Christmas Zone Celebration 2017

We all gathered for our zone devotional in the Chapel and then retired to the gym for some lighter "entertainment".  Tony and Elder Steinekert (Jay) put together a cute rendition of "Elvis" together......Before they began, Tony asked me to come up and sing a little nursery rhyme we learned 43 years ago after he came home from his first (younger) mission to Germany!  I died!  I do not like being in front of people especially to perform ANYTHING!  But, there we were, singing our nursery rhyme and all seemed to enjoy it.  Then, the laughs came as Tony (with Jay Steinekert on the piano) sang, imitating Elvis....."Blue Christmas".....ending with "porky pigs" rendition of the same song......  Everyone had a good time

 This picture below is of Elfie.  She lives in our building and has become a friend to many missionaries who live here.  She is not a member of our church although she comes weekly to our Sacrament service.  She says that as a youth, she was forced to join Hitler's Youth and would never join another organization as long as she lives.  She lived here thru the war and saw many atrocities as a young girl that she will never forget.  She is quite an accomplished piano player and she got up and sat at the piano and explained to us that she use to play for the American Servicemen serving against Hitlers regime.  As she told us a bit about her experiences she continued playing the piano softly and when she got to the part about the American Servicemen, she began to play the Battle Hymn of the Republic and one by one we stood with our hands over our hearts feeling what it must have been like for those servicemen here in Germany away from loved ones, as we are experiencing being away from our loved ones although the circumstances are quite different for us.  It was quite touching and somber.  When you live in Europe, you gain such a great appreciation for America and all the blessings and luxuries of life we are afforded.

 This is Tony imitating ELVIS and doing quite a good job!  It was a wonderful evening.

Goodbye Randy and Rebecca Stay and Christmas celebrations

Another luncheon.....this time to say goodbye to Rebecca Stay.  Rebecca and her husband work with the humanitarian department and have served two missions here.  She also teaches and old testament class......she majored in Hebrew and her knowledge of the old testament is second to none.  We have enjoyed learning from her. 

 We went to hear a vocal group called KAMMERCHOR VOCALIS.  They put on a concert at the church of Christmas music.  Christian Wolfurt (far right) from the OGC office (he is the legal coordinator for the office) invited us to come and hear the group.  We are glad we did.  They sang mostly in German but some were in English, but the melodies were all familiar.  It was an evening well spent.

 the night of the concert

 One of the favorite things that Tony does, is on Sundays, after church, he takes a walk thru the cemetery across the street from where we live.  Below is a picture of it right after a Sunday snow fall.

                    This is what the cemetery looked like just one week before the snow fall.

My sweet husband in our apartment......I just like this picture because I caught him and he wasn't posing.

I took this picture from my kitchen window on Sunday while the snow was falling

Elder Ault, (second from left) will be going home next week so we had all five of these young missionaries over for dinner.  They are great kids and appreciate a "home cooked" meal from American whenever they can get it!  They all live in our apartment complex and we see them quite often as they are coming and going as they do their work here.  So grateful for young men like these that give up two years of college or whatever they are doing between the ages of 18 and 21.  I am so grateful that our son, Hunter was able to serve two years in Idaho.  

Christmas in Germany and Sister Enger

Each Tuesday I attend a class with some of the other missionaries who want to learn about the culture of Germany.  This month we are learning about Christmas.  It is very interesting.  Christmas begins in Germany earlier than America.  It starts four Sundays before Christmas with Advent.  Advent is usually a wreath with four candles on it that sits on a table.  On the first Sunday, one candle is lit, on the second Sunday, the first and second candle are lit and so forth.  Some families give a gift on each Sunday but it is not all about the gifts but about spending time together as a family.  Weihnachtsmann (Santa Clause) may not come.  The Christkind (Christ child in English) is the person who is the gift giver in Germany and other parts of Europe.  The "Christkind" does not look like you would think.  It is usually a girl, but could be a boy, with blond hair and a crown with candles in the crown who is the bearer of gifts to the children.  She usually has a cape to represent wings and a long dress which is white and with gold stars.  The Christkind brings gifts on the evening of the 24th instead of waiting until the 25th.  Usually, as tradition has been, the father takes the children out of the home on the 24th while the mother sets up the tree and decorates it preparatory for the Christkind.  When father brings the children back home they are all excited because everything is all decorated and ready for the opening of presents after a good meal.  They do not get as many gifts as American children receive.  Germans are a lot more practical with their spending of hard earned money and children may receive 2-3 gifts and be so thrilled with their treasures.

 St. Nikolaus Day ..... the Saint on whom "Santa Claus" is based actually comes on the 6th of December.  Oft times, St. Nikoaus would come to ones home and read from his list of all the naughty and nice things that the children of the household did that past year and then he would not give out gifts but instead each child would get candy.

In American, we always have a turkey on Christmas day for our dinner but you won't find one in Germany.  Instead they have a goose with cooked red cabbage.  One more thing that you won't hear in Germany ..... Silent Nite.......Not until Christmas eve, this is the only time they sing this favored hymn.

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Office Christmas Luncheon

We had a Christmas Office luncheon at a darling German restaurant.  We love all the people we work with.  There are 12 of us in the Office of General Council.  Six senior missionaries and the rest are paid employees.  This is a picture of Christian Wolfurt, he is a paid employee.  He's 37 years old and such a great guy.  We really enjoy him.  The couple on the left are the Thomas's, David and Paula.  They are missionaries and are from Orem.  They are our next door neighbors and have become dear friends.  David is such a nice man and Paula is one of the kindest woman I have ever met.  She always has something nice to say about everyone!  Very dear friends.

This is Jeff and Janet Nelson.  Jeff is the Area Legal Council.  He is the man we answer to.....the boss.  We had spoken with him many times before we came to Germany.  He would tell us what to expect when we arrived in Germany.  He and Janet were at the airport with our zone leaders, the Proctors to meet us and take us to our apartment.  They have both been so wonderful.  They are from Brooklyn New York, where they raised their family of four kids.  Janet has had multiple luncheons at her home and has had us over for dinner a few times.  She is very involved in our lives and makes sure we all feel included and comfortable.  She is such a great hostess and such a kind person.  She serves on the General Young Woman Board of the church.  I admire her for her dedication and work ethic and integrity.  Jeff will come into my office every once in a while and ask if I am happy and if I like what I am doing.  He wants to make sure I am comfortable and happy with my assignments.  We couldn't ask for better people to work with.

 Jill and Don Roberts are such dear friends.  I met Jill before we even moved here.  I found her blog and started reading about the mission and it made me feel so much better prepared before we even arrived.  We talked on the phone a couple of times before we left Utah and she was the first face I saw when we arrived here at the apartment.  She is a dear friend.  She works for the Area General Authorities one floor beneath us in the OGC and she is also very involved with the Refugees here in Frankfurt.  Don's office is right next to ours and he and Tony get along so great.  He's a great guy and a lot of fun.  There are a lot of activities for us to take part in and Tony and I love all the social things and take part in them all.  Don and Jill have taken us to a few castles and out to dinner and had us over to dinner etc.  They will always be good friends.  Next to Don, is Lynn Driscoll.  She is a barrister from England (really!) where she worked for the Crown.  She now works with the attorneys in the OGC.

 We are looking older.....but still so in love as if we were still young.  We are having such a wonderful time here in Frankfurt and are realizing how fast the time is going.  We miss some of the luxuries from home, like a large shower and garbage disposal but this is an opportunity of a lifetime and we are loving it.

 Another cute picture of sweet Paula Thomas

 This is the restaurant, just a little old looking place but really nice inside.  This was built and in the 1700 before the Revolutionary war and the same family has owned it since the 1800's!

Rothenburg and 5 MONTHS of Memories on our Mission

Three years ago we visited Munich and one of our destinations was Rothenburg ob Der Tauber.  We loved it then and we decided that for our 43rd anniversary we would visit it again.  So, on Friday we headed South East from Frankfurt for Rothenburg.  Rothenburg is a Bavarian Medieval City built, as all other towns in Germany, around a Castle.  This particular Castle was called Rothenburg and was built high on a mountain top above the Tauber River.

As we drove, we saw our first Germany snowfall and it did not disappoint !  Just beautiful.

 This is our hotel room in a quaint little

hotel just a mile from the town center.  This is how they do their beds in Germany.  Each side is made up individually instead of making it as one bed with one cover.  We each have our own "down comforter" which they call a Federdecke.  

 We went out to eat at an authentic German restaurant.  It is fun to watch Tony get so excited about eating the German food that he so fondly remembers from his young mission in 1972.

 We were glad we got there on Friday because on Saturday the streets would be busy with all the tourist coming to see the Weihnachtmarkts or Christmas Market that opens at 10:00 am.  Many German towns have this market going on up until Christmas and many town squares have them.....lot's of fun and very festive. We strolled around and went into some cute little shops and enjoyed ourselves in the freezing cold but we bundled up so it wasn't too bad.

 The windows couldn't be cuter!  I loved just walking the streets and looking at all the cute windows that were all decorated for the Christmas holidays.

 Every store was enchanting and we couldn't help but think of our 5 grandchildren back in the United States and how we would love to buy them some of these cute things.  But the expense to get them shipped is exorbitant and besides, we really could fine almost everything back in the states.  Their displays are just so cute, it makes you want to buy everything.

 Here's another cute store.  These Beer Steins are beautiful but extremely expensive.....what would I do with one anyway???

 This was another cute store front.  It was a bakery and they looked delicious.  They are called Schneedballs.  The only problem is, the Germans do not bake with a lot of sugar, which Americans are used to!  We bought some of these and they were just barely sweet.  If I am going to eat something with a lot of calories, it needs to have enough sugar to give me a sugar high!  But they are pretty!

 This is a very famous Christmas store by Kathe Wohlfahrt.  The store looks small but it is HUGE and the decorations and Christmas "stuff" is incredible and very expensive.  I would have taken a picture inside but they asked that we not take pictures.  They had some of those German candle holders with the propeller on top, they are called Pyramids. One of them is $50,000......yes, $50, 000.00

 As we were driving we realized that we have been on our Mission for 5 months already, come Sunday.  Where has the time gone.  We started to list all the things we've done since we arrived and the list is quite long.  

First, in July we entered the MTC in Provo and mingled with all the wonderful missionaries that have dedicated 18 months to 2 years of service.  We loved our experience there and met some wonderful people that we will call our friends forever.  One couple in particular were the Wakilds who are serving in Accra Ghana, West Africa in the OGC.  

Then we had the opportunity to be taught by Bill Atkins and Lance Wickman in Salt Lake City and it was so enlightening and interesting to learn of all the corporations that make up the church organization.

 Then on the 14th of July we arrived in Germany and were met by our zone leaders, the Proctors and the ALC (area legal council) head, Jeff and Janet Nelson.  We were exhausted but ready and excited for our new experience in Germany.

 So, while it took a little while to get our feet on the ground and our days and nights straight.....we were off and running.  Some of the wonderful things that Tony has been able to do is.....  keep several countries open for our missionaries to work.  It is extremely hard these days because of all the refugees entering the countries to get a 2 year Visa permit and Tony works all day, each day on these problems in 26 different countries.  He also kept one Elder from being drafted into a particular country because he has dual citizenship (America and Finland) He also kept a certain young missionary from being deported from his mission country.  I don't think these young missionaries have any idea of all the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep them on their missions.  It seems like something comes up on a daily basis.

 I have worked in the financial department tracking Stake Priesthood Leadership travel.  Some of the work I do results in trainers and Audits.  Sr. Missionaries  travel to these countries to re-train the Stake Presidents and leaders what travel is aloud to be reimbursed and what is not.

 We also have been able to do quite a bit of traveling during our 5 months.  We have been to: Switzerland, the Alps, France, Berlin, Dresden, Reudesheim, the Swiss Temple, the Freiburg Temple, Rothenburg, Braubach off the Rhein and 2 castles - BergEltz and Marksburg.  We also visited a concentration camp from WWII name Buchenwald.

 Among our visits to interesting places, I got to visit the HOSPITAL because of a fall I took on my bike, where I broke a bone in my thumb and needed to be put in a brace for 8 weeks.  Not a fun time at all!

 We have loved riding our bikes and learning how to use the Metro (train) system here to get around the entire city.  We have loved the past five months and look so forward to continue our adventures here in Frankfurt.  We have met the most wonderful people who work along side us and will keep in touch with for the rest of our lives.  We have a lot of fun, at "movie nite" and game nite at some of their apartments and we also have enjoyed going out to dinner with many of them.  We have also had the pleasure of having new senior missionaries over to our flat for a meal to help them with the first few days once they arrive.

 On Saturday, we bundled up again and went down the same streets we had walked the night before in Rothenburg.  This is a typical cobblestoned street.  It was so charming.  I loved just walking around and looking at all the windows and how they were adorned and decorated for the Christmas Season.

 We walked the WALL around Ruthenburg.  It surrounds the city for protection which was common in the 1600's to keep out enemies.  In 1601 after the "Thirty Year's War" the Count of Tilly wanted to "house" his 40,000 troops in Ruthenburg but instead of of allowing them to enter, the town defended itself and had intended to win but instead were quickly defeated by Tilly's troops.  After the war, Tilly's troops left the town poor and almost empty.  Soon the Bubonic Plague broke out and killed most of the remaining townspeople.  Without any money or power the city stopped growing and prospering and remained in its 17th Century state which makes it a lot of fun for todays tourists to travel to see this medieval city.  As can be seen in the home below, the roof is sagging a bit, most of the homes have been preserved but we did notice some of the roofs as we walked along the wall around the city.  We had a great vantage point being up high.

 I took this picture below because I wanted to remember how they decorate their windows.  They are all so unique and pretty.

 Still another picture taken from the wall of a typical street.  Look how they hang Christmas trees outside their homes.  And, at night, they are all lit up....it's quite a sight.  Makes you so in the mood for hot chocolate and Chirstmas!

 This is Tony on the wall.....we walked 3.4 km.  The wall is very thick and every 50 feet or so, there is a cut out where a soldier would stand to watch for unwanted quests from other towns and  defend the town of Rothenburg.

 This last picture was taken from our kitchen window on Sunday.  We woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow this morning.