Monday, July 30, 2012

Hallo liebe Familie und Freunde

Servus!

Wow it has been a crazy week! last night i wrote a list of the things i needed to tell you about. and yeah, i gave up on the shift key, so bear with my terrible capitilization. anyway, ahh i hate that word (the y's and z's are switched on the keyboards there), we went shopping for groceries last week and i got nimm2´s (a candy kind of like starbursts crossed with fruit gushers that our family loves)! just as good as i remembered. i also bought myself a soccer ball, and i had some time one of the days last week to go outside for a little bit. i still got over 100 juggles at least three times, so i didn´t feel too bad haha. good old soccer stories like the MTC! Also, i found some cologne in our mirror cabinet that no one uses, and i am keeping it because it is Lamborghini!!! If it smelled horrible i would still keep it because it has the Lamborghini emblem. But it actually smells really good. I don't plan to use it as a missionary, but i will bring it home with me for sure. So, dad, i have bought two things with my credit card: a cheaper swatch for 50 euro and then i had to pay for my VISA with the card too. so that 100 euro for the VISA should be reimbursed. i have the receipt.

So last pday we walked around a lot and went inside one of the churches. they were working on the organ, tuning it, and it sounded horrible haha. But it was a beautiful church, in the eerie old-century-Catholic-cathedral-way. We also got contacted by a drunk guy--always a good time... not really. I can understand a lot more, but still not much. Elder Eaker is great and just takes over in rough situations. He speaks well, and can understand the Käntnerisch accent.

So the Casselas, the Monday/friday family comes from Italy (might have already said that..) but we had pasta with them and it was fantastic! The father´s parents were there and they don't speak german. so we had german Italian and english going around, and everyone was confused haha. His parents aren't members, but they are okay with his church membership. However, the wife´s parents are against her baptism, but i learned something cool about her. She asked the missionaries when she could be baptized, not the missionaries asking her. So she is doing it, and we are helping her. Pretty cool. We also heard Daniela´s story (the father) about his life without faith and then with faith. it was a great strength to me to see his change, to hear how much he loved the Savior. The Savior changes people's lives, and I am a personal witness. The family was happy that I knew Diadora haha (my cleats) and Danielas father´s favorite team is Inter!! Score times 2!

We had a fun time trying to get registered, and we walked all the way across town to find the building and see it was closed at noon. So we went back and figured everything out, and my VISA is done in two weeks. We had an exchange on Tuesday with our zone leaders from salzburg. We found so many cool potentials!! We are trying to contact them still and meet with them, but some were just totally prepared! My companion went to Villach (west of Klagenfurt) and they found a family from Armenia! So when i bring logan back here he can talk to them maybe! We then did a long service project at a ward family´s house. Took 3 hours moving stuff from one house to another. They come from Moldova and speak russian, english, german, and Moldovian. Pretty cool. We also had a moth invasion in our kitchen! So we had fun with that, and also de icing our freezer... good times. Elder Eaker got 3 letters in 3 days last week! Two from a girl who totally likes him, and he was very pleasantly surprised haha. I was happy for him. Oh, i also showed federica where i live, and where tyson is serving in argentina, and just some other cool places I have been--she had a geography map book. So we have a room called the Room of Requirement in our apartment, i may have mentioned it. but i went thru and found tons of stuff. i found a Sternfahrer von Catan game (star travelers from catan). so i thought of our family gametimes. But apparently it is different. I also currently have transformer sheets on my bed, which are really cool haha.

Church was so great yesterday, and my talk went well i think. But i learned so much that really brightened my day. Then after church a huge storm came out of nowhere and we were stuck inside. We talked about how awesome it was to be on missions and about our families and such. We also talked about the Atonement and the Miracle of Forgiveness, and Elder Eaker said something i loved: It´s not about why you come on your mission; it is about why you stay. So i will have that in my brain a lot. I stay because I know that Christ can heal us, and that all our fears and guilt and sadness can be swept away. I have experienced it myself, and I want others to do so too. Also, when listening to my iPod this morning, i heard Homeward Bound. And the line that stood out to me was "Set me free to find my calling, and I will be homeward bound in time." So thinking about my family and friends and what my calling is, what it can be, what i will learn, i was sincerely touched. I send you all my love, and my testimony that I know Christ lives. He has changed my life, healed my wounds, swept away my fear, and I am ever in His debt. Always be happy, never stop smiling, and find the miracles in your life. They are there. I love you!

Elder Jalen L Gibbons

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