Week 15

Monday (11/17/14)
This is a post I put up on facebook:

So this month is all about thanksgiving and today I was smacked in the face with just how grateful I am for MY parents. Our relationship is imperfect at times, but I'm so blessed to have a mom and dad who read to me, sang with me, took me to the theatre, taught me good manners, gave me many opportunities for learning and growing (cooking class, summer camp, girls camp, music lessons, singing lessons, dance classes, karate class, freaking "hooked on phonics" and every type of flashcards on the earth, swimming lessons, etc...) but most of all, they gave me their time. Whenever I needed it. My mom has spent hundreds of hours reading stories with me, helping me late at night with homework and last minute sewing projects (she sews... I watch... Ha) and talking or just listening to/with me, and my dad is ready at any given moment to drop everything and help me with anything. Sometimes even when I don't want the help haha. They came to almost every performance, every recital, every award ceremony, every graduation... Besides my Heavenly Father and Savior, they are the absolute constants in my life. And not everyone can say that about their parents. So I think I can count myself as pretty dang lucky (even though luck has nothing to do with it).

Friday (11/21/14)
I got all dressed up to go out tonight, and it turned into a big ol' fail. I went down to where the "young" folks hang out, and it was just not my scene. I didn't even bother going into any of the places; dancers on poles, alcohol, young drunk idiots... not my thing. So I wandered around, and sat for awhile people-watching other people wandering around. When it got relatively late I headed back home, but I needed a break from walking in my heels and I was super thirsty so I started looking for a bar that was still open where I could grab a Fanta Limón. I couldn't really find anything and was going to just go home, when I decided to go into this one particular place - a guy dressed in African dress said he loved me as I was walking past. I just thought he worked there and was trying to get customers; I even kept walking. But he had just made me smile after my failed night out. So I went back, walked down to the bar and asked the bartender if they had the soft-drink I was looking for. They did, indeed. So I sat down and hung up my shoes. There were two bartenders. Both named José. It's like the beginnings of a popular sitcom haha. They were both super friendly (but not in a creepy way) and it was so fun to practice my Spanish. I also met Titch. I thought he was the owner (he's not; Martin, one of the José's brothers is) and he thought I was Spanish hahaha, and he introduced me to Pablo, who's real name is Paul, but when in Spain... 
I already love this old English bar. 

Sunday (11/23/14)
This Sunday was awesome. Brother Sena, probably one of the oldest and wisest members of the ward, invited me to come have dinner with him and the missionaries. He's Italian and he'd made homemade pizza and an awesome salad, along with a Spanish tortilla we all got a taste of. But that's not all. For dessert he broke out a panettone (not homemade, they are really complicated to make, so most people get them from a bakery) which is basically an Italian fruitcake - sweet bread with fruit mixed in. But unlike an American stereotyped fruitcake, it was SO good. It had all kinds of yumminess mixed in, like raisins and orange zest. AND THEN he gave us ice-cream bars. We definitely did NOT leave hungry. After we ate, he gave what I'm sure was an inspired lesson about the roles of the twelve-tribes of Israel, but I didn't understand any of it. My Spanish-language learning didn't ever really include religious words and topics, so I definitely have some catching up to do. When we were finished at Brother Sena's, I went with the Sister missionaries to an appointment they had scheduled with an African family. The husband seems fairly interested in the gospel, while the wife couldn't care less, but it might be because they are all learning Spanish so everyone's understanding is at a different level. They have two kids, a boy and a girl, and they are SO FREAKING CUTE! The little boy gave the closing prayer, and in it he said "Please let Rebecca come to our house whenever she can." OHMAHGOSH. Someone get a mop, cause I'm a melted puddle on the floor! And they both taught me their secret handshakes. Adorable.

xoxo,

     Rebecca

Week 8

Monday (9/29/14)
7 hours and 50 minutes of housework. That's what I did today. This house looks FABULOUS, thank you very much. And yes, I totally count my Monday chore days as workouts. Totally worth the extra 2 hours to be able to have the time to go out with the missionaries on Friday though! I'm so grateful that Tamara and Peter are willing to be flexible. This extra time, plus babysitting Svenja this Wednesday evening, is Heaven sent. See? God provides a way for us to do His work.

Tuesday (9/30/14)
I am officially frustrated with the German language. The end. 

OK... not the end. But my patience is definitely being tried. We did a lot of number stuff today in class, and I am struggling. In German if I were to tell you my age, translated it would be "I am four and twenty years old." Really? Four and twenty!? What century are we in!? Why can't we say "zwanzigvier"? (zwanzig = 20, vier = 4). But no. They say "Ich bin vierundzwanzig jahre alt." It's like... backwards math. In a foreign language. UGH. Kill me.  

*Note: I do not mean ANY disrespect to Germans, Germany, or the German language. It's a BEAUTIFUL language. This is just real talk from a struggling foreigner. Please don't get offended :) 

Wednesday (10/1/14)
Peter and Tamara went out this evening with some friends so I watched Svenja then, which meant I had the entire afternoon for myself! It was a beautiful day, so I decided to go on a bike ride, back to Mammern! This time I didn't forget to bring my camera and I was able to stop along the way and take pictures. I even went back to the Gasthof Adler to get pictures there. You're welcome (such a sacrifice, haha). 

My backyard :)

You can never have too many flowers! 

Toblerone- und Mandelmousse mit hausgemachter
Glacé von weisser Schokolade und Rahm (Fr. 11.00)
(Translation: "Toblerone and almond mousse with homemade
ice cream  of white chocolate and cream."
BEST mousse I've ever had. So freaking good.)

So quaint! I love that they used grapevines
to create a covered terrace feel.

Gasthof Adler in Mammern

Presenting, the infamous Swiss cows!

moo

Thursday (10/2/14)
Today I watched Svenja in the morning, and then had the rest of the day for myself (besides school) because Tamara took Svenja to stay overnight with her grandmother. I called the DE Elders real quick to find out when I needed to meet them at the bahnhof in Konstanz tomorrow, then went for a quick bike ride to the bank to exchange some CHF for Euros. My butt is going to look AMAZING if I keep up with this biking. Why do I always live up a hill!? haha. I owned that hill today though. Yessireebob! I'm trying to catch up on my September updates, and my motivation is dying. So much to write, but then there's also pictures to sort through and add. October is going to be better. I'm going to write about the day, ON the day (what a novel idea) and then I'll be able to post the updates weekly instead of at the end of the month. 

Friday (10/3/14)
Got to sleep in this morning! Woo hoo! I woke up and started working after Tamara gave me a chore-list. I got all the important stuff done in 2 hours which gave me time to shower and get ready to go meet the missionary's for another visit with Daisy! It's her birthday so I went and got her some pretty orange-creamsicle colored roses and the Elders brought a card. She is such a generous, beautiful lady! I just love being around her. She is a light. 

After lunch the DE Elders were gonna drop me off at the bahnhof, but once we got there, they asked me if I wanted to come with them to another appointment they were having together with the Sister missionaries (Sister Henry and Sister Kutschke). Um, YES! 

We visited separately with two investigators. They are both African, and they live in the same building, which is in pretty rough neighborhood. I don't think I've ever felt the Spirit so strongly as I did sitting in those lessons. The first appointment, was one of the investigators and a friend of his. I'm pretty sure if we hadn't been there a drug deal/exchange would have gone down (a guy came in and when he saw us he was surprised and I saw him trying not to let us see the money in his hand).  But it didn't matter. And it didn't matter that the stench of marijuana filled the room. It didn't matter that there was porn on the walls. It didn't matter that these people had almost nothing. There was no doubt in my mind that God absolutely LOVES these men and that His arms are completely outstretched, ready and waiting for them to come to Him. Was such a powerful experience.

The second appointment was led by the Sisters during which Sister Henry asked me, unexpectedly, to share what the Atonement means to me. Guys, I felt like a REAL missionary. With a tag and everything! But that's the point! The only requirement to be a servant of God, is a willingness to do His work! He will GLADLY provide you with opportunities, with or without a tag ;) The Sisters also invited this investigator to be baptized! He seems to want very badly to know God, the only thing holding him back is he wants to know what's expected of him and what he has to do etc... He just wants truth and knowledge - don't we all? The Sisters assured him that they are happy to answer any of his questions and to continue their lessons, so he can be prepared for baptism. 

Saturday (10/4/14)
Was supposed to go up a mountain today with the family and some of their friends, but once again those plans fell through (this time the friends' kid is really sick). BUT that means I can go to Singen and watch GENERAL CONFERENCE in English with the missionaries! Blessings! :) Right when I got to the bus stop in Singen, I was trying to figure out which direction I needed to go to get to the church building (I actually figured out the map!) and all of a sudden, my shoe totally fell apart! Thankfully I was wearing stockings so walking barefoot on the dirty stone streets wasn't a big deal. So funny! 

So this happened...
RIP sophomore prom shoes :(

Nestlé Factory

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Singen, Germany 

Love the bright, bold splashes of color

Elder Roberts with a physalis fruit.
I'm not a fan. Pretty sure anything where the
selling point is "It's good for you!" is not
so great on the taste-buds... bleh.

After conference, when I was heading back with the Elders, everyone was offering shoes and car rides because of my barefootedness. I tried to decline (it really wasn't bad!) but after Sister Kutschke heard my shoe size, she peeled off her boots for me to borrow. A perfect fit. Elder Roberts pointed out that now I could say I've literally "walked a mile in missionary shoes" bahaha!

Sunday (10/5/14)
Back to Singen for more General Conference (and to return Sister Kutschke's boots!) 

It's raining leaves! Fall here is amazing.

The whole conference was a spiritual feast, but here's links to some of my very favorite talks:

The Reason for Our Hope - Boyd K. Packer

"'Somebody already has paid.'"

Which Way Do You Face? - Lynn G. Robbins

"Lowering the Lord's standards to the level of a society's inappropriate behavior is—apostasy."

Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The Everlasting and Almighty God, the Creator of this vast universe, will speak to those who approach Him with a sincere heart and real intent."

Loving Others and Living with Differences - Dallin H. Oaks

"When our positions do not prevail, we should accept unfavorable results graciously and practice civility with our adversaries."

Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence - Jörg Klebingat
"The decision to change is yours—and yours alone."

Are We Not All Beggars? - Jeffrey R. Holland
"'Are we not all beggars?' Don't we all cry out for help and hope and answers to prayers? Don't we all beg for forgiveness for mistakes we have made and troubles we have caused? Don't we all implore that grace will compensate for our weaknesses, that mercy will triumph over justice at least in our case? ...we obtain a remission of our sins by pleading to God, who compassionately responds, but we retain a remission of our sins by compassionately responding to the poor who plead to us."

xoxo,

     Rebecca

If you pay attention, you will see God...

Um... guys. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Today has been AMAZING. I have never felt that God was more merciful, more understanding, more forgiving, and more aware of me personally, than I have today.

Last night, Tamara very kindly offered to get up early to drive me to the train station this morning and help me get my ticket so I could get to church. It's literally like a 3-5 minute drive from the house and maybe a 10 or 15 minute walk which is AWESOME. So we got my ticket squared away and she gave me instructions about which stop to get off at etc.

The train comes and the only reason I knew it was my train is because it was headed in the right direction, and I knew my train was the 8:07am. I was still having some doubts though, because it said St. Gallen on and I was headed to Kreuzlingen - Seepark. UGH. So I'm sitting, sitting, sitting, waiting to hear my stop on the intercom announcement thingy. I'm on the verge of a panic attack... Before the train had even arrived for me to jump on, I'd said a prayer in my heart. "Please God, let me get to church. Don't let me get lost. Just let me make it to church." I have never looked so forward to going to church in my life. I needed to be there. I needed the reassurance and consistency that the church provides. So, we're at another stop, and I know I'm getting close to where I have to get off, but I'm still second-guessing myself and I'm on the verge of an intense freak-out, when I see a young man, dressed in a suit, carrying a scripture case. I have NEVER been so happy to see a man in his Sunday best. I knew, "that guy HAS to be Mormon." I calmed down a little. I ALMOST got up from my seat to go ask him if he WAS in fact LDS on his way to church, but the idea that he might not speak English and I'd just look like a lunatic was too intimidating. So I just settled with keeping an eye to see where he got off the train. We passed another station and the next one, I was fairly sure was my stop... "Please, God, let him get off at the next stop"... one, so that I would be certain that WAS my stop, and two, so I could follow him to the church building, since I wasn't sure of its exact location. He got up. YES! "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER!" I was totally in stalker mode, but I didn't even care, cause I was in the right place, and I knew Heavenly Father was helping me get to where I needed to be. The church building is literally RIGHT by the train stop. Two other young men hopped off the train so I just followed these three dudes right up to the church.

It took all my self control not to start sobbing when I saw "Kirsche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzten Tage." I couldn't stop myself from tearing up though. Finally, something completely familiar! Even with a language barrier. Even with cultural differences. Home. Totally, completely home. I walked in and a missionary (one of the guys who had just gotten off the train) greeted me and quickly realized I did not speak a lick of German haha. He asked me where I was from (in English), I responded that I was American and he asked what part of the U.S. I was from. "Utah." "Oh! My companion is from Sandy, Utah!" and around the corner came the guy I'd been stalking! :D!!!! He was almost as happy to see a fellow American, especially one from close to home, as I'd been to find a Mormon missionary on the train (I hadn't realized he was a missionary before, I missed his tag earlier). His name is Elder Annan, he's been here 2 weeks, so he totally gets where I'm at with German haha. I told him about seeing him on the train and that he was an answer to my prayer. His companion, Elder Strauss, is a native (from Germany I believe...). I also met Elder Sanft and his companion Elder Sardoni. Elder Sanft is from California, so he was happy to meet a California native *high-five status* I talked with them in the entry way while they greeted the members and EACH AND EVERY ONE of the members that came by, greeted me as well. Everyone was SO friendly and welcoming and inviting. WOW. I was literally blown away at their kindness. Many of them spoke English so that was also very comforting to me, but even the ones who didn't were very eager to say hello and make me feel welcome. In fact, one of the members who seemed most excited by my presence was a sweet lady who could barely speak any English at all. She was so very kind to me though. We've decided to help each other out - she'll help me with German, and I'll help her with English :) haha. The Bishop also introduced himself and asked me about myself. I'm actually supposed to go to a ward in Frauenfeld (I knew this, but Tamara had told me about this building and showed it to me on the way to her sister's so I thought I'd go here my first week at least since it was easier and somewhat familiar) but he said it is much easier to get to this building from the town I live in than the other one. To get to the church in Frauenfeld I guess you have to get on a train, then get off, onto a bus etc... YIKES. haha. But they don't seem to have a problem letting me crash their meetings instead :) Hopefully they can find my membership records cause I think the YSA ward I was in already sent them away...

Before going in for Sacrament meeting, Elder Strauss invited me to sit by him and he would translate for me. He had to help prepare and bless the Sacrament first so Elder Sanft let me sit by him and he translated what he could for me until the Sacrament had been passed and Elder Strauss could take over. So, many people probably don't know this, but singing the hymns is probably my favorite part of Sacrament meeting. If I can't sing the hymns, it TOTALLY bums me out. I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to participate because you know... I thought maybe I should pull out my iPad and sing them in English, or just hum. But I didn't. I sang in German. I'm sure my pronunciation was atrocious, but I KNEW these hymns. I tried my best, and I know that's all that mattered to the people, but more importantly, I know that God knows even though my understanding is lacking at this point, the feeling and testimony behind this imperfect attempt was sincere. And it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be; I just tried to copy the people next to me as best I could haha. One of the hymns was even "I Stand All Amazed" - except in German haha. The word "wunderbar" has never been sweeter or more sacred. AH! And to top it all off, the entire meeting was about trials and finding gratitude amidst our trials - things I have struggled with for years. Since my brother died actually. I've never heard these topics spoken about in more loving words or in a way that pierced my soul so. Apparently all I had to do was fly to Switzerland to make sense of it all, not necessarily in my mind, but in my spirit. If that makes any sense whatsoever to anyone reading this...

After Sacrament meeting Elder Sanft introduced me to one of the members, Daisy is her name I believe, who speaks Spanish! AH! :D A language I'm familiar with! She was an absolute delight. Almost as soon as she learned I was new and spoke Spanish, was she inviting me to have dinner with her and her family sometime! OH MY GOSH. The sweetest!

After speaking with a few others, I headed to Sunday school and Elder Strauss said he could translate for me again if I wanted. I told him I didn't want to bug him, but he assured me it wasn't a problem and he appreciated the chance to practice his English. Fine by me dude. Fine by me. So he translated again during Sunday school, which was about Elijah (one of my favorite people from the scriptures). P.S. I said the opening prayer in Sunday school! Someone asked me, and said I could do it in English, so I agreed. I'm willing! Just let me speak a language I know and we're good! haha. Anyway, after class Elder Strauss told me where to go for Relief Society haha. Poor guy. I'm not always so helpless I promise! He was very nice about it, and didn't seem to mind, thankfully. I thought about asking the missionaries for a contact number, in case I need a Priesthood blessing at some point, but... I was getting self-conscious about how needy I must have seemed haha.

The Relief Society president is a doll, from South Africa (totally mistook her and her husband's accents for Australian accents at first). She asked me if I'd introduce myself a little and got one of the other girls (Larissa) to translate for me - not only my little introduction to everyone, but for me during the lesson. She and her sister Sandra are SO nice. Their family practically makes up the entire ward so it seems (and to call it a ward is a bit of a stretch. Also, I thought our church buildings in Utah were small. This building is TINY!)

After church I asked Elder Annan if he knew when the next train to go back was... he didn't. And I totally gave him crap about it. "How long have you been here?" "2 weeks..." "2 weeks! I've been here since Wednesday! I have an excuse! But you've been here for 2 WEEKS!" "Yeah, but I just follow Elder Strauss around! I don't know anything! I just follow him!" haha so I asked Elder Strauss when he showed up again, and he told me I had about 20 minutes. Then he asked me if I wanted their contact number (thank you again Heavenly Father) in case of anything. I gratefully accepted and said it would be great in case I need a blessing or something.

I went to say goodbye and thank-you to the Relief Society president, and she walked with me to the train stop and waited with me. Holy cow. To say this ward goes above and beyond is a HUGE understatement. Good grief. Everyone back home, we need to STEP IT UP. Seriously. If everyone felt like I did today when they came to church, no one would be inactive.

I got off the train in my town, and I got a little lost trying to find the way back to the house (why didn't I pay closer attention in the car!?) I walked up and down the same street about 3 times trying to figure out where I needed to go, or what I was going to do... I finally sat down and I remembered walking past a church on my walk the other night... If I could find the church, I could find my way home. You can read into THAT symbolism all you want. Problem was, the only church I could see, I didn't recognize... so I walked down the street again and I just knew it was the wrong way, so I turned around to go back, yet again, and I looked over to my left, and I caught a glimpse of the church, and in front of me was a little pathway that went under a tunnel, which Tamara had mentioned a tunnel when she was trying to explain how to walk to the train station yesterday... After finding the church, it was pretty easy to recognize the street I had taken my walk on, and from there I could easily find the way home. God is awesome, and He is TOTALLY taking care of me. When you're trying to do the right thing, He's gonna have your back. Always. 

Later on in the afternoon, Peter's parents stopped by for a visit and then we all went for a walk down by the lake. Here's some pictures: 

Old house from 1459

bleh. haha

Oh hi Germany! :) 

beautiful Lake Constance aka "Bodensee"

cute girl! :)

Peter, Svenja, Tamara

xoxo,

     Rebecca

A Brief Overview

Ok, so I thought it was probably a good idea to do a little research about where I'll be living, before I get there haha. Here is just a brief (oh so brief) summary:

1. 
   Switzerland a.k.a the Swiss Confederation

   

   "Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno" 

   ~ One for all, all for one ~

   
   

   Government: Federal Republic, Directorial system 

   Official Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh

   Currency: Swiss franc

   Predominant Religion: Christianity

   Time Zone: Central European 

   "The establishment of the Swiss Confederation is traditionally dated to 1 August 1291, which is celebrated annually as Swiss National Day. It has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area. Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and the Romansh-speaking valleys. Therefore the Swiss, although predominantly German-speaking, do not form a nation in the sense of a common ethnic or linguistic identity; rather, the strong sense of identity and community is founded on a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, and Alpine symbolism." (Wikipedia.com)
   
   

   I will be living near Lake Constance, known in German as the Untersee ("Lower Lake").

    
   
   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
2. Total Church Membership: 8,741

   Congregations: 36

   Temples: 1 ---> Bern Switzerland Temple 

   Family History Centers: 14
   

   xoxo,

        Rebecca

This is NOT a Prank

Yes, it's true: I'm moving to Switzerland! :D

Near the end of 2013, I learned that a good friend, whom I had the pleasure of meeting during my time in Hawaii, was going to be working THIS year in Germany, as an au pair. I was intrigued and asked her about it and how she came upon such an opportunity. She informed me of a couple legitimate, safe websites where you could register to become an au pair and look at possible families (while families in turn, register and search for possible au pairs). I decided, on somewhat of a whim, to create a profile. However, after a discussion with my best friend, and at the beginning of my senior year at school, I quickly put it aside and didn't think much of it. 

I went about my studies, trying to balance being a full-time student, dancing on my University's ballroom company, working on my senior project, three part-time jobs, familial duties, and an effort to maintain some semblance of a social life - all more than plenty individually to preoccupy my mind and my time. 

At last, after four months of insanity and chaos, finals came and went - as did graduation!

I had every intention of moving to Oregon, it was just a matter of when. I had a place to stay, thanks to the kindness of my cousin and her family, lots of other family members and friends in the area, and I felt really good about it. It felt right. And it had been an excruciatingly long time since I had had that much clarity about what I should do, so I was stoked. I even started looking into schools there to eventually pursue a Master's degree.

Well, in the midst of all of this, I decided to check my au pair profile, mostly with the intention of deleting it. Once I got there though, I decided it couldn't hurt to just see if there were any opportunities now that I didn't have school tying me down. I spruced up my profile hoping to impress some family. Much to my surprise, soon I did have people showing interest, especially after I browsed through some families and voiced an interest myself, to those who seemed like a good fit in various countries (you click a button that says "interested" and wait and see if they respond the same way or if they "decline"). Several families in Australia were inquisitive, and one in particular very much peaked my interest and seemed perfect, but after reviewing Australia's visa restrictions etc... I had reservations.

Around this time, a family in Switzerland showed interest and after reviewing their profile, I eagerly responded in the affirmative. Soon after that the mother, Tamara, messaged me. We corresponded through the website's messaging system for about five days, and regardless of having never met this woman previously, I felt an immediate connection with her, as you would with an old friend. You could tell she was just a bright, happy, giving person.

Everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too high too soon. 

We decided to exchange email addresses, and traded more messages and photos. Ah! Be still my heart - cutest children, EVER. 

 Baby girl <3

The BOYS

On the carousel w/ her brother. Girl after my own heart :)

We set up a time for a Skype chat where I spoke with Tamara and her husband Peter, and I was able to "meet" their daughter. I just kept falling more and more in love with the whole family. 

Silly girl with her momma, Tamara

Peter & all the kids

During the interview we all confessed we were each other's favorite "candidate" and that we were both ready to proceed with official paperwork. 

The extent of my excitement and joy was (and still is) overwhelming. Like how little kids get overly excited and so full of emotion that they don't know what to do with themselves so they just burst into tears haha. I can't believe this is really happening!  
I couldn't help but post the following epiphany to my Facebook timeline a few days later:

"Recently, Heavenly Father has brought some wonderful opportunities into my life; opportunities that have made me the happiest I can ever remember being. And I have realized, that He was waiting for me to be THIS person; who I am NOW. With this knowledge, this education, these life experiences, and THIS desire in my heart..."

*Side Note: Currently we are working on finishing up all the paperwork and getting a visa! Guess where there just happens to be a Consulate of Switzerland for me to pick up my visa... Salt Lake City, UT :) 

God really is in the details of our lives. Yes, moving to Oregon would have been good; actually it would have been great, but remember that General Conference talk "Good, Better, Best" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks? Being an au pair in Switzerland for this family, is the BEST decision for me at this point in my life. This is EXACTLY what I'm supposed to be doing, and where I'm supposed to go, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be able to continue to get to know these beautiful people welcoming me into their home, and into their lives.

xoxo,

     Rebecca