Okay, sorry I haven't been very dedicated in writing personal stuff on this blog. I wish I could make it all pretty and fluffy like all the others I see out there, but, hey, what can I say? I'm over 40 and technologically challenged! I wish my sister could come and spend a day with me so she could show me how to do all the fun things to add. She has shown me how to change my background a couple times, but I still don't know how to do it. Heck, I don't even do this adding Jaren's letters to the blog from my wonderful Mac because I don't know how to copy from one place, minimize it, then get the other pulled up to paste what I copied. I'll have to remember to have her show me how to do that, too. Maybe my kids would know if I asked them. They just are never here when I am doing it!
We did have a fun week. We went to the sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat (I should say the stand-on-top-of-the-seat-in-front-of-you!) U of U game last Thursday night. WOW. . . what a game! I just wish the U would play the first 58 minutes like they play the last two! Can you say 10-0 for the season?!? Woohoo! Now I'm into checking out the Jazz. Haven't seen a game or been to one yet, but I'm following their stats. They seem to be doing well. They have another game on the road tonight. Go Jazz!
Went to a dinner Friday night (gave up our first Jazz game tickets of the season to Holly and 2 friends:) where 260 of the 360 members of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed. The Five Browns were also in attendance. I guess they will be next years entertainment for this annual event. We attended an Enterprise Mentors International gala event that Lloyd Newell emceed. He used to be in our ward when we lived in Utah County, so it was nice to see he and his wife. They seemed to remember us, so that was nice.
Well, I'm headed off to my messy craft room to try to get it organized so I can try to do crafty things in there! I need to find some pictures for a school project for Tanner. Wish me luck!!
Here's Jaren's weekly letter:
Dear Family,
Glad to hear all is well, even after the elections. I was actually really sick of hearing anything about politics by Thursday night. By then, Germany knew the results and all the people were happy that Obama won. People know we are from America here in Hanau, and so, they love to blab about the results and Obama. Everytime we walk in to someones house, they have the news going, and all you hear is Obama, and cheers! The news makes it seem like every American is for Obama, and so many people think that he is great. Then, here I am, trying not to think about it or take sides and they ask me how I like him!!! GRRRR!!!! I just want to do missionary work without hearing about politics!
Honestly Mom, I think you´ll survive. (Can you tell I worried my missionary about mentioning my concerns after this wonderful election?) We have a lot to go through before Christ comes again. It is pretty nice though not to look at the news everyday. That is all these people do. I actually meet with this interesting lady in Offenbach at our street preach there last Thursday. She kept going back to the news and saying, "how can I believe in Christ when so many people are starving, so many people are dying and people are poor?!" She kept going back to this question. Well, I told her that We are given trials so we can exercise our faith in him. We can´t just have joy and happiness all day everyday. It just does´t work. We have Satan who leads people away to plunder and cause grief, pain, and chaos in the world. Well, she still wasn´t satisfied. She then said, "I´ll only believe if he comes down right now and destroys the wicked and I can see his face!" I was a little taken back and a little frustrated with her. I then said, so you mean to tell me that if Christ shows himself right now, you will believe. I told her that that wasn´t faith. She gave me a wierd look, and then I said, If you saw Christ right now, you wouldn´t have faith, you´d know that he was God. That is knowledge, and not faith. You´d know him. Faith is a hope that he will come again and a belief that he is. She didn´t say much after that. Maybe I was a little too strong because she said, "I hope your not mad with me." I told her I wasn´t but then shared my testimony and gave her a card with our number. That is the story of so many people here. It is the same thing, "I have my faith (religion)!, Why is there so much bad in the world?, And, If there is so much bad, how can their be a God?!" They really don´t understand faith, and that is why we are here. Second, they don´t really understand God and Satan, or the Plan of Salvation. But I have a hard time having patience with those that just yell these questions at us and then walk off. They have put their trust in the media, in the world, and not in God. Sometimes I wish like Alma did when he said "Oh that I were an Angel and could cry repentance to this Generation!" But then later he says "But I do sin in my wish." It isn´t that you hate these people, but you have a Christ like love for them, and you care for them as Christ would. Yet, he gave us our agency, and I can´t take it away from those who aren´t ready for the gospel yet.
Now, on a happier note, It is almost Christmas time here! WHOOOO!!!! They are putting lights up all over the place and I just saw Santa with his donkey and presents in Markt Platz yesterday! It was pretty cool. Santa here is skinny though, and like I said, he has a donkey. Maybe it is more symbolic of Christ, I don´t know. But Christmas lasts from about the first week of Dezember through the end of the month. The kids get out of school from about the first monday in Dezember through the end of the month or new year. You walk into the stores and they have lights, Christmas trees and ornaments, and chocolate and nutcrackers and all sorts of goodies. I just can´t wait for the musik! It is a pretty cool time of the year here. I just wish we had snow!!!! It has been very warm, well relatively warm compared to home. It feels like it is in the 50´s here almost everyday. (It's probably killing Jaren that he can't look at the temp several times a day. He had a weather station set up at home!)Probably will change soon, it is really windy today and cloudy, so maybe it will get colder and rainier. Ick! Just snow!
So, I did read Taylors letters, and he is very descriptive, I guess I could be more descriptive, but your boring, you´ve already been to Germany! You know what it is like, so I just assumed you knew! Actually, the grocery stores have improved quite a bit since you remember them. They are newer and a little bigger and are very nice. To get a cart though, you need to pay to rent it! (They did this last I knew in Canada, also. You would get your coin back when you returned the cart. You would see people returning carts that others were too lazy to return, and then collecting the change from it!) But you can get it back if you take it back to the cart dispenser. We have two large places or Platz here in Hanau. Freiheits Platz and Markt Platz. Freiheits is shopping and where you catch the bus, and Markt Platz is a huge square right in front of the Rat Haus (City Hall) and lots of outdoor markets and events go on there. It is surrounded by a lot of shops and housing. I´ll send you pictures here in a couple of weeks in the mail. The computers here don´t have a port that I can plug my memory stick or my camera into.
1. So is your area in Hanau new to missionaries? You said you and Elder Norton opened the area, but you also mention another set of Elders being in Hanau. Blake Miller said Hanau wasn't new to missionaries, but my guess is there used to only be one set of missionaries and now there are two sets? Well, I guess it sounded like that. It isn´t new, but the records weren´t kept very well, and we basically had to start over in our area book and find new people. The ones we had in our book had not had contact with the missionaries for more that 6 months to a year, and most when we called had no interest. The missionaries before us lived here in Hanau, but worked in the mission office in Frankfurt, so prosyliting work didn´t really happen here for the 6 month prior to our arrival. That was just Elder Norton and I. The other missionaries here were doing just fine and had lots of work going on.
2. How long ago did the Fulda ward disbandonment happen? Grandma thinks she heard about it from Chris when he was there 15-ish years ago. Well, from what other missionaries have said, it was just two years ago. I think that is right though. We have meet with members there and they once went to that ward and then left because of the things that went on. They have a place where they meet, but it is not that big, and we go up with the Bishopric once every three weeks to administer the sacrament.
3. How much will a new pair of shoes cost to buy for organ shoes? Well, the ones I bought were about $180. But they are dress shoes. I don´t know though. I really haven´t seen wooden soled shoes here. They are all rubber. I guess whatever is better for you. Maybe I can just buy some here that way you don´t have to send them.
4. Have you used a bike yet, or is it all by train and members/bishop? Nope! It is actually pretty nice. Hanau is a suburb that is very close to Frankfurt. It is only 15 minutes away by train. We have a bahn card that lets us use all public transportation between here and Frankfurt, whether it is by bus, subway, train or trolley. It works for everything. It is a yearly card too. We also have a car that we use for the first half of the week to go to appointments in farther away areas of our area. Once you get out of Hanau, it is just rolling hills and small towns and the trains can´t reach them.
5. How are organ/piano lessons going? Very well actually. Because Bishop was in the hospital the previous week, we didn´t have them. But this last week we had them and I had four people show up. It should be the same this week, maybe five. That one member with the inactive Husband was there and she had a great time. Right now I am helping them get ready to play Christmas or Weinachten songs for Sacrament Meeting next month.
And, one last thing before I go, Elder Kramer says hi, and he wants to say something, Hey I am Elder Kramer and i wanted to commend you for your fantastic, stellar, and overall classy son, Elder Smith. He has only been a few weeks on his mission but he has impressed me a lot with his optimism and love. In fact, we had a chance to have a few good talks and show family pictures and you guys seem like such a loving family. Hopefully I will meet you all one day and i will be attending BYU when I get back, so I am sure I will get to meet a few of you in person like Holly who (according to Elder Smith) will be attending UVU which is nearby and where my sister also attended college. Take care and I hope you guys have an excellent week. Tschüß!
Isn´t he great! He is our Distirct leader and a great missionary! Hope you all have a smashing, dashing, fantabulous, fiery, week!!! The work is great and it is a lot of fun! Love you all!
Elder Smith
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