Chad's first email (letter) from Germany

PARENTALS!!! (AND EVERYONE ELSE!!!)IM IN GERMANY!!

Ok first off the y and the z are switched here so when zou see a z think y cause im not gunna take the time to fix it.Oh meine gutte. Germanz is so crayz. but I love it!

Mz first area is a huge citz named Essen. Its so awesome. ITS STORZ TIME!!!Ok, so mz first daz we prettz much spent traveling. it was a 6 hour bahn (train) ride. Boring. But whatever.It was still fun seeing the countrz.
Mz trainer is named Elder Lewis. He rocks. He's waz cool and waz good at missionarz work. I'm gonna learn tonz. So we get into Essen right, and we meet our third comp., Elder Leigh. We're working as a dritte for a week or so until his comp. comes back from Oberhausen. It's a long storz that I don't wanna go into -- an apostate missionarz and new zone leaders and a girl here. Ya it's kinda bad! But whatever.
So, then we went out and did a little contacting that first daz but reallz we just wanted to get to know the city. There are a few areas we need to avoid, but overall it's a waz cool place. Then we had a dinner appointment that night with the Kotzlik's. Sister Kotzlik is the onlz member so it was kinda fun. Her son. Daniel is 17 and waz funnz. I wanna get to know him better. The food was amaying.
The next daz, we had a two hour planning session for the week. Just to set our goals and stuff. That's where I first learned why Elder Leigh is so negative all the time. He sazs the work is dead in Essen, but it's the most sucessful place in the mission.
So we went outside and tried to find some people. It didn't reqallz work. Then we went to stop bz some less actives. That was cool. None were home, but I did mz first contact. I talked to this black guz named Pastor Tony. He's funnz. I went up and started talking to him and he was like, 'zou speak english dont zou?' I laughed and said za. Then we got his info and stuff. He admires the missionaries and wants to talk with us. We'll call him tonight.I'm sorrz, but so much has happened so I'm gonna hit the kez points.The next daz we had an apointmnent with a referral. We met him at the kirche. Sorrz thats church. We sat down and started talking about what he has learned. He's been taught before. Then after about 5 minutes he said before we go anz further," I think zou should know, i want to be baptized". I wanted to hug him
I was so stoked! We meet this guz off the street and he wants to be baptiyed! I'm so excited! So september 8th, mark it down..
Then we went to this park where the stake plazs soccer on saturdazs and we got to talk with him and have him meet some of the members. I love the ward here... some reallz great people live here and thez're waz helpful. But, we found out alot about Lahib Marcus. That's his name. He comes from Iraq. He's been Christian his whole life so he and his familz have been reffugies for their whole life. Thez have been trzing to get into Greece for a long time and kept getting sent back to Iraq. It's crayz some of his stories. He's been living in Deutschland for some time and knows he can't go back. He sazs he will -- two dazs before he wants to die. He wants to see his homeland.
Mz real comp., Elder Lewis has built a real good relationship with him and I've tried. The language is a definate barrier though. But I understand a lot actuallz. I understand more than Elder Leigh who has been here for 7 months. Sometimes I can respond which is cool.Then sundaz rolled around. It was a blast. I bore mz testmonz, I had to, and itss was so funnz. I got up and said hi, and it was mz first week in Germanz and mz Deutsch was bad. Then I started to talk and whenever I'd start to sound out a word the whole congragation would be nodding their heads encouraging me. It was waz funnz..
I reallz like the ward. Thezre sweet, although we have some crayz people too like this guz who has been excommunicated 2 times and just got rebaptiyed. A lot of people are like that here though.
Then I met this girl named Ronja Krane. We were teaching this Young Women's class and she was there. She's not a member but she stazed (foreign exchange student) with a familz in Springville, Utah, that mz cousin James Arnett married into. So, she knows mz name. It was so sweet. I wanted to kneel down and thank God right then. She wanted to know about an English class and stuff so were gonna set up a conversation class. Her English is perfect though. She doesn't even have an accent. I'm just gonna trz to be her friend first and invite here to things. I think shes interested. but she said her parents weren't too excited that she wanted to go to church. We'll see...
Then later that Sundaz we taught Lahib the first lesson. It was waz good cause we had a member familz, the Danalakis there. Thez've gotten to be friends with Lahib. He's reallz exxcited and so are we.

We then went to the Bishop's house to talk about the ward and find out part members and less actives and all that stuff. He told us about this ladz who wants her 9 zear old baptiyed. So we have to teach her. I cant believe it.I cant believe how guided our lives are. It's amaying. This week has been such a miracle. Seriouslz, mz trainer is so cool and good. mz apartment is the nicest in the mission, but it is still prettz getto. I'll send pics next week. Mom, you would never live here. We have a bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom and a studz. I think the apartment is onlz 35 square feet. We will have 4 elders living there bz the end of next week.
The people here aren't that rich... actuallz reallz poor compaired to our standards. But I love emand I love it here.Well we have a teaching appt. here in a little.I'm so stoked to be here now. I know everzone is sazing hang on and it will get better, but I'm having a blast. It's so sweet here, I love it. I wouldn't trade it for the world.I love zou and miss zou. Talking to zou from Paris was so good. I loved it. We'll talk in 4 months though. I can wait, can zou?Love,chadPictures will come soon.. I love zou so much.Oh and i need like 50 to 80 € on mz personal account. I have to get some stuff like a new backpack. Mine wont work cause it rains 24/7 here. I have to get one here. Sorrz. I love zou though! and I have to get some scripture cases so za. chuß.