Grüessech mitenand!!
I can’t believe it that Halloween was yesterday (admittedly not very celebrated here in Europe) and that today is November 1st! (That one is very celebrated here) The speed of the mission really is indescribable. I do know that at least now we have been here long enough that the members are starting to invite us over instead of us having to always ask for appointments, a nice change of pace. Admittedly, there is one downside though (or upside?): all the members want to share a piece of Swiss culture with us, specifically, raclette. We have now had raclette many times, even 3 times in the last week. In case you aren’t sure what it is, I will try to explain.
The consistent factors are the raclette grill, raclette cheese, and raclette potatoes. In the most basic form, you take boiled raclette potatoes, mash or cut them up, put raclette cheese on the raclette grill, wait for it to melt, then scrap it onto your potato and eat. Repeat as many times as they hand you a potato. It is a pretty heavy meal, so some people like to add a side salad, or two, or three, and maybe some sliced fruit. And the cheese does have flavor itself, but it is also often served with black pepper and nutmeg, other spices from curry to chilie powder, and all manner of pickled things and bacon. There are also many options of raclette cheese with different spices or herbs in it to add some flavor in this way. If they have a fancy raclette grill, it may also have a grilling stone on top, in which case they will probably want to grill some meat to eat with the raclette, some lamb, chicken, sausage, or shrimp.
I would certainly not claim to be a professional, but at this point I think I have a little skill when it comes to the cheese to potato proportions and how you best scrap the cheese onto the potatoes to get all of it off and even spread. Basically, I think I have had a little too much raclette, but will I ever say ‘no’ when the members offer it up? Time will tell, but as of right now I will just keep stuffing myself with potatoes and cheese if it means we get to share a little bit of a spiritual thought with these great people.
Because overall, that is what is most important to me here, having the opportunity to share a little bit of the light of Christ with these people every day. The gospel and my knowledge of our Savior brings me so much joy and peace and I want others to be able to come a little bit closer to Christ through our interactions. If eating raclette every day is how I share the love of God, then I will do it happily.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and can feel the Savior’s love for you!
Liebe Grüße, Sister Tripp
