August 3-10, 2019

We have survived our first week in Vienna.  I don't even know where to start after the week we had last week.  It has truly been like starting a whole new mission.  We attended the International Ward and The Wien 2nd Ward on Sunday.  It was a wonderful day. It was like a homecoming in the International Ward.  Everyone was so friendly and I was able to talk and feel so at home.  We were asked to offer the opening and closing prayers for Sacrament meeting.  There are people from all over the world who attend.  We then stayed and attended the German speaking Wien 2 Ward.  They too were so friendly and welcomed us.  We were able to meet the Bishop, The Stake President and the Area Authority Seventy for this area, Elder Wondra.  His parents were in the Branch when Russ was here 50 years ago.  They were also at Church on Sunday.  We stayed and attended the YSA Sunday school class and really enjoyed being with them.  We had about 15 in the class and we had met many of them the week before in Switzerland at the CHAD Conference.  We made arrangements to park our car at the Church until we can get the parking permit worked out for the City of Vienna.

The only thing Germany and Austria have in common is speaking the German language and their money.  They are two very different countries in their governments, laws, transportation, food, etc.  We have had some interesting experiences this week as we have navigated the system with the local government agencies.  We had tried to get the parking permit on Friday and they told us they needed a letter stating we were authorized to drive the Church owned vehicle.  We acquired the letter and went back to get the permit on Monday only to be told they would not give us a permit.  They directed us to another office and they took one look at our papers and said, we cannot help you, you are with a Church.  We talked and asked a lot of questions, only to be told, NO.  So, we are still trying to figure out what we will do.  We found a parking lot - not covered for $110 a month.  The City permit is $120 for the year.  That is a big difference, but we may be forced to pay it.  We are the first Senior Couple to have a car here, but it has already been a blessing as we have taken care of some mission assignments in neighboring cities.

 This is the Wien Institute were we spend every day from 4:00 - 9:00 PM.  It is in a beautiful building with some interesting history.  It is also a very busy corner for people walking.  It is fun watching the people, mostly tourists.

Monday was Family Home Evening and I had been told that they do Waffles on Mondays.  So, I made waffles with fruit, cream and other toppings and juice.  The YSA who were there loved them and said they were the best waffles.  I said, I just used the recipe on the wall note - don't you have them every week?  They said, no this is the first time in awhile but we really like them.  It was a great way to start the week.

 We had our first District Council with one of the Districts on Monday morning.  I took a fruit tray and made oatmeal no bake cookies.  It was a nice way to be a part of the group. They take turns bringing lunch food and it went great with their bread, meat and cheese.  We will rotate and go to each District every other week.  We have wonderful missionaries serving here and it is wonderful to watch as they conduct meetings and fulfill their assignments.  The experience they gain serving their missions can benefit them the rest of their lives.  We have already found that some of them need a little tender care and mothering and I am grateful to be here and able to serve them.  Monday night an Elder asked if I could help with his very dirty white shirts.  I told him I had just what was needed to get them clean. 

 Tuesday was P-Day for the young Missionaries and we found that they like to be at the Institute.  They have to be back in missionary clothes and back to appointments by 6:00 PM.  Some of them were testing the water and seeing if we were going to enforce the rules.  We had a few Young Adults come in and cooked dinner together and then we went with them to the Film Festival that is running from July 1 - September 1, to watch the Oprah Carmen.  It is an open air venue with a huge movie screen and it was a wonderful evening.  It was in Italian with German sub titles so I did not get most of the words, but the music was good and I could follow most of the story. 

This is a plaque on the front of the Institute Building about Albert Schweitzer who received a Nobel Prize in 1952.
I love the history of this City and especially how well it is documented on the individual buildings.  Vienna was established in the 880's and then became a part of the Hapsburg Empire. The Rathaus (City Hall) is one of the most splendid amongst the numerous monumental buildings in Vienna.  It was built between 1872-1883 in gothical style, with a tower similar to gothic cathedrals.  St. Stephen's Cathedral was built in the 1200's and is one of the oldest buildings here.  It was reconstructed in 1359 and continued to have interior renovations through the Baroque period.  There are many museums and they have taken special care to not only preserve the historical accomplishments of the people and city but also to show the atrocities of the Nazi regime and the crimes to the Jewish people.  They are a big part of the Vienna culture and their history is important.
We look forward to visiting many of these sights when the weather is a little cooler and the Summer tourists are gone.

Wednesday was a wonderful day.  We made preparations for the Institute class Wednesday evening.  I was not sure what they had planned and had been told they just did bread and spreads during the summer.  I decided to make sugar cookie fruit pizzas and homemade bread so it would go with whatever they had.  Esther, the Institute Director wanted to make it nice for our first night and she had heard that I did waffles on Monday.  She brought in onions, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken, coconut milk and curry sauce mix and said, "just put it all together and we will have Curry tonight.  We worked together peeling, slicing and preparing the vegetables and meat and then she needed to go teach the class.  So, I started putting all of it together and decided we needed to cook rice as well.  It was amazing Curry.  I love learning how to make these wonderful meals they just throw together.  We had 20 in attendance and she was really surprised with the group for a summer class.  They were so nice and loved the food.  They said they would come back with this good food.  They had not had the cookie fruit pizza's before and they loved making their own and being creative.  I think the bread will become a weekly item.
It began to pour rain as the evening was ending.  We were glad we had our umbrella's but were not looking forward to walking in the rain the kilometer to the tram stop.  They are doing construction on the sidewalk just outside our building and I was walking with my umbrella and purse in one hand and pulling my shopping cart in the other and I don't know what happened, but the cart went one way and I went the other  and I landed very hard on the very wet street.  I was in a lot of pain and soaking wet.  I just wanted to get home.  We still had to walk to the tram and then another 20 minutes to our stop and another 8 minute walk to our apartment.  It was not a very good way to end a wonderful day.  We also found out that Russ had taken $300 Euro the day before to take care of some financial business and when he went to get it out of his money pouch in his pocket it was gone.  We don't know if it fell out or if it was taken as we left a store on our way to the Institute.  By Wednesday night we were feeling many emotions from the move and the events of the proceeding few days.  We know that life happens and that tomorrow will come with new hope and also challenges.

Thursday we were asked to help some Sisters in a city about an hour away.  So, we had a little road trip.  It was nice seeing new places in the area and we were grateful we could help.  Missionary service is very rewarding as we serve others and help where we can.  Sometimes the younger missionaries just need to know they are OK and that someone is aware of them.  It is not easy for them to be so far from home and speaking a new language and experiencing new cultures.  It is a great experience and they want to be a missionary and serving, but some days are just hard.
Thursday was also the day we applied for our Visa's.  It was a two hour project, but they were very nice and accommodating.  We had all of our paperwork in order and we got a really nice clerk.  We were only missing one form that she wanted and she said, I will just type it up for you.  She typed it and had us sign it and then she took it to the head man and he approved it on the spot.  It took us 6 months in Freiburg to get our Visa, so we were very appreciative.  We paid our $350 Euro and they made an appointment for us to come back and pick up the Visa.  Tender Mercies.  It is turning out to be a very expensive week however.

Friday is movie and game night at the Institute.  We just had one student come and she picked a Harry Potter movie to watch.  I had made homemade Salsa and took chips and we had a great time with her.  We talked for about an hour getting to know her.  She is from Maine in the USA and is a PHD student at the University of Wien.  She just really needed to talk to someone and needed some friends.  We enjoyed watching the movie - not bad duty for a Friday night! 

 We returned to the Film Festival on Saturday night to watch the Broadway play of KISS ME KATE.  It was a beautiful evening after a really hot humid day.  We thought it might rain, but it just cooled off really nice.  It was a really late night, but we enjoyed the production and it was in English so we could enjoy all of it and not just the music. 

Kiss Me Kate

 Today was a very special day.  It was the Baptism of Odion and Wisdom.  We have been meeting with her for the past 2 months and teaching her with the missionaries in our home.  It has been a wonderful experience.  She is from Africa and has been in Germany for 4 years.  We have become friends and I was so happy when she said she wanted to be baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that her 10 year old son, Wisdom said he wanted to be baptized with her.  She has overcome many trials to be ready for this day.  When she found out we were moving from Freiburg she cried and said I was a mother to her and that I had helped her in making the decision to change her life.  I was so hoping she could be baptized before we left, but she needed a little more time.  When they sent this picture today, it made me cry as I looked at her and she looked like an angel to me.  She has so much faith and she knew this decision would be good for her and for her family.  We  have been praying for her and I hope that we will be able to see her again some day.

This is why we are here.  We have had so many opportunities to serve and help other people.  Just the work we are doing helping the other missionaries has been important and blessing our lives.  I am being stretched in ways that are helping me to become a better person. 

Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's