"Es geht um Leben und Todd." - March 4, 2014 - From Schaffhausen

So yesterday was an interesting day because we basically cancelled P-day in favor of meeting with a Jehovah's Witness. I have actually run into this particular Jehovah's Witness before when she was going dooring in a neighborhood where we were visiting someone. But I secretly really wanted to teach a Jehovah's Witness. She called us because we had contacted one of her friends when we were going through some potentials or something. But it was good! I heard somewhere that whoever is asking questions is the one in control, and I asked her a lot of questions. But yeah we probably won't meet anymore.

But also yesterday we visited a friend I made on the bus last week. And she was so cute because she said there is no way that our meeting on the bus for five minutes was chance and was just so hospitable to us. We'll see where it goes but she is just oldish and adorable and so nice.

Right now we have the privilege of teaching an investigator (Asefash) who read all of 1 and 2 Nephi in one night this week! We were so surprised. She is so open but at the same time so hard to reach. She has a hard time understanding priesthood authority while she herself has cast out devils and believes that anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ should be able to baptize. She prayed that Sister Siems and I would learn to recognize our own authority. So that is a little tricky. I have seen that when people really fail to understand priesthood authority, than their progression in the gospel is seriously hindered. And it's a hard roadblock for me to help them overcome. Any advice? 

We did a service project for another investigator who has this garden plot where all this trash had been deposited so we got to pick up trash for a service project. As you all know, I always feel like I'm making the world a better place when I pick up trash so I was happy. And our investigator was very happy. And she finally remembers my name so the service project was well worth it (this is the wife of the man who played our Swiss song on the guitar).

No pictures this week, but Sister Siems and I did record our song for our lovely Sister Järmann. Sister Siems wrote it with a little help from me and that we sang to her on her birthday with the guitar.

Also maybe it's a good thing I didn't email Monday morning or I might have sounded depressed. Sunday was just not our day. One of the highlights was my zone leader practically yelling at me on the phone and basically inferring that I have no idea how to plan an event and that the musical fireside will be a disaster. But I found out later that what really happened is he was asked to stand up in the priesthood meeting to introduce himself (it was his first Sunday in his new ward as he was just transferred and last week was stake conference) and they asked if while he was up could he tell everyone a little about the musical fireside coming up.  And he knew nothing and obviously that's embarrassing. But it's also not my fault if he didn't listen in district meeting and doesn't communicate with his companion, who knew all about it. Another highlight was another fall out appointment with our favorite Spanish family. And we had two other members who were going to come. But life really is good. Don't worry, my zone leader called me again later and he actually really is nice. Just, you know, French (oh my, did I really say that?).

Quote of the week comes from Sister Siems on Sunday night as we are laying in our beds about to go to sleep: "I'm mad at everyone. Except for Sister Lewis, and Bruder DeMarzi (our GML). And maybe Sister Peacock (a sister in Winterthur who is doing so much to help plan this musical fireside and whom we had been on and off the phone with all day)." Ha ha yeah that was Sunday.

Also I guess I was only the only American in Switzerland for only one transfer. Too bad. I felt so special. Hah! But apparently there are two American goldens here or something? But I can tell you about my district. We have an elder from Finland, an elder from France, an elder from England, an elder from Romania, our elders from Sweden and Belgium, and two sisters from Holland. So I guess our district meetings should be in Dutch? No, but they're in English/German. A little more English than before now that Elder Lossau is gone.

Also you should see Sister Siems catching trains and buses. It's incredible. The same girl who hates to run with me for morning sport or any other time is all of the sudden Usain Bolt. When I asked her about this, and she said the difference is "es geht um Leben und Todd." (It's about life and death). She's so funny. I'm just always trying to be fast enough to be right behind her so I can board the bus or train right after her after she presses the button for us. And then after we make the train or the bus we do a little we made the train/bus dance.

Also Bruder DeMarzi had a birthday earlier this week, so we left a voice message for him singing happy birthday in Italian. But it was mostly Sister Lewis singing happy birthday in Italian, because I had just briefly tried to teach Sister Siems. Also, it was Sister Lewis trying to sound a little like one of the opera singers at the Macaroni Grill (And yes, that is how I know how to sing happy birthday in Italian. Go to the Macaroni Grill enough and you'll know too.). And he told me on the phone at some point in the week that he had set this voice message as his ringtone. He is quite the jokester, so I wasn't falling for that, and I told him so. I didn't know how someone could do that anyway. Then at church on Sunday Bruder DeMarzi asks me to call him. He claimed he wanted to see if his phone was working or something. So I call him and what do I hear? Sister Lewis singing terribly, and singing terrible Italian. So, it's true. Also yesterday we had a fancy lunch with our GML and our relief society president. Our GML took us to lunch for his birthday (I know that doesn't really make any sense but he did because he's the best). So that was the fanciest restaurant I have been to in a long time. We ate Italian food for the Italian.

Also I think I forgot to thank Sister Barton for writing me a letter! She might recommend to her son that he do the same . . .

Well I love you fam! Thanks for the letters and love and prayers and just for everything.