Freshly Cut Grass, Country Roads, And Turbulence

Hallo meine Lieblingsleute!

 

Another week in the Motherland! Sometimes I forget I'm in Germany to be honest. Then I see 55 yr old men dressing like they are still 18 (don't get any ideas dad), I taste how good pretzels are here, I see 3 different catholic churches within 2 blocks, or I order water and its bubbly, and then I remember oh yeah, I'm in Germany!

 

It is a good time out here though. The work in Aachen is starting to gain some speed. We found two new people last week on facebook who are interested in learning more, which is really exciting.

 

Last week as a district we went to Euskirchen to do a service project. There is a lady there who has been trying to fix up her house, garden, and land for a year now since the flood last year. It was a lot of fun! We stacked some wood, moved some rocks, and she fed us dinner which was so awesome. Germans like to give help, but hate receiving it, so when they do receive it they show their gratitude 100000 fold. It was pouring rain for a while, but we worked anyway because that's what good missionaries do.

 

This week we also had Zone Conference. I really do like training a new missionary, because as weird as it sounds, I feel so proud introducing him to all the other missionaries. It's like when you were a baby and first learned how to clap or wave or say "Dada" so your mom would go around proudly showing you off to all the other moms secretly telling herself "I have the smartest and most well behaved kid".

 

Our friend Michael Zhang (the member who we eat with once a week usually at a chinese restaurant) is a piano teacher and invited us over to one of his students' homes while he gave a lesson. We were a little confused why, but we said "why not!". After telling his students that my companion is a professional football player and that I am from Pennsylvania, he proceeded to force us to critique his student's playing. Once I told them I was actually from Virginia they just started singing Take Me Home Country Roads, just like every other German who finds out where I'm from. He was preparing his student for a concert so I think Michael made him come in and out of the room about 7 times to practice bowing to the audience. Afterwards he had us speak English to his students so they could practice. Then he had me play piano. I tried to play the slow part of Clair de Lune (the song from the end of Oceans 11 if that rings a bell for any of you) and immediately he called his student over to play it after me. Needless to say it was a pride-damaging experience to hear the song I aspire to play being played flawlessly by a 12 year old. It was humbling to say the least. Then we had dinner with their family which was also weird considering that I don't think Micheal Zhang even told this family we were coming, but we had some good conversations and we might go back to help them with gardenwork. So that's good!

 

A side note - I took the 16 personality test and apparently I am an ENFP-T which is a "Campaigner". Look up the description and I would appreciate you guy's feedback on whether or not you think it matches me. I think I am a little more introverted than it says, but I will take the compliment. Oddly enough my companion and I are the same personality type except he is ENFP-A which means he is assertive and I am turbulent.... whatever that means.

 

We also helped a random lady do yard work yesterday who we met on Facebook (normally I would advise against meeting with random people you meet online, but apparently that goes all out the window when you become a missionary.). It reminded me of being back home during the good ole days when dad would wake me up at 8 on a Saturday morning and passive aggressively tell me that the grass was looking a little long. 

While we were taking a break she started asking questions about our church and we taught her all about the restoration of the Gospel and even a bit about life after death. So far on my mission, I have learned that the best way to share the Gospel is by living it. As we serve those around us every chance we get, just like Christ did, not only can we bless the lives of others, but we can bring the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement into their lives.

 

Anyways that's all for this week y'all!

Love ya and miss ya,

Landon

 

*Cool porsche, me and Piet from Duisburg at Zone Conference, the MTC group! (The ones in Frankfurt), european mcdonalds, stacking wood, pretty garden, garden, goats, district service!