Höhen und Tiefen....Week 21 in Wiener Neustadt

Ups and Downs. But in a good way. I think. Kind of my theme for today. I think. If it stays like that. I have read all my emails for the day. I am feeling on top of the world! I am so happy. Today's emails all helped me in such a way idk how to even explain. I love people! So much! I kinda have been having a rant go on through my head about love this week. Ok honestly for months, but this week especially.

I'll come back to that.

I spent another day in the office with Elder Durrant and Bruder Pillmann today...haha...we were up on Schneeberg again! The mountain that I have now climbed once a month for 3 months straight. Haha that's so fun to say! I can't even say that about one in Canada, I believe... well, needless to say we enjoyed the glorious day! For sure!

Always life lessons to be learned in the mountains. You wanna learn something about your life? Go hiking for a day and you will find so many new ideas and parables. The mountains are a place where men go to think. Women too if you want ;)

I was on Tausch for 4 days this week. It was so fabulous. Our first one was really enjoyable. We had a ton of stuff to do. Biked through a huge field, felt like a Missionary! We just had a good time together! I appreciate other missionaries inputs into my life! I get to see so many new ideas of how to do missionary work from others. It is so eye opening. There are so many ways to do something.

My 2nd Tausch was a record Tausch. We gave out 6 Books of Mormon within 2 hours of walking outside. And the other Elders of our Tausch in Wien gave 13 in that afternoon. 19 Books in a Tausch. Definitely a record for us. It was an eye opener. Idk what the difference was between that day and the rest of the week. Usually we give about 2/week here. And usually dont get their addresses or numbers. But for these 6, we got all 6 numbers of addresses. It was such an amazing experience. I am so looking forward to following up on all these people. Missionary work is a work that is bound to bring happiness. It the happiest job in the World.

Back to my love thing. I have made it a focus/main goal of my mission to love everyone. In every case, no matter what. Just open my heart up to them and let it go. I've seen it help me so much. But where there is a positive, the must needs be a negative too. And the negative is the feeling when you open up your heart to someone and it gets rejected. I'm OK with rejection. Straight up rejection. But rejection for me is hard after I have built a relationship with a person, or after I have taken the next step with that person. Could say.. .MY hopes were up. Someone who took a Book, or we got a number from. My thought is always like, " Oh they're so gonna be baptized! They're gonna see the biggest change in their lives cuz the Gospel will help them so much!!!" I take the next step in loving that person.

And it hurts so bad when they then reject it! That build up of hope.. then boom. Shut down. That is what hurts. But there are also so so many examples of where that love has grown greater. And still grows. I think love should always be growing. If it's not growing, it's shrinking. I don't think there is an equal level where it can just chill out.

But that's why I was so happy today. Because when I come to emails, and I read the loving words of friends and family and hear all the words of love and care and comfort, I feel so loved! And that makes me indescribably happy! That happiness, and feeling of belonging and love that I feel from the emails I get, is exactly how the Gospel can make these people here feel. I know what it feels like to have someone there who cares and I know what its like to feel loved and cared for. I am so grateful for that! That motivates me so so so much to go love these people and allow them to experience that true love. Knowing there are people who care for them, knowing Heavenly Father is there to love them unconditionally. They just need the opportunity to accept that!

And then when they're so close and reject it... oh how it makes me just die inside. Love is an amazingly powerful thing. Jesus Christ was and is the perfect example of love. Oh how I want to love like He did.

1 John 4:19 - We love Him because He first loved us

Love. Love is a topic I don't think I will ever truly comprehend, but what I do understand about it, is that to me, it's the most powerful force in this world. I love Love. Its the reason for my Ups and my Downs. It's why I'm happy, but why I'm sad. Love. Tell me about it!

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Have a wonderful week! Thanks!

Elder Rodgers :) !!