Arrived 6/8/2009

Hey Family!!!
This was a good email. I chuckled numerous times.
First item of business: I don't think you are allowed to go to Scotland without me. Sorry :/
Elder Bednar's and Elder Scott's talks on the Temple were excellent this past April. I have some others I have found out here (I collect conference issues I find in apartments) but I cannot remember them off the top of my head. But what Elder Bednar began with this last time is way good. Everything we do as leaders in the Church should be to point members to temple worthiness and attendance.

It does sound like you are liking work better, Pops, even if it is more stressful...and haha rest up good, I'm sure they have something massive in store that just requires you rested...like the 'Priesthood and Auxilliaries party and activities and temple cleaning and home teaching Coordinator.' To take pressure off the other leaders, you see... :D

Much Ado About Nothing...that is certainly an epic list of actors, I am intrigued to be sure. I'll look forward to it. Write it down somewhere and we can check it out when I get back. I miss Pride and Prejudice Sundays, that's for sure. And WW. Na ja. Got other stuff to worry about for the time being :) But WW combined with Shakespeare, well, that MUST be good!

Is the front yard GI Joe movie worthy? Or Call of Duty worthy? Then it really has blown up, haha!

I am pretty sure Pipes and drums is on the comp so a copy would be fine, but either way, and I thought of something else too: if Elder Eyring's talk on cd's that you have somehow found a way to be copied, and mailed to me...well now, Christmas in July? Possible!

We are going this week to try and meet with the husband of the woman who wants to get baptized but he won't let her. I think I told the story. Fr. Nenner wants so bad to get baptized, but her Mann won't have it. Or at least he wouldn't several years ago. We will baptize and confirm Fr. Nenner. We set that goal. After 5 years we are finally going to get her this one last step into the Church. I don't know how, but the Lord will help us with the righteous desires of our hearts. Maybe not this week, but soon. Please pray for Fr. Nenner and Hr. Nenner. They need it, we need it, they need it, we really need it, etc.... haha! And pray for Elder Downing if you could, so he can at least for that one appointment have use of the German language to at least bear a strong testimony :)

I KNOW Christian Bale is amazing, but was Terminator cool? It certainly looked to be. Ah, just you and Logan.....well, don't let things get too out of hand, you know... :D Glory digging caves in your closet to sleep there, that is ganz lustig. I can just see her doing that too...

Branch visits are...fun! Yeah...there should be a group leader for your group, so get with him or her and figure out what the plan is. Or call the YSA leader and just ask him or her.

Elder Downing is doing well, he is still struggling to comprehend the German they speak here in Sachsen (or are we in Sachsen-Anhalt? No idea...). Sächsisch is a very strong dialect, like dirty southern US english. Even some Germans have trouble with a strong Sächsisch accent. Hahaha but he is doing ok. I am not sure he'd be understanding people better if it was hoch Deutsch, but he does his best :) And that is all I can ask of him. He played trombone for a long time, so a fellow bandie!

Home alone, Taylor? But it's summer! Aren't you at the pool most of the day every day anyway? :)

Well I got a flat tire on my bike this past week, and though I replaced the tube, the valve in the new tube is...cranky. And so we have been on foot for the past few days....and it is less fun. And not makes it hard to get places quickly :/ Other than that, not much news from our side. Are you still painting, Em? You should hook me up with some pics of stuff you are doing. You are way good...

Well, I should email Präsident, and I hate spending long periods of time here and not being out there or back at the wohnung...drawing...so I think I shall wrap this one up. But like always, I love you guys very much and am always appreciative of the emails. Em, if you could hit Mr. Thurston up on his Facebook and tell him I wish him all the best and I'll be writing him here soon, or something nice at least, that would be sehr nett von dir. I pray for you guys too and hope for a great week! Tschüß!
---Elder Sterling Mason