Talked to Mooker on Christmas Day

Michael Kraus came over
and talked to Mooker
on the phone for a
minute.

Phone call on Christmas Day

We got to talk with Mooker at 1:00 p.m. our time (9:00 p.m. Germany) for 2 hours. He sounded so great and we looked on Google Earth while we talked with him and he told us about where he lived, in a nice apartment, and where he catches the train. Where the church building was and his surroundings. He got to talk with his brother, Matt for an hour on Christmas morning. Matt is serving a mission in France and will be home in June. Mooker has been eating at the homes of nice families nearly everyday and says he will have to start doing sit-ups to keep his weight down. Wuppertal is a very modern city with only small parts that look "old world". The trains are awesome and totally on time.

I'll be calling home on Christmas

Thanks for all the stuff in the package, it is all really cool. Especially for the Cholula :) Mom, I bought a really nice electric razor, a Philips Norelco, it was 129 €, which is a butt load, and I had to get cash out of the ATM because they couldn't do my card, either of them, but whatever, its really nice, and has a two year warranty on it, just long enough. You should be getting a call some time on Thursday, not exactly sure what time, but I'll call you and then you can call me back, it should be sometiome between 9 AM and 3 PM your time, I think, so just wait, I'll call you first, you dont need to go anywhere anyways, its christmas :) We have a bunch of eating appointments over the next three days, nine or ten total, seriously, not even joking, so much food, so little space in my body, ughhh..... We are teaching this one family right now that seems really promising, so keep them in your prayers, they are the Abers, and they are our only hope right now, the rest of our time is all finding people, which is not that effective, but it's going well, it does not get very cold here, but the sun hardly ever comes out, and it rains a lot, and windy too, so its colder than it actually is, oh well, I'll tell you all about it on Christmas, Love, Elder Bentz aka Mooker

Christmas package has arrived

Mom, thanks for sending the Christmas box, I got it already, so it was like 6-7 days only, so that is good, I have to go pick it up today, so I'll see what you put in it. Yeah, I bought a guitar, and a case already, mom, so its pretty cool, if you ever find a guitar hymn book, that would be the best gift ever, besides exaltation, but for right now, yeah, keep your eyes open for that. Chi town sounds pretty cold, too bad, for Brad. It gets pretty cold here, and windy too, it got down to 0 Celsius the other day, and it was windy, I'm not sure what it is in fahrenheit, but whatever I hope there is a memory card in the package, so I can send pictures, cause if not, I'll have to try and send them over another email account on gmail or something, cause it does not work too well from what I've heard on myldsmail.net one, well see. I don't know what I'll buy for you yet, and don't really have alot of time to do that, but I will eventually... I got a letter from Heidi today, that was nice, and she actually said Merry Christmas correctly, Gluckwunsch, (Congratulatiuons in German.) I eat really well here, and all the members are really nice, I leave their homes stuffed every time and I'll have to do some sit ups or something. Good for Chloe, glad she is better. We don't really have any investigators right now, and hopefully this family we are meeting on Saturday is interested, and wants to hear more, it could, and should happen, I hope... Well, I can't wait to call on Christmas, and I will call probably around 8 pm our time, and that is 11 or 12 your time I think, so wait for it, and I don't know what the deal will be for calling Matt or not, I'll get back to you on that. Well, Aufwiedersehen, Love, Elder Bentz aka Mooker.

Germany is Awesome!

Germany is awesome. I am in a town called Wuppertal, pronounced Vuppertaal, really far from Frankfurt, North. It is pretty cold all the time, and not sunny barely ever. My companion is Elder Eddy, from New Mexico, and he is super cool, he leaves in February. I am in an internet pay as you go thing, not a library. We travel by train and bus everywhere, and by foot of course. The trains and buses are way better here than AZ, we have this card that let's us get on any public transportation thing for free, and you don't even have to show it to anybody to get on or off! sweet, but there are occasionally people who go around who check to see if you are carrying it with you, and if you don't you get fined 40 Euro. We try and do alot of street contacting, and it's a lot harder than it sounds, especially when you ask someone a question that they respond to, and you don't understand what they said, ugh... My German is getting better all the time though, and I can understand almost everything people say that is related to the church, but when they start talking about other stuff, I'm done. The mission president , Ninow, is pretty cool, very pensive, and cautious about all the decisions he makes, which is good, he seems nice. we didn't get pictures with him, so I don't know when those will get to you if ever, sorry. We can totally have guitars here in the mission, so I am going to buy one, hopefully, less than 100 Euros, with my personal funds, so that'll be cool. I have eaten over at 5 families already, and the food is really good. All the families are really nice, and just like American families, except in German :) I haven't been able to get an ornament yet, i don't know if i will, they're all pretty much the same over here as in America. I am going to have to get a new scarf and my big coat taken in someday, it is too bulky looking, and i don't want to look fatter than I'm not. We haven't had any new investigators yet, we have some right now, but I have not taught any lessons to them, and all three of them did not come to church, so we'll have to do some major finding time all over the place to find someone. I am probably part of the problem that we have not found anyone yet, I am still scared to talk to people and not able to ask the right questions, but I have to keep practicing and get better, Elder Eddy is really good at it, so we'll see what happens. All the water here is carbonated, And it is gross, its like drinking flat sprite, it is called Mineralwasser, everyone loves it here, and I have heard that you have to get used to it, so I guess I will. The flight over was normal international flight, and I am still pretty tired, but not too bad. Well, Two and a half weeks until Christmas, and I will talk to you then, sweet, and steve and tausha too, huh, awesome. I don't have anything else to say other than it's hard. It's already been a week, and I have a long way to go, so pray for me :) I know you are every night and day, just sayin', well, I'll talk to you later! Tschuss! Lieber, Elder Bentz aka Mooker

Off to Germany

So this is it. I'm off to Germany for just about 22 months. Be ready for my phone call from the Salt Lake City airport and also the Dallas airport. I bought a phone card and will use it or call collect if it doesn't work. "Stay alive, I will call you" (from the movie-Last of the Mohicans). Everyone loved your cookies that you sent, thanks so much. The next letter you get from me will be written in the country of Germany! Make sure that Michael K. gets my guitar and I'll get you my new address as soon as I'm able.
Love you all, Pray for me,
Elder Michael Bentz
aka Mooker