Hey everyone! I'm still living the dream here in Jena! Things have
been good, strange, and more difficult than ever before. I feel like
I've started living the mission that I always thought about as a
little kid! Now if you're wondering what that means, I'm not really
sure. I thought about many types of missions as a little kid, but I
never really imagined what it would be like here in Germany. But I
want to tell you guys some cool things that have happened:
1. We have started teaching a young family with 4 kids that are 8 and
under! (I honestly didn't think families like that existed here in
Germany). It is my favorite type of chaos trying to teach them, I have
a couple action pictures of our halloween party and that might give
you a slight idea of what it's like. Just imagine getting mugged by 4
little villains that all speak with a crazy german dialect while their
two lead bosses (also speaking with a heavy dialect) try to
communicate with your Hong-Kong companion in a dialect of a language
that he's learned for 9 weeks. It's a very uplifting experience, I'm
sure. Luckily on Sundays we can send the little villains into the
primary, which has doubled in size because of them!
2. My limited supply of white shirts is becoming ever more limited
because of the above story. I now have to inspect every shirt to find
out what the damage is, and find what I would have to wear to cover it
up haha. I guess sweaters would be good Christmas gifts hahah.
3. As I tried to nail the thesis of the Jena branch to the door of an
Evangelical church, I was forbidden because, "the scriptural passages
we used were not in line with the evangelical doctrine." Luther would
be proud of his followers, I think. (Writer's note: point three is
for you to laugh at, but not necessarily to share with your friends)
4. I've learned so many new things about so many new cultures in the
past while, mostly through visiting a falafel stand that some of our
friends from Syria opened. Hah, it's so cool how long I've been here.
I met them when they arrived here, then one time they cooked us some
awesome food, then they told me that they wanted to start a food
stand, and then this last week they got their start up! I love the
people here, Germany is really a land where people's dreams can come
true right now.
5. I have been reading the Bible recently, and have been so impressed
with the change of emphasis in some stories between the King James and
the Martin Luther Bible. (Don't worry, I still have tremendous respect
for the King James Version, but you might want to read a little about
what Joseph Smith said about the German Bible.) I want to share with
you guys something that is very emphasized in the Martin Luther
Bible... please forgive my slight changes to the King James verses.
Matthew 16:5-11
5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, [they
recognized] they had forgotten to take bread.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have
taken no bread.
8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith,
why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves [and the]
five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up [after]?
10 Neither [that with] the seven loaves [I fed] the four thousand, and
how many baskets ye took up?
11 How is it that ye do not understand[?] [Do ye not understand] that
I [never] spake [...] unto you concerning bread?
My changes to the verses now slightly resemble the german bible. I
love the last sentence, "Do ye not understand that I never spake unto
you concerning bread?" It's something I've been really pondering
recently, how quickly I sometimes forget that the sacrament is not
just bread. That our church isn't a church of bread and strange
ritualism, it's a church of life, the body of Christ. It was never
about bread, but the Bread of Life. Please don't forget that.
I love you all!
Elder Openshaw
been good, strange, and more difficult than ever before. I feel like
I've started living the mission that I always thought about as a
little kid! Now if you're wondering what that means, I'm not really
sure. I thought about many types of missions as a little kid, but I
never really imagined what it would be like here in Germany. But I
want to tell you guys some cool things that have happened:
1. We have started teaching a young family with 4 kids that are 8 and
under! (I honestly didn't think families like that existed here in
Germany). It is my favorite type of chaos trying to teach them, I have
a couple action pictures of our halloween party and that might give
you a slight idea of what it's like. Just imagine getting mugged by 4
little villains that all speak with a crazy german dialect while their
two lead bosses (also speaking with a heavy dialect) try to
communicate with your Hong-Kong companion in a dialect of a language
that he's learned for 9 weeks. It's a very uplifting experience, I'm
sure. Luckily on Sundays we can send the little villains into the
primary, which has doubled in size because of them!
2. My limited supply of white shirts is becoming ever more limited
because of the above story. I now have to inspect every shirt to find
out what the damage is, and find what I would have to wear to cover it
up haha. I guess sweaters would be good Christmas gifts hahah.
3. As I tried to nail the thesis of the Jena branch to the door of an
Evangelical church, I was forbidden because, "the scriptural passages
we used were not in line with the evangelical doctrine." Luther would
be proud of his followers, I think. (Writer's note: point three is
for you to laugh at, but not necessarily to share with your friends)
4. I've learned so many new things about so many new cultures in the
past while, mostly through visiting a falafel stand that some of our
friends from Syria opened. Hah, it's so cool how long I've been here.
I met them when they arrived here, then one time they cooked us some
awesome food, then they told me that they wanted to start a food
stand, and then this last week they got their start up! I love the
people here, Germany is really a land where people's dreams can come
true right now.
5. I have been reading the Bible recently, and have been so impressed
with the change of emphasis in some stories between the King James and
the Martin Luther Bible. (Don't worry, I still have tremendous respect
for the King James Version, but you might want to read a little about
what Joseph Smith said about the German Bible.) I want to share with
you guys something that is very emphasized in the Martin Luther
Bible... please forgive my slight changes to the King James verses.
Matthew 16:5-11
5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, [they
recognized] they had forgotten to take bread.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have
taken no bread.
8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith,
why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves [and the]
five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up [after]?
10 Neither [that with] the seven loaves [I fed] the four thousand, and
how many baskets ye took up?
11 How is it that ye do not understand[?] [Do ye not understand] that
I [never] spake [...] unto you concerning bread?
My changes to the verses now slightly resemble the german bible. I
love the last sentence, "Do ye not understand that I never spake unto
you concerning bread?" It's something I've been really pondering
recently, how quickly I sometimes forget that the sacrament is not
just bread. That our church isn't a church of bread and strange
ritualism, it's a church of life, the body of Christ. It was never
about bread, but the Bread of Life. Please don't forget that.
I love you all!
Elder Openshaw
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