There was not much time to get into trouble this past week. We were kept busy coming and going. Our Mission President conducted his every 6 week interview with the missionaries in our Zone this past Friday. During the time he interviews the missionaries , on a one on one, we were in Zone meeting and at times in our district meeting. It was an all day experience.
As far as the missionary work is concerned we had some very good news and some that was not so good. The bad news is that some of our missionaries need some special help and encouragement. We were ask to offer some special help to these missionaries. Than there are those Missionaries who are setting the world on fire and as a result we had three baptism commitments in our Zone this past Saturday. When those commitments come, the Missionaries just light up and shout for joy.
It seems like the work is going slow, but when you look at the progress over a long period of time it is remarkable what has been accomplished. I just read a few paragraphs of my Fathers Family History.. He wrote of the handful of people that attended or were members of the Church in this very area in which we are now working. I think of the many saints who immigrated to America from this area in the first half of the 20Th century up to the early 1960s. I am amazed to see how many Wards and Branches are all over this part of the world. This work of the Lord is still going forward and the this was certainly evident today as we assembled in our Dortmund Stake Conference. Our Stake House is not large enough to hold of those who attended Stake Conference, so we had to hold Stake Conference in the town of Herne. The Church rented an auditorium where we were all together to enjoy conference.
It was a special Conference, for a new Stake Presidency was called and sustained. The previous Stake President is moving to Switzerland and has been commuting for some time (4 days in Switzerland and 3 days in Essen) , which made it very hard to do what needed to be accomplished.
Elder Erich Kopischke and Elder Lois Weidmann of the Seventy were the visiting Authorities. It was amazing to see the process of interviewing some 29 or 30 Brethren on a Saturday morning and early afternoon. Than hold a Priesthood Leadership Meeting at 3:30 PM and an adult Stake meeting at 6:00 PM.
Extend the call to serve to the three brethren that were sustained as the new Stake Presidency and than be ready at 10:00 AM on Sunday to present them to the membership for approval to be the new Stake Leaders. The new Stake President is Markus Zarse from the from the Hagen Ward and Mike Ziegner from the Essen Ward and Torsten Bruckmann from the Dortmund Ward.
The conference was a very spiritual and good conference. It is good to have confirmed to us that this Church is guided by the Spirit of God. We, as Priesthood Holders or Members are only instruments in His Hands.
During the Conference some new members for our Student Council were sustained, for which we are grateful. It was decided that the student council would meet after Conference at our "Center for Young Adults". Each of us brought a little to eat and thus we enjoyed a nice meal together. It ended up that the meeting lasted over 3 hours, but we made some great plans for the future of the Young Adult activities in our Stake.
We left early this morning and finally arrived back to our apartment at about 6:30 PM.
We are grateful for the opportunity we have to be associated so closely with the great young missionaries. We had the wonderful experience to be able to spend a few private hours with our Mission President and his wife. They stayed over in Dortmund for the past three days so they could attend the Stake Conference. Last Friday evening we took them to a nice restaurant here in Dortmund and that was a delightful experience to share family stories, experiences and ideas.
It is good to be in the Lords service and hope to be able to complete the work to which we have been called.
Children and Grandchildren we think about you very day, we love you, we pray for you. We are grateful for all of the wonderful accomplishment and for your faithfulness in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please know that we are in His service.
As far as the missionary work is concerned we had some very good news and some that was not so good. The bad news is that some of our missionaries need some special help and encouragement. We were ask to offer some special help to these missionaries. Than there are those Missionaries who are setting the world on fire and as a result we had three baptism commitments in our Zone this past Saturday. When those commitments come, the Missionaries just light up and shout for joy.
It seems like the work is going slow, but when you look at the progress over a long period of time it is remarkable what has been accomplished. I just read a few paragraphs of my Fathers Family History.. He wrote of the handful of people that attended or were members of the Church in this very area in which we are now working. I think of the many saints who immigrated to America from this area in the first half of the 20Th century up to the early 1960s. I am amazed to see how many Wards and Branches are all over this part of the world. This work of the Lord is still going forward and the this was certainly evident today as we assembled in our Dortmund Stake Conference. Our Stake House is not large enough to hold of those who attended Stake Conference, so we had to hold Stake Conference in the town of Herne. The Church rented an auditorium where we were all together to enjoy conference.
It was a special Conference, for a new Stake Presidency was called and sustained. The previous Stake President is moving to Switzerland and has been commuting for some time (4 days in Switzerland and 3 days in Essen) , which made it very hard to do what needed to be accomplished.
Elder Erich Kopischke and Elder Lois Weidmann of the Seventy were the visiting Authorities. It was amazing to see the process of interviewing some 29 or 30 Brethren on a Saturday morning and early afternoon. Than hold a Priesthood Leadership Meeting at 3:30 PM and an adult Stake meeting at 6:00 PM.
Extend the call to serve to the three brethren that were sustained as the new Stake Presidency and than be ready at 10:00 AM on Sunday to present them to the membership for approval to be the new Stake Leaders. The new Stake President is Markus Zarse from the from the Hagen Ward and Mike Ziegner from the Essen Ward and Torsten Bruckmann from the Dortmund Ward.
The conference was a very spiritual and good conference. It is good to have confirmed to us that this Church is guided by the Spirit of God. We, as Priesthood Holders or Members are only instruments in His Hands.
During the Conference some new members for our Student Council were sustained, for which we are grateful. It was decided that the student council would meet after Conference at our "Center for Young Adults". Each of us brought a little to eat and thus we enjoyed a nice meal together. It ended up that the meeting lasted over 3 hours, but we made some great plans for the future of the Young Adult activities in our Stake.
We left early this morning and finally arrived back to our apartment at about 6:30 PM.
We are grateful for the opportunity we have to be associated so closely with the great young missionaries. We had the wonderful experience to be able to spend a few private hours with our Mission President and his wife. They stayed over in Dortmund for the past three days so they could attend the Stake Conference. Last Friday evening we took them to a nice restaurant here in Dortmund and that was a delightful experience to share family stories, experiences and ideas.
It is good to be in the Lords service and hope to be able to complete the work to which we have been called.
Children and Grandchildren we think about you very day, we love you, we pray for you. We are grateful for all of the wonderful accomplishment and for your faithfulness in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please know that we are in His service.
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