Duisburg, Germany

First full week here in Duisburg and I have some pretty fun stories for you guys.  I will start off with what happened last week, but I forgot to mention it in my email.

So apparently there are still World War II bombs just laying around Duisburg waiting to blow up, because one morning we got a call from a member telling us that we are not allowed to go out because they found a bomb next to Hauptbahnhof and they need to detonate it.  So we, obviously, walk outside to see what is going on... It is like a ghostown, two police officers come over tell us that we need to go inside because we are in the evacuation zone...  So we spent the first half of the day just chillin inside because there was a bomb close to our appartment.  Welcome to Duisburg.

We also have a inactive member who is in a crazy persons house.... That has been super interesting.  I am not quite sure why she is there, we think depression, because she is completely normal, but the other people there.... Not.  We walk in one day, and this lady just starts screeming at us and yelling how much she hates us she slammed like 10 doors in a matter of like a few minutes.  She the exlaimed really loudly that if we left our bags there she was going to use them to wipe her.... yeah.  Then storms into a room, slams the door, comes our, looks the wrong way and yells, thank goodness their gone, turns the other direction and jumps from being startled and then just yells Oh no not again!  And that was only the first time going to this place.  There have been other visits.  But I will have to save some stories for later, it is an interesting place.  I have to admit, I never thought I would be going there on my mission.

We have been super busy this week.  I have never taught so many lessons, and it is increadible how much nicer the people are here in Duisburg.  I think it has to do with the fact that there is a University here and there are a ton of younger people.  The younger people are so nice and they all want to talk to us, they think we are wierd, but they still want to talk.  So I dont have a problem with that.  I mean we are kinda weird.

We have one investigator, Guarino, who has been my favorite since coming here.  He owns an italian resturant, and every time we teach him he cooks for us.  Oh my gosh, it is the best food I have ever had in my entire life, he is like a legit super amazing chef and imports everything from italy.  Wow.  It is the best.  And he just proposed to his girlfriend this week, so that after his wedding he can get baptised! I love missionary work.

One thing I learned this week is that just becaue you have done it once, doesn't mean you are a pro.  I tried to cut my hair again today, thinking, how hard could it be, I did it once and it looked good.... No.... I now have like absolutly no hair, I am pretty sure this is the shortest it has ever been. I dont know what I was thinking. Oh well, I have like atleast 20 more tries to get it down before I get home.

We had a way cool experience the other day where we read the scriptures to a member in intensive care.  He has Lukemia (dont think I spelled that right), and swine flu at the same time, and is in a coma.  It is one of those half comas where he can still hear, but just not talk or move.  And we were able to go and visit him and read the scriptures and pray with him.  We were all dressed up in a medical gown and masks and whatnot, but in this moment, the spirit was so strong.  Something that I have realized on my mission is that the spirit is strongest in moments of loving serive that resemble Christ's life.  That although what we did was nothing big, it was rather simple, it was what the Savior would have done.  He would have been there for the man who needed his comfort most, even in times where it could seem hopeless.  These are the moments where we really learn how our Savior served. Simply, Lovingly, and Unconditionally.

Viele Liebe,

Elder Blackley