We got a chance to tell a Jewish couple we had dinner with this week about the Restoration.  It seems like missionary opportunities are coming very frequently.  It helps that we hang out with friends now!  The stake president in my first area in Chico California developed a program which he called “Fishing for Friends.”  The point is that to be fishers of men we just have to go out and make friends and love people.  In the process sharing the gospel will occur naturally if you are open about the gospel being the main course of your life right from the beginning. I always thought that was a great way to make sharing the gospel seem less intimidating.  And Elisa has always been good at giving a first discussion.

This week we went bowling for family home evening with two of the American families we go to church with.  The girls and the kids bowled on a separate lane with bumpers.  I always get apprehensive bowling because I know I am going to do horribly, but with bumpers it is not nearly as humiliating (of course you do not always have the excuse that the little kids need them).  I am never bowling without bumpers again!  Sadly, I still didn’t break 100.

We signed the papers for the apartment Friday morning.  Unfortunately, because it is part of a co-op, we have to figure out how to transfer a very large sum of money from US dollars to CHF (Swiss currency) this week.  Both our banks here in Zürich and in the states are not cooperating.  We are trying to wire money but apparently banks don’t let you wire money to yourself.  Big stressful issue. Chad’s employer may give us a salary advance, but since they haven’t responded to Chad’s emails we’ll need to overnight a check to someone in the US and then have them wire us the money.  This is just one sign of the difficulties that people at work have with communicating.  Hopefully we will be permanently in the apartment a week from Monday (when our temporary housing is up).

I was very stressed about our finances as it seems we are spending our money even before it is given to us. We are also trying to plan our honeymoon for Easter weekend.  With all of the move expenses it seems like the extra money we saved for our honeymoon has already been spent as well.  Chad and I ended up drawing up a new budget together. It became very stressful to see how all of the obstacles we have run into here have made our expectations for a comfortable life here and being able to take advantage of travel opportunities borderline unrealistic. Chad then taught me about compounding.  He drew up a plan for our finances and showed me how this would work out for us so we could be set for retirement.  It was really helpful to see a goal that we are working for with our finances.  For the first time I didn’t feel completely overwhelmed at our budget and rather saw that we are doing pretty good.  We wish we had done this ages ago.

It looks like compounding is a pretty powerful principle.  Sadly the obstacles and mishaps that have happened during this process of switching companies and moving abroad have piled up and become very overwhelming. When we left Seattle we didn’t understand the consequences or extent of some of the things that were already going wrong however more and more has been added.  We are hoping so much that changes are going to be made and the promise of a “nice and smooth” transition will start to be realized.

I was telling Chad that no matter what happens or is happening, to make this dream of living in Switzerland a bit more like a nightmare, we have been so blessed already.  We are stronger for working through these problems together.  We are humbled knowing we cannot do it without a lot of help from the Spirit and Heavenly Father.  We have been blessed with incredibly loving and supportive friends.  I unintentionally let my guard down last night while playing games with some new friends of ours and humiliated myself.  But I know they give me the benefit of the doubt and like others here are ready to overlook my character flaws because they genuinely care about me.  What a huge blessing!  I know there were times on my mission where I felt overwhelmed by all the difficult trials being compounded, but after all it will always be worth it because of the growth, the blessings and the love I received and had the opportunity to share.