Elder Müller in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission: Being A Full Missionary

August 13, 2015

This is Elder Muller's email from Monday, August 10, 2015. We have been out of town for Elder Muller's sister's wedding, so that is why I am a bit late in posting.

The Beach!! P-day, August 3, 2015

A great P-day/Birthday for Elder Muller. The beach on August 3, 2015

Hello everyone!

Another week has gone by, and it is hard to believe that transfer calls are this Sunday. Seems like we only just moved to Capelle.

So this week we did nothing but practice pretty much for the program. We had a couple good lessons with some of our investigators, but we needed to focus on the music project. This Friday we are performing at JOVO (Young Single Adult) camp, and I only know about half the program. Pray for me please! :)

So a little bit about last Monday to go with the pictures. It was my birthday (thank you everybody for the cards!) and we went to the beach at Hoek van Holland. We got a little sunburned, but it was the perfect birthday P-day. We played Frisbee and just chilled, it was awesome! Made me think of Florida. To explain some of the pictures, Elder Andrew (who is from Baraboo, Wisconsin for all the Schaefer clan) was just digging up sand with his feet, when he found a ball. We kept digging and found a treasure trove of stuff. Pretty great.

Elders Muller, Andrew, Drinkwater and Shaw

Buried treasure!!

So, because I don´t have a lot this week to write about, I figured I would talk about being a "Full Missionary". This is something that Elder Shaw and I have been discussing and what we are trying to achieve.

So to begin with, let's talk about obedience, and exact obedience. So there have been a lot of discussions in our mission about exact obedience. The biggest problem that I have seen with it, is when missionaries talk about how being obedient bring blessings, and being exactly obedient brings miracles. Now see here we have a problem. If you take the statement literally, we will never see any miracles. Why? Because no missionary will ever be exactly obedient. No matter how hard you try, no matter how obedient you think you are, it is impossible. We are human, and we all make mistakes. So that is the basis of discussion that I have had with a lot of missionaries. A lot of missionaries talk about how "if we are exactly obedient, then ________". For me it is like perfection. In the scriptures it talks about "be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect" (Matt 5:48) Now perfection is the ultimate goal for everyone who is trying to live the gospel. Will we ever attain it in this life? No. So to me talking about exact obedience, is like discussing perfection. It is the vision, not the goal. (For further study on Vision, Goals, and Plans, see Preach My Gospel, Chapter 8)

Click this link to read the manual Preach My Gospel: https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service?lang=eng

So for a while, I had been stuck. I of course do my absolute best to be obedient, as do most missionaries, but for me I don't like using the term "exactly obedient" because if I say that, then I feel like I am lying to both myself, and whomever I am talking to.

This past week we had a really awesome lesson with a less active name I---. He is solid. He taught himself the lesson. We sat down and just started talking with him. By the end HE had covered all the points of the 1st lesson by himself. His wife is a former investigator that we will hopefully start teaching again soon. As we were discussing her concerns with Ivan, he said something that struck both Elder Shaw and me. He said (something along the lines of): "You know, I expect full missionaries. You can see it in some of the Elders, they are only quarter, or a half of a missionary. I expect and want a full missionary, and that is what M--- (his wife) needs. Full missionaries."

Elder Shaw and I talked about that a lot, and we both felt like it was revelation for us. Being a full missionary. We decided that was the perfect answer to our dilemma. So that is what we want to be. We are still working on the exact definition of a full missionary, I know what it means, but I can´t describe it just yet. Our new goal is to be a full missionary every day. I will probably continue to give updates in that line of thinking as it develops, but I think it´s a good start.

Well I hope you all have a fantastic week, I know this is a big week for the Müller-Schaefer clan as well as the Jarvis crew, so yerp!

Love you guys!

Elder Müller

...Here are some additional questions that I asked Elder Muller to answer for the blog:

Some questions for the week that you can answer in your email:

1. Can you share the songs you are learning for the program, or are they original numbers?

Nope. We do a mixture of stuff. If anyone has seen Our Story Goes On by the Navoou Pageant, it is similar to that.

2. Do you still have a baptism planned for 15 August?

Nope. They both went on vacation....

3. How do you manage to keep up with teaching your investigators and doing the Singing Elders responsibility?

Very carefully. It is hard work.

4. Have you had the opportunity to sing for members in their homes? If yes, is there ever a chance for us to get a video?! :)

We sing a lot in members home when we invite them to the concert. I will talk more about it once we start traveling. And, no, we cannot record it.

5. How far is your apartment from the church building?

40 min give or take.

6. Do you email from the church building?

yes

7. Are you getting fed by members or are you living off of your shakes you make in your blender?!

This past week we had 1 dinner scheduled, and then two more just popped up, as well as two lunch appointments. We are fine. We spent 20 euros on groceries today. Pretty dang good!

8. Do you know approximately when you might be getting Ipads?

President R. said before the end of the year. Who knows!

9. What was your favorite meal this week?

Ruben's fried chicken. He is the chillest guy ever, and we all love him. He is getting ready to go on a mission soon.

10. What was the funniest experience you had this week?

So to get into the metro stations here, you check in with an OV chip card, you hold it against a sensor, and then the gate opens. So we were running for a metro, and Elder Shaw checked in, heard the beep and just ran right into the gate before it opened. Really funny

Pictures from August 3rd and August 10th: