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.