Week 52

This week marks the one-year anniversary of when we arrived on our mission in 2011, during the last week of that shut down. Time has flown by and we are so grateful for the blessing that has been ours to have these marvelous experiences.

The new Brigham City Utah Temple

Sunday Sept 23, was the dedication of the new Brigham City Temple in Utah. Pres. Packer dedicated it and Elder Perry and Elder Nelson were there with their wives. What a super occasion that must have been. We look forward to visiting it when we get home. Trent Hadley, John's good friend, is the new recorder there. Kathy and Brent's branch attended via satellite. 

This morning while John worked on his computer I met with Sis. Husz’s daughter-in-law Miriam to teach her how to clone homeopathic remedies—I had brought some of my very best ones with me to give Sis. Husz rather than haul them home. We had a good time talking about natural medicine and things we had both learned over the years. Her husband, who suffers from seizures, was with her and had a seizure while they were here so I worked with her and his mom, trying out the technique Sis. Cyr taught us to stop a seizure—by bending back the thumbs. It stopped quite quickly, I thought, so perhaps it was helpful. I don’t know. But it is nice to have such modalities to try.

After lunch Pres. Husz drove John and me to John’s much-waited-for doctor’s appointment with Sis. Husz’s Chinese doctor. We arrived 20 minutes early for his 2:00 pm appointment only to find out that we were supposed to have been there at 11:00 am! We were so disappointed and embarrassed to have had him bring us all this way and then miss it. We must have gotten it mixed up with our dental appointment in Sopron. It WAS supposed to have been at 2:00.

Beethoven's birth place

Ludwig van Beethoven

Afterwards Pres. Husz drove us to see a number of Beethoven sites before his own doctor’s appointment at 4:00. Apparently the composer was asked to leave many of his rented rooms for late night disturbances as he pounded out his pieces, struggling against his deafness. While Pres. Husz was at his doctor's appointment, John and I walked in a lovely park next to the university where he had attended, after which he drove us all over Vienna to show us his city—it was a wonderful city tour.

We came home and had bread, cheese, and fruit for dinner while visiting with Sis. Husz for a bit before turning in early. Dear Pres. Husz worked it out with the doctor to see John at 8:30 am after our goof today.  I’m grateful that John will still see him and hope he can do something that will help him.

Tuesday morning we left early to see the doctor. Huszes dropped us off while they went shopping and then returned to pick us up before we went together to a lovely bakery for breakfast.

t

Dr. Lenhardt wih John

Our experience with the Dr. Lenhardt—Sis. Husz’s Chinese trained doctor--was most interesting and we came away with a prescription of a 1,000 year-old herbal remedy blend we needed to have filled. Explaining exactly what he determined John needed is beyond me but it had to do with yin/yang, the winter season, the element of water, and a diagnosis made by pulse and tongue examination.

Our breakfast bakery

Bless them, the Huszes then drove us all the way into town to drop us off close by the apothecary who makes the TCM concoctions on Marienhilfe Str. We left the prescription with them after telling them we had to get it today since we leave for Germany in the morning. We were told it would be ready at 4:30.

Trying a tandem was fun--for me if not for John

 We bought some transportation passes then headed for Praterstern to try out riding a tandem bike. I wanted to see if John could handle riding behind me and if it was manageable to do it together and I quite enjoyed it but it made him really nervous after his having fallen off bikes a few times due to his mobility issues. Something seems to be amiss with his inner gyroscope and he feels like he is constantly going to fall. After a half hour riding through the wonderful park at Prater, we returned the tandem and tried a rickshaw for just a few minutes, but I didn’t care for it at all—too hard to pedal and not comfortable to sit on.

The rickshaws were cute but uncomfortable to drive and ride in

From the top of the ferris wheel

The folks at the bike rental were more than fair with us and charged us only 4 Euros for our test run and I know that a tandem is just not going to be a solution that works for us. I wish it would but so it is.

Prater Park's ferris wheel--one of them

After our bike ride we walked through the amusement park and I decided to take a ride on the ferris wheel while John waited below for me. It was lovely and smooth and had great views from above. From there we walked back to the U-bahn and headed into town where we walked a bit at St Stephan’s Platz, stopped for apple streudel at Demels while we waited until 4:30 so we could pick up John prescription. I really enjoy the occasional dessert here—they are only slightly sweet.

With the prescription in hand, we walked to the U-bahn after buying train tickets for the S-bahn home and were glad to climb aboard and rest—we had walked 6,9 miles today, counting the hike to Huszes' from the Deutsch Wagram station--we were both bushed.

We arrived home about 6:00 and greeted the Huszes, who told us that Chidesters were going to arrive at 7:00 pm and have dinner together with all of us. How fun. What wonderfully hospitable people the Huszes are.

Lynne and Jim Chidester, arrived after their Budapest river cruise

Wednesday morning we had a lovely breakfast together before loading up the car and heading off back to Freiberg, A miracle arrangement had been made for her to have her operation earlier than the week from Friday. It will be this Saturday at 10:00--while we are in the temple for one special session. We were so grateful for the miracle for which we had been praying to come about. We so appreciate the privilege we have had to spend this time in the Huszes' home.

The drive home was fun, though very long. John and I traded off sitting in the back and front seats to change positions to relieve the pressure on John’s legs, while Pres. Husz drove non-stop but for bathroom breaks and a stop just before Prague at McDonald’s for a quick lunch.  He has amazing stamina!

Along the way we talked a lot about writing biographies and how to approach a project. He has been so much a part of the history of the Church in Austria as he served as a stake president, regional representation, and an Area 70, he feels that he needs to write about it so that those things won’t be lost. I couldn’t agree more. The time flew by as we entertained him with stories of our lives and enjoyed hearing of his experiences as well.

Our tour of Prague when President Husz drove through rather than around!

He is always looking for special places to “tour” us and so drove through Prague, rather than around it on the Autobahn, to remind us of the old city we saw for the first time 19 years ago on our 25^th wedding anniversary trip.

We got home to Freiberg about 4:30 in the afternoon and were very happy to climb out of the car—home at last! It was fun to arrive to find letters for Oma and Opa from Kikki and Kai.

We unloaded our bags, walked to Netto for a few groceries, and then came home to fix dinner and settle back in.  

Thursday morning I awoke early to the sound of rain outside—a lot of it! And spent a few minutes getting the pictures in my last-week’s blog and publishing it since we had had no internet in Vienna. It is always good to get that done. Now the laundry and other household things are ahead for the day.

We heard from Robert Viveiros at our condo; he reported that there has been 5” of snow on the mountains. It sounds as if we will return to a winter wonderland instead of a late fall.

This is a special day for Ning Ning and Conrad Judd to be sealed at the Salt Lake Temple—another special event we will miss but we are thrilled to have had a part in. John arranged for Gary Garff to perform their sealing and Dave and Julie Monson will be with them.

Amanda deLange--Starfish rescuer  

In the email confirming that, Dave also told us that he and Julie had just attended a memorial service for another of our former Xi’an branch members, Amanda deLange, the founder of Starfish Foster home, who passed away in July from an aggressive cancer. She summoned up her life by saying “168 babies, nearly 250 surgeries, and 81 adoptions—that pretty much sums up my life!” There is so much humility in that one phrase—and even more impact, thanks to Amanda and her Starfish team of nannies and volunteers. Our lives have been forever altered to have known all those with whom we served in Xi’an.

Friday in the afternoon John went to the temple to work with the technicians who were installing a new audio and video system and I came too in order to help the new assistants put out the lace dollies after the cleaning crews had finished getting everything ready for the opening session Saturday morning. It was so lovely to be in the temple again, even if just to do these little housekeeping duties.

Normally the temple would not open until next Tuesday, but we had a special Saturday opening for one 11:00 endowment and baptistry session as part of the Dresden Stake’s thirty-year anniversary celebration.

Everything went quite well considering we were operating without our wonderful matron, who was in Vienna having surgery. The two new assistants had their solo flights and did fine. I tried to help out with the brand new hearing devices, being used for the first time. They performed very well but were a little tricky to get the hang of. So nice to have them though with so many Hungarians coming next week. It was so great to be in the temple again.

Kochs and Suckows--new counselors and assistants

We met up with the new counselors and their wives at the 30 year celebration at Tivoli for the stake musical of The Little Prince, dinner, and dancing--for which we did not stay. Delightful folks. We are glad we will be here for three weeks with them.

Immediately following the temple session President Husz left for Vienna, both to be with Sis Husz and for his oldest grandson's  ordination as a deacon. President's stamina to make that drive so frequently is remarkable! He will return on Monday so that he is there for the opening Tuesday morning.

Packing up to head home

Saturday afternoon John and I got a lot of packing and weighing of things we need to send home as well as deciding what to take. We did decide we are only going to take one suitcase to check rather than two—it will be so much simpler for me to haul just one!

John playing for our Primary program

Today, Sunday, was our Primary program, for which John played the piano and did a great job.  I taught Gospel Doctrine for the last time. We have three more Sundays before we leave and they are unique—general conference, then to Berlin to hear Pres. Monson, and back for more general conference replays. 


Our whole ward will go by bus or car or however they can get there. No one is going to miss being there! The hall where it will be held must be huge since it will accommodate Berlin, Leipzig, and Dresden Stakes and Neubrandenburg District. What a marvelous opportunity for the German Saints--and for us all. He will first go to Hamburg, then come to Berlin, Munich, and finally Frankfurt. We are excited to be part of it.

Pres. Monson is coming!

After figuring out more on our packing and sorting, we went for a good long walk through the woods just at sunset and the full moon began to rise. We came back and grabbed our camera and tried to capture a picture of the temple and the moon together.

Temple by moonlight