We have zone training this Thursday, so I will have to wait
until next transfer to get the package, but that's okay. I hope the one that is
sent to the apartment actually comes... I guess we'll find out. :)
i like working in a city, and it is definitely a different
experience from my other two areas. The weather actually, is a lot
warmer. It is still pretty rainy, but Sister Aldous says that I brought that
with me, because it didn't start raining here until last week, where it rained
everyday. We also walk a ton here, I haven't ridden my bike yet. In fact, it's
still at the train station, at least, I hope it's still at the train station.
You never know. We also run a lot, because the public transportation system
isn't very reliable, so we are always running for the trams, buses, whatever.
Which would be fine, were we not wearing boots and skirts. We have literally
ran for our tram every single morning I've been here, which is annoying, but at
least it wakes you up in the morning. The apartment, is also quite an
experience. We have about 5-7 minutes for a shower in the morning before it
will suddenly cut to freezing, without any warning. Then you have to turn it
off, wait a couple minutes for the water heater to reset and turn it back on. I
have gotten a lot faster at showering though...
Theres only one ward in our area, although with all the
inactive people on the ward list, there could be at least another ward. i don't
like the ward leadership here. The bishop and branch president are old, and not
willing to let things change, We have to ask permission from them to visit
people, and they refuse to give us an updated ward list, so we have no current
addresses, or numbers, and theres not list of the recent converts or anything.
It's so annoying. Also, the ward mission leader is this like 70 something year
old man who insists on hugging you, and then he shakes you, and I absolutely
hate it. Seriously, he doesn't even give you the choice to hug him. And he hugs
the elders too. Hate it. He at least tries his best though.
We had a couple of good teaching appointments. There
was the man we met in the tram station last week who said he was almost
baptized 6 months ago before he moved back to Africa, and when we showed up, he
also had brought a girl with him. And she is super cool, and shes really
searching, so that's awesome. Except that she is mainly a french speaker, like
she understands English, but she likes to explain things in french. So she
explains them to me in french, i translate for sister Aldous, and then we
tell her our response in English and it starts all over again. So that's
interesting. Also, for some reason a lot of people in the ward here
thinks that I don't speak English? And they are always asking me where I'm from.
And then surprised to find out I'm American. As if almost every mission they get
isn't from America or something. That's okay.
Theres a member here who is the ambassador for the Congo,
and hes a super cool guy who takes us out to eat all the time, So if I ever
want to go to the Congo, he told me I can go with him. Also, the elders have an
investigator who is from Ghana, who wants me to move there and enjoy
"African paradise", Okay. Hes a nice guy though. And hes getting
baptized next week, so at least this ward is seeing some success. Although,
they pretty much told us that they only want us to baptize Belgian people. This
ward is a little racist... like all the black people sit in the back. It's very
segregated. But I think the Africans are the nicest.
So, it's been raining a lot and it's super muddy and we
we're walking all day, right? and then we go to visit a member and we're
talking to her, and then all of a sudden she brings out a shoe polishing kit
and polishes my boots. Awkward. Like, we even asked if they wanted us to take
our shoes off. And they weren't even bad, Then she explained how it's a Belgian
thing. Also, an investigator we are teaching has 46 brothers and sisters. 46!
but hes African and his dad got married a lot, so that explains it a bit, i
think.
There are 6 missionaries here in our ward, a set of elders,
the zone leaders, and then us, Our district is us 6 and then a pair of elders
in St Niklaas. The facebook project thing, with the guy that president and
sister Robinson met with is what is happening in gent. They're seeing a lot of
cool things in that city because the mission leader really knows whats hes
doing and he designed his own cards, and what happens is that when someone
scans the QR code thing, they end up referring themselves for a missionary
visit, if they allow their info to be sent kind of thing. Anyway they get like
40 something headquarter referrals a month, which is pretty cool, and president
and sister Robinson are working to get it set up for a long time. i don't know
why i think I'm staying here a while, but i will at least do three transfers
here for sure, and i wouldn't be surprised if I did 5. Our zone is all of the
Belgian missionaries.
That's about all that I can really think of this week... oh,
wait. They have weird vending machines here. Did I mention that last week?
Like, they sell bread in a vending machine. and in the summer you can get
strawberries and things. interesting.
Love you,
Love, Karoline
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