Servus!!
This week I want to tell the story of one of our friends. Ridvan has been in Austria for about a year and is working on learning German, but it’s definitely a work in progress. Just a few months ago, he started messaging with some missionaries on Facebook, wanting to learn more about Jesus Christ. Eventually, his information made it to us and we brought a Book of Momon to him in his native language. We started meeting with him and a translator regularly, and I was always so impressed with his desire to learn more and his complete faith in God and his gospel as soon as he found the truth. He took to the Book of Mormon eagerly, reading often and sending us questions, not that he had many. We cruised through the lessons until we got to the Word of Wisdom. He heard us say no cigarettes, and with no translation necessary, he immediately responded, “Auf keinen Fall” – in other words, no way! He agreed to stop drinking coffee and tea, but there was no way he was going to stop smoking. Each appointment after that, we continued to bring it up, telling him he would have to stop to get baptized, something he really wanted to do. Every time, he would tell us that it just wasn’t an option. Then, two weeks ago, he tells us he will try, and, as I mentioned in my weekly at the time, it came as a huge surprise to us, but very much a pleasant one. We prayed for his success, but we’re unsure how it would turn out, it often takes a long time to overcome addiction, so we were hoping that maybe in a couple of months he would be ready for baptism. Then, last week, he gives us an update: it’s actually not that hard, give me 7-10 days and I’ll completely stop. !! So we set a date in 12 days for his baptism to hold him to that promise. His trick has been buying a ton of fruit and just eating that when he wants to smoke. We are so excited to say that he is getting baptized this coming Sunday!
It has been so amazing to see the turn around from not believing that he could stop, to being ready for baptism. Smoking had been a coping mechanism for him due to lots of stress, but we are so happy that he has now found some better ways to actually be happier than he was while smoking. His change of mindset truly is a miracle that had nothing to do with what we said to him (especially since we low-key don’t say anything to him, but have to use a translator). I am also so grateful that we have been able to help him prepare to make this covenant although we don’t speak his language, and our ward has been supportive even when they couldn’t communicate. God knows each of us as we are and has said that the gospel will be preached in every tongue so that we can understand – that’s how important it is to Him that we all have the opportunity to learn of His love. (Shout out to Elder Çelik as well for making this all possible).
I hope you guys have a wonderful week!
Liebe Grüße, Sister Tripp
Us, Binbin, and our friend Ridvan, he’s on date!!
Fields
Vineyard
Pretty outlook
Farm
Goodbye President and Sister Naatjes!!
The cats stare down at us like Austrian Omas
Ice cream, of course
One of our younger friends sent us this version of our Whatsapp profile pic
Commitment
Schmetterling
Blumen
Last Distriktsrat with the Sheranians