Email - May 26, 2014

With how this week has been, I think I'm gonnna like the 20's. :)

 Aside from the awesome gift from home, on Thursday I was on a split with the office elders, and we had to deliver some things to missionaries in Kaiserslautern, the military base area! Because one of the elders there is ex-army, he asked us if we were hungry for some lunch. Heck yeah. So he took us onto base where for the first time in forever we had Taco Bell and Dr. Pepper for lunch! Oh my goodness. DELICIOUS. After that, he took us to the Commissary, the American grocery store, and we went to town. Fruit Roll Ups, Mountain Dew, Pop Tarts, Swedish Fish, Chips Ahoy, Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, and tons of other stuff. You name it, we bought it! And had the best drive back to Frankfurt ever, and felt really sick and really happy that night. :)

 On Wednesday we had our first big Mini Mission Skype Conference call with the Düsseldorf stake! Next up is Heidelberg and Dortmund! It went really well, everyone liked it, and now the Mini Mission is officially in motion in the Düsseldorf stake! Out of our hands and into theirs. It's getting closer and closer, and we're getting more and more excited

. Also, tonight we're having a big activity for the YSA Family Home Evening! "American Yard Sports Night." Three legged races, bobbing for apples, water balloon volleyball, all that good stuff. It's gonna be great. The YSA's and we are pumped. Being a Uni/YSA Elder is the bomb dot com, let me tell ya. :)

 We just realized we forgot to buy something for tonight, so we gotta run soon, but there's something I wanna share first!!

 Miracle of the Week: yesterday we were frustrated. We had been at church all day, and when we finally had time to go out and talk to people on the streets, no one wanted to listen to us. Like, harder than usual rejections. We used up every minute we had until we had to go in and found no one. We got upstairs, all bummed and just wanted to get out of our missionary clothes, when my phone went off. It was a member out on the street. She said she was with two people who randomly came up to her, and really wanted to know about the church. She told us to hurry and get down there, so we threw our clothes back on as fast as possible, still tying our ties as we walked out of the door, and met Frank and his wife. They moved into the neighborhood only weeks before, came by the church a few times, but it was always closed and no one was there, and they didn't know who to talk to about it. So when they saw this member walking out, they ran over to her. They are solid investigators, and we really think they're already close to baptism.

 That just proves to me that God is aware of what we do. We worked so hard for so long, and thought that all our efforts were a waste. We could have just stayed inside and wasted our time, but we knew it was more important to be obedient and try to talk to people on the street. Frank talking to this member was totally unrelated to our efforts on the streets, but yet it was. I believe had we not been on the streets, trying to share the Gospel, the experience with Frank never would have happened, because Heavenly Father wouldn't want to give his prepared people to missionaries who aren't prepared or aren't obedient enough to teach them. Heavenly Father watches carefully what we do, and it's so important to do what you know you should, despite the results, because in His way and in His time, He will reward you for it. :)

 I love it here! Germany is great! You are great! Your tradition at Gpa McGinn's grave is great! I can't wait to join in on that one day. I hope he was happy I drank an American Dr. Pepper this last week, in honor of him! I love you all, and I'll hear from you guys soon! Keep it classy, keep the scriptures open, keep their teachings in your hearts, and you'll be soooo happy. I can promise you that. :)

 Ich hab euch lieb, immer wieder! Ins besonderes für dich, Mutter. :)

 eure Lieblings,

 -- Elder McGinn