Dec. 20, 2010

HELLO. so, the number here is xxxx-xxxx-xxxx. I dont know the area code, or zip code, or country code, so find that out! For 1st christmas we're going to a concentration camp, and on 2nd christmas we're eating over peoples houses. (Germany celebrates Christmas for 2 days). I have not gotten my package yet. My passport isnt ready yet either. Im glad to hear broadway was cool. I love dodgeing cars in the city. Its awesome. Sorry to here about the crazy stuff with the plumbing. If it makes you feel better, theres a group of Satanist rising to power in the city, so it makes work alittle tricky. I have heard about Jolysa's mission and Scott's wedding. Shalese told me last week. I havn't heard from anyone else tho. I got letters from Aunt Mel, the Jankowskis, and the Shellys. So, im not entirely without mail. And uncle frank and aunt linda sent me a package, so i'll get presents to open on BOTH christmas's! Oh, I have to give a talk on Sunday. Im pretty sure im gunna slaughter the German language, but thats okay. I found out EVERYONE in my branch speaks english, but they dont speak it to me! But its fine. Its good practice. We got a tree yesterday from our Printer lady (whose not a member). She invited us to lunch with her and her husband, so we went with her to her dorf (Dorfs are REALLLY small towns out in the middle of nowhere. Theyre really old and pretty) and had an awesome lunch. We were there about 3 hours. We also got fed yesterday. I'M pretty sure ive gained like 4 pounds. Its exciting. I'd send pics today, but our computer doesnt have a USB input. Its still snowing. But not too bad. It getting cold. The sun is the brightest at 9 in the morning, and then it sets the rest of the day and is down by 4. I can understand people more! WOOHOO. And im tying to parrot everyone, and that seems to work. We really havn't taught anything. Its really slow during Christmas, which is to be expected. It should pick up after the holidays. But yeah. I cant think of anything else exciting (which is weird, cuz stuff happens all the time) So, hopefully i'll hear from you all on the 25th! K, ima write more. Bis Samstag! (Until Saturday).

Dec 13, 2010

Hello everyone. It is monday once again. And its suprisingly a nice day! Week was pretty good. Its been raining/snowing for awhile, so its a tad cold. If you think its cold there, come here. The sun never breaks over the horizon, so its usually 20 during the day, without the wind. The sun is down at 3:30, and thats when it starts snowing and getting windy. So, its usually 17 degrees at 4 and around negatives at 6. I guess this is the coldest winter Germany has had in 1000 years, and its not even winter yet. My testimony and knowledge are both getting a pretty good boost. We do alot of studying and reading during the day, so im definatly getting my fill. And the things we see during the day are also pretty solidifying for my testimony. YAY FOR PACKAGE ON THE WAY!!!! We´ve been anxiously awaiting my ipod, so i hope it comes soon. and i need shoes hahaha. Poor sick kitty. Thats what happens when you get one without me. Yay for your aniversery coming up and going to broadway! So, the language is still goin. I can basically understand almost everything, but saying what i want is still alittle tricky. It should come in about 5 months. We're not teaching alot of people. December is a hard month for missionary work, but we're trying none the less. P-days vary. No idea what we're doing today. I wanna do something cool. Alot of guys just wanna stay inside, but Im in Germany, so I wanna do stuff. Transfers are in 2 weeks. Ill probably stay, but theres no guarentee. I dont see why theyd seperate us yet. But, its not for me to decide. Zo-Ko was pretty cool. Nüremburg is quite pretty. Could you do some research on the knight statue you said the Sporbert side has? I wanna look for it. So, at the Nüremburg Bahnhof (train station), there were police everywhere, all with machine guns. Apperantly theres a nation-wide terrorist alert that we didnt know about. So, they were checking passports, and us Goldens dont have ours yet, so we had to hide and walk around and speak German. It was exciting. So, at the confrence I saw alot of the guys I came over with. It was only the Erfurt and Nüremburg zones, so I didnt see everyone. But I saw alot of people.It was awesome. We did alot of roll-playing too. those stink.  but they're good help. That was basically it. We had splits on Friday to Saturday. It was cool. I got to be in Gotha with one of my buddies companions. Hes also our distrikt leader. Hes pretty cool. And on saturday was our ward christmas party. It was small., but nice. I ate alot of sweets. OH. So ive basically been eating things that I would never eat back home. Its not too bad. Nothing gross yet. Its pretty cool.  And we had interviews with Pres. Ninow on Sunday. Those went really well. Hes awesome. So we've basically had a pretty chaotic week. But a good one. Thats about it for now. Hope all is well. OH. So, basically, I cant call home, So im gunna give you info on how to call on Christmas. We cant go anywhere, and cant call from our cell phones, so ill give you more info on Monday. K, gotta write more people. Tschüß!!!

December 6th, 2010

So,I guess its monday again. With the ipod, dont send headphones.We cant use them.Ill have to buy a charger for it or something. And peanut butter sounds great!  So yeah, its pretty cold. Its snowed like 4 days straight, so theres alot of slush. I hate slush. If you send me anything for christmas, I could really use some rockports. They dont have them here. And everyone says theyre really sturdrdy and waterproof. My shoes arent doing to well,so I got another cheap pair. Theyre not doing to well either lol. I just need something to keep the water out. Thats about it. So heres some things I thought I could write about: So, apperantly starting to learn russian was a really good idea. So many people speak it here, and we have a new investigator who is from eastern Ukraine (which is russian speaking). She just showed up to church on sunday after talking with one of the ladys from another ward. The lady felt compelled to talk to this non-member lady, and they talked for a while. She'll prolly get baptized really soon. We have Zone Confrence tomorrow in Nürenburg. Our train leaves at 6:30 am, so we gotta wake up really early. Im gunna see elder Prussy's buddy there,so itll be cool. Oh, and the money here is really cool. Alot of it is coins, like a 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 sent, 20 cent, 50 cent, 1 euro, and 2 euro. The smallest bill i've seen is 5 euro, then 10, then 20, then 50, and i havnt seen past that hahaha. I just got your letter today. So, about the non-alchoholic beer hahaha we only drink it at home, so no one sees us with it. we're very careful about our image. So, you got a kitty...without me. way to go. I hope you have to give it away. lol im kidding. but not really. but i am. So, yeah, lots of snow. So english class... Yes, we do teach english lol. But the past 2 times we've talked about religion alot, which I guess has never happened, so we're excited. With the duck and stuff on Thanksgiving, my comp did the cooking hahaha. He enjoys it. So.. no dangerous parts in Weimar. No dangerous parts inGermany actually. Its the safest european country. No real anti-america feelings. people here are kinda scared of us actually haha. Last p-day, we went to the Weinachtsmarkt in Erfurt, and its right below two huge cathidrels (i'll send pics real soon, prolly today). One chapel was catholic, and the other was lutherin or protestant. We went inside both, and they're soo cool. But they're kinda dark. I can imagine why most catholics dont go to church hahaha. So, yeah. Im not quite sure what else to write about. Transfers are in like 2 weeks. Not sure what goes on there, but we'll find out. So, yeah. Lots of fun and work out here. Um, so im not quite sure what else to write. OH YEAH! So, Presidant Ninow is awesome. Ive heard hes one of the greatest mission presidants in the field. He's really strict, but for a good reason. Hes supper nice and is just over all awesome. So, I just found out I can send picture over the internet, so im gunna do that in a seperate email so I dont have to waste money on post. K, i think thats about it. If I think of anything else, Ill let you know. K love you bye

November 29,2010

Its monday! So, yeah, theres alot of snow (naturally), but luckily its not too bad or cold. Thanksgiving was fun. We made a duck, biscuts and I had a croissant. It was pretty fun. Ill send pictures at some point. We've also had alot of rain too. But yeah. So Ive decided that Germany is awesome. The history of Weimar is intense. Hitler gave a speech here at the Hotel Elephant (i took a picture). I guess it was a pretty famous speech. I tried 3,8% milk, and im pretty sure its the greatest tasting milk ive ever had. I can actually drink it straight. So, Germany has 2 days of christmas! The 25th AND the 26th! By the way, we need to set up when im gunna call home. I found crispy M&Ms!!! I havnt seen them for like 12 years, because theyve been hiding in Germany! And they taste just as good as before! Im pretty sure im gunna marry a german girl. Its already set in my mind. So, like matt said, there is no peanut butter. Or bagels. Well, I did find peanut butter in one store, but its uber small and kinda expensive. But, yeah. Its awesome here. Im starting to understand alot of what people are saying, but I still need some translation. And speaking it is coming along very slowly. My comp. goes home in Feb., so he's almost done. We have transfers in like 4 weeks. Ill prolly stay here, but no one knows. So, one of our investigators is like the same age as us, and we basically have the same interests. My comp thinks that the sole reason im here in Weimar or the reason he's even training at all is to baptise him. He's an awesome guy, AND I GOT TO PLAY HIS GUITAR. I realized that I have forgoten almost everything. I tried a Döner today. It has alot of stuff in it that I dont usually eat, but it was amazing. I had rotkohl (red cabbage) on thursday. Its soo good. OH. so during our english class on wednesday, the ladys we teach asked me what "Elder" meant, and because my comp was fixing something on the other side of the room, I had to talk to them. He was trying to see how far I could translate and answer without him there, and i guess I did a pretty good job. Then we just talked about missionary work, which I guess has never happened before! It was pretty awesome. Oh, and we have a goal to get a baptisim by the end of the week. Its big, but Pres. wants each companionship to get a baptisim by the end of the month, which is pretty intense, but we'll see what we can do. Oh, and the dogs here are so well trained. People walk them everywhere without leashes and they are extremly obediant. Its like walking with another person. When I get a dog, Im training it here. So, im sorry I couldnt be home for tanksgivin. I got a little tied up. Did you dish out my address to people yet? I want people to talk to me :(.  Did you send my jacket and ipod? And ill look into boots at sometime soon. So far i'm doing pretty good. So, i'm not sure what to talk about, seeing as i'll be calling in like 4 weeks anyways. So, im pretty sure that Germany is 6 hours ahead of CT, so If I call at 8p.m. Germany time, would that would be 2 CT time? Would that be time enough for the guys to come over? Im not sure, you can do some of the planning too hahaha. So, yeah, I think thats everything for now OH WAIT so on sunday, there were like 17 people at church! thats pretty good, but alot of them dont go to our ward, so im not sure why they were there, but im not complaining. Um, yeah, so I think thats everything. If not, ill let you know. But, yeah. K, see ya later. Tchüß!

First letter from Germany

Hello, everyone. So, these german keyboards are really weird. The y and z is switched, and a bunch of other stuff. My p-day is on Mondays. Its snowing like crazy right now. And its cold. Ive only seen the sun once since ive been here. But, yeah. So the flight over was good. There was like no one on the plane, so we got to spread ourselves out. The in-flight meals were not too shabby. So, we got to Frankfurt at like 11, and President and Sis. Ninow met us there with the APs, and our group got split up: one went on the Bahn (in-city train) to talk to people and kind of see the city a little, and the other went to the mission office to start geting processed. I was with the Bahn group. It was rather exciting. And, amazingly, Germany looks just like the Northeast. So, after riding the train and talking to people (which was pretty cool), we went and got processed. Then had dinner at the Presidants house, then went to a hotel for the night. When we got up, I had probably one of the greatest breakfeasts ever. And it was all you can eat, and free. So i ate alot. Then, we went to the stake center in Frankfurt and met our trainers and went to our areas. My compainon is Elder Stradling from New Mexico. He has only a couple weeks left, so he really knows the language and how to do stuff. We get along great. He talks most of the time, because I dont know what anyone is saying ,lol. We are in Weimar, which is in Eastern Germany, so its only been free from communisim for like 20 years, which kinda makes missionary work a little difficult because everyone is so reserved. But when you talk to people, they're pretty nice. Our branch is small- only 10 people were at church yesterday. But, back to the other day. It´s a 2 hour train ride from Frankfurt to Weimar. And we have the biggest missionary distrikt in the Frankfurt mission. Everyone is a trainer, and I know most everyone in our distrikt, which means when we go on splits, it'll be with someone i was with at the MTC. Elder Anderson went to Dusseldorf, so I'll see him at zone confrence, which is being held in Nürnburg in like a week (its the christmas capital of the world), and we´ll be there for 2 days. But yeah. Weimars a decent-sized city. Theres like 60,000 people. Its been cloudy for my entire stay here. The pastrys are amazing. Oh, and i eat waffles like everyday. and they're better than eggo. So, I have to trade my cash in for Euros today. I have 180 dollars, and its useless. Im just gunna start writing random stuff now. We had subway the other day. I had to order by myself. It went pretty well I think. The members are really nice. One of them actually speaks english really well, so that was a relief, because no one in East Germany speaks english, unless they want to swear. I ride the bus and train like everyday. its fun. The styles here are crazy. I'll fit in fine when I come back. EVERYONE HAS A GUITAR. it makes me sad. My bike seat is too high, so we have to fix it. Theres techno blasting everywere. Its awesome. It costs alot to use computers. We´re in a casino right now, because these are the closest available computers. Germany is almost completly reversed from america from morals. America is all about violence and shuns sex. Germany is all about sex and shuns violence. We have to be careful where we look, cuz theres porn almost everywhere. The Weinachtsmarkt (christmas market) is being set up. Its soo awesome. And it smells amazing. The croissants here are the best ever. Alcohol-free beer doesnt taste very good, BUT i found a brand that does, so its all good. Theres 2 alcohol indicators on bottles, and we check both of them, so dont worry. we´re still being good lol. Did you know I can't speak german? Or understand it? I didnt haha. I had to kinda give a little intro to me in sacrament, and everyone said I have a really good accent. So i just need to know more words. Or they were making me feel better. So, contrary to what people think, the Autobahn has speedlimits EVERYWHERE. BUT, there are some spots were it doesnt. We´re just supposed to not go past 120 km. But we dont have a car, so it doesnt matter. I think I might get mcdonalds today, but im not sure. The members give us coupons, so we should use them up. Our apartment is really nice. It has a washer AND dryer! a lot dont have that. Theres a concentration camp a little ways from us, so we´re gunna go visit that soon. Despite popular belief, Germans do NOT celebrate Thanksgiving, but we are gunna cook a duck or something at home, and have a turkey bowl with the other mics in our distrikt. Yeah, so heres our address so you can send me mail and other stuff:

Elder Alex R. Madore

Kirche Jesu Christi HLT

So, speaking of mail, send that to everyone or put it on my facebook. MAKE SURE PEOPLE GET IT. And I need you to send me 2 things: My ipod (which we can have, I did ask), and My denim jacket with the black hood (which we can also have). Send them together, and put the ipod in a pringles jar (people dont care for pringles). That should be all I need for now. But, yeah. Its awesome here. Im excited. And, we gotta go get more food and walk around and buy stuff. I think thats everything, so now you can send me stuff! Keep telling me about home and stuff haha. emails are good. so are letters. But, yeah, im gunna go now. Tchüß!

Carl-Von-Ossietzky Str. 30

99423 Weimar

GERMANY

November 11, 2010

Its Thursday again. And I regret to inform you that I will NOT be going to Germany. They've changed my/our mission around because Germany just had some big trouble with US visas, so I'll be going to the England, North mission. That includes northern England and Scotland. I have to stay here for another 2 weeks to work out some stuff. . JUST KIDDING BAHAHAHAHA. Im still on for Monday. Today is the last time I will be emailing in the USA. On Tuesday we heard from ElderDavid A. Bednar. Did you know he served his mission in Southern Germany? Oh, and me and my companion got to talk to him as they were driving away at the end. It was cool I guess... We got to hear 4 apostles in a row. I guess that hasnt happened in an extremly long time, so all our teachers were jealous of us. We got our flight plans last Friday, and they are as follows:

 

4 A.M.- Go to the Travel Office to get important stuff

We take a bus from the MTC to SLC

From there, our flight group will take the 7:52 flight to Chicago (we're flying Lufthansa, which is the same airline Pres. Uchtdorf flies...and its all German)

We'll get to Chicago around 12, and we have a 4 hour lay-over

Then, around 4, we fly from Chicago to Frankfurt, and we'll get to Frankfurt around 7 A.M. on Tuesday..so we'll be in the air for 15 hours.

And Im not sure if our Mission President meets us there. I know the first day we'll stay at the Mission home in Frankfurt, then on Wed. we'll take a car or the train to our first area.

 

    Thats about it. Me and my companion are on 2 different flights, so we'll see each other in Chicago, and thats it. I'll get a new travel companion, so its all good. Ive got an awesome group. His group has an 8 hour layover and wont get to Germany until 11 A.M. on Tuesday. Im assuming I'll call while im in Chicago, so have a phone on you from 12 to 4. We got to host again on Wednesday. One of the elders I hosted is going to Hartford, Spanish-speaking, so you might see him. I dont remember his name tho. Today was the last day Id hear the endowment session in english for 2 years. And I finally got it all right, now i just have to do that in German...*gulp*. So, I got a letter from Joey, and one of the things he said  is that Travis was on the police blotter for a stop-sign violation...I need valitity.We are all super excited to go on Monday, and we're all freaking out at the same time. But we're just so ready to leave. Im sending the last of my pictures today, so im not sure when you'll get them. Make sure everyone knows not to send me anymore letters till I give the okay next week. But, anyway. Its gotten quite cold out. It snows a little like everyday, so its fun. I have one more day of Gym left. I have to get most of my packing done today, and be completly finished by Saturday night. Tomorrow we're doing something called "fantastic friday", which I am NOT looking forward to at all. After gym in the morning, we will be teaching ALL DAY except for meals. So im gunna die basically. Ive got 5 minutes left, and im not sure what to talk about. So, yeah. Hope everything is all well and no one is dying. I got a haircut today. We've been having alot of travel meetings. So, yeah. K, im gunna go now. Tell the guys to be over on Monday!!! Talk to you on Monday! 

November 4, 2010

It is yet again Thursday. I have 11 days left till we leave. I think we get our flight plans today or tomorrow. Yes, i got my hat on saturday and my scarf on monday. The hat wasnt quite what i wanted, but it works and looks fine. Our devotional on Tues. was given by M. Russell Ballard. Thats 3 apostles in a row. I heard they havnt been back-to-back in a very, very long time. On fast sunday is mission confrence. I dont remember what happens, but my comp. is giving the opening prayer in front of the whole MTC, which means we get to sit on the stand with the important people and be on tv and stuff. Its been pretty nice here, weather-wise. We've played soccer the past 3 days and its been awesome. I found out im pretty good at it. Must be the German in me. Oh, we hosted yesterday. It was pretty awesome. but kinda sad. I hosted an elder and 2 sisters. ill prolly do it again next week. I talked to a sister yesterday whos going on the Baltic mission, but its Russian speaking, so I asked her if she happened to have any extra russian learning materials. She said she did and that I can have them to work on it. its pretty awesome. Halloween was pretty fun. Me and my comp. dressed up in a crazy costume (ill send pics soon) and scared an elder half-to-death. and we got (and got rid of) alot of candy. thankfully we're almost out. Um, i think that on Sunday let everyone know to NOT send me actuall letters till i let you know my address in Germany, and stop sending dear elders on friday afternoon (12th) because once im gone, they dont send me what i get here, so ill never see them. Anyways, im sorry to hear jake is puking his guts out. have him drink root-beer. And im glad to hear the yard looked cool. I want to see pictures from the church thing and of our yard (if there were any takin). Im not sure what else to write about. ive gained some weight, but i keep loosing it. So ive basically maintained the same weight the whole time, but i think ive gone up like 1 pound. And i eat like every meal. So, hopefully in Germany ill add more pounds. So, some cool stuff I learned about Germany: Their suits are tight fitting, so we'll look doofy with baggy slacks and coats. Christmas basically started there, so im not upset ill be missing a U.S. christmas. I found out that our mission also includes Luxemburg, which is a different country, so i might be in 2 countrys. When you first meet people, you dont shake hands, before or after meeting. Its very rare. Thats all I can think of, but i shall let you know when im there and can actually talk about it. SO, yeah, that about it. quite boring here. But i hope everything is going well at home and no one is dying. K, imma gunna go now. OH, p.s., im not sick. i havnt been sick in a while, so im good. K, thats about it, so now im really gunna go now. k bye