Colter's new mission address

my new address in Frankfurt:

Corneliusstrasse 18

60325 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

i did know that it was the fourth of july. But it was very surreal, cause it didn't feel like it. But we did bake a cake! Actually, it was a Linzer Torte, im going to try and send a picture, but we'll see. yep i got it to work. Here's a picture of the cake, veste coburg and Adesia(middle right), avani (far left) and vanessa and Bru. Rotter. I don't think it'll let me send any more big files, but i'll send more next week. We have the great opportunity of using the Church computers here, i should really take advantage of it. but the pictures take FOREVER to load. It takes about 7 min just for one.

Coburg basically partied for like, 2 hours after the game. I think i mentioned this before, but it is really weird. The Germans are NEVER patriotic. Even on their Tag der deutschen Einheits. Which is our 4th of July. But during the world cup, they go CRAZY. haha.

We met pres. ninow on friday and he's really cool. He actually went to Highland High also. He worked in buisness and did mergers, so he's pretty pro at what's going on right now. He also said that we would be allowed to go to the temple. If we want to and it is worth it, 1 per transfer. But we are like, 3 hours away, so it won't be worth it until i get transfered to frankfurt or something. But we MIGHT take christopher to the temple just to visit. we'll see.

Excerpts from recent emails

We had the going away party with Pres and sister Condie. We had a testimony meeting and it was a very emotional and spiritual meeting. I'm going to miss them. But I'm also excited to have the oportunity to serve in Frankfurt. Elder Leischman and I are stay together for at LEAST 3 weeks, but probably another 9.

[Regarding his HALFWAY mark]: I can't really belieive it...its so strange, it feels like not that long at all. Our week was really good. We had a lot of appointments and Christopher is still on track for baptism, but on the 31st. The World Cup is HUGE here. Whenever there is a game, we know if German won or not without watching. They party and honk for like, an hour striaght. Well, we went to Veste Coburg today cause it was finally nice. But that means not a lot of time. But Have a great week and thanks for the update!

Love,

Colter

Colter's Address in Coburg

Elder Colter Anderson

Kleine Rosengasse 1

96450 Coburg

Germany

Excerpt from Colter's email April 19, 2010

Sometimes it just sinks in that I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and i get this WHOOSH! feeling...It's weird. But most of the time it's really awesome. my Testimony is awesome. The most important thing is to have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement. Which i do. Period. I have felt the power of it in my life many times and there are a couple choice experiences where i can't really deny the power of it. The next is to have a testimony of the Restoration. Which means a testimony of Joesph Smith the Prophet and the Book of Mormon. What I don't really get, is that some investigators say that they believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but that Joesph Smith was just an awesome guy. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! haha. Anyway. The Book is true and blue!

From March 29 email: Transfer!

Its gotten to the point, that if someone rejects us but in a polite way, i enjoy it. haha. Enjoying rejection. haha. Germany is definitely hard. But so awesome at the same time.

Well, i am being transfered. Im going to Coburg. Which is the furthest north area in the mission. That also means im in the DANGER ZONE!!! I could be annexed into Frankfurt! I actually would kinda like that. I`ve already been to bayern on the mission, and to Salzburg and Wien on vacation. But never middle Germany. Ill be working with Elder Jensen! He was in Erlangen with me! hes so awesome. Im really stoked. Hes the shorter one. Elder Andersen is taller and thinner. I cant even believe that 6 months ago i was in Erlangen watching conference...GAH! Die Zeit geht so schnell!!! I`ll probably watch it in English. A lot of the Germans who can speak english watch it in English because of the expression of the speakers, and not through a translator. Even if their English is just ok. Well, have a great week! I love you guys a lot!

excerpt from Colter's email March 15. 2010

My German is coming along. Elder B. and i probably speak more English than we should...but Its still coming along. I can hold a conversation pretty well and don't have to rely on My comp ever. Sometimes for words, but that's really all. Also, I just finished the Book of Mormon in German all the way through! I didn't understand everything of course, But i got what was going on so that was fun. This week was pretty good. A. and A. came to church again, which is a huge measure of faith. Cause A. is the one with the car, and so they drove 45 min in order to come to church. That's pretty expensive too. its about 1,30 Euro per Liter. I have no idea how much that is in dollars. to fill our tank (we have a car again) it takes 55 €. So that's awesome that they come. Also, this last week i went on an exchange with the zone leaders in München and so i got to go to München with an amazing missionary and a amazing guy. He is from Utah, and went to BYU for a year originally to play football. But he didn't like the coach, so he quit before the season. But he was still at BYU and hated it there too. He was also pretty much inactive as he was there. Which is a HUGE surprise, cause he is just amazing. I learned a lot in my 20ish hours with him. Besides that... the week was pretty normal. A couple fallen out appointments, a lot of rejection, but that's normal haha. I don't mean to sound pecimistic, but it is the sad truth. We had an appointment this week, and it went pretty well (even though our Joint Teach didn't stick to the plan and went a little too deep than was necessary), but then at the end the woman said that she was going to read the book of Mormon and that we could come back...but we should come back in a year...so that was annoying. But oh well. A joke here is that the biggest enemy of missionary work is free agency...but its all right. We still found a new investigator this week...Have a great week!

Quote from Feb 22 email:

Yesterday was really cool. There was a combined stake conference with ALL of the German speaking stakes in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where a viedo transmission from Berlin was sent. In the conference, President Uchtdorf and his wife spoke. It was really cool and fun hear him and hearing him in GERMAN. Haha. also, because of the setting, he really brought out the German in him. I can't really explain what that is...but it's definitely different than General Conference Pres. Uchtdorf. And definitely in a good way. There were a few other talks from the area Presidency and all of the talks were geared to Member Missionary work. Much to the joy of all the missionaries in Germany. Well, I'm going to wrap it up! Ich wünsche euch eine gute Woche!

The Elders go to Neuschwanstein!

After a wonderful weekend with a baptism and confirmation (which Colter did in German!) his district went to Neuschwanstein Castle in their new lederhosen on Feb 15th!

Quote:

"Neuschwanstein was awesome. It was all snowy and we were in Lederhosen, and it was sehr schön. haha. We even bought alcohol free weiss Bier. I felt so Bayarisch! Then on Tuesday, we were at Bru. Rotter's house and we wore our Lederhosen again, and had Bretzeln(Pretzels, the big kind), Senf (Mustard), Weiss Bier, and Weiss Wurst (literally:white sausage). It was so cool. The work is going pretty well.... we are teaching A's friend, so that's really cool."

Big news from Colter's mission!

Well, actually i'm a little bit shell shocked right now... cause as of July of this year the 5 German speaking missions are reduced to 3... There Used to be Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Switzerland...but now theres a Berlin/Hamburg Frankfurtish and Swtizerland/Munich mission. So i'm kinda...in a daze. I'll forward the email that Pres. Condie sent us. Our Mission will still be lead by Pres. COndie and the Switzerland mission was going to be released anyway, so that's cool. Also, the only Stake/area that we lose is Nurnberg, and we gain all of Switzerland and Stutgart. But there is a CHANCE that i could be in the group that goes to the Frankfurt mission...so...yeah. THat's pretty crazy. More info as we get it will def follow.

Excerpts from Colter's email Jan 11. 2010

We sing Hark All Ye Nations sometimes. and as for favorite hymns, not really any particular that are different. They have Come thou Fount in the hymnbook, so that's cool. but they don't have Be Still My Soul... oh well.
..... Personal study from 8-9, comp study 9-10, language study 10-11, then we start working! we used the trains a lot. and our main investigators are both from Brazil, but speak pretty good german. they both live in Memmingon which is about an hour train from Kaufbeuren. Because we have to either go via Kempton or Buchloe. Sometiems we meet at Sis. R.s house. Cause she actually referred both of them. She's also from brazil and lives in Marktoberdorf, which is a 13 min train ride from Kaufbeuren. They are both making progress! We watched the Restoration DVD with them, and the both felt something. So that's great. Sundays, we have church at 9, but GMK (meeting with GML or Ward Mission Leader) is at 8:30. Tuesdays are usually District Meeting in Augsburg, but tommorrow we are in Munich for Zone Conference. Besides that, there really isn't a schedule. Cause we decide our plans basically daily. Cause we have to make out appointments before we have them. So we have to decided when we want to be where, and figure out how we will get there. So there really isn't a routine. haha. Which is kinda nice. It makes it go by faster and more interestingly.
Maybe I'll write the youth a letter today... but no guarantees. )
Anyway, this week already looks pretty busy. haha. We got invited over at Bruder R's this week. haha. He always gives the missionaries Weiss Wurst and Alcohol free Beer. haha. I've only had alcohol free beer once since being here. When we went to Nürnberg. I didn't like it that much. But i've heard it's an aquired taste. So we'll see. haha.
Have a great week!
Love, Colter

New Years in Kaufbeuren!

Here's an excerpt from Colter's first email in 2010:

I have had a great new year so far. We got transfer calls yesterday, and i'm staying in Kaufbeuren with Elder Hebben. He is also our new district leader. Silvester or new years eve. was aboslutely crazy. we were at a families house til 1 in the morning (with pres Condie's permisison of course) and it was insane. People here can buy fireworks from the ''wal mart'' equivalants. And not baby fireworks or firecracker, like, shooting-up-into-the-air-and-blowing-up-into-fiery-balls-of-color fireworks. They are as big as the prof. ones in america. But still! We weren't allowed to use them cause Pres. Condie said so, but we could watch. It was so fun. I want to come back after my mission for Silvestor. And we were in a small town! I heard last year in Wien it was basically a war. it was so awesome.
A diet! how exciting. I should do that...i haven't gained any weight, cause we walk a lot. But I've eaten kind of unhealtily this Christmas... We got SOOOOO many cookies and chocolate and food from member. I also got 2 ties!
and ok, a dvd will be cool...but it's hard to get CDs of pictures in Kaufbeuren. We can do it in Kempton, but it takes a long time and we aren't usually on Pday there. But next time we are, I'll definitely do it. Also, i kind of want to wait til we actually go to Neuschwanstein. We havn't gone yet!!! haah.
It is way crazy that i've been gone 6 months... I'M A QUARTER OF THE WAY DONE... but i just barely got hear!!! haha. Well, i guess that's all for today. Have a great year! I know I will!