Week Twenty

So this week I realized that I am basically living in the hood, the hard streets of Hagen.  I always thought that Hagen was a nice little suburb town a little south of Dortmund... But I was mistaken apparently.  So we were at out english class this week.  We have a english converation course every week on tuesday that we put on.  But one of the people there informed us,  not sure if it is true, that Hagen has the second highest crime rate, behind Berlin.  I am not quite sure how true that statement is, but what he told us next, apparently he saw.  So in the Fußgängerzone, which is like town center, there was a man who got his throat slit in the middle of town on monday... WHAT!?!?!  Yep and apparently that is not a weird thing, we have talked to alot of people and asked them what they think about Hagen, and all of them always say that it is just a terrible town and that there is so much bad here.... I never knew it...

 

We were told all that on tuesday, and then the following day, wednedsay, we were going door to door talking to people.  In Germany, this isn't the most effective, the German mentality is that if you do not have an appointment, you have no buisness being there.  But we had finally got someone to open the door and talk to us... The first and last person all day, and guess what happens...  The police come up and stand right behind us.  Someone had called the cops on Elder Butcher and I and they wanted to see all of our papers and whatnot.  So we are trying to talk to this lady about how this gospel will bring happiness into her life, while in the mean time, police are searching our bags... Oh yeah, I am sure we made a good impression.  But my question is, in a town where people are being murdered in the fußgängerzone,  what are cops doing checking misisonaries trying to spread a gospel about joy and becoming like Chirst?!?!  Oh yeah that was fun.  And they weren't even nice cops, they were rude.  It was kinda funny though.

 

Not much happened this week. It was actually a very slow week, I am not sure why but we spend a lot of time going door to door, and not many people wanted to talk to us. 

 

But the big news coming up is that transfer call is on Saturday and I will not be a Golden anymore.  Which means everything is fair game, I can get moved, elder Butcher can get moved.  it is kinda scary.  I just want everything to stay the same, I love Elder Butcher and I love Hagen.  I am really scared for this saturday.

 

Oh and Thanksgiving is next thursday... transfer day... Lame way to spend Thanksgiving.  But if nither of us gets transfered then we have an invitation for dinner.  Unfortunantly it was the only vegitarian family in all of germany that invited us over.... Seriously, haha how can you have Thanksgiving and be vegitarian at the same time, there has to be some sort of rule against that. 

 

The other big news this week is that Chistmas is starting to come!!!!  We were in Lüdensheid this week and they are already starting to set up for Weinachtsmarkt!! Which, for all those who do not know, is basically the best thing ever ever ever!!!  They only barely started, but there are all these shops with delicious food and they have an ice renk and a huge tree!!  It smelled amazing!! I will defiantly send pictures soon, but it is basically the best thing ever!  And it is open ever day till christmas.  I think I am going to be in love with german Chistmas, I can already tell.  Oh and all the german christmas food!!! Oh I am so happy.  I have already told Elder Butcher that I am just going to get fat this christmas, because there is just too much to eat. I am super excited.

 

There was not much going on this week.  I think that next week there should be alot more to write about, sorry for the lame week.  Well I dont think it was lame, I love being a missionary and everything is super exciting for me, haha but for those of you who read this, sorry :)

 

Viele Liebe,

 

Elder Blackley