People of the world.
I would like you to know that missionary work can be so FREAKING hard. People say that and you have no idea what it really means because no one can seem to put it into words, but I will do it for you.
I will use this past week as an example. The week before last, we had amazing numbers. Stupendous, in fact. We were rocking it and all the other missionaries in Hamburg were super jealous. And then. Of course. EVERYTHING FELL APART. We had like 5 lessons planned on Tuesday and not a SINGLE ONE worked out. More than half of our investigators have dropped off the face of the planet and now we're borderline stalking some to see if we can finally get a hold of them! We weren't able to get as many appointments with new people as we would have liked, and every appointment we made with people the week prior fell out. It's ridiculous, truly. Also it's FREEZING and the cold wind blows up my skirt all day. CHEESE.
But I will tell you some good things.
Firstly, we have an investigator that makes my heart smile. Sofia, she is called. I'm not sure why that last sentence was written so strangely but we're going to roll with it. She's amazing. And I love her. Also she brought a friend to church on Sunday so we will baptize the both of them, of course.
Speaking of church, let me tell you about a lady named Schwester Timm. HILARIOUS. She is super crazy and a little loopy and I love her. She always shows up to church with the strangest combination of clothes and colors. Her hair is always sticking up and crazy. When she walks into a room EVERYONE knows because she loves to let them know. Her husband is waaaaaay older than her and when they sit together in church she rubs his head very awkwardly hahaha. Also, she told us the best story ever: So she and her husband are very very VERY wealthy. And one day, for a reason I'm not quite sure about, she had to transport like 10,000 euros in cash somewhere. She wanted it to be safe so naturally, she shoved it all down her pants. Well on the way to delivering this money she decided she needed to go to the bathroom. Forgetting she had 10,000 euros shoved in her underwear, she pulled down her pants to go to the bathroom and the money went EVERYWHERE, so she had to run around trying to pick it all up. Hahahahaha if only you knew her. It would be even more hilarious. And the way she told the story! Oh heavens. Meeting her as been the highlight of my mission. Don't worry, I'll get a picture with her.
So I had my first zone conference this week, which is where all the missionaries in the Hamburg area get together with the mission president and his wife and we have workshops and stuff. As a new missionary, they made me give my testimony in German. Worst thing ever, of course. But the Mission president came up to me afterwards and told me how incredibly proud he is of my German and that my "aussprache" (pronunciation) is amazing. Then this missionary from Southern Germany came up to me and asked me where I was from because there is no way an American would speak German like that. And then 5 other members at church told me the same thing! So yes, my head is getting big about it. But don't worry, the fact that I still can't actually say anything in German humbles me quite a bit.
Also all the Africans here love me because I told them that I want to work in Africa someday. They make us African food and save all the spicey food for me because I already "have Africa in my blood" and I can handle it, but Sister Martinz isn't allowed. Haha oooooooh I can't wait to live there.
Well my lovelies, I hope you're living wonderful lives. Send me pictures and love.
Loves.
Sister Young
1.30.2012
1.29.2012
January 23, 2012
Hello my lovely people of the earth.
This week was BORING. Well not really. But I don't have any really super exciting stories to tell you.
First off, I'd like to lament. I know you've all missed reading my rants about things that I believe to be stupid, and so I will treat you once again to my rant about the dumbest thing on the earth: ALCOHOL.
I'm sure some people reading this are laughing and saying "Whatever! Alcohol, in some degree of moderation, is awesome." I've never drank, so I don't really know if that's true. But I'll tell you what I know from an outsider's perspective. ALCOHOL IS DUMB. It ruins people's lives. It drives families apart. It makes otherwise sensible people fools. It destroys bodies. It is DISGUSTING. And it is one of the greatest evils I've been fighting on my mission. Many of the people we teach have destroyed their lives with drinking and it is the biggest trial they must overcome in order to receive the blessings of the gospel. None of them have enough faith that they can quit because they are so dependant on it. And so they don't quit. And they don't progress. And my heart breaks for them.
If anybody within the sound of my voice (or within capacity to read my words, I suppose) has decided that they want to start drinking or that they love drinking too much to give it up or whatever, SHUT UP. DON'T DO IT. DON'T YOU DARE GO DOWN THAT PATH. And if you "must," please please PLEASE watch how much you drink and how often you drink. Please. I don't want to have to worry about you too.
That being said, I'd like to move on to happier things. And also I would like someone to please send me instructions on how to solve a Rubics cube because it's driving me INSANE.
So we have some recent converts in our ward that are from India, and I had the amazing opportunity to eat at their house. And eating with Indians is a sport. They kept filling my plate higher and higher even when I said I couldn't handle anything more. The food was so spicy and my nose was running and my eyes were watering. But it was delicious. And totally worth it. Ha. Neeta, one of the converts, dressed up my companion in her sari and she looked AWESOME. I was so jealous. And then they tried to teach us this dance but we sucked at it, of course. But it was quite the evening. Best dinner appointment ever.
Right now we have 5 progessing investigators and we find more and more people all the time. It's so great. I love the people we teach! And they are so patient with me and my German. Mostly I think they just view me as a cute little puppy they can pat on the head. Ha.
Speaking of cute little puppies, my companion and I have developed a new way of contacting on the street. She does the talking, and I makes my eyes REALLY big and have a really sad face when they say they aren't interested or don't believe in God or they think we're crazy. Then they feel bad and take a card from us. Ha. Last night this guy kept trying to talk about how religion is crazy and he kept looking at my face and saying "Don't look at me like that! Why are you looking at me like that?!" Then Sister Martinz tried to give him a card and he wouldn't take it, so I made my eyes really big and said, "Bitte?" Hahahaha he melted. And took the card. And then he was nice. We're the dream team.
So. Everyone should tell me when they're birthday is. I hate guessing and I feel stupid when I get it wrong. So please write me and tell me.
Also Valentine's Day is coming up! Who wants to be my Valentine?! I'll let you send me lovely things! And MAYBE I'll send you something. Maybe.
I love you all. Go read "The Women in our Lives" by Gordon B. Hinckley. Right now.
Love,
Sister Young
This week was BORING. Well not really. But I don't have any really super exciting stories to tell you.
First off, I'd like to lament. I know you've all missed reading my rants about things that I believe to be stupid, and so I will treat you once again to my rant about the dumbest thing on the earth: ALCOHOL.
I'm sure some people reading this are laughing and saying "Whatever! Alcohol, in some degree of moderation, is awesome." I've never drank, so I don't really know if that's true. But I'll tell you what I know from an outsider's perspective. ALCOHOL IS DUMB. It ruins people's lives. It drives families apart. It makes otherwise sensible people fools. It destroys bodies. It is DISGUSTING. And it is one of the greatest evils I've been fighting on my mission. Many of the people we teach have destroyed their lives with drinking and it is the biggest trial they must overcome in order to receive the blessings of the gospel. None of them have enough faith that they can quit because they are so dependant on it. And so they don't quit. And they don't progress. And my heart breaks for them.
If anybody within the sound of my voice (or within capacity to read my words, I suppose) has decided that they want to start drinking or that they love drinking too much to give it up or whatever, SHUT UP. DON'T DO IT. DON'T YOU DARE GO DOWN THAT PATH. And if you "must," please please PLEASE watch how much you drink and how often you drink. Please. I don't want to have to worry about you too.
That being said, I'd like to move on to happier things. And also I would like someone to please send me instructions on how to solve a Rubics cube because it's driving me INSANE.
So we have some recent converts in our ward that are from India, and I had the amazing opportunity to eat at their house. And eating with Indians is a sport. They kept filling my plate higher and higher even when I said I couldn't handle anything more. The food was so spicy and my nose was running and my eyes were watering. But it was delicious. And totally worth it. Ha. Neeta, one of the converts, dressed up my companion in her sari and she looked AWESOME. I was so jealous. And then they tried to teach us this dance but we sucked at it, of course. But it was quite the evening. Best dinner appointment ever.
Right now we have 5 progessing investigators and we find more and more people all the time. It's so great. I love the people we teach! And they are so patient with me and my German. Mostly I think they just view me as a cute little puppy they can pat on the head. Ha.
Speaking of cute little puppies, my companion and I have developed a new way of contacting on the street. She does the talking, and I makes my eyes REALLY big and have a really sad face when they say they aren't interested or don't believe in God or they think we're crazy. Then they feel bad and take a card from us. Ha. Last night this guy kept trying to talk about how religion is crazy and he kept looking at my face and saying "Don't look at me like that! Why are you looking at me like that?!" Then Sister Martinz tried to give him a card and he wouldn't take it, so I made my eyes really big and said, "Bitte?" Hahahaha he melted. And took the card. And then he was nice. We're the dream team.
So. Everyone should tell me when they're birthday is. I hate guessing and I feel stupid when I get it wrong. So please write me and tell me.
Also Valentine's Day is coming up! Who wants to be my Valentine?! I'll let you send me lovely things! And MAYBE I'll send you something. Maybe.
I love you all. Go read "The Women in our Lives" by Gordon B. Hinckley. Right now.
Love,
Sister Young
1.17.2012
Alrighty my friends and family. I was afraid this week would be boring and there would be nothing to say and then WHAM. The weekend hit us like a ton of bricks and I have many wonderful and hilarious things to tell you.
Firstly, we managed to have 3 investigators at Institute this week. How flippin' cool is that?! I praised myself and my companion until I realized that really the Lord is behind it. Duh. So I gave Him a spiritual high-five and thanked him from the bottom of my heart. It's AWESOME to be part of so many little miracles! Ha. Also. Narek, one of the investigators who came, doesn't understand German 100% and it's sometimes hard to communicate. But he came up to us afterwards and said that although he couldn't understand everything, he felt amazing and knew that it was God's spirit and he feels like everyone there is his family and that we're his sisters. So precious.
So. I'm going to tell you a little bit about how weekly planning works in our companionship. Weekly planning is every Saturday and we take a looooong time to think about each and every person we teach and what we need to do for them and what we need to get them to church and so on and so forth. Yikes, I'm really good at run-on sentences. ANYWAYS. Sister Martinz and I get a little distracted. Needless to say, we were talking about one of our investigators and within 5 minutes we were talking about rabbit poo. RABBIT POO. Baahahaha I don't know how this happens.
Mmk. BEST STORY EVER. After weekly planning some of our plans fell out so we were walking around talking to people. Of course. So Sister Martinz sees this guy crossing the street towards us and goes to talk to him. He looks up at us, smiles, and says a bunch of jibberish, presumably in Arabic. Sister Martinz keeps trying to explain that we talk to people about God and that we would like to give him a book about Jesus Christ and he keeps talking and trying to grab our hands. Finally we hear "Wie viele?" which means "How much?" and I start to panic. I grab my companion and start to pull her away but she is DETERMINED to convince him we are NOT prostitutes. She keeps saying things like GOTT! and JESUS CHRISTUS! but he just keeps smiling and pointing in the distance and motioning for us to come with him. AND THEN. He tried to kiss Sister Martinz! Bahahahahaha that really gave her the hint and we ran far far away. Ooooooooooh I can't wait to watch a movie of my life and see that part. Bahahahaha.
Anyways, the next day turned out to be even better. We had SIX investigators at church!!! 4 of them we knew and were expecting, one of them was a friend of a less-active member that came, and then. Bahaha I chuckle even thinking about it. So there is an American girl here named Kenna who has an off-semester right now at BYU-I so she decided to chill in Germany for a while. Cool. Anyway, she was walking to church and this dude came up to her, obviously high out of his mind, and asked her where she was going. She said she was going to church and he asked if he could come along. Hahaha so she shows up with this guy, Mikey (from America), and he is CRAZY intoxicated and heaven knows what else, and he stayed ALL THREE HOURS. And he wants to come back next week. Ooooooooh your adventures as a missionary. So great. But the really great thing about all of this is the ward thinks we are miracle missionaries and so now they love us even more. Win.
Also, I found out that I can by delicous french bread here in the stores and so I do. All the time. And I love it. Don't tell the Germans!!
I love you beautiful people. And I'm sorry I can't respond to everyone's emails and letters fast enough!! I'm trying. Promise.
Love,
Sister Young
Firstly, we managed to have 3 investigators at Institute this week. How flippin' cool is that?! I praised myself and my companion until I realized that really the Lord is behind it. Duh. So I gave Him a spiritual high-five and thanked him from the bottom of my heart. It's AWESOME to be part of so many little miracles! Ha. Also. Narek, one of the investigators who came, doesn't understand German 100% and it's sometimes hard to communicate. But he came up to us afterwards and said that although he couldn't understand everything, he felt amazing and knew that it was God's spirit and he feels like everyone there is his family and that we're his sisters. So precious.
So. I'm going to tell you a little bit about how weekly planning works in our companionship. Weekly planning is every Saturday and we take a looooong time to think about each and every person we teach and what we need to do for them and what we need to get them to church and so on and so forth. Yikes, I'm really good at run-on sentences. ANYWAYS. Sister Martinz and I get a little distracted. Needless to say, we were talking about one of our investigators and within 5 minutes we were talking about rabbit poo. RABBIT POO. Baahahaha I don't know how this happens.
Mmk. BEST STORY EVER. After weekly planning some of our plans fell out so we were walking around talking to people. Of course. So Sister Martinz sees this guy crossing the street towards us and goes to talk to him. He looks up at us, smiles, and says a bunch of jibberish, presumably in Arabic. Sister Martinz keeps trying to explain that we talk to people about God and that we would like to give him a book about Jesus Christ and he keeps talking and trying to grab our hands. Finally we hear "Wie viele?" which means "How much?" and I start to panic. I grab my companion and start to pull her away but she is DETERMINED to convince him we are NOT prostitutes. She keeps saying things like GOTT! and JESUS CHRISTUS! but he just keeps smiling and pointing in the distance and motioning for us to come with him. AND THEN. He tried to kiss Sister Martinz! Bahahahahaha that really gave her the hint and we ran far far away. Ooooooooooh I can't wait to watch a movie of my life and see that part. Bahahahaha.
Anyways, the next day turned out to be even better. We had SIX investigators at church!!! 4 of them we knew and were expecting, one of them was a friend of a less-active member that came, and then. Bahaha I chuckle even thinking about it. So there is an American girl here named Kenna who has an off-semester right now at BYU-I so she decided to chill in Germany for a while. Cool. Anyway, she was walking to church and this dude came up to her, obviously high out of his mind, and asked her where she was going. She said she was going to church and he asked if he could come along. Hahaha so she shows up with this guy, Mikey (from America), and he is CRAZY intoxicated and heaven knows what else, and he stayed ALL THREE HOURS. And he wants to come back next week. Ooooooooh your adventures as a missionary. So great. But the really great thing about all of this is the ward thinks we are miracle missionaries and so now they love us even more. Win.
Also, I found out that I can by delicous french bread here in the stores and so I do. All the time. And I love it. Don't tell the Germans!!
I love you beautiful people. And I'm sorry I can't respond to everyone's emails and letters fast enough!! I'm trying. Promise.
Love,
Sister Young
1.10.2012
Yo.
This week has been the craziest thing ever. But first let me tell you the most important things.
Firstly, I stopped shaving. Like, my body is a forest. That's how bad it is. But you know what? IT KEEPS ME WARM. So I'm not shaving till Spring.
Also the heater in our bathroom also happens to be a towel rack. I LOVE GERMANY.
Mmk. Eating here is so whack. I already told you they feed us till we sweat the food out of our pores, but did I mention that they never drink anything?? They'll pour you a giant glass of CARBONATED WATER (the most DISGUSTING drink EVER) and then nobody touches it until everyone is done eating. So then I have to chug this nasty crap and it hurts my throat. So lately I've been asking for stille wasser (normal water) and they look at me like I'm crazy. But I don't care!!! I do what I WANT. And then they always offer tea, so I'm learning to like it.
The weather is rain rain rain. That is all. I think I've seen the sun twice. Also I bought my first pair of boots ever and they are fabulous. Why have I not done this before???
So. The language. I'm sure you'd all like to know that I CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP THIS LANGUAGE IS SO FLIPPIN RIDICULOUS and I can't understand a single word. That's a lie. I understand "Nein!" and also "Ja!", and that is not helpful for me. Pooooooooooooooo.
BUT. We (my companion and I) have big big plans. 4 baptismal dates at the end of our time together (12 weeks/2 transfers). Currently we have 3 progressing investigators (one already with a baptismal date) and 4 new ones, so I am not worried. We pray and pray that these people pull through. All of them are super dooper awesome.
Which reminds me!! I have 2 miracle stories for the week.
Miracle #1 - So Sister Martinz and I went out in the boonies of our area to try to find this person that's apparently in our ward because they're on the member list but nobody has any idea who they are. So we go to their apartment building and try to ring her but she's not answering. But we can't go all the way there for nothing! So Sister Martiz presses a random button and this lady answered and let us up!!!!! Do you understand how incredibly rare that is???!? It was crazy. So we met Dea from Sri Lanka. She's awesome, but she doesn't want lessons until God gives her a sign haha. I'm not worried though. IT WILL HAPPEN.
Miracle #2 - We were expecting some people for church who ACTUALLY CAME. Ryssat (from Poland) said that his experience at church made him want to really change his life so he's finally going to meet with us on a regular basis. He brought a friend of his that we met once named Erika. She's from Russia and doesn't speak very good German, so she was really unsure about coming because she wouldn't be able to understand. But lo and behold, one of the nicest ladies in the ward just happens to speak Russian and she translated the whole sacrament meeting for her. Erika started crying because she was so happy. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE BIGGEST MIRACLE!! We stopped a lady on the street the other day and gave her a card with the address to our church on it. I kept telling my companion that she was going to come and of course she did. SHE CAME TO CHURCH. AND SHE LOVED IT. Aaaaaaaah. It's days like that that really help you when you're feeling poopy.
Random thought: did I tell you that my companion is a midwife? Because she is!! One more reason everything is freaking awesome.
BUT. Don't let my jolly words fool you into thinking missions are the greatest thing ever. I'm sure they are in hindsight, but they sure are hard. I feel like I'm being tested in ways that were not even possible. And I'm not even a transer into my mission! Yikes.
Well my lovlies. Your scripture for the week is Psalms 36:7 and your piece of advice is: if you go on splits with the missionaries, PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING STUPID OR CONFUSING. K thanks.
Lurve.
Sister Young
This week has been the craziest thing ever. But first let me tell you the most important things.
Firstly, I stopped shaving. Like, my body is a forest. That's how bad it is. But you know what? IT KEEPS ME WARM. So I'm not shaving till Spring.
Also the heater in our bathroom also happens to be a towel rack. I LOVE GERMANY.
Mmk. Eating here is so whack. I already told you they feed us till we sweat the food out of our pores, but did I mention that they never drink anything?? They'll pour you a giant glass of CARBONATED WATER (the most DISGUSTING drink EVER) and then nobody touches it until everyone is done eating. So then I have to chug this nasty crap and it hurts my throat. So lately I've been asking for stille wasser (normal water) and they look at me like I'm crazy. But I don't care!!! I do what I WANT. And then they always offer tea, so I'm learning to like it.
The weather is rain rain rain. That is all. I think I've seen the sun twice. Also I bought my first pair of boots ever and they are fabulous. Why have I not done this before???
So. The language. I'm sure you'd all like to know that I CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP THIS LANGUAGE IS SO FLIPPIN RIDICULOUS and I can't understand a single word. That's a lie. I understand "Nein!" and also "Ja!", and that is not helpful for me. Pooooooooooooooo.
BUT. We (my companion and I) have big big plans. 4 baptismal dates at the end of our time together (12 weeks/2 transfers). Currently we have 3 progressing investigators (one already with a baptismal date) and 4 new ones, so I am not worried. We pray and pray that these people pull through. All of them are super dooper awesome.
Which reminds me!! I have 2 miracle stories for the week.
Miracle #1 - So Sister Martinz and I went out in the boonies of our area to try to find this person that's apparently in our ward because they're on the member list but nobody has any idea who they are. So we go to their apartment building and try to ring her but she's not answering. But we can't go all the way there for nothing! So Sister Martiz presses a random button and this lady answered and let us up!!!!! Do you understand how incredibly rare that is???!? It was crazy. So we met Dea from Sri Lanka. She's awesome, but she doesn't want lessons until God gives her a sign haha. I'm not worried though. IT WILL HAPPEN.
Miracle #2 - We were expecting some people for church who ACTUALLY CAME. Ryssat (from Poland) said that his experience at church made him want to really change his life so he's finally going to meet with us on a regular basis. He brought a friend of his that we met once named Erika. She's from Russia and doesn't speak very good German, so she was really unsure about coming because she wouldn't be able to understand. But lo and behold, one of the nicest ladies in the ward just happens to speak Russian and she translated the whole sacrament meeting for her. Erika started crying because she was so happy. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE BIGGEST MIRACLE!! We stopped a lady on the street the other day and gave her a card with the address to our church on it. I kept telling my companion that she was going to come and of course she did. SHE CAME TO CHURCH. AND SHE LOVED IT. Aaaaaaaah. It's days like that that really help you when you're feeling poopy.
Random thought: did I tell you that my companion is a midwife? Because she is!! One more reason everything is freaking awesome.
BUT. Don't let my jolly words fool you into thinking missions are the greatest thing ever. I'm sure they are in hindsight, but they sure are hard. I feel like I'm being tested in ways that were not even possible. And I'm not even a transer into my mission! Yikes.
Well my lovlies. Your scripture for the week is Psalms 36:7 and your piece of advice is: if you go on splits with the missionaries, PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING STUPID OR CONFUSING. K thanks.
Lurve.
Sister Young
1.02.2012
January 2, 2012
I'm alive!!!! Can you believe it? Me either. Also this keyboard I'm using is ridiculous. Hopefully I get faster at this.
SO! Big news. Biiiiiiig news.
First of all I should say that my first real day of the mission here was awesome. The Mission President took us to a place that everyone in the mission calls "Mauer Platz", or "wall place." The Berlin wall used to stand there. So we read from the dedicatory prayer that Thomas S. Monson gave like 40 or 50 years ago that said that the land of East Germany will be open to the gospel once more. Then he let us go to our own private place on the other side of where the wall was (in former East Germany) and say our own prayer to dedicate ourselves to the missions. Then I had to take a picture of me with my awesome missionary nametag as kind of a SUCK IT message to the former East Germany. WE WON. Ha.
After that we were swept away to meet all the trainers and get assigned to our new areas. And...I'm...in...HAMBURG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dream come true. Seriously. This is the best place ever, mostly because they speak High German and that's the only German I can (barely) understand. Ha. It's a miracle.
So technically I'm in a place called Langenhorn, which is north Hamburg. There used to be a concentration camp here. Why am I not surprised....??? Anyway, it's AWESOME here because we actually have a ward (our congregation has about 80 people) and we always have appointments so I don't spend a lot of time walking around trying to find people to teach. I also speak French all the time!!!!! Aaaaaaaah. We have an investigator with a baptismal date right now and we're hoping to have several more by the end of the month. Wiiiiiin. Also the members are so awesome. SO AWESOME and I love them and I feel like we're already family.
My trainer's name is Sister Martinz and she's AMAZING. God must really love me because I totally got the whole package. She's from Austria which means my German should be perfect soon, since she's always making me speak German. Ha. She's hilarious and we get along soooo well. Everyone here loves her so I'm excited to work here and with her. Yay.
One thing Sister Martinz is really good at is making me talk to people. Oooooh it is so painful, but I do it. In the end it always turns out to be a hilarious experience. In our mission, we've been challenged to make one new appointment every single day with one new person. We're pretty much rockstars at it, considering Sister Martinz's fullproof plan - if we haven't been able to find anyone and the clock is ticking, find the nearest black person because they never mind meeting with us. Hahahahaha! Contacting (or talking to people on the street) is hilarious. You meet the funniest and weirdest people ever. And the best. Most people throw their hands up in the air and shout "Kein interrest!" But at the end of the day you realize that Mormons really are a bunch of weirdies that are trying to convert everyone to their church, so people's reactions to you are normal. I would probably do the same thing.
Let me tell you a little bit how it works. We'll be walking down the street and see someone turing a corner and walking towards us. Prime opportunity. Then they get close enough to you to realize who you are and they start panicking. You can see it in their eyes, they want to run away! But the only options are to jump in the bushes to their left or run into a car on their right. So they put their heads down and avoid eye contact at all costs. BUT the GREAT thing about Germans is that if you say "Entshuldigung!" they feel obligated to stop and see how they can help you. Germans are very helpful. So they're trapped. They get close enough to hear "Entschuldigung! Wir sind von die Kirche Jesu Christi und wir sprechen mit die Menschen über Gott!" and they have to stop, listen for a second, then proceed to throw their hands up in the air. Aaaaaah it's hilarious to watch the whole thought process happening.
Eating here is the most EXHAUSTING thing EVER. SO MUCH FOOD. And all of it is the heaviest food you could ever possibly put into your body. I can't even move after. So. I love all of you for all the wonderful packages you gave me at Christmas with delicious treats, but DON'T EVER SEND ME FOOD EVER AGAIN. EVER. I AM DYING FROM OVEREATING. Please and thank you.
What you MAY send me if you so desire is warm clothes. It's freezing here, especially when you wear a skirt!!!! I wear 3 pairs of tights everyday and I'm STILL cold. Yikes. But no snow yet, thank goodness.
People. I have so so so many letters to write and not enough time, so you may not get any letters for awhile. But there's hope!! Our Mission President allows us 2 HOURS to write emails and says we can write friends and family! So please, drop a note. I'd love to hear from you, and I can respond faster this way.
I love you all.
Sister Young
I'm alive!!!! Can you believe it? Me either. Also this keyboard I'm using is ridiculous. Hopefully I get faster at this.
SO! Big news. Biiiiiiig news.
First of all I should say that my first real day of the mission here was awesome. The Mission President took us to a place that everyone in the mission calls "Mauer Platz", or "wall place." The Berlin wall used to stand there. So we read from the dedicatory prayer that Thomas S. Monson gave like 40 or 50 years ago that said that the land of East Germany will be open to the gospel once more. Then he let us go to our own private place on the other side of where the wall was (in former East Germany) and say our own prayer to dedicate ourselves to the missions. Then I had to take a picture of me with my awesome missionary nametag as kind of a SUCK IT message to the former East Germany. WE WON. Ha.
After that we were swept away to meet all the trainers and get assigned to our new areas. And...I'm...in...HAMBURG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dream come true. Seriously. This is the best place ever, mostly because they speak High German and that's the only German I can (barely) understand. Ha. It's a miracle.
So technically I'm in a place called Langenhorn, which is north Hamburg. There used to be a concentration camp here. Why am I not surprised....??? Anyway, it's AWESOME here because we actually have a ward (our congregation has about 80 people) and we always have appointments so I don't spend a lot of time walking around trying to find people to teach. I also speak French all the time!!!!! Aaaaaaaah. We have an investigator with a baptismal date right now and we're hoping to have several more by the end of the month. Wiiiiiin. Also the members are so awesome. SO AWESOME and I love them and I feel like we're already family.
My trainer's name is Sister Martinz and she's AMAZING. God must really love me because I totally got the whole package. She's from Austria which means my German should be perfect soon, since she's always making me speak German. Ha. She's hilarious and we get along soooo well. Everyone here loves her so I'm excited to work here and with her. Yay.
One thing Sister Martinz is really good at is making me talk to people. Oooooh it is so painful, but I do it. In the end it always turns out to be a hilarious experience. In our mission, we've been challenged to make one new appointment every single day with one new person. We're pretty much rockstars at it, considering Sister Martinz's fullproof plan - if we haven't been able to find anyone and the clock is ticking, find the nearest black person because they never mind meeting with us. Hahahahaha! Contacting (or talking to people on the street) is hilarious. You meet the funniest and weirdest people ever. And the best. Most people throw their hands up in the air and shout "Kein interrest!" But at the end of the day you realize that Mormons really are a bunch of weirdies that are trying to convert everyone to their church, so people's reactions to you are normal. I would probably do the same thing.
Let me tell you a little bit how it works. We'll be walking down the street and see someone turing a corner and walking towards us. Prime opportunity. Then they get close enough to you to realize who you are and they start panicking. You can see it in their eyes, they want to run away! But the only options are to jump in the bushes to their left or run into a car on their right. So they put their heads down and avoid eye contact at all costs. BUT the GREAT thing about Germans is that if you say "Entshuldigung!" they feel obligated to stop and see how they can help you. Germans are very helpful. So they're trapped. They get close enough to hear "Entschuldigung! Wir sind von die Kirche Jesu Christi und wir sprechen mit die Menschen über Gott!" and they have to stop, listen for a second, then proceed to throw their hands up in the air. Aaaaaah it's hilarious to watch the whole thought process happening.
Eating here is the most EXHAUSTING thing EVER. SO MUCH FOOD. And all of it is the heaviest food you could ever possibly put into your body. I can't even move after. So. I love all of you for all the wonderful packages you gave me at Christmas with delicious treats, but DON'T EVER SEND ME FOOD EVER AGAIN. EVER. I AM DYING FROM OVEREATING. Please and thank you.
What you MAY send me if you so desire is warm clothes. It's freezing here, especially when you wear a skirt!!!! I wear 3 pairs of tights everyday and I'm STILL cold. Yikes. But no snow yet, thank goodness.
People. I have so so so many letters to write and not enough time, so you may not get any letters for awhile. But there's hope!! Our Mission President allows us 2 HOURS to write emails and says we can write friends and family! So please, drop a note. I'd love to hear from you, and I can respond faster this way.
I love you all.
Sister Young
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