Week 40

Once again the week has flown by leaving us spinning by the weekend. Each Saturday as we leave the grocery store the clerks always wish us a Schönes Wochenende (a beautiful weekend). I love that expression because I always feel happy to have successfully completed our assignments for the week and now have the Sabbath and then Monday to look forward to ahead before beginning Tuesday morning to do it all over again.

This week was Czech week and the temple was humming with their interesting and difficult language. How grateful we are for those who speak a little (or a lot) of English . . . or even German—at least it sounds familiar. I had to laugh with one of our assistants to the matron when she said, after helping at the conclusion of several sessions, presenting one sister in Mongolian! and several in Czech and then finally in German, how nice it was to finally be able to relax and speak German! It seems to all be perspective. She doesn’t speak a lot of German but at least for both of us it has a much more familiar ring and we do feel very comfortable in speaking it in that sacred setting.

When groups come like this from out of country one of their workers is assigned to share his or her testimony in each morning preparation meeting before the temple opens to patrons. It is quite an experience since they speak in Czech, then are translated into German (and then some of us hope for the gift of the interpretation of tongues to get something from the German!). Even when I don’t understand it, I feel their love for the temple and am often put in tears from the outpouring of the Spirit. I think of Brother Sindylek Friday telling us that three weeks after he was baptized he made his first journey to the temple to participate in baptisms for the dead. One year later he received his endowment and has been coming every since. His face glowed as he spoke of his love for the temple.

It is really wonderful for us now to have them come because we have seen these folks several times when they have made earlier temple trips.  It feels like seeing old friends as they come up the steps dressed in white with huge smiles and their greeting of “Dobre Rano” (good morning).  It is fun to respond in kind—even though that is the only Czech phrase most of us have learned. It is something and they are appreciative of our least effort.

When we ask for help in pronouncing the ordinances in Czech (or Hungarian or whatever we are working on) so we can become more useful we get rave reviews for our least effort. Pres. Harper, our second counselor in the temple presidency, told me that after practicing his pronunciation with one of the Czechs, he was told it was “Just perfect!” to which he replied, “But, it can’t be; you know I am speaking with an accent.” To which the Czech brother graciously replied, “But, there are many, many different accents in the Czech Republic; you are just using one of them.”  

We are always sorry to seem them leave. But we have Hungarians coming again next week—with the Leipzig Germans to fill in here and there! Hurrah; we love the Hungarians too.

As you know, Wednesday was July 4^th and we couldn’t let the day go by without some kind of a little celebration. Our neighbors had brought two small American flags from home when they came 18 months ago. They had mounted them on their door and it was so good to see the stars and stripes as we walked down the hall. (They leave this week and today delivered the flags to us to use in our remaining months.)

 

We played patriotic music up as loud as our little speakers would go (which wasn’t all that loud), made a little pot of homemade ice cream and had the Despains (from Montana) down to celebrate. Not having a real flag I found one waving on the internet and we enjoyed seeing it wave at full-screen size as we stood for the Star Spangled Banner then visited and ate ice cream and nut bars. It was fun and we were glad we had not allowed the day to go by unrecognized.

Saturday was the brightest spot of our week when at 9:00 pm in the evening we got an anticipated SKYPE call from our family. All our kids and grandkids were together at Chi’s house for a one-day reunion and they called so we could be a little included in it.

We were amazed at how much each child has grown in the time since we saw them last and it made us so happy that they had made the effort to gather together.  Having the next generation begin to take responsibility to organize and plan things together really is a happy thing for us to observe.

We hope to be able to repeat the fun—in person—at Thanksgiving with everyone in Utah at our home at Trevi Towers—exactly one week after we get home.

We appreciated Patrick, Tessha, and the kids going by to visit Grandpa and Grandma Laing at Rebecca’s, likely the last chance they will have to see them. Though who knows? Grandpa continues to hang in there. Maybe he will still be there when we return home!

All we know is that family is what counts and we are grateful for each one who is part of ours as well as the friends who feel like family, too.

May your week be full of joy!