I was asked to play in Relief Society and usually it is not hard, just normal hymns. We are singing Christmas hymns this month and the German Hymnal has so hymns I have never heard of. It is a much smaller book than in the US, but also has many different hymns. I went to play the closing hymn and I had never seen it before and it had 4 sharps. That may not mean anything to most of you, but for me, it is not a key you play in every day, especially when you are sight reading. The song was, Tochter Zion, freue dich by George Friedrich Handel from an Oratorium "Josua". I told them I would try to play and give it my best. I was able to play most of it - I guess better than not having a piano at all. After the meeting a Sister came and asked me, you have never heard of this song? She was surprised we did not have this hymn. Sundays are always an interesting experience for me.
We then told them about our tradition of making ginger bread houses with our Grandkids and also the years with friends. We bought all of the kits at IKEA and then lots of candies and decorations. I made all of the frosting and the building began. Only two out of the whole group had ever done this before. They had a really fun time and did a really good job of creating. It was fun to share and to keep some traditions going.
We bought a few Nativity ornaments and a Santa Claus. The GPS put us on a different route to return home. We decided to go with the GPS. It took us on the other side of the mountain and higher up before we went down and we got into snow. It was beautiful. No pictures. I was driving and was a little distracted. At one point we felt like we were on a cattle road - only 1 lane and very winding. It was an adventure and it was worth the view. The forest is an amazing place - especially in winter.
Wednesday morning was a sad day as we said good-bye to Elder Falkena. We met at the train station and wished him well. We have really enjoyed serving with him. We will now just have two Elders in Freiburg. More room in the car for them. It has been kind of nice having three.
It was a very cold day and we had lots to do at home. We were glad to be indoors. Wednesday is our day to have lunch with Katrina. She changed the time to 3:00 and that has made it a little harder. Wednesday is Institute day and we usually are preparing and busy in the late afternoons. We really did not want to go out in the cold, but we had accepted the invitation and needed to go. We took the tram and walked and arrived to find that she was not expecting us. She forgot and then said she planned for Thursday. We already had a really busy Thursday planned but we told her we would work it in and would be back.
We returned on Thursday and she was ready and so glad we were there. She makes so much food and tells us to just eat slow and then we can eat all of it. We know she gives "the widow's mite" to have us come and she is so lonely - I know there are blessings there somewhere and we appreciate her willingness to serve us.
We left her home and went to our weekly visit with Amira. We shared with her Pres. Nelson's Christmas message from the Christmas Devotional with the Tabernacle Choir. She loved seeing the lights from Temple Square in Salt Lake City and hearing the beautiful music of the choir. We love our visits with her. We left her house, still so full from the late lunch with Katrina and were off to a meeting at the Church. The meeting was almost 2 hours and I was ready to be home and call it a day.
Friday - Driver's License Day. Now that we are official and have our VISA's, it was time for us to apply for our German Driver's License. Luckily, we are from one of the States that they accept and we don't have to take a test. Just MONEY and TIME and once again, you can get what you need. We will return next Thursday to pick them up. It is seeming a little permanent as we complete all of these things. One of our assignments is to inspect missionary apartments and also to make sure they have all of the necessary things in their apartments. We received a call from some Switzerland missionaries that they needed new kitchen items. IKEA TRIP! That was fine with me - I like to shop and spend someone else's money. We shopped and found the new dishes and cookware that they were needing and we will deliver to them on Monday when we go to Zone Conference in Zurich. We also shopped for our Gift exchange that we will have on Monday at the Conference. We don't have to cook this time, so it will be really nice to just go and enjoy. It is almost time to make our traditional Salsa, so we also bought the things we needed to get it made. Our first deliveries will be on Monday. Friday evening we were invited to a Senior Christmas Dinner. It is hard to see me as a Senior - I am usually the one cooking and putting on the dinner. I was the youngest one there and we had a great time. The Young Men and Women served the dinner and sang to us. They were great. The Bishop and his wife cooked the meal and it was a nice German meal. They cooked ham with several different potato dishes. All of the potatoes were cold, but it was very good. Potatoes are the main vegetable here. You eat them with everything. I am just not used to having all of the sides cold. We laughed and said the normal meal would have been ham with green bean casserole and funeral potato casserole (creamy scalloped potatoes). It is always fun to have new things - especially when you don't have to cook it! The other Seniors shared stories from their childhoods and it was fun to hear about 1938 before the War and how life was for them in Germany. The people we sat with were in their 80's and 90's. Special People.
In October as part of General Conference, Pres. Nelson invited the members of the church to read the Book of Mormon and to also mark every passage that referred to Jesus Christ. He asked us to complete that assignment by the end of the year. That is 531 pages. It has been an amazing experience for me as I have read and marked the passages. I have read the Book of Mormon many times and have also taught courses three times in the last few years. Your perspective changes when you are only looking for those passages. The further you get into the Book, the more passages are marked. By the time I got to 3 Nephi on Thursday night I could not put it down. I was on a quest to finish it by Monday. Friday night after the dinner I came home and started reading. Again, I could not put it down. I read the last 50 pages and finished the Book. I learned things I had never noticed before. This Book covers from 600 BC - 420 AD. It is a history of the House of Israel and those who left Jerusalem because of wickedness. There are some basic doctrines that are taught over and over and continue to be taught today that have not changed. "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." Moroni 8:18
His plea to all of His children is to COME UNTO ME. He asks us to:
1. Have Faith in Jesus Christ
2. Repent
3. Be Baptized by immersion for the remission of sins
4. Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
5. Keep the commandments
6. Pray
7. Study the scriptures - the word of God
He promises if we do these things, the same thing he has asked since the days of Adam and Eve, that we would "remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men...and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. . . love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ."
I am grateful to have completed this invitation from a Prophet of God. It is preparing His people for the coming days and the hastening of the work of Jesus Christ.
Saturday is SALSA Making day. It's beginning to look and smell a lot like Christmas here. It was 26* this morning and we also had to go get the car washed. Our new car is light slate blue and it really shows the dirt. So we braved the elements and got it done. The sun was shining - first time in many days and everyone was out washing their cars. The wash bays were all full and a line of cars waiting to get in. Some things never change - Saturday's at a car wash on a beautiful clear day!
We are a little frustrated with the POST system here. We have sent several packages to our family for birthdays and Christmas. We sent several packages on Nov. 21 expecting a delivery before Dec. 1. Two of the packages still have not arrived. We spent a lot of money to ship them and maybe they will get them by Valentines Day. So, we get a notice in the mail on Friday that we have a registered letter that needs to be picked up at the Post on Saturday. We go to get it - only available from 12-1:00 on Saturday so the line is literally down the street. We wait and wait and then they cannot find the letter. They say, we know it is here, we just cannot find it. We will give you a call when we find it. REALLY - we will see what Monday brings except we will be in Zurich all day and will not be able to pick anything up. Maybe Tuesday between activities we already have planned. Sorry for the rant and rave - just feeling a little disconnected from family. The internet was out for 1 1/2 days and they came this morning to check on it. All is well today. Maybe that is how I was able to get so much reading done - lessons to be learned. Unplug.
We were invited to Lahr Branch for their Christmas dinner and program. We took the Elder's with us and made a few stops on the way trying to deliver cookies to some Young Adults that we do not know. We usually find that they no longer live at the address we have for them. We got to drive through some beautiful areas and lots of little towns (burgs). We knew we were in Germany as we followed this truck for several kilometers. It was a beautiful restoration of the car. Sorry for the blurry picture - Russ was taking it while the car was driving.
It was a delightful evening for all. It was fun to see how their traditions are. We had a nice German dinner of salads and brots. We left our Elder's to spend the night in the apartment we maintain there. They will go to church on Sunday and then take the train back to Freiburg. We have a new Elder and we asked before we left if they had the key to the apartment. He said, yes, everything is OK. We drove home and had just changed our clothes and got a call that they had taken the wrong keys and were stranded in Lahr. No more buses or trains for the night and everyone was gone from the church. So, we got back in our street clothes and drove the 35 min. back to Lahr to take them the keys. They are soooo lucky to have us in Freiburg to help them out. Other missionaries are not that lucky. And they ask us, what do you do to stay busy?
So, another wonderful week of serving. We love this festive time of year and sharing it each others traditions. The time is going so fast - looking forward to what the new week will bring. We hope each of you are enjoying the Spirit of the Season. Continue to Light The World in Service. Small acts of service mean so much. I am so grateful for the few sisters who help me and make my days a little brighter. We sit in classes and discuss how we can serve others and my sweet Denise sits by me every Sunday and translates for me. She is truly and angel and goes unnoticed by most. I was asked to pray in Relief Society today at church. I prayed half in German and half in English. They appreciate that I try and then they try to talk to me. Love makes all the difference.
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's
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