Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The 2nd Blog of the Day--Tschüß Elder and Sister Liggett

It's kinda a weird feeling.  ALthough I have a week left, for some reason, people keep telling me that this is the last time I will be able to see them.  This is the Outreach Couple for Munich.  They will be in Frankfurt with the Young Single Adults until Thursday next week...  And that's just one of the seemingly hundreds of people that have told me this...  It's a weird feeling to be this old on my mission...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Werner

This is the picture that I wanted to put on last week, but couldn't...  That's Werner. 



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, August 30, 2010

Rosenheim

It was so crazy to be back.  I worked with Elder Glad, from my group, and we met up with a lot of old faces.  The Ojo's, the Osman's, Werner...  I'll post pictures next week...  My computer today is kinda dumb and I don't have a card reader...  Lame. 
 
We met with all these old investigators and just had a great time.  I'll tell you all about it in a couple weeks...  Haha.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, August 23, 2010

Last Zone Conference

Friday, August 20, 2010
 
I am holding in my hand the program for the last Zone Conference I will take a part of.  It actually went really well.  We taught about a new lesson plan we recieved from the Area Presidency and I think it went over quite well.  There were 6 of us leaving, and it was kinda cool to be able to share that all with them.  We bore our testimonies and sang a musical number together.  Crazy to think that I'm the one standing in this position now...
 
And no, this is not what I wore to Zone Conference.  Just thought it better described how close to mission-death I am...  That tie is made out of leather...  Haha...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, August 16, 2010

Ties

I've decided to do something for the last few weeks.  A transfer is 6 weeks long, 42 days.  I counted my ties and realized I have enough to wear one tie every day from the rest of the transfer.  Every night, I parade around the apartment, and begin what I like to call the "Retiring of the Tie" ceremony.  The tie is removed, untied, folded and put into my "Tie Box," where these ties will remain until they are packed.  This picture is of my unworn ties... 
 
In addition to this little tradition, I am still continuing to sing all the songs in the German Hymnbook, and am on track to finish before the 15th.  I will also finish the Book of Mormon in German before my departure date.
 
It's not that I'm trunky or anything, just that I am now old enough to do all of these stupid things!



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, August 9, 2010

Not Hermann, Not Ludwig, But Kevin

It's kinda tough working with a Göhring...  We get some looks on the street.  This isn't my companion, this is a Nazi leader in charge of the Ausschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland.  But the names are spelled the same, and they actually look pretty similar...

It's fun.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, August 2, 2010

Tschüß, Elder Hebben

It was his last P-Day today.  We went to the world-famous Hofbräuhaus and had breakfast in Lederhosen.  This is the Munich Hofbräuhaus, where Hitler delivered his speech and got enough popularity to march his way up to Berlin.  We enjoyed the authentic 4 man brass band playing, stayed and talked a bit, then headed out to the St. Petrus Cathedral and hiked up to the top.  We bought a comp tie, danced around downtown and had a way relaxed day.  Next comes packing, then on Thursday, he is outta here.

It's a weird feeling fo sure-- I'm starting my last transfer.  There isn't a missionary that's been here longer than I have...  Elder Göhring is coming to me--he was trained by my Trainer, so we are brothers, and we have already worked together on at least 7 or so exchanges.  It's gonna be a great last transfer!



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, July 26, 2010

Sushi

...is why I'm late today.  We went to a running Sushi place.  I wanna put a picture of it on here, but I can't because these computers are dumb.  Oh well, you'll have to wait 6 weeks to see it.  (I put a picture of food I ate in Innsbruck.  This was a porkroast from Peter Kojat, the Chef.)

I am counting this as my birthday dinner.  All you can eat.  I think my stomach ruptured.  But it was gooood.  Not as good as Flying Samurei, but still way good.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, July 19, 2010

My 20th Birthday

I hope this picture works.  And I swear, I'm not that fat.  My mouth was full of fries.  And I was in Vienna...
 
In any case, this was taken by Elder La Count on my Birthday, 2009.  In the picture are Elders Le Säec and Warncke.  The picture was take at the Mission-famous Herbs restaurant.
 
21 isn't much different.  We went to Pizza Hut and got pizzas.  Then in the evening, we had a cake.  It was actually Interviews, so it worked out nicely. 
 
I got the card and the package...  Thanks!  The package actually came before the card, so I was a little worried.  But everything got here!  I still say we celebrate for reals on the 14th of October...   



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, July 12, 2010

You Wanna Steal a Piece of Time

aka- the conclusion of last week.

We went back right after we sent emails to the park.  Construction was even more than before.  They were tearing up the entire section where the card could have been.  We decided we should just search that last segment, and I resolved that if we didn't find it in an hour, we would give up and that would be the end of it.  So we searched...

and searched...

and searched...

and finally, a construction worker comes up to me and asks, "Is it a blue memory card with like Fuji or something written on it?"  I say yes, and ask where he saw it.  HE said he couldn't remember, but that it was somewhere on the patch that we were searching.  So this all gave me new determination.  It had been about 45 minutes, but now, I was determined to find it.  So we searched some more, and no more than 2 minutes later, I find the USB stick.  It was a little broken, like it got ran over, but after a quick plug-in, I found out that it still worked like a charm.  But now the memory card.  I couldn't find it anywhere, until this same punk construction worker comes walking over with it in his hand. 

"You found it!"

He rubs his forefinger and middle finger against his thumb.  You've got to be kidding me. 

So I paid him.  It wasn't too much, and I just wrote it off as a reward.  Whatev.  Something I'll laugh about in the future...

Point is: I found them and have all my pictures back!

Thanks for the prayers!  God listens!



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, July 5, 2010

You Want to Make a Memory

This is a sad entry today.  And no, there is no picture.  Let me explain.
 
We were heading back last night from the 4th of July barbeque our ward had (I love Germans) and we noticed that there was a storm coming in, full of lightning and darkness.  We were walking across a huge park, called the Theresianwiese, back to our apartment, when E. Hebben asked to see my camera so he could get a cool picture of the lightening.  So I proceed to take the camera case out of my bag and hand it to him.  He takes the camera right out and is holding it for just the right moment.
 
In any case, the moment never came.  Right as we were leaving the Wiese, I noticed something fall out of my camera case (that E. Hebben was holding) and saw it was one of my filled memory cards.  I reached down and grabbed it, and asked if the other memory card and USB stick were in there as well.  They weren't.  So then began the mad search for about 1800 pictures lost somewhere on a field the size of Mariposa Park.  We didn't find them.  So we ran out to the Wiese this morning and did a little more searching.  Still nothing.  I think they are gone.  It kills me.  The 2 gig card was completly full (about 650 pictures) and the 8 gig stick was half full (another 1200 pics or so...).  We are heading back there in a couple minutes, but it's like trying to find a needle in a hay stack...  Forget it.
 
Just goes to show you, not all days are sunny and beautiful...
 
Ok, I can't end like that.  The good news is that all the "good" pictures were on that memory card I found.  All the baptisms and a lot of other good stuff.  It would have been worse if I had lost that one...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Germany Wins 4:1

Man, the World Cup is crazy here.  I'm so glad I brought my Germany Jersey from 2006.  This is a picture taken of the Leopoldstraße, shortly after Germany won.  There were thousands of fans wearing jerseys and German flags, helicopters, car horns, you name it.  Germany is going to the Quarter Finals, and the people are crazy.  It reminds me a lot of the World Cup back when we were here.  Looks like I have been 3 for 3 for World Cups in Germany.  Let's see if they can pull this one off...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, June 21, 2010

Dedication of the Rückertstraße 2 Ward Building

This week, our ward building was dedicated.  The dedication was done by Elder Kopischke of the First Quorum of the Seventy.  It was kinda a big thing.  We have been preparing for it for quite a while, and the entire weekend was filled with church tours, dance evenings and barbeque.  It made the week interesting, and it's always cool to hear a General Authority speak.  We'll see if it brought any fruit...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, June 14, 2010

Hole In One

We went golfing last P Day.  The second picture is of Sis. Beutler and that yellow spot was her ball, flying towards my face.  In the first picture, from left to right, E. Yanéz, E. Kuns, Isabell (an investigator), me, E. Hebben, S. Alder and S. Beutler.
 
We had fun.  And hang on to your hats everyone.  I won!  Who said Kemsley's suck at golf? 



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, June 7, 2010

I'm Gonna Miss Him...

Well,  the big news is in.  All missionaries currently serving in Nuremburg Stake will be part of the Frankfurt Central Mission.  That includes Elder Ballantyne.  Sad times.  The next time I see him will be after the mission!  After HIS mission! 

Sad times.  I'm gonna miss him!

PS--  Nobody in my group was allowed to be transfered up...  All that worrying for nothing...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, May 31, 2010

Urban Surfing in Munich

So, we were walking to an appointment this week when we came across something I have never seen.  There was a huge river flowing through an aquduct kind of thing.  In any case, the amount of water coming out from under this bridge caused a constant 6 or so foot wave.  And here is the crazy part-- people were surfing on it!  There were probably 12 or 13 surfers waiting on the bank of the river for their turn.  Apparently, the water is ice cold and it's super dangerous to surf on-- when you fall, you can really slam down on rocks or who knows what-- but that didn't stop these guys.  They were way good!
 
After a couple pictures, we headed off to our appointment.  It was probably the coolest thing I've seen in Munich.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Barbie Spoon

Well, I was washing the dishes this morning when I came across this spoon.  Does anyone remember how we used to fight over that spoon?  Well, Wyn and I would fight about not having to use it and Lo would always try to be the one to get it.  In any case, this little beauty ended up in our silverware...  Funny how like can be like a boomerang sometimes...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, May 17, 2010

Munich

This picture was taken December 1, 2008.  Hard to believe that I see this church out my window every morning...

Munich life is great.  This city is awesome.  I guess it's kinda cool-- how it started is how it's going to end...  I was born here, and I will likely die here...  Not bad, right?



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, May 10, 2010

Last One

Pretty self-explanitory...

Loved chatting with you guys!



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, May 3, 2010

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

This week we went on a little hike.  We had a referral that was quite a ways out, so we set a day aside in which we could find this lady.  We set out on our journey at 11 am and walked and walked and walked...

Through forests, up mountains, along highways and over bridges, encountering all kinds of wildlife (see picture), we finally arrive in Windelsbach, contact the lady, and leave.  She wasn't interested...

What a mess.  I think all in all, we walked about 10 or so miles.  She had no telephone number, so the only possibility to contact her was to make the trip...  Never again though.

The snake was fun.  We touched it!  I think I've heard a thousand stories talking about someone touching a snake and having a bad experience (Tom Lawler's seminary devotionals...), but we couldn't help it...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, April 26, 2010

Lederhosen

We are emailing a little late today, as you may have noticed.  Reason being?  We decided it would be fun to run down to Rothenberg and have a Lederhosen P-Day.  Since there are only non-existant mountains here in the Ansbach area, we decided to go to a historical city and rock our traditional clothing.

Seen above is Elders Wilde (in a trachten suit), Kemsley and Ballantyne.  Walker is not photoed because he has no lederhosen...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, April 19, 2010

Old Times

This week, I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Ballantyne.  He was my first companion in Innsbruck and was transfered to a city called Neumarkt after he worked with me.  My district includes E. Ballantyne and his companion and the Regensburg area.  I feel like I'm going back to my roots on this one!
 
It was fun though.  Good to be back with an old friend... 



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, April 12, 2010

Some Things Never Change

This is my desk.  I thought it might be a good idea to post all those comics Dad has sent me.

Don't really have anything too special with this one.  I thought that this picture is worth a 1000 words-- note the Big Cheez-its, the Cigar Box, the Johovahs Witness Bible, the Zippo and the pen.  I don't know if anybody has ever said this, but you can tell a lot about a person if you look at their desk...

Whatev.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, April 5, 2010

Goodbye Brian, Goodbye Innsbruck

Well, that's it.  This picture is our going away party.  David (red jacket, our wml), Mara, and Yecinia and her daughter, came to Bahnhof to run us off.  It's sad to leave Innsbruck, but I'm liking it in Ansbach.  Human nature for you.  Never satisfied with what you've got.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, March 29, 2010

I Hear Ansbach is Nice This Time of Year...

Well, I'm on my way back to the Fatherland.  Transfer calls came bright and early yesterday morning.  I will be working in the Nuremburg Zone (AKA I will belong to the Frankfurt Mission as of 1 July, assuming I stay for that long) with Elder Walker.  He goes home in 6 weeks...
 
Kinda crazy that I used to run track meets there...  Let's just hope my new Mission President will keep me away from the Wiesbaden/Darmstadt area, or I'll be contacting some old friends...
 
Goods thing the Germany Munich/Austria Mission is getting a new name.  I can still be loud and proud that I'm a GAMM missionary...
 
No more lederhosen though...
 



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, March 22, 2010

Painting

This week, we had a service project for a member family moving to Germany.  They asked us to paint the ceilings and walls of a couple rooms in their apartment.  We got the job done in record time, but I leardned something in the process:
 
Never ask the missionaries to paint.
 
Thank Goodness the only paint we spilled was on ourselves...
 
This handprint is courtesy of Elder Woodall and was done right after he painted himself a goatee...



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, March 15, 2010

Warning

The following image may be disturbing to some viewers.
 
In my defence, however, Taco Bell only makes a 6 inch tortillia.  By the time the salsa, guacomolê, nacho cheese and sour cream are on there, there isn't any more room for the beef, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.  It turned into a messy meal, but man, how tasty it was.  Thanks for sending that!  Mexican food has never tasted better!
 
PS - I promise I don't eat like this.  This was a one-time thing.



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, March 8, 2010

A Year Ago Today

Regensburg
March 8, 2009
 
Hard to believe that I'll be crossing the 18th month mark on the 10th. 
 
This picture was taken on this P-Day one year ago.  Pictured are (from left to right) Elders Jensen, Brown, Jevne, Kemsley, Erekson.  To that point, those were all the Elders I had seen that came with me.  This was a Zone P-Day in the Nürnburg Zone.  We played football!



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, March 1, 2010

Innsbruck Elders

This weekend, we noticed something.  Of all the areas in the mission, no single ward has as many missionaries as Innsbruck.  We currently have:
 
Innsbruck I  -- Elders Kemsley and Woodall
Innsbruck II -- Elders Beckstead and Hebbert
Innsbruck Senior Couple --  Elder and Sister Meservy
 
That is a total of 6 full-time missionaries in this ward.  There are some wards without missionaries, but Innsbruck is holding strong.
 
It's so awesome to be here!  Long live Innsbruck!



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, February 22, 2010

Mitarbeiterschaft Anzug?

Alright, the story of the H+M Suit.  I've had my eye on this baby for the last 6 or so months.  She is a European Beaut.  I saw a member back in Vienna wearing this same suit to church, and he looked so fly, I decided then and there that I would buy that suit, if I was to ever find it.
 
Well, then I was transferred to Innsbruck.  We visit the clothing store H+M weekly to check out what's new.  You can imagine my excitement, as I find the suit, with the pants marked down to €9.  I then proceeded to purchase 2 pairs of pants, the jacket and the sweet double-breasted vest.  In total, this 3-piece two-pants work of European genius set me back around €110.
 
Then, we jump 3 weeks into the future.  Elder Woodall then is also transferred to Innsbruck.  We make our weekly P-Day trip to H+M, and I quickly realize that my then-€60-jacket has been dropped to €9.  Elder Woodall then proceeded to purchase my suit for less than 1/5 what I paid.  I justify it in my mind by thinking that I have a popular, and my jacket would have likely not been there, and also that since then, I have yet to see another vest in any size, let alone my size...
 
In any case, we will be wearing this Companionship Suit to Zone Conference on Thursday... 



NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.


Monday, February 15, 2010

Mara and Rakel

Pictured above, from left to right:
E. Woodall, Me, Mara, Rakel, E. Beckstead, E. Hebbert

Valentines Day was pretty fantastic. Everything worked out and went as smooth as butter. I am not going to lie, at the start of this transfer, I was a little hesitant and afraid that we were not going to be able to get everything taught. But sure enough, we went through all the lessons and they passed their baptismal interview!

The service was fantastic as well. It went way better than I thought it would. Mara is deathly afraid of water, so the whole baptismal font thing was a little bit of a stumbling block. But we got someone she really trusted to do the baptism, and she didn't have a problem at all.

Now the cool part: Afterwords, there was a little luncheon. Mara walks up to me and introduces me to a 10 year old by named Victor Grill. He saw the baptism and asked me when he could be baptized! We are meeting with him this week and are going to set a date for (at the latest) the second week in March.

Awesome, right? The members here are on fire!

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Monday, February 8, 2010

A Rediculous Purchase

Last week, Elder Beckstead saw something he had to have: A H&M Elmo pullover. Retro is in?

This face is to represent the type of person who would wear such a sweater.

PS- It has ELMO written down the left sleeve...

Missionaries...

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Big News

So, we got a phone call this morning. Effective 1 July, 2010, the number of German-speaking Missions will be decreased from 5 to 3. We will then no longer be known as the Germany-Munich/Austria Mission... Let's hear it for...

The Germany-Munich/Austria/Switzerland/Lichtenstein Mission

AKA The German South Mission.

Too bad that it happens in July. The chances of me working out of the current mission boundries are slim. Oh well, it's big news in the Mission right now...

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Russell Holmes and Hypo Tirol Volleyball

This Wednesday, the Elders had the oppurtunity to watch a Europeans League Championship Match for Volleyball. We watched the local Hypo Tirol play against a team from northern Italy. Number 14 on the team is Russell Holmes, a member in our ward from California. Russell is a superstar, standing about 6'11'', and plays center block not only for Hypo Tirol, but also for the US National Team. He decided that after he wins gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he will retire from volleyball and move on to some business persuits he has been watching over the last few years.

Hypo Tirol qualified for the All Europeans Quarterfinals, taking place in mid- to late February. Right now, they are seated 1st in the Austrian League and are looking good for this All Europe Tournament.

Russell is featured on both the tickets and programs (what I am holding). On the poster behind me, he is the second player from the left in the second row.

And we have an eating appointment with him and his family this Saturday...

You might be able to see us in the game he played. Google "Hypo Tirol Januar 20, 2010" and see if you can watch the match. We are the 4 rowdy boys in white shirts and ties sitting on the front row...


NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Elder Woodall

Meet Elder Braydon Woodall.

He comes from Roy, UT.
He is a die-hard fan of BYU Sports.
His father is a pharmacist.
He is in his 2nd transfer and was in Munich before.
He refuses to wear the color red. (see point 2)
His plans for life include going to BYU, graduating in something relating to history, getting married and living happily ever after somewhere in or near Roy, UT.
He is an awesome companion (the Y aside) and is excited and ready to be the best he can be.

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Monday, January 11, 2010

-20=?UTF-8?Q?=C2=B0_F_and_Lederhosen?=

For Elder Ballantyne's last P Day, we decided to go up into the mountains that occupy our backyard. Elder Ballantyne thought that we should wear our traditional Bavarian attire, dispite the below freezing temperatures in Innsbruck.

The view was fantastic, the P Day was wonderful, we were freezing... Poor Elder B only has short Lederhosen and no socks... His legs were purple by the time we went in...

Sweet though, right? Totally worth the discomfort and frozen body parts. Is there anywhere in the world more beautiful that Innsbruck?

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

I think someone misdelivered your present... This was a sweet Porsche 356C I saw parked right outside of our church. It wasn't registered, so I don't know if it was real, but man, it was b-e-a-utiful.

Anyways, have a happy birthday and a great year. I love you!

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.