Salzburg Austria Week 14

Hallo Everyone!

This week has been great in Salzburg.  We are getting super close to Christmas and we are pretty excited.  I really can't believe it is almost Christmas.  It seems like yesterday that it was July and I was heading to the MTC and now next week is Christmas!  Soon after that it is my birthday (January 7th to be exact for everyone that really loves me and wants to send me a card or gift or both).  Then . . . on the 31 of January, I will celebrate my 6 month mark on my mission!  That is so nuts!!

One thing we did this week that was great was we went to a parade with all these really scary monsters.  It is a yearly tradition in Bavaria.   They basically walk around and scare the kids and make them cry.  It was pretty freaky but super fun.  We also had our Christmas Conference with President and Sister Kohler which was great.  It was at our church with the Salzburg and Vienna Zone.  We watched the new mormon.org video called "He Is The Gift" which I loved!  They also surprised us and we got to watch "Meet The Mormons" which was amazing!   It was so cool to see how the Church is spreading around the world!

This week I have come to more fully appreciate the gift that Heavenly Father has given us. It must have been the hardest thing for Him to give His Son to the world knowing all that would happen to him.  I can't imagine what that was like.  I'm trying my best to be thankful for the gift of the Savior especially during this Christmas season.  We can never repay Him for what he did but we can do what He asks of us.  I think we all know what we must do to follow the Savior.  Now we just need to do it!!

I hope everyone at home has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year (you filthy animals)! 

Shöne Woche!

Elder Lyman

Salzburg Austria Week 13

Servous!

This week has been a good one!  It is crazy how fast time is going by.  Every week goes faster and faster in the mission field!  People here in Salzburg are starting to go crazy for Christmas.  They celebrate every Sunday leading up to Chirstmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas day and the day after!  I can't wait! I t is going to be so much fun!  Hopefully we will get to spend some with the members and have a great time!

This week has been a good teaching week.  We have a new investigator that we found.  His name is Ibraham!  He is from Afghanistan which is pretty cool.  He actually has a baptismal date set for the 27th of this month!  It would be super cool if that worked out!  This is our first investigator with a date so hopefully it will! 

I'm starting to feel super grateful for the Savior during Christmas time.  Everyone says it, but Christ is not really the center of Christmas in most of the world.  He is the most important person that has ever lived on this earth and we get to celebrate his birth.  That's a pretty big deal.  I have developed a much more personal relationship with Him on my mission.  It gives me a lot of motivation to bring others to come unto Christ when I think about all that He did for us.  All I really want this year in to be a better instrument in His hands. 

Keep it real and thanks for all that you all are doing for me!

Love,

Elder Lyman

Salzburg Austria Week 12

Hallo People that read my letters!

Things are going great in Salzburg! We had a really big Thanksgiving feast at the Church this week with all the YSA people in our ward.  It was fun!  Most had never had a Thanksgiving dinner before so it was really cool! It reminded me of good old America!

This week has been full of great things!  I found out that I will be staying in Salzburg for another transfer! This is Elder Kingerys last transfer so I get to kill him which will be super fun! We have a new Zone Leader coming to live with us which will be cool as well.

As far as teaching goes we have not found anyone new to teach this week but we are still teaching a couple people which has been really great.  We have a couple people that are slowly but surely progressing towards baptism.  I really enjoy teaching people about the Gospel.  It gives me such a great appreciation for all the things I know.  Sometimes I wonder why the Lord has blessed me with the life I have.  I now just need to try my best every day to make Him proud and fulfill my purpose as a Missionary.

German is coming along good.  I feel like my understanding has expanded these last couple weeks which is great. It is nice to be able to talk to people.

Christmas is for sure here in Salzburg.  This place goes all out for Christmas.  We go to the Christmas markets as often as we can.  Kinder punch for dayzzzzzz.

Anyway things are great here!  Hope everyone is having a good time at home. 

Schöne Woche

Elder Lyman