Hello all!

This week has been really good! This week the entire mission is going down to Frankfurt for a mission-wide conference with one of the apostles from Salt Lake, so that will be cool having sooo many missionaries there. This week we had an appointment with our friend Erik. Erik has Cerebral Palsy and so we are going to try and visit him once a week now that I am staying 7 more weeks. Erik can't talk, but the guy is actually way good at video games! He actually likes one of my favorites too haha, so I talk about the game after the lesson and he sits and smiles and laughs. It makes me so happy every time we visit him. I can't explain it, it just makes me so...joyfull? Not sure if that's the right word, but it leaves me smiling for quite a while, and usually makes my day. 

This week we also got a new bishop and we had the most random appointment with him ever. We were just about to put some pasta on and we got a call from him and his wife. An hour later we were there! He then drove us to our split where we swap companions for a day, and then drove us home. He got blitzed twice! Getting blitzed is when you drive too fast and this box radars you and flashing way bright. What it does is it takes a photo of you the driver, and your plate. That way they can mail you a ticket. It's quite evil and I hope they never get them in America!

This week, us 4 missionaries in Koln put together a conversion story meeting for all of the members. Only about 20 people came, but our golden investigator or my good friend Daniel came! It was awesome and I think he really liked it! Afterwards we played basketball with him and rode home most of the way with him. We had to reschedule his baptism date until the 19th, but this time it is set in stone. He is so ready and is such a cool kid! He continues to come to church and brings his cousin who is 15. We might even start teaching him too, we just need permission from his parents. Daniel is also going to institute this week all the way in Dusseldorf. I don't really know how to explain it other than a mini sunday school for young people in the middle of the week. 

Last night we spent a great deal of time at the old bishops house. We helped get dinner on, had dinner, and had a spiritual thought after. The bishop and his wife just opened up to us about how hard it has been being bishop the past 5 years. It's amazing how I have started to develop this love for these people, because all I want to do is help them. Bishop drove us home at the end and called us his friends which made me feel awesome. He then gave us a hug goodbye and drove off. It was great too because it wasn't one of those hugs where it's just like ok bye here's your hug. There was love behind it from both ends, and I wouldn't trade these two years for anything. I have learned so much already!! 

Well today we are going to the Dom again with a bunch of elders and sisters. We are going to be climbing to the top so it should be way fun! I've already done it, but it really never gets old. Oh and an anti war parade just passed us by with a giant fake missile. Wow. So yeah, happy as can be and just about as busy as can be. Hope you all have a great week. Thanks for everything and thanks Sister Johnson for the great email, I loved it!

Tschüß

About pics below:

1. REAL MOUNTAIN DEW!!!  Compliments of some friends who were so kind to pick it up at a military base

2. Hohenzollern Bridge - crosses the river Rhine in Koln.  Since 2008 people have put love padlocks on it

3. Elders and Sister missionaries

4. With the new bishop and his wife

5. Kevin, Daniel and Elder Arts

6. Kevin and Herr Zeitel