Plan of Salvation.....in sidewalk chalk!

Awesome news about Matt getting home. I am sure it all went how it was supposed to. Tell him to take care of my xbox and tv, I am definitely still expecting it to be there and in functioning condition when I get home. This week was pretty sweet, A girl in the ward brought a friend to church, Donald, and we had a really cool lesson with him, he seems cool enough, and promising, hopefully it works out, we'll see. We also drew the Plan of Salvation on the sidewalk next to the Rhein river, and contacted people using it, it worked ok, didn't get too many people to stop, and I don't think any contacts, except an email, so yeah, oh well, it goes on. Oh yeah, also for transfers, I AM STAYING IN WIESBADEN, Elder Harris is going to the OTHER American ward! in Heidelberg, but that is like the sweetest city in the mission, so it will be good. anyways, my new companion, is Elder Lechtenberg, from the MTC! so we are in the same group, and we are best buds, so it will be way fun.
I realize, that all of the birthday stuff will probably not fit into ONE flatrate USPS box, but maybe you could send TWO? please... I would love you forever, not that I don't and wouldn't already, but it would also give you some leverage for asking me to do stuff when I get home :) :) :) :) I love you. I am sorry that I sound like I am demanding these things, but I would really like to have 'em and of course, a letter from you and some other people saying stuff. So, yeah. Thanks for everything family, and especially mom, you are the best mom ever, and I am thankful for all of the stuff you have done, are doing, and will do for me. ( I know who decides stuff...) Well, I will talk to you again next week...write, at least, and until then, be sure to stay cool Bentz family. Tschüß! Love Elder Bentz aka Mooker

Matt is going home.....My time will come

MAtt sent me an email, it was really nice, and he said he might call me from the airport, so that would be cool. here is what he said, it is kinda funny, but good.
yo bro!well man I'm out on wednesday take care in germany man it goes by faster than you can even imagine it seems like an hour ago I was in the middle of an appointement with my thumb up my butt sayin nothin and understanding just as much! wouldn't trade it for the world! keep it real and man if you're not havin fun you're not doin it right! later!love, Elder Matt Bentz P.S. had another good german meal this week at a womens home here in the ward, she is from Munich made us sweet and sour meatballs in like a gravy sauce on top of mashed potatoes....it was way good but felt like I gained 100 pounds by eating it good luck man!
I remember going to the airport to get steve, it was way fun, and I am sure it will be the same. This week was good, went on a split with the Aps ( assistants to the presidents) and went with Elder Peterson, it was way fun, and got a couple contacts. The work is going well, and we are really focusing on finding this week, trying to get somebody new, and improved (ready to hear the gospel). Stani has not come to church, or even been in contact with us for like 2 weeks, and the Lym family are pretty much inactive, so yeah, kinda gay, but well see. It is true what you said mom. This experience is really for me, and the people that are getting baptized, but is a great time to grow and to become more mature in the gospel and in life. I am thankful for the mission, it is the hardest thing (altogether) that I have ever done and has great potential. but where there is potential to succeed there is also potential to fail, it lies with me to see what will happen, and that has been one of the toughest parts to learn out here, you have to decide your own happiness, and success. You work out your own salvation, that is so true, and granted, easier said than done, but we all have to try our best, and at the end of the day, that is what will count, our best. To give your best is to succeed. Thanks for being a great mom, and be sure to tell matt I said hi too, and dad :) take care! Tschüss! Love Elder Bentz aka Mooker

Service and Sightseeing on the Rhein

Regarding the switch from analog to digital programming,Germany did not do anything like the difital switch, at least not on our TV...uhhh...just kidding. I don't know if they did or not. Dad got a sword? sweet. (It's Matt's sword that he sent home from France) I will have to get him like a helmet or shield or sumthin then. I got a bunch of letters from the YW yesterday it was really nice. Sarah said that you lost like 40 lbs? thats great mom! Get dad on that boat! Yeah when Matt gets home, he can pretty much do whatever he wants with my Bass, just not break it. Well, this week was quite eventful. We helped 2 families out with moving back to the states, and they both had a lot to do. We went over to a families house on Friday, and mom, remember all those houses on "clean house" that were just terrible? this was one of 'em. I ain't kiddin'. There was so much crap everywhere, we spent like 3 hours on 1 room and the rest of the day just taking trash out of the whole house. I am really glad that you don't let our house get like that, It is like you have to try to make your house messy to get it that bad...ughhh. It was alot. The Family who took us out there though is way cool, The Larson Family, They have 9 kids and she keeps her house perfect. We went over there afterwards for dinner, and their house was amazingly clean. They also took us sight seeing along the Rhein and we got a bunch of sweet pictures that you will be receiving shortly, I will be sending home both memory cards for this next package, and I will just go and buy another one or 2 because they are incredibly cheap over here, sumthin' like 10 € for 2-4 gig ones, so yeah, don't worry about it. So that was all day for us, and the next day, we helped another family named the Owens and we had to rip down a whole back fence and a whole kitchen , everything from it. Cupboards and appliances. In Germany, when you move, you move. you take everything with you, Carpet, Tile, Kitchen sink, everything. So that was fun, but still hard work and had to transport it all afterwards. After that, They gave us like ALL of their food storage, so we have enough food for the both of us for the rest of the cycle, and probably the next one too, just gotta buy bread and milk and cheese now :) Today we have interviews, and in 2 weeks I will tell you what is happening with transfers, This cycle went by way fast too, 6 weeks is not really very long at all. This week some guy from Minnesota came to our ward for whatever reason and had us help him talk to some guy in German about him getting a family history book to help his genealogical research and it was pretty cool. The guy was in Köln and we talked to him on the phone, and then they took us out to lunch, sweet. I also was made aware of a letter from President Egbert that was sent to the Wuppertal apartment, My old comp. was still there, and he called me up and read it to me, so I will write him back, he said a lot about the stake and its goals for misionary work and wanted me to write him back with ideas and advice, so thought that was pretty cool, I got his return adress and everything so dont worry. Well, that is about it this week, we are trying to get Stani to come to church, and the practically inactive family that brought her in the first place,...wierd. It's not goin too well, also trying to find more people and that is as to be expected, but I feel like something is about to change, we shall see. Well, Take care and tell everyone hi from me, Thanks for telling me about Aunt Lera's death too, never really remembered her too much, but dang, 102 years old, good job. Tschüss! Love Elder Bentz aka Mooker

What doesn't kill you...only makes you stronger

Well, Everything sounds great at home, I am sure Matt is getting excited too. Sweet news about Alba`s son getting baptized, I remember meeting him one time, way nice kid, so is Alba, tell her I say "hi". Funny stuff about Spencer getting sick, I never got sick from the Polar Bear swim! Oh, Hey, we ate at this one families home the other night, The Terrys, It turns out that Sister Terry`s Uncle is President Earl! Yeah, if you see him, tell him that I met his niece! They pulled out a picture of him from Christmas, and actually, he is married to Sister Terry`s mom`s sister...so, not directly, but still, small world. This week was ok, Stani and family still did not end up coming to church, mainly because the one family that she knows, The Lyms, don`t come very often either, I don`t know how they ever got to church in the first place...It`s kinda hard, but we gotta get her to church or it will never happen, we are also trying to find someone else, cause right now, it is just her, and it`s not going where it should, so we need another option. We had ZOKO last week went well, talked about Teach to Find and other stuff. Went on a splits with Elder Curtis too, went well, met up with some inactive members and had a way cool experience with this guy named Ralph, We went to his apartment to see if he was home, but he wasn`t, went back to the car to go somewhere else, realized that another person lived on the same street, were about to drive there, but realized that it would probably be better to just walk due to parking problems, got out, and started to walk, saw some guy at the apartment where we were just at, and it was Ralph, he invited us in, and had a great conversation with him, and he does want to come back to church, but didn`t this week, but hopefully we will meet with him again and see where it goes. Cool stuff like that happens quite a bit, it is pretty sweet to see it happen. I'm not gonna lie, missions are hard, but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger...right? I hope so. Well take care and have fun in AZ Tschüss! Love Elder Bentz aka Mooker

Pray for contacts...

That is cool about all that stuff from home it all sounds awesome. Tell Tracey Nielsen I say Hello too. On the fifth sundays, it is just the same over here, we are combined too. That is so cool about Steve and Tausha having a girl! That is way exciting for you I bet mom. There is a family, the Shumways, in our ward here, and she has 4 boys, ages 6 months to 10, she handles it really well, but it reminded me of you and what it must have been like to raise all boys, I see that family and see that it must have been kind of hard, but I think you handled it pretty well too, so thank you for that. My companion, Elder Harris ripped a tree out of a members yard the other day with his bare hands, cause she wanted it done, and he's like, I could do that right now! I got a video of it, so that`ll be funny for you to see. This week, did not have too much going on, Stani did not come to church again, but we are meeting with them tonight, and hopefully it will go well, she seems really promising, but we have to find a way to keep her coming to church, and be independent from the Lym family, cause they don`t come to church too often, and if they don`t, she won`t, so gotta get around that...Keep praying for them, I am sure they are helping. Tomorrow, we have Zoko, and I hear it will be about teach to find, pretty much finding techniques, and how we can be better finders. We do alot of that out here, too much if you ask me, Do you have the Ensign from the last General Conference?, Read the talk by Elder L. Tom Perry from the last session, that is the perfect talk for any member and missionary. Its way good. Went on a splits last week with Elder Curtis our DL, and it went well, we saw a sick Lamborghini, yellow, and talked to some cool people. Man, Matt will be home before you know it, time really does fly out here 26 days is nothing, really, I can`t believe that May just got over with and it is already June 2! Well, that is all I got for you this week, everyone take care and know that I love you Tschüss! Love Elder Bentz aka Mooker