We are getting into a routine of weekly activities. Monday afternoon and evening is our Family Home evening activity. Instead of worrying each Monday as to what to give to the young people to eat, we decided to make it also a waffle night. We have already broken one waffle iron and we will have to buy another one. We wish we could find the kind of waffle iron that we bought a couple of years ago at Costco. We almost asked the kids (at home) to send us the one we have, but we are not sure how that would work with the electricity we have here in Germany. So we will just do with what we can get here.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening we open up the Center for anyone that just wants to come and use the Internet or play games or just hang out. We also have our missionary district meeting in the morning. On Wednesday we do not open the Center, but we visit the Elders and Sisters apartment and look for any special things they need such as : bedding, repairs or just cleaning the apartment. Since the first of the year we bought and installed a couple of new shower heads, a couple of new kitchen faucets and bought a few new pillows (8 each), and bed sheets (14 each), and two comforters, and some mattress covers. If Anina had her way we would have bought and replaced much more. We found that some of the Elders were sleeping on mattresses without a fitted sheet or mattress cover. We have14 Apartments to visit in our part of the mission. We have only 5 more to go to complete our round for this quarter. Two of the apartments house two sets of Elders.
Thursday is our busy day with Institute class and the meal for all of the young adults. It takes Anina most of the day to get ready to feed about 25 to 30 people. It is a lot of cooking and baking. Anina worries a lot if the kids will enjoy the food, but it usually turns out that very little if anything is left over. (It makes it more difficult because of the limited funds available to buy the food.) So if any of you have some good ideas of food to prepare that is very economical, please let us hear from you.
Friday evening is our activity night. It should be an activity that the young adults are planning. These activities have been very sporadic during the last couple of months. Saturday is our P-day when we don"t have some other urgent things that need to be taken care of (like repairing some broken things in the missionary apartments). Sunday is a day of church meetings and visiting.
During some of our free time we go visiting and joint teach with the missionaries.
All we know that it is a busy schedule for a couple of old people. We hope to find time to be able to take a short nap some of the afternoons.
As anticipated we received a couple of Sister missionaries here in Dortmund. Sister Rieske from Ohio and Sister Fowkes from Arizona. We worked before with Sister Rieske in Bremen. We helped them move into their apartment and Anina went grocery shopping with them. We are glad that we again have four young missionaries here in Dortmund.
In our area there is still a lot of sickness. We have missed some of our faithful members in church today.
We are enjoying the work. We thank our Father in Heaven everyday for the health and strength that is still ours. Your prayers in our behalf are being answered.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Time is passing; ready or not!
We are getting into a routine of weekly activities. Monday afternoon and evening is our Family Home evening activity. Instead of worrying each Monday as to what to give to the young people to eat, we decided to make it also a waffle night. We have already broken one waffle iron and we will have to buy another one. We wish we could find the kind of waffle iron that we bought a couple of years ago at Costco. We almost asked the kids (at home) to send us the one we have, but we are not sure how that would work with the electricity we have here in Germany. So we will just do with what we can get here.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening we open up the Center for anyone that just wants to come and use the Internet or play games or just hang out. We also have our missionary district meeting in the morning.
On Wednesday we do not open the Center, but we visit the Elders and Sisters apartment and look for any special things they need such as : bedding, repairs or just cleaning the apartment. Since the first of the year we bought and installed a couple of new shower heads, a couple of new kitchen faucets and bought a few new pillows (8 each), and bed sheets (14 each), and two comforters, and some mattress covers. If Anina had her way we would have bought and replaced much more. We found that some of the Elders were sleeping on mattresses without a fitted sheet or mattress cover. We have14 Apartments to visit in our part of the mission. We have only 5 more to go to complete our round for this quarter. Two of the apartments house two sets of Elders.
Thursday is our busy day with Institute class and the meal for all of the young adults. It takes Anina most of the day to get ready to feed about 25 to 30 people. It is a lot of cooking and baking. Anina worries a lot if the kids will enjoy the food, but it usually turns out that very little if anything is left over. (It makes it more difficult because of the limited funds available to buy the food.) So if any of you have some good ideas of food to prepare that is very economical, please let us hear from you.
Friday evening is our activity night. It should be an activity that the young adults are planning. These activities have been very sporadic during the last couple of months.
Saturday is our P-day when we don"t have some other urgent things that need to be taken care of (like repairing some broken things in the missionary apartments).
Sunday is a day of church meetings and visiting.
During some of our free time we go visiting and joint teach with the missionaries.
All we know that it is a busy schedule for a couple of old people. We hope to find time to be able to take a short nap some of the afternoons.
As anticipated we received a couple of Sister missionaries here in Dortmund. Sister Rieske from Ohio and Sister Fowkes from Arizona. We worked before with Sister Rieske in Bremen. We helped them move into their apartment and Anina went grocery shopping with them. We are glad that we again have four young missionaries here in Dortmund.
In our area there is still a lot of sickness. We have missed some of our faithful members in church today.
We are enjoying the work. We thank our Father in Heaven everyday for the health and strength that is still ours. Your prayers in our behalf are being answered.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening we open up the Center for anyone that just wants to come and use the Internet or play games or just hang out. We also have our missionary district meeting in the morning.
On Wednesday we do not open the Center, but we visit the Elders and Sisters apartment and look for any special things they need such as : bedding, repairs or just cleaning the apartment. Since the first of the year we bought and installed a couple of new shower heads, a couple of new kitchen faucets and bought a few new pillows (8 each), and bed sheets (14 each), and two comforters, and some mattress covers. If Anina had her way we would have bought and replaced much more. We found that some of the Elders were sleeping on mattresses without a fitted sheet or mattress cover. We have14 Apartments to visit in our part of the mission. We have only 5 more to go to complete our round for this quarter. Two of the apartments house two sets of Elders.
Thursday is our busy day with Institute class and the meal for all of the young adults. It takes Anina most of the day to get ready to feed about 25 to 30 people. It is a lot of cooking and baking. Anina worries a lot if the kids will enjoy the food, but it usually turns out that very little if anything is left over. (It makes it more difficult because of the limited funds available to buy the food.) So if any of you have some good ideas of food to prepare that is very economical, please let us hear from you.
Friday evening is our activity night. It should be an activity that the young adults are planning. These activities have been very sporadic during the last couple of months.
Saturday is our P-day when we don"t have some other urgent things that need to be taken care of (like repairing some broken things in the missionary apartments).
Sunday is a day of church meetings and visiting.
During some of our free time we go visiting and joint teach with the missionaries.
All we know that it is a busy schedule for a couple of old people. We hope to find time to be able to take a short nap some of the afternoons.
As anticipated we received a couple of Sister missionaries here in Dortmund. Sister Rieske from Ohio and Sister Fowkes from Arizona. We worked before with Sister Rieske in Bremen. We helped them move into their apartment and Anina went grocery shopping with them. We are glad that we again have four young missionaries here in Dortmund.
In our area there is still a lot of sickness. We have missed some of our faithful members in church today.
We are enjoying the work. We thank our Father in Heaven everyday for the health and strength that is still ours. Your prayers in our behalf are being answered.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Staying Very Busy
This week we started our quarterly Missionary apartment visits. Things are going much better than the original visits we made. We think that the Elders know the expectations and they respond accordingly. So far we had only one of the apartment where a return visit is necessary, we actually need to install a new kitchen faucet, we will do that when the rest of the apartment is in better shape.
We received word that we will be getting a set of Sister Missionaries in Dortmund this week. We will need to purchase some bedding and other things to make the apartment ready for the Sisters. The apartment has been vacant for a while and we have taken things from the apartment to give to other Missionaries in our Zone, as they needed it.
We received a call this past week from our Mission President. He said that he was sorry that he can not make the time to be able to conduct a new convert Baptism interview. He ask me to conduct the interview in his stead. He told me as much as he knew about the situation. I immediately went to the handbook and found a couple of reasons why the baptism could not take place at this time. I even called our Mission President back and read to him from the handbook. He gently told me that the handbook was a guide and that the Spirit would tell me what needed to be done and that I should keep an open mind and wait for promptings and inspiration. I humbled myself and asked the Lord for direction. The Elders in _________ made the appointment and we drove to the appointed place in ______________. We met the couple and we proceeded to fill out the fill out the Baptism Recommend Form. It took us quite a while to fill out all of the required information for Sister __________________. I next excused her Husband and the Elders and proceeded with interview. The Spirit quickly filled the Bishops Office. Words and questions came to me that I did not know I had. In her expressions she answered most of the questions as outlined in the "Preach My Gospel" handbook without even having to ask to questions. We spend a lot of time going over Doctrine and Covenants Section 20:37. Both of us received a witness that the Atonement of the Savior is sufficient for any of us. The repentance process really works. I have never been more sure that the baptism was to proceed the following day.
We attended the Baptism in ______________ and a lot of people were there from the ward to support her. Afterward we enjoyed some refreshments and most important it was a beginning of a new life for a daughter of God. This is what Missionary Work is all about.
In a couple of hours we will be going to a CES Fireside. It will be a delayed broadcast of the fireside talk given a week ago by President Monson. Anina is just finishing the cookies that we will have as refreshments after the broadcast.
A lot of people are sick with the cold and flu. The Elders in Dortmund have been sick for quite a while now and are taking some medication to help them get over the illness. We are doing well and we hope to stay this way.
We received word that we will be getting a set of Sister Missionaries in Dortmund this week. We will need to purchase some bedding and other things to make the apartment ready for the Sisters. The apartment has been vacant for a while and we have taken things from the apartment to give to other Missionaries in our Zone, as they needed it.
We received a call this past week from our Mission President. He said that he was sorry that he can not make the time to be able to conduct a new convert Baptism interview. He ask me to conduct the interview in his stead. He told me as much as he knew about the situation. I immediately went to the handbook and found a couple of reasons why the baptism could not take place at this time. I even called our Mission President back and read to him from the handbook. He gently told me that the handbook was a guide and that the Spirit would tell me what needed to be done and that I should keep an open mind and wait for promptings and inspiration. I humbled myself and asked the Lord for direction. The Elders in _________ made the appointment and we drove to the appointed place in ______________. We met the couple and we proceeded to fill out the fill out the Baptism Recommend Form. It took us quite a while to fill out all of the required information for Sister __________________. I next excused her Husband and the Elders and proceeded with interview. The Spirit quickly filled the Bishops Office. Words and questions came to me that I did not know I had. In her expressions she answered most of the questions as outlined in the "Preach My Gospel" handbook without even having to ask to questions. We spend a lot of time going over Doctrine and Covenants Section 20:37. Both of us received a witness that the Atonement of the Savior is sufficient for any of us. The repentance process really works. I have never been more sure that the baptism was to proceed the following day.
We attended the Baptism in ______________ and a lot of people were there from the ward to support her. Afterward we enjoyed some refreshments and most important it was a beginning of a new life for a daughter of God. This is what Missionary Work is all about.
In a couple of hours we will be going to a CES Fireside. It will be a delayed broadcast of the fireside talk given a week ago by President Monson. Anina is just finishing the cookies that we will have as refreshments after the broadcast.
A lot of people are sick with the cold and flu. The Elders in Dortmund have been sick for quite a while now and are taking some medication to help them get over the illness. We are doing well and we hope to stay this way.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Coldest night in Germany in 27 Years
Last Tuesday we stood in line waiting to have our groceries checked, when the overhead monitor screen showed the headline: "Coldest night in Germany in 27 Years." The thermometer showed a -15C or about 5F outside our apartment. We have even had a couple nights since then, when it got colder than that. When it snows, it usually only stays on the street or lawn for a couple of hours. This time the snow has been on the ground for a over a week. The children are having fun playing on any little hills with their little sleds. A lot of people are sick with the cold. The young Missionary Elders were sick with a bad cold, Anina has been coughing and threatens to come down with her second bout of the cold. One of our young adults was so sick that we took her to a Doctor to get some relief. The bad thing is that the flu has not hit Germany yet. We were told that the bad flu is in Spain and traveling toward us in Germany. It is to bad that we can't just stop it at the border and deny entrance into the country. Well, we hope for the best.
This past week we had our Zone interviews. It is like a Zone Conference where all of the Missionaries come together to be instructed and the Mission President interviews every Missionary personally. This is a process that takes most of the day.
The Zone Interviews took place on Thursday. It is the same day as our Institute Night. Anina was a little pressed for time to also get ready for the Institute Meal. It was a full day before we had everything cleaned up and were ready to go home.
We enjoyed a full week of activities at the Center. Some of the kids are back from their holiday break. We continue to work on ways to have some of the inactive come and join us. It is so hard for the young adults in today's environment to stay close to the church. We just prepared a report showing the Stakes Young Single Adult activities during the last three years. Very little has changed and at best we are holding our own. This is even with the efforts of the Missionaries. We see a study stream of a few investigators that the young Missionaries bring to the Center. Many are given the lessons, but the conversion rate is very small.
Yet the work is very satisfying as we meet with those that come. We pray with them and play with them and we learn together. Hopefully the Lord will bless them to find a companion, so they can go to the Temple together and there get married.
We just received an e-mail from one of the young adults that we learned to love from Bremen. She is a very bright and beautiful young returned missionary. She spoke of two short relationships over the last six months, but she said that it was only a one sided love affair. It is hard for the young adults to find an eternal companion.
In the Church the standards are a lot different from the way that most of the young people here do it. It is very much the norm for young people to live together, long before thy decide to get married. In our apartment house two single kids just decided to get an apartment. They are in the process of fixing it up. Even buying some furnishings together and are planing on moving in next week. The other kids that moved out of the apartment last week even bought a house together. They said that they may get married within the next few years.
In spite of all the bad news, we are fortunate to be working with some of the finest young people anywhere. Many are very strong in the Faith. We just need a few more of them. I just finished reading a book that Stephen send us for Christmas. It is a book called "Faith Rewarded" by President Monson. The whole book are quotes from President Monson's Journal that deal with his work with the Saints in Eastern Germany (the former DDR). It gave me more faith that the Lord will bless the wonderful Saints for their efforts. So, we pray that the work of the Lord will grow here in this beautiful Country of Germany.
This past week we had our Zone interviews. It is like a Zone Conference where all of the Missionaries come together to be instructed and the Mission President interviews every Missionary personally. This is a process that takes most of the day.
The Zone Interviews took place on Thursday. It is the same day as our Institute Night. Anina was a little pressed for time to also get ready for the Institute Meal. It was a full day before we had everything cleaned up and were ready to go home.
We enjoyed a full week of activities at the Center. Some of the kids are back from their holiday break. We continue to work on ways to have some of the inactive come and join us. It is so hard for the young adults in today's environment to stay close to the church. We just prepared a report showing the Stakes Young Single Adult activities during the last three years. Very little has changed and at best we are holding our own. This is even with the efforts of the Missionaries. We see a study stream of a few investigators that the young Missionaries bring to the Center. Many are given the lessons, but the conversion rate is very small.
Yet the work is very satisfying as we meet with those that come. We pray with them and play with them and we learn together. Hopefully the Lord will bless them to find a companion, so they can go to the Temple together and there get married.
We just received an e-mail from one of the young adults that we learned to love from Bremen. She is a very bright and beautiful young returned missionary. She spoke of two short relationships over the last six months, but she said that it was only a one sided love affair. It is hard for the young adults to find an eternal companion.
In the Church the standards are a lot different from the way that most of the young people here do it. It is very much the norm for young people to live together, long before thy decide to get married. In our apartment house two single kids just decided to get an apartment. They are in the process of fixing it up. Even buying some furnishings together and are planing on moving in next week. The other kids that moved out of the apartment last week even bought a house together. They said that they may get married within the next few years.
In spite of all the bad news, we are fortunate to be working with some of the finest young people anywhere. Many are very strong in the Faith. We just need a few more of them. I just finished reading a book that Stephen send us for Christmas. It is a book called "Faith Rewarded" by President Monson. The whole book are quotes from President Monson's Journal that deal with his work with the Saints in Eastern Germany (the former DDR). It gave me more faith that the Lord will bless the wonderful Saints for their efforts. So, we pray that the work of the Lord will grow here in this beautiful Country of Germany.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
New Year 2009
It is snowing lightly and there is a dusting of snow on the ground. Anina just said it is to cold too go for a walk, so we are comfortably settled in our nice warm apartment.
At church we had a fairly good turn out. Maybe, it was because of family that came to see a baby blessed. The testimony meeting was good, for the Spirit was felt to point that I moved to bear my testimony. After church we visited one of our young adult investigators that is sick. She is one of our American girls that has been coming out to our institute classes and activities. She was so sick that we received a call at 2:30 AM this morning. We calmed her down and gave her some medication. She felt somewhat better this afternoon and we will take her to a Doctor in the morning. We have not quite figured out the medical system here in Germany, but we will learn a little more tomorrow.
New Years Eve was quite peaceful for us, that is , until the midnight hour. At twelve midnight, one would have thought that the Third World War had broken out. The noise and display of fireworks all around us was more like the 4th and 24th of July and more, but all at one time. Only it did not come from a park or stadium, but from many individual homes and many groups of people that got together and put on a display of fireworks. It was close to an hour before things got back to normal.
In our mission there is a rule that all of the missionaries had to be in their apartment by 6:00 PM on New Years Eve. Anina made sure that we had some good things to eat in the house for the duration. We even departed from our gospel study and watched the seven part series of the HBO presentation of "John Adams", based upon the book "John Adams" written by David McCullough. (We watched the last two series on New Years Day). I read the book just about a year ago.(Thanks for the Henries for loaning me the book). It was as rewarding to relive the life of John and Abigail Adams for the second time. (Thanks Phil for sending us those disks.)
As you know, John Adams was called upon to live for extended periods of time over seas (Europe). His wife Abigail was able to join him for a short period of time. There is a scene right after John Adams was called to be the ambassador to Great Briton and the Adams lived in relative comfort.Yet being away from home and Family was almost more than they could bear. Abigail at that time made a statement that we can relate to. She said:"Sometimes I feel like my body is in one place and my soul in another."
These past few days that feeling has come over us many times. Thanks to all of your support and prayers, we were able to bridge that gab. We loved receiving your Christmas cards, your letters, your gifts of remembrance, your e-mails, your phone calls and from the family the pictures and DVDs of each of the grandchildren.
Our stay was also made bearable by the many invitations by the good Saints in this part of the World. Some have included us in their family traditions as we ate with them, sang songs with them, played games with them, shared stories of our favorite Christmas and even read the scriptures with them. --It was almost like being at home.---
It is our time to be here among the Saints in Germany. We pray for continued health and strength and courage so we can be of service to a people who need the Gospel in their lives.
We are looking forward to a great year,
At church we had a fairly good turn out. Maybe, it was because of family that came to see a baby blessed. The testimony meeting was good, for the Spirit was felt to point that I moved to bear my testimony. After church we visited one of our young adult investigators that is sick. She is one of our American girls that has been coming out to our institute classes and activities. She was so sick that we received a call at 2:30 AM this morning. We calmed her down and gave her some medication. She felt somewhat better this afternoon and we will take her to a Doctor in the morning. We have not quite figured out the medical system here in Germany, but we will learn a little more tomorrow.
New Years Eve was quite peaceful for us, that is , until the midnight hour. At twelve midnight, one would have thought that the Third World War had broken out. The noise and display of fireworks all around us was more like the 4th and 24th of July and more, but all at one time. Only it did not come from a park or stadium, but from many individual homes and many groups of people that got together and put on a display of fireworks. It was close to an hour before things got back to normal.
In our mission there is a rule that all of the missionaries had to be in their apartment by 6:00 PM on New Years Eve. Anina made sure that we had some good things to eat in the house for the duration. We even departed from our gospel study and watched the seven part series of the HBO presentation of "John Adams", based upon the book "John Adams" written by David McCullough. (We watched the last two series on New Years Day). I read the book just about a year ago.(Thanks for the Henries for loaning me the book). It was as rewarding to relive the life of John and Abigail Adams for the second time. (Thanks Phil for sending us those disks.)
As you know, John Adams was called upon to live for extended periods of time over seas (Europe). His wife Abigail was able to join him for a short period of time. There is a scene right after John Adams was called to be the ambassador to Great Briton and the Adams lived in relative comfort.Yet being away from home and Family was almost more than they could bear. Abigail at that time made a statement that we can relate to. She said:"Sometimes I feel like my body is in one place and my soul in another."
These past few days that feeling has come over us many times. Thanks to all of your support and prayers, we were able to bridge that gab. We loved receiving your Christmas cards, your letters, your gifts of remembrance, your e-mails, your phone calls and from the family the pictures and DVDs of each of the grandchildren.
Our stay was also made bearable by the many invitations by the good Saints in this part of the World. Some have included us in their family traditions as we ate with them, sang songs with them, played games with them, shared stories of our favorite Christmas and even read the scriptures with them. --It was almost like being at home.---
It is our time to be here among the Saints in Germany. We pray for continued health and strength and courage so we can be of service to a people who need the Gospel in their lives.
We are looking forward to a great year,
The beautiful "Rathause" in the old village of Allendorf. Please note the 24 numbers in each of the windows and bottom door and the top tower. It is a 24 day advent calendar. The countdown starts with the lid 24 and ends up with 1 on Christmas Eve.
Anina on a very scenic and snowy/cold highway
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