Das Leben ist gut! Nicht einfach, aber doch gut!.....Week 4 in Rosenheim

Hello my wonderful friends and family. I come this day with an open mind... mainly open because there is nothing in it. I'm like so blank right now I don't even know if I will be able to write anything. My title today comes from the email from my wonderful Aunt Kay! The sentence....Life is good Tanner! Not easy, but good! That really sunk into me. I agree! Who would have thought of all the hard things I'd get to go through on my mission. Not always the easiest. But like.. in looking back there are times of awesome epicness where I know for a fact that my mission is the best ever. Even in hard times... with people or with situations... its still the same thought..... What can I learn from this. I think that a mission is the coolest because as a missionary I'm in a situation where its expected of me to teach and to be an example... but what people may not always realize... is that as a missionary... I get taught by so many people and I look to others so much for examples. I'm here to teach... but I think I learn more!

It has been said: "You know you are teaching through the Spirit when something you say, enlightens your own understanding."

I have been fortunate enough to have experienced that often throughout my mission. Its a cool feeling. I say something... and all of a sudden as I'm saying this... my mind clicks and I realize some part of something that I had never seen before. It's an awesome thing.

This happened this week in a member lesson. We were with a family and we had asked to come over so we could give one of the Preach My Gospel lessons. We chose to do the 3rd lesson which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a great atmosphere to teach. The Spirit was there right off the bat and even though we as missionaries were the ones doing a lot of the talking... by the end of it my mind was enlightened and I learned a whole new aspect about baptism and the Holy Ghost. How necessary it is to have both.. in relation to covenants and to enduring to the end. Just cool.

We got to go up to Munich for our district meeting this week. It was my first time back in the Office in exactly 600 days. I hadn't been in that building since September 5th, 2013. It was pretty cool. We have a solid district. It's a ton of fun. I also love knowing things and so being in a district with the office really lets me know whats going on in the mission. Its pretty cool!

I have been involving my studies a lot with the history/background of the Book of Mormon. Like how its been written, and the little things like that. One really interesting thing I've come across is the "learning of the Jews". It was too much to explain here... but looking into understanding and language and ideologies... its really cool and has been allowing me to see more into the Book of Mormon.

The book of Mormon is so cool! I also came across one of my favourite sections of scripture in the Bible again, one of the scriptures being 1 Peter 3:15.... "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear"

I think there are so many things to be learned from this scripture. One that came across to me this week was that if someone is gonna be asking me for the reason of the hope inside me... they probably should be able to first recognize that there is even a hope in me. So I ask myself then.... when I'm walking around outside... Does my appearance say 'Full of Hope'? How do people see me. Am I smiling and am I happy. Would I even be in the situation where someone may ask me for the reason of the Hope within me?

Little things like that that really affect a week. Its such a blessing. In teaching, I have really been able to see the Spirit at work. Its such a blessing to be able to witness such a powerful thing. I love my mission and I love the scriptures!

I'm thankful for Mothers Day this week and I wish all the wonderful moms and women out there a happy Mothers Day! My mom especially! And also all the Aunts and Grandparents and friends who have played such a motherly role in my life! You are loved!

Have a beautiful week!

LUVS <3

Elder Rodgers <3