Nov. 18-25, 2018 Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Dinner with the Institute Class.  Elder Grimmett was missing our traditional pineapple turkey and so he printed one and we put it on a pumpkin.









So much is happening this week.  It is interesting  how life changes and you live from one District meeting to another, Transfer days and all things mission.   

THE DISTRICT
We have been together for 6 weeks and Tuesday is transfer day.  Elder Silva will be completing his mission and returning home to Portugal.  Elder Fishburn will be joining us in Freiburg and Sis. Kasteler will be going to Augsburg so The District is changing.  Elder and Sister Andreason will be completing their mission and returning to Utah the first week of December.  With all of these changes this was our last time together.   

 We had District meeting in Freiburg this week.  It was a crazy day for us, but really nice to be together and learn from each other and as always eat good food.  I have really enjoyed this group of missionaries.  Some of them have been with us since we arrived and we have grown to love them and appreciate all they have done to help us learn and adjust to the life of a missionary.
Sister Kasteler has been so fun and she will be missed.  I have enjoyed the times we have been together and look forward to seeing her again when we all return home.  She is from Utah so we plan to stay in touch.

 We helped our Bishop with a service project on Monday morning before District Meeting.  It made it a very busy morning.  Lately, several people have asked, "What do you do all day?"  Do you stay busy?  Most days, we wonder how we will get everything done.  We are always willing to help if we can, but there are a few people who think we should do all of the service projects that no one else is willing to do.  We need to learn to say No, but that has always been hard for me.  

 We are anxious for Thursday to come and the opening of the Christmas Market.  We went to city center on Monday evening and the store windows are coming alive.  This was an amazing window scene.  The tree trunk moves and the face changes.  The fairy log was beautiful.  This is how they view the forest - magical, everything a little girl dreams of.
They do not have Thanksgiving here, but it is the start of the Christmas Season and they are even starting to have Black Friday sales.

 The magic of Christmas is in the air.  That feeling comes to me because of the babe in a manger who came to redeem the world.  There is a Hope in Christ in knowing His mission and The Plan of His Father.  That knowledge brings peace, hope, faith, joy as we study, learn and ponder on this wondrous gift of Jesus Christ to the world.  It is the symbol of this gift that brings the magic of Christmas.

 This is the view we see looking out of our windows.  They are adding 2 stories to the top of the building so we get to here all of the construction noise.  When we looked out Tuesday morning there was what appeared to be smoke coming out in the opening where there is a tree.  Picture does not show very good.  It looked like the tree was on fire.  I sent Russ outside to inspect before we called the Fire Department.  He went out and they had rerouted a vent pipe so on a cold morning the steam was coming out making the tree look like it was on fire.  I am glad we checked because if it had been fire, it does not take long for a building to burn and it was really close to my apartment.  Better safe than sorry




 Tuesday is P-Day, but today we have a lot to do to prepare for our Wednesday Dinner at the Institute and also it is transfer day.

Elder Diogo Samuel Silva

 We went to the train station to see Elder Silva off.  His train was delayed 20 minutes so we got to visit a little more.  He will always be a special missionary to us.  He was here when we arrived and welcomed us from the very first day.  He lived for 7 years in Sandy Utah (his Jr. High and High School years).  His family then moved back to Portugal and a year later he left on his mission.  He speaks great English, Portuguese and German.  He became a great missionary as he worked through some difficult times and as he matured.  He said he always challenged his parents and their authority and by the time he left

Elder's Odro, Silva & Falkena

he was serving as our District Leader and said he now appreciates his parents and feels like he is becoming just like his Dad.  He has a gentle heart and we wish him the very best as he pursues an education and continues on the path of life.

We wanted to take Elder Odro and Falkena to dinner after the good-bye, but they had an appointment to go to so we parted ways.

 We continue to find new restaurants to try and we found  an Indian Restaurant that was wonderful.  The atmosphere was so calm with beautiful music and the food was fantastic.  We had curry chicken and a chicken with cashew tomato curry sauce all served over rice. Each dish comes out and is served in a fondue like pot to keep it warm.  We really enjoyed it and hope to return and try other dishes. 

 I cooked chicken, made rolls and cooked the pumpkin and then made these Pumpkin Streusel Bars.  They were better than pumpkin pie.  The recipe calls for ginger snap cookies.  We looked in several stores and could not find ginger snaps.  The only place that carries them is IKEA and we had just been there last week and I did not buy them.  So, I had made some snickerdoodles and I used them for the crust and just added some ginger.  It worked really good.  Filling was pumpkin, cream cheese, eggs and sour cream with spices.  It is topped with a streusel topping.  They eat a lot of pumpkin here, but not sweet.  Some of the students would not try it because it was pumpkin, but those that did, really liked it.  

It's Wednesday!  Happy Birthday to our Grandson Zach who turned 12 today.  We will miss being with him and also miss that Russ will not be able to be a part of him receiving the Aaronic Priesthood at church.  
 I cooked most of the day.  Russ was a big help as we had to peel lots of carrots and potatoes.  We did not serve turkey - found some at the store but it was 17Euro for a 10  pound turkey and that was too expensive and would not serve everyone.  I made my favorite Chicken bundles (a tradition at the Arlington Institute for many years at Thanksgiving). The recipe is in Linda's Cookbook.  It is chicken, cream cheese and butter inside of a crescent roll dough.  They turned out really good even though I had to use a little different dough here. 

 I made stuffing balls, mashed potatoes and gravy and orange glazed carrots.  The stuffing balls turned out really good.  You just make up the stuffing and form it into balls and bake in the oven.  It was easy to serve and they liked it because it is kind of like the semmel knordel that they eat. They also are not used to gravy and they put it on everything.  I served rolls and rounded out the meal with a  Waldorf Salad (Recipe also in Linda's Cookbook).  This was our Thanksgiving Dinner this year and it was nice to show them a little taste of what we do.  Russ then shared with them a little thought about the history of Thanksgiving.
He shared the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving.  During his administration, President Abraham Lincoln order government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving on November 28, 1861.  In September of 1863, Sarah Josepha Hale wrote Mr. Lincoln and asked for the day to be made a National Holiday.  Up to that time each State chose the day

they would celebrate a day of thanksgiving.  She had been trying for 15 years to get a President to do this.  He immediately responded to her request.  The following document was written by Secretary of State William Seward on October 3, 1863. 
By the President of the United States of America:  
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of sop extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the every watchful providence of Almighty God.  In the midst of a civil war . . .No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.  It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.  I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.  And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. . . .
We are so grateful for this opportunity, even as we sojourn in a foreign land, to give thanks to our Father in Heaven for our family, friends, and for the many blessings  we have been given.  We are so grateful to have been prepared spiritually, physically and temporally to be able to serve our mission at this time and place.  We love serving and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

 After all of those preparations for Wednesday, we celebrated Thanksgiving on a much smaller scale - grateful for a few leftovers.  We actually went a purchased chicken cordon blue from the meat market and added it to all of the leftovers.  It was a wonderful meal and just perfect for the two of us.  We had a delightful day as we recovered from the busy week and also began preparations for Christmas.  
Sorry about all of the stories of food - It's
Thanksgiving!

 We had our weekly visit with Amira.  She was so glad to have us visit and had gotten all dressed up.  She spends most of every day on her bed/couch and her world is all around her on the walls and shelves of her room  She is in so much pain and yet she has a wonderful spirit and brightens our day.  We love visiting her and hope we bring her some joy and peace. 

 We decorated our home for Christmas.  Russ assembled the tree and put the lights on it.  That has been his passion for many years and he does a great job.  We finally agreed on a place to put the tree and then completed the decorations.  We think it is beautiful and it gives the room a wonderful glow.  We had purchased a Nativity at a flee market back in October.  It was a great find.  It is an Italian set and is actually a composite of several sets.  Each piece is numbered and I looked it up on the internet and found some of the pieces are quite valuable.  I hand cleaned every piece and it is beautiful.  I cannot believe how vibrant the colors are and how nice it looks all cleaned up. 

 We watched a new music video by The Tabernacle Choir of Silent Night and now, Let the Season begin.  
We talked to each of our children and their families and also my Dad.  It was a wonderful day.  I only cried when we prayed at dinner, just a little home sick and missing my family.  It was wonderful to see and hear what each of them were doing and so grateful for each of them and their sharing and serving others on this day of Thanksgiving.  
We ended the day watching the replay of the BYU basketball game.  Russ only watches if they win, so it was a great evening  - probably better than the Cowboys Football game!

 CHESTNUTS (Marroni) ROASTING OVER AN OPEN FIRE - A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  They were roasted to perfection and I ate almost the whole bag.  They were warm and so good.  The liking must come with age, I don't remember them being so good 40 years ago when I tried them. We had a wonderful evening walking through the crowds and seeing all the sights and sounds of the market.  The busy places were all of the hot drinks and food - most people were there to drink and socialize and not browse the markets.  We were there to browse the markets so it was nice away from the crowds.

 We had an Annual Cleaning of the Church Building this afternoon.  The Elder's came over to ride with us to the Church.  They loved the Christmas decorations and the festive spirit.  I gave them some pumpkin cake with whipped cream and they were happy.  Elder Odro was smiling and happy.  The other Elders said, see, you can find joy in something today.  He had been having a hard day and just having a little bit of food filled with love made a difference in his day.  I am so glad it brought him Joy! We cleaned for about 2 hours and then went to the Christmas Market.  3 of our Young Adults had the same idea after they cleaned and we met up with them as they were eating some fun breads.  It was a cold and drizzeling night but you really did not notice as you were among all of the festivities.  We got a quick view of it all and will go back in the coming weeks to see more.  We will have to go get some more Marroni.

We had a full day planned for Saturday.  Reports to catch up on and more paper work.  There is always shopping and preparing for coming events.  It has been five months since my last hair cut.  It was getting really long, but it is hard to find a new hair stylist so I just kept letting it grow.  A new shop opened just down the street from us and so we stopped in on Friday to check it out and make an appointment.  It is amazing how a little thing like a hair cut can make you feel so good.  It was nice to just have 1 hour of pampering - good for another 4 or 5 months.   

Two of the Young Married girls asked on Wednesday if they could come over on Saturday night and learn how to make bread.   Their men wanted a game night - so it was girl's night at my house.  I always enjoy teaching others how to make bread.  More shopping  and prepping for tonight.  I made chicken noodle soup to go with the bread and we also made a new dish with cheese.  You have a raclette pan - it is a pan that sits on top of a rack with 4 tea lights underneath.  You use a special raclette cheese and you put on the cheese and in minutes it melts to perfection and you scrape it onto bread or potatoes, etc.  We put it on the fresh baked bread and it was wonderful.

We made Italian Bread and Refrigerator Rolls.  They did a great job for their first time baking bread.  The best part was they got to take it home with them.  Their next girl's night out will be cinnamon rolls.  
I have asked some ladies here if they would share some of their Christmas recipes with me.  I am hoping they will remember and share so I can learn to make some local favorites.  I would love it if they would teach me how, but the recipes will be good as well.  

And so, the best time of the year in all of Germany is upon us.  I have three Nativities in my living room and so far everyone I have shown or talked to is amazed at them and really don't know what they are.  I share my story and show pictures of what we have done the past 24 years.  It is amazing to me how many people celebrate Christmas and have the markets and advent calendars and food and then when you talk about The Nativity you have to explain it.  Faye Landham, I think you need to bring your display to Germany next year - they need a little Jesus Christ in their celebrations.  
Tonight was a perfect way to end the week.  Looking forward to this next week and Zone Conference Mission Tour.  Details will follow.
Grateful to all of our family and friends for your support and love as we serve
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's

Nov. 12-17, 2018

 We are off and running again this week.  We keep thinking things will slow down and they seem to be getting busier.  That is good and I hope our bodies stay healthy and able to keep up with the pace.  We started early on Monday with a District Meeting on ZOOM (internet conference call).  We have the Elder's come to our home for this meeting and it works out well.  With an early morning meeting this week I had cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for them instead of lunch.  There were no complaints!  One of our Elder's has ADD and has been out of his medicine for awhile.  Mental Health seems to have the same problems here as at home.  Long wait times to get in to see a Doctor and then trying to find the right treatment that will work.  He has waited 5 weeks for his appointment and today was the day.  Elder Grimmett took him to the Doctor so the other two Elder's could go to an appointment to do a service project for an elderly couple who are moving.  After all of that waiting, they said they needed him to go to another Doctor and have blood work done before they can prescribe a treatment.  It would have been really nice if they would have said that at the time the appointment was made so that he could have had the blood work done and been ready for this appointment.  Oh well, we are trying to help him get through this time and will hope for the best as we work through the process.  We have actually enjoyed the time we spend with him without the other 2 Elder's.  He needs some care and attention that he does  not usually receive.  He has a very tender heart and he has a great knowledge of life and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He has a hard time being motivated and concentrating, but that does not make him stupid or not valuable as a person.  I wish other people could look into a persons soul and heart and understand them better.  I hope we are making a little difference for him.

As soon as that appointment was finished we were off to Lahr to meet the Fire Marshall for an apartment inspection.  We also needed to complete the Annual Deep clean inspection of the apartment.  No one lives in the apartment at this time, but our Elder's go about every other week and stay overnight in it.  We passed the fire inspection with no problems and then had to clean up some of their mess.  They do pretty good, but we had to spend about 2 hours cleaning.  We need to establish some better guidelines for them using the apartment.  Russ and I are getting pretty good at defrosting refrigerators and shining up sinks and floors.  It is amazing how much garbage accumulates even with no one living there - where does it come from?

We hurried home to make it to Family Home Evening with the YSA.  They made chili burritos and apple cobbler - they said it was American just for us.  I told them it was fitting since it was a Holiday in America today - celebrating Veterans Day.  Not celebrated in Germany.  We had a really nice time - one of the best evenings with this group.  We had a young man from Peru join us tonight.  He has been in Freiburg for 3 years and is here on an Internship in Architecture Design.  He was very nice and enjoyed the good food.  We found out he does not have a stove or heating element in his apartment and so he eats mostly bread with meat or cheese, never anything hot.  He really enjoyed a nice hot meal.  I am going to look for a hot plate for him.  It was a very long day and we were glad to finally be home at 9:30 PM

You have to love his smile!

P-DAY!  It rained most of the day today so we did not get to climb the mountain and instead had a game day with the District.  So, another drive to Schwenningen with the Elder's.  I made Chicken Noodle Soup, Granola Bars and Carmel dip with apples.  Everyone brought their favorite snacks and we had a great day.  When we divided up to play board games, the other missionaries paired up and it left our Elder Odro out.  So we told him we needed him to play Phase 10 with us and the other Senior Couple and we had a long long fun game time.  We love his laugh and his wit.  He is the oldest of the young missionaries, so I guess it was fitting he was with the Seniors.  I know he had a good time playing with us and eating as much food as he wanted.  I hope at the end of the day he can look back and not dwell on what did not happen with the others, but be happy in the true fun we had and that we treated him with respect and just good fun.  The other missionaries are awesome - they all had a great time as well - they just are in their own worlds and don't really know how to include him most of the time.  It is a unique situation and probably why he is here in Freiburg with us. Another Tender Mercy.

Our sweet friend Katrina is back from her visit with family in Croatia.  That means another Wednesday lunch with her.  With our busy schedule and the need to stay healthy, we had decided that we can only eat with her once a month.  I tried to be like Jonah hiding in the whale and I tried to avoid the invitation.  Well, that did not work so well.  She talked with the Elder's and Russ and they set a lunch date for Wednesday.  We want to visit her, just not eat every time, but she is offended if we do not eat when we go.  So, another adventure today.  With three other Elders to eat, we did  not have to eat very much.  They told her only 4 people would be there for lunch and there was 5 of us so Russ and I shared - it worked out fine.  Today was also Apartment Inspection day for our Elder's.  They thought if they went to lunch and then scheduled a service project in the afternoon that I would just drop in and sign off on the apartment. NOT going to happen.  I made Cinnamon Rolls to give to all of the missionaries as we completed the inspections.  After cleaning for over 2 hours on Monday their mess from the other apartment they were not going to get off that easy.  The real story is we have been given the responsibility to check the apartments and this was for the Annual Check and we had to do our job as well.  They had worked really hard and their apartment was as good as it needed to be to pass inspection.  Some of these apartments are really old and there is only so much that can be done to keep them nice.  We check for things like mold and leaking water pipes; working CO2 and smoke alarms, and any broken appliances or furniture.  2 checks completed and 3 to go.

We were up early and off to Bad Sackingen for another inspection.  Russ actually drove today - a nice break for me.  This is the apartment we cleaned 8 weeks ago that was left a disaster when the old missionaries moved out and did not clean when they left.  They now have Elder's living in the apartment and so we needed to do the Annual Inspection.  They did the bare minimum, but I knew how clean it was when they moved in so they did not have too much to do to keep it clean.  Garbage here is difficult at best and seems to be the biggest challenge of what to do with all of it when it won't fit in the weekly bins.  We left cinnamon rolls and thanked them for their efforts.
We had a full schedule today and had wanted to stop at the castle ruins for lunch (the little place we discovered last month) but there was no time.  We hurried back home so we could visit a lady who is in the hospital recovering from surgery for cancer.  She was very glad to see us and grateful for a few friends.  She moved to Freiburg from Romania with her 29 year old son.  She speaks her native tongue and English.  She said it is difficult being in the hospital because the German nurses are like Icebergs and it is difficult to communicate.  I thought about that and know how hard it is for me even with Russ who most of the time can help me.  It would be hard to be in a hospital and feel so alone.  I hope we brought a little joy to her today.  We left her visit and went to our weekly visit of Amira.  She is always the bright spot of my week.  She has had a hard week and was really glad to see us.  We almost had to cancel and I am so glad we were able to work it in.  I had been asked to take in dinner to a family that just added a new baby to their family.  I made the dinner on Wednesday knowing how busy Thursday would be.  We delivered the dinner of chicken spaghetti, baked squash, bread and granola bars.  We did not get to eat before the delivery and then we were off to another meeting at church, Ward Council.

 Off to foggy Bern Switzerland for another day of Apartment Inspections.  It has been foggy for over a week, I don't know if they see the sun during the Winter.  It is pretty but makes traveling a little harder.  We packed a lunch to take because it is so expensive to do anything in Switzerland. 

 We arrived a little early and took the opportunity to walk around downtown a little before our appointment.  Julie Grimmett, I thought you would like to see the window display of a local yarn shop.  I loved the wreath and the banner and thought of you.  You do not see all of the acrylic yarns in these shops like to see at home.  These are more expensive yarns and are very beautiful.

The apartments today were of the Zone Leaders and we were very hopeful they would be the examples to the other missionaries.  They did not disappoint.  We had wonderful visits with both the Elder's and the Sisters.

One Elder is from Boise Idaho and completes his mission next week and will arrive home just in time for Thanksgiving.  We had fun talking all things Idaho.  Elder Parker is from Norway.  There was a really nice spirit in their home and their obedience to complete the task of the annual deep clean was a direct result of their positive attitudes and the spirit that was there.
They really deserved their cinnamon rolls for a job well done.
The Sisters were also a delight.  They live in
Zollikofen about 10 minutes outside of Bern.  It

is the little city the Swiss Temple for our church is located in.  They live across the street.  Picture of Temple above.  Sis. Breinholt is from New Mexico and Sis. Kjeldsen is from Finland.  They are amazing Sisters and were a delight to be with.  They too are great examples to the other missionaries.  They said they were so glad to have the deep clean and to have cleaned out so much old stuff that was in their apartment.  When missionaries leave to go home or other areas they always leave behind things they no longer need or cannot fit in their suitcases.  It accumulates over time and that is one of the reasons for the deep clean.  They were told to donate all clothing, dishes, etc. to charity.  They said it felt so good to have such a clean apartment.  It is so nice when they understand the purpose behind the visit.  They were a little worried how it was going to go, and I think we all enjoyed our time together - and the cinnamon rolls helped.
We had parked in front of the Temple and church behind a row of other cars and also where cars had parked the previous Saturday that we were there.  We returned to our car to eat our picnic lunch to find a parking ticket on our window.  The car in front of us was also ticketed.  They had Swiss plates and so we didn't worry that it was not an OK place to park.  There were no signs that said no parking and Saturday it was filled with cars and no problem.  The police women  walked past us as we were fixing lunch - we were about 5 minutes too late.  Apparently there has to be a blue line on the road to be able to park.  We continue to learn the hard way.  I   really wanted to see the Bern Bears this trip, but it was so cold and foggy that we decided we would do that another day.

Back home just in time to finish the Chili I had made in the morning, cook the rice to go with it and try a new salad recipe for the Ward Talent Show, dinner and youth fund raiser.  Great night of magic tricks, singing, dancing, piano solos and poetry.  It was a fun night and so much good German food.  They are starting to like my American food and really enjoyed the chili and rice.  Most of the people brought bread with meat and cheese, desserts and always potato salad.  It would not be a German dinner without potato salad or potatoes of some kind.

I was ready to go home after a very long day - no rest for the weary.

Last month I posted pictures of a service project we did at this home moving dirt.  They finished their drive way and the flower beds in the front.  We returned early Saturday morning  to continue working on the project.  We hauled and hauled and raked and raked the dirt for about 3 hours.  I cannot believe  how much dirt was moved in that time - our bodies know how much.  Russ is moving a little slow tonight - he worked really hard. 

 They made us take a break about 11:30 for hot apple cider and the best pretzel rolls.  They said, "Sister Grimmett, I know you don't take breaks, but we are going to make  you this time."  It was a nice break and then we continued for a little while and then had to leave.  I work real good until I stop and then it is hard to get started again - that is why I like to finish a job before I stop.

You can't really see the depth of the hill of dirt, but it is amazing how much has been moved.  Five men filled three wheel barrows and then Russ and I spread all of it out in the front yard after they dumped it.  We had to remove the large rocks and then smooth out the dirt to grade.  When we left, the hill those men are standing on was gone.  They live in a little village outside of Freiburg that is rural, but changing as more people build where they can afford to live.  It will be sad if it looses its rural charm with too much growth.  

We had a list of items that needed to be purchased for the different apartments so we spent the afternoon shopping.  The effects of the morning were starting to take effect and we were anxious to just be home and rest.  I had told the Elders to come by our home and that I had some leftovers of Chicken spaghetti that they could pick up for dinner.  It was getting late and then they called and said they were on their way.  I decided to heat it up and have it ready for them to eat.  They were so glad that they could just stay and eat and not have to carry it home and then still fix it.  I told them it was clean out the fridge night of left overs.  They said, you can invite us to come anytime you want to clean out your fridge.  They do get spoiled.  Elder Silva will be completing his mission and going home on Tuesday.  We will be sad to have him go.  He has been so good to us and has helped us get adjusted and comfortable to our new surroundings.  We will be getting a new Elder in his place.  He is an Elder we already know well who has been in our District.  He is from Oklahoma and we have shared stories of home and also of the people we both know.  Small world when we know some of the same people.

I keep thinking of Thanksgiving and all the preparations I would be making at home.  We keep thinking we could invite people over and then realize it is not a holiday and they will be in school or at work and cannot come.  I am cooking on Wednesday night for Institute so I will be making my traditional Institute Thanksgiving feast of Chicken bundles and all of the fixings that go with them.  That will have to do for us this year.  So far we have only found Turkey breast and legs in the stores - no whole turkeys.  They have lots of goose and duck.  Already looking forward to putting up Christmas next weekend.  We will probably spend Thanksgiving day decorating.  I am not sure how I will get through the next week with no Nativity set-up.  Twenty four years of doing something that was so special to both of us - will really be missed.  The bright side is the Christmas markets start on November 22 and we can't wait.
There is a new Book by Brad Wilcox, "Because of the Messiah in a Manger".  He says, "No matter how many try to take Christ out of  Christmas . . .it will always and forever be about the messiah in a manger."  The wise men came to know the Savior when they were come into the house, Matthew 2:11.  We too, learn to know the Savior when we come into His house.

I would love for you to share your Thanksgiving stories with us in the coming weeks. Joe Thompson, have a great time in Utah with your family.  We look forward to hearing all about it.  We will miss family and friends and the festivities of the season.

AMAZING SUNDAY!  Last week I told you about the opportunity we had at Robert Bosch College.  We met Yowita (Yo vee ta, a Polish name)  who is a student there who had been an exchange student in Texas.  We have stayed in contact with her this past week and she came to church today.  Today was our annual Primary Program.  This is held once each year where the young children ages 3-11 participate with speaking parts and singing.  It is always a favorite service to attend.  It was wonderful today.  I love how the people here relate to the children and everyone helps each other.  The theme was I Am A Child of God.  Yowita really enjoyed it and even remembered some of the songs.  She said it felt so good being in Church and with such friendly people.  She is planning to come to Institute on Wednesday - especially when she heard I was cooking a Thanksgiving dinner.  She applied to Stanford University and is waiting for Dec. 15 to find out if she is accepted and with a scholarship.  I hope and pray it will work out for her.  She is a really sharp young adult and has some wonderful goals for life.
We went and visited Mariana in the hospital again today after Church.  There are so many people who just need to know that someone is thinking of them.  There is always someone who can use a visit or a call or a text and even a letter in the mail.  It truly brightens your day when you serve other people. 

This statue is just outside of our building driveway.  We walk past it many times every day.  Today there was a wreath placed at the base of it.  We stopped to read what was on the inscription.  This is a memorial for the 600 mentally disabled people who were killed in 1940 as part of the regime to make Germany a pure race.  The building is a center for Mental Health.  Again, I am so grateful to know that there is a plan for each one of us. God loves everyone of His children and we each have a purpose for being here.  We each have our own challenges - some more visible than others.  Through Jesus Christ and His Atonement and Resurrection we will be made whole and free of our physical infirmities when He comes again. 

Wishing everyone a great week.  Enjoy the Fall even with Winter knocking on your door. 
Happy Thanksgiving!        The Grimmett's

Nov. 4 - 11, 2018 We'll Bring the World His Truth

 Hand carved wooden street signs.  They were in a little village in the mountains.  I loved them.  We went to this little village to find a member of our Church.  We found that he no longer lives there.  Another adventure that we took and enjoyed seeing new places and these amazing street signs.

I was grateful for a quiet Sunday to rest after Church and get rested for the busy week ahead.  I don't usually nap during the day, but after a busy week I took a three hour nap.  Russ usually gets a little stir crazy if I am not around and he starts making noise with music, sports, pacing the floor etc. and it wakes me up and I know it is time to get up.  What he really wanted was dinner.  Some things never change.  Sunday is always a nice day when we get to talk to family.  With the time change and everyone's busy schedules, we usually connect on Sunday evenings.  Best part of the day for me!

Monday was District Meeting in Schwenningen.  Russ drove today for the first time in 2 months and with 3 Elder's in the back seat and having to put the seat up to make room, he decided to have me drive home so he could be more comfortable.  We enjoy the drive, especially at this time of year when the Fall colors are breathtaking. 

 We made about 80 Oatmeal packets for the missionaries to add their favorite flavors and then take home so that they will have some good breakfast food.  It was really a good activity and appreciated by the missionaries. They made S'mores; raisin cinnamon; banana coconut and almond; blueberry almond; craisin, cherry berry;
apple cinnamon and any other combination they decided to put together.  These are homemade instant oatmeal packets that you just add water and microwave.  They are so much better than the ones you buy.  Each missionary got to take 10 packets home so I know they will have

breakfast for at least 10 days.  I gave them the recipe and hope they will make more on their own.  So, everyone made their packets and we got ready to go home.  All but two Elder's had gone outside to get in our cars.  One of the Elder's came out and said, "my companions packets are missing, did someone take them?"  Our missionaries looked at each other and said, Elder Silva, I think you took extra - so he opened his backpack and had 20 packets.  The Elder who did not have any was afraid to say something and his companion said, no way, I am going to find them.  He did not want to share his and he knew someone had to have picked them up. 

 This is catching the Elder unloading the backpack of extra goods!  You can see the reaction on the other Elder's faces.  Glad we can laugh about it and all is well.

It has been a family tradition for over 30 years to make Dinner in a Pumpkin for Halloween.  It is a family favorite.  I made Pumpkin soup on Friday and it made sooooo much.  I needed a lunch for Monday and so we decided to add all of the ingredients that I would use for Dinner in a Pumpkin and put them in the soup.  New favorite soup recipe.  I added the browned hamburger and onion that is cooked, drained and then I added brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and mushrooms.  I then added cooked rice.  It made it a very hearty soup with  great flavors.  I added homemade bread and Sis. Andreason brought cake.  One of the Elder's said, "Sis. Grimmett, I didn't realize I had had a horrible mission until you came and I see what I have been missing.  Your food is amazing.  I am glad I made someone happy.




We stopped at the little village I talked about earlier on our way home from District meeting. 

It was a beautiful day and fun to walk around the little village.
Monday night was Family Home Evening with the YSA and we were glad when we could go home and rest from our wonderful day.

This is our big week that we are giving a presentation at Robert Bosch College.  We have been working on the presentation, but had not finalized it.  Tuesday is P-Day and we took the morning and outlined our presentation and figured out who would present the different topics.  We had a digital presentation that the Church has prepared in giving discussions.  We were asked to speak on the History of the Church - how did it start, by whom, when and if we have a book of scripture.  We were also asked to answer the following questions: 
Where did I come from,
 Why am I here and
 Where am I going. 
We just happen to have the answers to all of those questions and already in a presentation prepared by the Church.  So we worked on how we would do it and when to show a few video clips.  You can find the presentation only on an IPad, phone or tablet in the App store under LDS Pamphlets.  We used The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Plan of Salvation.  We feel really good about this opportunity and look forward to Thursday.  So, with preparations in order, Russ was ready for an adventure.  I just wanted to stay home, but I am so glad he convinced me that we needed to get out. 

wish my camera captured the colors better.  Fog in the valley

Several weeks ago we rode the Gondola to the top of the large mountain called Schauinsland.  When we were at the very top we saw a little village on the other side of the mountain.  I read about it and wanted to visit it some day.  We found out it is only about a 20 minute drive by car or a 1 hour bus ride.  We drove and it was absolutely majestic.  In the valley by our home it was very foggy.  We thought, maybe today is not a good time to go.  We drove and it was beautiful in the fog with the scenery.  As we started to climb the mountain, we actually got higher than the fog and it was beautiful.  A clear cold day. 

 We were on the side of the mountain with all of the ski resorts.  They are not like in the US where it is very commercial and tourist oriented.  These are places like I used to ski at when I was a young girl - Magic Mountain.  Nothing fancy, but lifts on many mountains and just little shacks for the starting point.  They also do a lot of cross country skiing here.  One parking lot was packed with people who had parked and were out hiking.  Most of them older people.  We were amazed.  We were not dressed for hiking and also did not take our hiking poles.  We will go back another day - probably in the spring.  The season ended on Nov. 4, so we were a few days too late to see some of the museums we had wanted to see.  We will go back.  The snow will be here soon and it will be a whole new sight to see.  

 This is the cemetery behind the Church.  I like cemetery's and especially the ones here.

Many of the homes are heated by wood stoves.  You see piles like this all through the forest.  This a one of the resorts stack for the winter.  They cut the wood and then it cures for 2 years before they burn it.  So you see stacks all over with the 2 year cure, 1 year cure and those they just cut.
We drove home and went shopping to get the food for Wednesday night Institute.  It is our turn to cook again.

I made an old favorite from home - American version of a German meal.  Potatoes, onions, apples, sauerkraut and sausage. I made 2 big pan fulls and it really looked good.  I spent time layering each food so it looked just right in the pan.  I was ready to take them to the church to bake and made bread and a salad.  I usually cook it in a crock pot but the oven has always worked as well.  WRONG!  I don't know what happened, but I cooked them for 2 hours and everything but the potatoes cooked.  They were not raw, but they would not get soft.  I dumped the pans into large soup pots and tried to boil them to get them soft and they still were crunchy soft.  It was supposed to be so good and perfect - so much for time layering.  The YSA were very kind and ate it, some even had 2 helpings, but I was not happy and decided I will do it the German way while I am in Germany!  Boil the potatoes first and then add to the pan.  It had a great flavor but not what I was hoping to serve.  Looks can be deceiving.  

Thursday was the BIG DAY we have been preparing for.  We were invited to participate in an Inter-faith Day at Robert Bosch College here in Freiburg.  It is College that has 17 campuses across the World with students from 93 countries and a total of 180 students at this campus.   We arrived at
9 AM and found our classroom.  We got all set up with the projector and our handouts.  I took a large bowl of trail mix and cups - food is just in my nature.  I knew it couldn't hurt.
We then went to the opening ceremony and introduction.  This is a small college but unique in its design and focus for learning.  One of their motto's is:  "We are all of the earth, which does not see difference of colour, religion or race." - A world in miniature.
We were so impressed with the opening remarks and their beliefs and desires to help each other and break down barriers between people, religions and countries.  We were already glad to be there.  They assigned a student to each presenter to help them with their rooms and questions.  We went to our room and were already prepared to meet the students.  The students were given the opportunity to choose 2 classes to attend.  They chose their classes the day before so that each class was divided equally.  We had 10 students in each class.  We had mostly Christian students but most had never heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We were so impressed with the students and their desire to learn and their friendliness.  Not the age that is always kind or helpful.  Even with a few technical challenges - that the students quickly solved for us - the presentation went as planned.  I think we surprised ourselves.  We had a question time at the end and they asked really good questions.  One young man asked if he read The Book of Mormon, would it answer his questions about life after death.  The students heard some very new ideas and asked very thoughtful questions.  We had a great time talking with them.  The time went very fast.  When I told the first class they could have a treat, they were hesitant at first.  They were not used to having food in the classroom.  It was actually not allowed, but by the end of class they were glad to have some. 
The next group came in and we were ready.  This group was not shy about each taking a cup of nuts and then an amazing thing happened.  A girl came in and said she was so excited when she saw us on the program and couldn't wait to come to our class.  She said, you were not here last year and I did not know there were "Mormons" in Freiburg.  Some thought we came from Texas just to speak at the college.  They were very interested that we were missionaries - not the typical missionaries they had ever seen or heard about (nice dressed young men standing at the train station stereotype). 
So, she had our attention.  She said she had been a foreign exchange student in Houston Texas 2 years ago and live with a family that were member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She said she attended church with them every Sunday and Wednesday night youth group.  She said she didn't realize how much she missed it until she did not have it.  She even got the other students excited to hear about it.  The presentation went as planned and again we enjoyed the questions and visiting with the students.  Lunch was next and our new friend was eager to take us to lunch and be with us.  They had each table labeled with a different religion for each one so that the students could come and eat with you and ask questions.  We were there for 1 1/2 hours and our table was full the whole time.  As a student would leave another students would quickly come and fill the seat.  They finally had to come and tell the students they had to leave and go to the next presentations.  A young man from Mexico City came and told us he had a friend in Mexico that was just called to Peru on a mission.  He was very interested to know how you get assigned as a missionary and how it works.  Jowita (our new friend) is of Polish heritage and raised in Germany.  She came and asked if she could come to church with us on Sunday.  She gave us her name and contact information and we are planning to have her with us at church. 

Entrance to Robert Bosch College

 A little history:  Freiburg is one of the only cities in Southern Germany that did not participate in the Reformation.  They chose to stay Catholic and not allow any other religions into the city.  I wrote about Constance diocese leaving that area and transferring to the Munster in Freiburg back in October.  As a result of this, there are not many religions in this city even today.  The Jews were destroyed 80 years ago Friday.  We attended a ceremony on Thursday evening in commemoration of that event.  Their synagogue was burned and over 100 were killed that night.  The rest were taken to camps and killed.  There is now a small Jewish group here again,  There are many Islam, a few Anglican and small congregations of Christians of different faiths.  The Quakers have 6 in their congregation.  More than 50% are considered non-believers.  It is interesting that of the 18 presenters there were only us, the Quakers, Anglican, considered Christians and the rest were Sunni Islam, Zen Buddhist Nun, Baha'i, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Shintoism, Sufism, Kadampa Buddhism,, Vajrayana Buddhism,  Shia Islam, and the faith of non-believers.  I have to admit, I had not heard of some of those before. 

 The location of the College is a beautiful setting on a hill on the edge of the city.  It is housed in an old Monestary.  5 years ago it was purchased by the Bosch foundation and renovated for the College.  A dining room and Auditorium were built literally in the mountain.  They also added new, very modern dormatories for the students and some staff. 
This is along the trail from the parking lot up to the campus.  It is absolutely beautiful with sheep that roam and a full garden.  They grow and use their produce from the garden and vinyard.  We understand they even have a license for a brewery. 

We had to park at the bottom of the hill and walk to the top along this path.  It was very nice, but a workout of stairs all the way up.  Great workout!  We told them we would like to volunteer we were so impressed with the campus.  They said no one had ever offered to do that.  They said they can always use help on Fridays in the garden.  

 At the end of the presentations, they all gathered again for a closing program.  Only 5 of the presenters stayed all day and we were asked to share a scripture or spiritual thought with the students.  We shared a quote on the importance of serving our fellow man - no matter who or where they are and then shared Mosiah 2:17  "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of our fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."  Most talked about peace and unity.

They also had students perform songs, dancing, poetry and chants from some of the different groups.  Below is Alex, the faculty member in charge of the event and a couple of students who concluded the day with a George Harrison song.
We rushed home and got warm coats and headed to the tram to go to the Jewish Commemoration with some of the  students and faculty.  I cannot even comprehend most of what happened to the Jews at that time.  As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ we know something of persecution.

 We were then treated to dinner at a Turkish restaurant.  These pictures are of a few of the dishes.  Very good food, atmosphere and company.  We were the novelty of the night. There were only 10 of us and they all wanted to know more about our Church and what we were doing in Freiburg.  They were very interested in our being missionaries and leaving our home to come and serve.  The Quaker couple were the nicest people.  He was from England and she was from Germany.  They were the salt of the earth and we got along wonderfully.  We have truly made some wonderful new friends.  One of the faculty members that we had talked to about

volunteering earlier in the day came to us and said, "we can find a place for you.  I know now your desires and willingness to Just Serve."  We all left as friends.  Alex, the faculty member in charge said he would really like to get with us just socially to visit and become better friends.  We are planning to invite him to our home.  We have already been invited to come back next year.  This is one of the highlights so far of our mission.  As we testified of the doctrine we know to be true and just testified that we know there is a God and that He sent His Son Jesus Christ that we can all return home to Him, that was enough. 
Needless to say, we did not get home until 10:00 PM and we were mentally exhausted.  I am looking forward to Friday. 
I just wanted to sleep all morning, but duty called.  We cleaned our apartment for the annual deep clean that the whole mission is doing.  It shines (at least for today).  We visited Amira because we were not able to visit her on our normal Thursday time.  That is always a treat.  Her mother had stopped to visit her so we got to meet her.  That was nice.  Amira gave me two handmade candles from Africa to use for Christmas.  We talked about light and what it means. She is truly a light to me and has made a difference in my life.

Saturday we were up early and off to Bern Switzerland to attend the Temple.  It was a very foggy morning and made for an interesting drive.  The Elder's were supposed to go with us but canceled at 10:00 the night before.  It was a Stake Temple Day - lots of people from our Area that we know and it was nice to be there together. 
The YSA decided they want a spaghetti dinner after church tomorrow so I came home and made bread and spaghetti for Sunday.  Always something going on.  I am already looking forward to Tuesday P-Day ...Oh wait - we are going as a District to Triberg to climb the mountain to the waterfall again.  Rest will have to come another day.
Last week I couldn't get the photos to work so I am including pictures from the cemetery.  I just love cemeteries and wanted to share how nice they are decorated for their Memorial Day.

 These are all individual or family grave sites.  These flowers are planted and will grow all Winter.  Instead of grass, you have a planter type box to plant and put things in.

 Russ along the path.

It is turning cold.  Thank you Mark & Kellie for the beautiful neck warmer.  It is very nice and warm and wonderful colors.

Happy Birthday to our cute grandson William today.  Happy Birthday to our daughter Emily - 35 years - Celebrate!
Remembering our Veterans and the country they represent.  My Dad, my brother and my son are counted among those valiant soldiers.  Thank you!