Aug. 18-24, 2018

Every day Russ and I put on our name badges as part of our daily getting ready routine.  We do not leave home without them.  They say:
Elder Grimmett or Sister Grimmett
KIRCHE       
JESU CHRISTI
DER HEILIGEN
DER LETZTEN TAGE

Translated:
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST
OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

This past week our Church announced a new policy regarding the name of our Church and how we refer to it in public or private settings.  The policy stated:  While the term "Mormon Church" has long been publicly applied to the Church as a nickname, it is not an authorized title, and the Church discourages its use. Pres. Russell M. Nelson made the following statement:
"The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will. "

It is amazing to me how much recognition that name tag bears.  Most people we come in contact with in public on the tram, bus or just walking down the street, look at our name tags and try to figure out what it says or what it means.  Little children are very intrigued.  I don't think they notice what we are wearing as much as the name tag - except for maybe Russ always in a white shirt and tie- that draws a lot of attention!  This name has always meant a lot to me, but now, when I wear the name on my dress everyday I am reminded of who I am serving and who I represent.  I am so grateful to have this opportunity to serve at this time and in this place.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early and drove to a little village about 20 minutes away to help a family move.  It was a beautiful morning with the fog coming down the mountains after a night of rain.  Most homes here are multi-family dwellings with 3 or 4 families in each building with their own home.  This family lived on the third floor in a very nice home.  They have a keller (basement) to store things in as well.  This family had their home on the third floor and then the keller had their office and storage.  So we worked really hard loading the boxes and furniture with about 10 other people.  We went up and down the stairs many times.  We did not know where they were moving and when the truck was full with still half of their home to be loaded, we found out they had built a new free standing home just down the street.  They said, "Oh you can just walk it is only 500 meters to their new home.  So we walked with a few others (most drove) the 10 minute walk to their new home.  We arrived and it was amazing.  They build everything including apartments all out of cement.  They build to last 500 years, and they do.  This was a large 5 bedroom home that was amazing in the design.  Their homes are very functional with no extra space.  So when I say a large home - it is not like a Texas home, but by German standards, it was very high end.  It was fun to see the construction and how it is done.  It was a great morning of service.

Cinnamon Roll Dough

One of the things I wanted to do when we arrived was to purchase a Bosch kitchen mixer.  I have had one for many years, but after 45 years the bowl broke and I have had a hard time getting it repaired.  The shop in Utah told me at that age, it was time to buy a new one.  I said, why when the motor still worked fine.  So, I knew they were made in Germany and I could use it while I am here to make bread and cinnamon rolls.  I have been looking and trying to find a place to purchase one.  We were walking around town and just happened upon an Electronics store in a little mall.  It was just what we were looking for.  They had Bosch and several models.  I still can't believe I was able to get one and for only 99 Euro.  They are about $300 in the US.  So that makes me happy and also meant I would need to try it out.  Since Saturday has become our Date Night, we went to dinner early and then I came home and tried out my new machine.

I will not send pictures of food every week.  We are just having so much fun finding great restaurants in our city.  Russ loves gulasch (goulash) soup and we found a biergarten (beer garden) that specialized in it.  So we went and he got this whole tureen filled with soup.  I had potatoes and sausage and was not disappointed.  So much food for 1 person.  And of course, great bread!

Needless to say, we were worn out by the end of the day.  For Russ, that is always around 10:00 PM.  For me, I was still making cinnamon rolls and it was more like 12:00 before bed and I was exhausted, but so excited to be using my new machine. I don't need anything else, I am set.

Sunday morning came very early.  We have been asked to visit a church in another city about 45 minutes away at least once a month.  This was our day to go so we went on another adventure.  They meet on the third floor of an office building.  It took us awhile to find it even with GPS and a few phone calls.  We enjoyed the visit to this small branch of about 50 people.  They had lunch after church and it was nice to stay and visit and get to know them better.  I took homemade bread and cinnamon rolls.  They eat lots of salad and cold vegetables here.  A lot of pickled foods.  We are getting used to the Mineral Water for drinks.
We had also been asked to go pick up some keys so that we could inspect some apartments that the younger missionaries live in.  So, we left Lahr and drove 3 hours to a city called ULM.  It has the

 tallest church spire in all of Europe.  We arranged to meet there to pick up the keys so that we could also see it.  You can pay 5 Euro and climb the 746 stairs to the top.  We thought about it and decided we still had a 3 hour drive back home and that would not be a good idea.  I think I could have done the first 100 but no way the 746 stairs.  It is a Lutheran Church and was started in the late 1300's but was not completed until 1890.  It was protected in WWII by the Americans.  They bombed all around it with a lot of destruction and then flew over later and dropped sacks of flour to let them know they could have hit that target, but left it untouched because of its great history. 

Model of Ulm Munster

 It is one of the largest churches I have been in.  It was beautiful with a large organ that Mozart actually performed on.  It is sad that currently they said they only have about 20 people who worship there on Sunday.  It is unfortunate that so many churches are only able to stay open because they have become tourist attractions.

Archangel David

 We did not arrive home until 10:00 PM.  Another long day but we had experiences we will always remember.




We were invited to have lunch on Monday at the home of the Church leader of the little town we visited on Sunday.  He is what we call a Branch President.  He lives in Freiburg, but serves in Lahr because they are so small and need help.  It was a delightful experience.  He is a retired surgeon.  He was the head of the Pediatric Surgery Department at the University of Freiburg Hospital.  He is now serving in the city government.  He and his wife were so gracious to us.  We started with homemade cream of zucchini soup.  I thought that was great for lunch and could have ended there.  Then they brought out salad, potatoes and pork.  It was so good.  Interesting that the salad is served with a warm dressing on it and the potatoes are served cold.  They eat a lot healthier than most Americans.  Pure food without sauces and gravies.  They topped of that wonderful meal with mango and cherry gelato.  We were there for almost 3 hours and it was so interesting as they shared their story.  I am so grateful for so many that endured very difficult circumstances and have lived to tell their stories.  Her parents left Northern Germany during the War to get away from the Russian troops that were invading Germany and settled in Saxony. Her father was called to serve a mission for the church leaving her mother and her and expecting another child.  Those were difficult days for her family, but they endured and continued on.   Just 6 months before the Wall was built in the 1960's, her father felt impressed to move his family to Southern Germany.  They got out just in time.  She was 12 years old and remembers how it was back then.  With four young children they left and started over.  Just two years later her father was killed in a work accident leaving her mother alone again to raise her family.  The older German people are tough and yet very loving when you get to know them.  I was humbled as I heard her story and then saw the influence her family has had in this area.  She has 9 children. Their home is a welcome place to so many.  They rent out their upstairs apartment to Young Single Adults and have about 4 living there currently.  They have lived their life serving their Church, their family and also their community.  We were truly blessed by being in their home .  We look forward to a continued friendship as we try to help in their Church Branch with their members.

It was my turn to cook for Monday night Family Home Evening with the Young Adults.  I tried a little Tex-Mex on them and served Burrito Bowls.  It turned our good and they really liked it.  We had Flour tortillas (I found good ones at a Turkish Market), Rice, black beans and pinto beans, hamburger and TVP(soy protein for the vegetarians).  We had all of the toppings of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.  I am still getting used to the sour cream and other dairy - it is not the same.  I will learn to be a better shopper and find the kind I like.  I made homemade Salsa and served it with tortilla chips.  They loved the Salsa.  I am still recovering from the first time I made Salsa last week.  They put red pepper in everything!  I cannot find Taco seasoning or what we would call Chili powder, but you can find all kinds of chili or what they call paprika powder.  So, I had some in the cupboard and needed to taste it before I knew how much to put in the recipe.  I just put a little on my finger and put it in my mouth.  Well, It burned my lip so bad.  It swelled double in size and got a big blister.  It has been 10 days and it is just now healing with just a little sore left.  So, I learned to use it sparingly, and the Salsa has a good bite to it.  My Texas family would really like it because it is hotter than I usually make it.  I am liking their spices and fresher flavor.  We ended with the Cinnamon Rolls and that was a real treat for all of them.  Did I mention I love my new Bosch???

Tuesday PDay is a welcome relief.  We need the day just to catch up from the last several days.  There is always laundry and cleaning and correspondence that needs to be done.  Sleeping in is always good too.  Most people here do not have dryers and use racks on their porches and balconies to dry.  I have been frustrated that my dryer does not dry very fast so today I tried my drying rack.  I LOVE IT!  I hung the dress shirts on the racks on hangers and they look like they were just pressed - the real wash and wear.  My dresses dried so good, and I know they will last longer not being in the dryer.  I am sure I will like the dryer in the winter.

There is an old castle ruin on the edge of town and Russ wanted to go see it.  There is a tram and elevator that you can take part way up.  He asked if I wanted to go ride it and see the city from the top of the mountain.  I was up for the adventure and the ride.  When we got there, we were on the wrong side for the ride and there was a large, very steep trail you could hike to the top.  Russ said that is what he wanted to do.  This was not what I had agreed to.  So, we started up the mountain and it was very steep.  I did not know if I could do it, but after the first 10 minutes my body gave way to my will and it became more enjoyable.  The first lookout over the city made it worthwhile. I have shown pictures of the Munster ((cathedral) downtown, but we were now above it and could see it even better.

This is just a map at the beginning of the trail.  You can see where we started at the lower left corner red dot.  You can see the tram (the one we did not take) in the middle of the page.  When we got to the top you could climb some very steep stairs to the actual ruins, but we decided we would come back when it is cooler and maybe attempt the stairs.

Munster Freiburg

 A wall along the trail








Almost to the Top.  The flag of Freiburg.

The walk down was much easier, but not real good on the knees.  It was a beautiful sight to see out over all of the city and to get a better idea of how the city is laid out.