Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Guten Tag meine wuderbares Familie!

Wow, this was a big week for our family. Sarah having her baby, Ritchie going through the temple. Wow! Ritchie I want you to know that I was thinking of you on Saturday. I was so happy for you! All I can say is go as often as you can!!! Learn as much as you can, and enjoy all the peace and blessings that come from attending the temple. You will be so glad you did. I hope at some part during my mission I can get transferred down south closer to Frankfurt so that I can go the temple there. It is so wonderful. I am so glad that a lot of the family was able to be there. I know I always like to give advice, but I would say a very good way to prepare for a mission, is definitely attend the temple as often as you can, strengthen your testimony of God and Jesus Christ, who they are and your relationship to them, and how they feel about you. The best way to do this is to study straight from the scriptures, and of course through prayer. Work everyday on building that relationship with God and Jesus Christ, before your mission, on your mission, and beyond, and you will be an effective tool in the hands of the Lord throughout your life. You will receive so many blessings. Know what they expect of you, and then do your best to meet those expectations and you will feel the Lords love and you will have the desire to be better. I really am so happy for you Ritchie. You have a strong testimony, and I know that as you continue on that path God has set for you you will be unstoppable.

This week has been rough. The lady that was going to be baptized canceled her baptismal date, because of some financial/legal issues that came up. Satan does all he can to thwart the cause of righteousness. Whenever we have someone progressing, and getting really close to coming closer to the Savior, either through baptism, or feeling the spirit really strong, Satan does all he can to stop it. From now on, I think I will give all my investigators Hel 5:12 on the first lesson and warn them that they are about to embark on a remarkable journey that Satan doesn´t want them to have and will do all he can to stop them. So I will warn them of the storms of Satan and give them the hope of the rock of the Savior. Also, I will give them vitamin pills so they won´t get sick and not be able to meet with us for weeks or days at a time. Well, I could go on. But I have just recently noticed a pattern that all of Satans attacks on our investigators happen right when something really good is about to happen. So I will prepare for the battle a little differently from now on. We had Zone Conference this week with Elder Causse and he gave us some new strategies to use. I know we can win. Because there are more that be with us than there are that be with them.

When I say rough, I meant that things fell out that we really did´t want to fall out, but I am still good. I am very much on fire with hope, peace, knowledge, and a determined resolution to face Satan in the battle of righteousness! In fact we tried a new contacting approach yesterday that we both really liked. We did a survey and it worked really well. We got a lot more people to stop and talk to us and even got an appointment! It was really cool. Hurray!

Well that is pretty much all this week. I hope everything is going well there. We just got the General Conference issue at Zone Conference and it has been such a pleasure to read. In one of the priesthood talks, I want to say President Packer, he said that the generation of ease and luxury were now passed, we are now moving into a generation of hard work and responsibility. I know the economic crash has probably been really hard, so I want you to know that I have been praying for you. I have also noticed a lot of talks on being virtuous and pure. I can not even say how important that is. It is a commandment to be pure. Avoid anything that is not pure and virtuous. Being in the world and seeing filth and sleeze (In President Hinckley´s words) everywhere disgusts me. It definitely does not bring happiness. God has prepared a way for us to be happy, and that is by keeping the commandments.

Someone I was talking with had a good idea for a Family Home Evening Activity. I thought you might like it family. He said that for a lesson everyone together pick out one commandment, it could be the Word of Wisdom, Chastity, Scripture Study, any. Then right down all the blessings that would come if everyone in the world just kept that one commandment. Isn´t it incredible to think about? The world becomes a better place when Gods children keep the commandments he has given them to be happy.

I know this gospel is true. I know it with all my heart, and my mind. I cannot even describe how grateful I am to be serving a mission for the Lord in Germany. I know I am meant to be here at this time. He truly does bless us. If there is anything I have learned on my mission it is that God will force no man to heaven. He loves us so much and has such great wisdom to know that we must make the choice to choose the right and keep the commandments so we can have the happiness he has. The other thing is the importance of obedience. Obedience is the first law of heaven. When we choose to obey, God does reward us.

I love you family!

Bis nächste Woche!

Liebe Größe,
Sister Fitzgerald