Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2020 Happy New Year!

This picture is promoting all of the New Year's Eve events in Vienna.  There were 11 locations of organized activities from dancing, music, opera, fireworks, etc. throughout the city.  The festivities began at 2:00 PM and went until 2:00 AM. 
We decided to spend our New Year's Eve mostly at home and invited 4 missionaries over for a traditional Raclette Dinner.  It is actually a Swiss food, but has been adopted by the Austrians and is what most people do for New Year's.  In fact, the cheese is only available in December and January.  So what is Raclette.  It is a semi-hard cheese that is usually used for melting.  It is based on oheating the cheese and scraping off the melted part.Traditionally, cow herders carried cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from pastures up in the mountains.  In the evening, the cheese would be placed next to a campfire for softening, then scraped onto bread.  A modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, in which to melt slices of raclette cheese.  The device is put in the middle of the table.  The cheese is brought to the table sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables and meat.  On top of the device you grill the meat and vegetables and beneath you melt and brown the cheese and the cheese is scraped onto the potatoes and other foods.  The emphasis in raclette dining is on relaxed and sociable eating and drinking.  On a side note, they recommend you serve a hot drink with it like herbal tea, other hot drinks or wine.  Tradition cautions that other drinks like water will cause the cheese to harden in the stomach, leading to indigestion. 
We had a wonderful evening together around the table melting our cheese and grilling the meat and vegetables and eating so much.  We ended the night with apple strudel and a cranberry cake and ice cream.  It was a real treat for the missionaries. We had gone to the store to pick up a few things for our dinner and ended up buying a Raclette machine, all of the food to go with it and put out an invite to the first four who responded and within minutes we were having guests for dinner.

PICTURES - where are the pictures?  I did take pictures of the evening and the events of the next hour.  Unfortunately, we decided to take a walk into the city center and see what Wiener Silversterpfad was all about after the Missionaries had gone home.  We wanted to see the fancy dressed people and the Viennese Waltz and all the people.  There were a lot of people and at one point it was crazy.  I had been taking pictures of the different venues and we had just watched a few minutes of the Opera that was being simulcast outside for those outside to see.  It was amazing to see how everyone was dressed in vintage formal wear and very Viennese.  We were trying to get to the venue to see the dancing and it was so crowded.  I decided to put my phone in my coat pocket so that I would not drop it and my hands were getting cold so I put my gloves on.  We held hands going through the crowd so we would not loose each other.  I had a horrible feeling about being in the crowd and so many people bumping up against me.  As soon as we made our way through the crowd and to an open spot I stopped and said, "I need to check my pockets, I think someone took my phone."  I reached in, and sure enough, no phone.  I do not know why I knew it would not be there, but I had just had a really bad feeling about pick pockets.  I did not take my purse for the very reason of not having it in a crowd of people.  We went back through the crowd two times to see if we could find the phone, but no sign of it.  So, NO Pictures of that night.  The real thing is they were not getting much.  My phone is an IPhone 5 and was going to have to be replaced when we return home.  I was using it mostly as a camera and with Wi-Fi.  I was hoping it would keep working until we return.  At this point, we are hoping our computer and IPads will keep working for the next 4 months.  We know we will have to upgrade to newer technology but were hoping we did not have to replace anything until we come home. 

So, our New Year had a crazy start and can only get better.  Every year for the past 30 years my family (instigated by my Dad) has come up with a family slogan for the year.  I missed talking with my Dad this year on New Year's Eve and coming up with the new slogan.  A favorite memory.  I came up with two slogans this year - For my personal life:  Serve Plenty in 2020.  For the Business side when we return home:  Achieve twenty twenty in 2020. 

So much has happened in the past five days. I am still trying to believe we are in January of 2020 already.  We spent Monday morning in our District Council meeting, and then off to the city to be with  our District for street finding.

Sis. Griffith

The District

Sis. Fromme, Elder Bennett & Sis. Griffith

It was so cold, but so fun being with this awesome group of missionaries.  We have this display bike and we talk to people as they walk by.  I was just standing with the Sister's and a man came up to the bike and asked about it.  He noticed my name tag and said, "are you Mormon's?"  He was visiting from Australia and asked where the missionaries were.  He said he was familiar with the young men who dressed nice and rode bicycles.  We explained that they were down the street and that we too were missionaries.  We had a nice visit and he explained that he was originally from Iraq and his wife is from Iran and they have lived in Australia for about 20 years.  He travels all over the world.  He lived in the USA and the Catholic nuns taught him English.  He noticed a Persian Book of Mormon on our cart and said he was leaving the next morning for Berlin on the  train and that it would be a long train ride.  I asked if he would like the book so that he could read it on the train.  He was so happy to take it and I gave him a challenge to read it and see if he finds answers to questions he has and truths that  are new to him.  I will never see him again, but he knows I believe in Jesus Christ and that He made it all possible for us to live, and have the blessings of the atonement in our lives. 

Organ in Malteserkiche

 We left the group and attended an Organ and Trumpet concert at the Malteserkirche.  It is a very small church that seats about 60 people with this simple but beautiful pulpit.  It is a Roman Catholic Gothic church of the Knights Hospitaller in Vienna.  The first church on this site is mentioned in 12 17, as a "House of the Prueder of the Order of Saint John", a commandry to care and support crusaders.  The current building was built in the mid 15th century.  It was rebuilt in 1806.  The Order ran into financial trouble after World War I and had to sell it.  It was able to be bought back in 1960 and restored in stages starting in 1968 and finished in 1998.

The church's high altarpiece was painted in 1730 by Johann Georg Schmidt.  The Empire marble pulpit, built in 1806 is decorated with a Maltese cross, a dove and gilt rosettes.

The organ is a historical Baroque built in 1767.  It was refurbished two years ago.  It is small with only 2 keyboards and billows that you pump.  The concert was outstanding.  You would never know the limitations the organist had with the sounds that were coming from the organ. Freddy Staudigl played the piccolotrompete and the a Konzerttrompete that was wonderful.  I have never heard Ave Maria performed so beautifully.  When the concert was over and they did an encore they actually played two numbers ending with Silent Night.  I was in tears it was so beautiful.  I was the first one to shake their hands as we exited the Church.  It was the best performance we have seen so far.  A great way to end the year.

  We started the New Year Wednesday bright and early at the Train Station to say good-bye to two special Sisters.  Sister Breinholt and Sis. Griffith completed their 18 month missions and returned home.  Sis. Griffith served in Singen and was in our District when she arrived on her mission.  We welcomed her to the mission and we had the privilege of serving with her in Vienna for her last assignment.  Wow, it makes our time become so real that we are in the final months. 

It is always bitter sweet to be at the Train Station.  The wonderful part of it is we have made some forever friends and we are looking forward to many gatherings and reunions when we return home. 

We have done lots of Apartment Inspections this week and have cleaned a lot of clogged drains.  We spent Friday in Graz and enjoyed the drive and beauty of this Country.  We had a little snow and rain, but mostly a nice day.  We made a return visit to our favorite restaurant in Graz and it was a great way to end a nice day of visits and repairs and meetings with the missionaries. 

We had 12 people at our English class this week and it was a great evening.  We have people from all over the World who are here and want to learn English.  The class is growing every week.  It was really fun having a bigger group and all of them talking and participating and getting to know each other.  They are surprised we offer it for free and have such a nice place to have class with such good teachers (our young missionaries).  They are really good instructors.  We are so glad to be here and be a part of so much service to others.  We like helping people and making their lives a little better.
We look forward to all that 2020 brings.  We are not sure what lies ahead but we are ready for the adventures that await us.  Our family will be the first priority. 
 The Holiday Season ends Monday with Three Kings Day.  It is a state holiday and finishes the vacations for most people.  Many shops have been closed since Dec. 24.  Tuesday we will be back to our regular schedule - I think we have been as busy with the Institute closed.  Always things to do and people to serve.

Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's