JANUARY 16, 2010 SATURDAY

We know this moving thing is getting redundant in our journal, but for us it has been a real task. We came to Switzerland with two suitcases apiece plus a couple of carry-ons and whatever else we could carry on our persons. Since we arrived, Diana wanted to buy everything we needed for our whole mission minus the perishables that need to be bought almost everyday and, thinking we would serve in the same place our whole mission, that’s what we did. In addition to having to move our remaining seven months supply, we moved a chest of drawers, a fridge, a mattress, various tools that I didn’t want to leave behind, an office chair and other various and sundry kitchen utensils we bought and office supplies. We also didn’t know exactly what proselyting materials were already here so we brought what we thought we would need. Once here it took just Saturday evening to get things arranged so we could rest for the night. Today was another long day of finishing the deeper cleaning of the apartment, sorting through books, pamphlets, BMs, etc. and organizing what the last missionaries left behind. Diana managed the kitchen and bedroom areas and I did the living room including the book shelves with the media supplies. Once we had theirs sorted and threw away what needed to be chucked, and organized what we kept, we put our stuff away, at least most of it. We still have a few smaller boxes to finish.

We were able to break free about 4:00 to go and buy some special garbage stamps from Migros before they closed. Getting rid of garbage is a little different here in Schaffhausen. Rather than buying specially marked garbage bags, we buy black normal garbage bags, but in order for them to be picked up, you have to stick a stamp on them. The shopping mall is at the end station which is the opposite end from the train station. The shopping center is quite large with all kinds of stores including a Migros food store and Do-It Center, a COOP and a Denners. We wished there was an Aldi, too, but there wasn’t. We bought our stamps, carrots, clementines and apples and then went back home.

Along about 5:30 our door buzzer went off. Who could that be? It turned out to be Sandro DeMarzi, the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency, and his son Julian who is nine years old. We invited them in and had a nice conversation and got acquainted with each other. He welcomed us into the branch and brought us up to speed on some of the challenges they’ve had over the last year. Some good members moved away which they could ill afford because the branch is so small. Another good member moved to Utah and got involved with a fundamental group and plural marriage and then came back and actively recruited his good member friends to come join his church that he started here. This kind of wreaked havoc with the branch. A few members also got disenchanted with the branch presidency and simply quit coming. It sounded like there is a lot of work to do to help support the active branch members to revitalize it.

We expected a computer guy to show up sometime today to see what we needed to do to get our computer internet installed, but no one showed up. The apartment managers were not home when we wanted to find out about it, so we are still in the dark about what and when. We hope we can get it done soon. We need the computer to not only communicate with back home, but we need it to use Google Maps to find directions to the people we want to visit. Without it we are in the dark. We have our Tom Tom, but it doesn’t tell us which bus to get on and other relevant information. Once we are headed in the right direction, it works for us just fine. We also got an assignment from the zone leaders for zone conference Monday and it would help us to find resource material to use for it. We have a ten minute workshop on cleanliness to present. We feel this is an area where the missionaries definitely need help. It’s easy to get caught up in the “work” and forget about keeping apartments and clothes neat, clean and orderly as well as eating properly. They need to be reminded constantly about these things.