The 4-leaf clover is built into the floor at the bottom station on the dolderbahn. Church outside of the dolderbahn station. Me standing where the dolderbahn comes to rest.

JUNE 3, 2009 WEDNESDAY

Today was wash day as usual. We had time to do two batches, one white and the other dark.
Yesterday we received notice in the mail that we needed to pick up a letter from the Swiss government, so this morning we took care of business (baths, breakfast, reading, and prayers) then left for the post office. We decided that while we were going to be in the neighborhood of Elizabeth Graff, we would stop in and see if we could find her at home because her partner said that she would be in t own this week. But to no avail. We have been to that house with the blue mail box so many times and it is always disappointing to find no one to home except for the one time we found her partner home last week. After finding no one home we caught the bus to go to the post office and lo and behold, who should we find on the bus but our very own missionaries, Elders Harris and Nilsson. They wanted to know what we were doing in the Deilsdorf Ward’s area? We didn’t know what area we were in, only that a member from our ward list lived there. They were a little confused about the dividing lines between the areas also. We came to our bus stop at the Oerlikon Bahnhof and all of us parted ways with friendly hand shakes and a hearty tschau.

We walked to the post office and presented our slip at the window only to find that we didn’t have the required identification. The post will not give us our mail unless we have proof of who we are such as a passport or visa with our photo and address. We pleaded with the lady but she was a stickler for the rules. “No” was her final answer. Robert remembered he may have put his visa in the bag he always carries so he quickly started to rummage through the black bag that seems to be connected to his arm and, after a few seconds or so, found his visa. Whew! That saved us about an hour’s time if we would have had to go back home to get it. So we were able to pick up the letter and leave for home. The letter wasn’t one that we really wanted; it just stated that we needed health insurance or else. We have been dealing with this problem since we got here last October. Switzerland requires that everyone within its boundaries have health insurance. We purchased a policy from Deseret Mutual, the Church health insurance company, but that doesn’t seem to be qualify. We’ll let Sister Sunke at the mission home try and solve the problem for us.

While we were home, Cornelia called us and wanted to set up a time that we could come and teach a lesson to her. We decided the earliest and best time was tomorrow morning at 9:00 which is before we have to meet with the couple we helped yesterday. At 10:00 we have an appointment with them to finish putting in the lights and assembling another closet wardrobe. They think that they may have purchased too many as they have no more room in the house to fit any more in. So we were happy that Cornelia took the initiative to call us to set up the appointment. We hoped we wouldn’t have to keep bugging her every time we talked with her.

At 1:45 it was time for us to be off to the Rodriquez family to help them. We spent a few hours there helping finish putting together the beds, tending the kids and screwing up the baseboards. In the process of helping carry up the parts for everything(from the “keller” or storage room at the bottom of the building) Robert managed to close his finger in the huge 400lb. door. It is mostly smashed so it only bled around the mashed edges of the finger, however he did get to have a Swiss bandage with a white cross on it applied to his finger, so all is well? After the work was finished we visited a bit and asked Julio if he wanted to find out more about the church. He didn’t seem too excited about it, but said we could come. His wife Gabriela finds it difficult to get the kids ready for church and watch them on her own so she hasn’t been too active. We did offer to help tend the kids while she is in church with us, but we will see what the outcome will be. They still have some furniture to put together, but can’t find the hardware to do it. We told them, when they are able to find the rest of the parts to the rest of the furniture, that we will be glad to help them again. We left on a happy note and we have a family we can visit and add to our home teaching list.

On the way home we decided to stop in and pick up a few groceries as it is so difficult to get all you need carried home on the tram. So this is one of the few times that Robert let me carry a couple of the bags, besides that he also was carrying his black bag and a bag full of tools with a saw, drill, screwdrivers, pliers, a two and a half foot level, and whatever else it is that he thought he might have needed. So with his smashed middle finger, we made our way back home. We had a humble dinner, and that is why this blog looks a lot different tonight. Love ya all. Us.