Moooooooooooooore pictures from Baptism

 

Since my camera died that day, Elder Graff offered to take loads of pictures and then gave them to me.  SO grateful!!

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What do you call two Chileans playing basketball?????

Juan on Juan...heheehehe


Hallo Meine Lieben -

This week we have been busy busy.  Since Sis Dietz came, we have reevaluated the monthly goals and it has really helped get a grappel on what we can accomplish.  The members want to meet with us again and I'm finally seeing Spring.  We had Ward COnference yesterday and the chapel was overflowing.  From the regular 15 people to at least 35.  The excess were all the Stake visitors who'd brought their families along, but it was still great.  Because Sis Rodrigues' daughter got married this week, they were still out of town and I was asked to play the piano.  I played the songs the 'normal speed' which to the Germans is always 'too fast'.  We sang 'Heark All Ye Nations' in the way it's meant to be sung and half the people couldn'T keep up.  The Stake President stood up to speak and he talked about me playing 'flott' (briskly, lively, peppy)...which at the time I didn't know the definition for.  AND, afterwards, everyone came up and said they really enjoyed the songs.  It's amazing what tempo can do.  No more draaaaaggggiiiiinnnngggg  oooouuuutttt eeeevvveeerrryyy wwwooorrrrd. 

Please let me know the status on Grandma.  Hopefully she'll recover enough to go home.  Being cooped up and not feeling well is no fun....believe me...I spent three and a half weeks straight in the apt due to a flu virus.  How is Christina Mabry doing?  Has she had the baby yet? 

I'm excited for the Easter surprise and to clear something up...I LOVE m&ms...please send more!!!  I was just teasing about the fact that that was the only thing I would receive (not that I'm ungrateful).  I didn't realize how much I like m&ms until you're in a famine-infested life and someone sends you a water bottle.  It's great!!  Sis Dietz brought a Swiss Chocolate bar that we pretty much devoured before the wrapper was even off. 

Franziska called us Sunday morning to tell us not to worry, but she wasn't coming to church.  When I asked her if she was sick, she said no, but that she would be fine.  Sis Dietz called her today and she was so grateful that we called and that many of the members called her yesterday to see if she was alright.  She just had had a rough weekend.  She is so strong and I am so excited to see her progress.

Jenny has been having a super rough time.  There are porblems in her life...still.  She met a guy over the internet and he turned quite inappropriate to her over the email and so now Jenny doesn'T believe in love.  She is planning on just picking up and leaving Germany to move back to Puerto Rico and quitting her job without notice (just not showing up anymore).  She called Schw Blaschta while we were at their house yesterday for dinner and Schw Blaschta convinced her to come to their house to stay for a couple of days.  We plan on meeting with her every day.  She says that if she finds an aparment, she will stay.  That is our goal, to help her realize her worth and to help her in any way we can.

Allergy season is here and now I notice every blossom-filled breeze.  Scratchy throat, stuffy head.  Not my favorite time of year, but it's still beautiful.  Sis Dietz and I plan to climb the Münster today due to the BEAUTIFUL weather.

We have Zone Conference this transfer so I'll get any mail sent to the office in München.

Love you all and wish I'd caught someone online today.  Oh well!  That's what happens when there's a time difference. 
Alles Liebe
SISTER CHOCOLATE

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New Mission President in July

Richard Lorin Miles, 59, and Brenda Nelson Miles, five children, Alpine German-Speaking Mission; Mueller Park 9th Ward, Bountiful Utah Mueller Park Stake. Brother Miles serves as a temple ordinance worker in the Bountiful Utah Temple and as a high priest group leader. He is a former bishop, high councilor, Sunday School teacher, Young Men president and missionary in the North German-Hamburg Mission. Partner and Owner, Western States Lodging. Born in Cedar City, Utah, to Lorin Church and LaRae Haight Miles.

Sister Miles serves as a Relief Society president and is a former stake Young Women camp director, counselor in a stake Young Women presidency, Young Women president, counselor in a Relief Society presidency, Primary chorister and counselor in a Primary presidency. Born in Boston, Mass., to Russell Marion and Dantzel White Nelson.

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Did you know that I ride in a Mercedes EVERY DAY!!! (11.4.11)

Hey all -
I made it through yet another transfer call day. I'M STAYING IN ULM!!!!!!!!!! THis is by far my favorite place on my mission and I really feel like I've finally found my mission niche. AND Sister Dietz is coming back to put up with me again. She'll be the first companion I've had for more than 8 weeks. Sis Alder set the bar at 8 weeks and then I was emergency transferred out of Bruck and into Salzburg. Then, Sis Dietz here in Ulm for 8, then she was transferred to Switzerland for 2 weeks to help another Sister who's companion had caused many problems (who I then was put with here). Now she'll be back and make it a new record - - two and a half transfers (if she lasts that long).

P.S. If you don'T understand the subject of this email, let me explain. The buses are Mercedes and we ride them everywhere. Not many people can say that they'Ve been chauffered in a Mercedes for 18 months.

Don't worry about sending a camera. I bought one from a member for only €40 ($60). It is brand new and originally costed €130. Such a steal and it'S amazing. It's a Canon Ixus 130 with 14 megapixel. Word travels fast in this branch about anything and I'm so grateful for their concern and love. YOu know you've been here too long when members start showing up at church with things they 'thought you'd like'. I really love this branch. The member had bought the camera for her husband's birthday at a closeout of the local 'Best Buy' kind of store, but then he'd gone out and bought himself one so she was stuck with an extra. They don't make cameras anymore that take my kind of memory card (XD...the small one like you sent to me) so that was a dud at trying to just find another similar. This one takes the SD cards. I took my camera to another shop to have them tell me exactly what's wrong and they said ____ in the lens shaft is broken and it would cost €400 to get it fixed.

I leave and mom takes over my job idea - Substitute teaching. I know she's just opening the doors so when I get home I can just slide on in. PERFECT!!!!

Glad to hear Grandma's doing alright. HOpefully you'll make it out there for her birthday.

As for Mother's Day - - Since I'm staying in Ulm, the same system works for the phone. We have a cell phone and a festnetz (landline) so we'll be able to call simultaneously. I don't know as far as time or such, but will let you know. We have church till 12 and then meetings afterwards so probably around evening night ish.

Not too much this week. Things were rough and I've had to trust in Heavenly Father more than ever before in order not to slip and fall. My self-confidence and desire to be the best have taken a beating and my personality has been worn down, but I know that things will get better. Sis Dietz and I figured that she is the Band-Aid companion. She gets sent to Sisters who've had the rought companions and she builds them up. I am the companion President COndie can count on to deal with the hard companions. Not sure I like that, since everytime it happens I suffer a lot. Luckily I've had both of the hardest Sisters there are in this mission so I think it's all uphill from here. AND, I had them both here in Ulm where the members have been there to keep my from hitting rock-bottom.

Missionary work is not easy, but it's worth it!!!!

Our District is crazy, but amazing at the same time. Each of the 4 Elders is in love with Star Wars and it makes for absolutely entertaining phonecalls, District Meetings, and train rides. I now have a Jedi Name (Repen AnLi), two big brothers who protect me (Two Elders who have just taken me under their wing), and a planned party for District meeting on May 4th....May the FOURTH be with you....(get it?)

Lots of Love from Ulm
SISTER CHOCOLATE...who happens to be craving Reese's Eggs!!!


Mom - blouses to me are the collard button-down ones. The shirts I'm thinking of are the kind like you can get at walmart (cotton, lightweight, colorful, patterned maybe). Preferably short sleeve, but three-quarter is my favorite.

Dad - Thanks for taking care of my finances and such. I really appreciate not having to worry about that ever, since you're the money-wiz. If I were better at math, I would've done accounting. I love it THAT kind of math...the practical kind.

Franziska's Taufe (Baptism)

Me, Rika Blaschta-Taylor, Klaus Manke, Franziska, Sister Hecht

April and Conference (4.4.11)

Liebe Familie -

First things first - My camera is having problems as of Saturday (I turned it on for the baptism and it doesn'T work). It turns on, clicks really loud, then goes in and out (the lens), and then stays on but is completely out of focus. I can look at taken pictures just fine, I just can't take any. I took it to a camera shop today to have them look at it and all they said they can do is send it to Olympus and have them work on it. That would take 3 -4 weeks. I decided to wait till I talked to you. Right now I have no camera (the Elders took pictures from the baptism and will save them onto my USB for me). Is there a camera at home that could be sent to me? At least temporarily until I can either send mince to you to have fixed or send it to Olympus through the camera shop. If I did that, I would wait till after transfer calls this week. TAY ARE YOU USING YOURS?!?

Franziska's baptism was beautiful!!!! It went so smoothly and she is super happy. She'll receive the Holy Ghost next week here in Ulm. Because we do not have a font here, we had to travel to Tübingen (about 2 hrs away) and we got to watch Saturday sessions of Conference there as well. Franziska wanted to drive us to her baptism so we showed up at her house early in the morning. When we walked in, we noticed she'd prepared a beautiful, traditional Schwäbisch breakfast consisting of semi hard boiled eggs (more like runny ones you eat with a spoon out of a fance egg cup), Schwäbisch toast, meat, cheese, tomatoes, and Caro Coffee (it's called Kinder Kaffee because it is a Malt type hot drink...REALLY GOOD). Then, we set off. She'd bought a GPS just for the occasion and things went well. Sunday, we traveled to Stuttgart for conference. Because of the time difference, we only got to see Sat AM\PM, and Sun AM sessions. Hopefully the ward will be able to procure a copy of Sunday PM for us to watch next week (that's what is normally done). If not, I'll just watch it online next week.

My favorite talk from Conference was Cecil O. Samuelson (of course it was neat to see him again. Brought back BYU memories), and M. Russell Ballard. President Uchtdorf was second favorite. I'm so excited for the new temples that were announced. What'S the status on the Philly one?

Alles Liebe -
SISTER CHOCOLATE