Another week to remember...

We enjoyed this past week. We helped in the clean up after the torrential cloudbursts of last week. Things are back to normal. We took a stroll this past week through the botanical garden near our home that was flooded with more than a meter of water. The workers were very busy cleaning up the mud and debris. It is surprising how quickly this huge park returned to the beautiful place it is. The parks and open spaces are treasured and are well taken care of. At the one end of the park is located the Dortmund Zoo. They have trees from all over the world in that park. You can even find some of the tropical trees and plants that are protected in the winter time by large greenhouses.

The past Thursday was our main activity evening with an institute class and a very nice meal. We had 18 young adults in attendance. The lesson at institute was on the Ewige Ene (Eternal Marriage). The instructor was a former Stake President and his wife. They gave a great message. We keep hoping that somehow the young single adults will be motivated to seriously look for a mate. They seem to enjoy themselves, but to get something going romantically seems to be far from their mind. School and work and accumulating wealth seem to be a priority. We keep telling them that if they wait till they can afford to get married, it may be too late.

There is a report that we fill out every month which measures the activity and effectiveness of the Outreach Initiative program at the Center. There are only 12 statistical questions that are asked. There are the usual questions such as average attendance, how many mission calls were extended and questions about missionary activities. The last and one of the major ones is the question: "How many YSA coming to the Center were married in the Temple during the month?" I looked back at the older reports of the past few months and find that a '0' appears for a long time.

This past weekend we took some time from our normal activities and visited one of our extended family some 220 km from Dortmund. We left Friday morning and returned late Sunday night. The home town (Vockerode/Meissner) and birthplace of my mother was a beautiful and inviting as ever. This is a view from above Vockerode.My cousin and family welcomed us with open arms. We attended a Medieval Festival at an old castle. For the first time we visited a beautiful old town where the Fulda River and the Werra River "kiss" each other (or come together) and which is the place where a new river, the Weser River has its beginning. Karl-Heins, Brigitte, Anina and I even enjoyed a boat ride up and down part of the Fulda, the Werra, and the Weser. We were told many of the historical aspects of the area. Walking through the village was a delight viewing the old beautiful buildings. I think that this city of Hann.Muenden is as charming as any of the more famous cities in Southern Germany. With a similar history such as Passau. By the way the three rivers I just mentioned are the only major rivers in Germany that start and end in Germany. The Weser River that runs north through Bremen and on into the North Sea.

A main street of the town on a Saturday.