Week Eleven

Germany has been so much fun!  I don't understand anything, I just kinda go around with this dazed smile on my face.  I think it could be compared to a lost puppy, but everything is awesome, and it is coming along.  The german language gets easier and easier every single day, and the easier it gets the funnier it is to listen to some people.  I think I forgot to mention last week that it only took 4 hours after landing before we ran into a crazy guy.  We were waiting for a bus to get to the mission office and this old homeless crazy guy started yelling at us and giving us mean had gestures.  It was so much fun, because I had no cluse what he was saying, he was just really angry with us for absolutely no reason.  But recently, I have been understanding a little big more, and some people tell us the weirdest things.  I have been told that the devil lives in Hagan, this city is cursed, that us missionaries live in a fairytale.  Talking to random people is just so much fun sometimes.

I have yet to have authentic german food at a german's house... The two eating appointments that we had this week both grilled steaks and another took us out for chinese again.  But we have a couple more appointments this week and they sounded like they are going to make something german.  And as for not getting fat, if I have many eating appointments like last night, I wont be able to walk by the time I get home.  We went over to our ward mission leader's house for dinner, and I think he thought we were just bottomless pits, but I am not a very big guy.  And I dont really know how to say no thankyou in german, or how to say the button on my pants is about to pop... But he just kept bring food... more... more... and then more.... I think last night I had 4 brautwursts, 3 steaks, and 2 slices of pie.... I was rolling back to our appartment. 

Oh and Brother Corey, you can sleep sound again, I know that the fact that I had not yet had a döner was really making you worried, but I did finally get one.  And I have to say, my companion isn't a big fan of them, so for right now they will not be a big part of my diet, but I can see in the future them becoming a staple food in the diet of Elder Blackley.  It was delicious.

I had my first zone conference this past friday. I think they are every three months, So I got really lucky that there was one so soon after getting to germany.  But it was a blast! We had all the missionaries from two different zones, Dortmund and Düsseldorf, and it was focused on the Book of Mormon.  I love President Schwarz.  He is just the nicest, most loving man I have ever met, and he really has a lot of faith in the people of germany.  He has so much faith that such a big work is going to happen in germany soon, it is so inspiring.  And I got to see some of the elders from the MTC again, Elder Wells and Fowler, as well as some from the other transfer before us, Elder Guymon and Lymon.  Oh and at that we did have some delicious food!  It was fantastic, not sure what it was, some sort of meat ballish thing, but delicious.

The next big thing this past week was our street preach.  We had a ward street preach in the middle of Hagan, and there were 12 missionaries there and then a bunch of people from the ward.  We talked to so many people, and found some people that are really interested in the gospel.  And it was also the first time I talked to someone completely on my own.  Because there were so many missionaries we kinda just spread out and talked to people alone, and so I was just kinda thrown into the fire.  It was either speak german, or drown... I am pretty sure it went well... I did run into one man who wanted to argue with me, he spent like 10 minutes yelling at me and saying how I was just wrong and he was so mad he was talking fast, so I was just smiling because I only understood like a third of what he was saying.  Other than that really angry man, I talked to some really nice people and even had a conversation. 

I had my first couple lessons this week.  The work is moving along.  We have a lot of potential investigators now, and they seem to be showing a lot of interest.  I am excited for the upcoming weeks, I really feel like the work here in Hagan is going to pick up alot here soon.  There is just such a need for the gospel here in germany.  And I have been really suprised about how open people are about talking about religion here.  They are just resistant to change, and growing up with my dad.... I understand that... Haha but it is such a wonderful message, and I truely believe that the people here are ready.

Love,

Elder Blackley