Half Way Mark

Wow...3 days and a year will have gone by...I don´t even know what to think right now. Haha to be honest, I am a little bit scared. Everyone says that the second half just flies by...and I really don´t want it to. There are definitely some days where one does, but I really have come to love it here in Germany. Yesterday we had an appointment with one of our member families, the Friedrich´s. They are really such a great family. We somehow got onto the topic of Christmas and my chances of staying in the area, when they figured out I would probably be going little Basti gave me the biggest hug and was just like "Nooooo!! You can´t leave!! I am going to hold you here and you are going to stay." Haha I couldn´t help but laugh, Brother Friedrich than had to try and make things all emotional and tell me how much the family was going to miss me when I go. I really do love this area. I really just want to pray so badly to stay, but according to mission lingo, when you want to stay...that´s usually when you go :P So now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place lol. I also was able to give one of our investigators a blessing this week after Church. The opportunity to have the Lord´s Priesthood Authority back on the earth really is such a blessing. Sometimes I feel like these experiences help me more than they help the recipient. I am truly grateful for this opportunity I have had to serve out here and I really am so pumped for the next year and to see what miracles the Lord has in store. One of those being three new investigators for our area this week. We´re been praying to have more success with finding and as we really have dedicated ourselves and our time we have seen the Lord´s reply. I guess at times like these you just have to take a minute and look back on everything that has happened. All I can really think at this time is how grateful I am for all that I have received. This mission really has just been spectacular. There have been plenty of Up´s and Down´s but somehow, every single time, I have been comforted and helped to become better than I had been before. Definitely worth it. 100 percent. Also, really quick, I also wanted to share my thoughts on a video that I recently saw. It´s on the lds homepage but it´s the Bible Video of Peter walking on water with the Lord. I really love this video. I think it was really incredibly well done for a couple of reasons. 1. When Peter calls out to the Lord asking him if it really is him. I find myself doing that so often when I feel like I receive revelation from the Lord. The Lord seems to always strengthen me in the process and as I step into that "water" There is a realization that comes with it, that the things that I have received are truly from God. 2. As Peter is walking towards the Lord the water is not calm whatsoever...but still bearable. Which brings me to the next part of Peter pausing before he has reached Christ. His movement forward has stopped. He still is facing the Lord, but he isn´t moving towards him. I like to relate this to doing the work of the Lord. We may have received an answer that this Church is true and we may still go to church on Sunday and take the sacrament worthily. We may do all of these things but going through the motions doesn´t bring progression. That´s a major point of this Church, it helps us progress. You cannot progress by just going through the motions. That is why sincere prayer, faith, pondering, and filling yourself with the word of God are so important. This brings me to my third point. As Peter stands in the water doubt immediately begins to fill his mind. His progression has stopped and therefor Satan has a chance to come in, and he comes in hard. The thunder crashing in the background is no small thing in my mind. Just like he did with Moses, he will rant and rave until he brings you down into the depths of Hell. It is at the point of realization that he is sinking, and sinking fast, that Peter cries out to the Lord, begging, "Save me!" Have we not all reached this point sometime in our lives? The lord comes. He reaches out his hand and grasps Peter´s, pulling him up out of the water. His Atonement is that saving grace. It is what pulls us out of the water. We had Zone Training this week and I had the opportunity to gain a new perspective on the Atonement. One of the Elders, Elder King, a good friend of mine was called into the middle of a circle of missionaries. Our Zone Leader had a box of doughnuts and he asked the first Elder in the circle...actually ended up being our mission president, if he would like a doughnut. He said yes, so Elder Brown (ZL) asked Elder King to do 15 push-ups so that President Stoddard could have a doughnut. He then went around the circle and Elder King did push-ups for every single person. (Ended up being over 250 I think.) And we all watched him struggle. Some of us thought that if we didn´t take the doughnut, he wouldn´t suffer. We were wrong. For those who didn´t take he still did the push-ups anyways. As I watched him doing the push-ups for me I had an aching in my heart at the realization that my friend was being put through this so that I could partake. And that is when it hit me. Before we came to this earth, before this earth was, we were in heaven. With him. Our Brother. We loved one another and we took care of one another. Picture someone really close to you. Now picture them suffering for you. What does it change when you think of Christ. Imagine this person nailed to a cross. Imagine them suffering in the garden for all of your sins. Changes things a little bit huh? I invite you all to remember him this week, and everything that he has done for you. Just like Peter, progression is key. Just facing him isn´t enough anymore, to be honest, I don´t think it ever really was. We have to do something. As you remember him you´ll feel a need to go and do something. I felt it after this training and the more I learn the more I feel this pulling in me to do what I know to be true. Remember him, and have a wonderful week. I love you all.
Tschüss,
Elder Lee