The boys are back!!

 Aye!! Wie Geht's!?

Reporting to y'all all from Dresden now!! My new comp, Elder Horsley, and I got here on Tuesday. It turned out that there was quite some confusion about what would be happening here. We ended up getting the wrong area book, so that made things complicated, and we still haven't gotten it all figured out, so please pray for us. 

We have been able to get out, see the city, and invite others to come unto Christ. Our apartment is right across the street from this huge park which is so perfect for going finding. The weather was perfect for a few days this week and the park was absolutely packed. We have also been able to explore the city center a bit which is absolutely stunning. Everywhere you turn there is a jaw-dropping building. Elder Horsley can play the piano and has been practicing a musical piece with the sisters in our ward for Zone Conference this coming week. They are seriously so talented, everyone at Zone Conference will be in for a treat. We also are planning on starting on English and German Sprachcafe to help people improve their foreign language speaking abilities. We also submitted a post offering service to this local Facebook group and are waiting for it to be approved. On Sunday we were able to introduce ourselves to the ward. They were so excited to have Elders back in the ward and are so supportive. So many of them told us to let them know if we need anything. Today for P-day, Elder Horsley and I went out for Mexican food, and it was actually so good, which is so rare here in Germany. 

Here is something that has really hit me this past week: Reading the Book of Mormon, you are able to see how the Nephites fall into a pride cycle. They started off as righteous people, exercising faith in Jesus Christ by keeping his commandments. They prospered in the land and lived peacefully one with another, but then over time they became prideful, forgot the Lord, and fell into wickedness, where there was widespread corruption and hatred towards one another. There was also a high crime, people sought to steal others' possessions, no matter the cost, even resulting in murder. It wasn't until they were being beaten in war by the Lamanites that they remembered the Lord and all the good he had done for them. 

Just like the Nephites, we too can fall into this cycle if we're not careful enough. The Nephites didn't go from living in peace with one another to murdering and stealing from one another over the course of a day. It was a gradual process over the course of years. When we are prospering, Satan desires that we become prideful and think that the small and simple things that keep us close to the Lord are insignificant. To avoid this we must do as the Lord commands in 3 Nephi 19:15 "watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him". I want to leave you all with my testimony that I know each and every one of us can stay close to Lord or grow closer to him by diligently following his commandments. I invite you all to not let yourself become persuaded that the small and simple things are insignificant, they really matter, and make the biggest difference!! I have received so much joy by doing them and you can too. 

Have a great week! 

- Love Elder Rothärmel