Last week in France.. and 2 baptisms!

Well this will be my last blog ever so I will try to make it a good one. This week was super busy but I think that's the best way to have it. I had my last district meeting ever and it was pretty strange to say goodbye to the missionaries. Also on Friday one of my best friends Elder Peterson came and did an exchange with me. He is from my MTC district so it was a lot of fun! He also did the interviews for our baptismal dates and they passed! So on Sunday it was crazy! So first I taught the lesson at church, then I had to bless the sacrament, then Elder Schow and I had to give 5 people the gift of the Holy Ghost, then because it was fast and testimony meeting I gave my testimony and then we had our 2 others baptisms after church!

It was my craziest Sunday ever but I loved it so much! The baptismal service was really beautiful and the spirit was really strong! Well that's been my week pretty much haha. I would just like to thank all my friends and family who have been so supportive and kept in touch over the past 2 years! I am really grateful for you all and love you a lot! I am going to miss France so much! It has become a really special place for me and I will never forget all the people I have met and the friends I have made! I can say that after 2 years choosing to serve a mission was the best decision of my life! I have no regrets and I had an amazing time and I have never felt closer to God! I hope to see lots of you on Thursday and very soon! Love you all! For the last time ever... ELDER KARL

Colmar Mountains

Peterson and I hiking a mountain

10 days!!! .. and 2 more baptisms!.. and lots of pictures!!

hello everyone! So this is my last week here on a mission...
Can't believe I'm saying that. 2 years has been so fast! But anyways
this week was a really good week. We taught a lot of people but
specifically 2 girls who will be getting baptized this coming Sunday!
(My last Sunday) one is 18 and the other 17. They are sisters and they
are super awesome. They are really excited for their baptism and so am
I. So my last Sunday will be very special! But things here are
wonderful and coming to a beautiful end! This weekend I missed my
sister Katie's wedding! But I just want to congratulate her and her
husband and wish them the best for the future and that I love them!
Sorry I could not make it! But things here are awesome and I could not
be more grateful for my mission or for my friends and family! Also
anyone who would like to come to the airport Thursday October 15th at
5:21pm ... Your welcome to come and of course I understand if your
busy but just want to throw that out there! Love you and all and can't
wait to see you in a couple of days! Love Karl ❤️✈️

 

The countdown begins!

hello everyone I'm so sorry I have not written a blog in such a long time. Mostly because I have been lazy... But I will try to be better for the last 2 weeks haha. So big news yesterday we had 5 baptisms.

It was a really big blessing because there has not been a baptism in this area for a long time and white washing with a blue is not easy! White washing is when you and you companion get put into a ville at the same time and both of you are lost lol. And a blue is a missionary straight out of the MTC. (Missionary Training Center) So it has been an adventure but my companion or aka son is amazing. He is fresh from America so French and teaching is hard for him but he is such a cool guy. And when you and your companion get along and become real friends that's when the work can really take off. So when we arrived in Colmar 11 weeks ago their was nothing going on here. We had no Amis and no information for anything. But Elder Schow and I decided that it was a fresh start for the ville and that anything was possible! So for the next 11 weeks we worked really hard and tried so many different ways to get things moving here and get people excited about the work. And after 11 weeks we had 5 baptisms and have 3 more in October and we have 15 people coming every Sunday to church! It is the biggest miracle I have seen on my mission. Watching a place go from zero work to one of the most thriving church branches I have ever seen! The lord works in such a beautiful way. All you have to do is believe it will happen and the lord will put you in opportunities to be successful! As my mission comes to an end it's hard not to be sad and happy. Happy because I will get to see my family and friends again. But sad because I have to leave my new family franc friends I have made during these 2 years. It is impossible for me to explain my thankfulness or gratitude to Heavenly Father for sending me to this mission and for putting me in each city and with each companion I have had! I have learned that the world is much bigger then myself and that the world does not revolve around me. At 18 years old though that's all I thought. But deciding to serve a mission has been the best decision of my life. Helping the people I have met come unto Christ has only strengthened my own personal testimony of the Savior and that he truly loves me. It's funny how truly when you lose your life for the lord you find it. People would think that leaving 2 years you would lose a lot of things.. But really I have never received more in my life then in these 2 years. Because at the end of the day you only remember the good times. The laughs you shared with people you meet on the street and the tears you shed for the strangers who become family. I am eternally grateful for all the love and support I have received over the past 2 years and for your prayers. I love you all! Elder Karl
🇫🇷❤️

Counting down!

Baptizing a family of 6!

Things here are good we found a huge family this week and they accepted a baptismal date! So we will be having 6 baptisms on the 27th of September. So that's a big blessing! 
I am pretty excited to come home! I just hope I'll be able to find a car when I get home haha!
I can't wait to go to the temple! After 2 years of not going it's been pretty rough even remembering what you do in the temple haha! Yikes...
But I am pretty pumped to see you in a couple of weeks! I will try to keep going strong!

A hike up a mountain!

Elder Schow and Elder Karl

hello everyone sorry I have been terrible at writing a blog! So this week was super cool! It was a holiday on the 15 th of August and no one was outside! So my companion elder Schow and I decided we would walk to the village right beside Colmar which is about 4 miles. So we walked there and once we got there we arrived into a wine festival. Haha it was beautiful but mostly tourist so we looked up and saw a huge castle called "Des trois château" and that was about another 6 miles up through a giant vineyard and through the woods.. Let me remind you that we are in church clothes. But my companion and I feel like we should go up this mountain. So we started our journey to the 3 castles and as we are walking we keep eating grapes off of the vineyard. About half way up we meet a family from Belgium. They were trying to get to the 3 castles as well but were a little lost. So we decided we would all go up together. They were confused why we had white shirts and ties so it was a great time to explain what we do and about the church. And also because I live in Brussels, Belgium for about 4 months we talked a lot about that! Fast forward 2 hours and we all make it to the top! It was incredible that the Lord gave us a prompting to climb up a mountain to teach a family from Belgium! Also the view was amazing you could see all the same villages around Colmar and also Colmar itself.

So we hiked 12 miles on foot to get to this mountain in church clothes... 

They asked us how we got their from Colmar we said we walked ... They asked if we used buses but because it was a holiday there were none so we told them how we have been walking all day. They thought it was incredible and had a lot of respect for what we do! It was so awesome! Also we have a 22 year old French girl that we teach now! Her name is Manon I might have said it before but she is awesome! She has a baptismal date for the 27th of September! It's crazy how fast time goes and that I will be home Ina couple of weeks!
I love you all! ❤️

King of the mountain

Colmar from a mountain

Flight Home Itinerary!!

"This week we set a baptismal date for the 23 of August with a 22 year old French girl named Manon she is dope. " Elder Karl



Elder Karl is flying into Pittsburgh International Airport at 5:21 on Thurs Oct 15! 

New Address (and last!!)
les missionaries Elder Karl
3A Rue De La Bageatelle
68000 Colmar