Week #12 in Osnabruck (25 November 2013).  Reese learned that he and Elder Mitchell would be staying together in Osnabruck for another transfer.  This will mean 4.5 months with Elder Mitchell.  I'm glad they will both be able to stay in a familiar area for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Reese truly enjoys the members in the branch.  The ward mission leader sent us a couple of pictures he had taken.  Here's one of Reese, Elder Mitchell, Sister Hayden and Sister Brown at the home of the mission leader.  (The mission leader is taking the photo; his roommate is in the photo on the left.)

Here's another photo of Reese, Elder Mitchell and a young branch member following a sacrament meeting that was a farewell for a young man in the branch who is going to New Zealand.  The second photo gives some sense of where they have sacrament meeting.

Reese finished the Old Testament this week and enjoyed Malachi.  The work was hard--a few appointments fell through--but they did have some nice opportunities to teach and found a couple of new investigators who seem to have real interest.  One evening they went on splits with members in the ward.  Reese reported, in his typical matter-of-fact tone:  "B and I did some doors while M and Elder Mitchell did some other doors. . . .  Apparently I missed some good action. Some kid ran at M and Elder Mitchell with a baseball bat.  First question that came to my mind: how did a kid in Germany have a baseball bat?"  Reese has mentioned they sometimes get sworn at or jeered at but this one caught his attention.  It's a reminder to me of the sacrifice that young elders and sisters make when they serve.

Reese was disappointed that no investigators made it to church but noted that the "sisters had two investigators come though, which is awesome.  They are rolling now."  One of the sisters' investigators is scheduled to be baptized in a couple of weeks, which means that Reese will have an opportunity to do his first baptismal interview.  He's excited but nervous. 

We received Reese's email a little later than usual because they had worked in the morning so that they could go to the Weihnachtmarkt (the Christmas market) that evening.  Osnabruck is reputed to have one of the nicest Christmas markets in the western part of Germany.  Here are a couple of photos I pulled from the internet that give a sense of what they saw:

Finally, Reese mentioned that the branch has a Christmas party scheduled for December 14 and that he and Elder Mitchell will be taking invitations to investigators.  I asked Reese if the branch had a choir so that he could participate in it as they had in Chemnitz.  Reese replied:  "Unfortunately no.  I have actually gotten decent at singing now because we do it so often."  Another wonderful part of missionary service.