27.9.2004

hey friends! this week was a good one! they say that whenever a missionary rides his bike in the pouring rain, without a raincoat and in the mud, that his future wife becomes more attractive and a little bit smarter. if that´s the case, then this week really helped me out! i had forgotten what it was like to show up for an appointment dripping and smiling! tons of fun!! Last week we had one appointment that really sticks out in my mind. we were supposed to meet with one young man, about 20 years old, who used to have much contact with the misisonaries but somehow got lost. we were supposed to meet at his house, and a friend of his was also supposed to meet with there at the same time. when we showed up, however, there were 4 people there. he had forgotten our appointment totally, and they were all just playing the computer. we sat down anyway, and chatted about the game for a few minutes. as we were sitting there, a few other friends of his walked in and sat down and joined the conversation. then a few more. then a few more. then the other kid who was supposed to meet with us showed up and sat down. before we knew it there were 11 other young people all in this room, sitting in a circle, just chatting. i said a quick prayer to myself, because from the direction the conversation was going, we werent going to get around to religion soon, and we had another appointment in an hour. then, suddenly, one of them offered us a cigarette, and, of course, being Mormon, i turned it down, so he asked me why, and within ten seconds i was explaining about our church. all 11 of them stopped their conversations and listened. they began to ask questions, and for the next hour we had a wonderful discussion! everyone was involved, and we are going back this weekend, and everyone who was there promised to come! Amazing! i am sure they felt the spirit and we were just so pumped afterwards! we didnt really have too much hope for the appointment, from what we had heard and read about this kid, he was almost a waste of time, but he was there in the middle fo the discusion, agreeing with what we said, and explaining to his friends our standpoint from a very positive point of view! it was an amazing experience, and i believe we were helped on that day, for sure! we went to institute last week. since there are only 2 people in our ward who go, the missionaries are always invited. it was a great experience as well, and we brought a visitor with us. i am so thankful for all the wonderful things! i have made some amazing friends here! people are so wonderful! hm. i noticed that even though a week seems dull and without success, whenever i send these emails on Monday, i get so excited about the week, even if we did 30 hours of doors in the rain without a single person who talked to us. i guess i kind of forget all the small negative things, but the cool experiences stand out like mountains! in other words, the weeks all seem to go by without any exciting experiences, but looking back, there are always things that were totally unique and amazing memories that i will never forget that i couldnt have gotten anywhere else! i could tell you more, but it´s something you have to experience for yourselves. at any rate, i am happy. stay strong, and have a great week!

20.9.2004

hey friends, sorry so late and short this week. we were busy all day monday, and only had a few minutes to read emails. i sent one then, but the computer messed up, and i´m afraid it didnt get through. that´s annoying. just to let everyone know, i´m doing fine. i am staying with my companion for 6 more weeks here, and we are looking forward to it. we are good friends and have set some high goals for this next month and a half. i guess everything is just same old, same old. ach, last saturday we visited an old castle. Bückeburg Schoss it´s called, and it´s right near where we live. way cool.. moat and everything. there was also a big flea market in front of the place, and it was cool to rummage through the old antique german stuff. picked up a few cheap things as momentos. i am taking tons of pictures with my digital camera, but i havent gotten them on a CD yet... i´ll send some when i do. it#s gotten quite cold recently, and i´d forgotten what it´s like to be riding on a bike as fast as possible, late for an appointment on the other side of town, in the cold rain at twilight. i wouldnt trade it for anything! peace out! remember that life is great!