Daily Doings
I honestly wished that I could say that this week all was well and that Elder Heilmann has adjusted and is doing better. Unfortunately, that was not the case today. I saw my sweet son, and his light was definitely dimmed. He just got transferred to a new area, so he has a new companion, a new town, a new Ward, new apartment. Everything is new. He just has never been great at handling change. It just takes time to adjust. He knows he will, in time. I just pray that not every transfer is this traumatizing.
Elder Heilmann expressed that his transfer experience was painful. He had a lot of time alone as he tried to get around Germany. He had two giant suitcases and had to walk up multiple sets of stairs to get to the rails. Elder Chamberlain's new companion showed up, and the two of them had to leave for their area. Elder Heilmann had to continue on his own to Krefeld, where his new companion would meet him at the train station and take him to his new apartment.
He said, "Change. Change always weakens me. I am not feeling sick. Just sad. My barrier goes down when there is change. I just need to work hard." and "I have felt my purpose every single transfer; it's just that change is hard for me." He said the harder he works the faster the time goes by but he doesn't want to have his entire mission be a race. He is just having a really tough time. So homesick.
Gratefully, he has a really cool, new companion, Elder Rueben Jones. Elder Jones is from a town in the UK called Poole. He has been on his mission for 19 months already. Elder Heilmann and Elder Jones have similar senses of humor, and Elder Jones is enamored with poop jokes. Haha! Elder Heilmann said he really knows how to make Elder Jones laugh, so I am sure they will really get along well as time passes. I hope he is lifted by this companionship as he has been lifted by all others.
Elder Jones is just an hour behind his family in the UK, so he can call his mom during the morning hours of Pday. Both Elders slept in this morning, so while Elder Jones called his mom, Elder Heilmann organized his desk and made a list of cleaning and other projects he would like to do while he is there, like cooking. He has already made some Horchata. He also got to hear Sister Jones's voice, which cheered him a bit. It's fun to have a British companion. Sister Jones said gobsmacked during the call, even. Elder Heilmann loved that! ;)
The Elders had a great discussion the other day about what biscuits, chips, crisps, and rolls were. They are trying to figure out all the differences in their language, and it's been really fun. Elder Jones has this great meme on his phone, and it cracks Elder Heilmann up. He says that Elder Jones says weird things. How fun is that? Living in Germany with a British companion. Sounds pretty dope to me. (to use a Julian word). ;)
At the time we talked, they were in Duisburg, Germany. That is where the church building is. It's only about 20 min by train from Krefeld. They are allowed to go one hour outside of their area by train. Today, they have two districts together, hanging out and getting things done at the Church. Like playing indoor frisbee in the cultural hall and sitting in the Harry Potter-like clerks office.
Elder Heilmann's box arrived in Wiesbaden to his former apartment, so he will pick it up at the next Zone Conference. He also has to pick up a key fob that will allow him to sign in as a driver of the Mission vehicle. I have a feeling that having to leave his personal belongings in Wiesbaden, which he has been anticipating for the entire first 1/4 of his mission, may be adding to his feelings of sadness. He did decide to start collecting Funko Pop figurines to have a fun little pastime that can bring smiles.
It was ALL smiles today in Virginia as Elder Tillett arrived at home. I wonder how weird that feels for him since he spent almost 16 years of his life in Germany. Coming 'home' to Virginia probably will feel a bit odd for a while, but we were overjoyed to meet Elder Heilmann's first companion at the airport. Hugging him just hours after seeing my sweet Missionary's sad eyes really cheered me up! I hope it cheers Elder Heilmann up, too, once I send the pictures.
Missionary Work
He recently had a very strange phone appt/video chat. He and Elder Jones were invited by a German man named Mark, who lives in Pakistan, to talk to a family living in Pakistan. They are members of the Salvation Army Church and don't have any interest in the Restored Gospel, but they wanted to worship with the Elder's anyway. Elder Heilmann was struck that even though they are Christian, they still wear hijabs. It was a very different experience.
Elder Jones said the opening prayer and then they sang their Pakistani Christian song. Apparently each song lasts about 5 min and they sound really cool. The family would sing and then the Elder's would sing. They each sang 2 songs. The only common language between them was English. Mark used his halting English to communicate to the Elder's and then the daughter would translate into Urdo for the family. I don't know if the daughter understood English or if Mark would say it in German for her and then she would translate? It was a bit unclear. The daughter of the family has a Masters Degree, but she wants to study Chemistry in Germany and get her Doctorate degree!
After singing, they read the Bible in English together and then recited The Lord's Prayers simultaneously in 3 different languages. Urdu, English, and German. Once that was complete, the daughter thanked them for worshipping with them and then said, "Now what are we going to do about the orphans?" Wait, what?? I guess Elder Jones knew about it, but it was certainly a surprise to Elder Heilmann. The daughter said that she opened a bank account and asked that the Elders send money to it. Mark agreed to send something, but the boys were like, um, we can't send money. They offered to have the children call them on the phone to work on their English skills. She said that was good and then hung up. It was quite an unusual appointment!
Krefeld is slow and odd, and the work there is strange. It is very German, unlike Wiesbaden, which had a huge American presence. The Ward there in Krefeld is also different! Different in a great way. The people there are so funny! They have a teasing, playful nature and are thoughtful and helpful. A sister in the Ward recently brought them a baguette! She felt like the Elders needed something, so she decided to bake bread and bring it to them. Elder Heilmann thought it was SO COOL and reminded him of America. It touched his heart.
This new area is much smaller overall. The town is smaller, and the area goes up to the Netherlands border! You can put your toe over the line into the Netherlands. A while ago, some elders "forgot" to get off the train and went to Paris for Pday. They got in HUGE trouble with the Mission President. Elder Heilmann said, "It's all Europe, so there is no border patrol. It's just like changing States." But they were definitely not supposed to leave Germany and go to France!
The Elders met a man named Daniel, but who goes by Ben... Evidently, he doesn't like the name, Daniel. He is a German man enjoying the fellowship of the Saints and learning about the Gospel. The Elders shared verses with him to help him feel peace and happiness. You see, Ben is an alcoholic, and he has recognized that reading the scriptures helps him feel like he doesn't want to drink as much. He has also found that he feels God's strength when he prays. Unfortunately, Ben doesn't recognize God as a being but only as a nebulous power, something bigger than himself that gives him strength. It's a great place to start. Hopefully, he can continue to read scriptures and pray so he can gain some footing in battling his alcoholism.
Quirky Germany
Elder Heilmann says that Krefeld is dirty. Just such a juxtaposition to Wiesbaden. He also said there are a lot of unusual people everywhere. He said they "don't lock 'em up like in America!" The day before yesterday, they saw an elderly gentleman standing in the middle of downtown talking about DNA and how evolution works. He was listening to a popular song about love and was dancing around with hands in the air. The man spotted the Elders and said, "Jesus! Hallelujah!" and started walking towards them like the "sha sha." The Elders were like, "...okaaaay??" Then the man started doing the booty dance at them. "Germany is so strange."
So, I have no idea what a sha sha walk is, but this definitely popped into my mind when Elder Heilmann said that.
The Elders had another strange encounter a few days earlier. A woman came up to them and asked them for money. They apologized and explained they are volunteers and can't hand out money. She replied, "I don't care if you can't hand out money. Do you HAVE any money?" They replied that they didn't have any money and she just started screaming at them! "It was great!" he said with a smile.
They also saw a guy wearing a blanket as a cape at the train station screaming at pigeons and saying unintelligible things. "It's really odd." Elder Heilmann said that people would beg for money in Wiesbaden and just stare at them with a pouty face. He said, "then they follow you, and you have to tell them like 10 times you don't have anything." He did pass a 'normal' man, and as the Elders walked by, the man muttered, "Church people" in a disgusted voice. Elder Heilmann thought that was pretty hilarious!
Something I didn't know was that all of Europe uses the Euro and the UK uses the pound. Elder Heilmann has some Euro coins from Greece. They have Euros all over that are minted in each participating Country. They all have one side in common and then the country-specific flip side. It makes for quite the collection of loose change.
Another new thing is that one of the best zoos in Germany is in Krefeld! He is not sure when they will get a chance to visit because it is Winter, but they have meerkats! Erdmannchen! Little earth men!! He also taught me a new word. Papageientaucher! It means...Puffin! It means Arctic Parrot or something like that. Papageien means Parrot. He thought of the German word of the day for me because he had a Kinder Surprise Egg today and got a little puffin toy inside. It flaps its wings when you squeeze it. Kinder Surprise Eggs are
illegal in America. *eye roll*
Speaking of birds (nice segue, right), Elder Heilmann says that these little budgies are everywhere in Germany! Allegedly, a menagerie was being transported, and the birds got out and the parakeets started populating the area. They are very tough, loud little birds, and he loves them! It's quite strange for him to see these little tropical birds everywhere in this truly un-tropical place.
For his fun food adventures, he had a Berliner donut today! He said it was pretty good but definitely NOT an American-style donut. They do have Dunkin Donuts in Germany, but they are very expensive. Elder Heilmann bought mashed potatoes, the German version. He doesn't know if it will be any good. Kartoffel puree doesn't sound too appetizing, but he will give it a shot. He did say that Germany has the BEST cheese, bread, and meat and that their KFC's are tastier in Germany, but they don't have the Famous Bowl, which is a bummer. ;) He also found a new bakery item.
Wekkmann!
As we wrapped up our weekly chat, we both got teary-eyed. It was hard to say goodbye for the week. He said, "It's for Jesus! It's for Jesus." Oh, my sweet boy. It will get easier; I just know it. When we sacrifice for the Lord, He gives us strength, but grieving is a very real and needful process. Change is hard, but with prayer, time, and patience, it will get easier!
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