ELDER RHONDEAU

My lil city Eisenhüttenstadt

Hello hello!

This week flew yet again! And it was a pretty good week.

The week started out with a tauche (exchange) and I was comps with an elder with some . . . let's just say "major problems." So it was a rough 2 days, and he's been out for 9 months and can't speak German like at all. So I did all the speaking and actually did pretty well! So it turned out to be a great learning experience and I really had to rely on the Lord to help me and give me strength so it was a great growing experience for me. We then had a mission tour in Berlin, and Elder Saban of the 70 came and spoke. It was incredible. He said everything we needed to hear and it was just great. I'll talk more about that later though! Then the next 3 days were all appointments and we met with a group of 6 members and 2 investigators and had a pretty great lesson! Then we went to the Olanbyars who are Mongolian and they fed us some traditional Mongolian food and it was soooo good oh man. Elder Mika plays the cello so we have a cello in our apartment that a member rented for him and so he plays a lot and is actually teaching me! And I'm learning guitar on my own 'cause a member is giving me his super nice guitar he can't use anymore so I'm stoked! On Saturday we helped set up for a baby shower for Della and helped them move into their apartment and carried a washer up 5 flights of stairs. It was an advenutre to say the least. It was great to spend time doing that and being with the Heitbreder family, whose dad is the bishop. He's hilarious. The ward also calls me Dr. Rhondeau now because of my glasses. Good old Manfred came up with it and he thinks he is soooo funny. I just tell him "das geht garnish, Manfred" which means like "that doesn't go" or basically like in English terms "come on man."  I'll never understand German humor.

We had quite a few appointments fall through which is okay, but I always think about the scene in Dan in Real Life when they go bowling and it's closed and the kids are sitting there throwing rocks and he goes, "Sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to, and that's okay," and I laugh every time. This is a super super busy week, and I think the time has caught up with me cause this past week I was exhausted everyday but today I feel a lot a lot better and have more energy.

Mika can do the weirdessttttt impressions and he is the funniest kid. Just the most random things happen to us like a lady who misunderstood "Mormons" for "mopeds" and so she talked to us about her red moped for like 10 min. She was soooo old and confused so we just sat and stared like what is happening man. We have a fun time doing the work so I'm super blessed. He's a stud.

Elder Saban talked a lot about going through hard times and about the most effective ways to get through them. He's served the LORD his whole life. His son died when he was 19, and his daughter almost died of the same disease and so he talked a lot about that and perserverence. He had a lot of emphasis on Corinthians 13:11-12 that talks about becoming a man and just kinda laid it down on us it was sweet. Also talked about the Plan of Salvation which has been a point of my studies and the plan God has and so it was a great refresher. He also quoted the great Mufasa from Lion King when he says to Simba, "my son, you are greater than who you have become," and talked a lot about that and it was just really really good I can't even but it into words.

Today we are in Berlin for the embassy tour, and then we are going to the wax museum! This week is sooooo busy I'll be in Berlin almost everyday! Should be fun.

Thanks for the support and emails. Always makes my week. Hope all is well back home!

Liebe grüße! Tschüß!

Elder Rhondeau