HERE'S ELDER STANDRING WITH HIS TRAINER/COMPANION ELDER DAVIS AND WITH THE MISSION PRESIDENT SCHWARTZ UPON ARRIVAL AT THE MISSION HOME IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY...AND HERE'S HIS FIRST EMAIL BELOW:
So I feel really really bad about this, but I forgot my
camera/memory card at home, and we're at an internet shop/cafe right
now, and we don't have time to go back and get it. Man, this was going
to be a super cool reveal of where I am right now too, because
I have the perfect picture for it that a lot of people would probably
recognize. Meh, I won't be selfish and I'll let y'all know anyway.
Ya, so I'm in Köln.
/Cologne (for you silly English speakers)
SO, it's super awesome that I've already been here before, even
though it was only for a couple hours and that didn't help me to know
the area AT ALL. Haha, I was totally thinking that it might, but no. Not
even close. Köln has 2 million people in it,
so it's definitely the biggest area in the mission. My Companion, who I
was also previously acquainted with, actually, says that our Apartment
Building, too, is the biggest/tallest in the Germany. Soooooo... Cool
Beans :)
My trainer's name is Elder Davis, and he's from Utah (Turns out
that most missonaries are), but more specifically, Provo. I don't think
anybody back in Crescent City knows him, but we met breifly at BYU as he
accompanied a girl in my German Class one day,
which was actually just before he left on his mission. He's been out
here about 18 weeks and in Köln about 6 weeks. He's a really awesome guy
and super patient and loving, and his German is really really good.
too. Cool story though, my first day here we didn't
have any lessons, but we did have Priesthood Correllation Meeting, so I
go to meet the Bishop right away! I didn't really say much at the
meeting because I didn't have know what any of the plans were, but he
said I have quite good German for being a Golden
(what they call greenies here in the Frankfurt Mission). After the
meeting there were two old women in the building probably working on
genealogy or something, and they both agreed that I have no accent at
all! And then a few more people at Sacrament Meeting
said that I have really good German too, all of which is pretty
surprising and a huge relief, and I know that Heavenly Father has really
been good to me in Learning the Language Department. However, just
being able to mumble without an accent doesn't get people
baptised by itself! I learned that for sure on Saturday when we had a
Strasseausstellung in a suburb called Bergisch-Gladbach, and it was
SOOOOO COOOOLD. (Oh and bytheway, a Strasseausstellung is a Street
Display) I'm definitely sure that it wasn't the coldest
I've ever been in my life, but I just really, really do not enjoy windy
weather, especially when it's already quite cold outside. It was in the
negatives for temperature (Celsius that it), and we were out there for
about three hours. The deal with it was, that
yes, it was hard to understand people when they start talking about one
of many, many, many things they don't teach you in the MTC, but
definitely the hardest part was just starting. (Meaning that if someone
were to look up the word 'starting' in a dictionary, it
would say 'Starting ~ The hardest part of everything') It was exactly
like when you're about to call somebody on the phone, and you've gone
over the whole conversation in your head alraedy, so you've got it
figured out, but then the moment someone answers,
or the anwswering machine beeps... It's all gone... and not even 'gone'
as in it left, more like 'never existed' is what I mean. Anyway, it's
crazy, incredible, and a little bit frustrating. Ha, I talked to one guy
and asked him about the purpose of life, and
I'm pretty sure he was just doing it for a laugh, because he basically
walked up to me and anwsered like, 'Ok, c'mon, tell me the meaning of
life'. Didn't see that one coming.
Wow. Kids are super hard to talk to also, because.... ugh.. just
everything, hah. I was trying to make up a story with the Bischof's kids
who were at the Street Display and after the first round, I had like no
idea where the story had gone. I know, tragedy.
Tragedy that there had been four words put together as a story put
together with no missionary to appreciate it because he didn't
understand. After hours of mouling over, with consultation, I think the
story went something like this:
An apple jumped and flew over a mountain.
the end. I guess.
One more awesome story:
So as a missionary, it's great to be friendly and talk to as many
people as you can (easier imagined than done, especially about 10
seconds before you try), so I was trying to do that on a train the other
day. Bytheway, let me just tell you, Germans have
trains coming out of their ears, but in a good way. There's SO many
trains, and they go EVERYWHERE, it super complicated, like it's a huge
problem for my district right now because the missionaries can't figure
out which ticket to buy to get where they want! Hahaha, anyway
long story short, I told a lady on the train that I liked the color of
her scarf and so she gave it to me.
What do you do, say 'no' after you just said you liked it? Bah,
haha, so I have a very womenly-like knitted scarf in very fine shades of
red, pink, and purple.
Anyways, I'm am so loving it here in Köln. Lovin' it, Lovin' it,
Lovin' it. I had a Döner for the first time the other day, and it was
way good. Also, Elder Davis says he's not much of a cook, so I get to
subject him to all sorts of the Culinary Experiments
that I love doing! So far, I've made french toast, scrambled eggs with
potato, tomato, and green-plant-that-I-found-in-the-fridge-ness bits,
and mashed potatoes with onion, lots of butter, more
green-leafy-stuff-that-resembles-spinach, and cheese! Lovin' it.
I can't quite remeber what else I'm supposed to tell y'all as far
as answering questions go. I feel really silly that I left my camera
home, especially on a P-Day. Oh, yep and we went to the Köln Cathedral
today! Which is time #2 for me, although this
time we also went up to the top of the steeple/tower, so that was new.
My companion got pictures, but we'll both have to wait 'til next week I
suppose.
I love you all so very very much. Thanks for your supporting
prayers and letters! I've been praying for you too, so be awesome and
feel the Savior's love in you life! I witness so, so strongly that
Heavenly Father has a plan for us and that he loves us
more than we can fathom or understand. I know the Holy Ghost can help
you to find solutions to those problems in your life that you've been
thinking and worrying about. Let Heavenly Father bless you. Don't be
afraid to be great. Don't be afraid to succeed.
When there's something good you feel, do something with it. Act on
that silly little thought you have to help someone. Be better than you
were yesterday. I know through the atoning sacrifce, the Atonement, of
Jesus Christ, all the bitterness, bad, and sorrow
can be emptied out of us and we'll be filled back up with something
happy, good, and loving. We will change when we do this, yes, but it's
ok, because it's what you want deep down inside. I know there will be a
way provided for us to do what Heavenly Father
wants and needs us to do. Don't be afraid to succeed.
I love you more than little boys love cake and little girls love bunnies,
~Elder Standring :)
