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!