As for cooking, we mostly cook for ourselves. I am eating a lot of yogurt, buns with ham and cheese, and pasta. It's hard to have things that you can make and eat in an hour that would be too hard to make or expensive. The food is a little different than on my exchange, but maybe in Germany it is the same. There are some similar things, but it’s a little different, and I stick to the basics so that I won't get too fat and won't spend too much money. Hopefully.
This past week we had two eating appointments so we got some typical Austrian Food. The first was sort of a roast that was way more tender and actually more like a steak. I don't really know what it was. Haha! I am really bad with knowing what things are like that. I just usually eat them. Which makes me sound really dumb, but worse things have happened. Haha! We ate that with Knudl (At least I think that's what it's called). They are sort of like dumplings, and made of potatoes, and are super heavy, as in I eat one and then I can't eat for 2 hours. Except the ones we had were made up of buns. So it was like buns ripped into tiny pieces, and then rolled into balls with butter and cream and then cooked. It seemed like it was like 5 buns per ball of Knudl, so it was heavy. But sooo delicious. All hopes I have of not coming back fat are slowly dying in Milka bars and Knudl.
The other was this thing that tasted sort of like Meat Loaf, only Meat Loaf from Heaven. There may have been cheese in it. I don't know exactly. It was just really delicious. We had that and some salad, and I am proud to say that I ate like 7 olives in the salad. Which is 7 more than I have ever eaten in my life, and maybe 7 more than I would have liked to eat in my life. Nonetheless, I ate them. So I am getting better at not being picky. Which again, doesn't help my not wanting to be fat goal. Such is life.... haha!
So as for my week. Last week on Monday we had P-Day, so we went to a Castle with the G’s. They took us because it was Elder H's birthday. They are awesome. You would love the G’s. So since it was his birthday they took us to this castle. Tratzberg is the name of it, and it is super cool and old. After that we went by and saw a couple of our investigators. We went by and saw P and M and L and A and just saw how they were doing because we didn't see them at church on Sunday. That is the most frustrating thing in the world for a missionary. Waiting at church for an investigator. At like 8:30 you are so excited, and then as you get closer and closer to 9:00, and then closer to 9:30, you feel more and more disappointed. But we just need to have faith. I think missionaries sometimes overlook that people have their own lives and everything, and they aren't just so simple and when we say ''Do this'' they do it, and when we say ''do that'' they do it. It is so easy to over simplify things and forget that these are real people who have real concerns and problems in their lives, but when we do that then we aren't as effective. We also went to visit the C family, who is being baptized on the 14th. I am so excited for them! It's so exciting, and will be so nice to have a family in the ward. Most of the members are single sisters, or just older people, so younger people, especially youth are greatly appreciated.
We also had our District Meeting, with the G’s! Which was nice to have them. Haha! We mostly planned for the C's baptism, and did other things. Then we met with M at the church and were going to commit her to baptism, and then she got distracted. After that we had FHE with the JAE's and some of our younger investigators, as well as two of the C boys came (We had it with the young women and young men as well). We played some Ultimate Frisbee and just some other games. It was really fun.
Wednesday we went on an exchange to Salzburg. Sooo beautiful! Haha! We were tracting, and then we looked across the lake and BAM The Von Trapp Mansion. Right there! It was crazy. And I am not even exaggerating. It was really cool to see. We were with the Zone Leaders, Elder W and Elder W, who are a lot like Jordan and Spencer. It was so much fun. They have obviously been out for quite a lot longer than I have been out and so they know what to do and how to do it much better than I do, so I learned a lot from them.
On Thursday we came back to Innsbruck from Salzburg, and then we taught the C’s again. It was so great. I love them. Even in the short time that I have been here, it's amazing to see how different they are because of the church in their lives, and how much happier they are. After that we had some planning and didn't really do much else that I can remember.
On Friday we got to have our Street Display again! They are always interesting. We got in our place by the Animal Rights Activists again, and Elder H and I started to go to work. It was much more interesting with only us two and wasn't as successful, but that Branch President asked us to do it, and so we do it. I am always amazed at the people we talk to and some of the answers they give us, and just how rude people are. I understand that they might not have any interest and I am fine with that, but to go out of your way to make someone feel bad, is just lame. Unfortunately (sarcasm) it started raining so we had to end the display a little early and then we went to our eating appointment (this is the second one, the first was in Salzburg). It was really good, we brought one of the C sons because he had said that he wanted to go on a mission and because we need to have a joint teach with us when it is just a woman at home. We talked quite a bit about missionary work because Sister L, the woman whose house we were eating at, served a mission in Austria (she is from Germany) and baptized her husband, and all of her children have also served missions. She talked about the blessings that it brought her, and it was great to see her testimony.
On Saturday we met with some of our less active ward members and then had our weekly planning. We also taught P again and tried to commit her to baptism, but she wasn't too sure. We also met with M again, but were interrupted by things, and so we couldn't set a date with her either... Next week though!!!
Then it was Sunday! I love Sundays. The branch here is so great. They are very small so they all have to have more than one calling, like Relief Society President, and Counselor in Primary, or things like that, but they are sooo strong. And they are so close because they are so small. It is not easy to be a member here, and I know that I say this often, but every day I am more amazed by the people here. After church we had a big supper at the church because the G’s had 3 of their children here, and we had an American family move here, (He is singing in the Innsbruck Opera, and his wife and him and their two kids will be here for at least a year. They are super nice and everyone is really excited for them to be here.) and so we thought we'd have a small dinner. Somehow a bunch of people came and so there were like 30 people eating at the church, but it was really good. I wish we had stuff like that happen in Medicine Hat, but I don't think it would be the same. After that we tried to see some investigators but nobody was home and then we had our study and companionship inventory. Transfers are next Wednesday, calls come this Friday!).
All in all a really good week. I really love it here. I wish that you guys could experience so many of these things that I have already, and I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I am so happy that you always encouraged me to come on a mission, and I love you guys a lot. Thanks for all your support!
Sincerely,
Elder Connor J. Thompson
P.S. An Empty Mailbox is a sad missionary. Just think about that... Haha!!!
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