Swiss guaranteed.

Hello Mom! 

This last week was great for me! I'm still settling into Chur quite a bit, and it's still hard to remember lots of things, but it's been a blast! Chur is really amazing and beautiful. Spring is really finally happening here! The snow has been gone for a while, and things are becoming green. Yeah... Swiss German is crazy!! The grammar is so different from regular German. The words, the accent, everything. It's like the complete opposite of the German I learned. I made it a goal to be able to speak it before I leave, but I'll need lots of help to accomplish that! 

 

Remember Elder Hale?  Missed this guy a lot!

 Oh man i can't believe the wedding is approaching so rapidly! Haha Rachel told me she'd wait to get married so I could come to the wedding, but I told her there's no way that would work ;) haha I'm very happy for her. But I'd be really sad if they moved to Texas! Let it be known! 

I can't believe Skylar's getting older AGAIN! She'll be a proper adult by the time I get home! WE MIGHT EVEN BE FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE TOGETHER. That's a weird thought. 

Can't wait to try snowmobiling with you guys! 

Don't even worry mom, you'll be an amazing Seminary teacher. I mean, look at how we turned out! You're a good teacher ;) 

 

 

My companion and I are getting along super great! He's a real friend. A really great guy. He's a really obedient hardworking missionary. He's really down to earth, and real. And lots of other good things. Basically, we have a blast working together. The weather has been beautiful!! Very sunny. A few cloudy days and some rain, but it's been mostly super beautiful. The language is great. People still understand and can speak High German, but not everyone. The food really isn't too different, it's just really expensive, and almost nothing is imported xD everything has stickers on it that says: Swiss guaranteed! It's hilarious. It's not just people who don't get into Switzerland, it's anything not Swiss! Speaking of which, funny story... my Companion is actually a Swiss citizen, because of ancestry. He's American, but has dual citizenship. All Swiss citizens over 18 are required to do mandatory military service. So guess what we got in the mail? His military assignment papers! Wooo! So we're trying to get that sorted out. Shouldn't be a problem... I think. 

We ran out of food, don't judge!  Going shopping tomorrow!

Anyway, we had some GREAT stories this week. I got to the area and was told that we have a bunch of great people to work with... but this week no one has been answering their phones to set appointments, and a couple investigators that we've seen have dropped us... I came in at an interesting time. So this week has been LOTS of time on the streets and at the doors of these good people. It's been a blast, and so tiring, but so fun. We had a couple appointments as well. We got to meet with a guy from Eritrea, which i had never heard of before this. He barely speaks any languages we do either, but really really wants to be baptized... know anyone that speaks this language?? Haha. 

 

We also met with a less active named Daniel. He's super legit, and I can relate to him hard. He loves film stuff and swords and old books and all kinds of stuff. He showed me a bible he has from the 1700s!! It's written in Roman or Latin or something. It's insane. It's covers are made of wood, leather wrapped, and stamped with iron. It's bound with some kind of old yarn. It's so cool! I want one... but yeah, he was super cool. We had a really good discussion on the commandments and the sacrament. It's really interesting. Some people have such a great understanding of the Gospel, but one small thing is a little different, and they get confused and stop coming. I really like him though, and I'm excited to go back. We'll try to get him to conference :D

 

The old bible from 1700's.

 

I also taught a German class to a bunch of Arabic and Persian people. It's one of my favorite kinds of service. Living here is not living unless people learn German. They get stuck in these little homes with a bunch of other refugees and can't work or do anything until they learn German. And German classes are never free. Never. It's a crazy system. So these people have to pay money they don't have to learn a language they've never been able to speak in a land with no family and no job. So naturally, our class is pretty popular. And fun! I love these guys. 

 

 

Rober Feuer, an American artist from Taiwan visiting Switzerland!

I have to tell you about this one guy. Brother Ryser. Possibly one of the most hilarious human beings on the planet. He's really old, and can't really go anywhere. He's also... kind of lost it. His favorite thing to do is yell. And sing, but it kind of sounds like yelling. He's hilarious. We have the wonderful opportunity to bring him the sacrament every Sunday. He's the funniest guy ever! He's always talking about who knows what in the craziest German ever. He loves telling stories and making fun of us :D it's one of my favorite things we do every week. He's super sassy, and we're already great friends. 

 

me and a bunny.

 

We also had a lesson with someone this week where i sat down, we introduced ourselves, and the first thing she said was: I will never become a Mormon! I was surprised, and then she launched into a bunch of bashy doctrinal questions. We let her speak, and by the time she was done i had regained my calm and we just asked her if we could say a prayer before we answered, to bring the Spirit. She agreed and we said a prayer. It was a very interesting conversation, but all we really did was testify of what we know, explain a little doctrine, give her a few scriptures, and close with our testimonies and an invitation to find out for herself. She declined, and we wished her a great week and left on good terms. I tell this story, because this is something that happens often as a missionary. Lots of people will feel pushed to argue back and forth, but that is something no missionary should ever do. Our message is for those with open hearts, and only the open hearts will hear it. When someone's heart is not open, the invitation doesn't work. We bring the message unto the heart, but they must bring it in. If they don't want to, we wish them a good week and leave with our testimonies and the spirit we bring. It was super interesting, but a good experience. :) 

Well that's about all I have time for, that was a quick rundown of our week. 

This place is great. These people are great. I love my mission, and I love the Savior. :) and i love YOU Mom. Thank you for always having such good things to say. I hope you have a great week. I miss you and can't wait to hear from you again. :) 

Love, 

Elder Tanner Larson