Griaß oink

Hello :)

 

Hey, I learned a bit of Spanish this week and used it with the ladies who come to English class! "Sie(they); como estas?" + "Ich: moi bien, y usted?" = Sie(they): really impressed!!! :) math. Makes sense.

 

I have a list of things I have to tell you about! But first, when it is still possible, I have another Christmas wish. Just the Best of EFY CD from 2011, Believe.Hope.Endure. Awesome CD. Um, anything else that I need to NOT forget.... I am going to try and contact someone from the American ward today who could take us to Panzer to go to the BX and get cheap luggage. I must say, it is pretty great not to have to worry about going over the weight limit anymore hahahahaha. But I still want new lederhosen, otherwise I won´t be able to properly distract Elder Orchard when he plays basketball gegen BYU. And they are awesome. But I dont want to buy them in Baden Württemburg, Bayern or Austria wäre cooler. Anyway, random thoughts....

 

Okay, on to business. :) I learned a new soccer trick! It is the around the world move, where you spin your leg around the suspended-in-midair-yet-still-under-the-influence-of-gravity ball and keep going :) but I added a reverse orbit on it. So, one time around clockwise, then tap it and go back around counter clockwise. I was pretty impressed. Yes, I know everyone can do that,but I hadn't ever succeeded. Now, don´t just think I spend all my free time with a soccer ball. Here is the story behind it (it is actually a pretty sad story, teilweise, so feel free not to read it): We had decided with the Sisters to do a fußball activity on Saturday morning, because they have a couple investigators from Venezuela who play (they played with us one pday, it was fun) and we had R_____#3, who was excited to play. But, the Venezuela guys cancelled, so the sisters didn't come, but R_____ was still very excited about it. So Elder Horlacher and I went. And R_____ showed up. Wasted. He tried to do a rainbow kick and face planted. Then Elder Horlacher gave him a ball in the air, a little bit out of reach, and R_____ ran full power into the metal fence, and was lying on the ground for five minutes groaning. We told him before, when he showed up, that he was in no  condition to play, but he insisted. It was actually impressive what he could still do even when he was drunk. So anyway, I tried just a few tricks, learned that new one, and everything we both did, trickwise, was SO COOL for R_____. That is that story. If that teaches anyone anything, how about NOT RUINING YOUR LIFE WITH ALCOHOL! I am pretty done with the alcohol problems. We told R_____ that his life is a mess. And that if he wanted help to change, he can call us. So, we dropped R_____ for now. I still love that guy, just like I loved K_____, but they have to make the decisions themselves. But the rest of us can learn from them.

 

Anyway, sorry to sour things up! Let´s continue. I also have something for Mom: I cut 1/2 cup of cold butter into a cookie mix, old school style! So with two knives and no machines! Thought you would like that. I made a peach crisp. Twas lecker! I saw a guy this week with his hair spiked like Alfafa. And gestern we watched Handel´s Messiah being performed by a live choir, auf Deutsch, because Sister Wells was singing with them :) And then danach, Sister Wells introduced us to one of her friends. She is so awesome! And we love all the kids, too. So that was cool!

 

OH, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE AND KENZIE! Hope you have/had great ones! I can't believe how old you guys are ;) haahahahahaha.

 

This week was great! We had so much in store, with members' families and such, and a couple were great, and then others fell out, or didn't go as we had planned. That is life. Br. Kiefer had invited us to dinner and invited a friend to come meet us too! But the friend had no interest, although he was nice. Wanted to be free from the commandments and standards in the church, because then he is more free! Too bad it doesn't work that way... BUT! Br. Kiefer wasn't phased and is ready to try his other friends now. That is what we need from every member on the planet earth! Not eating appointments, necessarily, but excitement and involvement. After that termin, we asked him to come to R_____#3's with us! On Wednesday R_____ was sober, and we took him on a tour of the church! Also didn't turn out how we thought, because R_____ told us it was just too much, and he was actually happy with how his life was. He also told us he wasn't interested in the church, just in our friendship. So, like I said, we were ready to play fußball with him Saturday and visit occasionally and just always invite him to learn more, but then Saturday happened (from story). Schade. BUT, the Wells are awesome and are working on their own mission plan, and keeping Elder Andersen´s promise from April conference in their minds. And then we went to Handel´s Messiah. We got to talk to some older people there about our work :)  Then the Schaals had us for dinner on Saturday, at a good restaurant, and we got to know them better! Next time we will do the family mission plan :) As I was sitting there in a Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai restaurant talking with a woman from Quito, a man from Germany, talking about missionary work and life, I was just grateful :) that I could do it! That I am here. And their son, Philip is going to Berlin, and he is always excited to see us. He gave the class in church yesterday, and it was actually way good! He will do great.

 

R_____#1 is now our only investigator! But she came to church with the bahn by herself, we just picked her up at the station we get off at. She is great. I forgot to buy the Children's Songbook last week, I will do it today. She has come to church for the last 8 weeks. We taught tithing on Tuesday with the bishop, and she read us a poem she wrote to the ward, and that actually had lots of good indicators as to where she is testimony wise. She calls herself the newest Sister in the ward :) Cool, eh? She just has to learn the lessons and get baptized. She will do it!

 

I am excited as we are trying to focus our time on finding the new investigators we need. We have found some cool people in the last couple days, but we want to step it up. Instead of working so hard on getting so many appointments as possible (which is still great), we want to have the appointments to where we can take some time on the streets getting there. Rather than running to catch the latest possible train or bahn or bus to get to our destination. It will just be a matter of good time management, which Elder Horlacher wants to work on. It should be great!

 

Hey, I learned last week that ELDER BOTCHERBY is the new ZL in Wien! So I will see him FINALLY in 3 weeks :) I am so stoked! And Elder Allan is now in Haag am Hausbruck, in Austria. I always told him he was headed to Austria :) He did well in Landshut! I hope I get to see Elder Eaker before he takes off home at the end of the transfer. That means, though, that I have to get tranfered through Munich Hbf. We will see.

 

Naja, I am running out of time! Just know that I am so grateful for your prayers and occasional thoughts and your faith. This is the Lord´s work, and we get to take part. Take advantage of it :) Love it, live it. You can find yourself much better when you lose yourself.

 

Have a great week! Hope you all get healthy! Viel Spaß in Seattle if you make it! I was there more than a year ago on the way to Amsterdam. Crazy :)

 

Keep smiling!

 

Elder Jalen Gibbons

 

PS--Hey, I heard that Drew is engaged! That is way cool! Congratulations!