Monday, September 23, 2013

9-23-13: Out of this world experiences

We've been using the good legs God gave us to run from appointment to appointment this week and have been busy, which has been good. Plus I love Sister Kriser :)

Doctor Who Hallways
I don't know how many of you have see the TV series Doctor Who, but there’s an episode with a bunch of creepy, empty hotel hallways where everything looks the same.
I think they filmed it in Germany.
There are so many creepy doctor-who-ish hallways that are so silent. Until someone lets you in...and then you get....

Shots From Above
We went on tausch with the sisters in Tiergarten this week and Sister Vick came here to work with me. We dropped by a less-active who lived in aforementioned doctor-who-other-dimension-apartment buildings. She invited us into her dark apartment that only had one lonely light bulb swinging above her head. We sat down and she proceeded to tell us about the good old days of the DDR and how much she misses it because they didn't have to worry about anything and everyone was so trusting. Which is strange because I've heard the exact opposite from every other east German. To each his own I suppose. She also told us about her crazy neighbor who talks to herself at night and then we heard said neighbor walking and talking out on the balcony upstairs. After much talk, we said we needed to go and I started to say a closing prayer, except that I was rudely interrupted by something sounding like a gunshot from upstairs. Which resulted in frightened screaming from the member we were teaching. So there I am, praying in a dimly lit Doctor Who-esque apartment while someone screams next to me and dangerous, scary sounds come from the apartment upstairs. But I carried to the prayer out to the end and we bid adieu (she got a little calmer after the prayer) and then rode our magic blue bikes home. Whew.

Two Homars?
Sister Kriser talked to a guy named Homar a couple weeks ago from Africa and we made an appointment with him to talk more about the Book of Mormon. Except that appointment fell out but we called him and made a new appointment for this past week. Sister Vick and I were there for this appointment this week and we met Homar at a bahnhof. Except the Homar that showed up didn't look like the one we met two weeks ago, but I thought maybe I just didn't remember that well. So we started teaching, but partway through, I realized this was definitely not the same Homar we had previously met. This Homar had already met with missionaries in Hannover and said he believed Joseph was a prophet already! As it turns out, we had two Homars in our phone and had called the wrong one to make the follow-up appointment. But that’s okay because now we have two Homars to teach!

Oma Voigt
We visit this sad 91 year-old less-active lady who we fondly call Oma about every other week. Except she just wants to die and smokes up a storm to quicken the process. Despite this, she continues to live and wish for death.
This is a warning for all older people: make a plan for if you get ill and old before it’s too late and you are forced into a home you hate and want to jump out the window but it’s not tall enough to kill you.
That is all.

Gentle Reminders to our Ward Mission Leader
We have a missionary coordination meeting every week with the 6 other missionaries here and our mission leader, called gemiko. Brüder Schröder, our 80-year-old mission leader, asked how all of our companionships were doing. We all responded that they were going well and he said, "Well, the good thing is you only have to be with someone for 18 months! Imagine being with someone 60, 70 years...."
An elder piped in, "You mean forever Brüder Schröder. You're married forever."
Brüder Schröder: "Oh right, I forgot."
I'm pretty sure all missionaries are grateful that marriages and families can be forever, but companionships aren’t :)
That doesn't mean we don't like each other. Sister Kriser and I have a really similar work style and have gotten along really well and I'm hoping we’ll get another transfer together.

Zone Conference
We had a wonderful zone conference on Friday. I love zone conference. You just get so pumped to rededicate yourself and go out and work and teach and change peoples lives and I find so much strength from other missionaries´testimonies. Plus it´s one of our few meetings in English:) Suffice it to say, I am stoked. To exist.

Trees Hate You...
Okay trees don't actually hate you. I was just trying to think of something to go with trees and Julian Smith came to mind. We got to dig up some trees on Saturday with our bishop and that was exciting. But more importantly than that, Germans love plants and gardens. But sometimes they have too many plants and they leave extra plants on ledges outside their house. We got super lucky yesterday because our neighbor had left....A LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE! I totally danced as I brought it up the stairs to our apartment, where we can start celebrating Christmas for the next three months. Another Christmas miracle...

Well, you all are great.
I know that Christ lives that He loves us :)
--

Sister Claire Michelle Woodward

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