3 October 2011

Family & Friends,

We had transfer calls this week. It was so nerve raking. Everyone calls in and listens to President Pimentel read off the lists of areas and their new Elders or Sisters. The other two Elders that live near us came over for the call and I made a big breakfast for everyone. Mom: get this. I made biscuits and gravy. I was pretty confident that I could make biscuit. How hard could that really be? The scary part was going to make homemade gravy. The big news: my gravy was really good if I do say so my self. The bigger news: I am staying in Bergedorf, Hamburg, Germany for my third transfer. I am pretty excited for this because I wanted to stay in Bergedorf. Elder Lingard, my trainer and who most missionaries would call my mission ”father” is being transfered tomorrow to a city in the Hannover Zone. He will be district leader there as we was here in Bergedorf. My new companion is called Elder Gunthry. I am not sure if that is spelled correctly. I am excited to get to know him and hopefully he is a hard worker. So my addresses are still the same:

Elder Fullmer

Brook Strasse 19

21029 Hamburg

Germany

or

Elder Fullmer

Deutchland Berlin Mission

Zerbster Strasse 42

12209 Berlin

Germany

The first is my physical address, the second is the mission office in Berlin. It is better to write that address since is is permanently there and my address changes. I get that mail about every three weeks.

My friend Zach sent me a picture of the Academy Cross Country team this semester. Crap, I miss you guys a lot. Good luck with the rest of your season.

I absolutely love General Conference. For those of you that don’t know what that is let me explain. It is a biannual event that is broad casted throughout the world. There are five two hour sessions in which the Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of the 12 Apostles, and others speak to the world. It was awesome and a super refreshing experience to hear the encouraging remarks that were spoken there. I also want to share a pretty funny experience. There is actually a sixth session of this conference that takes place a week before the rest of the conference. It is for the Relief Society. This is the woman’s organization of the church (which on a side note is one of the largest Women’s organizations in the world). Anyways, in Germany they showed this session as a recording on the first day that the rest of the sessions were shown. My companion and I had to set up chairs an hour before this session started. I convinced him to watch it with me since (1) we were already there and (2) my Mom and already seen it in the states and said that the concluding speaker was really really good. This is an excerpt from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk (who is the second counselor to the Prophet and President of the Church and also a native German) that he gave there:

—”As a child, when I would look at the little forget-me-nots, I sometimes felt a little like that flower—small and insignificant. I wondered if I would be forgotten by my family or by my Heavenly Father. Years later I can look back on that young boy with tenderness and compassion. And I do know now—I was never forgotten. And I know something else: as an Apostle of our Master, Jesus Christ, I proclaim with all the certainty and conviction of my heart—neither are you!

”You are not forgotten.

”Sisters [I would add Brothers], wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name—you are the daughters of His kingdom. The Psalmist wrote:

“ ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

“ ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him? …

“‘For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”

”God loves you because you are His child. He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes.”

—(Austin again). Let’s all try not to forget this concept: You are not forgotten. Our Heavenly Father knows you. And even though I am much less significant, I don’t forget about you either and I pray for your success.

Good luck this week with Midterms, races, games, work, school, calling, travels, and what ever other trials that you have to deal with.

Love,

Tschüß,

Peace,

Elder Austin Arthur Fullmer

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