The last 2 letters from our missionary!

Hey Guys,

Wow, sounds like y'all we everywhere this week! I don't think we were ever this busy when i was home. Cool though, that is really cool that Ben got to go to that music camp. Ya, Sam Shumway and Rebeca Willey are both really good violin players, and ive never heard of anybody playing a whole concerto on one string, that is pretty cool! Sounds like Dad had fun on the Scout Adventure. That whole tripped sounds like it was pretty awesome without a single boring minute. And im assuming that Sam was the only one home the entire week? Nice! Tell him good luck with football and such, sounds like he's already doing really well. And Mom, that is pretty daring to take the "little boys" camping by yourself, im impressed! Sounds like you had some pretty awesome expreiences together, and yes, im glad the bear didn't eat you! Im so glad to hear Betty Jo will be able to come home, with so much faith, prayers, and fasts from the ward and her family though, i new things would be ok.

Sweet, well it doesn't sound like this week is going to get any calmer with yall going to Shelbie's Wedding and such. I got an invitation (i think Grandmother sent it) this week, but (es tut mir zer lite) i don't think i will be able to come, but im really glad that i got an invitation. They both look really happy, wish them happiness and good luck from me!

I've got to tell you guys straight up, im really starting to miss going to the Temple. There is just a feeling there that you can't experience anywhere else in the entire world. I am so thankful that i was able to spend my last Saturday with you mom, dad, Grandma, Gradmother, Papa Joe, and Uncle Greg in the Temple doing the work for our ancestors. It is an experience i will never forget, and it really helped me feel that "Spirit of Elijah". So Cool!!!

Thanks also mom for sending those shirts! I haven't got them yet, but they are much needed! This week has been, well, zer Heiß! I don't get it, i feel like i am constantly in a sauna, it is so weird and it doesn't get any colder at night! And no offense to Germany, but ya think with all the smart people that have come from this country they would have figured out how to put swamp coolers, or air conditioning in these buildings! Ya i don't no.....

My week was pretty great (as usual)! We had another good lesson with Rita establishing how the three most important things for her to be doing right now are praying everyday, going to church every week, and reading in the Scriptures everyday. She commited to doing all three, but wasn't able to come to church this because she was visiting her parents in Frankfurt. She commited to coming to Abendamal Versamlung diese Wocke so ga i really hope/pray she will come. If she got to know some of the Members, im know we could get that geistig spark we need to help her have that desire for baptism. A favor from me, if you guys could keep her in your prayers, i know it would help her have that desire to progress in the Gospal, thanks! We also found another girl that flat out said, i have interest in religion. We set out an appointment with her on Saturday, so hopefully (prayerfully) all will go well and we can say the things she needs to hear. We did some more less active work this week. On Monday we helped Schwester Morgner with her flowers and garten. We then had lunch with her (great food, oh man) and gave her a lesson. We then went to the Rathaus with a member of our ward Bruder Hunger and were able to get some more service set up for this Friday and next week. I got to tell you guys, Elder Armstrong is really good about getting and setting up service. Im so thankful that we are companions and for the effort he puts in helping me and finding service for people that need it. The service we will be doing is more clean up work from the flood. It will be fun, im really looking foward to it! We also we able to have a lesson with the family that found us in Traunstein that said they were members. We didn't beleive them at first, but they showed us their Tauff Sheine (Baptismal Certificates) and well now we have two new members in our ward. Unfortunately, it is going to take a lot to get them reactivated. We gave a lesson about the Book of Mormon and how important it is and they beleive that. The problem is that they don't beleive that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. They beleive God gave him the ability to translate the Book of Mormon, but he is not a Prophet. We really didn't know what to say, we tried expainling things, but the spirit wasn't there. They were pretty determined that there was nothing we could say that would change their minds. Finally, i just bore my testimony about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and Elder Armstrong said that we all have Agency and we are not there to convince them that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, but we are there to invite them to find that knowledge out for themselves through prayer. As bad as that sounds, they aren't bad or wierd people, from what they said it sounds like they had some bad expeireices with the Church in Venesuala. They were open to having home teachers though, and they said we are welcome to come by anytime we are in Traunstein. We also were able to meet with an inactive Family called the De Fillipo family. They are so nice and so cool (there little girl has a humor like Jonathan, she cracked me up). They actually lived in America for five years while Bruder De Fillipo did his schooling (lived in Beaver Utah for a little while too). We didn't really give a lesson, but we were able to set up some time at the end of August and September that we will go help them finish tiling there new house (there building a house, and by German standards, its really big) and help them move in. We don't know exactlly why there inactive, but hopefully we can help them and in some way touch their hearts so they will come back to church.

That is basically everything, the miracle lady Maria is making good progress with the other Elders. She came to Church and is keeping her other commitments. I just wanted to share with you the reason she said she came to Church. She said one night she had a dream that she was standing at Bahnhopf, all the sudden, a small blonde haired boy came to her and told her to follow him. He led her to the Church and told her that she needed to go there. She also told Elder Armstrong, that she has had other dreams about heaven and such, and that they all in a way point to the things taught in our church or about our church. I thought it was really cool, it reminded me of a section in The Docterine and Covenants where it talks about spiritual gifts. We all do indeed have spiritual gifts, and it is so cool to see how they help each and every one of us not only in our daily lives, but in our conversion process. I am so thankful for all the gifts (both temporal and spiritual) that my Heavenly Father has given me. I have been so blessed in my life and am so thankful for the mercy and love the lord has given me. I know Jesus is the Christ and that his way is the way that leads to happiness. I hope i will always be able to be an instrument in his hand because i am starting to see that there are only two ways to really experience true happiness in this life and they are in the family and in doing what Jesus would do, namely sharing his Gospal and serving others. This past week after the day is over and i have a couple minutes to think, i think about why i was sent here to Germany, and everytime i do that a thought comes to mind that after my mission, im coming back here. I don't know how to expain how i know that, but it is a feeling/knowlege that i can't deny, and that i wanted to share with you. There is purpose for everything that happens in our life, and we can indeed find it, if we will stand back for a minute and count all the blessings we have in our life. I love you guys so much, and miss you like crazy. I wish you the best in everything that you do this week. Take care and know you are in my prayers.

mit freunlichen Grüßen,

Elder Seamons

PS: We got transfer calls on Thursday. Im staying in Rosenheim, but unfortunatelly we are losing one of the other Rosenheim Elders. He's going to Vein, but in his place we are getting a Golden (meaning Greenie). Fun stuff!!!

Hey Guys,

Sounds like you had a pretty great week, and it sounds like you are all really busy. Wow, i didn't know Sam was going to a speed and power camp, i thought it was a football camp. That is super cool though. Im also glad to hear Sam learned the key to running faster is moving your feet faster! That is pretty.....profound! Tell Sam to tell me more about it, i want to know what happened down there. Wow, everybody is getting so old, Sams a preist, Bens a teacher, David's almost a deacon, Jonathan wird sich tauffen lassen, and Jacob can swim! Kind of wierd! David blacked out this week?! That's kind of crazy, i hope he is ok. Sounds like Ben is starting to realize that when you go on a hike with the scouts, you can be certain its at least a couple miles longer than what they origianlly said it was. And that is super cool Jacob can swim now! Wow, everything is changing back home.

Well, i wish you all the best this week with music camps, sports, pipe, and everything else. Oh and i did get your package and envolope this week. Mom, if you want to go ahead and just send four shirts that would be great, just take the money out of my account for the shirts and shipping. I would buy some over here, but in reality, if i wanted 4 nice white shirts i would have to spend about 200 euro (bout $300). So i think it will acutally be cheaper this way. To answer Dad's question, i have my birth certificate and everything else i sent in. If you need it just let me know and i'll mail it home. Yes, Nathan can use my temple clothing, i hope it will fit him ok. I have my white tie and white pants with me though, so ya, sorry about that. And Macy is going on a mission!? Super cool, i bet she goes to one of the German missions, or Ukraine, or England.

Anyways, my week was super great! We had zone training on Tuesday and all commited to have one baptism next transfer. It won't be easy, but it can be done!!! All the missionaries in my zone are fasting for it next month, so ya, i don't have a doubt that, God willing, we all have baptisms next transfer. Crazy story yesterday though, we had a lady walk into church just wanting to see what the church is all about. Her name is Maria, and i think she had an awesome experience at church gestern! The members we so good to her, so she is off to a great start. We have an appointment with her tonight, so pray all goes well! Unfortunately, we will have to turn her over to the other Rosenheim    Elders after tonight because we figured out she lives in their part of the geminda boundaries. Thats alright though, as long as she is being taught, it doesn't matterwho is teaching her. The only sad part from gestern was that Rita didn't come to church. We had a really great lesson with her on Friday over the Resteration, and after some encouragement, she gave a beutiful prayer to close. She promised us she would come to church, but she texted Elder Armstrong during church and said she wasn't coming. It is so sad, i know she would be so much happier if she went to church. The members could help her feel loved and that is exactly what she needs right now. So if you have time, say a little prayer that Rita will come to church this week. 

Also, i am naming last week the week of service/the week we didn't have to make lunch. We had mittagessen appointments with members everyday last week, and we had three days of service with less actives. I have to say, i was so thankful that we were 1 Able to serve people this week and 2 Able to do some physical hands on labor. Ive got to admit, i really miss some days moving pipe and hauling hay and working at Trails West. In a way, im a lot more comfortable with that labor that i am trying to contact people all day. That is something i really got to work on, i still really have trouble just...talking to people. Im getting better though! 

This week also looks like it will be great. We found some people last week that i think will really have interest and we are going to go by them sometime this week. Hopefully there as interested as i thought they were.

I'd like to share with you a couple of thought i had this week. Several times throughout this week, when we were contacting, we invited people just to read a Chapter from the Book of Mormon and to pray if it was true or not, or we have asked if we could even share one verse of scripture from the Book of Mormon. Almost everytime though, people would tell us no, i don't have time, or no, The Bible says not to, or some other reason that just makes me frustrated, but to the 2 or 3 people that actually said yes to are questions are the people that we going back to and the people that actually have interest in our church. It just really made me think this week of how powerful the Book of Mormon is. Everytime we have been able to share something from it, we have been able to touch the heart of that person. It is such a powerful book, and i know it is the Word of God. I often wonder if i should just go stand in the middle of the town square and start loudly reading from the Book of Mormon. It would be interesting to see how many people would stop, listen, and feel the powerful influecne of the Holy Ghost. I testify the Book of Mormon can help each of us in our own personal lives. There is indeed a scripture in The Book of Mormon for everybody, everday, and every moment of that day. I can feel that in studying the Book of Mormon, i am changing for the better. And am becoming the person that Heavenly Father needs me to be. I am so grateful to be a member of this wonderful Gospal, and am especially greatful for the wonderful family i have because they all have the Gospal in their life. I'm greatful for the sacrifice of my ancestors who sacrificed so much for this church and for their posterity. For the decisions they made to join the church and sacrifice time, family, and basically everything to have the light of the Gospal in their lives. I know i am who i am today because of this Gospal and because of the sacrifice of those who came before me. 

Well, i love you all so very much, and i hope that this email finds you well, happy, and .....hungry? Thanks again for all that you do, and know you are always in my prayers.

Mit freunlich Grußen,

Elder Seamons

Elder Seamons July 8th letter!

Hey guys,

Well, looks like everyone had a good time at the 4th of July last week! We kind of had our own little celebration. We woke up went outside and i played the star spankled banner as the other two Elders in Rosenheim sang and Elder Armstrong commentated. We got some pretty weird looks from the neighbors, and i think one guy was considering calling the polizei. Fun though, thanks again for sending those little flags.

I haven't got your package yet and i was talking to one of the Elders and he said he didn't get his Christmas package for six monthes, so hopefully it will get here soon, but as of now i haven't got your package.

The fourth of July was also a really good contacting day for us. We found 4 potentials two of which (a daughter and her mom) are extremly interested in religion, but said they could only meet with us when her huspand is gone. I guess he is Muslim and doesn't like them investigating other churches. The mom is from Russia, and the girl is in the 3rd year of school and man, she knows her Bible! We gave her a Book of Mormon and honestly, i think she might read the whole thing before we get there sometime this week. 

Yesterday was also an amazing day. We had a great fast and testimony meeting, and a great church meeting in general. Our Bishop, Bishop Keinz, gave a great testimony on missionary work, and we actually got a new ward mission leader this week. His name is Mattieus Herber, he served a mission in New Jersey from 04-06, so he's pretty young, single, and loves to  do missionary work! He had Elder Armstrong and I over for dinner last night (the other two Elders were at an eating appointment) and after that we asked him if he could come by with us to try and give a lesson to a lady (sie heiss Rita) that we had found on the 29th of June. We went over there and Elder Armstrong and i tried to give  a "0" lesson, but about half way through, Mattieus jumped into the first lesson and covered from Dispensations through the Book of Mormon. It was alright thought, it was what she needed to hear and i was grateful that a real Duetcher was able to explain these marvolous things to her amd man, the spirit was so strong! 

There is another expericene i would like to share breiflly. On Tuesday, we had a finding day in Munich and i went on splits with one of our Zone Leaders Elder Orchard (by the way he is super cool, he plays basketball for USU, went to Highland High School in Utah). As we were making our way back to the s ban, we stopped and talked to one last person on the street to try and contact them. They were so amazing! The family is from Hungary, and the only person that could speak German in their family was a little boy about 10 years old. The coolest part was that the father had seen us walk down the other side of the street earlier and according to the interpretation of his little boy, he knew we were Men of God. They then offered to feed us even though they were in a hurry to get back to Hungry. Unfortunately, we had to turn it down, but they insisted on buying us water. Again, i can't really expalin the feeling i had during that experience either. I had never felt so loved by someone who i didn't even know and to whom i couldn't speak the same language too. That family is so ready for the Gospal and i the only thing i wish is that i could teach them! They are golden. 

There are so many wonderful lessons and other experiences that i have learned this week that i wish i had time to share with you. But i would just quickly like to give my testimony on the power of the Spirit and the power of the fast:

With the experience with Rita, i know the only way i was able to say the things i said was through the spirit and i am so grateful that the Lord saw fit to give me the oppurtunity to be an instrument in his hand and be able to testify through his spirit. I know also that the spirit was so strong because of the fast, prayers, and sacrifices that are being made in behalf of the missionaries and those that are searching for the truth. The power of the fast is so incredible. When i fasted yesterday, i was fasting for the ability to be a more effective missionary, and boy did i see the fruits of that fast! I also know that i was able to say what i said becuase the many prayers and fasts that are being made/given for Elder Armstrong, myself, and those who are truth seekers. I am so grateful for the love of the savior that i have felt this week. For his willingness to help, comfort, and bless me with success even though i am nothing. It is amazing to me to see how much love the Savior and Our Heavenly Father truly have for us. I know i am being blessed more than i deserve, and i can't help but stand in awe of the greatness and glory of God. A few scripture verses comes to mind in the psalm of Nephi (2 Nephi 4:15-35) "My God hath been my support he hath led me through mine afflictions... and he hath preserved me... he hath filled me with ihis love even unto the consuming of my flesh...Rejoice o my heart and cry unto the lord, and say, o Lord i will praise thee forever, yea my soul will rejoice in thee, my God and the rock of my salvation... yea i know that God will give leberally to him that asketh. Yea my God will give me, if i ask not amiss therefore i will lift up my voice unto thee, yea i will cry unto thee my God the rock of my righteoussness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen."

I love this church with all my heart. I am so grateful that God saw fit to put me into a wonderful family who had the Gospal in their lives. I have been so blessed by you guys, and i want you to know i love you with all my heart. Take care and i pray you have the best week ever!

mit freundlich Grüßen,

Elder Seamons

July 1st letter from our missionary---Elder Seamons!

Hey Guys!

Thanks for your letters this week! Good do hear everyone is doing well. Well it sounds like the whether over hear has been alot different than the whether over there. It rained everyday last week and i don't thing it got above 24 degrees Celsius ( i think that is like 75 degrees fahrenheit) so ya whether was great. However, the week before, i forgot to tell you, it was like 36 celsius three days in a row and man, i thought i was gonna die! So i bought some cheap short sleeve white shirts and they were nice the first time i wore them, but now im starting to see why they were so cheap. So, if you find any nice

short sleeve white shirts online, maybe you could let me know or maybe you can help me figure out how i can get them. Thanks, that would be muchly appreciated cause i have a feeling, that it is not gonna stay nice like this forever.

Well Sam if my calculations are correct, your Birthday should be on Sonntag so HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON SUNDAY!!! Hope you have a great birthday and that one day when you can actually drive (legally and lawfully) that youll be able to go on a date! I was gonna try to send you and Ben a package, but in talking to other people around here, you might not get it, and if you did, it might take about a month. So tell mom and dad that you and ben can both take $50 out of my account and go by yourself something that you want. Anyways, happy birthday again! (Keep me posted on weights, football, wrestling, and Kennedy Hyde.)

Ben, your birthday should be next Wensday, and i also hope you have a great G/Tag! Like it says above, i was gonna try to send you guys a package, but i don't think it would have worked out very well, so ya, $50 bucks bro spend it well! Have a good one and keep me posted on what goin on with you (football, pinning Sam, etc.). 

David, sounds like soccer camp was great. What did they mean by you act like me as a deffender? Are you bosy like i was telling everyone what to do, or do you have sweet skills like me (haha)? Well i hope you keep working hard with your soccer skills and i hope you have the chance to play club soccer this fall or next spring! Keep me posted on how everything goes!

Wuz up Jonathan? That is so cool that you are getting baptized soon! Remember, you can't say notty words after you get baptized other wise you'll look like Sam and Benjamin (just kidding, don't take it personally)! That is super cool that you are going to let Sam baptise you. Tell him not to hold you under the water to long, otherwise ill beat him up (again, don't take that personally Sam, nor take that as a challenge, i highly doubt i will be able to beat anybody up by the time i get home)! Im glad that you got to go to soccer camp, and ya the shark game is fun! Im glad your play went well and that you had fun. Keep up the good work, and let me know how everything at home is!

Jacob! Hey buddy! Thanks for writing me, im glad you found my picture do i look ok? Im glad that you are having fun going swimming with the boys, mommy and daddy. I hope you keep working hard on your swimming so that when i get home we can go swimming together! Take care buddy, keep those other boys in line!

Hey Dad, sorry i don't have much time. But i quickly want to thank you for your letters, and thank you especially for all that you have taught me over these last 19 and some odd years. Im sorry at times i wasn't the best for you or for mom, and if i could do it again i would change alot of the things i have done. Im so thankful for all that you have done for me and the rest of the family. You work so hard to provide for us, and im sorry that sometimes i made you feel that i wasn't grateful for what you have done for me, but i want you to know that i am truly grateful for all that you have done for me, and for all that you have taught me throughout my life. I want you to know that i really look up to you Dad and that i hope that i can grow to be the man that you want me to be. I hope all is well at home, and remember that i love you tons!

Well thats all for now folks, take care and remember i love you!

Elder Seamons

Our second letter from our missionary in Germany! Hey Guys, Well it sounds like you guys have had a pretty great week hauling hay and such. That's cool that Tiffany got her call to Anaheim. That is where one of my roomates, Elder Spotten, went on his mission. He left at the end of May, so Tiffany might see him some time during her mission. But that is super cool that she is going. Tell her she should be glad she is in the states, because she would probaly be pretty frustrated with the language if she went foreign speaking, kind of like someone i know. I'm glad you are all doing ok though. Sorry the sick bug came through the house, but i hope you are all feeling better now. And that is so aweful to hear about Kennedy, thanks for letting me know, i'll definately pray for her and her family. Keep me posted and let me know how she is doing. Sounds like pipe is going pretty well, 5 lines in Riverdale! That is pretty cool. Hope that the rotating screen dosen't break (knock on wood). That is cool you guys have cats now. I guess Charcoal isn't so gun hoe over cats as Max was, so ya, i hope your cats don't get eaten! Mom, that is super cool that you are going to go into Special Ed! I think the world definately needs more people in that field that actually love and care for those who need that extra help. Hope your classes go well, i'll pray for you! Thanks for the letters every week guys, they are really one of the few things that keep me going throughout the week, so keep um coming. I think my address is Heilige Geist Strasse 54 (some area code) and then Rosenheim. Type that into Google maps sometime this week and see if you can find it. This week was better than last week. We were able to meet some more people and we actually have two appointments one today and one tommorrow, so hopefully those go well, and the people are actually interested. These will be my "real" first two appointments, so if you have time, say a little prayer for me cause im gonna need it. We also found two other people this week that we were able to give Book of Mormons too. One was a man from Serbia that let us come in and talk to him for about 20 minutes and the other was a lady that we met in Grafting who greeted us at the door wearing a nice towel, and well that was it. She seems really pretty interested though and said she has been to church before. She said to come by in a week when she is not so busy, so ya, hopefully we will listen to us. About the guy from Serbia real quick, he seems (and he said) that he is pretty confused about what religion he should be. He said (i think) that his mom was Catholic, his dad was Muslim and something about his grandparents being something else, so he asked us, "which one am i?" His wife is Catholic and he says that their "priest dude" is always asking for money. The Serbian guy really doesn't like that and feels it is wrong, and we told him we agree. We gave him a Buch Mormon and told him to read 1 Nephi 13. We told him we would come back some time this week, so hopefully he read that kapital with an open mind and wants to learn more. That about sums up this week. I've decided that im going to do a little "message of the day" and that is kind of what i will use for my "pick up line that day." I figured if i can at least do that then i can at least be a little more helpful to Elder Armstrong. We'll see how that goes. Well, i love you guys, and miss you alot! I hope this email find you well and that the house is still in one piece. I just want to briefly share with you my testimony of the Gospal of Jesus Christ. I know this Gospal is true. I feel it everytime i pray, everytime i read the Heiligen Schriften, everytime i read your letters, and everytime i bear testimony. I love this Gospal with all my heart, and i know that it is the only way we can obtain salvation. One thing that i think i have really learned since i entered the MTC and have been out here in Germany is how real the Gospal is. I guess i knew it was real and true before my mission, but the extent to it being everything and it truly being our way to return to Heaven have really hit me these last couple weeks. I think often we think of Church and the Gospal of Jesus Christ as just kind of being there for us to use and when when we want or when we feel "we have time". However, it should really be the priority in our life, everything in our life should be focused around Jesus Christ and his Gospal. Now, im not saying that we should all turn into Monks and Nunns and read the scriptures 24/7, but i think that we should always strive to bring the Light of the Gospal into everything we do, for our benefit, and for the benefit of others. I think going to BYUI really helped me to realize this to some extent. It was interesting to me to see how the teachers all strived to apply the Gospal into thier teaching, reagardless of what subject it was. They didn't preach out of the Good Book per say, but they always were able make the classroom a place where the Spirit could dwell and i know i was blessed because of that. Now im also not saying that we should preach to people everywhere we go either, but i do beleive we should try to show that we beleive in Christ by the things we do, say, and how we act. Like at school, we should always strive to use our best language, and not talk about vulger or stupid things. When we go to practice or before a game, we should say a little prayer, whether silently or with our teamates, that we will be able to play and give our best and seek for help to be better. Before we practice our instruments, we should say a little prayer for help and for guidance on what we should work on. I could go on and on, but it is really the little things like that that will set us apart from other people, and will help us grow closer to Christ. I'm reminded of a scripture in Mosiah 4:11 where it King Benjamin counsels, " ... I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord dailly, and standing steadfastly in the faith of theat which is to come..." I pray that we can all strive to remember how great God is and how much he has given us. I hope we will always give our best in everything we do, and try to show others what we beleive through our words, actions, and deeds. I love you guys so much. I hope you can always find happiness and joy, and please always remember how much you guys mean to me. Take care, Elder Seamons

Our first letter from Joseph in Rosenheim, Germany! He's been there 6 days now!It looks like he's having a little keyboard issue! Hey Guys, Man these German kezboards are killer, the kezs are all messed up and i onlz have about 20 minutes, so everz time zou see a z make it a y and everz time zou see a y make it a z deal? Thanks! Anzwazs, it is great to hear from zou guzs! Sounds like all is going well minus the pucking of the guts! Cool! Anzwaszs, that is so cool that Tiffanz will have her call alreadz, please email me as soon as zou can to let me know where she is going. So basicvallz i hate airplanes now. Riding on the airplane was fun for about the first 2 hours then after that it was, well, not so fun. If zou haven't got mz letter zet i will just quicklz tell zou that i was able to place two Book(s) of Mormon on the plane ride over, so that was reallz cool. I wrote about it im mz letter, so zou can read about it later. Also, i lost mz camera between Amsterdam and München, so za, good bze MTC pictures, thats ok though. So a little bit about what has happened these last couple dazs. WHen we got off the plane in Munich, me lost about 5 of the people in our group and i took about an hour to find them. After we found them, we went on the little trains to the Church in Munich and were told we were supposed to place a Book of Mormon on the train ride over. Well let me just saz, that mz MTC German worked in the MTC, but not so much here in Germanz. The first guz i talked to i thought i said, Wie gahts? and he said something like, Sie können nicht dass mich sagen! So za, and the rest of the conversations i had on the train went about like that one did. Anzwazs, we had training most of the rest of that daz (mittstag) then we went out to our areas on donnerstag and i met mz trainer Elder Armstrong. Just a little about Elder Armstrong, he is from Arimo, Idaho (Marsh Vallez, ja go figure) he has been out 18 months and he has some of the best German i have heard from anz missionarz so far. So i am verz blessed to have him as a companion, because a lot of the people in mz group got trainers that have onlz been out a few transfers. This is also Elder Armstrong´s first time in Rosenheim, so we are both still trzing to figure out the best waz of contacting people here is. We haven´t had much success so far, but that will change this week. There has been alot of flooding up here the last couple weeks so we were able to do service on Samstag with some of the members in our ward and a couple of Refugees from Pakistan. K, if zou ever think zour life is bad i want zou to know that most of these Pakastanian people left Pakastan because there were going to get killed if thez thez didn´t. And the reason being is because thez are Muslim. One of the guzs i talked to said he has no idea where his familz is at, he said that a mob came bz and burned down his and his families house one night and he had to run off while having people shoot at him. That is so aweful. So za, please count zour manz blessings. Ok, i have to go, but i want zou guzs to know that i know that this Church is true. That Joseph Smith reallz did see God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, that through him the Gospal was reallz resotroed to the earth and that because of this we can have eternal happiness. As beutiful as Germanz is, it is so sad to see people that don´t have that knowledge or comfort in their life. Thez think thez are happz and thez might be to some extent, but thez will never be able to find that true and eteranal joz that onlz comes from being a member of this church and living the Gospal of Jesus Christ. As it sazs in the scriptures, He is the onlz waz bz which salvation is possible and the onlz waz we will everz trulz be happz.Onlz through him can we inherit all the father has for us. I testifz that he lives, and that he loves us in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. I love zou guzs, take care, and know that zou are alwazs in mz prazers. With Love, Elder Seamons

An email from Sister Miles about Joseph's arrival and new area! Dear family of Elder Seamons- We are delighted to tell you that Elder Seamons arrived safely in Munich this morning. He is tucked away in bed now after a long day of orientation. We thought you might enjoy these pictures from this evening. His new companion is Elder Armstrong, and they will be serving in Rosenheim, Germany. We are thrilled that he is here and are very impressed with his preparation and enthusiasm. He will be a great missionary. Thank you for all you have done to help him become the fine young man he is today. We love him already, and we will do all we can to help him grow as a missionary and have a successful mission. Your son's preparation day is on Mondays and that is when he will be emailing you home each week. If you would like his apartment address where he will be serving - please email him before next Monday and ask him to give it to you in his first email next Monday. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. May the Lord bless you and your family at this wonderful time of missionary service. Sincerely, President and Sister Miles Alpine German-speaking Mission

The last letter from the MTC for our missionary! He leaves June 11th! Hi Guys, Sorry, i only have about 10 minutes to email today, so this won't be very long. So another Elder (Elder Hobsen) and I auditioned last Thursday to be in one of the special musical numbers and we were lucky enough to get picked and were able to perform today for the incoming devotional for the new missionaries. We played the Marshall Mcdonald and Steven Sharp Nelson version of "If you could Hie to Kolob" (sorry Ben, i took your song). It went fairly well, and i was very grateful to have the oppurtunity to play and Elder Hobsen is an amazing piano player, so i felt really blessed to have the oppurtunity to play with him. We also got our travel plans this week! I will be leaving the MTC Tuesday June 11 at 6 AM, so i will be calling home between 7 and 9 AM that morning. If you can (or want to) talk to me, it would be great if you could pick up the first time i call sense i only have enough minutes to call twice and talk for 15 minutes (it docks 150 minutes from my phone card every time i call). And Mom and Dad, if you can or if you have time, could you make sure i have at least $700 in my checking account since i have to pay for luggage before i leave. Also, if at all possible, could you send me an MP3 with "Missionary Appropriate" Music and a small speaker before i leave on Tuesday? It would be much appreciated, but if it is too much of a hassel, don't worry about it. One last thing, if you could, Gradmother and Papa Joe had a really cool book that talked about "Ancient Temple Ordinances" or something like that. If you could let me know what the tittle of the book is called, that would be much appreciated. Thanks again for all you do and have done for me throughout the years. I love each of you very much and i want you to know that i have testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have recently been studying the Atonement in my personal study and have learned both a great deal of the Atonement, and have come to further come to understand that Jesus Christ is indeed our reedeemer and the Savior of the Entire world. One Chapter in the Scriptures that has really stood out to me lately is Isaiah 53. Verse 4-6 really explain that Jesus did indeed suffer for our sins i love in verse 5 how it says, "...the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Also in verse 6 it says this, "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Every time i read that scripture, i can't help but get emotional knowing that Jesus Christ did indeed suffer for each of our sins, and understand our sorrows and pains. I feel aweful knowing that i added pain to the Savior that he should not have had to go through. I know that he is indeed the Son of God and that he loves each of us with a love that we cannot understand. He is the sohn Gottes. He was once our brother, but know he is our savior. I am so grateful for his courage and character that when the father asked us in the Pre-Existance, "who should i send?" that Jesus being the Great intelligence he was stepped forward and said, "send me, but the glory be to you father." I truly beleive that each of us rejoiced that day in Heaven when he stepped foward (knowing fully well what he was commiting to) because we knew that he was the best candidate for Savior, and that he had the character and attributes to be able to do all that the father would ask of him. I know he loves us and as it says in the Living Christ, "God be thanked for the matchless gift of his divine son." I am indeed thankful for his matchless gift and his matchless love, because without it i know none of us could be saved, and without that i could not live with you guys for eternity. May we always remember in our lives the "condescention of Christ" is my prayer and testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Take care guys, i love and miss you! Elder Seamons

Another great post from our amazing missionary! He's leaving for Germany June 11!!!!! Hey Guys, First off, thanks for the packages and letters this week, i don't think you know how much they mean to me (there one of the things that keeps me going day to day). I think Grandmother sent me a package of cookies that were delicious, (im not sure if they were from her because the return address was blotted out) thank you so much. This week has been very difficult, but i have learned so much im not even sure where to begin, i guess ill start where i let off. We have started teaching 2 investigators a day about 2-4 days out of the week and the other days we are still teaching one investigator per day. The two investigators we have now (i don't know if i mentioned this before) names are Markus and Sabastian. Both have had really hard family backgrounds and both have divorced parents. Markus is a plumber who has a Lutheren background, but hasn't gone to church since he was very little. He is just kind of going through the motions of life and is trying to find purpose. Sabastian has no religious background, no job, and his wife left him. He has no idea who God is and constantly feels alone. My heart goes out to him every time i see him. However, in the past week, we have commited Sabastian to Baptism and we are getting Markus to be more open about our message. The lessons Elder Woolsey and I have had with these two individuals have been some of the sweetest spiritual experiences i have felt here in the MTC, let me just briefly share with you one experiences we had yesterday with one of them. Yesterday we were only planning on teaching one lesson, but found out about when our teachers got there that we would be teaching two lessons that day, and that we had 20 minutes before we had to teach our first lesson (to Sabastian). So, as if we weren't stressed enough over the one lesson we had to teach latter that day, we had twenty minutes to prepare for a lesson and we had no idea what to teach. So, we said a quick prayer, decided to talk more about who God is and why he loves us. We prepared briefly, then went to teach. Honestly going into the lesson, i thought it was going to be aweful, but Elder Woolsey and i said another quick prayer to have the spirit with us and we went in and taught. It turned out to be one of the best lessons we have taught to that point, it wasn't very long (only about 15-20 minutes), the spirit was there the whole time. Sabastian at the beggining of the lesson expressed concern about not receiveing answers to his prayers. We explained as best we could in German that sometimes God does not answer our prayers right away, but he will if we continue to pray and read the scriptures we also further discussed that because we are God's children and he loves us very much. We challenged him to pray later and ask God if he was there and if he did indeed love him. Then, when we were about to say the closing prayer, we asked him to say the closing prayer and Elder Woolsey challenged him to ask in his prayer if God did indeed love him, and he did just that. The prayer was amazing, and i knew everyone in the room could feel the love of our Heavenly Father. After he was done praying, i asked him if he felt anything at all and he said he felt warm inside. I testified to him that what he was feeling was the Holy Ghost and that was God's way of letting him know that he loved him very much. I don't know if this experience made much sense at all, or if you guys realize how powerful the experience was to me, but i want each of you to know that i know that God is indeed our literal and loving Heavenly Father. That he loves us and wants to pour out his love on us, all we have to do is ask. As simple as this truth sounds, i know there are so many people in this world who don't understand it. They don't understand that no matter how alone they feel, or how hard their life seems that there is someone out there who loves and cares for them and wants to share that love he has for them if they will but ask. The scripture "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be open unto to you" has everything to do with this idea of asking God to feel his love. Along that line, i also know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has this fatherly love that God posseses. Elder Woolsey and i were privelaged to be able to teach about the Atonement this past Sunday, and in it we shared a clip from Elder Holland April 2009 Conference talk about the Savior and his atonement. In this clip Elder Holland said something like this, "because Jesus our Lord Savior walked the lone and dreary path alone we do not have to." I know that this is die Wahrheit, Jesus Christ went through more that we can possibly imagine so that we do not have to walk alone. Through his great and everlasting atonement, we can both see and feel his love for us, and one day, if we are righteous and use the atonement, we will be able to live with him and Our Father in Heaven again. Well, that turned out a lot longer then i had anticipated. I have to go soon, but i hope you all know how much i love you guys. You are in my prayers everyday, and i know i am in yours. I am so thankful for you Mom and Dad, for the things you have taught me taught me in my Youth, for the perserverence you both had in dealing with me no matter how much of a "jerk" i was. One thing in particular that i am extremely grateful for is for the time and resources you gave up when i was little to teach me the stories in the scriptures and how to pray. You guys were with me every night when i was little kneeling down with me helping me say my prayers. Though it might seem like this was just a little thing, i know that it is one of the biggest things that got me on the path to being a missionary today. Also, those living scripture movies, i cannot tell you how much those helped me when i was little, and how much they still help me today. Those movies, though as simple as they may seem, are the stories i know can convert people. It worked for me, and i challenge each of you guys to watch one each family home evening, they will help bring peace and spirit into the house, and they will help each of you develope an even stronger testimony. I love each of you guys so much. I miss you everyday, but i know this is where is need to be. Take care and remember that you guys mean everything to me. With Love, Elder Seamons PS: Ya, that $75 does need to be paid for tithing, i did the math before i left. I am leaving June 11th, but i do not know what time i will be calling yet. I will let you know when i get my travel plans. PSS: Pipe sounds like fun! I miss it, work hard! PSSS: When Jonathan says, "You BIG JERK!", he actually means "I love you, please tickle me"

Here's another letter from our amazing missionary, Joseph...... Hey Guys, Thank you for sending the package and letters this week, it was great to hear from you guys and my district and i really enjoyed the chocholate that was sent. Tell Grandmother thanks for the Card and the email, they meant a lot to me. This week has been great, we got to do service last Thursday which i enjoyed and it sounds like we will get to do it every Thursday morning. Last night we had a fantastic devotional in which Elder Russelll M. Nelson and his wife spoke. They talked a lot about family history and how we can use it to help others feel that Spirit of Elijah and have a desire to join the church. It was really profound, Elder Nelson and his wife also talked about how we can call upon Angels by name and by characteristic as we seek for help in our lives. That really struck me, because i had always known that we could ask our Heavenly Father for help, but i never really thought we could specifically ask for help from a certain angel or a certain angel with a certain characteristic. There's you some food for thought! Throughout that whole meeting though, i reflected on how greatful i am for the oppurtunity we have to draw closer to our ancestors by doing family history work. Ever since i have been able to go to the Temple and do endowment and inititiatories for my deceased ancestors, i have began to feel that Spirit of Elijah it talks about in Malachi and am very grateful for the oppurtunity i have to help those who have come before me. Concerning my German speaking abilities, well....lets just say that im better then i was last week. I am understanding a lot more in both class and my appointments so thats way good and i am also beggining to being able to have somewhat of a Gospal discussion with my investigators. This week will be better though, i know it! Just briefly i would like to share an experience i had teaching the other day. We were teaching our investigator last Friday about The Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost. I had written out, word for word as usual, everything i was going to say and like usual, i was sitting there just reading my paper to him. I could tell our investigator was bored out of his mind, (seriously this guy looked like he was pain for how bored he was) as i went to read him the last little bit that i had written down, i had the feeling that i should just bare my testimony on the Book of Mormon and leave it at that. I did just that and the spirit immediately came into the room. It was incredible and am greatful the Lord cared enough about me, my companion, and my investigator to pour out his spirit upon us. I shared this in class later that day and my meine Lehrer Bruder Liddle said something that has really stuck with me. He said something like this, "Nobody can speak every language on this earth, but the spirit can speak to all the hearts of men." To me, that statement was simply amazing. To me it means that dispite the fact that i can speak little German and even a smaller amount that my investigators can actually understand i know that the Lord can speak unto the hearts of men, and in reality, that is all that matters. It doesn't matter how much or how little German i can speak as long as the Lord can tell our investigators through the Holy Ghost what is true and what they need to know. I miss you guys alot and hope you will let me know what is going on in each of your lives. Take care and know that you are all in my prayers. Love, Elder Seamons PS: Did you guys get my letter from a week and half ago? PSS: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY ON SUNDAY MOM!!!!! I hope you had a wonderful day, sorry i couldn't call you, but the MTC said i can call you before i leave to Germany! Grandmother also said you were feeling a little under the weather. Im sorry to hear that and i hope you get feeling better. Love you Mom! PSSS: If you have time, read Helaman 10 it is amazing what Nephi receives!

Good bye Summer!

We have had a wonderful summer....sad to see it go. Here are some of our memories from the summer:
*Grandmother and Papa Joe moved to Mink Creek---lots of game nights, fishing trips and fun around the farm! We're so glad they moved here!
*Scout trips---Canoeing for Samuel and Ben and Dad, Rapelling in Zion for Joseph
*4-H---David took a Rocketry Class and made a Rocket and earned a blue ribbon at the fair!
*Cousins visiting Grandmother and Papa Joe and Grandma and Grandpa---cousins are the best! We went swimming, floated the river, had picnics, played games and had a lot of fun with our cousins! Nick and Ryan came and stayed with Grandmother and Papa Joe and Aunt Catharine's family and Aunt Brenda's family came to stay this summer along with Aunt Dawnya's family and Aunt Becky's family. We discovered that we all have musical talents to share. Aunt Catharine's girls played the piano and sang and Robert played the piano and Bill and Scott played the guitar---we even got to jam with them!
*EFY for Samuel with cousins Daniel, Olivia and TJ---secretly, we know he loved it!
*Soccer Camp for Joseph at BYU---found out he really likes BYU!
*Trek for Samuel, Joseph and Benjamin--what a great experience!
*Sun Valley Youth Symphony for Joseph in Sun Valley---he stayed with a wonderful host family and learned alot! Plus Grandmother and Mom got to go and see him perform!
Trips to Riverdale to swim, a trip with Grandmother and Papa Joe to Lava Hot Springs (we love Lava!) and a trip to Lagoon with our family and Scott, Olivia, Camille and Josh! 'Better'n Disneyland David and Jonathan declared! Jacob didn't care too much for it, but loved the wagon!
*Bear lake with David, Jonathan and Jacob and then with our ward, game nights and pack meetings at the Ball Park
*Hauling Hay with Grandma's yummy food, playing violin at the Farmer's Market with Papa Joe for David, mowing grass, cleaning ditches, moving pipe for Joseph, Samuel and Benjamin--hey, even Ryan loved it!
*Late afternoon picnics with family, summer thunderstorms, walks and hikes and rides in the forest, July 4th with family----party in the park and running the river, picnic and fireworks! Grandfather and Uncle Greg even came!
*Gardening, watering, chasing Jacob off the driveway and road, soccer practices, football camp, soccer camp for David
Good bye, Summer, we'll miss you!