From Mom 5/3
Dear Family,
Tonight after our English class we walked down to the bus stop with Sister Wenzel who is determined to learn English and as we were walking back to the church where our car was, I thought to myself, “We wouldn’t be doing things like this if we hadn’t come on this mission.” It was a beautiful spring night and we had just spent an hour and a half with such a lovely sister. She looks out for everyone in the ward and quietly goes about doing good things for anyone who needs a helping hand. In our discussion in our English class, I was asking her questions in German------very short questions, I might add----and she was answering them in English. I asked her about her family----her father and mother, etc. and she related such an interesting story. She was born in Berlin and lived there when the war broke out. Her father was in the war. When they started bombing Berlin, her mother and her younger brother and sister went to live with their grandmother. Her grandmother had a home but had given her home to a son and his wife and three children and had moved into a two room apartment. Now there were 4 more people to share that little space. The grandmother gave up her bedroom and nice bed to her daughter and her children and she slept in an unfinished room with no heat. There was no bathroom and it was a cold trip to the outhouse in the wintertime. Sister Wenzel was 8, her brother was 5 and her sister was 3. They lived there for a year. Can you imagine walking through the snow and cold to take a child to the bathroom? When Sister Wenzel was 14, her mother died. Her father had been a prisoner of war. She took care of her brother and sister. She only went to 6 years of school. I want to get the rest of the story sometime. Maybe next week at our English class we can learn more. I have to give a talk on gaining strength through adversity and as I listened to Sister Wenzel, I couldn’t help but think that it was through these things she had to go through that she is such a strong person. She told us that many times during those years she felt as though there was someone holding her hand and leading and guiding her. That’s what adversity does. It helps us realize where we have to turn for help and strength to get through the challenges that life brings. I think we got much more from her than she did from us tonight but she is looking forward to class next week. Where else would we be having these kinds of experiences and meeting so many wonderful people? We are very grateful.
I’ll bring you up to date on our “cupid” experience. Petra and Brother Roth had a “fine” time together last Friday. They went for a 2 hour walk and then found a nice restaurant and ate and talked for 3 hours. They have a lot in common. As they were talking about the church, Bro. Roth told Petra there were a few negative things about the church that she should know about. When Petra asked him what he meant, he brought up polygamy and she told him that she knows all about that and it was necessary for the full restoration of the gospel and it was not a negative thing. He told her that he was amazed that she was teaching him when she had only been a member a short time. We don’t know what’s going to happen. She said she got an e-mail from him but didn’t tell us what he said. They have talked on the phone a couple of times so at least they’re staying in touch. He is very busy with his job and travels quite a bit with his work and he might just be being cautious. He’s waited 45 years. What’s the hurry? It’s been a fun thing. Petra is like a daughter calling us nearly every day and telling us what’s going on-----sharing her frustrations when she doesn’t hear from him and her excitement when she does hear from him. It will be a sad day for us when we leave Wurzburg and don’t have regular contact with her. We have permission from President Rakow to go with her Saturday to Rotenberg which is a very famous tourist attraction in Germany. It is about a half hour from here but is out of our area so we had to get permission to be able to go. The story goes that during the war when all the bombing was going on that the commander of a bombing squadron gave orders not to bomb this city. He had been a missionary in that city a few years earlier and loved the city and just passed over it. It is called a Medieval city and there is a wall all around it----the original wall when the city was built. So many people have talked about it to us and we’re anxious to see it.
Today we had our interviews with President Rakow. This happens every six weeks. We also have training from our zone leaders for a couple of hours. After the meeting, we were visiting with Elder and Sister Holzer and President Rakow came and asked Elder Holzer and Dad to come with him for a minute. Sister Holzer and I were having a good time visiting about just everything. They are such wonderful people. On the way back to Wurzburg, I asked Dad what President Rakow wanted and he said he would tell me later. The Elders were with us and I could tell he didn’t want to talk just then. When we dropped the Elders off Dad told me that President Rakow had told him and Elder Holzer that we didn’t need to go to the training meetings and that he wanted us to plan something fun to do together while the Elders are having their training meetings. I guess Sister Holzer is really struggling on this mission and President Rakow felt like it would be good for them to just go have some fun with another couple. How is that for a perk for being a Senior Missionary? Elder Holzer said he already has a good plan for the next time we are there. Nurnburg was pretty badly destroyed during the war but there is an old part of the city that still stands. It has a wall all around it and is an interesting place to see and Elder Holzer wants to give us a personal tour. That won’t be for another six weeks but it’s worth looking forward too.
Alex, the other young man who has just been waiting for his 18th birthday so he can be baptized, is going to be baptized on the 26th of May. His parents aren’t very happy about it but they told him when he was 18 he could decide for himself. He will be 18 on the 24th. He said he knows the gospel is true and one of the things that is most important to him about the gospel is the priesthood authority. He has a strong testimony of that and is anxious to be able to receive the priesthood. He and Thomas constantly talk about “when I go on my mission.” Thomas is going to baptize Alex. It will be an experience that they will never forget. Neither will we. What a privilege it has been to know and associate with these two young men. We are meeting with Alex’ grandmother a couple of times a week. She comes from a Catholic background and I don’t know if she will ever change but she has wanted to know about this church that her grandson is so excited about. She is such a sweet person. She has read all of Brother Ballard’s book, “Our Search for Happiness” and really enjoyed it. Each time we see her she has lots of questions. We have read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon with her. She wants to know how she can know for sure it’s true and Dad asked her if she felt like prayers were answered and she said she did then he asked her if she would pray and ask if what she was reading and studying was true. She said she would so we’ll go from there.
We were waiting at the elevator at the hospital the other day when a young man asked us what we do. He had seen our missionary badges and asked us what we were doing. We told him we were from America and that we were here as missionaries for the church. He said he doesn’t believe in organized religion and right now Buddha satisfies his religious needs. But he kept asking us questions and finally Dad told him that we would like to come and tell him more about the church and asked if he would have time for us. We have an appointment with him Sunday evening. You never know when teaching opportunities will come.
Do you remember the picture I sent of the castle on the hill across from the river? Tuesday was Labor Day in Germany. It’s always on the 1st of May regardless of what day of the week it is. Thomas and Elena Beck, the young couple we have been meeting with regularly asked us if we would go up to the castle with them that day as neither one of them had to work. We had an appointment at 4 but they said just to call them when we were done. We rode the tram to the bottom of the hill and walked up to the castle. The grounds going up were beautiful and it was fun being in the courtyard and seeing the view of the city from there. We couldn’t go inside yet except for the church where they were holding some kind of service. We heard the music and the doors were open so we just stepped in long enough to take a quick look. I hope while we’re still here that we have the opportunity to go inside the castle. I guess it is quite the tourist attraction too. The wall around the castle had the date 1657 engraved in it. There is a lot of history here.
It’s late and this has been a long day. We hurried and did our laundry and cleaning before we had to leave for our interviews. It takes about an hour and a half to drive to Nurnburg. When we got back, we had just a few minutes before it was time to leave for our English class. But it has been a good day. No two days are the same. We’re so thankful to be senior missionaries. We have a lot more variety in our work than the younger missionaries. Everything from going to mental hospitals to visit people to playing cupid. Some days it just seems like a lot of work for nothing but most of the time it is very rewarding work. I think we’re realizing that everything we do must be done in very small steps. Patience is so important in this work. I’ve never had a lot of that but I think I’m starting to learn how important it is.
We’re thrilled to hear that another grandSON is on the way and we’re living this last week before going into the MTC with Zach. There are a lot of good, exciting things going on in the family and we are grateful. We love you all. You’re in our thoughts and prayers every day.
Much love,
Mom
Tonight after our English class we walked down to the bus stop with Sister Wenzel who is determined to learn English and as we were walking back to the church where our car was, I thought to myself, “We wouldn’t be doing things like this if we hadn’t come on this mission.” It was a beautiful spring night and we had just spent an hour and a half with such a lovely sister. She looks out for everyone in the ward and quietly goes about doing good things for anyone who needs a helping hand. In our discussion in our English class, I was asking her questions in German------very short questions, I might add----and she was answering them in English. I asked her about her family----her father and mother, etc. and she related such an interesting story. She was born in Berlin and lived there when the war broke out. Her father was in the war. When they started bombing Berlin, her mother and her younger brother and sister went to live with their grandmother. Her grandmother had a home but had given her home to a son and his wife and three children and had moved into a two room apartment. Now there were 4 more people to share that little space. The grandmother gave up her bedroom and nice bed to her daughter and her children and she slept in an unfinished room with no heat. There was no bathroom and it was a cold trip to the outhouse in the wintertime. Sister Wenzel was 8, her brother was 5 and her sister was 3. They lived there for a year. Can you imagine walking through the snow and cold to take a child to the bathroom? When Sister Wenzel was 14, her mother died. Her father had been a prisoner of war. She took care of her brother and sister. She only went to 6 years of school. I want to get the rest of the story sometime. Maybe next week at our English class we can learn more. I have to give a talk on gaining strength through adversity and as I listened to Sister Wenzel, I couldn’t help but think that it was through these things she had to go through that she is such a strong person. She told us that many times during those years she felt as though there was someone holding her hand and leading and guiding her. That’s what adversity does. It helps us realize where we have to turn for help and strength to get through the challenges that life brings. I think we got much more from her than she did from us tonight but she is looking forward to class next week. Where else would we be having these kinds of experiences and meeting so many wonderful people? We are very grateful.
I’ll bring you up to date on our “cupid” experience. Petra and Brother Roth had a “fine” time together last Friday. They went for a 2 hour walk and then found a nice restaurant and ate and talked for 3 hours. They have a lot in common. As they were talking about the church, Bro. Roth told Petra there were a few negative things about the church that she should know about. When Petra asked him what he meant, he brought up polygamy and she told him that she knows all about that and it was necessary for the full restoration of the gospel and it was not a negative thing. He told her that he was amazed that she was teaching him when she had only been a member a short time. We don’t know what’s going to happen. She said she got an e-mail from him but didn’t tell us what he said. They have talked on the phone a couple of times so at least they’re staying in touch. He is very busy with his job and travels quite a bit with his work and he might just be being cautious. He’s waited 45 years. What’s the hurry? It’s been a fun thing. Petra is like a daughter calling us nearly every day and telling us what’s going on-----sharing her frustrations when she doesn’t hear from him and her excitement when she does hear from him. It will be a sad day for us when we leave Wurzburg and don’t have regular contact with her. We have permission from President Rakow to go with her Saturday to Rotenberg which is a very famous tourist attraction in Germany. It is about a half hour from here but is out of our area so we had to get permission to be able to go. The story goes that during the war when all the bombing was going on that the commander of a bombing squadron gave orders not to bomb this city. He had been a missionary in that city a few years earlier and loved the city and just passed over it. It is called a Medieval city and there is a wall all around it----the original wall when the city was built. So many people have talked about it to us and we’re anxious to see it.
Today we had our interviews with President Rakow. This happens every six weeks. We also have training from our zone leaders for a couple of hours. After the meeting, we were visiting with Elder and Sister Holzer and President Rakow came and asked Elder Holzer and Dad to come with him for a minute. Sister Holzer and I were having a good time visiting about just everything. They are such wonderful people. On the way back to Wurzburg, I asked Dad what President Rakow wanted and he said he would tell me later. The Elders were with us and I could tell he didn’t want to talk just then. When we dropped the Elders off Dad told me that President Rakow had told him and Elder Holzer that we didn’t need to go to the training meetings and that he wanted us to plan something fun to do together while the Elders are having their training meetings. I guess Sister Holzer is really struggling on this mission and President Rakow felt like it would be good for them to just go have some fun with another couple. How is that for a perk for being a Senior Missionary? Elder Holzer said he already has a good plan for the next time we are there. Nurnburg was pretty badly destroyed during the war but there is an old part of the city that still stands. It has a wall all around it and is an interesting place to see and Elder Holzer wants to give us a personal tour. That won’t be for another six weeks but it’s worth looking forward too.
Alex, the other young man who has just been waiting for his 18th birthday so he can be baptized, is going to be baptized on the 26th of May. His parents aren’t very happy about it but they told him when he was 18 he could decide for himself. He will be 18 on the 24th. He said he knows the gospel is true and one of the things that is most important to him about the gospel is the priesthood authority. He has a strong testimony of that and is anxious to be able to receive the priesthood. He and Thomas constantly talk about “when I go on my mission.” Thomas is going to baptize Alex. It will be an experience that they will never forget. Neither will we. What a privilege it has been to know and associate with these two young men. We are meeting with Alex’ grandmother a couple of times a week. She comes from a Catholic background and I don’t know if she will ever change but she has wanted to know about this church that her grandson is so excited about. She is such a sweet person. She has read all of Brother Ballard’s book, “Our Search for Happiness” and really enjoyed it. Each time we see her she has lots of questions. We have read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon with her. She wants to know how she can know for sure it’s true and Dad asked her if she felt like prayers were answered and she said she did then he asked her if she would pray and ask if what she was reading and studying was true. She said she would so we’ll go from there.
We were waiting at the elevator at the hospital the other day when a young man asked us what we do. He had seen our missionary badges and asked us what we were doing. We told him we were from America and that we were here as missionaries for the church. He said he doesn’t believe in organized religion and right now Buddha satisfies his religious needs. But he kept asking us questions and finally Dad told him that we would like to come and tell him more about the church and asked if he would have time for us. We have an appointment with him Sunday evening. You never know when teaching opportunities will come.
Do you remember the picture I sent of the castle on the hill across from the river? Tuesday was Labor Day in Germany. It’s always on the 1st of May regardless of what day of the week it is. Thomas and Elena Beck, the young couple we have been meeting with regularly asked us if we would go up to the castle with them that day as neither one of them had to work. We had an appointment at 4 but they said just to call them when we were done. We rode the tram to the bottom of the hill and walked up to the castle. The grounds going up were beautiful and it was fun being in the courtyard and seeing the view of the city from there. We couldn’t go inside yet except for the church where they were holding some kind of service. We heard the music and the doors were open so we just stepped in long enough to take a quick look. I hope while we’re still here that we have the opportunity to go inside the castle. I guess it is quite the tourist attraction too. The wall around the castle had the date 1657 engraved in it. There is a lot of history here.
It’s late and this has been a long day. We hurried and did our laundry and cleaning before we had to leave for our interviews. It takes about an hour and a half to drive to Nurnburg. When we got back, we had just a few minutes before it was time to leave for our English class. But it has been a good day. No two days are the same. We’re so thankful to be senior missionaries. We have a lot more variety in our work than the younger missionaries. Everything from going to mental hospitals to visit people to playing cupid. Some days it just seems like a lot of work for nothing but most of the time it is very rewarding work. I think we’re realizing that everything we do must be done in very small steps. Patience is so important in this work. I’ve never had a lot of that but I think I’m starting to learn how important it is.
We’re thrilled to hear that another grandSON is on the way and we’re living this last week before going into the MTC with Zach. There are a lot of good, exciting things going on in the family and we are grateful. We love you all. You’re in our thoughts and prayers every day.
Much love,
Mom
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