Excerpts from Heidi’s letter that we received last Saturday.
HAPPY DAY!!! Receiving
a letter in the mail is like a million Christmases put together!!! J Makes for a very happy
mother!!!!
Montag September 16, 2013
Liebe Familie
Here are a few funny things
about Germans and Germany ( At least in Hamburg ). They are the most BLUNT people on the planet.(* She just loves the
German people with all her heart..even their bluntness) Haha…If they don’t like
something, they tell you... if they do like something they tell you ! They also have printed toilet paper here which is
really cool! Haha..I know that’s random…Ours has fish printed on it ( that seems
to be the most popular ) but I did see some at a ward members house that had
puppies and flowers! Haha..you’ll have to ask Adina if it’s really like that everywhere
in Germany.
… whenever
we go to a lunch or dinner appointment they always expect us to eat so much!!!
The fact that I am small isn't an excuse to them. It only makes them give me more
food. ..Goodness, I’m trying to lose 8 pounds and it’s pretty much impossible
when we’re being fed dessert and huge meals so many days a week! Sister Nilson
and I are loving our new diet though-our ALMOST vegan diet. We
made tofu frikadellins from scratch the other day and they were very delicious!
We also have been eating just soy milk and other lactose free yogurts and such.
We feel pretty good!
Also, I know I have already said this…but I feel so at home here! There are so many
artists in this ward. Mom, when you come back to Germany in the future I am so
excited for you to see all of these people that I love. And I know you would
appreciate their art.
Yesterday we had a really funny experience teaching a Muslim family. (very blunt like the Germans
but the nicest people ) On the phone before coming to their home, the man was
expressing annoy talking to Sister Nilson . “ How do you expect to teach my
family and me when you can’t even speak German?” So Sister Nilson tells him not
to worry because her companion (ME) can speak very good Deutsch, much better
than her. Way to put lots of pressure on me! Even though the man was still a little
annoyed when he met with us in person...he was flabbergasted that Sister Nilson
has only been learning German for 7 months. When the man asked me how long I had been in Germany I told him “7
weeks “ and he seriously almost fell off his chair. Hahaha. He looked back and
forth and then said, looking at Sister Nilson, “But she speaks so much better
than you! Let’s just say I am feeling
EXTREMELY blessed with learning German. I wish you could just be a fly on
the wall here in my lessons or even on the street to see how incredible it is! I
can’t believe how far I've come in three months.
And can you believe I spoke I church?! I know this is crazy
but I wasn't even that nervous- I think I was more nervous for my missionary
farewell talk. My ward here is so amazing too. There is one boy in the ward who
is just pals with Sister Nilson and me. Remember J Wolf ? (The 14 year old boy I
wrote about at the beginning of my mission? ) He brought the music to the song “
I’m leaving on a jet plane” to church and wanted me to sing it with him. J
Montag
23 September 2013
Sorry, it’s taken me a week to get this letter sent off!
P.Days are always so crazy…You should know that I spend all my time on the computer
emailing our family- because I LOVE YOU ALL and want you to experience my
mission along with me.
This whole day has been absolutely incredible! It is
definitely a good start for this week! ( Haha…lots of yummy food, meat ,
sugar, chocolate…Now I can go back to my vegan/vegetarian diet… Yeah for tofu
and carrots!! :D Haha..I know I’m weird:D
I’m so excited that
you will be able to meet Mirja and Danny in a couple weeks! Mirja is
seriously the “Germaniest” woman ever!!
So funny, blunt and fun to be around. I just love her!! She just moved into the wohnung right above
ours and it’s so much fun!! I think I mentioned in my email that she reminds me
a lot of Alison Ainge… I’m sending a little surprise with them for you all!
ICH LIEBE EUCH!!!:D
She also included another small letter in the envelope:
23 September 2013
Meine Geburtstag!! ( My birthday!!)
Hello! I’m just sitting here on the Bahn on my way into
Hamburg and wanted to write you a little message.!:D First off, thank you so
much for the birthday package! I opened it up this morning after my
birthday breakfast and I was so happy! Thanks for making it special:D I’m glad I have love from at least part of our
family…cough cough..sinc e only part of you like to write to me..Haha hopefully
you’re still there and remember me!
How was turkey dinner? Wow, I am so jealous I had to miss
that! (*** We celebrated Heidi’s 20th
birthday (without her..) and made a turkey dinner with all the trimmings…and
went around the table sharing our favorite memories of her and even blew out
candles on her birthday cake (Pumpkni
pie J) Everyone
made birthday wishes for her as they helped blow out the candles…)
Please let’s have turkey dinner the Christmas I am home-
Next year!!! Nobody celebrates Thanksgiving here! I am very excited for
Christmas here. Christmas is HUGE! Rather than just a day, it is three days
long. There is a lot of time reserved for being together as a family. I also
heard that there are great big Christmas markets in the town centers where everybody
sells stuff- like Christmas decorations and gifts and such.. sounds pretty
cool! I wonder if I’ll still be in Langenhorn at Christmas. I sure hope so!
Christmas just isn’t Christmas unless you’re at home with family , but Langenhorn is feeling pretty close to that!
We’ll have to see!!
So as I said, right now we are heading into Hamburg to a
city called Wartenau. It is about 45 minutes from Langenhorn and we travel here
about once a week- always for district meeting and occasionally on P.Day ( like
today)This is where the Elders are serving (Elder Gibson, Elder Bekat, Elder
McKean and Elder Luning. And there is a senior missionary couple! It is also
where the stake center is ! Everybody is
just wonderful here…:D
Today we are
celebrating my birthday ! YAYAYAYAYAY!!! And also Elder Luning’s - he
turned 24 last Monday. We are planning on doing a barbeque (nobody does that
here! ) And also having some cake and ice cream! I’m feeling pretty lucky that
my birthday happened to fall on a P.Day.
…A bit later today…
( SO here’s the story
of her birthday celebration- I don’t think we can even begin to compete with
the celebration the Elders gave her ..) :
When we got to
Wartenau the Elders were already outside grilling. They had a grill with charcoal
and everything! So we had a variety of meat (McKAy would have been in heaven) ,
a salad , potato salad, (very German) and chips! It was so yummy! And today was
such a beautiful day that we were able to eat outside :D (The last few P. Days it has been super rainy and
cold ALL day! ) After eating, Sister
Nilson and I went into the city to quickly grab some souvenirs so that we can
send them with Mirja when she comes to Utah! We only had a little time before Elder
and Sister Nuttall would be there with cake and ice cream…so we quickly
practiced our Olympic speed walking and quickly traveled between bahn stations
. ( I found a couple things I’m really excited for you to see! :D)
We then arrived back
in Wartenau and had cake and ice cream..wow I felt so loved!! Homemade chocolate
cake , sprinkles and all, and chocolate ice cream too!! Om nom nom :D
***Then all the Elders
brought my chair to an open place in the room and they all surrounded me. They
began singing to me… an original Birthday song in German It was the funnest thing
ever! I was very startled when they all took a hand on my chair and proceeded
to lift my chair up in the air (more like toss it ) and throw me up and down while
continuing to laugh and sing in German! Hahaha… that is what I call a birthday
song!! Elder Luning’s family comes from Germany and it’s a song they have sung
in their family. ( I think they may have made it up) Then Elder Luning taught it to the other Elders .
Pretty sweet huh? :D So yes, my day has been AMAZING!!!!
Heidi's birthday breakfast. Her favorite... homemade Banana chocolate chip pancakes ...and Heidi and her companion decorated their pancakes with faces for the occasion!!
SO FUN!!!
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