Week Thirty-Two

This week was eventfull.  We basically ran around the whole week doing a billion different things and every time people told us that they were sick.  There is some nasty cough and flu that is going around, and it seems like every member and investigator caught it at the exact same time.  But nonetheless, we still had a few awesome appointments.  But..... on Saturday we had transfer calls.... And I am getting transfered... On Thursday, I will be traveling to my new area, Duisburg.  After hearing that I was leaving, it was kinda just a mad rush to call about a billion people to set up appointments so that I could meet with everyone and say goodbye and then at the same time try and figure out what Duisburg is like.  All I have learned is that Duisburg is dirty.  Really dirty.  It is like a steel manufacturing city, and all the missionaries call it the ´´Dirty D´´.  So that should be fun.  But it is on the Rhein River, so I am hoping that it cant be that dirty.  But it is alot bigger than Hagen, and has a University, so I am pretty excited about that.  But unfortunantly, I have to pack now... which means I have to clean too... Not looking forward to that.  But we managed to pack every day full of goodbye appointments, I am not exactly sure how we are going to be able make all of our appointments, lots of running.

However, one of the coolest appointments happened before transfers.  We went to visit and inactive member, Bruder Kambi.  He is from the Congo, and speaks no english, and very little german.  Which makes it kinda hard to communicate with him.  And on top of that, he is a little menally challenged, but one of the nicest people ever.  We decided we wanted to stop by and invite him to church this week, I was giving a talk, and we wanted to see how things were going.  We shared a little bit about the Love of our Heavenly Father, which went well, but the coolest part was the closing prayer.  He offered it.  As he prayed he simply bore his testimony to our Heavenly Father.  After he finished, I looked up and there were tears streaming down his cheeks.  It was increadibly humbling to see this man become so emotional as he shared his simple testimony with our Heavenly Father.

Our first of the goodbyes was with Cremer.  He has been a steady investigator for almost 4 months.  It is crazy to think how much time I have spent here in Hagen and with all of these people I have grown to love.  I know that the Lord's work will go forward and I am exctied to hear how these people will continue to progress and come closer to our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Chirst.  Cremer is an amazing man and I know that he will be a member of the church soon, he is progressing so fast and it has been so much for to watch his excitement and love of the gospel grow and expand as we have been with him.  The next, and one of the hardest, wasMerhawi, he has been in Köln for a while because of his studies, but he is finally back and back on track, so he will be getting baptised in a few weeks.  Duisburg is not too far away, so I think I will be able to come back for the baptism, which I am extremely thankful for.  He is just the most amazing guy, I love him.  It is weird to think that I have known him for almost 5 months.  I look back and it really doesn't feel like it has been that long.  The time has really just flown by.  Another family that was hard to say goodbye to was Sandra and Jozsef.  They were the first investigators I had here in Hagen, and over the past 6 months, have become some increadible friends, and a family that I will definitly be visiting here when I come back to Germany.  Ugh I hate goodbyes.  It is hard when you have spent the last 6 months in an area, and all you have done is serve the people and think about how you can help them, you grow to love them so much.  It makes transfers so hard, but it makes me very thankful that I was able to serve 6 months here in Hagen.

Church on Sunday was hard.  I tried not to tell very many people that I was leaving, I hate goodbyes, but there were a few families that were hard to say goodbye to.  Thankfully we have the next three days to pack in about 10 member meals... I am going to get so fat.... Oh well. I was also able to give a talk this Sunday.  Before my mission, I talked to my dad alot about giving talks by the spirit and not writing them out.  Well... it is alot harder in a foreign language.  But from what everyone said, it went well enough for people to understand, which was not because of me, the only way they could understand my was because the spirit, my german was exceptionally confusing for those 10 minutes.  But walking out of the church, my last sacrament meeting here in Hagen, was weird.  I honestly didn't expect transfers to be so hard, but they are.  I think that on Sunday alone, I must have cried like 10 times. But I know that the Lord needs me in Duisburg, and I go happily, the leaving is just the part that is hard.

Sunday night we were with one of my favorite people in all of Germany, Bruder Kramer.  I don't really know what to say about Bruder Kramer I feel like there is just too much to say I dont know where to start.  He was the first person I met here in Hagen, my very first day he took me to an american resturant and from that moment on I made about 10000000 memories with him.  I love that man, and he will be a life long friend. There are too many memories of Hagen too list them all, but here are a few of the highlights of the last 6 months, most of them will have been in previous emails.

Carying a bed, table, and two chairs, 5 kilometers.

Teaching an entire camp of refugees and only one person translating it into like 3 languages.

Crazy indian guy who has a huge man crush on me.

Best friends with the town drunk

Being Friends with the Hagen criminal life.

Merhawi and his amazing story.

Weinachtsmarkt.

First döner, and just all the amazing food.

English class with the Graefs.

Miracles and Miracles and more Miracles.

And then memories with an entire ward and all of our investigators.

There are too many memories to write them all down, but I love Hagen and all the people here that I have met.  There is something special about being in the service of our Heavenly Father and the love that you have His children.  I am sad to go, but I know the Lord has a plan and I am excited to see that plan unfold as I begin my service in Duisburg.  I will try and send more pictures and whatnot next week, today for the rest of P-day we are meeting up with the Siegen Elders and going to see a castle, so I do not have a ton of time for pictures and whatnot, but hopefully next week I will have alot more time.

Viele Viele Liebe,

Elder Blackley