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

October 28, 2010

So, its thursday again. I dont get my Germany address till im in Germany, so i'll know in 2 weeks and 4 days. Thank you soo much for the hat & scarf. They will be put to good use. We had snow like 2 days in a row. Most of the mountains are covered, but nothing is sticking here. It stuck one night, but it melted in the afternoon. As  for Tuesday devotional, Elder Richard G. Scott came and gave an awesome talk. it was basically everything he learned over his life about feeling & working with the Spirit, and we have it all on paper. AND he used his priesthood keys (which are all of them) to invoke on us foreign-serving missionaries the Gift of Tounges. Now usually, we dont get the G.o.T. till we're in the field, but he gave it to us 2 weeks early. Its pretty awesome. We got a new shipment of newbs yesterday. Theres about 32 of them, so theres about 60-something in our zone. The Elder with the neck thing has been doing alot better. Im not too sure whats still going on with that. Last week one of our elders went home to work something out, but he will be going to Germany. Dont know when, but he is going. Not quite sure what else to talk about. Most of everything we do is in German now. We have 2 more TRC's, which is where we teach a random investigator. Our last 2 are on the Plan of Salvation, in German. It flows really easily now. Yesterday me & my comp had a teaching appointment (we set those up) in German, and the whole time it just sounded like english. Well, not like english, but I could understand everything we were talking about. Im getting better vocab-wise. We are finishing learning all the principles we need next week, then its all review. We should be getting flight plans really soon. I'll prolly send more pics towards the end of our stay so I can start fresh when we leave. But, yeah. So, my compainion has figured out you can slip silverware into people's pockets without them knowing. Ask the elders at home if they have experienced this. its pretty funny. He's also working on name-tags. that ones a little more tricky. So, one of my teachers told me shes doing a school thing at Yale during the summer, so I told her to go visit you, so if a random blonde girl appears at the house one day, dont be alarmed. Soccer was fun while it lasted, but they've closed the field cuz its getting too cold out. OH, and i did get the candy package! My roomates are very grateful haha. We're gunna have soo many people trick-or-treating to our room. we have a huge candy drawer, but alas, it is slowly depleting. which is fine. So, i hope things are going well at home. hope no one has gotten suspended yet. Hope the guys arnt causing too much chaos in the neighborhood. Tell everyone at church and stuff I say hello and would love to get more letters so i can show them off to my distrikt. well, thats all i have to say about that. Only 2 more thursdays here! K, im gunna go now. Tschüss!

October 21,2010

So, its thursday again. This was a pretty good week. We taught our first lesson in the TRC in German. It went really well. We have 3 more tuesdays in the TRC, then the 4th tuesday (Nov. 16th) we'll be in Germany. We'll prolly get flight plans within the next 2 weeks. The MTC presidency cancelled Temple walks on sundays because some missionaries were meeting people on the grounds (we're not supposed to do that) and there was a lot of trash. So, thats a bummer. So, Im not sure if ive mentioned (but im sure I have), we have devotionals every tuesday night. Its usually a member of the 70 or the Presiding Bishopbric. BUT this recent tuesday, Elder Russell M. Nelson came to talk to us. My comanion and I were 5 rows away. It was pretty awesome. AND we heard from our distrikt president that someone big is coming next tuesday too. So, we'll see. I bought a shirt with my mission on it like 3 or 4 weeks ago, and its still not in. im loosing my mind. I forgot to weigh myself, but i think ive gained. I started playing soccer like 2 days ago, and its awesome because all the germans play. My legs hurt alot, but its fun. Our oldest distrikt leaves on monday, and we get new germans on wednesday, which means we're the oldest. Its scary, because after that point we have 2 weeks left. So, the elder with the neck bulge went to a doctor to get it checked out. the catscan showed up with nothing on it, but there is a mass still. we dont know whats going on. I got a new suit from our Aussie roomate/zone leader. It fits really nice. he just didnt want it. I started to learn Russian. It makes me appreciate German a whole lot more (ITS SO HARD) Tell travis to learn Russian. Its right up his ally. We did initatory (did NOT spell it right) in the temple today. I get my hair cut in 20 minutes. Im not sure what else to talk about. I dont need stamps. I just bought like 10. I also took like $20 out from my debit card. I think I did it right. um, tell Joey to just put up the letters or something. Tell him to just be bloggish about it. He should know what im talking about. Maybe take pics off facebook or something. I dunno. When I get to germany, Im gunna start video logging myself and send the memory-card home. Well, it depends on how much it is to send, but it shouldnt be too bad. Itll be like once a month. I still havnt given a talk yet. and theres only 3 weeks to go, so im on the edge of my seat. We loose another one of our teachers next week. We've gone thru like 4 teachers, not to mention lots of subs. We only have like 1 consistant teacher, and we dont even see her everyday. Half of our day is just like personal study. Im in the russians computer lab right now. Its soo cool to hear. And ive heard that Germany has a good amount of russians, so maybe something ill come thru. And, i heard if we're on the border of Czech Republic we might be required to learn Czech. I might be tri-lingual. we shall see. Well, thats all I can think of. OH WAIT. we got the flag to stay up finally. so, yeah. Now thats about it. NO WAIT. UM, could you possibly send me a Ushanka hat? like the cheap ones we were looking at when i was home. Something black or brown, preferably rabbit hair. Its gettin cold here, and my ears are getting cold, and the hood/scarf thing kinda takes up my whole face, so i cant talk and hear at the same time. I look retarded lol. OH, and maybe a black scarf too? Just suggestions. Well, that im sure is about it now. I gotta go get mein haerschnit (haircut), so ill email next week. Auf Wiedersehn

October 14,2010

Hallo. it is thursday again. It feels like i was just doing this, its going by really fast. So, to anwser questions: I had a real bad cold for like 4 days, but its just a minor runny nose now, so theres nothing to worry about. I tried taking sudafed (or however you spell it), but it didnt do anything. Yes, i got my candy for confrence. There were only like 2 things i liked in it. the rest went into our rooms little cauldron for Halloween (which the MTC does nothing for, so we're gunna do something ourselves). I do enjoy the care packages. I still have some pumpkin bread left, and havnt even started on the hot coco. I have not had to give a talk yet. Im just copying the subjects out of the German "Gospel Principles" book. I knew Elder Keetch knew Elder Prusse cuz I asked people who went to Highland if they knew him. Snow in the mountains was cool, but there hasnt been any since. Its getting colder, and our next districkt photo will be of us with the German flag in front of the Temple. Hopefully its awesome. Im trying to figure out how to send the pictures (cuz theres so many) Im not sure if i need like a package or several letters. ill figure it out. SO, some other stuff. Our distrikt sang on sunday. We all had colds and no voices, but it sounded really good. We sang "Hoffnung Israell" (Hope of Israel). Um, other stuff... I bought a shirt with my mission on it. I dont have it yet, but its really cool. it should be in like today or by saturday. they said it was on backorder. Im gunna start video-logging stuff and sending it to the guys so they can put it on youtube/facebook. Oh, Joey started a blog of my letters to them. I usually get dear elders from them, but I got a letter from joey and one from his mom. And I got a dear elder from giselle like 3 days ago. So, this past tuesday was our last day teaching in English. From next tuesday on, its all auf Deutsch. We officially stop learning new stuff in 2 weeks. after that its all review. Its so cool (and scary) to think that this time in 4 weeks i'll be in Germany. Im definatly not ready for it. But, no one ever really is. Its also cool to think that when i come back, i'll be able to speak the language fluently. Im excited.I have to sign up for a hair-cut for saturday, at 5:30 in the morning. which means i have to get up at 5. thats torture. So we went to the temple today. that was nice.  Ive gained 2-3 pounds. WOO. one of the elders in our distrikt might have cancer in his lymphnodes. hes had lumps in his neck, and the is the 2nd time its happened in 13 years. last time they had to operate. hes getting/got a catscan today. we hope for the best.other than that, i think thats it. me and my companion are getting along great. we teach in unison pretty well. our distrikt is pretty gute (good). we got new guys last wednesday, so we're the 2nd oldest distrikt. the 1st leaves in like a week or 2. new germans come in on the 27th (which was my alternative date), then we'll be the oldest. which means we leave 2 weeks or less after they get in. We leave on the 15th (monday) early in the morning. just be aware, the guys might come over when i call (not sure on a time, but will get travel plans a week or 2 before we leave). Ive got 6 minutes left, but im not sure what to write. tell people that if i dont respond to letters, its cuz im busy. im not forgetting anyone haha. im just always occupied. Oh, and do you know how to use the chat on the email? theres a way, but Ich weiß nicht how to use it. if you figure it out let me know. K, i gots to go know. Tschüsse! till next week

October 7, 2010

So, heres another email. Time here is flying by. We got like 6 new elders yesterday, and they're all going to the Alpine mission. Theres 3 missions in Germany: Berlin (northern germany), Frankfurt (middle Germany), and Alpine (southern germany, austria & switzerland). Just got back from the temple. Im starting to remember alot of the stuff im supposed to. I printed pictures, but theyre not here yet. When I send them, I expect them to go on facebook. i have a sore throat. I think its from singing too much. but my comp. has one too, so we're gunna go get it checked out just in case. my nose hasn't bled in days, so im getting used to the air kinda. On our walk to the temple this morning, there was snow on the the tips of the mountains, and its getting colder, so im excited. Tell Elder Prusse that his friend Elder Jared Keetch is now in Frankfurt as of monday and that he says hi. Life here is going really good. In our weeks here, our first 4 are spent learning & teaching the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation in English. The last four (which starts in 2 tuesdays) we teach the same 2 lessons, but in German. On tuesday, we heard a rumor that the prophet was coming for the devotional, so we skipped dinner to be there extra early and get good seats. There were so many people. And the way the devotional was being presented, we thought he was coming. but he didnt haha. it was a member from the 70. I do here that we should be expecting an apostle, or higher, soon. we'll see. So our flag doesnt stay up because the tape we keep using stinks, so its really annoying. And i got a letter from Bro. J last week! It was about stuff. Oh, and we dont leave the 16th. We leave the 15th (monday) at like 5 in the morning for a flight at like 8. We wont get to germany until 7 in the morning the next day. youll just be going to bed. Im not sure what else to write about. I want to learn russian from someone who speaks russian ;)), but german is hard enough. Its not actually hard, i just have problems remembering words. but i can make sentances and stuff. I have to write a talk soon. How talks work is that everyone writes one, and our mission president prays during the meeting to find out whos going to give it. So no one ever know. And they (our musik coordinates) want our distrikt to sing on sunday. I dont think my throat will be up to it, but youll find out. So we (our distrikt) heard that Germany was just rededicated for the preaching of the gospel by Pres. Uchtdorf. Apperantly there was no record of it, so they re-did it. And I guess that Germany had a big fall-out with the catholic church, so theres alot of people there who either have no religion, or are severly questioning their own. We heard that Germany is a "sleeping giant about to wake up" and that its going to become the new South America (baptisms left and right), so we're gunna be busy. OH. and everyone here speaks spanish. it really stinks. its hard enough to learn your own language, but when people are preaching to you in spanish, i feel like everything im learning is going out the drain. THEY MUST STOP. I hate Spanish. Soo, yeah. hows stuff at home? is anyone dead yet? or sold into slavery? i wont lie, i dont think about home very often, only because im just so busy all the time i dont have anything else to think about than the gospel and german. But i do hope everyone is doing well and getting along. Im just gunna email now because I have alot of letters to write, and you're the only ones that get emails. so its only fair. Ive got 6 minuets to write, and I dont know what to write about. I left your letters in a drawer, so im not sure what questions to ask/answer. Ill just assume that I got most of it. So, i have to go eat and do laundry and stuff, So ill email next week! (which goes by uber fast) okie day, habt ein guten Tag. Tschüss!

Sept 30, 2010

hi ma. 
so thanks for all the dear elders and showing my friends how to use it. they write quite frequently. we walk around the temple on sundays and do sessions on thursdays. I eat at every meal (theres alot of good varietys) and i have a pb sandwich like everyday. and my farts smell really bad. so because im emailing you, i wont send letters cuz it saves stamps and stuff. i could use some candy for General Confrence, so that would be nice....like really nice. I can follow so much German. I understand most of it, and i think im starting to speak it faster. On the monday after GC, our oldest dirstikt leaves for Frankfurt. OH. BY THE WAY. I wasnt sure if you were aware, but they made our mission bigger. We extend from the France/Netherlands border to the Poland/Czech border. Its the entire middle of Germany. Oh, and Frankensteins castle is in my mission, so im taking pictures. But yeah, the oldest distrikt leaves, then we become the middle distrikt and the new germans come in.on tuesdays we do our fake lessons, and in 2 weeks we start them in all german. My mission president is really nice. ive got 10 min. left and i dont know what to write. Oh. the heat is getting to my nose (ive had 4 bloddy noses since ive been here), so we're getting something for our room so i dont die of bloodloss. i started readingJesus the Christ to try to put me to sleep at night, but it hasnt work yet. I sleep really well. its still really hot here, but the utah mics. say it sound be getting cold like next week, so im excited. down the 8 minutes. can you send me shalese's house address? that would be very nice. And tell sis. Giminez to tell Giselle that my dorm is 16M and our class is 10M, and i go to the TRC on tuesdays at 4, and my meal times are at 8:15-8:45, 1-1:45 and 6-6:45, incase shes ever around. I saw and talked to Bryan Wagner (i think i told you that already) and i saw the other CT boys. It stinks ill be in Germany when Jolyssa get here. But shes only here for like what, 3 weeks? We leave the MTC on Nov. 16th, and i can call home, so be ready that day.5 minutes. thats all that i can think of. thanks a lot for the letters & care packages. my roomies love them lol. Well, i guess ill message you next week! thanks for the flag and ties! Ich liebe dich! Tschuess!

dearelder.com

So, alex wanted me to tell everyone how to use dear elder to write letters so he can get them the same day you write.
go to www.dearelder.com
when the page opens, on the left, written in orange it says Provo MTC (free). Click on it.
On the left of the pretend envelope, put in your info.
Then for the center address...
title is Elder
first name is Alex
Last name is Madore
MTC box # is 115
mission code is GER-FRA
Estimated Mtc departure is 11/16
then go down just a little and enter in your email
leave the second email box blank.
go down just under terms and conditions and write your letter in the box. Then just hit send letter.
You can send as many letters you want this way and he recieves them the day you send them.

September 27, 2010

Hello Family,
 I am good. You guys write me so much, I can't get to all your letters, but I'm trying. I only get 1 day to write, so it gets kind of busy. So far I have seen Ryan Copiano, Kyle Lavitzen and Bryan Wagner. It's really weird weather wise out here. It's hot and sunny all the time. Its only rained once. It's slowly getting cooler. I hear it gets cold fast, so I'm excited. Today is gorgeous. I'm writing this on a park bech on campus with my district. They're so cool. Our President says we may be the best district he's had. German is getting harder to learn and we only have 8 more weeks to learn it. Our 1st 4 weeks we have to do the 1st and 2cd discussions in English, then our last 4 weeks it has to be in German. Sacrament is all in German. Even our talks (which we have to write every week)are in German. I hope I catch it fast enough to go over with. So, you should send me a big German flag for our room, cuz we want one. The food here is pretty good. I eat and poop every day :), but I'm always tired. I'm wearing regular clothes today. We went to the Temple today too. It was nice. Theres one Sister Missionary that I find absolutely gorgeous. Thats very distracting, but oh well, I'm a guy! It happens. So, I have to go do laundry now. It's 3:45 here, so yeah..Tell Jake to run faster (referring to Jakes cross country time), Tell Chad NOT TO TOUCH any of my stuff. Tell everyone else I say hi. I wrote to the guys already so I'm waiting for a reply. Oh and Elder Berthalson sent me a care package..m&m's, powerade,cookies,beef jerkey and Take 5's. Send me candy and ties. I need cool ties for the tie trade in our building. Well, I think that's it. If I need something, I'll let you know via mail /email. Well see ya later! like in a week (cuz I'm busy).
Oh, so , I can call home when I leave for Germany, So I'll let you know. k Bye
Oh, and heres what my schedule looks like:
wake @6, class :7-8:15, Breakfast: 8:15-8:45, class: 8:45-1:00, lunch: 1-1:45, gym: 1:45-3:25, class 3:45-6, dinner: 6-6:45, class 6:45-9, sleep :10
PS Can you tell the guys how to use dear Elder? I forgot to mention it to them.

Listen to lcatcmj5s Playlist

September 23, 2010

 Hallo. So, so far the MTC is great. I eat the food. I sleep. Im in class 10 hours a day. I get gym. My P-day is on thursday, so its the only day i can write/email. We go to the templeevery thursday. Sacrament is all in German. Most of what the teachers say is in German. Travis stinks. If you gus are gunna send packages, send ties. theres an underground tie-trade ion our living area. everyone in our dorm hall either speaks french or german. so, my comp. keeps frezzing, so im going to get off now. i will send a letter cuz that seems to be easier. miss you guys. hope youre all doing okay. i may send pictures soon so you can see my district. well, tchüss

Alex's email is alex.madore@myldsmail.com

Our First letter from the MTC

Dear Mom..and others that might read this,

Hi. So the past 2 days have been pretty chaotic, but not enough that I can't handle it. There are 2 main reasons I'm writing: 1. It was an assignment from our branch president and 2, apparently I never got my TDAP shot or it was never recorded, so I am sending a pink slip w/some directions, so it would be nice to get that within the next 2 weeks. 

Other than that, I'm in a classroom all day. The food is really good. My district is awesome. We're already pretty close. My dorm is me, My companion Elder Anderson from salt Lake, Elder Peterson from Seattle washington and Elder walker from Australia. The showers are nice. It's not a lot of walking ..YET. And I couldn't remember your email, so I had to email Shalese for it so she'll prolly ask you for it. Other than that, its all good so far.Its almost 10 pm here, so I'm gunna do stuff. okay, talk to ya later.

-Alex

(ps, letters will prolly get longer).