December 8, 2014

It snowed in Germany finally! Twice! Last year it only snowed once and did not stick. Nothing is sticking yet but it's already starting, so I expect there to be something that sticks in the coming weeks. Snow is so beautiful! Besides it being uncomfortable and cold, the downside to the weather change is that the ice cream shop accross the street from us is closed as of today. I guess they realized Elder Chunky Jack was about to get a little chunkier from the mounds of chocolate and baked goods being thrown at him during Christmas. Ice cream was no longer a necessary ingredient for my potential winter blubber. 

I did have a birthday, which means that I am now 20. hm. I don't know how I feel about that, but the 20's will be a really changing and influential decade! A lot of life decisions happen there. 

On my birthday our lovely friend baked me a cake (Quark with mandarine orange flavor, other cake texture stuff, and chocolate letters on the top saying "HAPPY BIRTHDAY 20 ELDER JACK." It was so sweet of her. Plus, my companion made me chocolate muffins for breakfast! He's good. So were the muffins. This morning he decided to play muffinman again and made apple-cinnamon muffins. ´What did I say about my winter blubbler coming on? 

Our apartment is now decorated with a miniature Christmas tree (we found a small branch laying on the sidewalk), snowflakes, a lot of pictures of Christ, a countdown to Christmas, and whatever else we felt like throwing up (blechhh! Haha, I mean putting up). We are in the Christmas Spirit! People are generally more open in this time as well. It is so marvelous. 

Now that I am district leader I got to call each companionship and check up on their progress last night. It was fun. Elder Harrison used that time very well by cleaning up our table with a bunch of food on it. Did I ever mention how great he is? 

Investigators have been getting answers to prayers and blessings, making progress, and I have seen that my last and current area are both making great progress! It makes me so so happy!!! I love this work. Like the 12-year-old who went teaching with us last week said in his testimony yesterday: "Everyone should go missionarying with the missionaries. It is very fun!" This awesome kid handed two books of Mormon out to his teachers since coming with us. THAT is a cool member missionary right there!

I've blabbered enough about blubber and me. Just know that I'm still happy! Truly honestly -- even when it is really stressful (which is can be). I was reminded of our responsibility because we know this gospel message when reading in Jacob 1. The last verse struck me. We need to tell people this message!! 

Liebe Grüße, 

Elder Jack