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).
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| My backyard :) |
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| You can never have too many flowers! |
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| 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.) |
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| So quaint! I love that they used grapevines to create a covered terrace feel. |
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| Gasthof Adler in Mammern |
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| Presenting, the infamous Swiss cows! |
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| 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!
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| So this happened... RIP sophomore prom shoes :( |
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| Nestlé Factory |
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| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Singen, Germany |
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| Love the bright, bold splashes of color |
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| 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. |
Sunday (10/5/14)
Back to Singen for more General Conference (and to return Sister Kutschke's boots!)
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| It's raining leaves! Fall here is amazing. |
"'Somebody already has paid.'"
"Lowering the Lord's standards to the level of a society's inappropriate behavior is—apostasy."
"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."
"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."
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."
"'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
