Gladwell, Ava

Grüezi mitenand! This week I've been starting to feel more adjusted to Singen and Schaffhausen. It's still a little tricky scheduling things between the two areas, but Sister Bauman and I are starting to get more into a groove.  We got bikes going in Singen since it's pretty flat, and we don't want to deal with good ol' DB (German public transportation). DB is— without fail—always late. It's always tricky trying to make connections between DB and SBB (Switzerland public transportation—which is always on time). So Sister Bauman and I were pretty pumped to get the bikes up and running. The only downside is that the bikes were Elders' bikes at some point, so they are way too tall. Sister Bauman and I always say that the hardest part of the day is getting on the bikes without flashing anyone haha. We went to Stanserhorn last p-day! We took the gondola up the mountain, and got to see some pretty amazing Alpine views. There were also a ton of flowers and butter...

Grüezi mitenand!! Another week has gone by! Sister Bauman and I decided to focus more on Schaffhausen this week, so we had more appointments with our friends there. We spent a lot of time outside, so I'm getting pretty tan haha! Last p-day, we travelled to Lauterbrunnen where we went on a very short hike (thankfully for me haha). We walked around the area a bit, saw the river, and I got to see my very first Alpine cow! Lauterbrunnen itself is a little town that sits in a valley of the Swiss Alps. It was such a nice day, and I was so happy to get to spend the day outside in such a beautiful place! On Wednesday we had our "Member Madness" day. We spent the day visiting and working with members in Schaffhausen. One of the members we visited with was just baptized last year and has been preparing to get her patriachal blessing and to go through the temple. We went to her town and were able to talk a little bit about patriachal blessings. She then took us through some garde...

Hallo Freunde und Familie!! This week was interesting haha! Sister Bauman and I are both a little confused on how to navigate the area since both of us are still pretty new to the mission. We've already had some pretty interesting experiences, and it's only been a week. Last Tuesday, I was in Munich for my visa appointment, so we didn't really do anything for p-day. While we were there, a bunch of new missionaries arrived in the field. We went to the match-up meeting where they find out who their trainers will be and what area they'll be serving in. It was interesting to go to that and think about how it's already been 3 months since I got to the field. On Wednesday, I travelled to my new area. My new area is so beautiful! Singen is more of an industrial town and Schaffhausen is not an industrial town at all haha. It's also been a bit hard for me because we're always bouncing between Schaffhausen and Singen. I wish that I could stay in one area because ...

Hallo Freunde und Familie! We got transfer calls last Saturday. I will be going to Singen, Germany, but I will also be double-covering the Schaffhausen branch in Switzerland! My new companion will be Sister Bauman. She's only a transfer ahead of me, but I've heard great things about her. Of course, I'm sad to leave Sister Carter and all my friends in Salzburg, but I'm also excited for what this new chapter will bring! Last Tuesday, we hiked to Kehlsteinhaus, or what we call "Eagle's Nest" in English. It was a building built by Nazis for social and government meetings. Hitler had visited it quite a few times. It was so surreal seeing pictures of him standing in the same room that I was standing in. The view was so beautiful, and there was just this huge contrast between the history of that place and the view itself. The rest of the week was filled with member appointments, and I got to say my goodbyes. It was so sad for me, and I hope that I will have th...