Dear Familie,
WOW!!! What happened to the river and what caused that problem?! I bet our fields were completely flooded over this time. Glad to hear that Grandma´s house did okay. I don´t think other people in the ward faired so good, which is sad. At least no one was injured. Those pictures were incredible. It was quite the feat to fill so many sand bags and try to save people's homes. So, what happened to Grandma, did she just wake up one morning and the river was just out of control or what? Did she have to stay with us for a few days, I mean it looks like any minute her house could have been affected, and trying to save her once that happens could have been dangerous. But what do I know.
It seems like you have had crazy weather too. We had three massive thunderstorms in a row last week right as we were getting ready for bed. The last one was by far the largest. The lightning was so vivid and so bright that we couldn´t sleep. Not to mention very loud, as places around our house were struck by lightning. It sounded like gun shots and was instantaneous. You would see the lightning and hear the thunder at the same time. It was actually a little discomforting, especially since we are on the fourth floor, or top floor of our apartment, and our ceiling is literally our roof. We had really bad winds and rain like I have never seen before, and then some hail. The next day we went up to the U.S. Hospital for service, so on Friday, and massive tree limbs were down, and trees in some cases were stripped of their leaves due to hail. Quite impressive. So they got the worst of the storm. But honestly, I have never seen anything like it. I got plenty of pictures to show as well... later. Germany is known for this, I guess. I have heard from several other German Elders that every now and then in the summer, thunderstorms are so strong that it isn´t abnormal to see larger than golf-ball-sized hail. So, aside from the pretty temperate weather and climate, Germany does have its surprises, too. So anyway last week was really crazy. We also went by on this family we have been teaching, and as we pulled onto their street, it was evident that from the previous nights storm, the street was a river, because mud was all over the street and it looked like a river!
So, back to the spiritual side of things, this last week was okay. It is getting slower as people are getting out of school and going on trips all over Europe with their families. But we met with Austin again and taught him. He had read the chapters that we gave him and also two more chapters in 1 Nephi. He is now done with the first 17 chapters of 1 Nephi! He has also read other chapters that we have given him on top of that. He really does want to change his life and try to do the best he can, and he is doing it which is amazing to see. We also are meeting with Fred again. He too has read a lot and loves the Book of Mormon. His family gets here on Friday and he is really excited about that. We gave him some good reading assignments and he loves them a lot and keeps asking for more. For him we have given him both Bible and Book of Mormon so he can compare and learn more from it. He asked for that specifically. I also mentioned that we met with the Sabatine Family that we found a few weeks ago. They too are progressing. It is taking them some time, but they want to know. They are at a different level from these other two, but still keep doing what we ask them to do.
I really love this work and the many things that I have seen and witnessed and felt over the past two years, and it has been an amazing learning experience for me. If someone were to ask me what a mission is like, I´d probably tell them stories, and some of my experiences. But it really is something that you have to experience for yourself. Nothing that I have done before quite compares to the experiences I have had here.
I love the Gospel and this work. I pray for you all. Keep Grandma´s house safe! Anyway, stay strong, and be good!
Mit herzenvoller Liebe,
Elder Smith
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