.  You never said a word.  It hurts me deeply; however, I contiunued to watch over you all through the night, thinking that, maybe, just maybe, you would say hello to me in the morning. 

Each and everyday, I have revealed Myself to you in many strange and wonderous ways hoping that you would accept Me as your Shepherd.  For, I am the only One that can supply you with all of your needs.  My love for you is deeper than the deepest ocean and bigger than the great blue sky.  I have so much to give to you and also to share with you.  Please let Me hear from you soon. 

Love, Your Loving Friend forever, Jesus Christ"

Isn't that just a heart wrencher?  Yes...yes it is...

I was thinking about Travis Ashton.  I was thinking about how great of an example to me he was.  How loving and excited he was and the great charity he had, just as our Savior has.  Please let him know that I think of him and his example often.  That he has impacted my life in a very positive way and teaches me to become a better person overall.  Tell him I love him and that Germany says hello :)  

Brandon & Travis  ---Feb 2008
Side note . . . . you can read about Travis and his journey Here

I hope that you are well and know that I am.  I don't know if you will be able to bring me back home from here.  Now...that was not supposed to be funny:)

Love, your dearest most loving older son, who is full of the attributes of an average man, striving to become the Man of God he was sent to become, 

Elder Brandon Hays

Elder Hays and Elder Guiccone (Brandon's Trainer) w/Elder Fuller in the back:)

Love for the Leaders in Dresden

D*** received the Holy Ghost this Sunday!  He was so happy.  Want to know what is really cool?  So he is learning German and it is really hard for Chinese people for some reason.  He had his test on Monday (the day after he got the Holy Ghost).  Take into mind that he has taken this test over 5 times and if he didn't pass this one, he would have to either go back to china or wait a year to take it again.  Well he passed it on Monday!  The score that you needed to get to pass was 76 points and he got exactly 76 points haha.  How cool is that.  He was just so amazed that God would help him so fast.

I*** C**** was also baptized on Saturday!  Elder Ashmead and I found her and we gave her to the Sisters to be taught and she was baptized on Sunday!  She asked me to baptize her as well!  After she came up, she gave me the biggest hug in the whole entire world haha.  So amazing.

This last Sunday was just a mess haha.  I cried a ton again.  I don't know what is wrong with me!!!!  During Sacrament Meeting we had our Ward Conference.  Our Bishop was released after serving 7 years.  To see a Bishop show so much for the ward.  Literally give everything he has for these people, to start crying on the podium before he even had to speak, hit me like a rock.  After he started crying, the stake president started crying.  Seeing these two spiritual goliath Germans to start crying killed me again.  The love that they have for their God and Lord was incredible and everyone knew it.  It gave me a testimony of the brothership and hardship in the leadership of the church here in Germany.  They grew up living in the hardest times, fighting to keep to their church and he could now say that he had "fought a good fight".  After that our new Bishop was our now former Ward mission leader.  While the stake president was setting him apart I could hear the President start to cry a little bit.  It then struck me that he was setting his little brother apart as the new bishop of this ward.  They were both in tears as they embraced each other in tears.  It showed me how hard it was for them as young people growing up but that they had made it this far and this close to their goal.

I love the leaders of our ward here in Dresden and I know that they are called from our Lord.

I love you!  Elder Hays

P.S. Totes went to the Temple today!  It is still awesome and even better in the language of Angels (German).

I love being a missionary . . .

D*** was baptized yesterday!  It was so wonderful and so spiritual.  He is not a very out spoken person but for some reason today he was just so happy and loving.  When he came out of the water, he gave me the biggest hug and just kept saying thank you thank you.  I was so grateful to be apart of all of it.  At the end of it all he got up to bear his testimony and he said that he was so grateful to be apart of this big family with such loving people and he was excited to be called Brother D*** now.  He thanked me for giving him the truth and I just started crying.  I know, I know...I just couldn't handle it!  It was wonderful.
  

On top of all of that spiritualness, they also had the primary program yesterday.  I couldn't handle that either because not too long before I left, our ward in America had one as well!  Cried during that as well.  It was just the cutest thing to hear in German as well.

This week was great because we also got to see everyone from the 3 zones in our area.  It was good to see old companions and friends.

I got up during testimony meeting during zone conference and I gave testimony about giving testimony.  It was super spiritual and I told everyone that people are going to critizice us, our church and our God.  They have their own free agency and so do I when I respond.  One man said fiercly as we were on the street that there is no God because of all of the children that are killed, he then went on to say that we are terrible for what we do.  I didn't say anything after that and just walked away.  Two minutes later I had a fire burn inside me, exclaming to me that whenever that happens again, bear strong, powerful testimony.  I promised my self then and there that whenever that happened again, I will shake the ground that this man stands on.  I will tell him what I know and put fear into his eyes with the power of the all mighty God.

I love being a missionary :D

Elder Hays

Prayer

I want you to know that I truly feel the power of your prayers.  I see them everyday.  Sometimes as diciples of Christ, at the end of some days we really feel like we walked off of the battle ground of war.  We get really spiritually beat up, shot at, hit, abused and sometimes killed. I was thinking about this the day before yesterday and I was asking myself, "If I can dodge a punch in real life, why can't I dodge a punch from the spiritual adversary?"  I came to the conclusion that with a lot of training, practice and wisdom, a soldier could withstand anything thrown at him because he will expect everything and be ready for it.  The more we spiritually train ourselves to get faster, jump higher, and gain wisdom, the more ready we will be to hit the ground without a doubt or fear in mind.  The more ready we will be to, not exactly fight back, but to dodge these things that the adversary throws at us.  The better we get at doing this, the better we will be able to help dodge these malevolent blows.  My point that I want to say now is that your prayers are the things that give us armour.  Your prayers send Angels of God to stand on the right side and the left side of us.  Your prayers give us the will power and the bravery to lead these languid people to the God that created them.  We feel your prayers so thank you.

This week has been a good one.  The member work has really started to blow up and these members are really prepared for this.  The problem that some members have is that they think that they have to somehow convert their friends.  This is not true.  This is the reason why we have missionaries.  The only thing that the members have to do is really just get the friend and the missionaries somehow together.  Whether that be a dinner or a bowling activity or if that be an invitation to church.  The only thing that the member has to do is to create a social relationship with the missionary.  The missionary will then introduce the spirit of God into their lives, which taste is more ambrosial as any thing you could ever conceptualize.  We walk around all day trying to construct a social relationship with someone we met 7.5 seconds ago and try to gain their trust, so that we can share something close to our hearts with them.  All the members have to do is cut this step out.  They will already have this social bond with friends and future friends.  After this is established, then we come in with an invitation to learn more about their eternal Father.  

D___ IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY!!!!

I am so excited for him and I'm glad that he is excited as well.  He will be such a great addition to this ward and we actually may be starting a chinese branch here in Dresden.  That would be really cool.  The rest of my mission will be preparing these members and commiting them to bring their friends to come to Christ.  I don't know if I will be able to see the fruits of this work that we are starting on my mission but the years after will definitely see them.  I can't wait for it all to come forth.  

Well I love you all and hope that you have a peachy week.  

CAN'T TOUCH US HERE IN GERMANY!!!  WE GO TO WORK!!

Love, Elder Hays

m o r e p i c t u r e s

Elder Fuller and Elder Hays -   friends from home

Dear friends from Groitzsch     Omi and Enrico

After doing some Family History, I just told Brandon his 3rd Great Grandmother is German!

HI MOM!!!!

I don't know why I got really excited all of the sudden but believe I did!!! 

So I picked Elder Young up from Berlin on Thursday!  That was so fun.  On Wednesday Elder Breitenstein and I went to Berlin and served with Elder Fuller for a day and then picked up our new missionaries the next day!  It was such a fun meeting.  

Elder Young is from Salt Lake City (legitimately) and he is such a baller.  I'm a mission Daddy!  He plays soccer and he likes to ski.  He is actually a lot like me haha.  We get along really well and look forward to these next few months training him.

I do write in my Journal just about every other day.  It is really hard to write in it everyday with planning and everything that we have to do before 10:30.  The Journal that I have is just about full now!  I never thought that I would write in my journal but I'm doing it! 

What else happened this week...Oh yeah...we went to a funeral for a senior sister missionary who died in our mission this last week.  There was about 60 missionaries there from our mission and we all sung in the choir.  It was so amazing!

We live in a 4 man apartment as you know and Elder Stephens was replaced by Elder Rückauer.  He is a German!  I'm so excited for him to help me learn more and more about Germany!  We keep our apartment really clean by the way, unless we have card wars, then it gets super messy...don't judge me...

On Sunday we taught Deng, who is on baptismal date for the 22 of this month, about Prophets.  A member who could speak chinese (Weicheng) helped us out with the lesson.  It is a ton of fun and super awesome becuase we will explain something in German or teach a principle and then we will ask Weicheng how he had come to know that it was true and he would do it in Chinease and Deng is just always so impressed and is understanding things a ton better as before when it was just German.  We only have to teach him about fasting until the 22 and maybe go over a couple of other things and then he will be baptized!  It is so cool to see the faith that is shown from these people who are only learning about things outside of this world.  Definitely a testimony builder for me.

I love you!  

Elder Hays

Saying Good bye

Buddies meeting up in Berlin

New Companion - Elder Young

Grüß aus Gemeinde Dresden!

Well this week Dresden had a baptism!  The Zone leaders baptized a brazilian lady named D****.  She is so wonderful.  When I was doing her baptismal interview, she had such a strong testimony!  It was so beautiful to hear.  She went on a trip to Jeruselem a while ago and had the thought that she needed to get baptized again because she wants to be the one making the decision, compared to being baptized as a baby.  Anyways, she had this feeling and the Zone Leaders found her on the street like a month ago, taught her and she got baptized!  She says it was an answer to her prayers.  I got to translate the whole baptismal service too!

Let see...what else happened this week...on Saturday we had the opportunity to go on a Temple walk with the young men and young women.  It was such a blast and we really got to connect with all of them, strengthen their testimonies about a mission and really just got to know them.  We walked for about 3 hours and then had a huge barbecue at the end of it.

On Saturday we also had transfer calls!  Elder Ashmead is being transfered to Magdeburg and I will be training a new missionary and still be the district leader.  fun right?  I am so pumped.  I actually get to go to Berlin with my best friend on the mission (Elder Breitenschein) a day before the new missionary conference.  We go on Wednesday morning and get to work with Elder Dallin Fuller all day!  On Thursday morning we go to Lankwitz and I get my new comp for the next 2 transfers.  Couldn't be more excited. 

Anyways I love you all!  

Elder Hays