November 21 2011

FAMILY LETTER


BANGARANG

Eh, not much going on this week. We have Zone Conference on Wednesday, and Thanksgiving dinner with the other missionaries on Thursday, so that´ll be sweet. Other than that, its pretty boring. The Weinachsmarkt in Mannheim opens on Wednesday. We went to the one in Speyer today, but it wasnt as cool as expected. We´re pumped to go to the one in Heidelberg, tho. Oh, I found out this week that I can't pray in english anymore. I tried, and I struggled way hard. Its so much easier in German now haha. Ive also heard that if you pray in your mission language after your mission, you´ll be able to keep it (the language, I mean). I find myself not being able to remember english words or phrases, and sometimes I use the German grammer when I make sentances. Its pretty cool haha. Austin Smith going to Italy for his mission? Thats sweet. I know he wanted to go there pretty bad. Im pumped for him, especially with the temple going up soon. So, Ive been thinking about how I only have 6 more cycles left, and Im dreading coming home. Im freaking out. Im sure I'll have nothing to worry about, but still, like, ive been doing the same thing for the past almost year and a half, and to be thrown back in the ocean is kinda scary. Eh, but I dont let it bother me too much. My biggest fear is that when I see Shalese, that im gunna puke lol. Dont ask me why, but thats just my fear haha. Um yeah, so other than that, thats about it. Wait, why were you at the Sedgwick? AND on the day she got my letter, none-the -less? Id send pictures, but I need to write letters first :) And im trying to do better with putting them online. But alas, it always evades me. Maybe on like my 18-month mark ill send pics home or sumtin. K, ima go now. Have a great week! Tschüß!

DADS LETTER

hey pa, week was pretty good, but kinda slow. You should stop getting sick lol  Here's something new I learned this week that I thought was pretty cool! Get this: So you know how some talk about how when we´re in the lower kingdoms of Heaven, we cant progress? And that damnation is eternal and stuff? Well.....Its not! It doesn't say that ANYWHERE in the scriptures! In fact, it says the complete Opposite! It says that we´ll still be able to progress, it'll just take a little longer than if we lived right while we were on the earth! Pretty nifty, right? Weather here is cold, thats about it. For Thanksgiving we´re going to the ward haus in Limburgerhof with the other elders to have a dinner. Should be sweet. Yeah, not much happened this week. Same old stuff. K, have a great week! Feel better! Tschüß!

November 14, 2011

So, Transfer results...IM....staying here, and so is Elder Keetch. WOO. Yeah, Sister Uchtdorf shook our hands. We were basically like, ´"Follow us if you want to get back to your husband" haha. It was hammer. Also not too much going on this week. Its gotten pretty cold, the Weinachsmarkt is being set up, Thanksgiving is in like 2 weeks, Ive been in Germany a year as of tomorrow, yeah. Not much going on, so this letters gunna be prety lame. On Sat. night, we did like a member Missionary Training Center which was pretty sweet. We (Mannheim and Speyer elders) bought all the food, called members, told people what was going on, and taught lessons kinda like in the MTC. Pres. Schwartz even came as a guest speaker, which was pretty cool for the members. There were more people than expected, but luckily we had enough food. We were freaking out the whole time thinking we wernt gunna have enough lol. We also had 2 eating appointments yesterday, and another one tonight and on Friday, so hopefully I start gainging weight. But i doubt it. Im special lol. But yeah, that's about it. K, hopefully something cewl happens this week. Oh, thanks for the package! Um, I noticed there were no yo-yo stickers in it, so im gunna send you the link again:

http://www.yo-yo.com/index.php/site/products/3152PK

This is implying that I REALLY need yo-yo stickers, so if that was in a christmas package or something that would be hammer. I cant think of anything else I would need for it, so thats it for now. K, ima go now. Have a great week! Tschüß!

October 4, 2011 - November 7, 2011

November 7,2011

Sorry, we've been in a rush, I think I can do a better job writing today...

Interviews were good. Yeah, they´re always w/ our Mission President. He was telling me about my potential that I have but I havnt unleashed yet. I told him people have been telling me that my entire life, I just dont know how to do it lol. So we´ll see how that goes. President Uchtdorf was awesome. We brought an investigator, and we sat in the very back until someone came to us and told us we could sit in the 1st row, so we obviously moved. He talked in German, which was way cool to hear. it was also his birthday yesterday, so we all sang to him. Afterwards he told everyone that he´d be making his way around, so we got in line to meet him. Elder Keetch got to shake his hand, but I followed him the WHOLE NIGHT trying to get in. it was pretty funny. We (Elder Bullard and I) were even asked to go find Sis. Uchtdorf and bring her back to the group, but never got a hand shake or a picture. Epic Fail. But it was good anyways.

   Yes, I got your package this morning, but havnt had the time to open it. Ill prolly get to it sometime later tonight. So, the exact day that I´ll be home is Sept. 6th, so Im actually only a week short of two years. Another fail.

   Sounds like a fun time (week of no power and snow) lol. I wish I coulda been there. Its still cold here, but not cold enough to snow. And yeah, I still hear from Christian. AND, Like 4 days after I left Solingen, another guy, Uwe, also got baptized! Dang. A golden stole my hard-earned baptisim lol

   Chad....oh gosh (referencing Chads drivers licence). Travis...tell him to play more videogames to up his coordination.

As for Sedgwick B-day party's they are always fun lol. I remember the dating game. I lost, but won anyways haha. Yeah, I honestly kept forgeting to send her letter. I had it all written out and everything, but kept forgetting. That, and I didnt want to send it imediatly after cuz it makes me look desperate for mail. Which im not lol. Im at the point of mission where I dont even know what to say in mail anymore, and everyone kinda forgets about you anyways after a year. its sad, but one gets over it relativly quick. But yeah, I sent it to her on Friday I think, so she should get it this week. 

    Sounds like some pretty intense dreams mom. I like the one about me with the blonde hair and dark routes, tho. Remind me to tell you about that later...

    Frankensteins castle was awesome. Most of the castle was closed off tho, cuz they were doing like a haunted graveyard type thing and it was only open at night, but we still got to see it. Then we went to Heidelberg for a YSA activity. I got my face painted like it was in the Haunted graveyard. It made me trunky lol.

   But yeah, everything here is doing good. its kinda slow, but at the same time its flying faster now that the time is arriving soon. Nothing much more to say. Ill have the transfer results for you on Monday, cuz we get calls on Saturday. other than that, have a nice week and talk to you later! Tschüß

October 31,2011
Hi, way to not email me last week. But its okay, i forgive you. Kinda gotta write kinda quick today, we´re going to Frankensteins Castle, cuz its Halloween. Um, yesterday was stake conference in Keiserslautern, and the missionaries sang in the choir. It was pretty good. Then we had interviews, which went also pretty good. On Sunday we´re gunna go to Darmstadt to see President Uchtdorf, so we´re pretty pumped for that. Other than that, not sure what to write about. Sorry, kinda in a rush. But im doing great, and my winter gear is still fine from last year, you dont need to send me anything wintery. K, gotta go have a great week tschüß!


October 17, 2011
Im doing good. Still happy, still healthy, and still taking vitamin D. Weather here´s gettin´ colder, so im pumped. Yeah, in the way of snow, Germanys the same. We´re good with flu shots. Sounds like lots going on back home. Cant say ive seen the movie RM, and Pres. Schwarz doesnt talk about adjustment, at least not till we´re ready to go home. Interviews should be coming up pretty soon. No new investigators. If anything, we´ve lost some. it was a tricky numbers week, but this week should be better. We wanted 14 lessons, but we only got 4. Alot of fallen-out appointments. For Pday we´re gunna go to Speyer. What we´re gunna do, we dont know. Elder Keetch & I just spent 2 hours in an orthipedic clinic for his ankel (spelling?). Apperantly he´s got a random piece of bone floating arounnd his foot, and its been like that since January (German health care stinks) So we´re trying to fix it. he´ll prolly have to get minor surgery on it, but we dont know yet. For Halloween, we´re gunna go to Frankensteins castle, which should be awesome. Tranasfers are in...4 weeks? kein anung. but we´ll prolly both stay for kridmus, whichll be cool. Other than that, not much going on. I always forget to tell something, but im never shure what it is. Eh, ill have to write it down when it pops in. Well, thats about it for this week. Hopefully this week is a tad more exciting. K, ima go get my haircut, so have a great week! Tschüß!


October 10, 2011
Im glad Im staying in Mannheim. Its a pretty sweet area, and the members are pretty cool, but I think Solingen is still my favorite area. Not many investigators, but we´re working on it. Mannheim hasnt had a baptisim in over a year, so we´re gunna attempt to change that. Sounds like life back home is exciting...lol. Ill be partaking in boring life in like 10 months...weird. Tell Travis to do it, take guitar lessons. Didnt he try, like, along time ago? I have been thinking of writing Frau for a while, I just gotta not be lazy with letter writing. I was just gunna ask how that package was coming along lol. Did you ever find those yo-yo stickers? Ive started juggling, its pretty intense. Ive picked up alot of useless skills out here lol. But Im sure they´ll impress someone someday. Well, today we´re going to Heidelberg cuz half our district is new, so that´ll be fun. Its getting colder here, but the leaves dont really change color- they just die. Its kinda boring. Oktoberfest is over. I didnt even really know it was going on. But yeah, thats about it from me. maybe Ill write/mail that letter soon. We´ll see. Oh, and could you get me Giselle´s address too? I got the family letter from them, but not from her, so ima chew her out. K, ima go now. have a great week. Tschüß!

October 4, 2011
Sorry I didnt write yesterday- apperantly it was the 4th of July for Germany, so EVERYTHING was closed. We went on a day-hike with our ward. Thats was pretty fun. Transfercalls came in- Im staying in Mannheim, Elder Bennett is going to Duisburg, and Elder Prussey´s buddy Elder Keetch is gunna be coming in! I also found out that Elder Bennett knows Elder Rapp! So tell him he says hi. Yeah, not much happened this week. Except for confrence and transfer calls, nothing really happened. We had alot of fallen-out appointments, and one of our investigators is going on an new england vacation. And this week is transfer week, so I dont even know whats going down. For pday we´re gunna chill in Worms cuz half our district is leaving.  Id say that nightly Book Of Mormon reading is a good idea, no matter how little or how much it is, as long as youre reading in it at least once a day. I guess you could use the reward system, but they´re all old enough that they shouldnt need it. Thats about all I have to say about that. K, ima finish uploading pics, so Ill let youz goz. Have a great week! oh yeah, Christmas is in 11 weeks. Tschüß!

August 26 - September 25, 2011

September 25, 2011

hi

yeah, not much to write about. nothing overly exciting going on, its missionary stuff: We do the same thing every day, from 6:30-10:30, for 2 years. Little things happen in between, but its all the same. Not much going on here. Its been pretty average.  I had a last minute talk on Sunday, luckily I had one pre-prepared. But im pretty sure I can give one off the bat now. I have better german than a lot of people in the ward lol.  Now, about the guidlines again haha, im not breaking commandments. I still follow those. Now, as to matters with Jake, you just gotta let him do his own thing. Dont force him to do anything. He´s gotta figure things out for himself. Thats about all I can say. We cant make people do anything. We can only promise the blessings that comes from doing things . They have to know for themselves the importance of stuff. Sometimes that takes awhile. But I´ll do what I can, praying and fasting wise. And you can't think I'm a bad missionary, you're my mom. It defeats the purpose.  Well, we had a busy day today, so sorry you didnt get your letter earlier. Thats a pretty sweet dream you had. Ive had some pretty intense dreams, from waaayyy deep revelation to Shalese yelling at me haha. I swear, thats all she does in my dreams. Im always getting yelled at for something. I hope she reads this haha. STOP YELLING AT ME I DIDNT DO NOFFIN. K, now that thats over with, I dont have much more to say. Im gunna start uploading more pics next week when my camera´s charged. Well, thats all Ive got for now. Im way exhausted, and Ive got a thema in DDM in the morning, so ima gunna go. Have a great week! Tschüß!

September 18, 2011

 The less-active who gave us the wine is a little weird, and crazy, and italian, and he hasnt been a member very long, so it was kinda expected. We told our bishop, but he laughed at it too haha. He´s way cool. I gotta start uploading pictures again- ive been slacking off, and i need more room on my camera. Yeah, we got a new phone. Its about the same as our last one, but when we got it, the PIN didnt work, so it brought us to a PUK number, and then we got locked outta our phone, so we had to wait a few more days for a new SIM card.  But its all sorted out now. So, with facebook on my ipod, i cant even use it cuz i dont have internet ever, and if i do use it, its on pday. Ive learned alot in the past year. Pres. Ninow once told me that the reason I wasnt seeing any "success" was because I wasnt following little "rules". We dont have "rules". We have guidelines. True, when you follow guidelines you´ll be happy, etc etc, but I have also seen many miracles without following all the tiny rules. When I had 2 batisims and 20 lessons, I wasnt keeping all the little rules. Its a little weird to explain, so maybe when I get back i can share some more info. I hope this doesnt make me sound like a lazy or bad missionary, Ive just learned a lot in the past year to be able to decide what works and what doesnt. But yeah, this week was still kinda slow cuz of our lack of phone, but this week coming up should be better. A girl came to church yesterday who read about us somewhere, and wanted to learn more. We´re meeting with her on Thursday. We also have Zone Confrence in Heidelberg on Wednesday, so dass sollte spaß sein. I ate alot of schnitzel yesterday, that was awesome. We also saw Joe Burns, but I dont remember what day it was. He´s gunna play soccer with us today. Its starting to feel fallish (thats prolly cuz fall starts this week) and its killing me inside. I love fall, and it just reminds me of home. Its kindof an awesome sucky feeling. Awesome cuz its a very homey feeling, sucky cuz im not home lol. eh, 11 months. In 6 months, I have to start "6 months to Sexy", which is when I have to work off the mission weight and start looking buff. But, i havnt gained, or lost, any weight. I weigh the exact same as when I left CT. Crazy. Well, ima go now. We gotta go pick up the other elders at bahnhof, so talk to ya later! Tschüß

September 11, 2011

So, this week was good, and bad at the same time. Well, not really bad, but we lost our phone on thursday, so we´ve been phoneless for a few days, which kinda takes a toll on our numbers and getting in contact with people. I even asked some girl (who just happened to be very attractive) if we could use her phone to call ours. She didnt believe that we lost it, and thought we were just hitting on her and her friend. Then I asked another guy who was sitting next to us if we could use his phone and he let us, and I gave him the numbers in german, then the girl didnt even think I was american. oh well. But yeah, Elder Bednar was cool. he was pretty funny. All the missionaries were there, so that was also pretty neat. He basically talked about:

spiritual gifts,

pray to know to act,

how to be sucsessful as a parent,

how kindness is a good way to soften hard hearts,

we dont need to feel the spirit all the time,

at some point in our life we should memorize the family proclamation

It was really cool. Thats basically the only cool thing that happened this week. We went to a birthday party of a less active last night, and accidently had wine. He said it was non-alcoholic, and because he´s a member we believed him, but it was all lies. Luckily we only had a swig, and it was pretty easily identifiable. But other than that, nothing really exciting. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE AND MCKENZIE!! I forgot to send out letters, but I didnt forget. And yes, I am hitting the "Hump Day". Im pretty sure ive learned alot, but too much to put in an email. Ill just tell you guys in a year. K, we´re going to see a cool cathedral in Spire today, so I gotta say Tschüß. Have a great week!

September 4, 2011,

So, Mannheim is a blessing and a curse. BLESSING: I guess the ward is cool, there wernt alot of people there on sunday cuz alot are sick or on vacation. My comp is awesome, we get along way well. His name´s Elder Bennett. He´s from Texas too; I guess its just an overall cool area.  Not overly pretty, but its cool. Do you remember Joe Burns? He´s studying here right now hahaha. Ill most likley see him around. Im not really sure about the investigators yet- they´re all on vacation. We´ll prolly get in contact with them this week.  CURSE: I have never seen so many attractive girls in my entire life. No joke. It stinks, but is awesome at the same time. gaahhhh. And the weather here is way different from Solingen- its so hot here, but today was way nice. We went to Heidelberg to check out the castle. It was the perfect day outside. We see Elder Bednar tomorrow, so that´ll be cool. So, new address:

T6.26

68161 Mannheim

As for things to send me for the 1-year package, I only have this:

http://www.yo-yo.com/index.php/site/products/3152PK

its for the yoyo that TJ sent me for christmas. I havnt been able to use it cuz it needs new friction pads, so if you got those that you be awesome <3

But yeah, that about all I got for now. Im glad you liked you mini-letters. I dont have time or room to write full ones, so those will have to do haha. Tell Mr. C I said Hi! Thats way cool. K, ima go now. Ill talk to you next week. Tschüß!

August 26, 2011
Sounds like the east coast is getting destroyed (referring to hurricane and earthquake)...good thing im in Germany BAHAHA. So, we got transfer calls on Saturday. Im....going to Mannheim! Its really cool, but sad at the same time. Im gunna miss Solingen, and Im gunna try to see if I can visit the Bapt. on the 18th, cuz I basically taught him everything. But im way pumped. I hear Mannheim is an awesome area, and I already know my comp haha. His names Elder Bennet. Oh, guess what. On Sept. 6th. Elder Bednar is visiting the mission, so we´re ALL going to Frankfurt to see him! And the summer is over. We had a few hot days here and there, but it was basically freezing. And now im wearing a hoody AND my winter coat (its pretty cold) and will only get colder...WOOO. Thats basically it from my side. Ill prolly have more to write next week. We´re getting together with the district today cuz Elder Telfer (elder Prusse's friend) and I are the only ones moving. He´s going to Frankfurt. And Elder Wilde is training. so, DONT SEND MY PACKAGE YET. K, i gotta go. Bis später!

July 24-August 21 2011

August 21, 2011

So, baptisim went...swimmingly...BAHAHA. no but really it went really well. I had to dunk her twice cuz I forgot "es" at the end of Heiligen Geist, but the water was awesome so there were no complaints. And we set a Baptism date with another investigator, who´s prolly more excited about it than we are (and we´re very excited!!). Its on Sept. 18, and I should still be here. I asked one of the APs, who was in my district when I was a golden, if it would be possible for me to stay because of my drivers license stuff, and he said I prolly wont be going anywhere, which would make Solingen the city Ive spent the longest in. But yeah, we had a pretty good week. Reached all our goals, had a baptisim, set another one up, maybe several more in the bag. And yes, I am getting pictures. Thanks for looking school stuff up. I kinda wanna stay in-state, so like UNH cuz they´ve got a great CJ program, but if it takes me closer to you-know-where, thenI could settle with that too. Ive got a year to think about it. I keep wanting to send you guys a letter, but im just too lazy lol. We´re having a sport pday in Düsseldorf with the district and the Elders from Krefeld and Duisburg. Other than that, not much exciting stuff going on. We´ve been having some way sweet lightning storms the past several days. Our investigators are doing pretty good. We need to start finding/getting some new ones, all the ones we have are getting baptised. K, thats really all I have from this end. Hope everthing goes well with Mckenzies surgery and the computer and whatever else needs help. Ima go now. Tschüß!

August 14th, 2011

Sounds like the court of honor for Travis was good haha. Yeah, this week was good. I had a split w/ Elder Walker in Wuppertal. Im baptizing an investigator on the 21st, thats about it for important stuff haha. Transfer calls are next saturday (only 5 week transfer, and the next one´s the same. My planners are gunna be all screwed up) We´re going to a castle today (same one as before) Today is my 11th month mark, which is pretty sweet. UPDATE: I have to wait anther 4 weeks for my drivers test, so hopefully I dont get transfered. My name wasnt in the driving school´s system yet, which is normal. Oh, and Sis. Wüstehube (the sis. that called you) bought me a new pair a shoes, cuz apparently the ones I wear (the pair you sent me for christmas) are too big lol, I  gots new shoes!!. They´re pretty nice and comfortable. I told her no, but she insisted. Apperantly she wants to adopt me. But yeah, I think that's it. I got another split this week, and then another next week, so these next couple weeks should go by pretty quick. K, ima go now. Have a nice week! Tschüß! 

August 7th, 2011

hahaha, I didnt think Sis. Wüstehube  was really gunna call, but I guess she did! Yeah, Solingen´s a pretty sweet area. We have 2 more investigators that are ready for baptisim in like the next couple weeks! And the ward´s been helping out alot. So I had been fasting to know what to say for Christians confirmation (Cuz, you know, Id never done it before) (let alone in German) and as I got up there, I felt like this thing fill my body. I thought it was nerves, but I wasnt nervous. I noticed I made some grammatical mistakes, but everyone told me they understood perfect German, that it was flawless. It was pretty sweet. Then, after church I gave someone else a blessing. Yesterday was just a day of giving, my priesthood meter is runnin´ dry lol. We also gave Christian the priesthood and a less active member the sacrament. It was a pretty busy day. The week was also pretty good too. Saw a drug deal, got basically cured of my phone fear, kinda found 2 new investigators...yeah. Im pretty tired haha. OH, Sis. Wüstehube also let me borrow one of their guitars. Its nice to have rough fingers again haha. 

But I only play it at night when all is finished. Hows that for self control? Yeah, I dont even know why I go on facebook. Its boreing. I go on and im like "K...now what" haha. Its weird. Honestly said, Im not sure how much I´ll be on the computer when I get home haha. And these things are not taking away from me being focused. Im not trunky, teaching lessons, doing what I need to, im fine! I just need to not go on facebook lol. Ipod is working fine, I use it in lessons like all the time, my companion and I are getting along great. It sounds like the boys are gunna have a fun week at Scout camp. Only 12 fast sundays till I am home...thats crazy. Well, its kinda only 11, cuz Ill be home before September, or the first week of, but Im pretty sure its the last week of August. Eh, its in a year, we´ll see. K, thats all from my end. Hope everyone has a fun week! Ill be here haha. K, tschüß!

July 31, 2011

Sounds like it was a fun trip in NY. Maybe ill be there next year haha. So, not too much goin on on my end. Baptisim went well for Christian, but he was sick so he couldnt get confirmed yesterday. But my talk went well too haha. The new companion is pretty cool. We went into the MTC on the same day, but he fast-tracked, so he was out a little earlier than me. He´s from Dallas, and played football for Westpoint, so he´s pretty built (maybe I can learn from him haha) But yeah, thats really bout it. OH, I got my Ipod! THANK YOU MUCHES. Tho, I have to say, I bought a German-Englisch dictionary for $4.99, but other than that its awesome! I just downloaded my scriptures in German the other day, so its ready for use! I also recieved a gift from a member 2 days ago- its a Luther bible from 1868 printed in Vienne. Its awesome. I just have to get it re-bound, but we have a member that does that. Other than that, thats it. Its been really cold, but it should get nicer for like 2 days then back to cold. Today we´re gunna play basketball in Düsseldorf. Thats about it. K, have a nice week. Tschüß

July 24, 2011

hi, im not dead. Just had an extremly busy week- we got 20 lessons AND a baptisim!!! Christian (the one I gave a blessing to) was baptized yesterday, and he wants ME to confirm him next week (this coming sunday)...im a tad nervous. But, its okay. Its been way cold here the past 2 weeks- we even took out our winter coats! Transfer calls came in on saturday- Im staying here lol, and Elder Hansens going home (by the way, he loved travis´s letter). My new companion is a football player, but I don know him at all. Next cycle is my year mark...woah. I dont have my license yet- I take my test in 2 weeks, then I should be okay. But yeah, thats been about it for here. Taught a lot of lessons, had a baptisim, and getting ready for transfers. Wish I had more to say, but not really. Its just been kinda hecktic. I think getting your Paramedic license again would be cool. I wanna get my motorcycle license when I get back, along with regular drivers license. K, I think thats about it for now. Ill prolly have more for you next week. Hopefully pics from the baptisim too! K, tschüß!

July 11,2011

Hellows... 

Interviews with the new mission president went really well. He´s awesome. The whole interview was in German (cuz, you know, he´s German). I think he´s got a good impression on me. Well, I hope so. He has no reason not to. There are 13 newbs coming out, and my companion IS going home, and I have been out 10 months, and our area is doing really well (we had 13 lessons this week, short of 20) SO it is very likley I could get a golden. We´ll see in 2 weeks. I still think you should be fine to send the package to Solingen. And Im not licensed yet. I take my driving test on Aug. 8th, and if/when I pass, then Im licensed. SO CLOSE

        We were short of food because we were short of muny, and we were short of muny cuz of the tickets we had to pay off from accidentally riding "black", but its all past now and we have plenty of money and food for the rest of the month. And our members only feed us once a week (Sunday afternoon) so we usually have to fend for ourselves. But im sensing a change in the members, so we´ll see. We´ve been asked more frequently if we could do service and stuff, so hopefully that leads to referals. 

       No problem about the family history, it was fun to look at. You just need to do your side alittle more lol. As to the temple, Its too far away, so I havnt been able to since Wetzlar.

       I wont tell Elder Hansen about the letter Travis sent till it comes in. Im sure he´ll be excited for it. I hope all the health problems for Trav sort themselves out. SPEAKING of health problems, I gave a blessing to one of our investigators on Friday. In German. It was the first krankensegen (I dont know it in english, sick blessing is the literal translation) that Ive ever given,  But it went really well. This was Christian Kiehle, who should be baptised in like 2 weeks, we´ll see.

      Sounds like things at home are normal haha- jake almost blowing up, Gimenez´s and the Jungs watching long movies for long periods of time, a cat...

       Yeah, Zak got lucky- it was the new Mission Presidents seminar week, so ALL of the General Authorites were there. 

             BUT yeah, besides a blessing, interviews with Prez., some crazy guy getting arrested in front of us, the weather (its been on and off), not much else has happened this week. It was relativily normal. For PDAY we´re getting together with Elder Walker and his golden to play some füßball, and we still have to go shopping, So ich werde dich in rühe lassen. Hope you feel better and have a nice week! K, tscüß!
LETTER TO DAD:

Hey pinhead

Interviews went super. I really like Prez. Schwarz. NO, Im not in any trouble. I think he likes me haha. License is goin´ good. I have my theory test on Aug. 8th, and my CT license is at ADAC (its like the Geico of Germany) getting translated. But I have all my study materials, so when I have free time, im working on that. The language is going really well. I can basically understand everything, and I can say what I want. Its still a little tricky, but its getting there.

Well, we have plenty of food now. But we eat with a member family only on Sunday, the rest of the week we fend for ourselves. But like 2 weeks ago we really had almost nothing. BUT we´re good now. Teaching this week was good. My comp. told me that ive been opening up more in lessons and switching on and off between each other has been easier, and our Investigators are all doing really good. Yesterday, we were going to drop something off at an inv. house, but I thought we should see if he was home instead. And he was! And we had a 15 min lesson! And he placed the BOM next to his bible! Which he said he doesnt do for ANY book, so thats way sweet progress. There all doing really well.

Yeah, the genealogy was fun. And maybe travis should just drive at the church, but then how would he learn? Remember when I scrapped up against your truck? And that was just the driveway! And now Im gunna have a drivers license in 2 countries! Well, when I get my German one they´ll take my american one, but Ill be registered in both! Im still thinkin of getting a motorcycle when I get back, or at least a license for car and bike.

Well, thats basically it for this week. Hope you have a nice week! 

July 5th, 2011

Hallooo,

You guessed it- Germany is NOT celebrating the 4th... But its okay- they have plenty of holidays anyways. I swear theres a holiday once a week! 

    Yes, I have met the new mission president, Presidant Schwarz. I really like him. He looks like Arnold Swarchenegger, but with Pres. Uchtdorf´s hair. He´s like an awesome grandpa figure. I have my 1st interview with him on Friday morning. Hahaha, when I first met him, he told me how he had already heard of me...I dont know if thats good or bad haha. But so far he has nothing to worry about. I think Ill be fine. He really stressed working with the members this past Zone conference, which is funny cuz Pres. Ninow always stressed Finding. Apparantly Germany is supposed to have HUNDREDS of Stakes, and Temples are supposed to dot the Rhein. It´ll hit a point where it´ll be baptising like South America! And its already started. And I think the AP´s have something in for me, wth 13 Goldens coming in in 3 weeks...*gulp*. But thats what happens when your comp. goes home, you´ve been in the area for 2 cycles, and your served with both AP´s in your golden cycles. Elder Anderson (my MTC comp) is a Zone leader in Heidelberg, which is awesome. Im going on a split w/ Elder Prusse´s buddy tomorrow, and im really good friends w/ Elder Rapps buddy (who´s still in Köln)

         Wait, so did you mail the ipod or not? Im not sure if this is some sick joke or something hahaha. Yes, I have basically cleaned out the debit card to pay for my drivers license stuff today. I have to anmeld into a driving school, and then study and take the test. I should have my license by the end of this cycle (I actually saw my license- they already have it, I just need to pass the test!) Dont worry about memory card stuff- Im gunna by an external harddrive, which holds about 500 gb and is like way cheap, so I can just store everything from my camera on there. 

        Our lessons were kinda lackng this week, only 9. BUT, we noticed something: When we eat really well, we do really well, and when we have no food, we suck. We havnt had food the past 2 weeks, which was not very good, BUT today we bought ALOT. So, I think we´ll be able to reach our goal of 20 lessons. The only interesting person I can think of is Danial Schilling. He´s 21, studying to become a Priest in his church, he LOVES everything mediaval- he makes his own chainmail shirts and plays a knight at one of the castles I've visited, like actual sword fights and jousting. He´s way open too. He also plays guitar, so he´s basically awesome.He´s friends with a member (Br. Maaß) and they play in the same band (which will be playng at the Highland Games in Scotland this year).. (He plays percussion, so keep your eyes open if you watch them) so thats how he got introduced.  As for families, we have this one lady, Frau Lorenz, who usually comes to church and knows its true and wants to get baptised, but is worried of breaking old traditions with their own church (she has 8 kids, and ALL want to come to ours except their oldest son whose getting confirmed, but he´s only doing that cuz all his friends are) They´re way awesome, we just havnt even met with them yet!

        Thanks for sending me your conversion story! I knew the Osmonds played some part, but I didn't know the whole thing. Last PDAY, We did some Genealogy stuff at the church (which was sweet) and Ive sent you some names to do through the mail, so you should get those tomorrow (Tuesday). Did you know that "Madore" was someones middle name, and that its supposed to be "M´adore"? It means "one who loves themself", so when you say "Je m´adore", it means "I love myself". Pretty interesting stuff. Its too bad I cant go back very far on your family though. 

          Except for all that, nothing overly special this week. Its really cold here. And I had Thai food the other day- duck, sticky rice, onions and some mussel sauce. Its all hand food. It was pretty good! Didnt eat too much, it was waayy filling. But yeah, thats about it. If you want names to pray for to help us, here you go:

-Monique Klesper

-Christian Kiehle
-Daniel Stange

-Daniel Schilling

-the Lorenz family

-Herr Zühlke

         Thats our investigator pool at the moment. So yeah, Im gunna go bake bread and get ready to anmeld, so Ill talk to you later! Oh, by the way, my 10-month mark is next week. Just sayin. K tschüß!

June 20, 2011

HELLO,

This week for lessons we got 14, and our goal was 15. DARN. We found 2 new investigators, so thats pretty sweet. Sounds like the ward will be as big as my first branch when I get back! Tell Giselle that im doing fine and that she should write me lol. DO YOU KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE NOT GETTING MAIL?? IT STINKS. I got a letter yesterday from the buro in Frankfurt, and it was FOR MY COMPANION. GAHH. Ive gotten used to it, so dont be so worried that I'll be depressed or something. The trunkyness is gone, prolly cuz I hit my 9-month-mark last week. 

 Im glad im not getting transfered, cuz now I get to kill the 4th companion ive been with. Im on a roll. And we get along really well. He´s gunna write Travis aletter in Elvish, but dont tell him. 

Um, so about the Ipod. What I was thinking was sticking it in a plastic bag, and putting it in an empty PB jar and filling the jar with some tiny sweets that could cushion it. I dont really have anymore room for clothing haha. But yeah, just be creative. AND you can send it to Solingen, you dont have to send it to the mission home. Church movies are absolutley fine. And, if possible, could you put some bagpipe music on it? You dont have to, but it would be nice lol. But yeah, send it here to Solingen- Ill be here another 2 cycles. SO, Ive decided while writing Dave that I enjoy the Point System to talk about stuff, so im gunna do that. HEERRE WE GO:

-I obtained a One Rubel coin (Russian money) from the Communist timeperiod (its dated 1970-its really cool) (and really big- I use it to make decisions)

-I walked on the richest street in Europe on Pday, the Königsalle (Kings Alley). I saw a watch for 63,000€. You actually need an appointment to shop at most of the stores. 

-I want a copy of "Mein Kampf" (Hitlers book), but its totally verboten here. You can get into some serious trouble if you get caught with it, so ima have to wait till I get home lol

-There was a massive hailstorm during the week, that was cool. And kinda painful. I dont think theres tornadoes over here, but im not sure.

-Yesterday, while we were on the way home from a less actives house, it downpoured. We got in the house, and it looked like we had just jumped in a swimming pool. It stunk.

-Along with German and Russian, ive begin to learn Welsh and Gaelic. Welsh is really hard, and I want to read the BOM I have in it, and Gaelic just for fun.

I think thats everything for this week. We have Zone conference tomorrow in Dortmund, so Ill see some peeps.. yo. Its President´s last Zo-Ko, and the new Mission President comes in June 29, and I just realized that thats next week. Oh how the time flys. I'll be hitting my year mark in 2 cycles, and the time will bestimmt (defintly) fly from there. OH YEAH. Its been really cold here. I mean, reeallyy cold. Its been Cold and Rainy. But yeah, I think thats it for this week. I hope I get your letter this week! K, i gotta go do other stuff. We´re not really doing anything today cuz Elder Hansens gunna pass off stuff tomorrow for ZO-KO. K, bis nächste Woche! 

p.s.... Tell Grandma and the Shelley's thank you for their generosity...it's always appreciated, I just keep forgetting to mention it!!

June 12, 2011

Hello,
Not getting mail doesnt really bother me anymore, ive grown use to it. I'm working my butt off here trying to earn back trust that should have not of gotten lost through that incident.  Um, so transfer calls came in. Im staying here with Elder Hansen, which means he´ll be the 3rd missionary Ive sent home. Our baptisim that we have planned may not happen, cuz the mom of the girl is completly against it (she thinks we´re a cult, sect, etc.) But we´re still planning on it for next week. And this week we will hopefully set up a few more- We got a referral from a member for this family with 8 kids! And the wife came to church on Sunday and plans on coming more often! We knocked on their door, and when they answered, we saw one of our pass along cards on their clock, which is the first thing you see when the door opens. They look/sound very promising. But yeah, this was a really good week. The reason im writing a little late is cuz yesterday was a holiday, so pday got moved to today. But yeah, we had a goal set for 20 lessons in the week and we got 15- thats like the most ive ever had ever. It was sweet. OH, and Elder Prussy´s friend, Elder Telfer, is the new Zone leader for our zone, and the Zone leaders are in my district, so Ill see him more often. So if you see Elder Prussy, tell him! The weather has been on and off here. If anythings its been kinda chilly, but IM fine with that- its better than the heat. And this whole disease (E coli) thing is dying down, so we can eat food again. Other than that I cant think of anything exciting- I forgot my planner at home, and that has all the stuff in it that I want to tell. Oh well, hopefully Ill have it on Monday. I hit my 9 month mark tomorrow! AND one of the Elders that was in the MTC with us is coming back out! He´s in the MTC right now and will be on his way to Frankfurt mission within a cycle or two! OKay, I think thats about it. Elder Hansen and I are going on a Parkour tour today in Düsseldorf and Solingen, so Ill prolly be way sore tomorrow. K, have a nice week! Tschüß!

June 6, 2011

Things are going pretty good here! We set a Baptisimal date on my
birthday, and will prolly set another this week. I did eat horse, and it
was waaayyy good. I also got presents from the district (PB, Syrup,
and other stuff) But yeah, I got your letter in the mail! THANK YOU
lol. I also got a letter from the Shellys! You and them and my buddy
from the MTC are the only ones that write me- I get emails from Dave
and Joey and my trainer and Emily and Elder Hofbauer and E. Sorensen.
But yeah, Im doing good right now. We´re actually going bowling in a
few minutes so I dont have alot of time to write. But I am doing
better, so thanks for the support. They just had Fathers Day here, and
Im not sure when it is in the USA, so tell dad HAPPY FATHERS DAY cuz i
dont know when it is. Oh, we also are working with these investigators
that have 8 KIDS. That doesnt happen in Germany...like ever. So
hopefully they go somewhere. But yeah, thats about it for now. Its
been really hot and we just had 2 big thunderstorms, so its cooled
down a bit. But one woke us up at like 3:15a.m., and I couldnt get back
to sleep after that, so I was very tired during church. Okay, I think
thats it for now. Hope you all have a nice week!  Tschüß!

A letter to you (for a change)

Hi Alex,

 Sounds like you had a rough week! As I read your letter, my heart ached for you. I can never understand how tough the mission field must be but what I do know is that what you’re feeling- EVERYONE out there in the mission field goes through it in one way or another. What would one of Satan’s greatest victories be? To have a missionary go home before his time!! You were called to this mission LONG before you were even born. If you don’t serve to the best of your abilities and what your fully capable of, then guess who wins?? You have never had to face these kinds of challenges before. NOTHING is easy at first. Remember one of my motto’s is “everything is hard until it gets easy”!! You are almost half way done!! You said you didn’t know what to do—SOOOO, as your Mom, I’m going to tell you what to do!! …. You are going to get on your knees, pray for strength, pour your heart out in your prayer, THEN, you’re going to get up and get back to work! You are going to show the President as well as yourself what you’re made of…. You are going to be obedient, kind, and your going to endure your trials with patience. You are going to KNOW that your family is always praying for you!! Alex, you knew you were going to Germany years ago! For whatever reason, the Lord let you hold on to that memory of your calling from the premortal world. You have special work to do and people to prepare…whether for you to baptize or someone else to some day! Satan is also aware of what you are supposed to accomplish. Maybe you will teach someone who one day will be a great leader of the church. Or maybe you will be an example to someone who is already a member. Maybe one day, you will be that leader!! Your mission is just the beginning of many great things—Don’t question the trials, just humble yourself and let the Holy Ghost guide!!

Satan has attacked our family in so many ways over the past 4 or 5 years!! Between what happened with Dad, then the house fire, and health issues in the family. Through it all we have stuck together, fighting the urge to just give up, fighting confusion in how to deal with things.  We are all stronger for it! The basic thought I always need to bring myself back to is … Light is Christ, dark is Satan. If I’m emotionally feeling bad, I know that is NOT of Christ. Keep asking yourself “what am I suppose to accomplish that is so important that God would let me remember that I would be going to Germany”. Then GET TO WORK!! You may NEVER know but Heavenly Father does. Be patient and trust him! He knows what you’re made of and if he didn’t think you could do this mission, you would NOT be there! You needed to grow; YOU needed to see what you’re made of!! DON’T GIVE UP!!

Sister Gimenez reminded me that you are getting a new mission president in July. Not that President Ninow isn’t wonderful but after 3 years he’s probably so done with directing 100 teenage boys!! New Presidents come in with new energy, and patience AND new ideas! (That new Ipod might not be ok with the new president)… I’ve included a few messages on the next page that were on your Facebook as well as a couple from my inbox that I wanted to share with you! I hope they lift your spirit and bring YOU hope.

I LOVE and ADORE you more than you can ever know!! 

Hugs and Kisses!!!

LOVE MOM

FACEBOOK MESSAGES:

Alex, What a great opportunity you have to be there trying to share the gospel. You remind me of Ammon when he went to teach the Lamanites. All he needed was courage, faith, and a firm determination to fulfill "his mission". It wasn't easy for him, in fact, it was full of challenges. Those challenges are what forged him into the great leader that he later became. We are all very proud of you! For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) We love you! We believe in you! You can do this!

Brother Gimenez

Alex!!!! Keep on working hard!! I can't believe that we are soo close! Well... I mean we are still a couple countries away but its better than nothing! :) Happy early birthday!! Please keep smiling and don’t give up!!

Giselle

MY inbox:

Pretty much every missionary goes through this, I know I did! And a lot of my companions did too, and tell him that the missionaries who come home early get married to ugly girls. Hope thing get better and I’ll pray for him so he can find his motivation. Have a good day sister Madore and say hi to all your family for me (except Mckenzie).lol

Elder Rudus

I agree with Rudas. Couldn't have said it any better. It is so hard on the mission to think about the end. You feel like it's never going to come, but when it does you wish you had more time. It is so nice to look back on those hard times, because it's those hard times that make you stronger!

Elder Barney

QUOTE:

When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the context of the purpose of life… We are meant to learn and grow through opposition, through meeting our challenges, and through teaching others to do the same… the Lord will not only consecrate our afflictions for our gain, but He will use them to bless the lives of countless others.”
–Dallin H. Oaks, “Give Thanks in All Things,”

May 30, 2011

Hello,
Sounds like things are going...well? Hope everything works out for everyone. I also had a pretty hard week. I was sick for 2 days with headaches, runny nose (which I still have), throat aches, and just being physically exhausted. And on Friday morning, I took a nasty spill down a hill and sliced open my knee, cut my side way bad and destroyed my arm. I even had rocks stuck IN my hand- I cut them out with a knife, so its okay. But yeah, its healing up pretty good but Im still pretty sore. On Thursday we had interviews, and Pres. chewed me out BIG time- he said he heard from four or five missionaries that I was showing them rituals to summon evil spirits, which is so not true! That stuff scares me to death, and I dont even know rituals or anything. It made me really mad (im still kinda flared) because I havnt done anything, and he said that he´s gunna let the next mission pres. know so he can keep his eye out. He even threated to send me home! I like Pres. Ninow, but he jumped to a conclusion WAY too fast. But yeah, he just told me not to talk about stuff like that ever again. I dont even know who could have told him anything- maybe 2 people know that Elder Sorensen and I had a frightful experience, and he said I was trying to pull a school prank on the goldens. Yeah, Im feelin pretty trunky. Not home-sick, just really trunky. Like, I really want to come home. Really Badly. Its hard to focus, and the heats not helping anything. And now theres some disease going around in veggies thats legit killing people. Its called Kym or something. It appears as only diarrhea, and thats how it gets you cuz you think its only the runs. So i cant eat döners, or anything green. BUT, I did have legit chinese food on Friday. Thats was pretty good. And yeah, I wanna eat horse on my B-day. I want to be able to say Ive done it, and I hear its pretty good. We ran into Jehova´s Witnesses the other day.  All they do is bash us on how the Bible is the only thing that matters, as if we don't use the Bible too.  And Yes, we did sing on Sunday. It actually went pretty well. The castle was also really cool. Ive been doing a really bad job at uploading pics, but thats okay. I gotta get a memory stick or something soon, cuz im running out of room on my card. UM, im also out of PB :) just saying. Sunday was really stressful. Im not sure why, but I just blew a mental gasket. I think it had just been building up for 8 months and I just lost my mind. Im having a really stressful time. Its not my companion or the area, its just me. I cant focus, im really trunky, theres alot going on, I have a zone leader split tonight (not that thats a bad thing) into tomorrow, the ward is asking alot from us...yeah, im exhausted. Im sleeping really well, but its not enough. I dont know what to do. And Elder Hansen wants me to take over the area on Wed., so im going a little crazy. Tansfer calls are next week, but I dont think Either of us are going anywhere, cuz he´s going home next cycle. But, I cant really judge anymore- thats what I thought about my last area. Tell Trav he´s gotta stop being sick and buck up to shots. Bring him to a hypnotheropist or something. Im not sure what else to write. If I think of anything, blah blah blah (the usual) Yeah, okay, ill talk to you next week. Good luck with the surgery :D K, tschüß

May 23, 2011

helloiubga

Well, im doing a little better since last time. 
 Our Mission Leader is back-I think he was just having a bad day or something. Im not sure about
his english, and I dont have his address that you asked for. Um, yeah, so for PDAY today
we´re going to a castle FINALLY. Dont worry too much about the Ipod for my birthday.
Just send it to the mission home lol. Take your time with it. Im
actually with Elder Liebelt right now. He´s serving in Köln (or
Cologne), and they are coming with us to the schloss. Its getting hot
here, but its not too bad... Im gunna eat a horse for my birthday, cuz we found a
butcher that specializes in them. 
Yeah, so I never told you about the work here! So, we have 3 progressing investigators, one of which we
commited to baptisim, and he said yes, but we dont have a date set up.
The ward is about 50-60 members, and apperantly we´re singing with the
ward choir on sunday...*shutter*. Yeah, Elder Hansen will go home at the
end of July. I'll prolly take over here, but thats what I thought about
Wetzlar. Um, the Zone Leaders think im gunna start moving up the leadership
ladder, so thats kinda horrifying. But yeah, other than that, thats
about it. Cant think of anything else right now, so i'll write stuff
down for next week. K, ima go now. Have a nice week! Tschüß!

May 18th, 2011

heelloy

It feels kinda weird to write an email right now, and I dont know why. But yeah, things are going good here. I was just in Wesel while Elder Hansen was at a leadership training meeting in Dortmund for 2 days. I got to stand on the shores of the Rhein. But it rained for both the days I was there. Yeah, skype was pretty sweet.  By the way, for some unknown reason, our ward mission leader (the guy that you talked to) just went  inactive on Sunday. Know one knows why. He´s not taking calls from anyone from the church, he doesnt want a calling, nothing. He´s only gunna come for Sacrament. It kinda stinks a lot. And yeah, we cant contact people that might be muslim (which is everyone up here), or have any relation whatsoever. Its not that scary here...yet. Elder Hansen and I are doing great. He´s not even trunky, which is weird, cuz Im really trunky. Im not sure why, but these past 2 days Ive just wanted to be home doing something else. I want to come home, but I dont. Its kinda aggravating. 

The Glen Beck thing sounds sweet! Tell him I said hi! I havnt checked stuff for my license yet, because I havnt had the oppertunity to anmeld into Solingen yet, but I think we´re doing that real soon. I dont think I have to pay all that money again. They should just transfer all the information up here, and I can continue with my stuff. HERES MY ADDRESS:

 

Eiland 8

42651 Solingen

 

yeah, so ive been thinking about my birthday...lol. No, but really. Its gunna sound pretty outrageous, but read it out first: I want (not need, but would be cool to have, and if I dont have one I wont die), a 3rd Generation 32 gig Ipod Touch. THE REASON: Its small, portable, and you can put "LDS Apps" on it, which has EVERY church manual (except for the bishops manual), plus scriptures. So I can have more room in my backpack, I can look-up scripture refrences way fast, and If we need a scripture in a certain language for an investigator, it has, like, everything. Its the perfect missionary tool. The LDS APP only cost like $7, and I was looking on Amazon (dont kill me) to see how cheap they went for, because the new ones (4th generation) are €300, and on Amazon I saw one for $145 USED- i dont need a brand new one, and if you can find one for cheaper do it lol. But yeah, thats whats on the list. Like I said, if not possible dont worry about it. But it would be way helpful, AND usable after my mission. And maybe some Raman noodles too :D

 

Yeah, i cant think of anything else. We had Zone Conference last week in Düsseldorf, that was neat. And I had a split with one of the Zone leaders, that was neat too. I had actual A&W soda and REESES cuz they live right next to an international store. Um, I think thats all. Ill write again in a few days (on monday), so you can tell me about the prom, and what your thoughts are for the first of June, 2011. K, i talk to you later. Tschüß

April 27, 2011

Easter was good. We went to Friedrichsdorf for Elder Hofbauers last interview (he goes home next week), then slept over at one of the other elders appartments cuz we didnt feel like driving all the way back home, just to drive back really early the next day for DDM. But yeah, its been really hot here. The hottest was like saturday at  83 degrees. LUCKILY we had a bbq with some members, so it wasnt too bad.  No, I dont need anything food-wise. Im eating fine. We dont even shop that much during the week cuz we´re either out and about or at a members house for food. Ive starting doing stuff for my license, and its gunna take a little longer than I thought. I just need to fill some stuff out, take an eye test, send in the paperwork, then wait 4 weeks, till I can study and take the drivers test, then wait some more till I can get my license. The actual license itself is only 35€, but I think its the test thats expensive. Anyways, things are going great here. We went to Frankfurt yesterday as a district and went to a blind museum, where they gave us canes and we got to walk around a pitch-black environment (city, woods, etc). It was sweeet. But sometimes a little painful. We also had a small thunderstorm yesterday, so that was neat. I read somewhere that Travis passed his Eagle... very nice. But yeah, I think thats about it. OH. So, Mothers Day is coming up in 2 sundays. Do you still remember how to call?  If you cant figure it out, ask Bro. Ferguson. And you can even give it a test run if you want to make sure it works. Okay, I think thats everything. Hope you guys have a nice week! Good luck with doctor stuff Trav! Tscüß! 

April 21, 2011

Helloooo,
 Mom, dont worry, we´re being obedient. Theres no way we could get into trouble because we are not doing anything that we´re not supposed to be doing.  We do talk in German, but not all the time. Admittedly that is the way to learn a language, but it also creates an unhealthy rift between your companion and you. I still do all my language study, and I definitly get a little more because I have a native companion. And this area isnt English speaking, it just has some kids that can (most students in Germany can).  The reason that Im coming home early is because the Provo MTC is trying to even-out the number of missionaries with the Preston MTC.    On a lighter note, we´re gunna have a baptisim! MY FIRST ONE. I'll fill you in later. I wont write on monday cuz our PDAY is moved to tuesday cuz of Easter (big holiday here) And I gotta write Travis's letter, so talk to you on Monday! Tscüß!

April 18, 2011

Hellooooo,
So the Second Sunday was good. We just watched the General Conference that we couldnt watch the day it was on cuz it was too late. We got to bless the sacrament, too. It was good. Dont worry too much about my bday present. I just need my license, and thats it. Im doing good on money. Everythings fine, I just think its cool that we can come home earlier, but I do wish I could of hit my 2 year mark. Its okay. Ill send Travis's letter tomorrow. Im not sure what to put in it, but Ill do what I can. Post moves real fast here- in-country mail takes 1-2 days. It stinks back home. Language is still unterwegs. There are a lot more people that speak english, so thats not helping me very much. I can understand people very well, but I respond in english most of the time, and Elder Hofbauer and I sprechen fast kein deutsch mit einander-  Speak almost no German with each other-(sorry, that was not on purpose. I cant put it in english. Get a translator) It sounds like things are going pretty well back home. We have a couple people we´re teaching, but Im not sure how many are ready to get baptised. We work so much better here than my last area. I love it here. We do a lot of service too, which is always good. Its also nice to have less actives that like us, because in Weimar they all hated us. Oh well, Im here now. Thats cool that Rob's in the BSA. Maybe when I get back Ill be like a scout master or something. Who knows. But yeah, not much has happened since I wrote on Thursday, so yeah. I gotta upload some pictures so you know whats going on in my life. I saw the President of Germany on Thursday, so i'll put those pics up. But yeah, have a nice week! Tschüß!

April 14, 2011

HANS-SACHS-STRAßE 2a
35576 WETZLAR
GERMANY

k, bye

KIDING. Thats the new address, if you couldnt tell. Last Pday we kinda just went shopping, but I didnt buy anything. The most recent Pday (3 days ago) we went to Frankfurt, which was way sweet, and we´re going back in like 2 weeks for a blind museum tour (ill let you know how that goes). We went to the temple on Tues, before DDM, and the session was in French, so I got to wear a cool translator thingy. OH; GUESS WHAT. So, instead of coming home on Sept 15th, 2012, Ill be home 2 weeks earlier, so the last week of August! ISNT IT EXCITING? But not just me, ALL the missionaries as of OCt. 2011. Im not sure why, but thats whats going on. I wont even reach my 2 year mark. Oh well. SO, about the suits- I came to the MTC with 2 suits, right? I aquired an other suit from Elder Walker, so I went to Germany with 3 suits. When I left Weimar, I had only my original suit because the others were too big for me. So I still have a suit, and European Suits arn't even that expensive- you just gotta know where to look. And luckily my comp. is from Austria, so he´s gotta great sense of fashion...oh gosh, I sound like a girl. But we can find good suits for way cheap. Birthday wise, I dont even know. Whats most important right now is getting my license, because as of next month,I cant drive anymore unless I have a European license (which apparantly is good for life), so yeah. And I would check how much I have on my debit card, but machines here dont do that, so is it possible for you to check online? We packed some Sudafede (or however its spelt), and Ive already gone thru it, so Im gunna find some more. But ive been okay the past couple days. I finally got your package! I think cuz christmas is way over, it'll be fine to send me stuff thru my regular address. But thanks for it! Did I mention we have nutella here? I just havn't tried it yet. And yes, I like the ward members. Ive only been to church here once because the 2nd sunday I was here was Gen. Confrence, and last sunday was Stake confrence (there was a LOT of people there), so this coming sunday will be my 2nd sunday in my own ward. Its sad, because I cant really remember what regular Pizza hut or KFC tastes like, but they´re pretty good. Fast food is way good here. But yeah, sounds like things are going good at home. Things are pretty good here. Ive been kept busy, visting people and teaching and what not, so Its good. But yeah, thats about all I cant think of. You have my address, and I posted it on FB, so everyone can write me now. I havnt had mail in forever, so tell people Im sad, because I want mail :( Okay, We gotta lot to do today, so im gunna leave now. Have a nice week! Tschüß!

April 7, 2011

Sorry its taken so long to write- ive been a tad occupied. On pday I was kinda rushed, so i had like no time to do anything. Then on Tuesday we had to clean our car for zo-ko inspections, shop for food, and do other stuff. On Wed. we had zo-ko, which was pretty sweeet. I got to see a couple of the guys I came in with. Then right after I had a split, and I wasnt in my usual area. Now its Thurs. and Im letting you know Im still alive. On Fri. I go on a split with the Zone Leaders, then Sun. is Stake Confrence, and on Mon. we´re going to Frankfurt for the day. Last week was pretty good. General Confrence was done alittle weirder cuz of the time difference. We only got to watch 3 sessions, but we´ll see the others at aonther time. The priesthood session was from like 1-3 in the morning, so we watched it the next day in Friedrichsdorf where we could watch it in English. We had a BBQ on Sat. with a family from our ward. Im pretty sure I put pics of them on Facebook. It was pretty sweet actually being with a member family. I got to play a guitar there, so I was happy. Actually, theres quite a few Ive been able to play, so its exciting. Except that I can barely remember how to play songs, so Im trying to remember. They come to me as I just play random notes, so thats good news. The weather has been absolutly awesome. Its rained a couple times, but thats about it. Its been an average of like 70 degrees, and my allergies are starting to come in :(. It stinks, but Ill get over them just like I have in the past. OH YEAH. So, on pday we had...PIZZA HUT. I: WAS. SO. HAPPY. I didnt think Germany had it, BUT THEY DO. Ive actually seen 2! AND A KFC. I love the west. I almost bought a new suit too, cuz I left my other suits in Weimar. I still have my 1st one, but the others were too big...and I couldnt fit them in my suitcase. This just gives me a reason to get a European suit, but Im gunna kill this one first. And on Thursday an Elder that went home a few months ago came to visit with his father on their way to China. It was way sweet. We fit 6 people in a 4 person mini-cooper, and ate out at a legit German resteraunt. I had Jäger schintzel, which is just schnitzl with a really good sauce and some small mushrooms. It was awesome. Im also certified by the church to drive now, so I can drive until I need to get my German DL, which I was gunna take money out for soon. Apperantly its like €30-40 for the test itself, then the other €130 for the license. I should have it covered. Speaking of gay people, Theres alot of them over here. But its not like it is in the States. They´re way nice and most of the time you cant even tell. My comps had to tell me who is, and I didnt even recognize it. They´re way cool. But yeah, sounds like everything is going pretty well back home. We have a couple people that we´re teaching, and hopefully we´ll get acouple of them baptized. One of them wants to, but he´s part of the Unity Church (look it up, its wacked). One of their core beliefs is that Satan had sex with Eve, and thats why they wore fig leaves. They also believe that their leader, Rev. Moon, is finishing Jesus´ mission cuz he (Jesus) couldnt. Its way crazy, But he came to Gen. Conf. and that was good. But yeah, the language is still a little slow, but I think Its helping having a native companion. Im still working on getting a letter to Travis, ive just been way busy. Tell him I said late Happey Birthday and I should be coming up with something soon. I think thats it for now. If I dont write on monday, its cuz Im in the NYC of Europe and I was busy. But it should be okay. Okay, have a nice week! Tschüß!

April 4, 2011 (Letter to Dad)

 The new area is awesome. It feels like my mission is just starting, except Ive got a head start in the language and stuff. Theres alot of country in-between tiny towns. Its so pretty, ive gotta take more pictures. General Conference was good. We watched 2 sessions in Friedrichsdorf (right next to the temple) and the other in Wetzlar. The one @ Friedrichsdorf was in English, and the one in Wetzlar was in German, so it was a little harder to pay attention. Jesus the Christ was great. I learned alot from it. Ive gone thru the entire mission library already. We had an investigator go to General Conference on Sunday, and that was pretty cool. 
The Autobahn is pretty fast, but not scary at all because everyone is going the same speed- well over 100 mph. The fastest are car goes is 200km, which is only 124mph, and we get passed by porshes, BMWs and Audis all the time. Its awesome.  
Baptisims are hard to come by, but this cycle has its potentials. We´ll see. Okay, hope you didnt get too much snow. Im kinda in a rush writing cuz we got here kinda late, so love ya tchüß!