Week 16

Our week has been a delightful blend of personal mile markers reached and a celebration of dedication and commitment.

Because our temple service doesn’t begin until Tuesday, that day always feels like the first day of the week for us. Sunday? Well, Sunday is our day of joy each week, where we get to talk with one or more of our kids occasionally if it works out with their busy schedules. Then Monday arrives and always feels like a holiday from our normal routines. This last Monday I did the laundry and cleaned our tiny apartment before heading downtown on my bike. Though winter, I didn’t have snow to plow through, though the flakes began falling as I headed up Hainichener Straße’s hill home.  I love it when I am able to get out and ride and this has been a perfect winter for me, though later this week the snows fell and actually stayed on the ground for a couple of days.

Looking forward to John’s birthday on Wednesday, we had rented a movie through I-Tunes, ordered a cable to connect my computer to the HDMI port in the TV, and invited our across-the-hall neighbors to join us. Unfortunately, the cable didn’t work so we postponed our evening.

Tuesday the Chidesters took me to a large electronics store to try to purchase a cable that worked.  I bought the cable and it worked just great in projecting the images but did not convey sound too, so that will be a problem to solve on my next outing. Everything takes extra time but we appreciate those who give us the rides we need when something is beyond my bike access.

Wednesday morning, January 18, we celebrated John’s 67^th birthday, ever grateful that we have been given these marvelous bonus years together.  Overall, his health holds steady and we take each day as it comes, happy to be able to continue to perform our assignments and spend time together working on family history in our spare hours.

We were greeted by our “surprise” gathering outside our door at 6:30 am, a birthday ritual with all the missionaries and presidency. They sang to John and brought him a large temple card, on which each had written a message, as well as a bag of fresh fruit (in lieu of the usual b-day cake) before we all went to the temple to go to work.

Wednesday afternoon we finished up the last session and dashed home to change to Sunday best for the all-temple-worker area meeting at our chapel next door with our Area President, Elder Kopischke, and his wife. It was wonderful to be there together with so many people who serve in our temple whom we have come to love.

Pres and Sister Husz spoke and then the Kopischkes—wonderful happy and enthusiastic people—I was pleased to be able to gather the general idea of what they were talking about. I certainly couldn’t do a translation but I got the drift and felt the Spirit. One of the important focuses of this meeting was to honor four sealers who were each part of the Church during the last decades when they faced enormous challenges leading the Church in the DDR, long before the wall came down. Three of the four were able to attend the meeting. One was in the hospital. We had read many, many stories about one in particular—Brother Henry Burkhardt, whose name is mentioned in nearly every account of the early Church in East Germany and Eastern Europe. Tall and slender still, he is now widowed and nearly blind but we felt the power of his spirit just being in the meeting with him.

From Left: Sis Husz, President, Elder Kopischke, Sis K, Peter Schönherr (our recorder and bishop)

Three of four released sealers--Henry Burkhardt is center

Unique among sealers who often want to continue to serve despite diminishing ability to perform those sacred duties, each of these four had requested they be released since they recognized in themselves their limitations for continued service.  Outstanding in their devotion and endurance, we were honored to be there to observe this monumental day. (John, having been so involved in temple administration for many years, says he had never seen a sealer willingly ask to be released and that having to release a sealer who does not so ask is the hardest thing any temple president ever has to do.) Even in this way these men are remarkable for their service and their devotion to the Church and to the Lord. Brother Burkhardt also served as the first temple president of this temple.  After the meetings we enjoyed a wonderful buffet prepared for the occasion.

A perfect working set up. We love it!

Always trying to use our space in our tiny apartment more effectively, we had a brainstorm to turn our wall-mounted TV into a large monitor to do double duty in order to watch movies and so John could avoid having to lean over to work on his little laptop. Friday morning we talked with the temple engineer to see if it was possible to take the TV (which we never watch anyway) off the wall and mount it on a table stand to use as a monitor. He came that very afternoon and got us all set up. It is wonderful! We are so pleased to have found such a great use for it.

Saturday after our shift our neighbors came for taco salad and a movie. We began at 5:30 and finished up before 8:00 pm. We haven’t worked out the sound problem yet so we had to listen carefully using just my computer speakers but we had a good time anyway. 

After they left I worked on my Gospel Doctrine class on Lehi’s dream for a while before heading for bed, planning to get up early Sunday to finish my preparations. 

We enjoyed our meetings and my Sunday School class went well. We are now meeting at the chapel in a little room the bishop assigned to us and we had three additional folks in the class today—a Romanian sister, who speaks a little English, the second counselor in the bishopric, and his American wife. He speaks wonderful English and they are really a great couple. We enjoyed having them join us. Our small group of nine sat around the table and had a wonderful discussion. I never get over how delightful it is to be able to speak English in a Church meeting!

We were pleased to see Pres. and Sis. Husz in Church since they left Friday midday for a quick trip to Vienna for medical treatments for her. They faced difficult weather conditions going and coming so we were particularly happy they made it back safely after their seven-and-a-half hour drive each way.

Saturday we had done our usual planning for Tuesday’s work but didn’t feel good about printing it since Pres. Husz was the presidency member responsible that day. John called to see if we could connect with them to look over the draft.  Since we had had a couple of people at Church tell us they would not be there for the full day Tuesday, we were glad we had held off. At his invitation we took the plans up and spent a delightful hour with them talking about options on not only the plan but on other temple subjects. They are so delightful. We always enjoy being with them.

We came home, finished and enjoyed dinner and the yummy low-sugar lebkuchen cupcakes Jean Harper had made and delivered to John for a birthday gift.

Next week will be interesting since “The Russians are Coming!” Tuesday evening and will be with us all week. We are hoping a couple of them speak some English!

May your week be as busy and interesting as ours is sure to be.