Schön Tag Noch

Yeah, Wien 5 has been treating me really well.  I love the ward a lot, they are all cool, and a lot of them speak English, so that's nice. Yes, abend does mean evening and no I have not said Das Mädchen ist böse.  I do say schön Tag noch(have a nice day), und bis später( and see you later) a lot but that's it. 

That makes me feel really bad about the BA killings like really, what the heck? I really don't understand at all. Keep me updated on that story please.

Did they get my birthday cards?

If not they should get them today  or tomorrow;  I sent it Wednesday because that's when I had time to mail it. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACE AND HANNAH!!!! I hope that grace feels better and is having fun being a teenager! 

Haha yes, I have had cheeses but no Velveeta cheese just other good kinds.

Most of the time we eat at home but when we do have member appointments we eat deli meats and bread with a lot of butter on it; like that's really Austrian to do sausages a lot but honestly that's the only thing we have had that's different.  Haha I like döners a lot, look it up

Also, I have a lot of juices with carbonated water, like half apple or orange juice and half carbonated water.  It tastes really good, you should try it.  

 Yes, me and Elder Barnhart are getting along really well.  We talk and joke a lot.  Saturday we find out who is leaving the area. Barnhart has been in the area for 3 transfers and me for one, but trainers don't stay with their goldens for more than 2 transfers normally,  so I might leave Wien 5 or he will, then I will be in charge of the area, so that's fun.  So last Monday me and elder Barnhart we each bought some Lederhosen. We each got the shirt and socks and shoes to go along with it , pictures will be included next week.  They are super comfy and legit looking, I love them a lot.  

                                    
 Oh, so update on the Schimmel(mold) problem, so we don't have a shower or sink in the bathroom and the toilet room.....we don't have a toilet so fun, so we moved out and we are living with the Wien 2 elders, the zone leaders, since Thursday, so that's that.  I don't know how long it will take to fix the apartment we used to live in. But other than that I'm good.  

Lessons have been slow this week cause of zone training taking all day Tuesday and Wednesday we went over to the hay people and helped them finally, and then we taught them so that was fun!  Thursday was English and moving in with the zone leaders and Friday was weekly planning and visiting a less active we talk with for about 4 hours every Friday, and then waffle Abend(evening).    Saturday was fun, we helped more with the house we have been working on for the past month or so.  We took out a wall and cleaned it up and moved a bunch of rubble.   So that was my week, fun filled with service.   It's cooled down here a lot so I'm happy for that.   Tell everyone I love them and give them my love.

 Love,

Elder Summers 

The Dog Days of Elder Summers

"So what I am holding is a German bible from the 1500's, so yeah pretty cool. 

Getting to hold some history

 Yeah, it's been super hot here too and going places and walking, even staying in the apartment is still hot, everywhere is freaking hot! At night it's not any better, but yeah it's ok.  

The shower gets looked at this Tuesday but I don't know if they will just look at it, fix it, or tell us to move out until they fix it, so basically I don't know.  

Looking pretty dang swag for having no shower.  

This week has been really slow, like not a lot of lessons because everyone is on vacation.  So we did not go over to the hay people because they did not get their hay in on Tuesday.  We taught English and studied, we went to Vapiano it's a cool and really good Italian place look it up.

Wednesday we just studied and went by some less actives but they were not home and then right as we go to Wien 3 missionaries place, they live 30 min away, the guy called and said no hay people today that was at 3:30, so then we stayed and talked with them for a bit and went back home and studied more. (the first 12 weeks the goldens that's me we study a lot) 

Thursday we studied, taught English, every Tuesday and Thursday we teach, and went by to see a less active and talked with her.  

Friday we talked with a really cool less active He is not the normal less active, but yeah.  We stayed there from 3 till 6:30, then we went to waffle abend(evening)  

Saturday was just service.  We removed another tree stump, moved a lot of heavy bags filled with rocks to a container, and I de-tiled a floor with a jack hammer, so I'm sore! 

Sunday was hot.  We took the sacrament to two members and I did the oil anointing in German, so that was fun. 

And today, Monday, well we took a private Straßenbahn(tram) tour around some parts of Wien, so yeah.  It's really nice, the member that paid for that then took us to his fancy country tennis club and fed us so yeah.  Look up Almdudler,

The national drink of Austria

or something like that, I drank that and had spare ribs.  Every month he takes some missionaries from Wien and feeds them, this is my second time there.  It's super nice of him to do that but yeah, my day and week have been good, hot and well, good. 

Hope you have a great week.

 Love Elder Summers" 

Where Elder Summers gets an Internet connection to write home to his mama.

Service and Sights

Two weeks of letters in one.... 

June 29th letter: 

"Every Saturday from 9 to 5 we help one of the ward member redo a house he bought.  It really needs a lot of work but it's been fun. We have destroyed a fireplace, moved a bunch of old rotten wood, unscrewed stag and moved a lot of stone. So yeah, the hedgehog I found Saturday while we were moving a brush pile.  It was along the fence line and it was curled up in a ball so I picked it up and it came out of its ball after 2 min or so. I sent pictures. But that's about it 

We talk with this really cool less active member, we don't teach him lessons we just talk about life and stuff like that.  He has really improved over the last couple of weeks, I'm really proud of him. It's finally cooled off here, so it's not as hot or humid. How is everyone doing back home? Like Jacobs and the fam and the squad and Kennedy they tell me things but not everything so yeah hope that you have a great week and things stay cool and I pray for you guys everyday.

 Love,

 Elder Summers"

Do a little service, find something cool!

Igel the Hedgehog

July 6th letter: 

"Mir geht's ist gut. Mir ist sehr heiß aber es ist ok. Meine Woche ist  gut.(I'm good. I am very hot but it's ok. My week is good) We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe for the fourth and it was so nice to have a American style hamburger and ice in your drink, but yeah.  On Wednesday we helped move 58 huge hay bales 45 minutes out of Wien.  We went with Elders Downs and Buckley and a member to help; We left at 3 and did not get back till 9:45 or so. We were sore till Sunday.  We are going back next Wednesday to add another layer of hay bales on top of the ones we put in the hay loft so that should be fun.  I'll take a picture so you can see it. Also they have had missionaries over before but never had lessons but when we go back next time they said they wanted to get the first lesson, so I'm super excited for that!

My week was full of service, the hay and helping with the house.  We taught a less active and the little girl.  We are getting to the main question(baptism) with another one; she cried the whole lesson and the spirit was so strong, it felt like it was hitting her with a baseball bat in the head.  Funny thing this week, we were farting a lot due to our upset stomachs, so we laughed at that. My spiritual thought for this week was that Heavenly Father loves everyone and he wants to forgive us, we just have to ask for it. That's what I got out of my scripture reading, I'm in Alma 33, are you still reading as a family? (Yes indeed we are!)

Yeah, Katie told me about the chicken Bro Anderson hypnotized, I think that's sick!  Haha, you were a brave girl with your feet hurting you, I'M PROUD OF YOU! (like Shawn).  But yeah, the Bros know what happens when you snitch on another bro, good on them not telling you about what we snapped. Yeah I saw the picture of Ian, tell him life really is good and that he should look forward to his mission. Yeah, it's been a fun week, I check the temp at BA every week and it's really hot and humid, sorry. I miss the squad and everyone, tell everyone I love them.

 I sent a bunch of pictures that was on the way out to the hay thing.  We were up in the hills, it was super cool; the camera could not do it justice.  But yeah things have been good. I love you mom 

Love,

 Elder Summers" 

Serving outside of Wien with Elder Buckley

The hills are alive with the sound of Service.  Sorry, couldn't help it, such beautiful rolling Austrian hills.

Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery in Wien) contains the resting place of many notable musicians including Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms and many others. 

Part of the Zenralfriedhof is an old Jewish Cemetery.  Such amazing history Elder Summers gets to experience in Wien

Hofburg palace is the former imperial palace in the center of Wien.  

Fourth of July in Wien was spent eating at the Hardrock Cafe, drinking soda with ice and real American hamburgers.

Elder Summers with a member from the Wien 5th ward.

The past weeks pictures put me into a Wien scavenger hunt of sorts.  Thank goodness for google or I never would've known about the old Jewish cemetery or the Hofburg Palace.  It's fun to learn along side my son all the rich history of Austria. -Becky