Update

This past Sunday was Fast Sunday and we completed another assignment for the first time. By the Stake President I was assigned to the Bremerhaven branch. We left our apartment at 7:30 this morning to make sure that we would find the church building in Bremerhaven by the time church started at 9:00. As it was, we found it quicker than we normally find places in Germany. The church is in a very beautiful part of town. There is a large city park across the street and large mansions all around. The church building itself is an old mansion built for a Sea Captain. Very beautiful and ornate with some stained glass windows of ocean going vessels. I understand that the Church has owned the building for some 35 to 40 years. Of course they have done some remodeling to better meet the needs of the branch. Anina could not wait to take the tour of the building. There is room in the basement for the Branch to have some activities. The first floor has a nice foyer and the chapel, kitchen, and bathrooms. The second floor has a number of class rooms and on he 3rd floor is the primary room and the room for the young women and young men.
At one time they had a regular ward and an American Military Service branch using the building. The church membership has declined to a point that they had to bring two units together some 50 miles apart to even have a branch, it is not even a ward. When I was assigned to this branch, I was given the assignment to try to talk to the Branch President and Elders Quorum President about having a Sunday School as part of the meeting block. On this our first visit, I was glad to see that they had started a Sunday School for the first time that day, with an attendance of about 25 in the Gospel Doctrine class. Today, when I go to Hamburg for the High Council Meeting I am going to report that I completed my first assignment (even though I had nothing to do with it).
The testimony meeting was especially sweet. There were some very wonderful and spiritual testimonies that were given. The spirit was very much present. After the meeting block we visited with some of the members until the food was served on the patio. Families just get together, each will bring something and there was enough to eat for all of us. Anina felt bad that she did not know about it so she could have brought something.
While eating they were passing this calendar around from one person to another and the month of June was just about full with one name for each day. They kept saying that we need only a few more to fill in each square. The title on the top of the calendar said "Fast Day". I asked what it was for and they told me that throughout the Stake every day someone is fasting to ask the Lord to bless the missionaries and missionary effort. Each Ward or Branch has an assigned month to do it. During the month of June it is the Bremerhaven Branch's privilege to do it. What a neat idea!
The weather is still very nice and maybe even a little on the warm side.
We love you all! Oma und Opa

Chimney Sweeps

So we have had a little trouble getting our pictures up here for everyone to enjoy but we are starting to make some progress. This is Anina and Sister Thomson, the mission president's wife, with a couple of chimney sweeps. They inspect and clean the chimney's.

Our home...

This is a picture of our home from an arial view...

Mother's Day update

A big hello to all. We enjoyed a great week. The weather has been absolutely perfect. As a result the attendance last week at the outreach center was very low. It looks like we are going to have another low attendance this week since the kids are out of school. Today and tomorrow is a holiday in Germany. It is one of those two day holidays like Christmas and Easter. Besides that it is Mother's Day yesterday. I don't know why Stephen is so concerned that I would forget Mother's Day. I did not forget, for I took her to church and there she received, with all the other sisters, some flowers. What more do you want me to do? Besides that she received the package from Stan and Heidi. Anina especially enjoyed the notes from Spencer, Hunter, Heber, Summer and Hyrum. If we really want to know what is going on at home we read the notes from the Grand kids.

We were at a park in Hamburg yesterday and everyone was playing the REAL football, even the young missionaries got into it with the Fusball (soccer). To answer another question or two for you, we do not have a TV. In fact, we have not watched a single minute of TV since coming to Germany. There are not as many blond kids as I thought, there are a lot of mixed nationalities in this part of Germany, (A lot of people from the Middle East). We feel very safe as we walk the streets here in Bremen. To go walking to the store or to church or anywhere is nothing to be nervous about. My German is not coming back as quick as I thought it would. I was asked to give a prayer in church and I was searching for the right words the whole time. The senior couples don't have the same rules as the young missionaries. So we don't have a specific time to get up or be in bed. Our P-day is whenever we have time or need time to do some personal items.

Some of you have asked how we did at the dance not too long ago in Frankfurt. All I can say is that we are not as young as we used to be. We paid for our lack of judgement and are still feeling the results. Last Tuesday, Elder and Sister Meng, one of the Outreach Couple Coordinators for all of Europe, Came to give us some training. That training was very helpful. They also took us to a nice place to eat at the old "Ratskeller". Saturday we spent a nice day in Hamburg. It was about a two hour drive because of the traffic. We had a picnic with the Elders of the Bremen (Oldenburg) and Hamburg District at a nice large park.

Where we are in Germany...

Here is a map of just where we are located in Germany...