Week 12--Fröhliche Weihnachten

Haus des Herrn--we still have good weather, cold but clear

Weihnachten arrived, faster this year than any other I can remember.  All this past week the temple was quiet and, beyond the missionaries, enjoyed only a tiny handful of visitors. One sister from our ward came every day and stayed all sessions. What a joy it was to welcome her to swell our own ranks as we staffed endowment and sealing sessions.

Someone made an interesting comment about the number attending being so small during the holiday week(s): “Christmas is a season to focus on the living family around us; while the temple has us focus on those we call dead”—a good observation. Families were doing what families do. But this indeed made for a quiet week for us in the Haus des Herrn.

Friday night on the last session of the week, John and I were the session leader and follower and it was lovely to have a good-sized crowd that didn’t consist of just temple workers and Schwester Bobinger. We had wondered if it would have to be canceled for no one’s coming. It was a nice way to end our week of service.

Between the afternoon and evening sessions we had President Husz come for dinner—Sister Husz had taken the train to Vienna earlier in the week for a necessary medical procedure so he was on his own. She is a survivor of a very serious form of ovarian cancer and is still being treated, with an alternative approach, using mistletoe. She was totally disabled for a couple of years and is as much a miracle walking among us as John is himself. I really enjoy them both and love to observe how he treats her with such gentleness and love.

One change they have made in the way things are handled is that in our prayer meetings each morning the couples in the presidency sit together rather than the brethren up in front and the matron and her assistants on the side. Huszes’ philosophy is that this most important relationship of eternal marriage should be exemplified, especially in the temple. I like that.

Sister Husz returned by train early Saturday morning to spend Christmas in Freiberg, just as we caught our train south to Nürnberg and on to München for our own real German Christmas celebration with Antje & Norbert Primas—eine echte Deutsche Weihnacten.

En route we watched a wonderful new movie I rented and downloaded from I-Tunes. It is called Dolphin’s Tale and is worth taking your kids and grandkids to see, or just going by yourselves. We loved it—a feel-good movie with no trash! Hurrah for Hollywood, for once!

We arrived to find our long-term friends waving from the end of the track. It was wonderful to see them. The last time was when we were in Munich with Mark and Sylvia, some 28 years ago. But for that brief visit, our contact has been with exchanged Christmas gifts over the many years.

John first met Antje when they both served on their missions to South Germany.  We discovered while we were here where John had also met Norbert. It was while Norbert was serving a building mission in Freiburg, where John was first assigned as a proselyting missionary and went weekly on his P-Day to also work on the new chapel.

After their missions Antje and Norbert met, got engaged, then broke things off and each married other spouses, in the temple, but from whom they later divorced. Antje married a young man who deserted her just two months after they were married, while she was already carrying their child—his mother didn’t want to lose his companionship and he hadn’t the emotional stability to withstand her demands on him. As soon as the child was born, he signed divorce papers. Antje remained single for some 13 years, raising her little girl by herself. Meanwhile Nobert’s wife, two children later, decided she had more fun out of the church than in and left him.

Antje and Norbert met one another again at a young single adults conference and rekindled the flame of their first love. They later married and were sealed. What a challenging beginning they had to finding one another again.

Arrival in München--John made it!

The Primases are good, good people. Norbert reminds me in appearance of Lazar Wolf in Fiddle on the Roof, but in personality of a German version of my dad with his enthusiasm for all types of history, Church research, and anything else that captures his interest and good mind, which he is more than anxious to share with any and all who come within range! Antje is just pure gold.

Antje and Norbert Primas

We have enjoyed being part of their Christmas—we experienced meal after meal with Antje’s wonderful deutsches Essen including bratwurst, venison, rot kohl, sauerkraut, cookies, puddings, etc. etc. We exchanged gifts with them and Antje’s daughter and granddaughter who came for dinner Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve dinner

Christmas day we went to the ward, stopping on the way to pick up an 85-year-old sister whose husband was the district president while John and Antje were missionaries in Munich. Several of those at church were Americans (including the bishop) who are living here in Germany, or Garmisch-Partenkrichen, part of various businesses, or serving in the US military. After a delightful sacrament meeting we went home to another yummy dinner and more visiting. John’s German was stretched to the limit and I did a lot of nodding and smiling. But in truth, could generally grasp the drift of the conversations. I had an interesting time trying to teach Norbert how to use his laptop with my extremely limited Deutsch. He was a willing subject and we had a good time.

Gift Exchange on Christmas Eve

This morning after breakfast Norbert took John and me for a drive around Munich to see its sites and take some Fotos leaving Antje to fix yet another yummy meal for us before leaving for the train to return to Freiberg to prepare for our week tomorrow. 

Munich sites

The architecture of this great old city was wonderful. It was fun to see the Hofbräuhaus, palaces, locations of Hitler's speeches. Norbert made quite a tour guide. Very knowledgeable. One of our favorite stops was the Mercedes Benz building which had a huge window Adventskranz (25-day pre-Christmas calendar). For each day there was a window featuring past models of Mercedes. Around the right day's window were twinkling lights. Very festive and very clever. One window even featured the Smart Car, which Mercedes owns. 

Mercedes Adventskrantz

After our great lunch we went to the train station to return home. It has been a lovely holiday but we were anxious to get back. We have ahead—yet tonight—laundry, cleaning, and preparing for training. 

On the way, though, as a last feel of the holiday, we enjoyed an American touch of celebration by watching White Christmas on my computer.

Goodbyes in München--heading home

We hope your Christmas weekend has been as delightful as ours.