6.  It was a very hot and very humid summer night in Vienna Austria. After an entire day of travel through the beautiful green countryside of Austria. Trains, subways, and street cars were all used to arrive at the final destination. I had finally made it. I was official a missionary in my first city. I couldn't wait to take it on and learn as much as I could about it. It just felt different. I had been to big cities before. New York included. I knew what it was like to rely on public transport, interact with hundreds of people a day, and see very tall and historic buildings. But Vienna (or Wien as the locals say) had a different spirit. Everything looked so old and rich in history and I knew that there was something special about that place.

     I miss my mission every day. I miss the people, the area, and the work. I miss the smells and sights of places like Vienna, Austria and Stuttgart, Germany. I miss the food. I miss interacting with hundreds of people a day. Weather it was on the street, in a bus, in a train, in a subway, I was always talking to people and it was just very very fun for me. I also just felt like I was so driven and accomplishing so much. 

  I served first in Vienna, and I loved every single day of it. I am saving up every cent I can to go there at the end of summer 2016. It is a very important thing for me to see these places and experience all of that again. After Vienna, I was sent to a small city in south-western Germany called Waiblingen. Waiblingen was about a 20 minute train ride to the north of Stuttgart. I lived there for almost 7 months and I loved every day. Those Germans were some of my favorites. Then I went down south to the Austrian-Swiss border. I lived in a city called Dornbirn. Its the prettiest place in the entire world. It is a large city in the Alps surrounded by hundreds of small villages and other cities. I was there in the summer and it was outrageously hot. But at least I got a tan. Then I went back up to Stuttgart and served in the city. SO industrial!! Its the industrial heart of southern Germany and it looks the part. That was a difficult time for me as far as missionary work goes, but I still can’t complain. It was an awesome city. My last stop was in the Austrian city Graz. Its the second largest city in Austria and is full of college students and intellectuals who were so fun to talk to. 

On my mission I made great friends and memories that I will never forget. I can’t wait to go back with my wife and family multiple times and help them experience everything that I did. I just wish everyone could see these places and feel the culture.