"Soviel du brauchst" finden wir auch in der Geschichte zum Bau des Gemeindehauses Dortmund. Es schien zunächst unmöglich, gegen den offensichtlichen Widerstand der Stadtväter überhaupt ein Grundstück zu finden. Dann zeigte sich, dass der Vorsitzende der Grundstücksverwaltung in der amerikanischen Kriegsgefangenschaft den Lagerleiter als Mitglied der Kirche kennen- und schätzen gelernt hatte. Nun war dieser Verwaltungschef durch einen Traum angeregt worden, die Gemeinde der Kirche in seiner Heimatstadt aufzusuchen und ihr zu helfen. Als er den Gemeindeleiter gefunden und erfahren hatte, dass der ein Grundstück für das Gemeindehaus suchte, lud er ihn in sein Büro ein, entfaltete einen riesigen Stadtplan und fragte, wo die Kirche bauen wolle. Als der Gemeindeleiter bescheiden auf eine Randlage zeigte, führte er dessen Finger direkt in den südlichen Grüngürtel nahe dem Zentrum der Stadt, wo heute tatsächlich das Gemeindehaus mit dem angebauten Pfahltrakt sowie dem Institutszentrum steht. Die Kirche bekam soviel an Grundstücksgröße wie sie auch für spätere Anbauten brauchte in einmalig schöner und vekehrsgünstiger Lage.
Sisters Lehman(li) u. Teusch(r) |
erhielt Sister Lehman als neue Mitarbeiterin, die direkt vom Missions-Trainings-Zentrum in Provo zu uns gekommen ist. Sie stammt aus der Familie eines Süßwarenhändlers in Rexburg, Idaho, USA und ist das dritte von fünf Kindern. Die Vorfahren aus der Lehman-Linie waren vormals deutschstämmige Siedler in Russland, die Katharina die Große ins Land geholt hatte. Sister Lehman studierte schon an der Utah State University in Logan Geschichte und Deutsch, bevor sie sich für eine Mission entschied, die sie wunschgemäß nach Deutschland brachte. Sie weiß, dass eine Mission kein Spaziergang ist, sondern dass Missionsarbeit große persönliche Opfer erfordert (siehe Alma 26:27-30.; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/26?lang=deu) Als passionierte Fußballballspielerin besitzt sie Durchsetzungskraft und als geübte Bergwanderin auch die notwendige Ausdauer. Sie bezeugt, an einen liebenden Vater im Himmel zu glauben, der ihr viel von dem gegeben hat, was sie zu einer erfolgreichen Mission brauchen wird.
Elders Allen(li) u. Seamons(r) |
Nochmals kann ich bezeugen, dass ich die Wurzeln meines christlichen Glaubens in der Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzten Tage niemals verleugnen brauche, sondern dass sich die Lehren selbst des Alten Testaments auch in heutiger Zeit bewahrheiten und dazu beitragen, fester an einen ewigen Vater im Himmel, seinen Sohn Jesus Christus, der unser Erlöser ist, sowie an das Wirken des Heiligen Geistes zu glauben.
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It is
always good to turn to the scriptures as the protestant christians are doing it
this week on their Church convention the “Kirchentag” in Hamburg. They
have chosen a sentence from the Old Testament as their motto:” According to
your needs” (2. Moses 16:11-18; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/ex/16?lang=eng). One of our
old mission pamphlets that F. Enzio Busche published when he was district president
of the Rhine-Ruhr-area from 1965-1972 had the question on it “Why don’t you attend your
church with your family?” Because if everyone did, then they would know that
the manna not only cures the physical but also the spiritual needs and that we
are still obligated to collect it today and handle it responsibly. Yes we would
know that the manna of the Israelites is a symbol for the bread of life that
Christ passes to us during sacrament.
“According
to your needs” can also be found in the history of the building of the Dortmund
Chapel. At first it seemed impossible to find a location against the will of
the city officials. But the chairman of the property management of Dortmund had
been in American war imprisonment and had gotten to know that his war camp
leader, whom he highly respected, was a member of the church. This chairman had
been inspired by a dream that the ward in Dortmund needed his help. He contacted
the branch president, invited him to his office and had him pick a spot where
he wanted to build the chapel. The bishop modestly pointed to a region on the
outskirts of Dortmund, but the chairman directed his finger directly to a
beautiful green area close to the city centre where the chapel is actually
located today. The church got as much property as they needed to later add the
stake section and the Institute centre.
This week
brought a change of missionaries. Sister Haas now serves in Speyer. She was
replaced by Sister Lehman, who is coming straight from the MTC in Provo. Her
family lives in Rexburg Idaho and she is the third of five children. Her
ancestors are former German settlers who were brought to Russia by Kathryn the
Great.
Sisters Lehman(li) u. Teusch(r) |
Sister
Lehman studied History and German at the Utah State University in Logan before
she decided to go on a mission. It has been her dream to come to Germany. She
knows that a mission will not be a piece of cake, but a great personal
sacrifice (see Alma 26:27-30; http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/26?lang=eng) . Since she is a passionate soccer player and a hiker she has the
self-assertion and the persistence she needs. She testifies that she believes
in a loving heavenly father who has given her lots of what she will need to be
a successful missionary.
Elders Seamons(li), u. Allen(re) |
Elder
Sheppard was transferred to the mission office and was replaced by Elder Allen,
who has already served in Feucht and Krefeld. He is from Lindon, Utah. He is a
son of a physician and has five siblings. Before he came on his mission he
started studying natural horn at BYU. One can only imagine what it means to not
practice your instrument for two years if you want to become a professional
orchestra player, but he knows what his family is expecting of him and he wants
to serve out of love and gratitude to his heavenly father. He especially likes
the songs “a poor wayfaring man of grief” and “nearer my god to thee”. When I
asked him what his concluding statement to our interview would be, he answered
“The gospel makes me happy and I want to share that with my fellow men at all
times!”
Once again
I can testify that I don’t have to deny the roots of my faith in the church of
Jesus Christ of latter day saints. The teachings of the Old Testament are still
true today and help me strengthen my testimony of an eternal heavenly father,
of his son Jesus Christ, who is our redeemer and of the effects of the Holy
Ghost.
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