20 May 2013- 2 Months goes so Fast

Hello Family,

Today is my 2 month mark!  I'm trying not to keep track, I wouldn't want to get trunky while I'm still a Golden, but some days you just can't help but notice that you've been out a lot longer than you thought!

So this week, we had rain, rain, and more RAIN!  Everyone keeps saying how that's really weird for Freiburg, it's supposed to be sunniest and warmest city in Germany.  But seeing as I'll be in the warmest city for all of summer, I will be grateful that for the moment I can still wear my coat and boots!

So last Pday we went to Breisach and France (I believe I told y'all about that) and Breisach is one of the cutest cities I've seen so far!  We were just walking back to the bus from France and saw a 'castle' (it ended up just being a big cathedral) and decided to check it out.  I think that the cathedral is called the Münster of Breisach, it's a little bit smaller than the Münster in Freiburg but still really gorgeous.  

We had a lot of eating appointments this week.  I feel so bad, I really don't think that the members here understand how much gluten and lactose is in food!  We will be sitting down to a meal and the members will be so excited to have prepared a meal 'ohne laktose', but really there is cheese smeared on everything and they have pudding for dessert...or they forget that schnitzel has bread crumbs on it. But the food is delicious and we are extremely grateful for the wonderful members that feed us!! I have just decided that every time my stomach groans from the lactose I'll just say it's the Holy Ghost bearing witness that the things I'm saying are true.

I cannot tell you how much chocolate we receive as missionaries!  I think me and Sister Jenson have 4 bars of chocolate at home that we got from members this week.  It's really good, especially since we have such easy access to Swiss chocolates here, and the Germans put really interesting flavors into their chocolates...but lets just say that my biggest fear here is the scale!  Oh goodness, I need to reevaluate my eating plan here in Germany...

This week was full of miracles!  It is truly amazing to be an instrument in the Lord's hand, and to feel the Lord working through me.  It is one of the best feelings I have ever experienced.  We found a new investigator this week who is just absorbing everything we tell her, and even after 3 days we can really witness the change that the gospel has made in her life.  She calls us her 'Engelchen' (little angels).  Ah, it's an amazing feeling!  The work is really hard, and really exhausting, but being able to help those people who have been prepared by the Lord makes everything worth it.

I hope all is well at home.  Good luck to everyone with finals at school!  And to everyone who is thinking of going on a mission-DO IT!  It will bless your life in ways you can't even imagine.  Thank you all for your support!

-Sister Peterson

Happy to know there are Hippies everywhere :)

"sacrifice, peace, freedom"

Munster, Breisach

Breisach, Deutschland

Munster, Breisach

Hey, No Elders allowed... France Flag

Meine Mitarbeiterin und ich... she makes faces

13 May 2013 with Pictures

 Es geht schnell! (It is fast)

This week was so BUSY!  As much as I love being busy as a missionary, it's so exhausting...especially when most of the business doesn't focus around missionary work.  

Monday was our P-day, and Sister Jenson took me around to tour the beautiful city in which we live in.  We went to see the Münster cathedral, which is absolutely stunning!  There are so many cathedrals here that are just breathtaking, but I have to say that the Münster is my favorite here by far.  I also tried currywurst (not my favorite, but a good experience I guess) and then a Döner.  The Döner is kind of a funny story-so a Döner is a stereotypical German food, but it actually is more of a Turkish food than German.  I guess it's comparable to a Taco in America, everyone loves it but it's not really American.  But it was super good!  One thing I've learned about meat here in Germany is to not ask what type of meat it is.  Not even the Germans will know for sure!  If you ask what type of meat it is they will normally answer with a confused look on their face and say "Uh, es ist Fleisch." (it is meat) Obviously...

On Wednesday we went to Schaffhausen, Switzerland to übernacht (overnight/sleepover) with the Sisters there so that we didn't have to wake up super early on Thursday to go to Zurich.  Schaffhausen is such a cute little village, I really can't think of any other word to describe it than precious.  And on the train ride out of Schaffhausen there is a GORGEOUS waterfall (sorry, I don't have any pictures of that *sigh*) 

Thursday was our Mission Tour, which is where the General Authority over our area comes and tours the mission and talks to us and it's all spiritual uplifting and motivating and inspiring, which is really good during the meeting but super scary afterwards!  He really upped the bar for missionary work in our area, which is super great but super intimidating. But anyways, I met with all of the missionaries in Swiss zones for that, so I got to go to Zurich again.  I was super upset when I left the MTC because I thought I wouldn't see the foreign Elders from my MTC group ever again, because they would most likely serve in Switzerland the whole time and I probably won't ever get called to a Swiss area because of the whole Americans can't get a work Visa thing.  But I got to see them all again on Thursday, so that was super cool to at least see them one more time and know that they are doing well.

For Mothers Day, we actually had two meal appointments-one for lunch and one for dinner.  The lunch one was with the Windhausens, and they live in a super pretty area called HimmelReich (Heaven Kingdom.)  The food was amazing!  Most of it was just cooked vegetables, but there was this weird food, I can't remember what they called it, but it was basically just meat, vegetables, some sort of nut, and sauce wrapped in a crepe and then cooked in more sauce.  I couldn't eat much because it was exploding with dairy, dairy, and more dairy, but the little bit that I did eat was delicious!  And it was all made by their 15 year old son (no cooking for Mama on Mothers Day!) 

Dinner was at the Gonzales house, and they are a part member family.  Bruder G and his two daughters are both active members, but the wife, F, is not.  She has been working with the missionaries for years, and is tired of being convinced to baptism, so now we're just kinda working with her on building a testimony of her own and really participating in reading the scriptures with her family.  They are a super funny family, and surprisingly really easy to understand!  F is Italian, so she gave us a nice Italian simple meal, which was really refreshing after the big lunch at the Windhausens!  

Today for P-day our Elders want to go to Breisach, which has a bridge that borders France and Germany.  We won't be able to go into France because of mission rules, so we will pretty much just stand at the border and spit into France, maybe dip a toe in there, just to say we've been to France.  And then proceed to eat typical German foods. 

I hope all is well with everyone at home!  Thank you for your prayers and letters!

-Sister Peterson

The pictures are all pictures of the interior of the Munster cathedral

13 May 2013 New Address

The mission home sent us a letter
with Kori's current address.
The suggest that all postage goes directly
to the missionary because the mission
is so large in size- so watch for
New Address postings when she is
transferred.

Send current mail to:

Kirche Jesu Christi HLT
Sister Kori Lee Peterson
Rennweg 26
D-79106 Freiburg
Germany

7 May 2013

Dear family of Sister Peterson-

We are delighted to tell you that Sister Peterson arrived safely in Munich this morning.  She is tucked away in bed now after a long day of orientation. 

We thought you might enjoy these pictures from this evening. She was assigned her new companion and area tonight and she will serve in Freiburg, Germany with her new companion, Sister Jenson.

We are thrilled that she is here and are very impressed with her preparation and enthusiasm.  She will be a great missionary.  Thank you for all you have done to help her become the fine young sister she is today.  We love her already, and we will do all we can to help her grow as a missionary and have a successful mission.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.  May the Lord bless you and your family at this wonderful time of missionary service.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Miles

Alpine German-speaking Mission

The entire group of 'Greenies' entering the Mission today

My new area, Freiberg Germany

Kori with President and Sister Miles

The group ready to head out to our first areas

 

Waiting in the Amsterdam Airport

One view from my bedroom window

... And another view

6 May 2013- Pictures

So here are some fun pictures from our final days in the MTC:

Flags from our Missions

Flags from our Missions

Just the girls...

Our last day in the Classroom

My room-mates and I; the others are going to Brazil

Look Mom, this is where we are heading...

...and this is our language

My District Body Spelling DEUTSCH