Hello friends! These past two days have been special here in Klotten! On Friday, I felt lonely for the first time in a while, and I missed having the Geary’s here during the day. However, the Lord strengthened me and helped me through friends and family. During the day, I was blessed to be able to receive some guests that were staying here and be able to communicate well enough in German so that they could understand me. Shortly afterwards, I received a visit from Heide who came to visit between her jobs and brought me food (Käsewurst) to eat! Later in the day, I was able to talk to my cousin Ruby and my mom, and they suggested that I should go outside and interact with the people. My mom suggested that I play my clarinet a bit, and I did. I chose a location that was away from the shops and outdoor cafe’s so I would not disturb the people that were dining, and set up shop by the town’s information center for tourists. There was a couple that was closing up the little diner that is part of the center, but they didn’t seem bothered by my playing. After I had played for about twenty minutes, the couple pulled up by me in their car on their way out, the husband looked to his wife, she gave him a nod saying, “yes,” and the husband stretched out his hand offering to give me a few Euros. I was reminded of the words of King Benjamin to his people when he was teaching them about what it meant to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This couple thought I was playing because I was in need and they were willing to help me. I was in need, although not in need of money, and their kind gesture helped me feel loved. I graciously declined, as best as I could with my German skills, and let them know I was playing for fun! They then smiled and drove away. That was a very sweet experience! I also tried to get to know one of my neighbors here. I started the conversation by asking her what her name was, to which she replied by asking why I wanted to know. Fortunately, I was able to explain that I was learning German and that I was a student, and then she opened up a little more and I found out her name is Kirsten!

Today I had the opportunity to visit Cochem a little bit and it was nice to see the families exploring and the people enjoying their vacations. I also got to try starting a few conversations and that was great! Other than that, it was a pretty calm day.