Man, this has been a crazy fast paced week. Some of the weeks just fly right by you and you wonder where they were by the time they're gone. This week was definitely one of those! So just a quick update. I've now been in Munich for the past 7 months. This past week was transfer calls, and I'll be heading to my 5th area in my 13th transfer. I can hardly believe that it's been that many transfers! So, the question is.... What's happening to Elder Hadfield?? Well, I can give you all a picture as a hint.
Any guesses?? No....?
Alright, I'm headed to Solothurn in... Switzerland!!!!!! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. This will be the first time in over 5 years that American missionaries have been in Switzerland for more than 1 transfer. We are trying to kind of tear down this border with the government and the laws there. So, what's going to happen is I'll get a tourist visa, even though I'm not a tourist, and that's only valid for 90 days. So after 90 days, I have to get transferred again. For that reason, I have to go in with a train ticket for the day that I'm leaving, so I can show the government that I really am only staying 90 days. So after 2 transfers, I'll get transferred again. This makes it 3, 2 transfer areas thus far. But the exciting thing is that this will begin to tear down the weird kind of barrier we have in our mission with the European missionaries and American missionaries. So, a test group of about 5 or 6 of us are going in to see how it all works and to try it out, and if it all goes well, then they'll pull us out and initiate the plan where they mix all of the missionaries up instead of having this barrier in between us. It's totally awesome to be part of this test run. It's the talk everywhere right now among the members and missionaries. This was a process that President Kohler had to go through the Area Preisdency with, then the Quorum of the 12. So it's all a pretty legit deal. Going there with me will be Elder Killpack, Elder Howarth, Elder La Plant, Sister Baugh, and a couple others. So some of my best friends from the mission are headed in with me. I'll be working with Elder Harradine from England. It'll be kinda funky. I picked him up at the airport a few transfers ago when he first came into the mission, but I am SO excited to work with him. I've heard so many good things about him. The temple in Zollikofen will be part of my district, and thats where Elder Seidl from my MTC group is serving. I'm way pumped to see him and others again. This is going to be so much fun. The whole thing seems a little bit iffy and shady, but I think it's going to work just fine. It'll be great to try it out!
That being said, Elder Bybee is replacing me here in Munich, which I couldn't be happier about. There was a few options for replacements, and he was by far the best option for Elder Carr and for the ward. I'm so pumped for him. He's going to be way good here. I think the area is left in pretty great condition. Better than I've ever left an area before for sure.
I'm going to miss Elder Carr a ton. He and I have become absolute best friends. We are so ridiculously excited to hang out at home. He will be at BYU as well, so it'll be awesome.
I'll also really miss this Ward and the city of Munich. After my closing testimony yesterday in the ward there was a lot of old women crying, and S was just bawling and gave me a huge hug. I'm going to miss her a lot. She's the biggest miracle of my mission. No questions. It was such an awesome Sunday for a goodbye. I hate goodbyes more than anything, but I'm pretty sure leaving Munich is going to be harder than leaving home the first time. I'll probably be a mess at Bahnhof when I get on that 5 hour train ride to Switzerland. I've loved this place and grown more here than anywhere I think I have before in my whole life. It's been an AWESOME ride. I can't wait to come back to this city in the future.
Well other than that, investigators are doing great. D, S, and Y were all at church yesterday. We didn't have an extreme amount of time to work with them this week. We went on Austausch in Landshut and pumped up their area a little bit and visited their district meeting, then went out on a finding day back in Passau. I got to see my birth area one last time before I go. This little area of Bayern will have a special place in my heart forever.
Alright, I'm headed to Solothurn in... Switzerland!!!!!! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am. This will be the first time in over 5 years that American missionaries have been in Switzerland for more than 1 transfer. We are trying to kind of tear down this border with the government and the laws there. So, what's going to happen is I'll get a tourist visa, even though I'm not a tourist, and that's only valid for 90 days. So after 90 days, I have to get transferred again. For that reason, I have to go in with a train ticket for the day that I'm leaving, so I can show the government that I really am only staying 90 days. So after 2 transfers, I'll get transferred again. This makes it 3, 2 transfer areas thus far. But the exciting thing is that this will begin to tear down the weird kind of barrier we have in our mission with the European missionaries and American missionaries. So, a test group of about 5 or 6 of us are going in to see how it all works and to try it out, and if it all goes well, then they'll pull us out and initiate the plan where they mix all of the missionaries up instead of having this barrier in between us. It's totally awesome to be part of this test run. It's the talk everywhere right now among the members and missionaries. This was a process that President Kohler had to go through the Area Preisdency with, then the Quorum of the 12. So it's all a pretty legit deal. Going there with me will be Elder Killpack, Elder Howarth, Elder La Plant, Sister Baugh, and a couple others. So some of my best friends from the mission are headed in with me. I'll be working with Elder Harradine from England. It'll be kinda funky. I picked him up at the airport a few transfers ago when he first came into the mission, but I am SO excited to work with him. I've heard so many good things about him. The temple in Zollikofen will be part of my district, and thats where Elder Seidl from my MTC group is serving. I'm way pumped to see him and others again. This is going to be so much fun. The whole thing seems a little bit iffy and shady, but I think it's going to work just fine. It'll be great to try it out!
That being said, Elder Bybee is replacing me here in Munich, which I couldn't be happier about. There was a few options for replacements, and he was by far the best option for Elder Carr and for the ward. I'm so pumped for him. He's going to be way good here. I think the area is left in pretty great condition. Better than I've ever left an area before for sure.
I'm going to miss Elder Carr a ton. He and I have become absolute best friends. We are so ridiculously excited to hang out at home. He will be at BYU as well, so it'll be awesome.
I'll also really miss this Ward and the city of Munich. After my closing testimony yesterday in the ward there was a lot of old women crying, and S was just bawling and gave me a huge hug. I'm going to miss her a lot. She's the biggest miracle of my mission. No questions. It was such an awesome Sunday for a goodbye. I hate goodbyes more than anything, but I'm pretty sure leaving Munich is going to be harder than leaving home the first time. I'll probably be a mess at Bahnhof when I get on that 5 hour train ride to Switzerland. I've loved this place and grown more here than anywhere I think I have before in my whole life. It's been an AWESOME ride. I can't wait to come back to this city in the future.
Well other than that, investigators are doing great. D, S, and Y were all at church yesterday. We didn't have an extreme amount of time to work with them this week. We went on Austausch in Landshut and pumped up their area a little bit and visited their district meeting, then went out on a finding day back in Passau. I got to see my birth area one last time before I go. This little area of Bayern will have a special place in my heart forever.
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Old Passau   |
So it's a week of hard goodbyes and memory gathering. I'm excited for what the mission has to throw at me over in Switzerland. It's going to be the coolest ride ever. Super ready to pump it up!
Ich hab euch alle lieb, hoffe dass es euch gut geht. Schöne Woche, wählt das Recht!
Elder Hadfield (:
Elder Sam Hadfield
Fritz-Kaeserstrasse 16
CH-4562 Biberist
Solothurn
