Sunday, February 24, 2013

Neuchatel 3

Hello all.  I am at the computer in bienne, but I am still getting used to the weird swiss keyboards.  Let's get to the questions

Yes we have a washer, only one for the whole building though.  It is in the basement and we have to sign up to use it.  I is a little inconvenient, but ça va.

No I didn't get the package, it will be a long time before I get it if ever.  because it'd have to be moved through zone conferences and ours is before lyon's so it would take another transfer, and that is assuming that they got the package in st etienne.

we do have a bus pass and a train card, but only for a week (it is freakin' expencive)  Right now our office is in the process of getting us a magic card that will get us on all the trains buses and boats in every ville in all of Switzerland.  It is expensive as well but less than what we are paying now for our weekly pass.  Just to give you an idea.  It is 26 franks for the buses and the little train/tram thing here in bienne each of us pay that each week.  Then the train pass to get from neuchatel to bienne every day is 77 franks per week per person.  Then whenever we need to take the bus here in Neuchatel which we will today at least a couple times,  it is yet another 3 franks each trip on the bus.  That adds up very very quickly,  so i hope the office gets us this magic card soon because... yeah.  In all we are getting close to 1000 franks per month just to get around.  That is hard to do when you only get about 200 every month ha ha.  that card i mentioned would bring it down to 470 per month. better...

Church is fun.  it is a pretty small branch here.  35ish the first week and 17 this week... lots of people sick.  that was weird having so few, especially because we meet in the big german ward's building.  The ward is great though. We found a new ami who was an old ami, but got kinda forgotten when the missionaries left Bienne.  He is really cool and agreed to be baptized our first rdv, so that is cool.  he is very African though meaning he doesn't keep his rdvs very well and he has a lot of faith, but not a lot of drive to ... read and do other stuff.  hopefully things will go better with him.

E Ihalmo is funny he wants to be perfect and he gets a little frustrated that he can't speak the language freely, but that will come.  We are getting along well, and we both take turns cooking, though I probably do more because I enjoy it more and E ihalmo has never cooked in his life ha ha.  Sometimes we eat with the other Elder equipe, but not every meal, just with different schedules and us being in another city all day.

Things are going well.  Gervain is progressing nicely towards his baptism.  and then there were two other cool things.  first,  after church on sunday,  we passed an old member who told us her whole life story, and the whole life story of her daughters etc.  It was actually a really powerful spiritual moment.  she said that she was particularly sad that day and she felt like we were and answer to her prayers.

Then that evening I called Lara (someone who we are teaching)  To confirm our rdv for today.  Earlier we invited her to be baptized the 16 February,  she said that was way too soon, and she would like to be baptized, just later.  Anyway when I called her, she said the rdv would work, and she also asked me if the 16 was still valid.  I said of course, she said she had thought about it a lot and that she wanted to be baptized that day.  WHAT'?  So cool.  It is going to be a little complicated organizing everything with not a lot of time, but it should be possible.  yeah, that was really really cool.

Other than that, the week was ok.  passing less actives, old amis, members, etc.  Talking to people on the road:  I've taken about four numbers in german now:  Thankfully I still remember ince swie drie wire, and all that:  I am also learning a few phrases.  I don't really have a goal of learning German, but at least enough to contact someone who doesn0t speak french, or says they don't speak french.  I love you all very much  Ich liebe sie or something like that.  Je vous aime tous tellement (that's much prettier)  I am sorry that this is another kinda short email, but our train is coming, and there is a member who needs to use the church computer.  We are staying strong and obedient.  The members here are awesome and so helpful, the only problem is there are only 30 or so, but we are working on that!  Have a wonderful weeek ciao

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