02 June 2008

1st letter from Sister Jones in the Mission Field (June 2, 2008)

I´m in GERMANY!!! Can you believe it?? I sure can´t!! Well actually I can because I´m surrounded by people speaking a language that I don´t understand!! My first day here was pretty good. We were exausted from 22 hours of travel. Our mission pres picked us up at the airport with the assistants and his wife. They then took us to this park by the river thing in Hamburg. When I walked into the park everyone was in awe at how green and pretty it was...and it was, but it looked just like a park in Seattle that I have been to. I was really happy though cause it reminded me of the best state in the world!! (WA of course...in case anyone is confused) Then we went down by this river and there was a HUGE rock and he said that this rock had been in the middle of the canal and that the ships had to be really careful about going through there until the rock was moved. It was really hard to move, but once they moved it, it was safe for the ships to travel through and it was easier for things to get done. He then related that to us. What ever "boulders" we have in our river, we need to move or it will get in the way of the work we have to do. We then all took pictures and then went to the mission home.

Germany is green and beautiful like WA, but the houses and streets and everythings else is really cool and european!! The mission home is so awesome...it is like an old victorian house that is like 4 floors!! Ok...so I could go on forever about Germany and awesome it is, but I need to move on.

They gave us time to shower and nap...which I only did for like 20 min. Then we had a little orientation and dinner...which was SO good compared to MTC food. Even the plane food was better then the MTC...anyway...we then had a little testimony meeting and then they sent us to bed. So went to bed at like 8:30pm...or so. I don´t think I have ever fallen asleep that fast in my life. They told us we could sleep in and that breakfast was at 8, but sister Seiter and I decided we would get up at 6:30am like we are supposed to. So we had breakfast and then a meeting and then we got paired up with our trainers. Sister Welch is my mission Mom. (That is what they call it here) The we hoped on a train and traveled for another 4 hours or so...I got to ride on a train!!! WAHOO!!! Then we dropped my stuff off and headed out to do missionary work!! Oh I´m serving in Bielefeld. We headed to the main part of the city to street contact!! I was really nervous and didn´t really know what I was supposed to say to people. So we did like a 2 second practice and then she said..."ok, there is a person behind you, talk to them." So I turned around and just started speaking about all the german that I know. They told me that they were not interested and just walked away!! I can´t believe that I actually did it!! I wasn´t even that scared when I did it. So we did that for a little while and then we headed home for the night. It was pretty exciting. No one really talked to us for very long and I didn´t really know what they were saying, but it was good anyway.

Ok...So I´m trying to remember the rest of my days. On Friday I had my first meeting with an investigator that is getting
baptized this up coming Sunday. The meeting was good cause it was in English. She is from Gauna so she understands English, but not perfectly. Her son was being a pretty big distraction so I sat in the door way of the play room (so I could still see my comp) and played with her son. I felt a little helpless because I could see that she was having a hard time understanding what we were trying to teach her as her son ran around dumping cookie crumbs everywhere!! He is the cutest little thing ever. We also had lunch at a members house that day. That was intereting...I tried to understand what they were talking about, but it was hard to follow. They talk to fast!! My comp also made me do the spiritual thought....I did my best and then I pasted it to her for the commitment part. I know that the language will come, but it takes time. Sister Welch told me that I can say and understand a whole lot more then she could when she first come here. She has been out for a year and understands almost everything that people say to her...I have a long way to go!! On Saturday we had another lunch appointment. This time the Elders that are in our ward also, came with us!! The family was so funny. I had a harder time following them...they spoke SUPER fast. Especially the dad. Although I was pretty happy wih myself because he asked me a question and I responded and then I thought to myself "wow, I can´t believe I understood that." It was cool.

Ok, well everyone wants to go!! Really quick...Sunday was amazing. I got up and bore my testimony and I was suprisingly not scared at all. It was great...not the testimony just the unnervous part!! We also has this amazing meeting with the girl named Andrea. We are trying to get her baptized. She was so nice to me and even though I only understood 1/8 of the conversation...the Spirit was amazing. We then went street contacting again and sister Welch talked to a family and then got there contact info...it was amazing. Oh and we also knocked doors for a few hours on Saturday. That was actually kind of fun!!
I love you all and I´m so excited to be here!! I love Germany and I´m learning to love the people!!

Love,
Sister Jones

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