Apartment:
Mozartstraße 7
38820 Halberstadt
Deutschland
Church Building:
Mozartstraße 7
38820 Halberstadt
Deutschland
The Church was in the basement and first floor. There were three apartments on the two floors above that. Two sets of missionaries (for the first two months I was there) and one non-member family.
You like reading my missionary journal? You don’t like? You just want to tell me something? You can do that here.
I served as an LDS missionary in the Hamburg Germany mission. I wrote in my journal everyday for two years. These are my journal entries with minimal editing (highlighted text is current and was not in the journal). I was 19 when I left home and 21 when I returned. I grew, matured, and learned a lot on my mission. Most of all I gained a greater love of Jesus Christ. My goal is to review my journal, but also give others a chance to see into the everyday life of an LDS missionary in 1996-1998, and hopefully gain a greater love for Jesus, too.
Today was quite unusual. One reason was because I was in normal clothes for most of the day. First thing this morning we had to do was visit Brüder John. After that we helped Schwester Büssing’s schwester move. It was a good thing we went to Brüder John’s in normal clothes, because we helped him move a big chest of drawers thing.
After we helped Schwester Büssing’s schwester, we went to Birgit’s to help her and her friend pick Erdbeers (strawberries). (The reason I didn’t say any more about “moving” is because I’m going to try and forget all about it.) Well, we ate lunch at Birgit’s and listened to the Cure. That was cool. We also played ping-pong. Birgit bought us a kids game of ping-pong for a gift. Then we picked a few Erdbeers. We were cutting time pretty close; we had a Termin (appointment) with Herr Röber in Quedlinburg. After picking, we quickly came home and changed, and Birgit drove us to Quedlinburg. We got there just at 1800. Of course, and I don’t know why it’s still surprising and disappointing, but Herr Röber didn’t show up at the statue. So we just visited the Klinks, instead of having a Lektion taught there. I played with Martin for a while, too.
Then we took the Zug (train) to Halberstadt and Birgit picked us up at the Bahnhof. And that was the whole day. It seemed like we didn’t do to many things, but I am dead tired.
I dare say today went alright. We did a little street contacting after District’s meeting, then had lunch, and then left for Quedlinburg. We did Tür zu Tür on the street I had picked out before. I was surprised; there were actually houses on that street. We talked to a lady that didn’t have time, but said to come back at 19:00. So we finished off that street and visited Schwester Naundorf. She’s been a member for 2 years, but isn’t active anymore. We read Alma 7 with her. I bore my testimony about Christ. I hope she felt the Spirit and will want to become active again. After that we stopped by Familie Klink’s to make sure we could still teach Röber there tomorrow. Then we left a note at Röber’s as a reminder.
After all that we stopped by a contact. She’s a Fräulein, probably 17 or so. We talked with her for a half-hour. Actually Elder C. did; he gave her a quick 1 discussion. It was weird, because she didn’t believe in God, and doesn’t really want to find out, but she took a Book of Mormon and will read it, and call us when she wants another visit. Then we started on our way to our 19:00 Termin (appointment). We both had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped by the Bräuers’, they lived right there, and we used their bathroom. Then we went to our Termin
That was really unusual. For some reason she thought we wanted to talk about Germany and the people and stuff. When we told her we wanted to talk about the Gospel, she gasped. We still had a discussion, but it was nothing what either of us were expecting. She of course didn’t believe in God also, but she had no desire to find out about the truth. Oh well, something new every day!
Today went pretty well, I thought. We kept pretty busy, so now, at the end of the day, I’m tired. This morning went pretty well. I still fell asleep a lot while reading the scriptures. Today I read the first few chapters in John. I started in John because I have a paper from Institute that shows different things about the four Gospel writers. Like it shows who they wrote for, form of writing, what characteristics they portray of Christ. I picked John because the paper says John writes to the members of the Church, and I picked it for a few other reasons. I also did a little language study.
We got out a little late because of me, and headed out to find Otto-Spielmann Str. The street I picked out to do TzT. We walked the way we usually do, and checked to see if Thielemann was home, he wasn’t of course. As we were talking to a lady close by Thielemann’s place (also across the street from Birgit’s) Elder C noticed that he didn’t have his Namenschild (name tag). So we came all the way back home, which was really O.K., because we didn’t know where O.S. Str. was anyhow. Well we got to the street and there weren’t any houses that people lived in. Just factory buildings. At the end of the street was the place we were working on yesterday, so we just started finishing up those buildings. We got let in by a lady. We spoke to her for a while, and she asked if she could come to Church on Sunday. Hopefully she will come, and hopefully feel the Spirit nice and strong so she’ll know the Church is true, or at least will want to take the discussions.
We got home for lunch about 13:30. I made some knödel, potato like stuff that is boiled in water. It tasted pretty good. We’ll have that again someday.
After an hour and a half lunch break we headed over to Am Somerbad to see if we couldn’t get some more Termins (appointments), and so that we would be in the Nehe (area) for our appointment with Herr Klauß. He, of course, wasn’t there. We waited for about 10 minutes. While we were there a guy went in. I think it was Herr Klauß, but I’m not sure, I forgot what he looked like. We rang his bell again, but no luck. We did a few more doors until it was time to go to Ute’s Birthday Party. We were only 30 minutes late, but it didn’t matter. Nobody was waiting on us, just like a social meeting. There was food, too. I had my first grease pudding. It tasted pretty good, for grease. We stayed there for quite a while, just shooting the breeze. The song we practiced went all right. We started out too low, so Bruder John and I couldn’t sing bass. There was no piano to start off from, so we didn’t get the right note. It still sounded good. WE all had to walk home, because there is no bus or Straßenbahn (street car) that runs that late.
The weather’s looking like it will rain soon. I kind of hope it does. I kind of hope it doesn’t, because I’ve got no jacket or coat to speak of. I can borrow Elder C’s, though, so I guess I hope it rains.
P-Day again. I surprised myself and was able to get up at 6:00. I decided to make hash browns this morning, so I did. I started on them about viertel vor 7 (a quarter to 7), and finished viertel nach 8 (a quarter after 8). I don’t think they turned out too well. They were all gooey and stuck together.* They tasted alright, edible. By the time I was done eating, it was time to get ready to go shopping.
Today we went with Bruder Pawelka. He took us to Aldi. He was a little mad because we, actually the other Elders, were 15 minutes late getting out to the car. Anyhow that and buying stamps and mailing packages, took all my money for the rest of the month.
After shopping I took a two hour nap. It was much needed. After that I wrote a quick letter to Elders F and F, and got their pictures ready to send off. Elder C suggested that we run to the post. I stupidly said OK. So we ran there. I paid 6DM, and then we ran, non-stop, all the way home. That just about killed me. On top of that, though, 20 minutes after we got back, we, all four Elders, went and played basketball with Jens at the Roller. That was pretty fun, I still suck. After b-ball I wrote a letter home and a letter to Craig. That took me an hour and a half somehow. Either that or I forgot what I did.
Then we went and visited, or tried to visit, an old lady that said we could visit her. She wasn’t there of course. Then we went on our way to Quedlingurg Straße. Not too much luck there. We did get a door open in the place where there never was one before. We did quite a few more on Quedlinburg Str. with no luck. Then we went to some other place, I don’t know the name of the street. We did a few Tür zu Tür there with a long visit with an old man, and an OK to come back in 3 weeks. So the Tür zu Tür wasn’t a total waste. Neither was the whole day. I got a lot of exercise in. I wrote a letter to the Family and one to Craig. And I finally mailed F and F their pictures.
All of my money is gone, and so is my energy. I hope I sleep long and hard tonight. I hope everything is going well at Home, with the wedding and all. Only three more days until I’ll have a new sister. And she be older than me, no diapers. And already grown older sister. A girl married to my brother. She’s cool, though. I wonder if they’ll have a kid when I get home. I’m tired, I think I’ll go to sleep.
* I didn’t realize then, that you have to boil the potatoes before you grate them and cook them in a frying pan. I just grated raw potatoes and tried to fry them.
I can hardly believe tomorrow is another P-day. Today went pretty OK and normal. We got out of the house only 15 minutes late today. I might be the only one of us who notices that we get out late, so that means I’ll have to be the one who tries to get us out on time.
We first went to Südweg Str. to finish that up. We didn’t make any Termins (appointments), but we were able to get a hold of a few more people. After we finished up that street we made our way back home and also to the Zahnartz where we thought someone was interested.
Before we found out no one was interested we stopped by the grocery store and bout a danish role, because we were both hungry. Then we went to Extra (a grocery store), and I got my first Überraschungs egg (a hollow chocolate egg with a surprise inside). It was cool. It tasted good too. Well, after all that, we came home and I cleaned up the kitchen while Elder C prepared for Institute.
On the way to Institute something unnormal happened, so that the saying Elder C has, would still be true. Something new and strange everyday. Well, as we were crossing the street, waiting for the light actually, I saw an accident happen about three feet in front of me. Some guy had cut off a lady, and she ran into a pole that was three feet away from me. She came within about a foot or two of hitting me and my companion. We stayed there until the Police came, in case the lady wanted me for an eye witness. She didn’t, so we went to Institute, and I ate a lot of candy and understood very little. After that we visited an older lady member, Schwester Fischback. She was nice. We talked with her for an hour or so. I was surprised because I could understand most of what was being said.
After that we came home. Birgit came with us because she was going to ask her brother if he would like to play basket ball with us on Wednesday. He is staying in the little house on their garden plot, which is a few houses down from ours. Anyway! I was surprised after that. We didn’t stop and talk with Birgit forever in front of the house. Just for a few minutes and then we came in. Hopefully we are getting better at not stopping on the street and talking alone with Birgit for long periods of time. Well, that’s about all that happened today.
The day started out slow; for missionary work that is. It seemed like we were at home as much as we were out. We went looking for somewhere first off. Oh yea, we had an appointment on Am Sommerbad. Of course they weren’t there. We left a note on the other appointment we made. Hopefully they will show up. Then we came back home and wrote letters to President B. We then went to the post office to mail that, and Elder C’s package to the phone company. I got a few things there; envelopes so I can mail Elders F and F their pictures. I also got some envelopes so I can put the “Know Girls, Know Pain. No Girls, No Pain” shirt and maybe a tape in it. I also got a book to take notes in and some 100 pfennig stamps; which was dumb, because what am I going to take notes of* and because I need 300 pfennig stamps to send things home. I can still use the 100p. ones though. I also bought some letter writing paper, which I’ll need.
Well, after that we came home and had lunch and then went to Am Kloster Straße. On the way there we met a guy who talked with us for a while. He offered us beer. We went to do door-to-door on Am Kloster Str. but there were no houses or anything there to speak of. Also, on the way there we saw Brother P. On the way back to home we got an appointment and also saw Brown Mantel Man. We still had an hour or so by the time we got home, before we had to be to Sister Büssing’s, so we did some more street contacting until it was time to go. Birgit picked us up and stayed with us over there. Boy, it was just like the first visit, wild and crazy. When we finally started on the discussion, Schwester B would get up to yell at her kids or something every two or three minutes. We finally did it though.
After that we were all hungry, so we all got a Dönner, and came back to our place to eat them. Something I didn’t agree with at all, but what can I do, was that just the three of us went into the basement to eat them. We were there for quite a while, until 10:30PM. I had Birgit read us a bed time story before we left. I hope we don’t do anything like that again. It was fun and all, and nothing happened or ever will. But it’s better to stay on the safe side, and never even be in those kinds of places where things could happen.
* This is funny in retrospect. I ended up taking notes of scripture study, and other meetings. I ended up filling a couple of these little notebooks, and still use them for taking notes and journal writing, 14 years later!
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