Christmas Week-Miracle Week!

Elder Hoggan is lucky enough to celebrate two days of Christmas! December 25th and 26th are the first and second days of Christmas! What a great holiday! Pretty cool miracles were the best gifts this year.

Karlheinz met twice with Elders Hoggan and Jensen. They watched the "He is the Gift" video and committed him to baptism and Karlheinz accepted their invitation! A date has been set for the 31st of January. He enjoyed learning about the Plan of Salvation and said that it makes sense to him. 

Karlheinz prayed right then and there, out loud, to see if the Plan and the Book of Mormon are true. He had a good feeling after his amazing prayer and said, "I think that it's like a plant. You need to nurture and water it and then it will grow and grow until it becomes a tree!" That's exactly right!The Elders asked him to read about Alma in chapter 32 about faith being a seed.

Pray for Karlheinz as he tries to reach his date to be baptized. He works on Sundays, but needs to go to church to become a member. He's looking for an option and a miracle!

Christmas Eve was great! Metzners, a member family, prepared a dinner of goose with mashed potatoes. It was super good! That was followed by a little Christmas program, just like Elder Hoggan remembers with family at his grandparents homes. Music was played, poems were shared, the nativity story was read, and then the kids received their presents. They were hilarious. Wrapping paper was flying left and right. Metzners even got the Elders a little something. It was awesome to get to know this member family better. Bru. Metzner told Elder Hoggan about some of his mission experiences which made Steve laugh pretty hard.

Christmas morning was a little bit different. After gifts were opened, the Elders studied and then went with the Metzners to clean the church. Steve wore his new Dallas Cowboys shirt to mop the hall and bathroom floors. He really enjoyed his presents of Cowboy Gear :) Slippers, a wallet, tattoos, 88 Des Bryant t-shirt, toothbrush, a glass, and tie. Christmas was an experience that Elder Hoggan really enjoyed. Cleaning the church is a great service opportunity.

Christmas day was spent with other ward members. They had Raclette. It is a cheese that you put under a heater. Corn, onions, etc., are added to the melted cheese and served on top of a potato. It's pretty good and Steve got to eat it two days in a row!

Skype was amazing on Christmas evening. Elder Hoggan can't believe that it was his last skype home. Time has flown by! It was great to see everyone. Now that Christmas is over, these missionaries aren't letting anything hold them back. They're already back to work :)

A little snow fell on the second day of Christmas and more has come since then :)

Frau Schif is another miracle! She's doing really well and her baptismal date has been moved to the 21st of February. This week the Elders will finally get to start the stop smoking program with her. She needs prayers as well!

Elder Hoggan sends his Happy Birthday wishes to his parents! Steve wanted to close his email with some memories of Grandpa  Turner who passed away on 22nd December, his mother's birthday. Grandpa is in a better place and isn't held back by his body anymore.

President Monson taught us, "To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, if a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth."

It is comforting that we will see Grandpa Turner again. Steve remembers Grandpa for being very obedient, loving, kind, and always up for a nice game of checkers and pool. Whenever Steve asked Grandpa how he was doing, he always replied, "Oh, about the same."

Grandpa had a positive attitude and was a funny man, as well. He is the one to thank for the cabin in Wyoming. Grandpa loved the outdoors and the cabin has become one of Steve's favorite places on earth. Maybe his favorite. 

Grandpa and Grandma brought forth some amazing family members. Steve loves his family so much! Thanks for Everything, Grandpa! You have accepted your mission call! Grandpa is probably busy in the spirit world with that one!

Elder Hoggan sends his love and says, "You're the best!" He ends with Happy New Year!!!!!! As the Germans would say, guten rusch!

L.g. 

10 Days till Christmas

Elder Hoggan cannot believe that another week has flown by! Christmas is next week and this is such an awesome time of the year. Steve loves being where he is and has learned more about the true meaning of Christmas. When younger, we think about the gifts. Jesus Christ is the GIFT! Check out the "He is the Gift" video and share it with others. He really is the best gift that any of us could get or give during this time of year.

Elders Hoggan and Jensen finished up their baking preparation last Tuesday for the ward Christmas Party on Saturday. They had four more Elders in their apartment, too. On Wednesday, they went to Munich and stayed over the night, because of traveling.

Wednesday was a day that Steve could have written about forever! It was so amazing! The highlights included a musical fireside put on by missionaries, hearing President and Sister Kohler speak about putting Christ first, had an awesome lunch, and gift exchange. Elder Hoggan gave away a couple of ugly ties that he found in their apartment along with a spaghetti flavored baby food and other flavors. Steve received a coin holder with a Bavaria coin. Chips are used for shopping carts at markets. Money can be used, too, but the idea is to get people to take their cart back. In America, it could be used as a golf ball marker. Elder Hoggan is pretty satisfied with his gift.

President Kohler then surprised everyone with Ipads!! Ok, that was a joke. The missionaries did get to watch Meet the Mormons instead!! That was just as cool, because President Kohler had to pull some strings :) Elder Hoggan received his Christmas package from  home and that was a highlight as well. It is under his tree. So cool!

The Ward Christmas Party went well with the fortune cookie stand. Their sign read, "Leckeres aus den Schriften." Deliciousness from the Scriptures, or something like that. The cookies were a lot of work, but it was worth it. Elders Hoggan and Jensen baked about 130 along with a giant one that was on display. The members seemed to like it. Karlheinz and Thomas Boden, investigators, showed up and seemed to have a good time. All of the stands at the Christmas Market were all nice, too. There were games for children, food, arts, and crafts. Overall, Elder Hoggan thinks it was a success. He won't pursue the fortune cookie business though.

A miracle story occurred regarding Frau Schif. She called the Elders a few weeks ago and told them that she wasn't so interested anymore in the church. She dropped them and they didn't really understand why. Phone calls were rejected, so Elder Hoggan knew that they had to stop by on Friday. They talked to her at the door and her new job added too much stress. A new appointment was made for Tuesday and their visit that day went well! It was really awesome. Elders Hoggan and Jensen were worried about her, fasted and prayed for her, and miracles do happen! Hopefully, all will go well on Tuesday.

Last Pday, the Elders were able to go to a Christmas Market in Ludwigsburg. It was pretty and today they will go to one in Esslingen. It's supposed to be super cool :)

Eine schone Woche wunsche ich euch!

Christmas around the Corner!

Another great week for Elders Hoggan and Jensen. Their weeks never go quite as planned, but these two have learned to be flexible :) Steve shares that we need to be creators of circumstances and not creatures of circumstances. These Elders find ways to really enjoy their service and get the work done.

Wednesday night was pretty memorable. Elder Hoggan went on a split with their Bishop and Elder Jensen went with the first counselor. Bertrand was visited. He is the new member from Cameroon. Unfortunately, Bertrand is struggling due to the government only giving him 20 Euro or $25 a month to live on instead of what he usually receives which is 300 Euro. Steve and the Bishop took him grocery shopping to make sure he has what he needs. Then they got a Doner. They're super good :) Meanwhile, Elder Jensen was with the 1st Counselor trying to fix the Elders washing machine. Many things were unplugged, but it is broken. A new one will be delivered today.

Here's a crazy experience of the week. These two Elders got back together later Wednesday evening, and put a pizza in the oven for Elder Jensen. They decided to put up their Christmas things and got excited about it so they ran down to the basement. While down stairs, they realized that they had left their keys...and thought they were locked out with a pizza in the oven. BUT luckily, Elder jensen hadn't closed their door all the way :) Now their Christmas is all set up and that gave them a nice boost. Elder Hoggan loves coming home to their tree, even if Elder Jensen has his Green Bay Packers things on it.

Friday was fun. They were prepping for the Ward Christmas Party with their WML. This will be like a small Christmas Market and each organization will have their own stand. The Elders will give out fortune cookies with a scripture inside that has to do with missionary work :) Friday morning was mostly spent baking fortune cookies. Anything can be done with the internet today. It isn't super difficult, but takes a lot of time. Maybe Elder Hoggan will bake them again later in life. It was pretty fun to do and he is excited for next week!

Yesterday was amazing, too! The Elders finally got to meet with Herr Boden. He goes to church with his wife and had dinner afterward with the missionaries and a member family. It was super awesome! Herr Boden had to have surgery this past year and was lying on his death bed, but he survived and it brought him closer to God. His wife gave him scriptures to read and different things. She also brought him to church and he has felt the Spirit! Herr Boden began tearing up as he spoke about his testimony! He just needs to be taught more and shown the way of what he needs to do! The Elders are super excited for him :)

Pday brings a Christmas Market in Ludwigsburg. Next week they will go to one in Esslingen. Followed by one in Stuttgart. These places are about a 30-40 minute journey on the S-bahn or Schnellbahn. It's  like a subway, but faster.

A Week of Adventures

It was a pretty adventurous week. A lot of different things happened, but first-Thanksgiving!

The Elders cooked schnitzel, mashed potatoes, veggies, and a couple cakes for their district meeting. Elder Jensen's family tradition is to make indian or pilgrim hats. This was a fun activity. Elder Hoggan was the only pilgrim. He's thankful for the pilgrims! ;) Each said what they were thankful for. Such as family, friends, and America.

The day got even better when Elders Hoggan and Mickelson worked together. These two went to Sky View and compared how the mission has changed them. They shared fun memories, did some good missionary work, and know that they are better off now than they were before their missions  :)

Frau Dias was introduced to the Book of Mormon and seems pretty interested in reading it :) She should be able to make progress in the gospel.

Justin was taught about the first vision. He is open and had a lot of good questions after the 30 minute lesson.

Wong is from China. He's a new investigator and has read the Bible twice. His appointment had to be moved back a week due to a train delay. 

There seem to be a lot of train and subway problems lately. This delay was due to a man that jumped in the subway at the last second as the doors were closing and ripped them open. He walked away and broke the doors so they wouldn't shut.

In the coming days, the Elders will be checking out Christmas Markets. They are excited to visit ones in Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, and Esslingen. 

Prayers are offered on our behalf from Steve and he appreciates the ones we say for him, too :) He asks that we keep it up and sends his love to all :)

Weekly Email! (Sorry, no creative title this week!)

Another wunderbar week! The work keeps moving forward :) Elder Hoggan doesn't have any crazy WWII bomb stories this week, just good missionary ones :)

Frau Dias, an investigator, is open to meeting and learning more about the gospel! Karlheinz is an investigator the previous missionaries taught. He's pretty cool, as well.

Frau Schif went to church, fell asleep a couple of times in sacrament meeting, but that's ok. If you're going to sleep somewhere then it best be in church. Right? The only special thing going one was Elder Hoggan's talk on missionary work. He put the congregation in the MTC with Steve as their teacher. He was nervous, but shared tips for things we all can do to overcome fear :) It was fun. Frau Schif needs prayers as she tries to quit smoking in a week with a program the Elders will help her with. She understands the word of wisdom and can do it :)

The stake had a priesthood meeting Thursday about standing up for what we believe and having courage to do so. The video is awesome:)

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-05-005-dare-to-stand-alone?lang=eng

Another discussion at the same priesthood meeting was about Jesus and the lady who was caught in adultery. When Jesus was asked what to do by the angry pharisees, He gave them the opportunity to cool down a little. This gave Him a chance to ponder and respond. We all can learn from this. Do we jump to conclusions too fast? Do we say something we don't really mean, because we are angry?

Appointments have been moved :( One due to an investigator who had to take her cat to the vet. The crazy thing is, Germans love their cats so much! It's really quite funny. Just not for Elder Hoggan since he discovered that he has a cat allergy :)

For Thanksgiving, Steve's district will have schnitzel, mashed potatoes, vegi's, and pie :) The Elders are keeping the spirit of Thanksgiving going over there! Count your many blessings!

Things are picking up!

Elder Hoggan had a super solid week. He and Elder Jensen are working pretty good together. They are trying to do better and use the Atonement every day.

A zone activity was held and the mission is pushing for unity, to be powerful teachers, and to teach spiritually powerful with simplicity ;) The goal is to have 30 minute lessons at each appointment, give people bite-sized chunks of the gospel, and then meet 2 to 3 times a week. This is proving to be hard, but the missionaries will continue to work on it as they strive to do their best to be better :)

Frau Schif has a baptismal date for December 20th! She didn't read the scripture assigned, but started the Book of Mormon from the beginning and was able to explain perfectly the Tree of Life. She's incredible! Frau Schif is a funny old lady that really likes meeting with Elders Hoggan and Jensen. She wasn't able to make it to church, but is learning about the Word of Wisdom and needs to quit smoking :) Prayers are appreciated!!

Interviews with the mission president were held in Stuttgart on Friday. A member had a question and answer lesson with 5-8 people and invited Elders Hoggan and Jensen to be there. Unfortunately, the trains were having trouble that day due to a World War II bomb discovery that threw off transportation. The member did a good job answering the questions and a future opportunity may occur for the missionaries to meet with them.

These are just a few of the crazy stories and miracles of the week. Elder Hoggan got to talk with Victor from Ingolstadt and it was SO great to hear from him :) Victor is doing well!

Good things to Come

Elder Hoggan had a pretty solid week with some good adventures. He got to go to Ellwangen on exchange. That's where he was originally going to serve before President called and had him go to Waiblingen instead. Steve's goal was to give out a Book of Mormon while there. He wrote his testimony inside and after a busy day of rushing around the entire time, left that Book of Mormon accidentally on the train. Who knows? Maybe someday someone will get a chance to read it. Let's follow up in the spirit world.

After returning to work with Elder Jensen, Steve's nose began to bleed uncontrollably one night. He thinks the temperature change and lack of drinking water had a lot to do with it. It was the worst bloody nose he's had on his mission.

The Elders met with Frau Schif and had a good lesson on the restoration. They read from Helaman 5:12 and she really liked it! She believes that the Book of Mormon is true and she made it to church on Sunday. She seemed to enjoy all three hours, as did the Familie Boden. Elders Hoggan and Jensen met Herr Boden for the first time. He is super nice :) The Boden's won't be able to meet again with the missionaries until just before Christmas. They are so busy, but there is a lot of potential there!

Dieudonne was given a blessing on Thursday due to not feeling well. The Elders followed up on Saturday with him and he was completely well!!! He was unable to go to church, because he felt sick again. Dieudonne knows the blessing helped him and it was awesome to hear him pray about feeling better.

On the way home, a punk group of kids approached the missionaries and were asking dumb questions as teenagers do. One girl began asking good questions. She was recently in the Dominican Republic with her aunt who is a Mormon :) Her aunt invited her to church, but Mila didn't get the chance to go, so her aunt encouraged her to find the church in Germany. And she did :) That was a cool experience. Mila is really cool and curious about the church!

Halloween Week

Halloween isn't super huge in  Germany, but is getting bigger. There were a few trick-or-treaters. An upcoming holiday, Fasching, will be celebrated in a few weeks. It is similar to Halloween costumes and dressing up, but doesn't have much to do with candy. Elder Hoggan had a pretty awesome Halloween week!

Elder Mickelson is a new missionary in Steve's district. He is from Lewiston and went to Sky View with Elder Hoggan. It's fun having these two together. At a district lunch, they sang, "Where the mountain peaks meet the starry skies..."  :)

Unfortunately, Elder Hoggan was sick last week. He got worn down and suffered from a head cold, sore throat, lack of sleep, and daylight savings.

Dieudonne had an awesome lesson on the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He loved it, especially the part about baptism :) Dieudonne listens to a chapter in the Book of Mormon every morning and night. He feels the Spirit and is making great progress to his baptism later this month.

For Halloween, Elder Hoggan went on splits with a member home teaching four families that live an hour away from Waiblingen. Cookies, cake, and more cake were served. One member thought Elder Jensen would also be joining them, so two slices of cake were brought out. "Oh well, you can eat the second one for your companion, right?" And there is Steve's eating adventure for the week.

Elder Jensen was with the Bishop on splits and hit a deer. The police had to come and take care of it. In Germany, things are a bit different than in America :)

The Elders are looking forward to next week. It'll be sweet with new appointments made. A cool guy was met in the S-bahn and William, an investigator, had the number for his friend from Ghana who has been in Stuttgart for 26 years. He refers to himself as the king of Stuttgart and is listed as King Daniel in the missionaries phone. Should be exciting with such a funny guy :)

Elder Hoggan is very appreciative of all the prayers and love sent his way.

Wunder Woche

Elder Hoggan is great and loving the work in Waiblingen! Things get better day by day and week for week. Halloween is not that far away. Pictures were sent with he and Elder Jensen with their jack-o-lanterns.

Sadly, Frau Dias cancelled last week. There is still a lot of hope for her.

A ton of spaghetti was eaten Tuesday. Elder Hoggan is trying to cut back for his six months to slim plan, but "Who will eat all of this food? Why did I cook so much spaghetti if no one will eat it?" To not make things more uncomfortable for this sister, Steve went to the rescue and ate more.

A lot of schnitzel was consumed on Thursday. A member cooked a HUGE plate and Brother Zelder asked, "Elder, you can eat another piece of schnitzel. I know you can." This member was exercising his faith and it was up to Elder Hoggan to be the miracle! Elder Jensen helped and they gulped down the rest. "But of course you still have room for dessert, right?" No problem :) 

Those are the eating adventures of the week!

Elders Hoggan and Jensen are trying to get in contact with more LA's and finish up on a project started with former investigators. They are planning and wanting to be better at more exact obedience. They are buckling down to reach their goal for a baptism in the ward before Christmas. These missionaries are really doing well as far as obedience goes.

Contact was made with Dieudonne Asong. He is the friend of the member from Cameroon. His questions about the Book of Mormon were answered and baptism was discussed. A date has been set for the 29th of November! It's a super great goal for him. Dieudonne made it to church and he loved it. It is an awesome miracle after hard work through the week. 

Elders Hoggan and Jensen pray every day to meet their goal of a baptism before Christmas. They can do it :)

It was a miracle week. Missionary work is the best work and brings the most happiness and satisfaction! 

Week in Review

Elder Hoggan had an interesting week and the last couple have taught him humility. He has been praying for his attitude (attribute) and look what happens! Ask and ye shall receive ;) The Lord sticks to His word! Things are going well and there are always beams of sunshine through the clouds of trial and tribulation :)

It wasn't a bad week, this companionship just took a hit. They were under the weather and kind of sick throughout the week. Elder Jensen had a bad headache and was down for a bit. On an exchange, Elder Jensen got faced with something pretty crazy for his first time in the area with a different companion. A member made some mistakes and now Elders Hoggan and Jensen will be working with her to overcome them. She is going through a season of doubts and is not relying on what she knows to be true. At least she is willing to push through even though her boyfriend is moving in with her. The good news here is that Katrin wants the missionaries to teach him.

The Elders got to know a few members a lot better! There are some pretty cool members in the ward and relationships are improving while support is gaining :) The Waiblingen ward is great!

Elders Hoggan and Jensen helped a member move last Saturday. Elder Jensen is a beast! he was lifting things like no other. He may be short, but that guy packs a punch! It was great to help out and get some good service in. Moving is always one of the more popular modes of service for missionaries ;)

Sammy is the coolest investigator and lives on the same street as the missionaries. He's been reading in the Book of Mormon and made it to church on Sunday! He seemed to enjoy the meetings so hopefully he'll be back next week. 

Frau Dias appointment is Tuesday, October 21. She is super nice and is interested in the gospel message. Prayers need to be in her behalf. She has a lot of potential :)

Contact was made with the Familie Boden. They are super cool. Herr Boden isn't a member, but his wife is. She's from Brazil and has recently returned from vacationing there. The Elders hope to meet with Herr Boden and help him progress in the gospel. They haven't met him yet, but have heard awesome things about him :)

Horse burgers were eaten which was an interesting experience. Elder Hoggan doesn't have too much of a desire to do that again, that's for sure. It wasn't that bad, haha.

This next week is going to be amazing :) Steve just knows it!

My Week

Elder Hoggan had another interesting week in Germany! It was full of a few super awesome things and some that are starting to become normal, but the work is moving forward and the missionaries are staying positive!

A cool opportunity arose last Tuesday when the Elders ate lunch with a member family. The father is LA, the mother and her sons are active in the church. The mom had the idea that the boys, both teenagers, should get blessings for the upcoming school year. After eating, Elder Hoggan had the chance to give Max a blessing and Elder Jensen gave Tobias one. This was Elder Jensen's first comfort blessing and was a good experience for him :) A better relationship is being built with this family. Tobias plays ping pong and basketball, so Elder Hoggan is going to take him on sometime soon :) Germany vs. USA! Steve will try his best to represent his country.

Wednesday was an adventure indeed. There were two options. First, visit an old referral who most likely has no interest in the missionaries message and then catch a bus in five minutes. Two, stay and not do the other things planned. The Elders went with the first and booked it up to this man's house only to find that he wasn't interested in the gospel. (He better come around someday! ;) ) Elders Hoggan and Jensen raced back to the bus stop with time to spare. All of this was done with a plate of cookies in Steve's backpack :) Those went to the ward mission leader later. Only he can't eat cookies. His family could though, so it's all good! A lesson was not taught to the old referral, but the ward mission leader relationship is building :)

Thursday was the coolest day of the week. Their zone met in Stuttgart at 8 a.m. and were off for Munich at 10:30 a.m. for zone conference. It was great to see everyone. Elder Hoggan got a picture will all of his sons :)  He has trained three missionaries. It was nice to return to the "homeland" where Elder Hoggan served for a year and a half and had zone meetings. The missionaries learned about the Gathering of Israel and Planning and Setting Goals. This mission has a goal to get one baptism in every ward/branch before the end of the year. Fasting took place on Sunday and now the work begins! Elders Hoggan and Jensen will do their best and hopefully be able to reach it. With God, nothing is impossible, right? :)

Cleaning the church took place on Saturday. It is the biggest building that Elder Hoggan has attended in Germany. It took three hours or more, but it is a really great privilege to do things like that.

For Halloween, homemade sugar cookies will be baked with frosting made from scratch. These will be delivered to special families!

Weekly Report!

Elder Hoggan's week was a rough journey, but got a lot better and now things are looking up :)

Friday was a holiday to celebrate that East Germany and West Germany became one - Tag der Deutschen Einheit. Unlike our Independence Day, they do things quite differently. There are no fireworks, no giant grill parties, or too many patriotic songs. It is considered a day off and everyone hides in their homes. This makes missionary work pretty difficult. A member family hung out with the Elders and that was a ton of fun :) The missionaries are really trying to work on getting better relationships going with the church members there and it is starting to pay off.

Elders Hoggan and Jensen are currently teaching a friend of a newly baptized member. His name is Asong Dieudonne (Ash-shawn Jew-nee). He is from Cameroon and is super cool. They had an awesome lesson and talked about, and watched, the Restoration movie. Asong said the most amazing prayer at the end of the lesson and has sincere desires to follow Christ and to read in the Book of Mormon. 

General Conference was definitely the best part of Elder Hoggan's week :) He really enjoyed the talks from Tad Callister, President Uchtdorf, and Elder Christofferson. Elder Callister suggests that young men should start praying for a wife now.... :) It is a good idea and he is going to start praying for the upcoming things in the future :)

Elder Hoggan sends his love in closing. He will soon be returning to his homeland, not America, but Bayern/Bavaria. The missionaries are headed to Munich for a Zone Conference on Thursday. He will send a picture of all of his sons together :)

  

Schone Woche/ Beautiful Week

Elder Hoggan's email greetings from Waiblingen are Hallo Meine Lieben! Hello, my love!

Cool miracles are happening and a teaching pool involves Frau Vollmer. She is from Peru and was found through the area book. The Elders met with her first last Monday and her situation is interesting. Her record states that she's a member of the church, but her husband didn't know that. She had been taught by the missionaries a few times long ago, but says that her religious background is Catholic. Frau Vollmer is nice and has a ton of potential.

Frau Schief met with Elders Hoggan and Jensen on Wednesday and she was found through the area book, too. She is a nice, older lady who just lost her job. Comforting scriptures were shared from the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Frau Schief still has her own Book of Mormon from a few years back. She enjoyed talking about how Christ can carry our burdens and help us. A return appointment was made for the following Wednesday.

Kim was visited on Wednesday as well. She was contacted on the doorstep, remembered the previous missionaries, was totally open to meeting again, and shared that her family golfs :) Elder Hoggan hopes to pull a few strings there...;) Kim's recorded note next to her name had to "call again in a while or ask to golf." Elder Hoggan did both. She can't meet this week, but maybe the week after.

Bertrand is a newly baptized member from Cameroon. He brought a friend to the lesson with the missionaries and the Restoration was taught. His name is Judane (Jew-d-nee, nee like as a horse, nay). Judane seemed to really enjoy what was taught and is super cool.

Sunday was the baptism for 8 year old, Nick. A few people were invited to come, but one cancelled and the other didn't show. Elders Hoggan and Jensen are being positive! Frau Krieb is one of those who was invited and she is super nice. She will be meeting with the missionaries on Wednesday :)  

After the baptism, Elder Hoggan asked a father (family friend) if he would like to learn more about the gospel, but he said no. Prayers are being offered that the Lord will keep working on him and soften his heart.

Rising

Elders Hoggan and Jensen have decided that the best way to get this new area going is by working with members and going through the area book. A lot of people have been called and the fruits are coming from their labors! One is a new investigator, Frau Cordasco. She's a little skeptical, but open to hearing about other religions. Another entry was Keine Interesse which means no interest. This person lost her job and is going through hard, sad times. Now is the time for the gospel to enter her life and bless it!

Copies, from a previous missionary's planner, had a list of numbers and addresses of people that weren't in the area book. Names were chosen, but a feeling prompted Elder Hoggan to call every number. The last one on the list was Daisy, a German. She's moving and the missionaries offered their help and services. Those she had lined up to help her, hadn't been answering their phones. The Elders mentioned how they were inspired to call her and that there aren't any coincidences. Daisy has really been seeing and feeling God's love in her life and then this miracle occurred!. It blew her mind and was a cool experience :)

Stake Conference talks were on Hastening the Work and the Family. One missionary said, "Our testimonies and faith need to be so strong that we have the desire to share the gospel." When we have strong testimonies, we have a desire to share the gospel and it comes naturally. We want to share what we have. That comment has inspired Elder Hoggan to try and strengthen his testimony even more, to try and talk with more people even though this can be very hard to do.

Another speaker at Stake Conference said, "I can't imagine the Celestial Kingdom without my family." This is exactly how Elder Hoggan feels as well!!!!!!!!! God made His plan for us as families and He knows what brings us the most joy!

One last miracle was as the Elders were walking a different way home. A guy was a bit ahead of them and Elder Hoggan wanted to talk to him, but didn't want to make it too awkward. Excuses are lame. Finally, this man turned around and said, "Hey, are you from the Mormon church? I hear that the Mormon church lets people have five wives." The missionaries explained that that isn't true. "Well, what do you believe?" (Ding ding ding!!!) Michael left Elders Hoggan and Jensen with his telephone number, but is busy this week. Maybe next week they can meet! 

White Wash

Last week was a roller coaster ride for Elder Hoggan. He was sick Monday and Tuesday which wasn't fun at all. The positive thing about that  is being able to sleep on the new couches before being kicked off to his new area. Elder harvey did a good job of taking care of him. Goodbyes were said on Wednesday and visits were made to some member families.

President Kohler called Tuesday night and informed Elder Hoggan that two missionaries serving in Waiblingen were going to Munich for hernia surgeries. Originally, only one was diagnosed, but the companion realized he was experiencing similar pains and has one as well. It's kind of a funny story. So now instead of opening a new area in Ellwangen, Elder Hoggan will be taking over Waiblingen and whitewashing.

Elder Jensen is Steve's newest companion. He is from Wisconsin and is a fan of baseball and football. He loves the Green Bay Packers, his family owns their own business selling tools, and renting out tractors plus other vehicles. Elder Jensen worked there before his mission and will hopefully, take over the family business one day. He is a hard worker :)

Now these two live outside of Stuttgard, a pretty large city. A tender mercy occurred their first day together as the Elders got off the train. They had a map of how to get to their house, but neither one really knew the way. As they were discussing this, a man walked up and asked if they were lost. "Yeah, a little bit." After talking for a while, the gentleman asked them to wait there while he got his car and said that he would take them and their many bags to their new apartment. This older man did a good job of driving. He only drove on the wrong side of the road once, after Elder Hoggan pointed out that three cars were coming their way. It was pretty funny. The missionaries got this kind guy's phone number and were very grateful for his help!

The location of their apartment is pretty good. Only five minutes from the church and eight minutes from the train station. Across the street is a place that sells horse meat. Sometimes a horse is heard off in the distance. The missionaries are curious and can't get over the weirdness of the factory across from where they live.

Sunday brought introductions to the ward, the Bishop, and Ward Mission Leader. The search is on for people to teach as well as other names of those to go by on and work with. Things should pick up in the next couple of weeks.

Elder Hoggan's new address is:

Elder Steven Hoggan
Kirche Jesu Christi HLT
Benzstrasse 10
Waiblingen 71332
Deutschland

New Changes

Elder Hoggan is under the weather and received a priesthood blessing from Elder Harvey. A short email was sent indicating that Steve's mission president has asked him to open up a new area - Ellwangen! He will receive a new green bean/golden/greenie son. Elder Hoggan's mission family is growing, getting bigger, and he is now up to three kids! He and his new companion will meet on Thursday in Munich and then will drive to their new area. This is exciting news!

Bad schnitzel is to blame for Elder Hoggan's sickness. He will be back up and going soon!

An email sent on 7 September, read "Urgent Mother!!!" in the subject line. Elder Hoggan was asking his mom for a homemade American pancake recipe. He received pancake recipes for: applesauce,  buttermilk wheat, regular, blueberry,  buckwheat, cornmeal, ham, chocolate chip, oatmeal, orange-coconut, peach, rye, and yogurt pancakes.

The Elders were going to have a cooking and movie night with a new member of the church. They will be enjoying pancakes while watching the Joseph Smith movie, Prophet of the Restoration.

Elder Hoggan wished his parents a HAPPY 26th ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And added, "You are the best parents that I could ask for :)  Love you!!!!" 

Steve is grateful for this awesome privilege to serve the Lord.

Obedience Brings Blessings

Elder Hoggan played nine holes of golf on Pday :) He hasn't played in a long time! He was a little rusty, but it brought back some good memories. Watch out Birch Creek, he'll be back to get you someday!

Elder Hoggan has been reminded of the importance of being obedient this past week. Rules can be thought of as what holds us back. Missionaries are obedient without even thinking about it. They get caught up in their reading and may go over bedtime by five minutes. Big or small, disobedience is still being disobedient. We receive blessings from being obedient. Elder Hoggan sees that he is happier, has the spirit more, and everything turns out a lot better when being obedient. He encourages all of us to try to be as obedient as possible.

In missionary work, it is said that obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles. All of us are missionaries which means that that quote pertains to each of us.

Elder Hoggan spoke in church on the topic of I Know That My Redeemer Lives. The writer of that hymn, Samuel Medley, grew up in a  Christian family but wasn't a Christian. After a miracle, Samuel turned his life around. He really experienced a change of heart. Each of us should be able to say that I Know That My Redeemer Lives honestly and mean it. We should always be looking to strengthen our testimony of the Savior and try to be better through His Atonement.

Alex received the Aaronic Priesthood Sunday and passed the sacrament. He is shy and takes things one step at a time, but has surprised Elder Hoggan with his progress. It would be a great blessing if they could pass the sacrament together before Elder Hoggan gets transferred.

Quick Update!

Elder Hoggan got to visit Neuschwanstein for a third time. He is excited and is always looking for opportunities to wear his lederhosen! :)

Jasmin, an investigator, had an awesome lesson and then two others were a little rough. She has a young son who is 3 or 4 and can be super loud when with a members daughter who is 1 or 2. The members are Jasmins friends and this time the children went to the playroom so they would not be a noisy distraction.

Jasmin isn't sure what to do, but is trying hard to find the way and has been praying to Heavenly Father consistently. The  Elders have taught her about prayer, reading the scriptures, going to church, and how all of this will help answers come in addition to receiving direction in her life. One of the members shared their conversion story that was really touching. Jasmin has a ton of potential and will hopefully be in church  next Sunday!!

Aaron is doing well and had a funny lesson occur. A skype with a member from Elder Hoggan's last ward was planned, but Aaron's phone is 3G so it wasn't working too well. Instead, the Elders began teaching some words in English. Aaron is a happy guy and seems to enjoy meeting with the missionaries. A better system needs to work out in order for him to be taught. Aaron went to church which means he rides his bike 10 kilometers to do so.

Tim Jager, a son in the Bossa Familie, met with the Elders. Sadly, Frau Bossa was sick and unable to take part in the lesson. Tim's dad owns an italian pizza place so they enjoyed free pizza! :) Awesome! Tim was taught about the restoration of the gospel and he committed himself to reading 10 chapters in the Book of Mormon before meeting next time. He can do it! He's headed to Italy for two weeks with his family. A lot of people are taking vacation time now, but there's always someone to teach :)

The apartment renovating continues for Elders Hoggan and Harvey. Their living room is now a light brown and the kitchen is a white/green color. Sisters from the ward helped clean the entire apartment while the Elders painted! They brought lunch. It was the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for Elder Hoggan! Members of the church are great! Don't worry, the apartment is kept clean...most of the time ;)

Elder Hoggan encourages us all to enjoy another week the Lord has given us all!

Wunder in Kaufbeuren!

Elder Hoggan is seeing a lot of miracles! It is so awesome and he is thankful to be serving there!

Two members from Eritrea, Africa (north of Ethiopia) just moved to Kaufbeuren. They are soooo cool, very nice, and showed up to church Sunday. Unfortunately, they hardly understand English or German, but will begin learning English from the missionaries. The restoration film was viewed and they recognized it, but think they saw a longer version.

Elders Hoggan and Harvey had their first personal interviews with the new mission president. President Kohler has many strengths and weaknesses, is very different from President Miles, and he showed up randomly with his family to their branch on Sunday. Elder Hoggan walked into the chapel, put down his backpack, and turned around - BOOM! There was President Kohler with his wife. She's the sweetest lady ever. Elder Hoggan has good things to say about those two.

Tuesday night brought an appointment with Alex. He's going to be receiving the priesthood in two weeks :):):) Elders Hoggan and Harvey are so happy for him! Alex has changed and he met with the missionaries three times last week.

Friday was one of the coolest days ever. The Elders received a media referral from a missionary from their ward. The lesson went super awesome to Yvonne and her three kids. She's married to Luigi, an Italian owner of a pizza company. Tim is their son and the best friend of this missionary that referred them. The plan of God and the point of life was taught. It went super!!!! A return appointment was made and pizza will be included next time :) Another referral arrived in the mail. We need to pray that that one goes well, too.

Saturday was spent renovating!!!! The apartment is going to look awesome. Just in time for Elder Hoggan to leave. Hopefully not, but maybe. The study room is now yellow on one wall and white on the other three.  The bedroom is blue, white, and light blue on two walls. The bunk bed will be assembled this next week.

Sunday was awesome!!!! The Geiger Family came to church and look just like members! It is soooo cool! Pday was spent with them. They went go-kart riding and had a blast. Ice cream was enjoyed after with Ralf, the father, and Jakob, the son. Pictures will be coming of these professionals drivers :) 

Aaron, an investigator with a baptismal date, went to church for the first time! He is the happiest guy ever and the missionaries love working with him. Many cool things are going on right now with the gospel in Kaufbeuren!!!

Mission life is really the best life. Elder Hoggan is thankful for this chance he has to serve for two years :)

What a Week

Elder Hoggan just had another awesome week filled with exciting experiences :) He asked for responses as to how he has changed on his mission and really appreciates all of the emails sent his way. He is learning a ton of new things and hopes to be who the Lord wants him to be. He's learning a lot about his potential as a Son of God and the potential each of us has as children of God. Elder Hoggan knows that prayer isn't one-way communication, but it is a conversation. God talks back! And He's always talking if we are willing to listen.

Alex finally had an interview with the Branch President in regards to him receiving the priesthood!! Things look awesome :) They will meet again in the coming weeks. It's been so awesome to see how Alex has grown!

A cool miracle occurred on Thursday. Elders Hoggan and Harvey were at the store and ran into a guy they knew. As they talked, he told them that there are two members of the church that just moved in! They live super close to the church, but have been out of town in Munich. The missionaries are excited to meet them upon their return to Kaufbeuren and look forward to two more members there :) Coincidences don't just happen!

Saturday was the highlight of the week! During a previous weekly planning session, the topic of referrals was discussed and how to get more of them. A prayer was said, when usually that subject would've been passed by and mentioned briefly. The Elders prayed to receive a referral of some sort which didn't come that week, but it did this week :) Inside the mailbox, was a referral! Heavenly Father has blessings that He wants to give. We just need to ask. The Lord will answer our prayers, in His own way, in His own time, but he will answer :)

They stopped by on the Familie Bossa, the referral, got to the door and Frau Bossa answered. "No, no, no, not interested!" But the Elders said, "Wait!!!! Wait!!!!!" Luckily, she did :) An introduction was made with an explanation of how a friend, a missionary from Chicago, wanted this referral to happen. Frau Bossa changed her attitude :) Her next appointment will be Friday and hopefully, all will go well :)

Saturday brought a meeting with Aaron, an investigator from Senegal, who is super nice. He lived in Spain for ten years and his French is only okay. He understands Spanish and watched the Restoration DVD about Joseph Smith, understood it perfectly, and loved it! He was then taught about baptism, but the language barrier is pretty huge. Elder Hoggan can't remember his Spanish very well, but google translate helped a lot and a baptismal date has been set for the 6th of September!!! 

Aaron understood through the Spirit what the Elders had been trying to teach him.  He is a unique situation, because he was never taught to read. Thank goodness for technology! Aaron has the Gospel Library app and that reads the scriptures out loud to him! How awesome is that? :) Skype will probably be used in the future so Aaron can speak Spanish to others and learn more lessons in his language. It's an awesome time to be a missionary!

Elder Hoggan looks forward to this week and to more miracles :)

Another Week in the Work of the Lord!

Elder Hoggan and Elder Harvey found out that they will be staying together for at least 6 more weeks! They are excited about that and have a good time as a companionship.

Every day is amazing, but Tuesday may have been the highlight of last week. Alex, a member of the church, is preparing to receive the Aaronic Priesthood with the Elders help. At one point, it was looking dismal and Alex was leaning towards backing out. He didn't feel ready to make this step in his life. 

They read 1 Nephi 19:9 "And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men."

They talked of how Jesus Christ has done everything for us, His Atonement, and His love for each of us individually. His love for Alex specifically. Then the Spirit took over. Elder Hoggan doesn't remember much of what he said, but told Alex that he has made a lot of progress and is ready for the priesthood. Alex accepted the commitment to meet with the branch president, but the B.P. was busy that day so hopefully next Sunday he will be interviewed!!! It was sooo cool!!!! He is so ready! He just needs to do it!

A district meeting was held Wednesday, so the Elders got on a train with an exercise bike from their apartment for the DL who has knee problems. It was a struggle and looked a little weird to carry : ) The train was super crowded. It may have been the worst time to bring it, but they did :) 

The Wrights had their last district meeting and will be missed a ton! They have been with Elder Hoggan for over half of his mission! Things got less sad later that day when a new investigator was picked up! His name is Aaron and he is from Senegal. Aaron only speaks French and very little German or English. Solomon, an awesome member of the church, learned French while living in Switzerland! That's working out pretty good! Aaron is such a happy and cheerful guy. He has a ton of potential! 

Wednesday night Solomon cooked Nigerian food!!! It was awesome and not strange at all :)

Saturday brought renovations to the apartment. It really, really needed to be painted and some things need to be replaced. The ward mission leader and mission office are helping to get some things done. The entrance hall was painted along with the living room. Next week all of the painting should be finished. It is going to be the sweetest apartment ever! Just in time for Elder Hoggan to leave....sweet!

The last cool experience was on Sunday. A random guy showed up to church and his name is Walantis. He's the boyfriend of a LA member. Basketball games, with the parents who are super active, may be what started this awesome relationship with him. Walantis thinks the missionaries are super awesome! (This is TRUE/AMEN to that, of course. Go Walantis :D) 

Eine tolle, schone, wunderbare Woche/A Great, Beautiful, Wonderful Week

Elder Hoggan had another awesome week in the service of the Lord!!!! He and Elder Harvey are doing great and had a fun time. Here is their journey!

Tuesday brought an exchange with a DL, Elder Jensen, from St. George. They began by running to catch their train after a zone meeting in Munich, successfully made it on, and headed to an appointment with the ward mission leader. They were to meet with the coolest family ever - the Family Geiger. The son got interested in the church after living with a Mormon family in Las Vegas. He gained his testimony there and will eventually be baptized. His father has a testimony of the church and that was the topic of their discussion that day. Afterward, they played football. There is an awesome relationship with this family through football played in the states when the Las Vegas high school team played Elder Harvey's school. Elder Hoggan may get to play golf with the dad in the future : ) Their man cave is filled with San Diego Chargers things. Elder Hoggan loves football and viewed a nice set of golf clubs this family owns.  It would be nice to spend some Pdays with the Family Geiger.

Elder Hoggan is very proud of Elder Harvey and the way he is able to talk with others. On a train, a guy across from them turned out to be way cool. Marios is a professional skydiver and has visited America. He lives in Kaufbeuren and would like to hear more about the gospel!! He has a competition this weekend, so no appointment was made, but hopefully one will be coming :)

Elder Hoggan learned something about the Spirit. Sometimes we are just used to having the Spirit with us and we tend to forget about it. There is the phrase that we don't know what we have till it's gone. A visit to an alcoholic investigator who has hit rock bottom took the Spirit away for a short time while they were there for a quick visit. This man had inappropriate pictures lying around and his house was a mess. Elder Hoggan felt the Spirit leave, but it returned after bearing testimony throughout the day to others. Then all was well. The Spirit is guiding the missionaries in this work. 

Solomon is from Nigeria, was baptized in Switzerland, moved to Kaufbeuren, and is the most active member of the church ever. He blessed and passed the sacrament where he used to live and had been to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. As the branch received his church records, there was nothing about him receiving the priesthood. Humans make mistakes. Someone must have forgotten or something went wrong. Elder Hoggan was a little nervous to tell Solomon before church on Sunday that he would need to be ordained again. Solomon understood and received the priesthood in priesthood meeting. He was asked who he would like to take part in the circle and Solomon wanted everyone! A bond of brotherhood was felt as everyone involved gave Solomon the Aaronic priesthood for the second time. It was sooo cool! Solomon blessed the sacrament which was awesome to see. He has invited the Elders over this week for African food :)   

World Cup Champs!

Elder Hoggan is thrilled that Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup on 7/13/14. He was not able to watch it, but had a blast cheering on the team through text updates from other missionaries and members. He believed in his country and sent a lot of fan support. That's what did it. It was a good ending to another awesome week in the service of the Lord!

Germany has had some interesting weather. Downpours come out of nowhere and then the sun shines. That didn't stop Elders Hoggan and Harvey from baptizing the world!!

Tuesday wasn't so hot due to an investigator returning to his old ways. Wednesday was filled with service on the farm! It is always "awesome" to serve others and the members there are "awesome" as well.

Thursday brought a meeting with Ilir and his wife! They are the nicest people ever. They're not in the best situation as Ilir is seeking permission to stay in Germany. Hopefully he can. He seems prepared and ready for the restored gospel in his life. He went to church and stayed for all three meetings! Elders Hoggan and Harvey taught Priesthood and Sunday :P School. Ilir seemed to enjoy himself and got to know a couple members of the church. One member gave him a ride home. Ilir is so awesome!

Sunday was also awesome! Home teaching took place with a member who travels 30 minutes to reach his home teaching family. The Elders drove an hour and a half to meet him there. This family lives in the rally gorgeous part of the Kaufbeuren area. The family is partly inactive because they live so far away from the church house. The mother has a super active testimony, but her children are LA. The missionaries are in contact with a couple of them. A basketball invitation was extended due to basketball on the playstation. Something cool should come of this!

Missionary work has been slower, but was still super awesome! Next week will surely bring some awesome things! Elder Hoggan closes with love for all and hopes those of us at home have another awesome week!

Elder Hoggan is awesome and loves the word! His email had "awesome" eight times. He and his companion went to a festival and parade on Pday. They wore their Lederhosen to this annual  Tanzelfest and he took many pictures. The sky was blue, and throwing candy at parades must be an American thing. 

4th of July!

Elder Hoggan is in the service of the Lord and that is the best work to be done! He and Elder Harvey were able to have a lesson with Sonja. Her husband is a police man and member of the church.  She enjoyed learning about the restoration of the gospel and teaching her was just like teaching an actual member almost!

The Elders were unable to meet with Temple, Suzanne, or Herbie last week. Jasmin is a new investigator and was referred from a member family. A few weeks ago, she was given a Book of Mormon. Jasmin was taught about Joseph Smith and seems interested in learning more. The missionaries are excited for her :)

Llir is from Kosovo. He was found on the street and is looking to become a Christian. He is so cool and has had one lesson so far. He has a cute little daughter and his wife is expecting a baby. Llir accepted a Book of Mormon in Albanian and agreed to read and pray about it :) Another appointment has been set up for Wednesday.

Friday was an amazing day with a LA who loves to play chess! He kicked Elder Hoggan's bottom and tied Elder Harvey in a game.  After that, they boarded a train to Augsburg for a 4th of July party given by different branches/ward. The horses were a hit and loved by the kids!. The World Cup game was on showing Germany going against France. Elder Hoggan got in a water fight with the children and got SOAKED! It was fun though. No basketball was played, the an American pigskin was thrown around and everyone had an awesome time. There weren't any fireworks, but they did have sparklers!

Saturday morning is when the Elders got to meet President and Sister Kohler. Their family consists of two daughters and a son. Their oldest daughter is on a mission in Japan. The Kohler's are ready to enjoy their time in the best mission in the world! President Kohler shared his vision for the mission and is loved already!

Next week will be just as great for Elder Hoggan! He closes with a shout out to Tyrel, his best friend, who is returning home from his mission to South Africa. Elder Wilde is an awesome example of serving with all of your heart, might, mind, and strength! Elder Hoggan knows that Tyrel has had the best two years of his life, because missionary work is simply the best!

Eine Schone Woche (A Beautiful Week)

Elder Hoggan had another awesome week in Kaufeuren! He has introduced Elder Harvey to the whole missionary experience and are having a blast together. They had baptismal commitments, fallen out appointments, miracles, Lederhosen, and much more.

Tuesday was a cool day in Augsburg where they had a finding day before district meeting. The Elders talked with the coolest girl ever. Her mom is from Boston. As they were chatting with her about the Book of Mormon, she accepted one. The missionaries invited her to a fourth of July party this week in Augsburg and she said excitedly that she would be there. She promised to begin reading the Book of Mormon as soon as she got home and to pray about it :) After district meeting, three appointments were scheduled. Two fell out and plans change. The Elders still had an awesome day and talked with Alice. She is a cool lady with an appointment coming up next week.

Wednesday, the missionaries were on the Autobahn headed for Munich. Elder Harvey had a bag that he needed with additional clothing. He had been wearing the same pants and it was good for him to get that bag! Upon returning back, the Elders met with Herbie. Elder Harvey gave his first baptismal commitment and did an awesome job, but Herbie has too much going on in his life right now. He got a little upset that such a question would be asked when he was recovering from sickness and stress. Herbie asked for a two week break which should give him enough time to feel 100%. 

Next was an appointment with Temple. He was taught the Word of Wisdom, but believes that as long as we don't take too much of anything into our bodies, it isn't a big deal. He agreed to read more and pray about it. More will be discussed next time.

Thursday rocked!! Service was done on the farm and reminded Elder Hoggan of his time pruning trees at Birch Creek. It was fun and service is always a good opportunity! That evening was the coolest part though :) The missionaries got to watch the World Cup: Germany vs. USA! They saw it with Alex and it was a ton of fun! Germany won 1-0, but USA is moving forward! The Elders are allowed to watch two games of the World Cup. One down, one to go. The missionaries hope to choose wisely, but can't watch the final game on Sunday.

Saturday was awesome, too. ZL's visited from Munich and worked along side Elder Hoggan and Elder Harvey for several hours. They went to Kempten, a city in their area, and parked on the outskirts where parking is free. They went their separate ways and agreed to meet up at the train station. Elder Hoggan's tool was, "Hey, which way is it to the train station?" They then contacted back to the car once the ZL's caught their train. Then the fun started :)

The Elders stopped a girl on the street. She looked to be about their age. They told her how they are two Americans talking about the Book of Mormon, explained it to her, and got her number saying that more messages could be shared in the future. She didn't take a Book of Mormon, but believes that prayer is all that is needed in life. Here's the funny part. Just as Elder Hoggan was getting her number, a flash flood hit. They were all sitting in the pouring rain and getting drenched. Elder Hoggan whipped out his umbrella and the Elders walked Verena to the corner. They all were laughing so hard. A sense of humor is a must. The weather finally let up, but Elders Hoggan and Harvey are hopeful they have her number.  She was SO COOL! 

An appointment was made with a guy that is looking to become a christian... :) More about him will be coming next week.

The new mission president got in and introductions will be on Saturday. The Elders look forward to meeting Elder Kohler and his wife.

These two missionaries are anxious for another miracle week to come!

1st Week W/New Son

Elder Hoggan's new companion is Elder Harvey from St. George, Utah. He is super cool! After meeting in Munich and staying over night, they caught a train to Kaufbeuren. They sat next to a lady who accepted a Book of  Mormon and they visited with her about Joseph Smith. After their hour on the train was up, she left her email address with the Elders.

Elder Harvey was introduced to the ward mission leader after he got settled in. The missionaries went over to his house and did some racing on his race track in the basement. He is a cool, fun loving guy and that was tons of fun.

A ward activity took place on Saturday. Miniature golf was played on a cement course. Putting was super, super hard, but a lot of fun. Elder Hoggan enjoyed playing golf for the first time time in years and thinks his swing has stayed in good shape :) It was an awesome opportunity for Elder Harvey to get to know the ward and reminded Elder Hoggan of past summer days at home.

Sunday was awesome. No, there weren't investigators in church, but there will be next week. After going by on a potential, the Elders gave a lady at a bus stop a Book of Mormon. She said that she would read it, pray about it, and contact the Elders. Sadly, she didn't leave any information. Maybe she will call after all.

A couple from Bosnia approached the missionaries and said, "And these two men probably have a book for us. That's how it works, right?" Elder Hoggan was holding a Book of Mormon and responded, "Well, yes actually!" They chatted for a while and made an appointment for Tuesday to meet at the church. Hopefully, they will come :) Elder Hoggan has a really good feeling about them.

Next to the church is a soccer field, a track, and a basketball court. It is a park area. As the Elders passed, they offered to take on a couple of individuals playing basketball. They agreed and played pretty decent. One is a German and the other was from China. The missionaries were in their church clothes and played for about 15 minutes. More games were planned and a teaching opportunity may come from this.

The Elders are doing their best to talk to as many people as they can. Miracles are coming their way! The Lord is answering their prayers! Next week will be another miracle week, too :) Elder Hoggan knows it!

Seed

Elder Hoggan sends his greeting and is grateful to be a missionary everyday. He has the advantage over us here at home. Transfer calls came and Elder Evans left for Austria.

Now Elder Hoggan is bearing a son and the seed continues. He will be taking a train with Elder Stuart, also from Smithfield, and going to Munich together. They will both be trainers and finding out who belongs with who.

Elder Evans was a great companion. Change is always good and exciting. There is always something to learn, but it will be a bummer to say goodbye to Elder Evans.

On Tuesday, Elder Hoggan was in Ingolstadt. There were some train complications due to construction. This made switching back very hard.

Wednesday a new investigator was picked up. her name is Sonja and her husband is LA because of his job. He works for the police and can only attend church one Sunday a month. Sonja is super cool, too. She likes the church and the Book of Mormon, but has a few concerns that the missionaries will help her get over.

Saturday was a heart wrenching day. It was a zone training meeting and a goodbye conference to President and Sister Miles. The whole thing was super awesome! A lot was said about patience and motivation. Pictures of the new mission president and his family were shown. he will be coming in around June 27th. After the Miles last teachings, hugs were given and pictures were taken. They are amazing people and will be missed sooo much. But what happens, happens. The new president will be just as awesome. It can be sometimes hard to say goodbye to good friends.

Later, the Elders took a train and visited with one of Elder Hoggan's favorite families from the Ingolstadt Branch. There son had just been baptized after turning eight years old. 

Elder Hoggan has met many awesome people on his mission as he serves bearing testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.