Detroit//Dresden

Yes, you read that right. I had the pleasure of spending 24 hours in the great city of Detroit this week. This will be a long email. Buckle up. Here's what happened:

DETROIT

3:30 am - wake up. Grab my stuff, walk out of the MTC. 

PHASE 1 - hop on a bus

PHASE 2 - hop on a train

PHASE 3 - another train  

PHASE 4 - arrive at the airport. Check bags and get boarding passes

PHASE 5- security 

PHASE 6.1 - flight to Detroit 

*if you'll remember, we had a 40 minute layover to get on a plane to Amsterdam.*

PHASE 6.1.a - board plane. kerfuffle with an oxygen mask. In the words of our captain: "we will be waiting here for an hour and a half. Apologies for the delay."

PHASE 6.1.b - scavenging for entertainment. We found the mobile version of the no-internet-dinosaur game. Brain Teasers on the Delta TV screens was crazy. Elder Brady generously donated a sudoku puzzle. In all honesty, I've never had more fun in my life. 

PHASE 6.1.c - landing in Detroit. Find a backup flight plan, seeing as Amsterdam was out of the question. 

PHASE 7 - shuttle. 

Current time: 5:30 pm

Next available flight: 6:15pm. The next day. Hence, shuttle to the…. 

PHASE 8 - hotel!!!!!!!!! 

I don't think you all understand just how ridiculous the situation was. We were just a group of 18 and 19 year old kids in suit jackets and dresses standing in the Detroit Airport without functioning phones and a clue in the world. Like, for the most part of my life, I thought of missionaries as mature, responsible adults. It didn't strike me until Detroit that missionaries really are just recent high school graduates with a tag. Ha. So we spent a day in Michigan!

We ended up dining that night at a delightful place called "Big Boy," with an even better backstory involving a chubby 6 year old and questionable child labor. Yes, we did get a kick out of that. 

I really had the adventure of a lifetime with people I didn't even know 6 weeks ago. My experience on a mission has taught me that God knows me. He has put these people in my life. He knows everything that makes us happy and yearns to bring us more joy than we know to be possible. In His wisdom, God allows hard things. Without deep sorrow, we would never know true joy. How thankful I am to believe in a God of JOY! 

DRESDEN

Anyways, who cares about Detroit???? I'm in Germany now! 

I am living in Dresden. My trainer is nice. Germany is really pretty. (I'm so sorry. Can you tell which half of this email I wrote before my red eye flight?!) 

I am so tired and confused, quite frankly. I have no idea how to be a missionary. 90% of my life is new right now: living in a new apartment, with people I don't know, in a country I don't know, speaking a language that I don't know. But I trust the Lord and I love learning more each day! 

Germany stories 

-Eating lunch in a real life fairy tale home! We had lunch at a member's house, and there was a cute wooden spiral staircase and gnomes and dried flowers everywhere! 

-Frauen Kirche- visited the beautiful alte Stadt of Dresden!

-My ward: I love my ward (church congregation)! There are a TON of Venezuelan immigrants here that come to church, so my Spanish is being put to good use 

-trying döner (a Turkish dish) that's popular in Germany

-Oktober markets!!! Cute little fall markets that were set up recently 

-playing spikeball by the Elbe river 

I'm sorry this email was all over the place. But I made it to Germany and I'm figuring things out! Loving the food, loving the culture, loving the people. 

Love you all!!!

Sister Hunsaker 

Goodbye Sister Colver and Sister Brown!

Off the plane! So naive!

Panic at the Delta Desk. "Put on the tag and suddenly you turn 40" -Elder Burnham, after a group reflection on how we turned into our parents during this travel ordeal

LOS GEHTS!

Religions Reflections

"Last American meal" 🥸