When how we spend our time is measured in days or weeks it passes us by so quickly. We have been at The Cumorah Academy for 7 weeks as we finish the month of February. We have 36 days left - the equivalent of a mission transfer period - and it is going way too fast. We have witnessed so much growth and change in the lives of the Young Adults we are mentoring - we can't wait to see what happens in the final weeks.
In Grimmett style we started the month of February on another ADVENTURE!
 |
| Vienna AirBnB |
Vienna, Austria - Let the adventure begin. I told him that we would be available and glad to go and get the Visas. Problem #2: They have to pick them up in person. Problem #3: How were they going to get through customs in Vienna without a Visa? Kelly was on a ski slope in Utah and said he needed to get home and talk with his wife to see if they could be on a plane the next day. So many phone calls, text's and messages later - till about 12:45 am I was waiting for a final decision on what we could do to help. We decided to drive to Vienna Thursday afternoon and stay in this quaint AirBnB - a fifth floor loft with sky lights with a very low ceiling - made my basement home look like a mansion. We would pick
the Shepherds up at 8:30 am and whisk them off to
the Czech Embassy by 9:30 am. Everything had to work to perfection for this to happen. Flights needed to be on time with no delayed connections. Customs agent needed to accept an email that they were on their way to pick up Visas and let them into the Country.
We arrived at the Vienna Airport at 8:00 am - got a little overwhelmed with emotions as it was the first time back to the airport since we had left so abruptly 3 years before. Many prayers were offered that all would go to plan. Miracles started happening - their flight got in 25 minutes early.
That gave them time to work with Customs (it took some good talking and the blessing of a supervisor to get clearance) and collect their bags. What a wonderful site to see them come through the Customs doors. I was really feeling the pressure at this point to then navigate through morning traffic and get them to the Embassy. SO Grateful for the time spent in Vienna with a car and how to drive in that city. Everything became so familiar and I had a clarity of mind that I never had while living there when driving. We arrived at the Embassy at 9:32 am and by 10:00 am they had Visas in hand. The Embassy was a beautiful building compound in a nice area of the city. It had been a really long day and night for all of us so NO sightseeing this trip - just get us to Cumorah Academy!
Let me back up for a minute. There is more to the adventure. We purchased an ESIM card for our phones. For the whole month of January we did not have any problems because we were in Czechia. On our drive to Vienna when we hit the border we lost all service - NO Navigation or internet. It took us an extra hour of driving to find our way on back roads. The parking garage for our AirBnB was too low for the Van to fit in - had to back up the standard transmission Van up the steep slope leading down into the garage. Spent 30 minutes looking for an open parking spot and then had to walk 20 minutes to AirBnB. Arrived to find that the key code was in an email that we have no access to on our phones. Walk back 20 minutes to find a McDonalds with WI-FI. Get the code and walk back the 20 minutes. We get into the room and find out the WI-FI password is
on another Email so we still did not have access to electronic data. Really!!! what hotel-AirBnB does not leave the password on the desk! Our plan was to arrive early evening, get checked in and go to one of our favorite places for dinner to celebrate my Birthday. It is now 8:30 pm and we are a long way from the city center where we wanted to go. We decided to go to the main train station, use their WI-FI to get the password and eat at another favorite fast food place. We arrived at 9:05 and everything closed at 9:00. UGH! We found a Subway just starting to close with 2 people still in line. They let us order a sandwich - no chips or drinks - that had already been cleaned up. So - Not the romantic relaxing evening we had envisioned for our 1 night back in Vienna, but we were on a much greater mission and that was the most important thing that kept me focused and not discouraged. With no working Navigation even after contacting our carrier who assured us we had coverage in Austria and Germany - we had to take pictures of the maps to get us to the Airport from where we were staying - amazing how things became familiar and we made it with no problems. Prayers answered. When we finished at the Embassy on Friday morning the thought came to my mind - The Eagle has Landed. We had accomplished what we came to do. Now we just had to get them safely to the Academy. A Winter storm hit the last two hours and it was a little treacherous but we made it back in time for lunch at 1:00 and then I crashed for the rest of the day.
WE are SO GLAD to have THE SHEPHERDS at Cumorah Academy!
 |
| Gabe teaching Leadership Class |
 |
| Amy arriving in Prague |
 |
| Activity teaching teamwork |
 |
| Human chain untangle |
 |
| Last Day at Cumorah together |
The Students loved that they were our nephew and niece. They related so well with the students. Gabe has been mentoring Young Adults in his business for 15 years and brought a wealth of information to our students. Amy ended the week with two activities that really got the students involved and having fun learning the value of teamwork.
One of the responsibility’s we have is to pick up and return the Mentors to the airport in Prague. Some of them stay a few days and see the beautiful sights. We got to take Gabe and Amy and spend the day in Prague until the new mentors arrived. We took them to Prague Castle and St. Vita Cathedral.
 |
| Prague Castle |
 |
| St. Vita Cathedral |
 |
| St. Wenceslas Tomb |
We picked up Brian and Kristy Baxter from Alpine, UT at the Prague Airport. We were so glad they made it safe - just arrived without their luggage - even with a 6 hour delay in Paris. They were a little tired from a very long day. We started on our drive back to Cumorah. A group of students were in Prague for the day and reached out to us about a ride back to campus. We explained our time frame and they said they would take the Bus back. We were about 15 minutes from campus when we received a phone call that they were stranded in a city with no more busses that evening. We thought it was just down the road.
We said OK - reluctantly - put it in the GPS and it said 35 min. I was not happy. Our plan was to arrive at Cumorah just in time for dinner and to get the Baxter's settled. We made a bad decision. We should have taken them to the Academy and then gone back to pick up the students. They were half way back to Prague. We drove on really small back roads and finally arrived in the town to then have to find which bus stop they were at. When we found them they were very grateful and cold. We then had a 40 min. drive to campus. By the time we arrived it was 9:00 pm. I think you get the idea of how the day ended. Not the way I thought I would spend my Birthday night! It is good we had such a fun day earlier.
I celebrated with two of the students that also had Birthdays. The kitchen staff had given us a cake a few days earlier and that was fun. I received flowers, chocolates, a Czech Nativity from Students and a beautiful watch necklace of the astronomical clock from Russ.
The Baxters, our new mentors, presented the Sunday night Fireside to introduce themselves. We had explained to them in the car about the students and the Russian/Ukraine situation. We have such a unique dynamic here with Members of the Church, Non-members and students from 18 different countries. We have 12 Ukrainians who are not members of our Church and do not understand a lot about our Culture in the Church (my non-member friends you can relate to things like Ward, Stake Center, Bishop, etc). So, Brian and Kristy Baxter began their Get to Know you Fireside with their story - as most of us do.
 |
| Birthday Flowers and Gifts |
Another year in the books and looking forward to another year with good health and new adventures.
Russ is in charge of the Sunday Church meetings on campus. I was asked to organize the Relief Society Meetings every other Sunday and also to teach the Sunday School class on the other two Sundays. I also play the piano every other Sunday for Church. The Relief Society Teacher decided to go out of town and that left me to teach the lesson. I love to teach so that was not a problem - it just added one more thing to my week. I taught the Conference address WHOLEHEARTED by Michelle Craig. We had picked this talk because it was appropriate for February. It turned out to be a really nice class and we ended with forming a circle and singing AS SISTERS IN ZION. There was such a special feeling in the circle and a real bond of love. It was needed more than anyone could realize as the night unfolded.
 |
| Brian & Kristy Baxter |
Russians. This War is very real. They are living it. I went out and tried to comfort and talk with them. We cried together and some hard words were said - I was almost like their enemy at this point. The meeting finished to a somber group and we did not do questions and answers with them. It was an interesting night. We had a staff member from Ukraine that was going to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Tuesday and feelings were a little strained that night. The Baxter's agreed that they needed to have a special meeting with just the Ukraine students the next day. One of the students agreed to organize it and make sure they were all there - they had said they would not attend any of their classes. Interesting that their topic for the week was EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE IN COMMUNICATION AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.
After a long, emotional day Russ had gone to bed at his usual 10:30 pm. That is my time to just chill and plan for the next day, watch a movie and catch up on family and friends communication. I was just getting ready to turn off the lights when there was a knock on my door- 11:45 pm. "There has been a bad accident with the Cumorah Van and we need your help to drive to the scene of the accident." I quickly changed and was ready to help. Kelly Shepherd and I each drove a vehicle and headed to the location given to us by the Police. Neither of us speaks Czechia and we should have taken a student with us who did. There were only supposed to be three people in the Van and I kept thinking why do we need two cars to pick up the students from the accident. Four additional students decided to ride into Prague with the student driver to pick up their friends who had been home in Spain for 10 days and were returning to campus. They did not check out and we did not realize they were gone. The driver lost control of the van and rolled the vehicle. The students were very shaken up when we arrived. They were cold and scared. The Police were mad that no one could speak Czechia. One Paramedic could speak English and he tried to translate for us. All of the students were wearing seat belts and no one was seriously injured. A MIRACLE! They would not release the driver and said they would bring him back to the campus. Kelly did not feel good about that and told me to take the girls back to campus and he would bring the boys and wait and follow the Police back to campus. Lots of emotions on the way back to campus with the girls. We then all waited for the rest of them to return. The Police required 1,000 crowns (about $45) to be paid and they also towed the Van back to campus. About 1:30 AM we got everyone settled down and off to bed. Monday morning came really quick. I was getting pretty good at driving that Stick Shift Van all over Prague. I will miss the van. It had a short in a relay switch and every once in awhile it would start tapping and then the horn would honk. The repair shop could never get it to do it but I have witnesses that when I drove the Van we always had fun with the honking horn as you were driving down the highway or on a small city street when a little old lady was trying to cross the street. Always an adventure. I took one of the girls to the clinic at the hospital the following day. They did not want to see her at first and then offered to X-ray her neck but said it would be very expensive. I asked how much and they said 15Euro. I said, done and paid the money. They did the X-ray and then found that she did have whip lash and put her in a neck brace and were very kind. They would not accept the Insurance and just wanted cash. It only cost 45 E total for all that they did for her. I thought that was a bargain and was so grateful - they are not used to paying anything and thought it was expensive - Perspective!
Prayers were answered and the meeting went really well. Only 2 students did not attend their classes and the others had a change of heart and opened up about other feelings during his classes and it ended up being an amazing week for them. The Student who organized the meeting felt a change of heart and said she learned important leadership skills that she put into practice in organizing. She said she did not get angry or yell at anyone as she usually did with former employees at her jobs. She has been more of a team player since this night. Brian was truly putting into action all that he was teaching. We loved our time with them and especially fun that they live very close to us in Utah so we can stay in touch.
THE NIGHT WAS STILL NOT OVER!!!
FEBRUARY 14 - VALENTINES DAY!
 |
| Hairdresser at Academy |
Students wrote notes of friendship and love and put in a big Valentine's box. It was a special day for everyone as they shared their thoughts and feelings and also as they received a note from someone else.
It was also the day the hairdresser came to cut hair. I was so glad to have her come. I really needed a haircut and she was so cute and did a great haircut. I was the only female and then she did about 8 males - who take their haircuts very seriously!
We ended the day with the Baptism of Polina. What a special evening. She wrote to all the students:
 |
| Polina on Baptism Day |
"For me, today is a really special day. I am choosing to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I want to share my joy with everyone. I'm inviting you to the conference room at 17:30 when my Baptism will take place. I'm excited to see you all!!!
All of the students came to her Baptism. What a showing forth of love from all of them. She was baptized in the Sauna Cold Pool - It was very cold and deep. She was very brave. Several people from the Ward in Prague came and it was a very beautiful and spiritual night.
 |
| Germany landscape |
In 1978 The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Berlin Summoned president Burkhardt to a meeting. The officials "first made it very clear to him that he must put a stop to the annoying practice by the members of resubmitting visa applications to visit the temple in Switzerland. Tell them to
forget it. They will NEVER be permitted to leave the country to attend your temple. You have made it very clear why your people need to attend the Temple, but what we do not understand is why your church does not build a temple right here." This opening was completely unexpected. He did not believe the Church would build a Temple in a communist land. He reported these developments to Elder Monson, who in turn reported to the First Presidency of the Church. In 1980 plans were presented to the GDR Government for a building in Dresden or Leipzig. The plans were turned down. The Government came back and said they could build in Freiberg - which means free mountain. In March of 1982 city officials offered two sites to choose from. Miracles happened and the property was acquired - another story you can research. The original Temple was dedicated on June 28, 1985. With the Berlin
 |
| Cumorah Students |
Wall being torn down in 1989, the Temple became very busy. In 2001 renovations
began that would double the size of the temple. In 2016 additional renovations were made to its current state with a Church building, Visitor Housing and Distribution and the Temple on the site. For over 50 years my parents tried to locate my Great Grandfathers family in Berlin. While we served our mission in
Germany we were able to get help and found his family records from a Parish in Berlin. Russ and I were able to do the Temple work for my Great Great Grandfathers son and his wife. It was so special to be in this German Temple doing the work for my German family.
 |
| Students attending Temple |
About 25 of us from the Academy attended the Temple. The other students spent the day in town shopping and sightseeing. The Temple President invited those who were not members that wanted to come inside the foyer and he talked to them for about 10 minutes. It was a life changing experience for several of them. Russ was so happy that he was able to speak German and to help the Temple President with translation. Many tender mercies took place that day.
 |
| Polina's first time at the Temple |
 |
My Blog just went crazy and the pictures went in the wrong place. I have tried everything I know to correct. You will have to scroll down to see the rest of the story.
I will insert Budapest pictures here to see if this will work. Winter Break Trip to Budapest.
Jewish synagogue just down the street. We were there on Saturday so all Jewish places were closed as it was their Sabbath. A lot of history here.
This was located in the back of a very old courtyard - the last remaining part of a wall surrounding the Budapest ghetto demarcated in November 1944.
Tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews - mostly children, women and older men - were crowded behind this wall. Thousands among them did not survive to experience the liberation of the ghetto. This memorial wall was built in their memory in 2010 replacing the original wall destroyed in 2006.
"Whoever saves a life is considered as if he has saved an entire world". Talmud
In Memory of those who in 1944 under the leadership of the Swiss Consul Carl Lutz 1895-1975 rescued thousands from National Socialist Persecution.
This is the depiction of an angel throwing down a large piece of fabric to rescue the person on the ground.
Budapest Castle on the hill overlooking the Danube River. Majestic
Parliament Building across the River from the Castle.
BUDAPEST AT NIGHT
| MARKET IN BUDAPEST | ||
This is continuation of story before the pictures messed up. So many stories to share. We are only half way through the month with more adventures to come! 
  The fun part was watching the judges - Kelly, Stacy and Mentor Bob Hanson as they were trying to judge the acts. It got a little hot for Bob as he fans himself and Kelly just had to close his eyes and hope everything would be OK. Let's just say the windows got a little steamy with this dance routine!  Time for a little break and to show some amazing foods from this month. Boy do I miss my bike and rowing machine. I am going to have to work out extra hard when I return home after this months food.      PICTURES OF CUMORAH We are currently recruiting for students from Europe to come for Spring and Fall Terms. Our marketing department is working hard on this campaign. Courtyard  WINTER BREAKWe had 4 days off for Winter Break and we decided to visit new places. We left Thursday afternoon to get an early start and began our journey. We visited Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; and Vienna, Austria. I will share a Picture Journey through these Countries. BRATISLAVA It is always a challenge driving into a new city and getting a feel for the lay of the land. The Old Towns are not accessible by car and so you have to find parking and then walk. It becomes a maze in some of these cities but we wander until GPS can keep up with it and we find our way.     PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE OF SLOVAKIA   Constellation of the Great Moravian basilica (9th Century) and other Early medieval objects is indicated on the ground. The true archaeological findings are directly below this constellation. The Castle (Palace) has four towers and a courtyard. One of the towers dates from the 13th Century and for about 200 years beginning in the mid-1500's housed the crown jewels of Hungary.  When Maria Theresa of Austria became the queen of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1740, she promised she would have a residence in both Austria and Hungary. This became her residence - Pressburg Castle as it was called. She had it transformed into a royal residence between 1761 and 1766. In 1784, the new King Joseph II, changed the office of Governor and established a general seminary - a state school for Catholic priests. In 1802, the seminary moved and the castle was assigned to the military as barracks. From 1811-1953 the castle gradually deteriorated. In 1953 it was decided to restore the castle back to the last Baroque state of Maria Theresa.  The massive gardens were added during Maria Theresa's time in the palace - much like her Palace in Vienna. Spring and Summer they will be filled with flowers and so beautiful.  The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava. Because of its size and location, it has been a major feature of the city for centuries. It currently houses art museums and government offices.  BUDAPEST, HUNGARY See pictures from above that tell about Budapest in the evening.   |
Below is a copy of the Gradual of King Matthias. The original Gradual was made in Buda in the 1480's.
Changing of the Guard at the current Presidential Residence on Castle Hill. There is so much history here dating back to Before Christ. So many battles and changing of Rule by different countries . Many of the original buildings were destroyed in Wars and are currently under renovation that has lasted many years. They continue to try to preserve the rich history of this area.
We got up early Sunday morning and drove to Vienna to attend Church in the International Ward. It was a great homecoming to see friends and Ward members. We then decided to go to the SISI museum. King Franz Joseph and Sisi were also the King and Queen of Hungary and so after being in Budapest we wanted to go and see this museum that we had walked past almost daily and never went in. It was a highlight of our trip.
On our drive back to Cumorah we stopped a 2 more castles that belonged to the Royal family of Lichtenstein until 1989. They were also fashioned after the Royal palaces of Vienna. They were both closed for the Winter Season until April 1, but it was nice to walk around and see the grounds. They are on the Austria Czech Border and in a beautiful area filled with vineyards. They are located in Valtice and Lednice - an area that is now a ENESCO protected area.
We covered a lot of territory and learned a lot about the history of this area. We enjoyed beautiful sites, ate delicious food, met nice people in every restaurant we ate at, shopped at our favorite grocery stores, added to our magnet collection and learned we are not as young as we used to be. We walked a lot on cobblestone streets - and up a lot of stairs. We are so grateful for the opportunities we have been given to live in and visit these historic places in the world.
One young man was ready to go home. He did not have friends, did not like the food and just would sit and play games on his computer all day. I helped him with an assignment and he had a new friend. He wants to be a cartoon artist and he drew this picture of Russ and I. He then drew a picture of Cumorah Academy. He started being asked to draw more pictures. He was given the choice to go home. He did not think that was an option - he thought he would have to pay back the scholarship money he had received to come. He said, OK. I will go home. Then later in the day he said, I have survived 6 weeks I can make it through the next 6 weeks. He started going to all of his classes and doing assignments. He gave a wonderful 5 minute presentation in the Public Speaking class. We went to hear him give the presentation and he said, "You came!" I told him I would not miss it. He had practiced with me the night before and I was so touched by his presentation. He chose the topic of Motivating Others. This student had the least motivation of any of our students and that is the topic he picked out of 13 topics! He did AMAZING! He told me, I like it here. I went to Institute Class (Religion) and I did not get angry or upset about Religion. He said, I even like the food now. He said, I have had a change of heart and a new attitude. This is what Cumorah Academy is all about. We are so grateful to be a part of these students lives.
View from Castle Hill across the river to the Parliament Bldg.
VIENNA
This is part of the Hofburg Palace in the center of Vienna
Centerpieces of gold for Royal Dinners and Parties
Below is the silver used for a typical daily family dinner. Usually a 7 course meal was served with about. 20 people eating from the Royal family.
I wish each of you could see and experience the growth and change in
the lives of our students in the past 7 weeks. Many have learned what belonging feels like. They have learned to love and be loved in a Christ like way. They are learning to trust others and to have honesty and integrity in their lives. For some it is the first time they have had a say in the choices they make. They are learning the results of actions and consequences. They are learning they have value and how to use their talents and abilities to get better jobs. They are learning there is a whole world out there beyond what they have known.
We only have 5 weeks left here and the time has gone so fast. We don't
even like the idea that they are asking for our travel plans for returning home.
Maybe the snow will be starting to melt in Utah by the time we go home! We are ready to start riding our bikes again - we need to get back in shape.
February was certainly filled with a lot of "HEART"
Love,
Russ and Linda
No comments:
Post a Comment