July 21-27, 2019 Fiesch Switzerland YSA Conference

We just returned home to Freiburg after a memorable week in Fiesch Switzerland.  It is located on the Switzerland Italian border high in the Swiss Alpes.  We had to go over Grimselpass and we were truly on top of the mountain peak.

 Sorry for so many pictures, but it was beautiful.  The pictures cannot begin to tell the beauty and I could not take good pictures as we were driving.  The area over the Grimselpass is know for the green rock formations.  We were above timber line at this point.  Water falls cover the mountainsides and in this area the water runs into two large lakes that are dammed and used for hydro electric power.  The color of the water is green from the color of the rocks and the very cold mountain water.

 There is a big difference in this water and the lake at the top of the post.  The deep blue water is in the valley out of the mountains and is breathtaking to see as you come off of the mountain and see it.  You can see the water coming out of the rocks and into the lake. 

 This is looking down at the lower dam. 

There is a distinct architecture in this area of Switzerland.  Every village and town has all of their buildings and homes made out of this dark brown wood.  It is very old and in this area mostly used for winter sports visitors.

local building with rock foundation

Many of homes are built like the one on the left with a post and large flat rock and then the house built on top.  There is a large space between the foundation and the actual house.

We went even higher on one mountain and we were literally on the peak that was very narrow and very rocky.  We tried to hike a trail to the top of a smaller peak but it was too high, narrow and way scary so we turned back and just enjoyed watching the younger climbers make it.  The picture on the right is the trail of rocks we attempted to climb.  This area looked down on the largest glacier of the Alps.  It is also a place they call an "energy spot."  I will show you pictures below. 

It was at this spot we decided to stop and just watch the climbers.  We were high enough and could still breath!

 They say, this energy spot is ideal for perceiving everything that surrounds you, from the view into the valley, across the rocky landscape on the Eggishorn (this mountain) to the gleaming mountain peaks and the breathtaking Aletsch panorama.  A balanced, slightly uplifting spot, with a very pleasant energy.  A spot to enjoy, in tune with the element of water.  here the forces flow in all directions; the flows of energy can be clearly felt.  They tell you to stand in the stone sculpture and enjoy it!

Me standing the the stone sculpture and feeling the positive energy. It said to be aware of the earth.  Imagine that you are putting down roots.  Let the feeling flow through your body.  Now be aware of of the heavens above and consciously strive to feel the flows from above.  Fun to feel the nature.

The World's biggest square
Konkordiaplatz is the meeting point of the glaciers knkown as the Grosse Aletschfirn, the Jungfraufirn, the Ewigschneefeld and the smaller Gruneggfirn, where they form a plateau of ice 86 km2 in size and 900 m thick.  Where glaciers meet, their lateral moraines merge into a central moraine visible as dark longitudinal stripes.  The Great Aletsch Glacier actually has two central moraines below Konkordiaplatz, the Kranzberg moraine to the west and the Trugberg moraine to the east.

They had hikes to walk on the glacier but they were filled up by the young adults and so we did not get to climb on the actual glacier.  We saw it from above.

 This is the bird's eye view of the Matterhorn.  Below is the big picture of the Matterhorn on a clear day.  Most days there is a haze that makes it difficult to get pictures.  It is amazing to be on the back side of all of these famous mountains and see them all in one place.  We saw the Matterhorn, Jungfrau and Eiger as well as many others.

This is the back side of the Eiger and the Jungfrau.

Looking from the top back to the other side of the mountain to the area we were staying in at the Fiesch Sport Park.
The creations of the earth are stunning.  There is a God and His majesty and power are shown to us in so many ways.

 You cannot be in the Alps without an Alphorn lesson.  They offered lessons for two of the days and it was entertaining to watch them learn.  Russ figured he would try bringing back memories of his trombone days.  He actually did pretty good and at least got some sound out of it with a little tune.  They are beautiful when played together and literally fill the mountains with wonderful sounds.

Bldg. 5 

 We began our week helping with check-in of 200 Young Single Adults to the CHAD Conference.  It was a wonderful assignment as we got to meet the kids as they arrived and we met all of the YSA from Vienna who attended.  We were able to learn where they were all from and to see who needed a friend and who came in groups of friends.  By the end of the conference, they had all made new friends and we were some of their friends.  This picture of the church and little city was the view from our room window.  We love the churches in every town and the landmarks they have become. 

 It was fun to learn some of the games they played.  Some games we were never able to figure out.  They said you had to play it to really understand it. 

The theme of the conference was CHANGING TO THE BETTER.
We had wonderful speakers from Pres. Auras, the Munich Stake President, Pres. and Sister Brown our Mission President, Bruce and Marie Hafen former President of BYU-I, dean of BYU law school and General Authority Seventy for the Church, and The Area Seventy Presidency member and his wife (don't know how to spell their names) he is the head of the Cardiac Unit of a large hospital in Northern Germany.  It was a powerful group of speakers and we learned to much.  This was one of the highlights of being at the conference.  Every day was filled with learning and being blessed with the Spirit to help us be better in our lives.

 The people we met made it an amazing week.  These pictures are from their dressy night.  They had so much fun and danced the night away.

 The photo booth closed down and they wanted their pictures taken so I filled in.  The Camp site director was really impressed with our young people.  It is a very large Sport Camp facility and there were several other groups there for camps.  They asked if we had Church on Wednesday with the kids all dressed up.  We said, no just a special dance and party.  They could not believe what a sharp group of young people we had.  She asked to know more about the Church. 

 Some of the adult leaders and volunteers checked in on the dance to see the fun.  The Photo booth was closing down and they gave us all props and wanted us to pose for a picture.  This is a crazy picture with wonderful people that we are so glad to have me and served with. 

Pres. and Sister Brown were one of the highlights of the Conference.  They are wonderful speakers.  The spoke on Making Difficult Decisions and Recognizing Answers you receive from God.  "Is it my thoughts or the Holy Ghost?"  Everything that invites good is of God - we ought to do it!!!
What brings more light into our lives? It is not money, possessions, fame, or honors.  Inviting the Holy Ghost into our lives takes the Light within us from the brightness of a flashlight to a floodlight.  Pres. Brown says the best way we can bring more light is "To Be Kind and To Love Others."  Sister Brown shared her conversion story when she was 17 years old and Pres. Brown ended with singing a song.  It was so powerful and he has an amazing voice.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience.  So blessed to have them as our Mission President.

 Thursday night we filled 265 balloons with helium for a release.  They had a testimony meeting and then wrote a note and attached it to our glowing balloons.  They came and each got one and then they sang, I Am A Child of God and released them into the night sky.  It was beautiful and we had a wonderful night of weather. 

 The Conference ended with everyone singing the National anthems of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  It was wonderful to hear and to see and hear their love of their countries and also be unified as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from many countries.

We had a nice drive home on Friday, sad to leave the beauty of the Alps and to return one last time to Freiburg.  We arrived to the hottest day of the year and this picture shows people with their feet in the bechle's in the city trying to cool off.

We attended our last organ concert in the Munster today.  We will really miss this Saturday morning activity.  We love being in the City Center among all of the people and the many vendors at the open air market. 
Our Bishop hosted a bar-b-que on Saturday evening for anyone to come and tell us good-bye.  I do not like good-bye's and like the German word auf wiedersehen (till we meet again) much better.  We will be seeing Elder Letort off at the train station on Tuesday.  He is from France and his grandparents live about 1 hr. away.  We are all speaking in Church on Sunday and he invited his grandparents to come and hear him speak.  He asked if I would have them over for lunch.  So, trying to clean out the fridge and get rid of food, I have been busy cooking today for Sunday guests and Monday District Council.  Pray for me to get all that needs to be done in the next four days accomplished. 
The adventure continues.  Looking forward to a great travel week and our overnight stay in a real castle.

Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

July 14-20, 2019 1 year on our mission!

Lemon Raspberry Bar - thanks Joe T. for the recipe

ONE YEAR MARK on the Mission!  I can't believe how fast the time has passed and how quickly it is going.  It is hard to even think about all of the work it took to pack our home and fit everything for our mission in 2 suitcases.  The crazy thing is one year later I am doing the very same thing - packing my apartment and trying to fit everything in our little car for our transfer to Vienna Austria.  It has been a little overwhelming this week.  I gave away most of my flowers and planter boxes today and that makes the move very real - my little world in Freiburg is being transformed into an apartment for Elder's and that makes me a little sad.  They can't wait to move in and to be able to enjoy this beautiful space.  This mission office changed out the beds today - twin beds for the next week- it is getting real.

We have had an amazing week as we are trying to see and do so many things here in the area. Every week I think I will write about what I have learned and been spiritually strengthened by and we have so many experiences to tell about it is hard to get it all recorded.  I keep a separate study journal so I am recording the important things as well. 

 We visited Burg Hohenzollern on Tuesday with  Elder & Sister Blanchard and Elder & Sister Bretzing.  This was our farewell time together - we have enjoyed so much getting to know them and working with them in District and Zone Conferences.  We have been the best kitchen crew in the mission.  We were so grateful that they had shuttle buses to take you to the top so we did not have to hike the whole way.  This is a view from the road as we were driving about 6 km. away.

King and Queen for the day

 

Burg Hohenzollern

The original castle was built in the 1200's and was destroyed by fire by opposing forces in the 1400's.   It was rebuilt  in the 1440's - 1460's.  It eventually fell in disrepair leading to the rebuilding in the 1840's - 1867 as a memorial.  This last time it was never lived in as a primary residence.  It is still owned by the Hohenzollern Royal family (they have no privileges since WWII).  It is used today for concerts and parties and for a camp for special needs children every summer. 

Russ loves history and enjoys all things artillery.  It is so interesting to learn about these families and the whole genealogy dating back to the 1200's to the current family is painted on the walls and ceiling of the front foyer as you enter the castle. They did not allow any photos inside so we do not have any pictures to show the beautiful paintings of their family tree.

The Bretzing's

The Blanchard's

Our walk down from the top to the parking lot.  It was easier to walk down than to walk up the steep hill.  We thought it was easier until the next day and our legs let us know how steep it really was.
Another new adventure - we had to take our car in for the 15000km check and so they gave us a rental car for the day.  We were going to rent a car on our own but they said, no- it is part of the service.  So we dropped off our car at the dealership and they had us sign for the rental car.  It was a 5 speed stick shift with a 50km limit for the day.  We told them we would be going well over that and they said no problem it is .25 for each kilometer over.  It is a good thing I learned how to drive a stick shift when I was 15 and have had a few cars over the years to keep me in practice.  We are used to powering over the mountain and keeping up quite well on the autobahn - I was barely able to pass the sloooow trucks over the mountain pass and the drive was considerably longer than it usually would take us.  It would have been a better drive and way less expensive to have rented our own car, but we survived another adventure. It was more of an inconvenience when they called us in the afternoon to tell us they found a problem (this is the third time we have taken it in for that problem) and they could not have the car ready until the next day but that they would need the rental car that night for another customer the next morning.  So, we raced back to return the car before they closed and then had to walk a long way and catch the tram with our ice chest and then walk from the tram station home.  Oh the life of a missionary!

chocolate cream cheese rolls

Our final District Council.











This is the farewell picture of The District.  We will truly miss this wonderful group of missionaries.  Our Friend, Amira said she was going to miss my Cinnamon Rolls - her favorite of all the things I had taken her.  The District also asked for a final batch so I made Cinnamon, Lemon, Cherry and Chocolate Rolls for Amira, The District and our Ward Party Friday night.  A small memory to leave the people of Freiburg. 

 Annual Summer Ward Party in the middle of the Black Forest (Sivo's, across the street and up the hill from the restaurant we ate at when you visited)  It took us about 30 minutes to find the right road - trail to arrive at the party.  We finally had to have a friend come to the main road and guide us to the park.  It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful picnic area.  Soccer was the Game and grilling was food.  It was a wonderful evening and great way enjoy being with these wonderful people.

I love the different water fountains all over the country.  They each have their own charm.  This is where everyone put their drinks to get cold.  It is fresh mountain water and it is very good.

We had our last Institute for the semester on Wednesday and so it cooked a TexMex fiesta with chicken and beef fajitas, rice and beans with chips and homemade salsa.  It was a huge hit and those who have been to the USA especially like the Salsa because it does not taste like bar-b-que sauce that they call salsa here. 
We had the Institute Graduation and  summer grill party on Saturday night.  It was so nice to be a part of the evening and to see the accomplishments of the students that we have been serving this past year. 
They are a wonderful group of young people who serve in the Church, attend University, work, and some are married with family responsibilities.  They watch out for each other and welcome those who come and are new to the group.  We have been so blessed to have been a part of their lives and have learned much from them.  It is so hard to say good-bye- much harder for me than for them.  We took all of the pictures on the mission phone for this event and I can't figure out how to get them on the computer.

We had Elder and Sister Lloyd from the mission office stay with us on Friday night.  They went with us to the Ward Party in the mountains - a real adventure for them - and then we showed them all things Freiburg on Saturday.

 Last summer when we arrived they were in a drought and the bachle's did not have water in them.  All through the city center they have these little waterways that have water in them.  They say it helps keep it cooler.  They sell little wood boats for people to float along the water.  Kids love them.  Saturday was their annual bachleboot races.  It was fun to see them in action.  They had booths set up for people to make their own boats and paint and decorate them.  Then they had races with prizes. 

 We attended the Saturday morning Organ recital - they loved seeing the Cathedral and being able to hear the organ.  It was a very good selection of music this week.  Then we had our final Rote brot (Specialty of Freiburg) it is a glorified hot dog on a baguette and they are really good.  They have many vendor food trucks on the square at the market.  We ended our city tour with the best Eis (gelato) in Freiburg.  It was a fun morning and a wonderful opportunity to show off our city one last time. 

 So, it has been a whirlwind week on top of all the things we do with and for the missionaries and packing and getting things ready for the move. 

 We are looking forward to our week at the CHAD Conference for the Young Adults in Switzerland this week.  We leave early Monday and will return on Friday.  It will not be a vacation, but it will be a nice change and a little slower (I hope) than the past two weeks have been. 

 We have been asked to speak in Church next week so I have been working on a few words and my Testimony of Jesus Christ that I can share with them.  I feel like I have not learned very much German in the year we have been here, but I continue to study and learn and that is the best I can do with all of the other things we have responsibility to do.  I love the people and they know I am grateful to be here serving.  I have been humbled as I serve and just quietly do.  I have been an influence here in ways that are very different than I am used to serving and that is OK.  I am doing what I have been called to do and it has been a learning and growing experience that I will always cherish.  I needed this time of learning and growth and silent service - yes, I know that is hard to believe that I have not said very much and just listen a lot.  Russ unfortunately has to listen to me a lot and he has developed very selective hearing! :) I think hearing aids are in his future.  I have had some very special experiences as we have taught many people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and had them in our home.  Most of them are from other countries and are struggling with learning German as well and I have been able to teach and help them.  This has been very rewarding and they have found a refuge from the World when they come to our home.  I am so grateful for the home we have made here and that we have been able to invite and welcome so many. 

Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's