Week 9

Freiberg Christmarkt

Christmas has indeed arrived in Freiberg this year since the Christmas Markt has been set up and opened. Freiberg has been preparing for its 850-year-old anniversary this next spring so the town has been rather torn up with construction in a number of  important areas, to spruce them up for the celebrations to come.  Most important among these is the area called the “Obermarkt”—a large square in the middle of the town just outside the “Rathaus” or the courthouse. Seeing it so torn up when we first arrived the end of September, we thought there would be no way it would be finished in time for the yearly Christmas Markt, but they have done it. 

Nighttime in Freiberg's Markt

Monday the missionaries went together downtown to have a taste of the season by exploring the market, stopping for grilled Bratwurst on Brötchen with German mustard, hot chocolate, Krapfen—hot donuts made while we waited. The little shops decorated with fresh pine boughs were full of cheeses, wood carvings (handiwork from our area of East Germany), warm hats and gloves, as well as other good things to eat. We enjoyed being together and savoring the festive feel in the air.

You gotta love those Krapfen!

This week we also had fun gathering a few little Christmas goodies to ship off to our family at home and got to experience the Deutches Postal service. We had just loaded up a pull cart of packages and were headed out the door for a long walk downtown to mail them when our neighbors opened their door and their hearts, by offering to drive us to the post office. We accepted readily and were home again in no time.

Wood carvings from the Erzgebirge

Our weather continues to be crisp and cold but beautiful. Saturday was the first day we had actually had a little precipitation, but none of the white stuff, though I’m sure it will come in time. Despite the cold I am still riding my bike every day to get me out and about from feeling cooped up while also getting a little exercise. John, after two falls, has decided to stop while he is ahead, which is probably wise. His stability isn’t great but he keeps on keeping on despite the challenges his “Bambi legs” give whenever he stands up.

The week at the temple has been challenging in its lean numbers of patrons and workers—some of the missionaries were out with colds—but beginning tomorrow the Polish saints arrive, some 60 strong. That will present a different kind of challenge. But it will be wonderful to see the temple humming again, this time in Polish, with the Ausländers, excited to be here for their week in the temple.

John, Helga and Frank Apel, Barbara and Reiner Wenke

Today we enjoyed a delightful dinner at the home of our former temple president along with another of the missionary couples, the Wenkes.  The Apel´s home was warm and welcoming, the dinner wonderful, and the flow of conversation washed over me with a flood of Deutsch to which I nodded and smiled, convincing everyone, including John, that I was following all the stories and talk. In fact I was actually getting the drift of a lot of it, since my skills of building sense from context and the growing number of words I do know, made for a delightful afternoon.

Apel's cute kitchen--many times bigger than ours, of course!

It is going to be very interesting to have the Apels begin Tuesday at the temple as workers—they have wisely kept themselves absent except to come each week for a Friday-evening session, allowing the new presidency and matron the freedom to get on their feet without having former leaders too much in the picture. I think that is a very good thing to do. Meanwhile, our new president and matron are wonderful. We enjoy them a great deal and are trying to be useful to them in fulfilling our assignments.

Good food, good company, good conversation--alle auf Deutsch!

Sister Apel is a bubbly-sparkly butterfly person who loves everyone and greets any and all with a perky smile, a hug, and a “Herzlich Wilkommen.” Sister Husz on the other hand is still water and peace. She is quiet dignity. Both are lovely, dedicated women that I love. Their husbands are more alike then they are different, each adores his wife and each has had a wealth of Church experience to draw from in their leadership. President Apel though is on his own turf here in East Germany, while President Husz is a "westerner" coming from Vienna. Our lives have been blessed to know and work with both couples.