June 24 - July 2, 2012

JUNE 24, 2012
Doing good. pretty tired. Week was okay. Hada sweet lesson with the girl that talked to us on the bus. But we havnt heard back from her. Hoping she just lost her phone. I dont think she would just up and leave randomly. Also had a lesson with an african family that was a referral from a member. They´re pretty cool. Thats about it. Its been going pretty slow, but its still going pretty good. As for the letter from Shalese, she just said that she got a job and that im coming home really soon and some stuff like that. I wrote Giselle like 3 weeks ago. I need to get a note out to Joeys mom. Ive been meaning to do that for awhile. Yeah, not quite sure what else to write about. That mission thing sounds pretty cool.(Chad and Travis spent a full day on a "mini-mission")  Um, we´re playing sports today with the zone. Thats cool. Yeah, thats about it. Hope you have a great week tschüß!


JULY 2, 2012
yeah, im just tired. Other than that, im doing pretty good. Hey, at least now we´ll all be home for alittle longer.(Travis's mission papers will not be submitted until September due to a delay) Who knows. Im starting to think about becoming a cop/detective again, cuz it seems the most secure and I could stay relativly close to home. I would like to maybe work in boston, but we´ll see. Im just gettin nervous, its like 8 weeks away. Today we´re going to some sweet Roman ruins, so tha´t´ll be sweet. Yesterday we had like 3 random students at church, so that was cool. They´re doing a project about American churches in the ruhrgebiet. Whether they had interest or not, dont know. But we were able to help ém about a bit. Tanner is going to Wisconsin for his mission? Thats pretty sweet. I dont even know where that is, map-wise, hahahaha. He´ll have a blast. As to the poem you wrote, its pretty good. You should write stuff, like books or music or poems or something. Remember that book you wrote that was kinda like our lifes and interaction with the Gimeniz´s? lolz. But yeah, you should put that in the Ensign magazine or something. Yeah, not much more to say. Elder Collins and I are getting along. He reminds me a lot of Chad, which i think is training for me for when I get home to see if I get along with my siblings better this time round lol. But its good. Yeah, thats about it. K, have a great week tschüß!

June 18, 2012 (10 weeks, 4 days !!!!)

The week was eventful. We moved most of the week, but it was relativly easy. The new apartment is okay. A tad roomier, but the kitchen is way small. We only have room for our washer, sink and stove. Everything else is in our study room (which isnt bad, cuz now we have easy access to the fridge during study lol). We also had Zone Conference in Düsseldorf, so that was awesome. President  asked all the old farts to stand up that are leaving within the next 2 cycles. Pretty intense. Teaching pool is getting better, found 3 new investigators last week. 2 of them are an african couple, and the other is this way legit girl that talked to us on the bus on Saturday night. She´s way pumped to meet with us. As to being senior companion, its not too bad. Just was stressful cuz of the move and I have to make more phone calls. But other than that, its pretty normal. Sounds like life at home is pretty eventful. I guess I can help with stuff in like 10 weeks haha. Got a letter from Shalese on friday, that was cool... yeah, thats about it from this end. Hope you have a great week and HAPPY FATHERS DAY Dad!!! I know I was a pretty big butt when I was home and didnt make your life easier, but thanks for everything that you do for us and for those times you went with me to stuff even tho you prolly didnt want to (Van Halen, Starzyks concert in Hartford) It means alot to me and Ive been able to learn from both your example... and your mistakes.  Um, yeah, I cant think of much. 10 weeks left. Um, K have a great week tschüß!

June 11, 2012 (11 weeks, 4 days!!)

Week was pretty hectic. On tuesday or wednesday we found out we´re moving tomorrow, so ive been kinda stressed handeling the move and everything. But other than that, its going okay. The new address is: Roonstr. 29 44629 Herne. Its not that far from where we are now. Jake...yeah, kinda sounds like me haha. BUT I never brought anything to school, just little cards, so its not that bad. We have zone conference on friday in Düsseldorf, so that´ll be cool. Other than that, there not much going on. Number-wise, this past week was one of the worst on my mission. But its getting better. It was just hard with transfers and packing and stuff. The new companion is good. He kinda looks like Elder Stradling, which is funny cuz he´ll prolly send me home. This is his 3rd cycle, 2nd area, 2nd companion. President told me over the phone 2 weeks ago to turn him into a "Preach My Gospel" missionary & prep him to train. Funny they have me do that, cuz I never trained lol. But yeah, he´s pretty cool. Yeah, noit much more to bericht on. We´re gunna spend most of the day packing and stuff. Weathers been cooling off, but itll prolly get warmer pretty soon. OH. And the EuroCup is going on, so its been way hectic. We got invited by some people off the street to come eat with them and watch the game (Ger-Portugal) That was pretty cool. I guess on Wed. they´re plaing the Netherlands. Gunna be pretty intense. K, thats about it for now. Have a great week! Tschüß!

June 4, 2012 (12 weeks, 4 days to go!!)

For TRANSFERS: Im staying, Elder Owens is going to Aachen (right on the Belgium/Netherlands border). My new companion is Elder Collins. He´s coming from Speyer (one of my old districts, when I was in Mannheim). AND he´s just started his 3rd cycle. Im Golden-Busting him. My 1st younger companion, and he´ll prolly kill me too (meaning the two will probably be together until Alex comes home). As to getting a suit when I come home, trust me, that wont be needed ;) I have found out threw the grape vine that girls back home LOVE the stuff I bought, especially the jeans. So yeah, Ill be styling, trust me. This suit says, "Im home, and Im a bachelor". And its European: Itll ALWAYS be in style.

 

As to the Outback...I hate you all. (Our family went and celebrated Alex's 21st birthday..without him!) We´ll have to go again to make up for it. On my birthday we had transfer calls, and a split in Dortmund. So, I didnt really do anything special. I had some prety good ice cream, tho. But yeah, this coming week will be pretty intense. We´re going to the zoo today, so i dont have much time. Tell Grandma THANK YOU SO MUCH! Im horrible at letter writing, so show her that. I had a thought. For my 1st meal back, I want Arbys. No joke. The #5 combo (if thats what it still is). Just a thought haha. But yeah, not much more to say, but Ill definatly have more on Monday. K, have a great week! Tschüß!

May 7 - May 29, 2012

MAY 7, 2012

Week was pretty good. We finally reached our goals this week! Wasnt a lot, but we did get 2 (almost 4) new investigators, so things are starting to look up. It has also rained a lot here.So for Mother's Day, Can you call 1:30 your time. Itll be like 7:30 here. We have an appointment with our new investigator at 7, so Ill prolly be talking to you from a straßenbahn and reception might get a little iffy, but thats okay. Other than that, not much to say. Playing soccer today in Dortmund, so we´re kinda rushed today. I got an email from Giselle.  Yeah, thats about it. Talk to you on Sunday! Tschüß!

MAY 14,2012

thanks for sending Austin's address. Ill definatly try to write him. And I dont think I left anything to any of the kids...I thought I put it all in a box? bleh. Well, dont have much to say, seeing as I talked to you yesterday. Um...Ill prolly have more this week. Today we´re kinda just chillin. But...yeah...k tschüß

MAY 21, 2012

Week was pretty good. We reached our goals basically, which were higher than last weeks, so thats cool. It rained and now its getting way warm & humid. Had interviews on friday, those went pretty well. Um, prolly going to the temple on Saturday, so thatll be fun. We have a mini zone confrence tomorrow. Thats about it on this end. Got re-imburssed finally, so we´re gunna go to dortmund today to go get me a new suit and maybe some other stuff. Sounds like fun back home. Im glad I dont have to worry about high-school drama anymore. Its funny, cuz when I was home, I think I worried a lot about dating and/or girls, but when I look at it now, its all kinda pointless. BUT, when I get home, Ill prolly be worrying a lot about it. But this time its more important. yeah, i dont know what im saying. Um, yeah, don't have much else. Could you see if BYU-I has anything with photography, business management or wildlife biology? or all 3? And if theres a chance for an exchange to another country? thats for the photo portfolio build-up. K, ima go now. Have a great week! Tschüß! 

MAY 29, 2012

So, thi week wasnt too bad. we had a Germany-wide fast/finding day on Thurs-Fri. That was pretty cool. Mini zoko is just for 1 zone instead of 2. Sorry I didnt write yesterday- it was a holiday. Germans have holidays for every little thing. Um, I bought a new suit, a pair of jeans, and a scarf of my favorite soccer team. The suit looks pretty sweet, and European. Same with the jeans. Lets just say, everything is tighter here lol. Thanks for the school information. Not quite sure what to do with it right now, but at least you know a little more than I do. The weather this past week was brutal. It was WAY hot and humid. Temple trip on Saturday was pretty cool. The whole Mannheim ward was there, so that was way sweet. Id have to say that that was my favorite ward, and they all remembered me haha. So, I guess my birthdays this week. Thats cool i guess. never thought Id make it to 21 haha. But then, im not there yet. We have 2 splits this week, and transfer calls are on Saturday. I think im going, but we´ll see. You dont know if anyones sent me mail right? Just in case I go. But yeah, thats about it. Cool that Travis's mission papers are finally in. The call should be coming then in a couple weeks, right? Thats about the same time I got my call. Pretty cool. Yeah, thats about all from my end. Hope ya´ll have a great week! Tschüß!  

APRIL 2 - 30 2012

APRIL 2, 2012
Im good. Interviews were good. We left at 8 a.m. and got in at 12:30. It was a long day. After interviews, our train left at around 5, and then we got stranded at the airport cuz all the trains were falling out. We didnt get home till 11:30. Nope, havnt got a package yet.  Say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Trav for me. And tell him nervous is normal- he´s still gotta do it lol. Yeah, I saw Tucker and the American Idol kid (David Archuletta) during General Conference. It was pretty sweet. We were in Dortmund like all day Sunday, and Saturday night. We dont get to see the Sunday afternoon session, cuz its too late. Other than that, its been going really slow here. Companion and I are getting along great, but we´re not teaching very many people, if any. Still doing alot of finding time. Our investigators are so hard to get ahold of, and they never have any time. Germans have this thing, where if they have 1 appointment in a day, their day is packed. Its way annoying, cuz they all have plenty of time. But yeah, not much going on. OH. Story for the week: While we were in Dortmund hbf, there were hundreds of cops. Like, all riot cops. There were also choppers in the air and armoured vehicles. It was pretty intense. I guess there was some big nazi thing going on. It was crazy. But yeah, we had KFC and went about as if nothing was going on. K, we´re playing football  today, so I gotta go. Have a great week tschüß! 



APRIL 10,2012
   

  So, the airport was just one of the stops of our train. And yeah, there was a nazi rally going on. Those happen alot. Easter was good. Went to a members house for duck,  potatoes and rotkohl. It was waaay good. And yesterday was a holiday, so thats why Im writing today (tuesday).

Otherwise, dont have much to say, or have much time. Going to castle today. Nothing much happened this week. Got really cold again. Um, had a streetpreach i GelsenKirchen. That was nifty. I drew with chalk again. Did I already mention how President wants me to make a "how to" video for the mission so he can show it at confrences? Should be fun. Nope, ahvnt gotten package yet. K, gotta go. Have fun in Colorado! Schöne Gruße an the Fergusons! Tschüß!

APRIL 16,2012

week was okay. Still have like no lessons and lots of finding. not alot of time today. Played soccer for pday, and one of the sisters in our district is going home for sickness reasons, so we had a going-away party. But yeah, transfer calls are on Saturday. If i go to BYU, I'd shoot for provo, cuz id know alot of people there. Could you look into taking the ACT for me? like, what id have to do? thatd be great. nope, no package yet. 19 weeks. Um, thats about it. Have a great week! Tschüß! 


APRIL 23,2012
So we´re both staying together this cycle of transfers. This´ll be the longest Ive been with a companion. As to BYU-P, Im still gunna try. Yes, I got the package the day I told you I didnt get it lol. I just hadnt been home yet, so I didnt know. Thanks abunch!. So, my birthdays coming up...just saying. I actually dont want anything. Well, thats a lie. I actually wanna get a new backpack, so I dont destroy the one ima give to travis (cuz, like, I havnt used it at all. Maybe Ill just send it home) and the one I do use has seen its days. Im not saying send me a backpack, maybe just alittle money and that should be the last thing you give me for the rest of my mission. But anyways, slow week. Was a little better, tho. Still teaching, like, no lessons and lots of finding. We think this cycle will be better, tho. As to MothersDay, We´re not gunna skype home. Ill give you the land line to the church like next week so you can start preping for that. Also got an email today from the mission with my release date and stuff. Pretty intense. They also were supposed to send a form that im supposed to fill out, but it wasnt attached, so not sure what im gunna do lol. Other than that, yeah. Today we´re gunna clean alot. Cuz we´re trying to move. And our appartment is falling apart (not our faults) so we´re gunna see what we can do. K, not much else to say. Have a great week! Tschüß! 


APRIL 30,2012

Week was okay. Was able to have like 3 lessons this week, which is an improvement. One was with a guy on the street, another at an eating appointment, and the other was a set-up with jehovas witnessess. That one was pretty intense. They like to argue. A lot... And leave no place for a rebuttle. We just didnt say anything, and when we did, it was just our testimony. Pretty legit. We were explaining how the Spirtit confirms truths, and they said they´ve never felt that, nor do they know any JW´s that have. Pretty legit. That was prolly the more intense part of the week. We were sick for like 2 days, but it wasnt too bad. My allergies are finally kicking in, but I dont expect them to last that long. my throat is wicked sore. We also played soccer on saturday with some people from our ward. it was way hot & humid, but it was way sweet.

Austin is a champ. You can tell him I said that. The MTC is spiritually brutal. It makes you feel like crap. Im pretty sure everyone ive talked to has felt that way. But he still plans to go out, so thats legit.
With the email from the mission, I just had my companion send me the sheet, and I filled it out. All's good to go.

Hey, you should look into scholarships for me. And if its possible if you can register me for the ACT without me being there. Thatd be cool.

I dont think Im missing anything. SO. have a great week talk to ya later tschüß!

March 26, 2012

Hello,

thanks for Giselle's address, ill prolly get a letter out to her soon, and the rest of the giminezesheybgjs 

yeah, this week was pretty slow. We had schedualed alot of appointments, but basically all of them fell out. Its kinda stressful. Going down to Frankfurt tomorrow for interviews, that should be exciting. Yeah, I think the members are starting to open up a little more. We now have a ward mission leader, and I have a talk on the 22nd. Its only 5 min., so it should be a piece of cake. I figure, if I can whip out 10 minutes of german out of my butt, a prepared 5 minutes schould be nothing. Um, had an eating appointment yesterday. We had lasagna. Its funny that all the food you cooked at home I get here, basically. Sorry for being such a punk eater. Ill prolly eat everything when I get home, plus other stuff. Ill have to get a German recipe book. As to sending stuff home, Ill prolly keep it all. Costs too much to send, and I dont really have that much stuff. I have like one winter coat, and thats about it. Oh, thermals too. I prolly have more socks than anything. Yeah, if this makes you any more anxious, I have 22 weeks left :D. Tell joey Im a punk and have been real busy, but Ill get a letter out to him within the next couple weeks. Other than that, not much going on. Weathers been awesome. But, alas, with great weather comes 2 great downsides: Attractive women, and punk kids. Punk kids just chill at bahn stations and make fun of us. Its actually kinda funny. They know 2 words in english, the F bomb, and the B word lol. So its really easy to make them look like idiots. We´ve been doing a good job at that.Na ja, thats about it from my end. Not much else to say at the moment. Mothers Day is in, like, a month, so I guess Ill talk to you in a month lol. K, ima go now. Tschüß!