Week 8—Erntedankfest!

We have had a lovely week beginning with an early Thanksgiving celebration on Monday. Germans don’t celebrate our American Thanksgiving, of course, so the temple was open on Thursday and we were there serving while you were all enjoying your holiday.

Thanksgiving . . .  early

Pies a plenty!

But Monday we did our best to capture the joy of the day together with our missionary group, the president and matron, the young sister missionaries in our ward, and a small handful of Hungarian sisters who had arrived to stay at the Herberge for a week of temple work. Sharing the preparation among our eight couples made it easy. 

One of our number who had worked for the government and who had commissary privileges drove two hours to the nearest PX and returned having filled our shopping lists, buying us two small turkeys among other requests. I cooked a turkey as well as making yams with apples, thanks to my sister’s sending me her recipe.

The temple recorder had given us permission to use the Herberge kitchen with its dishes, three ovens, and two dishwashers rather than our having to cook our assigned items in our apartments and carry the food downstairs. A couple of sisters made a bunch of pies and the matron a couple of yummy strudels. We sang songs, heard a presentation on the pilgrims and ate. I actually didn’t overdo it for a change but we all enjoyed being together.

It was fun to include any who happened to arrive early. It was truly a fest as we thanked the Lord for all our blessings. Goodness turkey and gravy sure tasted good.

Resident visa application process

Tuesday the Chidesters, one of the missionary couples who rent a car, drove us out of town to the office where we apply for our visas and there we were fingerprinted and signed the necessary paperwork to get things under way. If all goes well we should get our official resident cards, good for two years, before Christmas. It will be nice to have that important step behind us.

Setting up Christmas

On the way back home we stopped at the largest shopping market in the area, where the Chidesters had some purchases to make and where John and I went looking for a little Christmas tree. We found one for 5,00 euros that is pint sized and just right for our little apartment. When we got home John followed our annual tradition of setting up our tree the day after “Thanksgiving.” It is pretty cute. I frankly don’t know where a larger one would fit!

Pint-sized Tannenbaum

Our weather continues to be a glorious late autumn, which allowed me to ride my red bike every day. John went a couple of times too. Wednesday we rode downtown for a little exercise after the temple to try to find a new cartridge for our much-used printer. We found one in a little computer store near the post office. We then attempted to eat dinner at the Schwannenschlößchen—a delightful restaurant that sits at the edge of the lake. It was packed with patrons already celebrating Weihnachten (Christmas). We decided not to wait the hour but go home to enjoy soup and salad at our cozy apartment and try again the next day for lunch—for our own actual Thanksgiving celebration just for the two of us.

Schwannenschlößchen's reflection

"Thanksgiving" Lunch

This week at the temple we closed and opened twice which meant we also got off early the days we opened early. Thursday was the first of those. After changing clothes we headed down the hill to town. Though Schwannenschlößchen was still busy we had no difficulty getting a little table for lunch and enjoyed a yummy stew and a Rahmschnitzel (cream sauce on thin fried meat, to die for). It was fun to get out and explore one of the many restaurants in Freiberg. We are determined to sample them all while we are here. Prices are very reasonable and since we always end up splitting it works out very economically while also keeping us from over eating. Both good things.

Unfortunately on the way back up the hill to the temple, John hit his bike pedal on a curb and that threw him off balance and he ended up in the street. Almost immediately one man came to help pick him up and he was soon joined by two young men who crossed the street to help out too. They picked John up, getting him untangled from the bike.  I was so sorry to see him fall again but was very grateful that he wasn´t more seriously injured. A car could have so easily hit him given where he had fallen. The bike he was on still worked so we headed home, not a lot the worse for wear.  At home we set up the massage table and worked on his back and shoulder. I think we will have him stick to traveling on foot and buses for a bit. Two falls in two weeks is enough. We feel very blessed for the protection he has had but don´t think he should press his luck!

Friday night for the first time since we began doing the daily scheduling at the temple we led the session and that was fun. Usually we are tied up with scheduling or training so really enjoy the occasions when we get to actually take part. 

The temple is now lit up for Christmas in its understated German way. It is beautiful without being showy. There is nothing in the lightening that dims the every-day lightening of the temple itself.

Temple at night with Christmas lights

Because we were early again on Saturday we had the extra two hours at the end of our shift and John came home for a good nap while I rode downtown again to buy a few needed items. Riding through the center of town, I discovered that the Christmas Market was now open with all the fun in the air. I didn´t do more than admire it as I tried to make my way through the crowded streets knowing that John and I would come together on Monday to get a thrill of Christmas.

John and the Krauses watching wood carving

Sunday after our meetings we meet Günther and Magdalena Krause, the delightful couple from Dresden whom we had met at the Swan Lake Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, last July, on our way home from China. John has corresponded with Günther several times since then and we were happy to have a chance to get together. They picked us up in their little two-door BMW to go for lunch and then to take us to see a little dorf that specializes in carving wooden snowman figures (Schneemänner). It was fun.

Wooden Snowman Bogen (bow)

They were good sports trying to communicate with my smattering of German and theirs of English. John was the bridge between us all.  Günther is a retired professor of physics. Magdalena was a student of his when they met. They grew up in East Germany, of course, and spoke of those days, as many do, as times when, though they could buy next to nothing, families were close. They have good memories because of the things that really mattered that they did have that, unfortunately, are now starting to wane in this more westernized society. We saw similar losses in China as the worst of the west brings greater prosperity and, with it, the world.

This area of Sachsen is noted for its wood carving. There are many wooden items produced locally but none more well known than these wooden bows that are placed in the windows. In previous years when this area was mined for silver and then coal the miners, returning in the dark, found their way home by the lighted bogens in the windows. Later when the mines dried up and were no longer productive, these resourceful people turned to their crafts and took up carving as a means to support their families. 

It was a windy day but fun anyway

John shared with the Krauses a copy of a wonderful talk we had had in our Relief Society and Priesthood meetings about families and having a Christ centered home. I always print him a copy in Deutsch and me one in English. During the classes I study the materials and try to guess at what is being said. It works.

We are grateful to have been able to talk with several of you this Thanksgiving week and want you to know that we feel very blessed to know and love you and to be able to be here serving together in our lovely little temple. Truly it is das Haus des Herrn.  

Week 7 addendum

We enjoyed talking with Chi and David tonight and hearing all the fun noise of little people in the background. We love their commitment to family and to each other and are so grateful for them and our other children, each one trying to do and be his or her best.

We missed Ronin's birthday--he turned three on November 8--but were so happy to receive this picture of him and his siblings on his big day.

As Thanksgiving approaches later this week we put at the top of our list of things to be grateful for, our children, their spouses, and each and every grandchild. I love the word in German for grandchildren. They are called Enkelkinder or Enkel for short which makes me think of angels.

We are grateful to have this opportunity to serve but the hardest part is not being there to hug these little guys.

Ronin's 3rd Birthday

Having fun in the Utah snows

Week 7

Our week has flown by again. It is remarkable that seven days can come and go so quickly. Maybe it seems so because John and I work one day ahead on the schedule for temple worker assignments so we have trouble remembering just which day it actually is.

Monday John and I borrowed President Metzner’s (1^st Counselors) bike and another belonging to a former missionary who had donated it to any and all who followed after them. We enjoyed a glorious fall day riding through a park just off the old-town wall.

This week we have enjoyed having the saints from the Czech Republic here all week. It was a repeat of the joy we had experienced serving with the faithful Hungarians. I quickly gave up saying Jo reggelt  to the Ungars for greeting the Czechs as they arrived each morning with Dobré ráno—“Good morning,” the extent of my language acquisition, thus far, in their difficult language.

Czech Republic Flag

With the change in our assignments I don’t have the same amount of time to learn the ordinances in those languages. My training is given in English with Sis. Metzner translating for me and I’m doing my best to retain my hard-won Deutsch for those rare opportunities when I am able to schedule myself to perform ordinances.

We also enjoyed some of the German ordinance workers, here for the week to serve. Tuesday morning was President Metzner’s  birthday and when we opened our door to join in the celebration across the hall, we found we had also been the recipients of gifts. By our door was a lovely loaf of bread with a little packet of salt attached.

Salt and bread are typical housewarming presents in Germany (and other countries)—the bread so there will be no hunger, the salt to add flavor to life. We were touched with the welcome to us as the newest kids on our block, though for us we feel that we are now well settled in. The Ortliebs, back again from Berlin, had welcomed us with a housewarming gift as the new kids on our missionary block, though by now, we are feeling well settled in.

Our other little event of the week was Friday afternoon when President Metzner sought John out to see if we wanted to go to the bike market and look at used bikes. He often asks John if he wants to go riding with him but John’s energy lags a long ways behind his. We did accept his invitation to just go look. (You’d think we had learned the danger of that kind of “looking”—the last time we went just to “look” we went to a pet shop and came home with Mia and the time after that we bought a time-share to a condo. At least this time we just came home with a red bike—it doesn’t require feeding, walking, or picking up after, nor does it require yearly maintenance fees.  Besides it cheers me in the freedom it provides me to get around on my own. While John has his after-temple nap, I have my after-temple escape and enjoy it very much. I offered to ride it back to the temple, though it was a bit of a distance, but Rolf Metzner said “Na, it will go in the trunk (of his BMW) so together we picked it up and it slipped in just fine. With a blanket beneath protecting the car, and with the front wheel hanging out we returned home with our new purchase. We seem to go through life buying massage tables and bikes wherever we are and leaving them behind to bless others' lives when we leave. We decided, however, that it was a tiny price to pay compared to that of leasing a car here, as other missionaries do.

John asked Rolf if he ever took President Utchdorf bike riding with him. (He is a good friend of his from their joint years in Darmstadt when Pres. Metzner followed President Utchdorf as stake president there.) Rolf said, “Na, he just flew his 747s and I rode my bike!”

We have just returned from the temple president’s apartment. We and the Harper’s (current 2^nd Counselor and wife) had been invited to come for dinner and a visit. We had a lovely time. It was a treat to be in their home. We enjoy working with them very much.

 Our week’s report should not end without wishing congratulations to our granddaughter Brighten for her having won Second Place in her gymnastic sectionals, a remarkable achievement in her first year of the sport.  Her Dad keeps us in the loop on her activities and those of his other four. It means a lot to us to see and hear what is happening at home. Brighten says her accomplishment came from her having set a goal, worked hard, and had the faith she would win. . . but if she didn’t win she was still determined to have fun! A great approach to doing things we want to do.

We miss you all but are happy to be here and to have the opportunity to serve in the kingdom in this way.

Alles Gute!

Week 6

Our week began in Dresden, to where we had traveled with missionary neighbors for stake conference. Rather than drive back and forth both Saturday night and Sunday morning we decided to stay overnight nearby where the church is located, attend our meetings, and go exploring Sunday afternoon.  The location was both convenient to the church for our meetings and to buses and the train station (Hauptbahnhof). 

Pension 107, Dresden

The pension was charming in its hosts, the room, and the breakfast each morning—a typical German frühstuck with boiled eggs, a meat and cheese platter, herbal tea, and heavenly bröchen. I never buy these hard crusty rolls since I have little self-control but when we stay somewhere else I indulge. Well fed, Sunday morning we walked to the church for our conference session and really enjoyed the wonderful talks (thanks again to excellent interpreters) by our new temple president and matron, a just released long-term early-morning seminary teacher (who had taught for 19 years), and the stake patriarch. 

Dresden Stake Center

I especially appreciated the concluding talk given by our young stake president, who took as his theme Paul before King Agrippa wherein the latter said following the apostle’s ringing witness of faith “Almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian.” The president then cautioned us as saints not to be as King Agrippa—“I almost got to the temple this week”; “I almost visited my home teaching families this month”; I almost responded to the promptings of the Holy Ghost to help someone in need” . . . and so on. It was a riveting reminder that faithfulness requires more than almost, if we are to become as the Lord would have us.

Opa's little friend, Sara

While we listened John enjoyed a sweet little hand resting on his shoulder from a little girl standing on her papa’s lap just behind while she quietly listened. He hardly dared move for the hour for fear of having tiny Sara’s hand withdrawn, so cute she was. Meeting her family afterwards he found they were down from Berlin—a long drive to attend.

Großgarten across from the church, restaurant behind

After our meeting and goodbyes to many we recognized for their frequent visits to the temple, we walked across the street and through the park to have a bowl of soup before seeing a little of this great old city. The day was a perfect fall day, warm enough that we ate outside at the restaurant, though well bundled in warm coats. We couldn’t have chosen a better weekend to have our Dresden getaway.

Fall-time lunch--we were bundled but it was beautiful

We bought bus tickets to head into the Altstadt and climbed aboard only to discover 10 stops later we were going away from rather than toward the city. Like many mistakes, however, it just added to our adventure, since we saw some charming suburbs we would have missed. Finally, however, we got turned around and boarded a bus heading back into town.

Frauen Kirche

Because our energy is a bit limited, when we are in a new place we often take a city bus tour to provide us an overview of the whole and pinpoint where we want to return should time permit. Once in town we found just such an excursion (with head sets providing English) and enjoyed the 22 stops both in and out of town.

Zwinger Dresden Schloss

Before World War II, Dresden was called “the Florence on the Elbe” and was considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities with both architecture and art treasures. During the war, however, it was almost completely destroyed by massive bombing raids that took place on the nights of February 13–14, 1945, by an Anglo-American force. 

Elbe River View

The raids obliterated much of Dresden and killed thousands of civilians. Over 25,000 perished. The city continued to be bombarded in raids lasting until April 17, 1945, but little was achieved militarily.

Restored Altstadt

 The city was so badly damaged that it was suggested that the best approach might be to level the site. Fortunately that wasn’t done and the Zwinger, the Saxon royal palace, was rebuilt and the Baroque buildings around the palace were also restored, or rebuilt, preserving as far as possible the character of the old city. We were glad it was. This remarkable city figures so much in early church history in East Germany. We have read (and wept) at many of the stories of those early saints who suffered through this difficult period, yet who had triumphed over the hardships during and, for many years, after the war.

Returning home by train

Monday morning we returned home to quiet Freiberg. John and I both enjoy traveling by train, especially German trains. The trip cost 7.20 Euros each and only took 26 minutes. We spent Monday afternoon doing laundry, cleaning our apartment, and preparing for our week ahead.

Tuesday morning at 6:30 we joined all the other missionaries and the presidency in a birthday tradition, this one at the door of our neighbor, Gerry Meyers. Flowers, cake (or fruit), and song were the order of the morning before John and I left for the temple to get started on making the schedule for Wednesday’s work, we prepare a day in advance. We are becoming a little more comfortable with this assignment after having a week’s worth of planning under our belts. 

Early-morning birthday fun

Tuesday was my first opportunity to conduct training for the sisters in our morning prayer meeting. I had originally planned to train in German, which John had kindly translated for me, but I had little time to really learn what he had prepared and besides I realized that several of the English speaking missionaries don’t understand a lot more German than I do and the training was as much for them as for the German workers so I had Sister Metzner (1^st assistant to the matron) translate for me as I taught in English. It worked out well and hopefully will have a positive effect on the work we do as we better remember that each person we perform work for in the temple is a sister who is receiving these sacred ordinances for the first and only time—whichever side of the veil she is on. She deserves the right to hear the words spoken in a reverent, meaningful way.

Thursday, John and I worked with a couple, newly called as temple workers. The sister, spoke about as much English as I speak German (sigh) so my task was interesting. I trained with the matron as my interpreter. It all worked out well, thanks to Sister Husz’s graciousness. She is a wonderful person and we work well together since we see eye-to-eye on the training needed. It is admittedly a little odd to have the Oberin (matron) working so closely with training but we do what it takes to get the job done.

Thursday evening we had a joint FHE with the missionaries in the missionary room downstairs from the apartments we live in where a message was given by one pre-assigned couple before we presented a PPT to introduce ourselves since we were unavailable to do so the first month we were here.

Friday morning I had been assigned the spiritual thought in the joint pray meeting and again had Sister Metzner translate for me because there was simply no time to learn it in German. I felt it was an important message, based on I Nephi 3:6—“And thou shalt be favored of the Lord because thou hast not murmured.”

I had been thinking how important that little verse is in each of our lives, especially when changes are made around us. It is so easy to grumble a little when we don’t like something going on, and one can occasionally find oneself inclined to murmur.

The temple endowment portrays for us a pattern of harmony between our Father in Heaven and those to whom He delegates. Nowhere in the process of the creation, the garden, or the world is there anyone—except Lucifer—who is not “one” with the Father’s plan. No one objects or complains that they don’t like what they have been asked to do. Rather each willingly “goes and does” and cheerfully “returns and reports” under proper direction. I love that pattern and hope to ever more fully come to respond in like manner with anything I am asked to do, that I too may be favored of the Lord.  

Forest bike ride

Our week ended Saturday by our having early-morning opening of the temple. I always enjoy doing so, besides we get off early and enjoy that too. The day was cold and crisp but when we got home rather than going down for a needed nap, we opted to take a bike ride through a nearby forest Pres. Metzner had shown John. It was delightful and we came back refreshed—then had our nap!

Have a wonderful week. We plan to.

Week 5

This has been a week of change. It began Monday with our farewell party for our outgoing temple president and matron. The Apels concluded their three wonderful years of service.  The wives of the missionaries and the recorder prepared a dinner of Hungarian goulash and all the trimmings as well as a program and gift giving which headed the agenda before we heard from President and Sister Apel, and then their successors, President and Sister Husz. We have been very grateful to have had this one month under the Apels’ leadership but now look forward to working together with the Huszes.

Elder Chidester, (released as 2^nd counselor) had made a long golden trumpet (on the order of Moroni’s) for President Apel and formally presented it to him, which brought quit a laugh for everyone. The idea had developed because of President Apel’s habit of always going out the front door of the temple to watch for patrons to arrive and invite them in.  Now, as he is leaving, he could continue—like Angel Moroni—to proclaim the good news. The trumpet came complete with a sign for his neighbors (he lives next to the temple) to disregard the noise while he is learning to trumpet.

Tuesday morning we began under our new presidency’s direction and, as such changes always are, it was interesting to observe as we worked together. I like how  I feel when working with the Huszes, as I did with the Apels. It is just different. Both good. But different. I really enjoy Sis Husz. It is especially nice that she speaks English having studied at both Oxford and Columbia and seems happy to use English with us in friendly way. 

Sister Husz grew up in Vienna and during the war endured living in a city divided in four sectors--she was in that controlled by the Russians.  From those experiences she came to understand what our Eastern Europeans endured for many more years, living under difficult political times.

She and President Husz have known each other since they were 13 years old, growing up in the same ward, after they each joined the Church at young ages. 

The Hungarians were back for another week of service and they are a delight. I especially enjoyed being able to greet them with “Jo reggalt” (Good morning) having learned that phrase among others with the help of my free Byki Hungarian language program, found online. They were wonderfully responsive to my tiny effort to learn a little Hungarian and willingly helped me and John with the pronunciation of temple language I had been memorizing in their difficult language. John and I both love the sounds of this interesting language, though some words are an incredible challenge to wrap our tongues around. Try saying elhalálozot just for fun. Ah me!

Thursday morning President asked to meet with John and me in his office. Because I knew he had been meeting with each missionary couple I didn’t think it was anything more than a “get acquainted” chat until he told us that he had a special assignment for us—to serve together as the trainers for the temple workers. This is a new assignment that has in the past always been handled by the temple presidency personally.  He then said he also had a second assignment for us—to do the daily scheduling for what the individual ordinance workers would be doing. This too has always been done by counselors in the temple presidency and the assistants to the matron.  Of course, we are willing to do whatever we are asked, though we are both a bit stunned by these new assignments and have been very content to just serve in the background. Although I have served as a trainer in both the Salt Lake and DC temples, I have yet to figure out how to do so with workers who speak only German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Polish, or Romanian. We will have to figure that one out! But we know the source of these calls and so know that the help is there for us to find the answers we need to for these tasks.

Our fun outing for the week was to go with one of the other missionary couples to see a nearby medieval castle—Schloss Kriepstein—built in the early 1700s. Wednesday was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed the drive and loved the fairy tale castle, as it seemed to grow up out of the rocks. We didn’t see the interior but drank in the ambiance as we walked around the outside, crossing a bridge to see in the river below the reflection of the towering structure surrounded by golden leaves.

Saturday the Hungarians had all gone home and the temple was once more thin of patrons but for a small handful who came, one couple to celebrate their 56^th wedding anniversary. On days like this the workers swell the ranks of the attendees and enjoy participating in sacred activities with the few who do come.

In the afternoon the president let us leave a little early in order to take advantage of a ride with another missionary couple (who lease a car) to attend the Saturday afternoon session of our stake conference, to be held in Dresden.  John and I had planned to stay over for a couple of days to see Dresden, if it worked out that we could go, so had packed a small suitcase the night before just in case. We arrived in Dresden early and sought out a delightful pension (B&B) just a few blocks from the church, left our suitcase, and returned in plenty of time for the 4:00 pm meeting. We enjoyed the session, thanks to a good interpreter translating into English for us, and afterwards ate dinner at a delightful restaurant on a lake, just across from the Church on Tiergartenstrasse.  Our friends returned to Freiberg, leaving us in Dresden for our two-day get away.