Elders Bushnell (nice haircut), Dahneke (nice haircut), Sills & Neuffer; Elder Bentley getting his haircut.

MAY 18, 2010 TUESDAY

District meeting today was scheduled a half hour later at 10:30 instead of 10:00. In order to be prepared with the lunch we always provide, we started things last night. We already had bought everything we needed except bread and we made that. We also made the cream cheese cake and let it set up in the fridge overnight. So this morning was fairly simple. We prepared a marinade for the chicken, pulled the skin off, and let it soak in the fridge for a couple of hours. Just before 10:30 we dusted it with spiced flour and put it on a roasting tray ready for the oven. We peeled potatoes, put them in a pot with water this time, ready to turn the stove on to cook them. The corn got the same treatment. All was ready by 10:00 and we thought we still had a half hour to get ourselves ready, however, right at 10:00 our door buzzer sounded. Up came the two missionaries from Singen, Elders Bushnell and Sills. They claimed our fearless district leader hadn’t told them of the time change and so here they were. They entertained themselves in the living room while we finished getting ready ourselves.

Right at 10:30 Elders Bentley (DL), Dahneke and Neuffer arrived. Right now three of them are serving together in Schwenningen. After the friendly banter we took our places around the table and our meeting began with a song and a prayer. Elder Neuffer had the mission rule book tip and talked about being prepared spiritually and knowing the German prayer language. Elders Sills & Bushnell gave a presentation on the principle of “Teach to Find” that missionaries should be using in their contacting work. They committed us to practice during our daily companion study time to sharpen our skills. I had the German tip and focused on the dative, accusative and two-way prepositions. I also gave them a list of idioms, one in German and one in English and asked them to match them up. Diana had the closing song and prayer. The song she chose was “The Lord is My Light” (Der Herr ist mein Licht).

During the meeting when the time was right, we slipped out and turned on the oven and burners so the meal would be ready when it was over. While the elders cleared the table of books and stuff, we made the final preparations and then we ate. Everything was delicious even if we do say so ourselves. The missionaries have never had it so good. When the meal was over, our real work began. Diana’s job was to clean up the dishes (the missionaries are always good to help) and mine was to cut hair. Today there were three who needed haircuts, Elders Dahneke, Bushnell and Bentley. By the time we had things cleaned up as much as we could get done with seven people in our small apartment and the hair cut it was 3:00. The elders changed their clothes into work clothes and left to do a service project at an elderly member’s home. After they left we vacuumed, put the table back and generally made things livable again. We must be getting old because we felt we’d done a full days work, at least I did. I took a short nap while Diana checked emails and etc. on the computer. Later on we did some phone contacting with some good results. We found out that Nerina Fleury had made the move to a care center near St. Gallen and the doctors there decided they would try and save her leg instead of amputating it. That was good news. We can now forward her membership record to the St. Gallen ward so she can get support from the members there. We called Irma Egli, an 81 year old inactive member, and set up an appointment for next week to call her again for a definite time to meet. We called Paul and set up an appointment for tomorrow and to see how his birthday celebration went last Sunday. Franz Maier didn’t answer his phone and neither did Martin Hedinger. We left a message on Martin’s voice mail inviting him to Branch Conference next Sunday. By that time it was too late to make any more calls so we quit.

Now that Paul is baptized we asked at ward council last Sunday for help from the branch in teaching the new member lessons. The new member lessons consist of reviewing the five missionary discussions to make sure the newly converted have a clear understanding of the gospel. Next Sunday Karl & Jecelyn Hoenle will be with us to teach him and the next Sunday Pres. Flammia will help. It’s important for the ward to assume the responsibility for the new members once they have been baptized.

Elder Talley, one of our zone leaders, called late tonight asking that we unlock the Church for them tomorrow at 10:30 so they could have their Zone Council meeting there. While the district leaders are in their meeting with the zone leaders, their companions go out street contacting. He asked us to bring some proselyting material (BM’s, brochures & cards) with the address of the church and our phone number stamped in or on them for them to use.

Tender mercies:

Sylvain called tonight also to let us know he was being admitted into the hospital tomorrow to undergo psychological testing as well as evaluate the medications he should have been taking. Hopefully they can help him find a solution to his physical problems which would in turn help with his drinking problem, we hope.

Nerina Fleury is now under the care of doctors who will try and save her leg instead of just amputating it.

Monica’s last email was a photo of her on the Empire State Building after which they are headed home. We wonder if she had any problems getting through customs because we sent a lot of our souvenirs home with her and Chris.