Greatest experience of this week: We had the chance to spend a day in one of my favorite cities in the world, Görlitz. It is right on the border of Poland and it has some very beautiful buildings. President Monson visited Görlitz often. It is the city in which he promised the members (living behind the iron curtain) that they would receive the blessings of the temple. That promise was fulfilled, and for some reason this city just has a very special feeling to it.
We arrived and it was already dark. The elders that were supposed to pick us up at the train station weren't there. On a whim, we decided that we wanted to have an adventure. We got out of the train station and onto the street, and starting asking people where our church was. (We had no idea where the church or the elders apartment was). We were directed all over the place, and talked to dozens of people. Finally we found a man who knew where the church was and he directed us there. In the church we met up with the elders, played some ping pong against some old german guys, taught english to some young polish people, and then headed back home.
side note: I have been to Görlitz only once before. It was on June 11th, 2015.
The next day was also an adventure. Inspired by our city adventure the day before, we decided to try to find another hidden treasure in Görlitz, the library. Because the other elders had an appointment that they both had to be at, Elder Lorenzen and I made our merry way out onto the streets of Görlitz. We immediately started stopping all old people, asking them where the library was and we were once again directed all over town... even into poland haha. We spent six hours in search of the library that day, but we didn't ever find it. What we did find was a far greater treasure, we found many young people that are ready to hear the message of the gospel. We found a cafe that was made for the many immigrants and refugees here in Germany. We found a giant & symbol in a field. We found new friends. And I think most importantly, I found out a lot about myself.
I found out that I love my mission. Yes it's hard, yes it's frustrating. But the satisfaction of helping other people with their problems is something I never want to lose from my life. As I talked with a new friend in the meet & greet cafe, he told me about how he had suddenly lost contact with his family, who are living in Baghdad. He hasn't heard anything from them or about them in 9 months. He is far from the only person with a story like that living here in Germany. There are so many people who really need to experience peace in their lives. In the end, that's what my mission is. I want to help create a world in which people can live in peace. Peace is something obtained by forgiveness, mercy, love, and genuine concern for others. And "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
If you want to be humbled, go on a mission. President Monson promised that the church in Görlitz and this part of Germany would grow much much bigger than it is now. I believe in that promise and I have seen how the Lord has prepared this land and these people to accept the gospel. It's humbling to be a part of such a great work.
This week was one of the most challenging, difficult, frustrating, and amazing weeks of my entire life. Here are some pictures of it!
Love you all!
Elder Openshaw
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