Independence Day spare ribs; fireworks. Last photo is on Grindelwald trip.
film clip of fireworks 1 Aug 2009


AUGUST 2, 2009 SUNDAY

Sunday morning once again, our favorite day of the week. We have the opportunity to meet with the members of the missionary correlation council and discuss how ward members can help less-active members back into activity, fellowship and help teach our investigators. Unfortunately our ward mission leader wasn’t in attendance again, but the rest of the council came at their appointed time. Pres. & Sister Matern also came and participated. After the council came the regular priesthood and Relief Society meetings then Sunday School. We kept looking for Gabriela Rodriguez and Cornelia, but they didn’t come. Gabriela’s youngest has been ill and he’s also teething so that may be the reason. We called Cornelia tonight and she’s had what others have had which seems to be going around, stomach pains and diarrhea and listlessness. Quite a few of our members have experienced this during the last couple of weeks.

Just before Fast and Testimony Meeting there was a little bit of a stir when Elder Paul K.Sybrowsky from the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy came into the chapel with his family. As is protocol he sat on the stand and presided at the meeting. We always have a great inspirational testimony meeting and this time many of the young men stood up who had just returned from the Especially For Youth activity. We have a lot of future missionaries here in this ward. Diana also bore a wonderful testimony in German and many were nodding their appreciation that she did it in their language. She has been trying so hard to become proficient in the language and she has made a lot of progress. After the meeting was over we tried to get to as many as we could to fellowship and let them know we appreciate them.

When we walked to Church this morning, it was cool and overcast, but not raining. When we walked home, it was in the rain. It was fairly cool and it’s been raining all afternoon, but this evening (8:30) it’s clearing and may be a good day for our P-day tomorrow. Charlotte is one whose been ill, so we’re not going on one of our all day trips; we may stay home and get some things done, or we may just go to Bern and look for something interesting to see. Who knows.

In district meeting a couple of weeks ago we handed out a Book of Mormon marking guide to help investigators get a quick understanding of the purpose of the BM by reading the marked verses. Elder Nilsson called and asked if we had an English copy already marked because they needed one for an investigator. Unfortunately we are out of English BM’s and couldn’t give them one. They had their own so they asked if they could come over from the Church and use our guide to mark theirs with. They quickly did that and then left. Before they left, however, they made an appointment to come over tomorrow morning at 10:00 to get their hair cut and to do their emails.

Later on in the evening we made a couple of phone calls. We called Renatus Raschle who we met a few weeks ago and then he and his family went on vacation. He promised us he’d come to a Sacrament Meeting and so we called to invite him again and to see if we could come by and visit. This time he was less than happy that we called and told us essentially that he wasn’t interested and to quit bugging him. He said he’d come to Church sometime, but we shouldn’t call him anymore. We were disappointed at his decision and tried to impress upon him how important our message was and bore testimony to no avail. Before we go home we’ll try one more time because we know how important our message is, that the true Church has been restored to the earth and only by entering into covenants through the priesthood and enduring to the end can we have hope of returning to our Heavenly Father.

For dinner tonight we finished off the left over chicken pot pie and some of the chocolate fruit salad. After fasting all day it tasted pretty good. Soon after, Elder Carrier called for our weekly report. Filling in the gaps this afternoon, I continued preparing the lesson for next Sunday’s High Priest Group meeting, Chapter 39 in the Joseph Smith Manual. Diana studied German and read more in the Book of Mormon.

Just a note to say we appreciate the emails and the comments on our blog from our families, friends and MTC couples wherever they are throughout the world. It’s gratifying to know we aren’t alone in this world.