A smart car, lots of them here, but they'd look funny in the USA; Elvis alive and well?










JANUARY 16, 2009 FRIDAY

Today my study focused on Chapter 26 in the Joseph Smith Manual for High Priest Group meeting. Diana focused on her vocabulary list and reading the children’s story book (German) that Sister Matern gave her to learn German. She wanted to give it back to Pres. Matern tonight because she’s had it three months already. Elders Pine and Middleton had their interviews with Pres. Matern at 9:30 after which they had an appointment not far from here at noon. They didn’t want to go clear back to their apartment in Oerlikon to do their companion study, so they called and asked if they could do it here. At 10:00 they came and we all continued with our studies. They left at noon for their appointment and we left for our appointment with Naeide. While we were there she asked if she can do temple work for her dead aunt and what she needed in the way of documentation to do it. We taught her about the principle of temple work for the dead and the possibility spirits have of accepting the work that’s done for them. She also mentioned the Bishop told her she was from the Tribe of Israel and she didn’t really understand that. We talked about both and the opportunity she has now to obtain a patriarchal blessing. We told her we’d find out who the Family History Consultant is for the ward and get that person to work with her on her genealogy. We also told her she had to work with the bishop to obtain a temple recommend for doing baptism for the dead and obtaining a patriarchal blessing.

At about 2:00 we left to find the less active member in Ebmattingen which took us a little more than an hour to get there and about a half hour to walk to the member’s home and back to the bus stop. The member wasn’t home so we left a note and an invite to church. On the tram on the way back home a mother and daughter sat behind us and they were speaking English. We turned around and talked to them for about 10 minutes explaining who we were and getting to know them. She grew up in Chicago, met a Swiss man while in India and married him and has lived in Switzerland for the past twenty years. She speaks English to her daughter so she can communicate with family members when they visits them in the States. We asked her if we could come by and teach them about the church, but she declined. We offered her a BM, but she declined because she said it was too thick and she wouldn’t read it. As a last resort we offered her two pamphlets which she accepted finally. Our name and phone number are stamped inside them so, if she does become interested, she can call us.

We got home, heated up some of the yummy chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate and were warmed through and through. At 6:30 we left for the church and our interview with Pres. Matern. There were a bunch of people in the ward decorating the cultural hall for the “Dance Evening” activity tomorrow night for the stake. It’s always fun to talk to Pres. Matern about what we’ve been doing and get his suggestions for what else we can do. He suggested we do what others are doing which is “chumming.” Chumming is where you put a letter of introduction in the mailboxes of people you intend to visit a few days before you actually ring their doorbell. Then it’s not a surprise when you come by, they’ll be expecting you. We told him that is essentially what we’ve been doing although our first contact try is cold contact. When they’re not home, we leave a note with an explanation we’ll be back to try again. He’s very happy with the work we’ve been doing and cautioned us against trying to do too much especially at night when it get really cold and the water freezes to ice. He would rather we not go out and slip, fall or get injured. He said there’ll be plenty of time when the weather warms up and the days get longer. Then we can work later into the evening. He also cautioned us to stay healthy and report any time we may be ill. Evidently there is a very contagious type of flu going around in Switzerland and when doctors find a patient with it, they have to report it. He told us every other missionary couple and the mission home couples had been ill during the holidays and a few missionaries as well. Elder Ehlen is sick right now. When Pres. Oviatt set Diana apart as a missionary, he blessed her that she would not have a sick day and so far that has come true. And that is the tender mercy of the Lord for today.

One other experience we need to relate. On our member list there was a less-active member, Miro Nagy, listed as living in our building. We checked in October and he didn’t live here anymore. Today Elders Pine and Middleton were street contacting in Oerlikon and met Miro Nagy. He is a Brazilian and speaks broken German mixed with Portuguese, but they could understand him. Not five minutes later as they were talking to him, Naeide, who is a Portuguese speaking Brazilian Swiss, walked up to them. Was this accident or divine intervention? Naeide, who was recently baptized, talked with him in his mother tongue for another half hour about her conversion and baptism. Miro is now going to come to church the first Sunday in February. He says he is getting married, but can’t while he’s a member of the church so he’s coming to find out how to get out. Who knows? Maybe when he comes, he’ll feel the Spirit and change his mind.