October 8, 2012 General Conference

I think I will start with questions this week!

 

1. So what did you think about the new ages for missionaries? Well, just a couple of thoughts. First I think it's a good thing for a lot of the young men. I think what will happen is that a lot more people will leave before they are ready.

2. Where did you watch General Conference? 

I saw it actually in Werdau which is close to Zwickau. We spent the night in Werdau twice. It was fun. I ended up sleeping in a Duvet cover because they didn't have any blankets. Haha.

3. Is President Uchdorf coming to Germany with President Monson? 

I don't think so. I know he makes regular visits to his home ward in Darmstadt. I have met many members here who knew him as a child.

4. How long do you get to stay in Berlin? 

Most likely for a day. If I am there for any longer, I will probably end up staying at the temple. That's pretty unlikely though.

5. I heard that President Monson is also going to Frankfurt and a few other places in Germany. Will the missionaries in your mission get to hear him in Frankfurt? 

Yes. The missionaries in the Stakes surrounding Frankfurt are invited. The missionaries on the outskirts of the mission (like me), are invited to go to other cities such as Hamburg, and Munich. I get to go to Berlin though. I am excited to hear what's going to happen. I am also stoked to see some MTC friends.

6. What did you hear about transfers? Are you staying in Gera?

 Yes, I will be staying in Gera. My new companion will be Elder Anderson the current Zone leader in Jena. No, I will not be a Zone leader. They are splittng up for some reason. It may be to cover more of the Zone.

7. Is this Elder Birth's last p-day in Germany? 

Yeah, he doesn't even want to write home. He is way excited though.

8. When do you go to Berlin? October 14th.

9. What were some of your ideas you shared with your mission president? 

They were simply a bunch of ideas as to what we can focus on in the area. For example an English Class or using the current presidential debate as a possible way to get people interested.

10. Have you taken any more pictures? 

Yeah, I will see if I can send them to you today.

11. Did you clean your apartment? ...Not yet. Haha.

12. Has it gotten cold yet?

 It's getting there. I am starting to wear a jacket all the time.

13. What plans do you have for your p-day?

 Well we just got back from Werdau and we will be doing some more logistical things before Elder Birth goes home.

14. Do you want to apply for any schools by December 1st? 

I am still thinking about that.

15. What was the best thing you ate this week? 

Probably at a lunch appointment with some of Elder Birth's relatives. (They come from Werdau.) It was the classic German meat, potatoes, and vegetables.

16. What talks did you really like from General Conference? Elder Oaks' and Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talks.

17. Has Elder Birth given you any good advice? 

Lots actually, lots of stuff that we have both figured out over the past year.

18. What do you think Colin should dress up as for Halloween? 

He should be James Bond. That would be cool. Get him a little squirt gun and maybe even a holster.

 

Well that's about it for this week! Talk to you later!

Elder Trevor Joseph Baker
Kirche Jesu Christi
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

October 2, 2012 Captain's Log 10-2-12

Well I think the big news this week has got to be that I am going to Berlin on the 14th to see President Monson give a talk. That's going to be cool. Only the Elders in the Erfurt District get to go to Berlin. Everyone else in our mission has to stay in their wards. Haha. It's going to be fun, but obiviously, they are going to keep us quarantined  and babysit us for a day or two. I wish we were going with the Kempes.

 

Oh my gosh, I just looked at the date. Like the American form of the date... 10.02.12? I go home in like 4 months... Oh man. Well, I gotta get crackin' on some stuff! My mission book is coming along quite nicely, I must say.

 

1. So how is Elder Birth? Happy, sad, excited, trunky, all of the above? 

It's a lot like a roller coaster of emotions. He has been all over the place. I think today he has 9 days left until he leaves Gera and 10 days left until he leaves the country.

2. When do you find out if you are going to a new area, getting a Golden companion, etc.? 

I find out this Saturday who I get. I already know that I am getting a new companion. I am kinda excited especially since in the next transfer, 80 percent of the missionaries in the mission will be at 8 months or less. It means I might be the senior companion for once... woah.

3. How does it work when a missionary goes home? Do they travel to the mission home, etc.? 

They get transferred, go to the Temple, go eat dinner with President Schwartz, spend the night at a hotel, and then fly home the following morning.

4. Would you like us to try to come get you in Germany if we can? 

NO, I want to go home. I have done the visiting Germany thing. I definitely want to come back during the summer or something. I would rather come back as a normal person.

5. Did you send in your early voting? 

Yes, the deed has been done! Unfortunately the Deutsche Post robbed me blind with a three euro stamp because of the letter size. Grrr. I think they were lying to me.

6. Any exciting mission stories to share this week? 

Nothing of special value to report.

7. What did you do last p-day? Anything fun to report? 

Last Pday was spent writing emails and Elder Birth working on his mission history.

8. Did you ever get your camera? 

Oh yea, I took some amazing looking pictures with it. The zoom is incredible. I am sending some pictures today.

9. What would you like for Christmas? 

A new furnace.

10. Do you ever want us to send you mail in the regular way so you have something physical to open? Where should we send it if so? 

No, it's a waste of time and money. I like emails more.

11. Do you have a favorite hymn in German? 

It's number 156 in German. It's the shortest hymn in the Hymnbook.

12. Does your mission have a special term for trunky, or is trunky the word for it? 

Yes, trunky is still "in." So is "black" and "Blitzed."

13. What did your mission president think of your area plan you turned in to him? 

He loved it. Now we just have to stick to it...

14. How many more areas do you think you will be in for the remainder of your mission? 

I will either get one more area, or I will be in Gera for the rest of my mission. I am hoping for staying in Gera. I love the ward.

15. Which of your companions do you think you will be friends with for life? 

All of them. I just got my Tschuess Book back from Elder Baum. It's like a sister book where we write in some of the stories and things that we did with each other with pictures and everything. All of my companions have been awesome.

16. Is there an area that you would want us to see in Germany if we get a chance to come there? 

Saarbruecken for sure. Gera doesn't have much to see, but the people here are awesome. We would also have to see Krefeld and Wesel -- You know, we might as well see all of them. I have been in some of the best cities in the mission.

17. Any investigators this week? 

No, it's been lacking in this category for some time.

18. What are you going to do for p-day today? 

We went to Werdau! We thought that we were going to see a castle, but we ended up looking at a hotel feeling really dissappointed. It was supposed to be a cool pday activity, but we spent 24 Euro to get out to the middle of nowhere to see a Castle turned Hotel. It was Schloss Schweinburg or something like that. It would have been a really bad pday except we made it fun by taking a ton of pictures.

 

Well, it was good news to hear back home and I will hear from you all next week!

-- Elder Trevor Joseph Baker

September 24, 2012 Kraken!!!

Kraken!!!  Notice the oreo crumbles and chocolate drizzle.  Yum!

Layers of brownie, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter, brownie, oreo crumbles, and chocolate drizzle to top it off!

17 days until Elder Birth leaves me!

Time has been flying by this week, not to mention this transfer.

We made the Kraken again with the Kempes. I am going to go crazy because of all the sugar. I will send pics.

I had to come up with a plan for our area because President Schwartz specifically asked for one. What I mean by that is that he specifically asked ME to create it. I am not sure if I should read into it, so I won't.

I cut myself pretty badly while shaving. It's on my neck and it looks like I tried to kill myself. Haha. The Kemes got a kick out of that one.

1. Are there any traditions in your mission? 

Let's see, there are what we call Tschuess Books which is comparable to what they call Sister Books in other missions. Writing our mission history is another thing that we usually do in our last transfer. Elder Birth is writing a book. It's taking forever.

2. When do I get to see this famously clean apartment you told me about? 

When we clean it. :)

3. Colin is trying to raise money to go on the 5th grade field trip to Washington D.C. in April. I was wondering if you might want to go on the trip too as a chaperone? I bet Colin would love it, and probably fun for you, and you would be able to go see a lot of cool places in D.C. Let me know if you are interested. I will have to ask if you could qualify as a chaperone, but I don't think it would be a problem at all. Principal Anderson asks how you are doing on your mission every time he sees Colin. You are famous!

Uh, yes I would love that. That would be so much fun. You should tell Colin that I will plan on it. I loved Washington D.C. last time we went (everything except for losing my cell phone in the Subway). Have I even met Principal Anderson?

4. When do you have to send your voting stuff back? 

Hm... I will send it off soon. Probably another week or so. I need to finalize my voting selections. I find out what is going on in the political world while Elder Birth writes his mission history.

5. Are other missionaries doing the same absentee voting? 

They actually made an announcement during last Zone Conference to send in Absentee Ballot stuff if we want to vote, but I think it would be too late for some people. I think I was the first one to get my absentee stuff done. I wonder what that says about me... I know a couple of other people who are doing it, but not many. I think technically, my vote counts more than any other vote in the mission. Haha.

6. Where is the missionary couple whose computer you use from? 

They are from Bountiful Utah.

7. Have you ever seen Sister Chase again?  

I don't think I will. She finished a while ago. I ended up seeing her about 2 or 3 times. Small world huh?

8. Dad wants to know if you've read through the D&C cover to cover? 

I did that last year so I wouldn't have to this year.

9. Dad also wants to know if your mission president has any sort of scripture memorizing program for you missionaries.

 Hm.. As far as I know, no. We now have a new training program for all the goldens. They learn the most useful scriptures while training and I guess pick up the rest later on.

10. Have you been back to Frankfurt at all?

 Once for Zone Conference while I was in Saarbruecken. And since transfers, no.

11. I've read Elder Hall's blog. He sounds really cool. Are there any other Elders that you've gone on splits with lately? How often do you do that? 

I went with Elder Hall's companion in Werdau last week, Elder Proffit. It was a good time. Other than those two, I don't have splits with anyone.

I did have a split with the Zone Leaders this trasnfer, that was interesting. I might write about that later.

12. How often are Zone Conferences? 

Really long. Especially if you have bowel problems like I did last time.

13. Have you had any new rules put in place recently? 

Not that I am aware of. I haven't heard of any attacks against missionaries or even riots here. 

14. What are you doing today for P-Day? 

We might be playing frisbee with the Elders from Werdau.

15. Does Elder Birth have a bucket list for the rest of his mission that he wants to check some things off of? 

No, just lots to write. He has things that he wants to get done, but other than that, nothing like a bucket list.

16. What's the best thing that happened this week? 

We made the Kraken. Again.17. How often do you go tracting during the week?

 Once in a while, its hard when we have so many things to get done before Elder Birth leaves.

18. Do you come home for lunch during the day? 

Yep. I gotta eat. I am not a robot. Thats one of the few misconceptions people have about missionaries. They need rest too.

19. Have you been chased by any dogs? 

Nope. The only dogs here are little ones used for punting.

Well, love you guys! It's great to hear about everything going on!

-- Elder Trevor Joseph Baker

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

September 17, 2012 Zone Conference was Amazing

In Crimitschau in the former DDR

Elder Birth and Elder Baker on the ICE

Elder Baker's new suit

So, this week has flown by like they always do. Some of the highlights were Zone Conference, a split with Elder Hall (Elder Birth trained him), eating with members, a musical fireside, and of course church. I will go into detail in a few moments.

I have been thinking a lot this week (dangerous, I know) about lots of stuff on my mission. What I have learned, what I haven't learned yet, and what I want to do. I had some really intesnse discussions with Elder Birth, but right now I can't remember any of them. I never seem to be in a recollection mood while I write emails.

I have also started getting a plan down for Gera. I will be sending it to President Schwartz today because he asked me to get one to him at Zone Conference. So that should take a little bit of time.

Zone Conference was amazing. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and it was great. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling too great during the second half, so It was harder to pay attention. We had a scripture chase type of game and I won the first question. Then after that I felt like I should let some other people win. :) Haha.

President Schwartz said that I should use the whole Mitt Romney thing while talking with people and I intend to. I hate reading political headlines here in Europe about the election. It's so aggravating, especially when I know the whole story. Grr...

I had a really good split with the district leader too, Elder Hall. He replaced me in Krefeld. I went to Werdau in Sachsen and realized what a quiet area it is. I kid you not, there is NO ONE outside after 5 pm. I walked across the entire city, literally the entire thing, and saw NO ONE. I am so glad I am in Gera. Other than the city, the split was good, we did a lot of contacting potential investigators which was nice. I got to see some isolated areas in Germany.

We also had a musical fireside at the church this Saturday. We were preparing a hymn and then heard what the other people were playing so we decided we would just do Once there was a Snowman. We also played Freres Jacques, or however you spell it, on these little kid xylophones. I felt like I was being mocked, but that's ok.

1.  What is your apartment like in Gera?  Pictures? 

My apartment is the cleanest most organized apartment I have ever had. I actually keep it that way. Its nice, I can actually feel organized. Pictures? Maybe soon.

2.  Do you ever talk to your neighbors? 

Uhm, no. I never actually see them. It's not like the neighbors across the street from us, we see them too much. Just yesterday, grandma on the top floor decides to go outside to see whats going on from the noise at the construction site. Well, she wasn't wearing a shirt. Lucky for me, I had the blinds down. Elder Birth didn't, haha.

3.  How does Elder Birth feel about going home? 

It hasn't really hit him yet. I let him know every day how long he has left. He is at 24 days now.

4.  Are you two working extra hard to keep his mind off of leaving and being trunky? 

Mom, I am trying to get him ready to go home. He hasn't got trunky yet, so I am still working on that. The sooner he has his mental realization he is leaving the better. Haha. Just kidding. But seriously.

5.  How is your mission book coming? 

I am in the process of buying a nice pen that wont screw up the pages. It's going really well. I have most of the pictures in there and I am maybe a quarter of the way done with writing the stories. I will give you the first entry in a week or so.

6.  Can you send me a new picture of you and Elder Birth for the blog? 

Yep, we got one in the ICE headed down to Nuermberg.

7.  What were the pictures of buildings that you sent last time?  

I am pretty sure they were pics of the Rathaus in Gera.

8.  Have you had any dinner appointments yet in Gera? 

More than I had in Saarbruecken... so far.

9.  Have you found a cheaper internet cafe yet? 

No, we usually just go to the senior couple that is in the area. Last week was just an off week. Glad that's over so I can concentrate.

10.  Was Elder Birth in Gera before you got there so he knows his way around already? 

Yeah, he was here for a transfer with Elder Baum.

11.  Do you need anything? Nope. :)

12.  How's your reading going in the BOM?  

I am in 3rd Nephi. There is plenty to highlight.

13.  Any questions for the family?

Not really. I will think about it while I write my email to president.

14.  Have you heard from Sean? Not for a couple weeks.

15.  How often do you fast as missionaries? 

Once a month works pretty well for me.

16.  What is your favorite German food? 

Oh gosh. Lebkuchen. I love that stuff.

17.  Can people tell where you are from when they hear you speak German? 

Sometimes. They can sometimes tell that I am a native English speaker.

18.  Do you have a pillow? 

Yeah. Haha.

Well you guys have a great week, and I will send you pics in another email! Bye!

-- Elder Trevor Joseph Baker

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

September 10, 2012 Gera is Great

Ah yes, my full week in Gera. It's been really cool here. Elder Birth and I have been very busy but it's been way fun for the past week or so. This week, I hope pictures will make up for the short email because I am stuck using a very expensive internet cafe this week. 

As for the rumor, President Schwartz dispelled that about an hour after I sent you guys emails. He said there wasn't going to be a mission merge. Oh well.

WIthout further ado, questions!

1.  How is Gera? 
Way cool. The members here are so welcoming and friendly. The city is actually tiny. ThinkFarmington but smaller. It was formerly part of the DDR and people like do reminisce about the "good ol days."

2.  How is Elder Birth? 
More mature, but other than that just about the same. 

3.  Are they still having the luau in Saarbrucken even though you've left? 
Yeah, they had it and said it was way fun. The attendance wasn't what they expected, but in the end Elder Johnson said it was a success.

4.  Did you teach anyone else to cook the scrumptious food? Yeah, I taught the Relief Society President how to make everything. She really liked the Pani Popo. It's funny because Popo means rear end in German...

5.  Any new investigators this week? 
Well, no. Our only investigator said that he would call us, so we are exploring other possiblities of finding people to teach.

6.  When was the last time someone was baptized in Gera? About a year ago I think.

7.  Is the public transportation just as good in Gera as you've seen in the rest of Germany? 
It's about the same. You can get just about anywhere in a short amount of time.

8.  What is Gera known for? 
It used to be a huge textile industry. There were also a lot of really rich people there back in the day.

9.  What are you planning to do for your p-day? 
Well today we were helping a member of the Catholic church here get a presentation done in English. We may also get some pictures for my mission book which you will love by the way.

10.  Tell me more about the cool elderly missionary couple you mentioned before.  Where are they from? 
I don't actually know where they are from, but Elder Kempe is exactly like me except he has all of the attributes that come with age.We meet with them fairly regularly but this week they are out doing other things.

11.  Didn't your mission president and his wife just finish serving in the Germany Berlin mission before he was called as the new mission president for the Germany Frankfurt mission?

12.  What was the best thing that happened this week? 
I got some cool pictures and had some really good appointments with members!

13.  Any questions for us here at home? 
Politics! I NEED TO KNOW!! Its like 56 days or something until elections! I still haven't got my information I requested from the voting office.

Well, have a great week and enjoy the pics!


-- 
Elder Trevor Joseph Baker

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

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