Subway

When was the last time you ate at Subway? Do you remember the smell of the bread as you opened the door or the look of all the fresh crisp vegetables. Can you taste the sauces on your toasted bread. Oh man just writing this post is making me hungry.

Freiburg is not known for its great Subway. In fact I don’t think it is even mentioned in any dinning guide for the city. However for me Subway is one of those places I will always return to. The reason being is that Subway in Germany is a million times better than here in the US. It’s pretty much the same. There aren’t any differences on the menu items. The only difference is the ‘Fresh’ cheese.  Yummmm.

Fresh cheese or Frischkäse is like cream cheese but better. You put that on your sub and man it changes everything. The bread taste better, the vegetables are amazing, and you don’t need to add any sauce just some salt and pepper and walla. You have the perfect sandwich that will engage every taste-bud you have.

During my first week in Freiburg this is where my trainer Sister Christopher took me – Subway. It was so good and I do believe I ordered everything in Germany which wasn’t hard because I just pointed and said ‘das, und das’. (translated meaning that, and that, and some of that) I loved it, it was so good……..I know a few of you may be thinking ‘this is crazy, it can’t actually be that great’. I dare you to try it, but I warn you – you will never like the ‘American’ Subway afterwards.

Ok food is good but when you are eating with friends the meal becomes so much more than just another meal it becomes an experience. One of the greatest things I loved about Sister Christopher was that we didn’t need to be talking all the time. We just enjoyed being in each other’s company. That first day in Subway was one of those moments. We sat and ate our lunch in complete silence. Yet I felt like we got to know each other the best in those few quite minutes.

So if you still don’t understand how totally obsessed I am with the German Subway in Freiburg, if you ever come out to visit me ask to see my Subway items. I still have my first straw, the placemat, and a napkin from that day.

mit freundlichen Grüßen

Jenessa Jensen

Freiburg, Germany - The First Area

Freiburg, Germany. It is an absolutely beautiful city. It has a rail system that can take you almost anywhere as well as a fantastic bus system. It’s very green and there are lots of parks for walking in. Outside of our first apartment in Freiburg we had these giant chestnut trees that during the winter would drop these prickly balls at you if you weren’t paying attention. There are fantastic buildings with detailed architectural designs. I probably can never really paint the picture of how beautiful it is – so you will just have to go and visit it yourself.

The day we arrived in Freiburg was a random German holiday. This would not be an issue other than the fact that Sister Christopher and I were moving into a deserted apartment with no food or supplies. Thankfully the Elders in the area had some stale cereal and crackers they were willing to part with on our behalf. As we wouldn’t be doing any shopping that day we go right to work. Dropping our suitcases off and grabbing a stack of pass-along cards we started walking.

One of the Elders had been in the area the transfer before and was going to show us around the area. He had also set up an appointment for us all to meet with one of the member families. Sister Christopher told me that as we walked places we should always be contacting people. So as we started walking I starting stopping everyone we passed. I had learned in Zurich that I could stop them but that I couldn’t continue the conversation because I didn’t understand them. Being the great trainer she was, Sister Christopher said that was fine as she would help me with the rest. We stopped everyone, and I mean everyone. By the time we arrive at the elders place our stack of pass-along cards was half gone and we had at least two potential investigators.

The Elders walked us all over the place. We were shown the church building, the grocery store, many of the members homes, as well as some less actives. The entire time Sister Christopher and I were stopping people and talking to them. I would stop them and ask my question, it went something like this – “we are talking about prayer, what experiences have you had with prayer.” Remember my German was nonexistent so the fact that I knew that much was pretty good. Sister Christopher would then take over and teach about prayer and ask them if they would like to learn more. Lots of people said no but they would take a pass-along card anyways.

The Elders had heard that we were the ‘Dream Team’ (word travels fast in the mission) but little did they know what that meant. To us it meant that no matter what time or where we were, we would be doing the work of the Lord. By the end of the day I was so warn out. One of the elders snapped a photo of me on our way home that night. He later gifted it to me saying that it showed my improvement. It’s a very sad looking picture. We returned to the apartment that night dead tired. We planned the next day, unpacked our sheets, said prayers, and went to bed. I remember laying in bed and just being so excited to finally be on my mission and in Germany of all places. I slept sound and hard that night completely unprepared for the next 10 months but extremely excited.

mit freundlichen Grüßen

Jenessa Jensen

The Mission Presidents Wife

Think about everything you have ever heard about Germans. You may have heard that they are very stern. Maybe that they aren’t friendly, that they would rather eat you than be your friend. Perhaps you had hear they cooked the best food, but desserts were bland. Or that they only eat meat and potatoes. I’ll admit that heading to Germany this was what I was told by a lot of people. So when I arrive in Zurich and met the Mission Presidents wife I was sure it was all true.

The Mission Presidents wife was short and stocky. When she looked at me, I was positive she was looking right into my soul ready to destroy it at any second. She and Mission President has picked us up from the airport and lucky for me I was the only sister so I got the great privilege of riding back to the mission home with them both – alone. Neither of them spoke any English to me but asked questions in German where I could only reply with I don’t understand. After a few questions like this, they stopped asking and continued the conversation by themselves. It was the longest ride of my life and I wanted to cry.

Upon arrival at the mission home we had our interviews with the Mission President and then went street contacting with the assistants. We were told that we needed to be back by a certain time for dinner and not to be late. We were late and we got it bad from the Mission Presidents wife who had been waiting for us. As this had been my fault, so to say. I got the sternest look all through dinner.

Dinner was amazing. After dinner the Elders went with the assistants and were placed in a hotel down the road. I on the other hand was once again left alone to stay in the mission home with the President and his wife. She took me up to my room and along the way pointed out different rooms and items like towels and such that I would need. Mind you this was all done in German and I didn’t understand a thing. When I told her that I didn’t understand she just shook her head and moved on. She set my things down in the guest room and returned back downstairs to do the dishes. Left alone in the room I quickly said a prayer for strength and headed down to the kitchen.

There she was this women I would come to love and cherish, doing the dishes. I knew the words for help and clean in German. So there I stood mustering up courage. When she looked up at me I said ‘Can I hilfe sauber the dishes, please’.  I didn't know if she understood me or if I had even said the correct words but there I stood praying that she would let me help. Something must have struck her with my plea because she stopped scrubbing the dishes and handing me the scrub brush and said “I guess that will be ok Sister Jensen”. I wanted to cry, this whole time she had made me struggle and feel completely lost but she could speak perfect English.

I don’t know if washing the dishes is what changed the feelings between us or if she finally just had pity on me, but we ended up becoming friends after that point. I was invited down for scripture study and prayer that night and even though it was in German, as things would come up she was quick to help me understand. Later in my mission I got to spend some time in the mission home and to learn more about this women know as the Mission Presidents Wife. She is kind, loving, and has a great sense of humor. She cared deeply about each and every missionary that came through that mission and she would do anything to help them.

How blessed I feel to have known the Mission Presidents Wife – a true German.

mit freundlichen Grüßen

Jenessa Jensen