Tastes Like Pepperoni???

So we just got this email from Jared today. I was so worried about him yesterday since I knew that he had Mondays for his P day. I felt good though, and after we prayed, I knew he was okay. And then this nice surprise this morning. You have to know Jared. He is a very picky eater and he will never try new things. So this experience is so new for him. Keep reading and you will get the title of this post.... Tastes like pepperoni?

Dear Family,

So things here in Switzerland are way different. I am definately gaining a testimony of America. I was just thinking about how lucky we are that we have a car, and that we live in a house. Most everybody here lives in apartments. No banks will give loans to people, and lots of people are out of work here. Still, I hear that it is better than France.

Ok, lets see what has happened.....
We had our first zone conference in Yverdon (E-ver-done) and that was pretty fun. Oh, I think you and Dad will be happy to know that I have been trying lots of new food. I actually had cow tongue yesterday. I took pictures to prove it too. It actually tastes like pepperoni, only a little bit more tender. Swiss cheese like they have at home doesn't exist here. The basic staple cheese here is called Gruyere (Gwee-Air) It is some type of cow cheese. Not bad. A little bit strong at first, but it gets better after a while.

Oh, normally Mondays are my preparation days, but there will be sometimes when the email place wont be open. Like this week. They actually do Easter pretty big here. People get the Friday before and the Monday after off of work. So everything was closed.

Elder Spence and I went to this monstrous cathedral down the street from our appartment. It was pretty cool. I took a ton of pictures. I think that I have something like over 200 pictures on my camera right now. I will send it home pretty soon.

If you want to give other people my email, you can. But I only get an hour a week, so if I get a ton of emails, it will take a little while to write back to all of them.

Ok, I will keep you posted. Tell everybody hi for me.
Love,

Jared

So he sounds wonderful and he is growing by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to see the photos that he sends back. I will definitely share when I get them.

Until next post my friends....

Take Care!

Colleen

Happy Easter!

I saw this picture on a friends blog and I loved it. How very appropriate. Hope that we can all remember the real reason that we celebrate.

Our First Letter From Jared From Switzerland!

Dear Family,
I am here in Switzerland. Finally! This is one of the greenest places that I've ever seen in my life! I can't believe how beautiful this land is. It's amazing. I'm sincerely in awe of the beauty all around me. So far, I've only met the people in the mission home and my companion and other missionaries. I'm excited to get out and start spreading the good news!

My first ville is Fribourg. It is a pretty cool place of about 40,000 people. So basically the size of Tooele or maybe a little bit bigger. I will probably end up staying here until August. That will be my third transfer. President and Sister Peterson said that a strange thing happens here every 2 years. Almost 1/2 of their senior missionaries go home so that means that 7 of the 12 of us that came over at the same time will be the Senior Companion after just 2 or 3 transfers. That is crazy, huh? We'll see if it affects me! I like it here. Everything is really different though. As for our apartment, the bathroom in the apartment is small. Really small! So is the kitchen. But the main room and the bedroom are pretty big, so that is nice. I got to meet some of the members over conference. They are pretty nice. I like it here. I miss some things from home, but this is not bad either.

We went on this hike for preparation day up this canyon. I have a ton of pictures that I took. I think I've taken over 100 since I arrived. The food is definitely different. There are some good things and some bad things to eat here as well. But I am slowly learning how NOT to be a picky eater.

Elder Spence is a pretty cool guy. He is my trainer and companion. He only has 2 transfers left, so he will probably stay in Fribourg with me. I think it will be nice, because I could use the help with the language. I am actually understanding quite a bit more than I thought I would. But it is still pretty hard.

So how did you like conference? We went to Neuchatel to watch it. It was pretty cool. I learned a lot. Elder Holland is pretty much amazing. I could feel the spirit so strong. Also, we decided that Teancum from the Book of Mormon is basically the Nephite James Bond. It was cool.

We went window shopping today also. Elder Spence wanted to buy a French suit, but we just looked. We didn't actually buy anything. But everything here is good. I actually didn't have very bad jet lag. I slept great. Things here are a lot of fun. So many new experiences for me every day!

How is everyone in the ward? Pretty good? Things here are just really different. It is a little bit of a culture shock to be here, but it is still fun and I am learning a lot.

We are 8 hours ahead of you here for the time difference. I think it's strange that I am eating dinner and you are just starting the day!

I love you and miss you all,
Love,
Elder Jared Marc Walch

P.S. I thought that I would end my letter with my testimony ….in French!

Je voudrais porter mon témoignage. Je sais que c'est la véritable Eglise de Jésus-Christ. Je suis très reconnaissant d'être au service d'une mission de ses enfants en Suisse. Je sais que le Président Thomas S. Monson est un vrai prophète de Dieu. Je sais que Joseph Smith est un vrai prophète de Dieu et qu'il a vu Dieu le Père et Son fils Jésus-Christ. Je veux que mon Père céleste pour savoir combien je l'aime et je veux que ma famille de savoir à quel point je les aime. Je suis reconnaissant pour leur sacrifice pour moi d'être ici. Je m'ennuie de tout le monde et je pense à vous souvent. Au nom de Jésus Christ. Amen.

Elder Jared Marc Walch
10 Rud Des Bouchers
1700 Fribourg
Suisse

Jaredwalch@myldsmail.net

Destination: Fribourg Switzerland

Jared arrived safely.. but very tired, in Geneva. This is his first official photo with his new companion and trainer, Elder Spence. His Mission President and Mission Mom are President and Sister Peterson. I was worried about him so I emailed the Mission Mom. Here is her response.

Dear Sister Walch,

Yes, your son arrived safely on Tuesday. We kept them awake until bedtime so they could adjust to the new time, so they were very sleepy by the end of the day. You should be receiving a picture in the next day or so.

Love, Sister Peterson

So today, I received his first photo with this email:

Dear Brother and Sister Walch,

Yes, Elder Walch has indeed arrived safely. His companion and trainer is Elder Spence and they are serving in beautiful Fribourg, Switzerland. On day 2 this photo was taken of the two of them with President and Sister Peterson. He has written a letter to you which should arrive shortly.
Switzerland Geneva Mission Office

You can bet that I have a perma grin on my face because I know that he is safe and well. He looks very excited to get started. I googled Fribourg and wait until you see the beautiful place he will be serving on his mission. It's so beautiful, I can't believe it.

This looks like a little village out of a story book. It is amazingly beautiful !

This is a view of the Alps in the springtime, of course! How beautiful , huh? Another view of Fribourg. I can't believe how quaint and how amazing this is. And my Jared is here !!!
How great would it be to have your first district out in a place like this? He has been waiting so very long to serve the Lord and I think this is a huge blessing that he will get to see up close and personal the majesty of some of His creations!

I can't believe how much he has been blessed. And this is a dream come true for him. I know that our family has been blessed by his service. I look forward to posting his first letter from Switzerland and photos from him. Until next post...

Love to you all !

Colleen