Aug 25-31, 2019 13 Months on our mission completed

Mozart statue

Sunday afternoon we took the afternoon and walked the parks and sights of the Hofburg Palace area and Volks Park.  We had a wonderful time and enjoyed all that was there to see.

Franz Joseph was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia and monarch of many other states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 2 December 1848 till his death, November 21, 1916.  He ruled for almost 68 years as one of the longest-reigning monarchs in modern history.
World War I began during his reign and he died 2 years after it began at the age of 86. More about him later in the Blog.

 The famous statue of the horse with the tail Not touching the ground.  It is the only statue of its kind with the horse in that position. 

Rose Garden

 Roman Ruins excavated just outside of the Royal Palace.

 Vienna is home to the Spanish Riding School and Lipizzan horses.  This is the Summer Riding School which houses one of the world's largest oval horse walkers and the stables in the Stallburg, Vienna's most significant Renaissance building, with its beautiful arcade courtyard and the historical stables of the Lipizzaner stallions.
We visited here 40 years ago with my parents and I have always enjoyed the beauty and skill of these horses.  Impressive stables for these horses.  They are very well cared for and trained to perform.  They have been housed here for over 400 years.  We went on Tuesday to see their training and preparations for their shows.  

 It takes 10-12 years of training for a student to become a skilled trained rider and performer.  The horses are kept outside of Vienna until they are 4-5 years old.  The top studs are selected and brought to the riding school.  It takes 3-4 years of training before they are ready to perform.  They are born dark gray to black and start to turn light gray to white by about 4 years old with their ultimate color at about 10 years.  Their performances are sold out for the current season.

 Next door to the riding school is the Church on the Hofburg Palace grounds.  I am always interested in the organs in each of the Churches.  This one is beautiful and actually they had two separate organs.  A unique feature of this church is that the royal family did not want to be buried with their hearts so there are over 50 hearts that were removed when an individual died and put in an urn.  They are located in this church and available to view by private showing.

This Church was very simple but beautiful.
It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon as we heard and saw the sights in this area.

 The Rathaus at night after the Film Festival performance.

We had planned to go to Man of LaMancha for the past month.  We invited the YSA to go on Monday night.  We met at the Institute for dessert - brownie sundaes with lots of different toppings.  We were surprised at how many came to join us for the evening.  When we arrived, they had made a schedule change and moved Man of La Mancha to Friday night and replaced it with the original Friday event - 150 years of Opera music in Vienna.  It turned out to be a nice performance, but only two YSA survived the whole time with us.

YSA at the Film Festival

Friday date night

This is the concert of different songs from  the past 150 years of Opera in Vienna.  It was filmed in May of this year at the State Opera House for their Jubilee Celebration.   We went Friday night to see Man of La Mancha.  The female star of the show was honored for her 80 birthday and 36 years in the role of leading lady.  She was in attendance and it was fun to be a part of the honor.  The film was in German and filmed in Vienna in 1983.  I enjoyed the music.

 We love this group of YSA.  They stayed after Wednesday night Institute class and played games.  We had several new students come and it is so nice to meet and mingle with them as we eat and play games.  Our Institute Director called Tuesday afternoon and said she had a very large zucchini and wanted to know if I could use it for dinner on Wednesday.  I already had the menu planned and most of it made, but I will not turn down fresh grown zucchini.  I made chocolate zucchini cake - Amazing.  It is the best recipe.  No one knew it had zucchini in it and they ate the whole cake. 

Homemade bread is becoming a Wednesday night tradition and they really enjoy it.  It makes the Institute smell so good when they come in and helps them feel welcome.

 We have been doing apartment inspections this week - and it has been an adventure.  We decided to not take the car and to ride the tram, bus and train so that we did not have to worry about parking.  One day they were doing construction on the train line and made us all get off.  We then had to find where we were and find another route to our destination.  Of course that meant walking in circles for awhile until we figured it out and we were over an hour late for our appointment.
On Friday we decided to try again to another apartment and it went better, but we still walked around looking for a tram stop that ended being underground but not considered the underground route.  When we arrived Russ realized that we were only 3 blocks from where he lived 50 years ago and so we walked over to see it when we finished our inspection.  It was a fun walk down memory lane.  This is Russ at the corner of the street showing the 17th District that he lived in. 

 This is Russ standing at the door of #8 Blumengasse.  When he lived here it was a sauerkraut factory on the ground floor.  The building still has the lettering from the original building.  It was nice for him to see it again and share some of his memories.  Many new buildings have been built and everything is renovated to modern buildings within the old structures.  We walked a few blocks to the next tram station and passed some familiar sights.  Most of it is new with all new shops and stores. 

Blemengasse 8

One thing that has not changed is there is still no air conditioning in the buildings.  Fun to see the original letters on the building.







It has been a very busy week.  We keep thinking we will have time to get organized in our apartment and get a better routine, but every day brings something new.  We are loving the work and serving in the Institute.  We are worn out with the heat and walking, but it is good for us.  If I say it enough times I might actually start to believe it!

Schonbrunn Palace

 We had an amazing Saturday with two other Senior Missionary Couples from Munich, The Lloyd's and the Homer's.  Our refrigerator has not been working properly and it is very small.  The mission office had two extra full size - American - refrigerators and they brought one to me today. Yeah!  Part of the deal was that if they brought us a refrigerator we would get to spend the day with them in Vienna.  We started early in the morning and went non-stop until 5:30 pm.  They still had a 5 hour drive back to Munich.  It was hard to decide what to choose to do with the time we had together.  It was decided to start with  Schonbrunn Palace.  With a busy Saturday and the main U-bahn line not working until

 next week, it took us about an hour to get there with transfers and walking.  We opted for the Panorama Train ride through the Palace grounds and gardens.  The Palace was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers.  The 1,441-room palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments in the country.  Since the mid-1950's it has been a major tourist attraction.  The history of the palace and it's vast gardens spans over 300 years. 
The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Neptune Fountain is called the Great Parterre.  Above is the picture of the Palm House erected in 1992.  The great Parterre is lined with 32 sculptures, which represent deities and virtues. 

 The name Schonbrunn (meaning "beautiful spring") has its roots in an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court.  Int he 1600's the area was used as a hunting and recreation ground.  The current Palace was built during the 1740's and 50's during the reign of empress Maria Theresa who received the estate as a wedding gift.  As mentioned above, Franz Joseph, the longest-reighning emperor of Austria, was born at Schonbrunn.  He died there, at the age of 86 in 1916.  In 1918 at the fall of the Habsburg monarchy, the palace became the property of the newly founded Austrian Republic and was preserved as a museum. 

 The GLORIETTE
The garden axis points towards a 200 ft. high hill - we climbed that hill - which since 1775 has been crowned by the Gloriette structure.  Maria Theresa decided the Gloriette should be designed to glorify Habsburg power and the Just War.  It was constructed from otherwise useless stone which was left from the near demolition of a former smaller palace.  It was destroyed in the Second World War, but was restored by 1947 and was restored again in 1995.  It provides a panoramic view of the city of Vienna.

 The Obelisk Fountain was erected in 1778 along with a Roman Ruin in the garden.  The Fountain was intended to complete the iconographic program of the park as a symbol of stability and permanence. 

 Statue at the Gloriette.

First Public Restroom in Vienna

 We toured the Carriage House on the Palace Grounds.  It was absolutely amazing.  These were truly Cinderella in style.  This was a gold carriage used in the late 1700's and early 1800's.  There were over 50 carriages in the building including sleighs, coronation, death, mail and daily transportation carriages.

 This carriage was originally gold and pained black.  In the early 1900's it was discovered that there were paintings under the black paint and they were restored.  This was an amazing museum and told the story of Sissi, the wife of Franz Joseph - very much a similar story to Princess Diana of England.

 We went from that tour to lunch at Schnitzel 52.  It is a wonderful restaurant and the owners love the missionaries and welcomed us like family.  We then showed them the Institute where we spend our days and then we ended the afternoon at St. Stephens's Cathedral.  It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna.  It was built in 1339-1365 and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches.During World War II it was saved from intentional destruction at the hands of retreating German forces when the Captain of the army disregarded orders from the city commandant to fire a hundred shells and leave it in debris and ashes.  In April, 1945, civilian looters lit fires in nearby shops and Soviet Army troops entered the city.  The wind carried the fire tot he cathedral where is severely damaged the roof and collapsing caused extensive damage to the interior.  Rebuilding began immediately and it was reopened in 1952.  Over the Centuries, soot and other forms of air pollution accumulating on the church have given it a black color, but recent restoration projects have again returned some portions of the building to its original white. 

The South tower has served as the main observation and command post for the defence of the walled city. It contains an apartment for the watchmen who, until 1955, manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted in the city.  Mozart had been appointed an adjunct music director here shortly before his death.  He was married here, two of his children were baptised here, and his funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross. 
We concluded our tour with a trip below the cathedral to the Tombs, catacombs and crypts.  It was facinating to see.  Several places were rooms of just bones and sculls piled many feet high.  One room is just of the vital organs of Royalty in large urns.  They were not buried with their vital organs left in them.  Their hearts are stored in another Church in the city.  There are over 11,000 bodies buried there.  They have the records of who is there for the past 400 years.  They do not know exactly where their bones are, but they have the names and dates recorded.  I had never seen anything like this before.  It  was a delightful day even in the intense heat and a lot of walking.  We love it when people come to visit and for the opportunity of seeing the sights and sounds of this city. 
So grateful for Sunday and a day of Church and rest.  It has been another full week.  I have not shared much about our time serving as missionaries and it seems like a lot of sightseeing, but we are fortunate to live in a city with so much culture and history that have become a regular part of our days.  We spend a lot of time with the missionaries and with the YSA.  We are grateful for that time and all that we continue to learn from them.  There is not a day that goes by, especially when we visit these historical places that I don't think about how grateful I am for the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ and His great Plan.  As I visit these Churches, I am so grateful for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace that comes from knowing that we have a Prophet on the earth today to receive revelation for the Church.  My testimony is strengthened every time I learn more about history and see God's hand in all things.  Looking forward to a great September. 

Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's

August 18-24, 2019 Visa arrived, legal in Austria

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August 11-17. 2019 Lessons learned

For many years we have planned to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ.  Russ served a mission from 1970-72 and it was life changing for him.  We knew we wanted to serve a mission together and he always hoped it would be back in Austria.  My parents served 5 missions and were a great inspiration to me.  Our sons, Joshua and Brian both served missions and I experienced what it was to be a missionary mom.  In all of that, I did not really know what it was to serve a mission.  I have served in the Church and Community for over 50 years and those experiences have blessed my life in many ways.  I know they were years of preparation, but after serving a year away from home, I have found that I had much to learn.  I have learned to have empathy and compassion for people through many years of service.  I am finding that most of the time I did what I was comfortable with and usually did not expand my comfort zone.  So, I received some insights from a lesson in Church today that I would like to share.  It is taken from a General Conference Talk from April 2019 by Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.  I was touched by her talk when she gave it and have since studied it and also today was the second time I have had it presented in a class for discussion.  The first time I had some thoughts and today they were even stronger as it applies to my personal life and so I wanted to share.

 Her talk was entitled, Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness.
He is the source of our power, the Light and Life of the World.  without a strong connection to Him, we begin to spiritually die.  Knowing that, Satan tries to exploit the worldly pressures we all face.  he works to dim our light, short-circuit the connection, cut off the power supply, leaving us alone in the dark.
Jesus said, "I am the light that shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not." That means no matter how hard it tries, the darness cannot put out that light.  Ever.  You can trust that His     light will be there for you.

It's hard to get the lights back on by yourself.  We need friends.  We need each other.  Sis. Eubank said, "Our individual light may be like only one light bulb on a tree.  But we still shine our small light, and all together, like Temple Square at Christmastime, we attract millions of people to the house of the Lord."  Like the testimony balloons that each individual is holding in the picture to the left, that one little flicker of light was powerful as it illuminated the night sky in mass.
Pres. Russell M. Nelson has encouraged, "We can bring the Savior's light to ourselves and the people important to us by the simple act of keeping our covenants.  Make Christ the center of your life." In a variety of ways, the Lord rewards that faithful act with power and with joy.

So my own take on this lesson has become very personal.  I have a new perspective on this lesson - not just a nice story with a desire to just keep doing what I am doing.
My story:  I am one little light among many lights.  Many times I am the only one in a group that does not speak German.  I have listened to this lesson as I said before and heard the Sisters talking about how they can be lights in the world.  They talk about projects and people in their work places and all over the world who need the light in their lives.  There is an opportunity right in the room they are sitting in to be the light to one person and they cannot see that.  I am "in the dark". (cannot understand what they are saying) They have the "light". (common language with each other) Not in the way they are thinking.  All it takes is for one person to share their light and the darkness lessens.  I have found in every group of people, the person right next to you can always benefit from your "light".  I don't have to look any further.  I have committed myself to be better at seeing who needs "the light" in their life today and sharing what I have or finding someone who can help.  I have expected people to speak English when they visited Church in Texas just like they expect me to speak German when I attend Church here.  I will be more empathetic and help them.  This story is not about me being able to speak German or not - that is just the illustration of how our light shines and affects those around us.  Just knowing  the stories of Jesus and others is not enough - I need to apply them and also be a doer of the word.  As I do this I too will be filled with more light and joy.  Jesus Christ said, "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

I am so grateful for the lessons I continue to learn and for the humbling experiences that draw me closer to Jesus Christ.

 We were invited to our first YSA Activity on Monday night for Family Home Evening.  It was a grill party on the Danube River.  It had been one of the hottest days of the whole summer and there were hundreds of people at the beach.  We had to walk about a mile from the train station to the grilling/beach area and as we were walking we could see the storm clouds moving in.  We checked the weather app and it said it would not rain until 1:00AM so we thought the storm would stay in the distance.  It was actually a beautiful lightening show.  We gathered with the group and started the grill with the charcoal.  Just as the coals were beginning to turn white, the hot air hit the cold air and a torrential rain/hail storm hit. 

Everyone ran to the trees to seek shelter.  We had one lone tree by our picnic site and we all gathered under it for a little protection (not a good idea with the lightening).  We stayed huddled for about 20 minutes while the storm raged.  It came and went in about 40 minutes.  We were drenched past the underwear.  We looked like we had just gotten out of the water from swimming.  Some decided to go take a swim as planned.  The people around us lost their coals as they were flooded.  Our grill had a lid on it (green egg) and so the coals were simmering through the storm and ready to grill our meat.  Everything else was soaked, so it was a little hard to eat.

 We found shelter a little further down the river under a bridge.  Several groups of people gathered there and we resumed our parties.  We attempted to eat our food and then they made smores.  By this time the night air was upon us and it was really cold and wet.  We walked the 20 minute walk back to the train station - the wind and air helped to dry our clothes a little and we boarded the train for home.  It was another 20 minute ride and then a 7 min. walk to our apartment.  When we got home we could not believe what we had just gone through and how wet we still were.  It was time for a hot chocolate - yes, on the 12th of August.  The kids were so worried about me coming and this happening and Russ told them, "Oh don't worry about her, she is a tough girl from Idaho!"  You notice there were no pictures allowed of me.
So, the left side of me is black and blue from last weeks fall  and I have been a drowned rat - we will see what the coming days bring.  I am definitely being initiated in the big city.

Tuesday was P-Day for the missionaries and two Sister missionaries asked if they could come over and learn how to make cinnamon rolls.  I was glad to have them over.  I made all of the preparations and planned to have Southwest Chicken Salad for Lunch for them.  They were to arrive by 10:30 am and then we would have time to make the cinnamon rolls and have lunch before we had to be at the Institute Building.  They did not arrive until 12:00.  I had to make the first batch on my own because they were so late and then I made another batch and showed them how.  In the meantime two Elder's stopped by to pick up some shirts I had laundered for them and it was their lucky day.  They got lunch - it is amazing how you can stretch food when you need to and they also got hot, out of the oven Cinnamon Rolls.  I think the Elder's were more excited to learn how to roll the dough and cut it than the Sister's.  We finished just in time for us to leave for the Institute.

Wednesday I made Taco Salad for the Institute Dinner and it was a hit.  Most of the students had never had Taco Salad before and they really liked it.  It is challenging sometimes to find all of the ingredients but I am finding that I like the made from scratch recipes I am having to try better the store bought dressings that I used back home.  For some reason, the stores I usually can get tortilla chips at were all out.  We went to five stores to finally find 2 bags of chips.  I made Salsa and served the remaining Cinnamon Rolls and it was a great night.

 Friday we were off early to Zone Conference to a little city just north of Salzburg, Austria.  It was a beautiful 3 hour drive and not too much traffic.  It rained for a good part of the drive, but turned out to be a beautiful day.  It was much cooler than it has been and a welcome relief.  It was so fun seeing some of the missionaries that we have served with.  Elder Robertson and Elder Janousek were there and they are two of the best Missionaries ever. 

 It was so nice to catch up with them and to see how much they have grown as young men in the few short months since we serve with them.  They have a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing it with the people here and it shows in their countenances.  We are so blessed by their examples and service.  The picture below just happened to be on the screen when I clicked the picture to show the conference.  It is a picture of these two Elder's when they were companions in Freiburg.  Fun Memories!

 I was asked to bring the veggie trays and to use them as the centerpieces for the tables as well.  Thanks to an idea from my daughter Emily I made these cups wrapped in lettuce and cabbage and filled with the olives, pickles, carrots, peppers, etc.  They actually turned out cute and were an edible centerpiece.  I made granola bars for dessert and they were a hit.  I think we will fit in just fine with the Austrian Zone.  There are 3 Senior Couples here now, but by December we will be the only Senior Couple for all of Austria.  Pres. Brown told me today he thinks I can handle the lunches on my own once they are gone with a little help from his Presidency.  I am not sure they realize the challenges it is to cook for 60 people

Lunch tables

 and to take it 3 hours away and also have a place to store it and cook it before you arrive.  We will see.  Miracles continue to happen and I know we

are blessed as we serve.  President Brown deals with much greater responsibilities than this and we are here to lighten his load, so I know there will be a way and it will get done.  First on my list is I need a working refrigerator.  I miss the extra refrigerator they brought to me in Freiburg.  We have to call a repairman on Monday for our refrigerator and in the mean time, I have had a lot of food go to waste.  Always an adventure.

This is a picture of Vienna as we were coming back into town on Friday evening.  Back to the Big City!

I continue to learn so much and to also know that God's hand is in all things.  He knows the beginning from the end and when we trust Him, it might not be on our time table or how we think it should be, but He knows what we need, when we need it and how we will get it.  As a child I was never the first pick to be on a team or to be chosen as a partner for any team activity.  That did not change as I became an adult.  It was OK, I always ended up on a team and gave my very best.  The time on our mission has been the same.  I am not the first choice for many assignments, but I am the right choice in the end.  We are grateful when we receive a call to help or be a part of something.  We were asked to represent the mission at the YSA conference in Switzerland in July.  We found out we were the second choice as the first choice declined the invitation.  We were asked to move to Vienna and were told later that another missionary couple had been asked and turned it down.  Both times it did not matter that we were not the first ones asked because in the end we were the right ones to be asked.  I was asked to play a piano solo at the upcoming Senior Conference.  I suggested some other piano players and received a call back that they declined and they still needed me.  I think I am the third or fourth choice on this one.  That is OK, because even though it is out of my comfort zone, I can do it and will be blessed in some way I currently don't know for the time that will be spent practicing and getting ready.  Our Mission President asked us to go to the YSA conference in Switzerland two weeks before he knew he needed us in Vienna.  It was a tremendous blessing to be there and meet many of the YSA from Vienna and to meet the Institute Area Director and others that we will be serving and working with.  We were not the first choice, but we were the right choice.  We are where we are supposed to be.  Already, we are seeing the fruits of our labors in this area.  We will be the only Senior Missionaries in all of Austria by December. We can do what is being asked of us as we increase our assignments for missionaries and apartment inspections.  We have been blessed with good health and strength beyond our own capacities.  I know this is where we are supposed to be at this time of our mission.  I am so grateful for the life lessons I continue to learn and apply in my life.

Belvedere Palace

 We spent a few hours on Saturday - our P-Day - visiting the gardens and grounds of Belvedere Palace.  It is only 1 block from our apartment and a nice walk.  This was the Summer residence of  Prince Eugene of Savoy of the Habsburg Empire from about 1712 until his death in 1736. It was passed on to other Royal family members until 1919.  It is a historic building complex consisting of two Baroque palaces, the orangery, and the Palace Stables. It houses the Belvedere Museum, the most visited venue in Vienna.  The gardens were the first things constructed and a large Zoo was part of the original features.  The Baroque style was kept in the gardens until 1919.  From 1919 to 2019 the gardens were maintained with a historical nature in color and design.  The gardens are currently being renovated to a more modern theme with Global warming being considered and more environmentally friendly landscaping.  (Basically, new management with a political influence)

 The palace was used as a museum in the 1800's until it became a residence again in 1896 for Franz Ferdinand.  It received heavy bomb damage during the war and an extensive reconstruction took place and was completed in 1953.  It opened as the Osterreichische Galerie and the Museum of Medieval Austrian Art was housed in lower Belvedere.  It continues as a museum today.

We ended our Saturday with a visit to the corner Pizza restaurant.  We pass by it every day on our way to the Tram.  We decided to try it out - we were not disappointed.  It was a wonderful pizza and calzone.  We asked if it would feed one or two and the waitress said, it will just feed 1 so we each ordered.  Next time we will get one and share it.  We have leftovers for dinner tomorrow.  Nice to have authentic Brick Oven Pizza with a good crust and wonderful toppings. 

We look forward to sharing the sights of Vienna in the coming months.
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's

Recipe for:
Homemade Taco Salad Dressing (Catalina Dressing)

Use 1/2 cup for Taco Salad
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup Ketchip
1/4 cup honey or agave
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 cup oil

Put all ingredients except oil in Blender.  Blend well.  Add oil while continuing to blend.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.  Refrigerate up to 1 month.