Crazy Week

This week has been pretty good.  Only a couple of things really stood out to me this week, so this email will probably be really short.

On Wednesday, we went to a less active member's house to visit a man named Bruder [Brother] Rechs.  We stopped by and we shared a message with him.  We also talked a lot so we could get to know him and vice versa.  He then shows us this room that he had dedicated to Texas for the most part.  He visited and lived there for about 2 or 3 years.  He had a couple flags and some really nice cowboy hats.  He also had a couple guns that he showed us.  One was a gun used back in the 1800's Military.  It was a really nice looking black powder handgun with a foot long barrel.  He also had a super tiny one that was only about 4 or 5 inches long and was a revolver.  He has lots of cool knifes as well.  Apparently, this guy served in the US Military here in Germany.  He was also in a couple wars.  He was in Vietnam and one other.  This guy is super cool!  I was looking at a shelf and there was this really neat watch that was sitting there.  It has the German Reich flag in it from WWI, along with the bird and Iron Cross. I asked him, "This watch is really cool!  Where did you get this from?  How did you get it?"  All of the sudden, he takes the watch and looks at it for a moment, and then he stuffs it in my breast pocket and tells me I can have it.  Initially, it was shocked. I then pulled myself back together and told him that I could not take this from him.  He then said that he insists.  I had to make sure that he was ok with this and he said he was sure.  I could not believe what happened.  

He then goes into his closet and tells us to look at what he has.  He then gives us a couple of patches.  I was told that one is a Sergeant Major rank that is for the naval uniform.  The other patch is for the Army Combat Uniform.  I don't know what the rank is.  I have no means of looking it up and I have not played BF3 or 4 in a while [BF is a Video Game called Battlefield].  I still could not believe that he was giving me these things.  Elder Heil got the same ranks as well.  In addition, he then pulls out his medic box that he actually used in the field.  He carried it with him for 25 years.  It is beaten up and stained, but still in excellent condition.  Then, Bruder [Brother] Rechs says to Elder Heil, "You want to be a doctor right? Take this then. You can have it." Elder Heil denied it 3 times and then made sure it was ok 3 more times.  He was super shocked that something like this was just given to him.  I was too. It was unglaublich [incredible].

On Saturday, we listened to the transfer call.  This call happens on the last Saturday of the transfer and it goes through all the Zones.  This call informs us where people will be transferred.  I am staying here in Gelsenkirchen and Elder Heil is leaving to Ramstein (yes, that is a place as well as a singer).  He's going to be a Zone Leader.  He's super sad to leave.  He grew to love this place and it is his favorite place yet. I'm getting a new companion named Elder Pifer (I think his name is spelled right).  I know nothing about this kid but I was told by Elder Summerhase (who is also getting transferred) that he is a good kid.  That is all I know.  I will see him on Wednesday night I am guessing.  Shoot! I am really gonna miss my Father (missionary slang term for 'Trainer').  We've had a lot of fun together.  It is all good though, we will stay in contact every now and then.  Later that night, Elder Cassell and I will go to an appointment while our comps go to visit a family to say bye.  We went to a guy's house who was a previous investigator and we were a little late because of the soccer game.  We're let in and we're pretty excited.  I walk in and I set my backpack down next to the wall.  While I am looking down, I notice there is a giant poster on the wall.  It was huge and took the entire wall.  I looked up and it is just a ton of naked chicks.  I was taken by surprise and I quickly walk into the kitchen where he wants us to sit.  As I am walking in, there are two posters on a door to the left with two more girls.  At this point, I am pretty much staring at the table. I am glad that my seat was not facing all this stuff.  Elder Cassell and I make eye contact and we were both thinking the same thing.  What the heck!  We talk with him for a bit so that we can get to know him and then we tell him that we have an appointment soon and that we only have 15-20 minutes.  After that, we get his number and say a prayer with him and got out.  Last thing that I expected to see that day.  So yea, that was a crazy day as well.

Anyway, because Elder Heil is leaving, we are pretty much going to people's houses to eat and say bye and I am hanging out while he packs up his stuff.  We are also going around doing things that he has not gotten a change to do here yet and it has been fun.  I am excited to start off this next transfer with a new companion!  I am officially no longer being trained and I am hoping that I am ready.  Here in Gelsenkirchen I am the youngest missionary (in transfer numbers) but I have been here longer than all the other 3 in the city.  This week will be good and I will see [write] you all next week!

Elder Grow

P.S. If there is one thing I miss most from home, it is music. I treasure every moment in the hair cutting place here. They play good stuff sometimes. Green Day, Offspring, Nirvana, Pop from 2010, 80's.

Carnival Celebration

This week was really good. It also flew by extremely fast.

On Tuesday, I went on a split with Elder Tilley.  He is a greenie like me.  I have only been here in Germany for one Transfer (6 weeks) more than him.  Our German is pretty terrible but we somehow were able to get by that day.  While we were together, we had the address of a less active member, Bruder Hessmann.  Elder Tilley and his companion, Elder Stout, have tried going by to him twice to see if they could make an appointment for another day and he's never there.  We went by and rung his doorbell.  We waited for about a minute.  We rung it again, one last time.  About 15 seconds, later the door buzzes, signaling that the door is unlock for a couple seconds.  We walk inside and start up the stairs.  We finally get to his door and we say hello. He lets us into his place and we talk for a while.  It was amazing to see the Gift of Tongues kick in. I was able to understand almost everything.  I was able to have a regular conversation with him.  When he found out it was only my 2nd and a half month in Germany, he was just as surprised by my German as I was.  We ended up sharing a spiritual thought with him and then we left.  We had a lot of fun.

All of the sudden it was Thursday.  I went on a split with an Elder here in Gelsenkirchen, Elder Cassell. He only has 2 months left until he goes home.  We did a lot of walking.  We punched in some addresses on our GPS and went to some houses of people who were previous investigators.  We walked just about the entire day.  This was because we had two appointments fall out.  We waited for one at the church building but he never showed up, so that gave us more time to do some Go-Bys.  Then, it was time to go to the second appointment and we tried to find this dude's house. Turns out, he lived in a whole other city.  We were on a street with the same name, but just the wrong city.  We had to cancel with him because it was already 7pm. We were standing next to a bar that was nearby while we looked at our GPS for the nearest person.  While doing that, two ladies came out and heard us speaking English.  One tried to speak to us in English and we responded in German.  She asked if we had good German.  We said yea.  They spoke with us for a while. They saw our name tags and asked, "Jehovah's Witnesses?" We said, "No, we are Mormons. Have you heard of us?" The one who tried to speak English to us then said, "Oh ok. So that means no drinking and no girls and stuff right?" We simply replied, "Yeah pretty much." They seemed a little disappointed. They invited us to go and party with them at the Carnival.  We said we couldn't because we were going to go and meet with someone. They were again a little let down and they headed on their way.  We continued to follow our GPS.  

They next day was Friday and we had Zone Training in Dortmund. It was really good!  I do not remember much, but at the end, 4 Elders played a song for us all using 3 Ukuleles and a guitar. They were really good!  I wish I could send you guys the video! Oh well.

On Sunday we had lunch at a Member's place.  They are called the Rost Family. They are super cool!  We ate some delicious food and we talked and joked around. They tease each other and are very clever about it.  They were super funny and fun to be around.  I was surprised that I was able to understand just about everything that was going on.  I was also able to contribute and not just sit there and listen.

Today is the first day of a week long celebration called Carnival. There will be a huge parade on the street right near my place and it is supposed to be huge!  Over 160,000 people just on this street. It is going to be sweet! Carnival is a Celebration that started a long time ago.  It is the belief that God turns his back on the world for 1 week.  That means that people can do whatever they want this week and God will not know, as long as they are at church the following Sunday.  People also dress up and stuff like you would on Halloween but not anything dark or creepy usually, just costumes.  In bigger cities, Carnival is more intense.  There is lots of drinking that goes on and people sometimes get nasty with each other in public. Because today is the first day, it is the most intense part of the celebration.  We were specifically told by the Mission President to wear normal clothes and not wear our name tags.  It could cause problems.

Carnival

Today we already did some fun stuff.  We went on a hike up a hill.  This hill is out of the way of the city and it was really enjoyable.  Our entire District went on this hike.  Six Elders and two sisters.  At the top of this hill there is a big statue thing or this big cement...thing...on top.  You can decide what it is called when you see the photos.  It was a lot of fun.  We are also going to be going to this Parade that comes through the street because it is supposed to be really good!

That is all that happened really for this week. I hope you like the photos!

Elder Grow

(Photo's Below)

Hike up the Hill

Made it to the top!

big cement...thing...on top

Close Up

My District

February 2nd, 2015

This week flew by extremely fast!  It was unreal!  It was also really good!

On Monday, right after writing my last letter, we planned on going on a hike.  We were in normal clothes of course.  We canceled it because it was pouring rain like non-other.  We decided to go to a Currywurst place in a city next to us.  There were 6 of us.  On our way there, I left my wallet at home, along with my Train Ticket.  If you get caught without it, you get a 40 Euro fine.  It was too late to go home, and a lady was coming by to check the tickets.  I was nervous and I was ready to admit that I left my ticket.  I was also ready to pay 40 Euro.  All the other Elders were waiting for me to get a ticket by this point.  She asks me for my ticket and I told her that I totally forgot it at home.  I apologized for that and waited for my ticket.  She then looks at me and asks where I am from.  I simply say, "America" in my normal thick American accent.  She then smiles and says that she will look the other way this time.  I thanked her and I was so happy!  It was simply because I was an out-lander and a cute little kid struggling with German.

Anyway, we finally made it to the Currywurst.  This Currywurst place is considered the hottest in the world.  They have levels of hotness.  It goes from 4-10. They even have a level called 10+.  It sounds like it would be like licking Satan's armpit sweat.  It even said that this level of hotness was capable of causing health problems.  I did not even want to go near that level.  I ended up going to a level 8.  This was as high as I was allowed to go at first.  I needed to try this level before I went to 10.  I wanted to do 10 right away and take it as it was.  I ordered an 8 and I was excited to eat it.  Four of us even brought yogurt drinks too so that we could handle it better.  Let me tell you, it only helped so much.  I ate the first bite and it tasted amazing!  I was loving it.  I could then feel the spice kicking in.  I quickly ate a second piece. I could feel my mouth starting to kindle. "Oh crap!" I thought, "I need to eat this fast or I will not be able to finish it at all.  I need to eat and swallow without thinking."  So I proceeded with this plan.  I scarfed down the rest of it as fast as I could.  Halfway through, I ate an inch and a half long dark pepper with it during my feeding frenzy.  I never felt so much regret in my life, while at the same time loving it. Kinda like sinning right?  Besides the fact, my breath could light a candle.  I had tears coming out of my eyes since the second bite, and boogers started to slide out my nose on the third.  I still had 5 more to go, along with a piece of bread that only made it worse.  "Yogurt, don't fail me now!" I thought. Meanwhile, everyone else was dying and three of them did not even finish.  I tried to convince them to finish by saying, "It was only chemical burns in your mouth right? No big deal.  "Did not work.  I was not in the mood to buy a number 10.  The 8 was 6 drops of spice, the 9 was 10 drops and the 10 was about a teaspoon.  I finished it all and I my mouth was on fire for a long time.  I was not excited to experience the burning a second time.  Let's just say I melted the toilet the next morning.

That night, our washer machine broke down. We tore it apart and tried to fix it. The door lock broke and we were unable to get out clothes out. We stayed up until midnight trying to fix it. We gave up and went to bed.

The next morning, we had a lot of appointments planned!  I was super excited!  I was quickly shot down when we went by and found out that 2/3 people we planned on going to were not home when we came by.  I was way bummed.  We did have one that day but it was just with a member.  He made some really good food for us.  That night we got home and we were able to fix our washing machine.  We used the metal wires inside of headphone cords to hold some stuff together.  It was fun and really annoying.

On Wednesday, we usually teach an English class for people in the ward who want to learn.  We also invite nonmembers we come in contact with.  We usually do not get much of a good turnout.  This time though, we had a lady come who we talked to about two weeks ago.  She is like 50 years old and has really good English.  We already had an appointment set up for her for the next day.  It was in the morning and the appointment went really well!  We taught about the Plan of Salvation.  It talks about where we came from, why we are here on this earth, and where we are going.  It talks about Jesus Christ and his Atonement that he made for us.  While teaching, the Spirit was super strong there.  She agreed with everything we said and she even already knew most of it.  Ever since being here in Germany, it was hard to believe that there are people here who are ready for the Gospel.  Meeting with is lady made me realize that there really are people out here who are honest in heart and who have a desire to know the truth.  My testimony grew a lot in this sense.

One thing that happened this week that I think you will all laugh at is a prank that Elder Heil pulled on me.  I am still haunted to this day...

So, on Thursday, Elder Heil decides to do some surgery on his ingrown toe nail.  He is up until about 11:30 or Midnight working on it.  He got a tub of hot salt water to soak his foot in, hoping that it will make his skin softer. The next day, we are home for lunch and we make some soup.  It was super good soup in fact.  We sit down at the table and Elder Heil leaves to go and get something from the front room.  He comes back with two cups and sets them down.  I thought to myself, "Hmmm. I do not remember leaving my cup on my desk out there.  Oh well.  Then again, I forget a lot of things anyways so I probably did.  "He grabs a bottle of Carbonated Water and pours us both some. I continue eating my soup for a couple minutes.  I then decide to drink a little bit of water so I can stay hydrated.  I take a huge sip and set it back down.  I then think to myself, "Hmmm, something seemed a little off there".  I take a second big drink.  I let it sit in my mouth and I look over at Elder Heil.  He is busting up.  I then swallow it and thought that he put salt in my water like he did before in the past.  All he said was, "That's not all".  I then realize what he means.  "Foot water!!" ,I yell.  I can't believe what I just drank. I just drank salty foot water with a foot that had an ingrown toenail.  I go to the balcony and force myself to hurl.  I did not want any of that nastiness inside.  So gross.  I got him back later by salting one piece of sausage really good. He did not see any of the salt because I salted underneath it.  It was glorious.

Saturday was also good.  We had a finding activity and I went with Elder Stout.  He is way cool.  We were able to switch numbers with someone who seemed interested!  I was super stoked!  Later that night, I end up buying a 2TB Hard Drive for 95 Euro.  I got it so that I could save photos and videos from my camera and from emails.  I also got it so that I could get music and talks from other missionaries out here.  2TB is a ton, but it will last me until after my mission for sure!

This week was really good and my testimony has grown even more.  The work here in Gelsenkirchen is finally picking up and it is a lot of fun at the same time.  I am truly loving it out here and it has snowed a ton this week.  Never stayed for too long, but there was lots of snow and hail.  Very unusual for this part of Germany.  I love you guys and I will see you next week!

Elder Grow

Massive Jar of Nutella