September 3, 2012 Gera!!!

Hello!

 

So I am now in Gera. It looks like a fun city, and I am going to have a great time with Elder Birth.

 

So the ward is small. Like 25 people small, but they are so friendly to others. I got to know a few of them and like any ward, they seem to be characters. It's even more so in the small wards.

 

I heard a couple of rumors though... From multiple missionaries with multiple sources. I had heard that the Erfurt District could be brought back into the Berlin mission. I hear it could happen any month now. What that means for me is that if I stay until the merge, I will then be in the Germany Berlin mission. Interesting huh? I am sure you want more info, but that's all I have.

 

Other than that, I don't think there was anything cool that I didn't include in the questions.

 

1.  How long did it take you to travel to Gera? 

Well, I left Saarbruecken at 8:00 am and got to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof at 10:30. Then I got on a train to Erfurt and got there at 3:00 ish. I got to Gera about an hour later. It's always a day long excursion.

2.  Did Elder Birth meet you at the train station? 

He was actually in Weimar and met us there.

3.  Do you travel by yourself when you do your transfers?

 No, we always travel in a massive group so no one gets lost or anything.

4.  Can you tell a difference between the areas you've been in and Gera? 

Oh yeah. I got here and felt that the whole East was a different color. It felt like it was grayer. Maybe that's just the run down buildings everywhere. There is also a change in perspective. The people here have a different mindset than other areas in Germany.

5.  So how is your new area?  Any investigators? 

I love my new area. It feels like I am back in Nuernberg but in a smaller city. We actually had an investigator last week but they said that they would call us. So they are pretty much on pause.

6.  I was wondering if this area might be more receptive to the gospel. 

I would say that every area, culture, and mentality has their own problems with accepting the gospel so I am not sure if it's harder here or easier. Some things are easier, some things are harder; In other areas it is vice versa.

7.  When does Elder Birth go home? 

He goes home on October 12th.

8.  What is the ward like in Gera? 

Tiny, but lively and full of characters. It's like a compressed version of Wesel. From who I have met, I like them. I have a feeling that we will be getting to know the ward really well.

9.  How big is your area? 

Not very big. It's about the size of Krefeld. We never leave though. It's almost always more effective to work in the city than in the dorfs in the middle of nowhere.

10.  Are you near any other missions like you were with the French mission near Saarbrucken? 

I am close to the Prague Mission and the Berlin mission.

11.  Did President Schwartz give you any memorable advice? I don't think so. I never really remember specifics. I only remember the general idea of what he wants me to do. It's like a form of telepathy. He knows what to say to get myself to do the things I need to do. I really like it.

12.  What was the most memorable thing that happened this week?

 I have had the chance to really get to know the senior couple here. I love them to death. They are so funny and they help us out all the time. I am actually doing emails at their house.

13.  Did anything funny or strange happen to you lately? 

Not that I can recall... The only thing is that one of the Zone Leaders is going on his standard power trip thing again. Hopefully he learns.

14.  How's your German?  Is there any difference in accents or pronunciation in Gera? 

I have heard differences, but I can't hear the individual pronounciations well yet. It takes time.

15.  How was your fast? It was good. We broke it by eating at a member's house. The Krause's.

16.  Are you getting pretty good at packing up all your stuff when you have to move? 

I packed the day I had transfer calls. It was way easy. In spite of that, I forgot my gym shorts in Saarbruecken. Elder Johnson is going to give them to the APs with a couple left over cans of Spam.

17.  Are you taking your vitamins? I need to buy some more today. Yay for Pday!

-- Elder Trevor Joseph Baker

Kirche Jesu Christi
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany