FROHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN Dec. 16-22

This is our Christmas Card for this year.  We are grateful for electronic communication that keeps us in touch with family and friends.  I know what it is like waiting for communication to come in any form - there is something about "home" that brings comfort when you are so far away.

We started the week with MISSION CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE!  This is the best time of the whole year - for those who have served missions you can relate.  For all of the young missionaries, this is the day they receive all of their packages from home.

  We had a wonderful day of Christmas musical performances from different missionaries, Christmas messages and video clips, and gift exchange among the missionaries and a wonderful Swiss German Christmas lunch.  It is always good to be with all of the other missionaries and President and Sister Brown, our Mission President.  It was also the one day the Sisters can wear their Dirndl's and the Elders can wear lederhosen.  It was very festive and so filled with the Spirit of Christmas.  There were so many packages for the missionaries to pick up.  I also saw how sad it was for those who did not receive any packages from home.  Some received them at our last meeting 2 weeks ago.  It made me stop and think about when my Sons were on missions and how it was for them.  I don't remember knowing I had to have it to them by a certain date to have it for the mission conference delivery.  Joshua was in Brazil and never received packages and a regular basis.  I think in two years he only received 2 packages that finally arrived.  For Brian, ten years later and in Italy things were a little different.  We were able to use Fed Ex and it was a little more reliable.  Our two missionaries did not come home with any packages. We will help fill in the gap with a little present.

 At the conference, Pres. Brown talked about our time as missionaries not being about gifts and packages but that this time in our lives is about giving and serving others.  As he talked, I thought how things are not so different for me here as I have done many of the things I would do at home sharing the Christmas Spirit with others.  Saturday will be the day we make and deliver Salsa to our neighbors.  Many will be leaving for the three day holiday here so we want to give it before they leave.  Here they celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24, 25 and 26 with all of the stores closed.  It is nice walking through the markets just to feel the ambiance of the season and not to buy or worry about gifts.  So, Monday was an awesome day as we celebrated together.  Our Elders did not want to leave and we had a long drive ahead.  We finally got them to get in the car and had just started down the street when one of them got a phone call from a member in Zurich that wanted to come and see him before he left.   He said, Sis. Grimmett can we please go back to the church so she can meet us there - it will only take 5 min.  She was a Sister he had baptized last year and he means a lot to her and her four teenage children.  She brought Dunkin Doughnuts so the Elder's were happy.  We were the last to leave and as I have said before, Zurich traffic at 6:00 is terrible.  Another 3 hour drive home - I told them they could not sleep and leave me alone to drive - that lasted about 2 hours and then the wonderful day and good food hit all of them.  I was glad to be home at the end of the day.

 Elder Fishburn and Elder Falkena performing Savior Redeemer of my Soul.  It was beautiful.  They were companions until last week when Elder Falkena was transferred.  We miss him and it was wonderful to see him again.

 Elder Odro sang Silent Night in English and Dutch (his native tongue)  It is the 200th Anniversary this year of the writing of Silent Night in Germany.  Sis. Brown played the piano for him and he did wonderful.  They had not practiced together - two great talents that came together and made it happen.  We were really proud of him.  He is doing really well right now.

Our dear Sis. Griffith serving in Singen.  It is always good to be with her.
I am so grateful for these young women and men who are 18-25 years old serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They are away from home, family and friends and are going out every day sharing their love of Jesus Christ and inviting others to come and to know Him.  They have an excitement, love, joy, desire to be their best.  They have a message to share and in their crazy ways they get it done.  They are from many countries and backgrounds, but they are united in their love of Jesus Christ and their desire to serve Him.  We are so blessed to be among them and feel their excitement and willingness to serve.

 P-DAY!  Off to Titisee.  The train has been closed all summer for repairs and on Dec. 1 it finally started back in operation.  Russ could not wait to ride the train over the mountain and back to Titisee.  This is us on the train.  It was an awesome trip.  We rode on the upper deck and it was so nice not driving and getting to see the beauty of the mountain.  The train goes places a car will never go.  Straight up the mountain with no switchbacks. 

 This is the lake in Winter.  It was so beautiful - I wish the camera would pick up the contrasts better.  Unfortunately, we have had a very mild, rainy winter so far.  NO SNOW or frozen lake.  They usually have a lot of snow and the lake freezes for ice skating and other winter sports.  It is really hurting the tourism in this area.  Some shops were even closed until after Christmas due to slow business.  We enjoyed no crowds and just walking through the little streets and shops. 

This is our favorite Christmas store.  It is fun to just look at everything and enjoy.  It is open all year and they have some really fun things - I especially like their Santa collection - maybe next year I will need to get one to bring home.
We did not stay long but we really enjoyed the train ride and visiting one of our favorite places in this area.  We stopped in a said hello to the owner of one of the shops that we met this summer - the one who owns the Shelby Mustang from Texas.  He was not having a very good day (probably because it was a slow day) and at first he thought Russ was just a customer with a problem until he looked up and recognized who he was.  He was very nice and was glad to say hello.

We arrived home and were off again on our next adventure.   We signed up to help with Find a Grave here in our area.  Most of the requests we get are for France since we are so close, but we are not allowed to go to France.  We had a request for a city that we were planning to visit anyway so we accepted the request.  These are for cemeteries that do not have registries and family members want photos to document the grave as they do family history.  We thought it would be a little cemetery and that it would not be difficult to find the headstone.  We arrived and it was a huge cemetery with about 15 different areas.  We looked at it and said, we have about 30 minutes of daylight left what are we going to do.  We said a prayer before we got out of the car.  We each took an area and walked down each row.  We discovered that each area was for a certain time period - so we moved quickly looking for the year span of 1986.  They bury in family plots, so some are not exactly in the time frame.  It was now dusk and we were going to be late to a dinner appointment.  I did not want to leave without finding it and taking a picture.  I kept praying that we would find it.  We decided we needed to leave and would go to the information office and see if they could help us.  Just as we got to the entrance on the opposite side that we had entered on, I said, just a minute - let me walk down this row.  Larger than life was this headstone.  We had been looking on the ground and walked and walked and then we were guided to this beautiful spot.  Mission accomplished.  I don't know this person, but I felt a warm sense of peace as we were able to take photos and document it and know that we were helping someone connect with a relative.

We had been invited to Gegenbach to see the World's largest Advent Calendar.  This is the Rathaus (city building) in the center of the city.  It has 25 windows in the front of the building.  They turn it into an advent calendar starting on the 30th of November.  Every night they light a new window.  This year they used the art of Andy Warhol (an American artist)
They have a little musical performance to tell the story of the Advent Calendar and then they light the new window.  This is the window that was lit, the vase with flowers. 

 They turn off all of the lights and then light the new window and then turn on the previous days lights.  It was fun to see.  We also walked around the market and enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds.








I loved the unique local art that was at this market.  Because it is deep in the black forest, there was a lot of pine wood art.  I loved these slices of pine carved with designs.  Great front porch decorations. 

 This is the same picture that is in our Christmas Card.  This is a life size wood carved Nativity scene.  It was beautiful.  I really like the German Shepherd. I also really like the animals in the background.  It was very unique and so real for this location in Germany. 

The Elder's met up with us to join us for dinner at Elli's home.  We were really grateful to be invited to dinner with Elli and her parents.  Elli was baptized in October and her parents were not really happy about it.  They are Greek Orthodox but attend the Catholic Church most of the time because there is not a Greek congregation in their little town.  We had met her mother back in November and that was the start to a friendship and better relations for Elli.  She cooked an amazing Greek dinner with chicken and potatoes and lots of garlic.  Loved it. They have a very nice home and it was so good to be there.  I don't think Elli has many friends come to her home and they seemed to really enjoy having the young missionaries there.  They could see how well Elli gets along with them.  They have agreed to let her go to BYU-I in the Fall.  That is a really big change of heart and we are happy for Elli.  She has friends that go to school there and she will do great.  Her mother is even trying to brush up on her English so she can feel comfortable going and visiting her while she is there.  We couldn't get the missionaries to leave and finally we had to leave as we were past their curfew.  It is good they were in good company and had a good driver to get them home safe!

Wednesday was our turn to cook for Institute.  Shopping day and cooking.  I made bread and rolls and then I was feeling a little home sick and missing my mother and her wonderful holiday baking and decided to make some of her favorites.  I made chocolate almond balls and English dainties (both recipes are in Linda's cookbook).  It was working - the taste and smells of holiday baking were giving me peace and  the feeling that "I can do hard things" (thanks William).
We served pork schnitzel, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, green salad with the bread and rolls.
I made up trays of dessert and placed them on the tables for all to enjoy.  It turned out wonderful. 

My Dad is 97 1/2 years old.  This week brought a new chapter in his life.  He drove his car for the last time.  For the past 28 years he has had a car paid by Melaleuca.  The license plate even said: MelaCar.  He loved cars and especially his Toyota Highlander.  It was no longer safe for him to drive and it was too nice of a car to be sitting in the parking lot of a care center collecting dust.  So, the time had come to sell the car.  My sister and her son took him over to the local high school and let him drive on the driving range one last time.  They said he had a ball and really enjoyed his last drive.  It is hard for me some days to not be with him and helping in his care.  Every day is a new challenge and I am so appreciate of my sister, Pam for all of her love and energy in taking care of him.  I have wonderful memories of having him in Texas last year for Christmas.

We were able to pick up our new Drivers licenses for Germany on Thursday.  We are finally legal in all of the necessary things.  We are set for the next year.  Today was a catch up day on administrative things and around the house.  We finally found jars to be able to give Salsa to our neighbors.  We visited Amira and invited her to spend Christmas Eve with us.  We hope she is feeling well enough to come.  Russ spent the evening with some of the men from church delivering bags of cookies to families.  They were planning to sing Christmas songs and deliver the cookies.  His group opted out on the singing and visited instead.  He had a great time and it was good for him to be with them.
We met a new neighbor today.  He just separated from his wife and moved into our complex.  He was very interested in learning about what we are doing in Germany.  He said, they must pay you a lot of money to be able to live here in this building.  I told him we don't get paid, we actually pay the Church to be here to cover our rent and car.  He said, did you win the lottery to be able to come?  We look forward to getting to know him better.  He is a biologist for a pharmaceutical company here.  Delivered Salsa to him on Saturday and had a nice visit getting to know him better. 

I made 2 big batches of Salsa to deliver to neighbors and Church friends.  We found that 3 of our neighbors moved out this week, 2 today.  Must be the time of year leases run out and people get job changes as well.  We look forward to meeting new neighbors.  We were only able to deliver to 4 of our neighbors the Salsa.  Many people have gone away for the Christmas Week.
We will deliver more tomorrow as well as Cinnamon Rolls that I made tonight.

Advent Wreath with 3 candles lit

 We attended the final Organ Concert of the year at the Munster on Saturday. It was really nice.  This is the last concert until the Spring series starts in April.  We will miss the Saturday morning events.  We are hoping to attend their Christmas program on Christmas Eve.  It will be at 9:30 PM and we will have to do this instead of go look at lights around the city like we do at home.
We were told they do not do the traditional midnight mass at very many places anymore because the Priest does not just have one

 congregation anymore.  He travels to up to 6 services on a given Sunday.  The little towns no longer have their own Priest.  So, their services have had to change.
This picture is a Nativity inside of the Church.  It was really nice.  I especially liked the camel with the young boy riding on it.  I have never seen a large Nativity with the beautiful camel and rider like this one.  It was very dark in the Church and this is the best picture I could get.  Baby Jesus will be added on Christmas Eve. They had 4 huge 25-30 feet trees inside that were beautiful.

It has been really nice traveling around to different places and seeing all of the Nativity scenes in each city.  I love the diversity of each one.  It has truly been a great experience being a part of a new culture and being a part of a German Christmas.

We were invited to have dinner on Friday with the family that we have helped haul dirt and landscape their new home.  It was a delightful evening.  This is their Christmas Tree.  I love it.  Their new home is very nice, but not with large rooms.  Lots of rooms, just smaller to suit each purpose.  They do not waste space.  The Tree was decorated really cute.  The live outside of Freiburg on the edge of the forest, so they can look out their window and see lots of trees.  They don't need one inside when they have this wall space to have such a cute tree.

Christmas Miracles happen every day.  I am grateful for all of the blessings my family has received and that my Dad has also been so blessed.  So grateful to Melaleuca for taking such good care of him financially and for keeping him healthy.

People keep asking me if I am homesick for Texas.  I am not sure how to answer.  Christmas has always been a time of giving and sharing at our house.  We have a very long list of people we deliver Salsa and treats to every year.  It is one of the highlights of Christmas to spend Dec. 24 out delivering to people and ending the night at Max and Sally Johnson's for a picture with Santa.  We have about 30 years of pictures from that tradition.  I will miss that.  We have filled the last few days with the same activities of making Salsa and delivering as well as other treats.  So, some things are the same just new location and people.  It still is one of the best parts of Christmas.  There are some days that are hard, so I just try not to think about being away.  I actually like the slower pace and a simpler life for this year.  I try to stay focused on missionary work and serving where I have been called to serve.  It has been rainy, cold and windy this past week.  We have walked and walked and tried to visit several people to give them a Christmas message and treat.  We have either not found them home or they no longer live where we have the address.  We were asked to visit a man in the prison here who requested a Book of Mormon.  We went on Thursday and they gave us a piece of paper and said to follow the instructions and come back.  Russ thought it just said the time and days we could visit.  He asked some men at church about it and they were not very helpful.  So, in the rain and cold we went back on Friday during the hours on the note.  The man at the gate said, did you not understand what I told you yesterday?  He was actually yelling at us.  I don't understand what he says, but I sure do understand how he felt about us.  Apparently you have to call and make an appointment to visit during those times.  We will try again.  We are not well versed on the process at a Prison.  We will go back.  These are times I get frustrated that I don't understand and neither does Russ.  That is when you know you are in a foreign country and you pray that it will all work out.  We continue to learn something new every day.

Yes, the big news of the week was the change in dress code for Sister Missionaries.  We have been required to wear dresses or skirts every day.  That has been my wardrobe for the past 23 years working for the Church so I was good with that attire.  Sisters can now were dress slacks.  I guess I will get a few new Christmas presents after the holidays.  New Pants - I am not as excited about it as the young sisters, but it will be nice during the Winter cold months.  I especially will like it on P-Day.

Jesus said, "Blessed are ye because of your faith.  And now behold, my joy is full.  And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them....Behold your little ones.  And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.  And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls..." 3 Nephi 17:21-25  I know that Jesus Christ appeared as a Resurrected being after his death just as surely as he was born in a manger and the angels descended out of heaven to announce his birth to the shepherds.  I am so grateful for Jesus Christ - his birth, life, teachings, death and atonement for all mankind.  I am grateful for the angels round about me every day.  May this knowledge of Him bring you peace, joy, happiness and a desire to serve him this Christmas Season and every day.  We appreciate your love and prayers in our behalf.

Merry Christmas!
The Grimmett's
 

Dec. 9-15, 2018

 Saturday night gathering of YSA's for Texas Nachos at our home.

The Christmas Spirit continues as we sing carols and serve others.  The Relief Society (women's group) provided the program in Church today.  I was asked to play the piano for 2 musical numbers.  It went really well considering that they forgot to tell me there was a practice before church that I did not attend and the YSA group that sang and we had practiced several times had a little glitch.  I played the intro and when the chorister tried to bring them in they were not looking at her and did not start.  I only had the words in English and they were singing in German.  I just kept playing, following the chorister and prayed I would figure out where they were.  It worked out, after a few measures and I was relieved.
I was asked to play in Relief Society and usually it is not hard, just normal hymns.  We are singing Christmas hymns this month and the German Hymnal has so hymns I have never heard of.  It is a much smaller book than in the US, but also has many different hymns.  I went to play the closing hymn and I had never seen it before and it had 4 sharps.  That may not mean anything to most of you, but for me, it is not a key you play in every day, especially when you are sight reading.  The song was, Tochter Zion, freue dich by George Friedrich Handel from an Oratorium "Josua".  I told them I would try to play and give it my best.  I was able to play most of it - I guess better than not having a piano at all.  After the meeting a Sister came and asked me, you have never heard of this song? She was surprised we did not have this hymn.  Sundays are always an interesting experience for me.

 Monday was Family Home Evening!  We volunteered to cook and present the lesson.  We wanted to share our tradition of making Gingerbread houses.  We started the evening with homemade waffles.  We did regular and ginger bread.  I made apple pie filling and sour cherry topping along with a few different syrups and lots of cream.  I also served sausages.  It was fun to see some who had never had waffles or those toppings before.  They had never had sausage links served with breakfast.  They were not sure what to do with them.  We said, just put them on your plate and eat them.  They loved the

 food and ate everything that was made.
We then told them about our tradition of making ginger bread houses with our Grandkids and also the years with friends.  We bought all of the kits at IKEA and then lots of candies and decorations.  I made all of the frosting and the building began.  Only two out of the whole group had ever done this before.  They had a really fun time and did a really good job of creating.  It was fun to share and to keep some traditions going.

They decided to keep them at the Church until Wednesday when everyone at Institute can see them.  They also needed some time to dry and set.  Our friend Yowita came and she really had a great time.  She said it is a really good diversion from school and she is making friends with the other Young Adults and we are so glad to have her come and be a part of the group.  Richard, from Peru came.  He is an Architecture Design intern here and he only got the house put together, no decorations - he was very methodical in his building - perfection.  He had fun even without finishing it.

Tuesday came early as we had a District P-Day to Triberg.  We packed a lunch and were off to pick up the Elders.  It was a beautiful day and a really nice drive. We visited in the summer when it was really hot.  It was really cold with a few snow flurries.  It is a nice place to visit.  We found out that the famous restaurant for Black Forest cake is closed on Tuesdays.  We will have to go back on another day.  We were planning to take the hike to the falls and we paid our money.  They took our money and we walked to the first platform not very far up and the trail was closed to go any further.  They had it all decorated for Christmas with lights and an evening light show, but they would not let us go any further.  We were not very happy that they took our money and did not tell us it was closed to go to the top.  We met some really nice tourists from California and Maryland that had the same experience.  We took each others pictures and then went back into the town.  

 You can see we were ready for a hike - walking sticks and all.  Some of the missionaries did not bring winter coats and just had on jackets and short sleeves.  We asked them where they thought we were going.  We had on Thermals and two shirts plus our heavy coats and hats.
We bought a few Nativity ornaments and a Santa Claus.  The GPS put us on a different route to return home.  We decided to go with the GPS.  It took us on the other side of the mountain and higher up before we went down and we got into snow.  It was beautiful.  No pictures.  I was driving and was a little distracted.  At one point we felt like we were on a cattle road - only 1 lane and very winding.  It was an adventure and it was worth the view.  The forest is an amazing place - especially in winter.

This is our new District.  There are transfers every 6 weeks so it changes frequently.  We have worked with some wonderful missionaries.  This group is not as close as the previous ones.  We hope we can get to know them better and help them in their companionships.  We look forward to welcoming a new Senior Couple in a few weeks.  We REALLY miss the Andreasons who returned home to Utah.  The District is just not the same.  Our new District leader is all business and no fun and he doesn't want lunch after the meetings.  He likes the food, he just does not want to take the time for us to do it.  We will see what happens.  They are also on a new diet where they fast until 1:00 every day and then eat so we have to work around that.  I am not real happy with what they are doing, but it will make my cooking lighter - at least for the next 8 weeks until he goes home.  He is trying to loose weight before he goes home.  Funny thing is they don't eat and then when they do, they eat way too much and not very healthy.  I just wish they would eat sensibly.  Oh to be young again.

Wednesday morning was a sad day as we said good-bye to Elder Falkena.  We met at the train station and wished him well.  We have really enjoyed serving with him.  We will now just have two Elders in Freiburg.  More room in the car for them.  It has been kind of nice having three. 

It was a very cold day and we had lots to do at home.  We were glad to be indoors.  Wednesday is our day to have lunch with Katrina.  She changed the time to 3:00 and that has made it a little harder.  Wednesday is Institute day and we usually are preparing and busy in the late afternoons.  We really did not want to go out in the cold, but we had accepted the invitation and needed to go.  We took the tram and walked and arrived to find that she was not expecting us.  She forgot and then said she planned for Thursday.  We already had a really busy Thursday planned but we told her we would work it in and would be back.
We returned on Thursday and she was ready and so glad we were there.  She makes so much food and tells us to just eat slow and then we can eat all of it.  We know she gives "the widow's mite" to have us come and she is so lonely - I know there are blessings there somewhere and we appreciate her willingness to serve us.
We left her home and went to our weekly visit with Amira.  We shared with her Pres. Nelson's Christmas message from the Christmas Devotional with the Tabernacle Choir.  She loved seeing the lights from Temple Square in Salt Lake City and hearing the beautiful music of the choir.  We love our visits with her.  We left her house, still so full from the late lunch with Katrina and were off to a meeting at the Church.  The meeting was almost 2 hours and I was ready to be home and call it a day.
Friday - Driver's License Day.  Now that we are official and have our VISA's, it was time for us to apply for our German Driver's License.  Luckily, we are from one of the States that they accept and we don't have to take a test.  Just MONEY and TIME and once again, you can get what you need.  We will return next Thursday to pick them up.  It is seeming a little permanent as we complete all of these things.  One of our assignments is to inspect missionary apartments and also to make sure they have all of the necessary things in their apartments.  We received a call from some Switzerland missionaries that they needed new kitchen items.  IKEA TRIP!  That was fine with me - I like to shop and spend someone else's money.  We shopped and found the new dishes and cookware that they were needing and we will deliver to them on Monday when we go to Zone Conference in Zurich.  We also shopped for our Gift exchange that we will have on Monday at the Conference.  We don't have to cook this time, so it will be really nice to just go and enjoy.  It is almost time to make our traditional Salsa, so we also bought the things we needed to get it made.  Our first deliveries will be on Monday.  Friday evening we were invited to a Senior Christmas Dinner.  It is hard to see me as a Senior - I am usually the one cooking and putting on the dinner.  I was the youngest one there and we had a great time.  The Young Men and Women served the dinner and sang to us.  They were great.  The Bishop and his wife cooked the meal and it was a nice German meal.  They cooked ham with several different potato dishes.  All of the potatoes were cold, but it was very good.  Potatoes are the main vegetable here.  You eat them with everything.  I am just not used to having all of the sides cold.  We laughed and said the normal meal would have been ham with green bean casserole and funeral potato casserole (creamy scalloped potatoes).  It is always fun to have new things - especially when you don't have to cook it!  The other Seniors shared stories from their childhoods and it was fun to hear about 1938 before the War and how life was for them in Germany.  The people we sat with were in their 80's and 90's.  Special People.

In October as part of General Conference, Pres. Nelson invited the members of the church to read the Book of Mormon and to also mark every passage that referred to Jesus Christ.  He asked us to complete that assignment by the end of the year.  That is 531 pages.  It has been an amazing experience for me as I have read and marked the passages.  I have read the Book of Mormon many times and have also taught courses three times in the last few years.  Your perspective changes when you are only looking for those passages.  The further you get into the Book, the more passages are marked.  By the time I got to 3 Nephi on Thursday night I could not put it down.  I was on a quest to finish it by Monday.  Friday night after the dinner I came home and started reading.  Again, I could not put it down.  I read the last 50 pages and finished the Book.  I learned things I had never noticed before.  This Book covers from 600 BC - 420 AD.  It is a history of the House of Israel and those who left Jerusalem because of wickedness.  There are some basic doctrines that are taught over and over and continue to be taught today that have not changed.  "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." Moroni 8:18
His plea to all of His children is to COME UNTO ME.  He asks us to:
1.  Have Faith in Jesus Christ
2.  Repent
3.  Be Baptized by immersion for the remission of sins
4.  Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
5.  Keep the commandments
6.  Pray
7.  Study the scriptures - the word of God
He promises if we do these things, the same thing he has asked since the days of Adam and Eve, that we would "remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men...and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. . . love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ."
I am grateful to have completed this invitation from a Prophet of God.  It is preparing His people for the coming days and the hastening of the work of Jesus Christ.

Saturday is SALSA Making day.  It's beginning to look and smell a lot like Christmas here.  It was 26* this morning and we also had to go get the car washed.  Our new car is light slate blue and it really shows the dirt.  So we braved the elements and got it done.  The sun was shining - first time in many days and everyone was out washing their cars.  The wash bays were all full and a line of cars waiting to get in.  Some things never change - Saturday's at a car wash on a beautiful clear day!
We are a little frustrated with the POST system here.  We have sent several packages to our family for birthdays and Christmas.  We sent several packages on Nov. 21 expecting a delivery before Dec. 1.  Two of the packages still have not arrived.  We spent a lot of money to ship them and maybe they will get them by Valentines Day.  So, we get a notice in the mail on Friday that we have a registered letter that needs to be picked up at the Post on Saturday.  We go to get it - only available from 12-1:00 on Saturday so the line is literally down the street.  We wait and wait and then they cannot find the letter.  They say, we know it is here, we just cannot find it.  We will give you a call when we find it.  REALLY - we will see what Monday brings except we will be in Zurich all day and will not be able to pick anything up.  Maybe Tuesday between activities we already have planned.  Sorry for the rant and rave - just feeling a little disconnected from family.  The internet was out for 1 1/2 days and they came this morning to check on it.  All is well today.  Maybe that is how I was able to get so much reading done - lessons to be learned. Unplug.

We were invited to Lahr Branch for their Christmas dinner and program.  We took the Elder's with us and made a few stops on the way trying to deliver cookies to some Young Adults that we do not know.  We usually find that they no longer live at the address we have for them.  We got to drive through some beautiful areas and lots of little towns (burgs).  We knew we were in Germany as we followed this truck for several kilometers.  It was a beautiful restoration of the car.  Sorry for the blurry picture - Russ was taking it while the car was driving.

Lahr is a small Branch of the Church.  We love visiting there.  They are so friendly and wonderful people.We had about 50 people at the program tonight.  They had a wonderful program with the Christmas story and singing.  At the end of the story, this little girl (blond) brought the baby Jesus and laid him in the manger.    When it was over these three little children came up and talked with the baby.  It was precious.  I love the tender hearts of little children. 

Nicholas arrived to the delight of all.  He is similar to Santa Claus, but a little different.  He comes with a book that has each child's name in it.  He talks to them very personally, calling them by name about who they are and how they have  been.  He then took packages from his bag with the name of a child on each special gift.  It was so fun to see each child react.  The older children had to sing a song or recite a poem.  There were three boys and one could only laugh so he got 3 fun swats from Nicholas.  The Third boy asked the other two boys to join him in the song and they did wonderful.  He was very smart to invite his friends to join him.

It was a delightful evening for all.  It was fun to see how their traditions are.  We had a nice German dinner of salads and brots.  We left our Elder's to spend the night in the apartment we maintain there.  They will go to church on Sunday and then take the train back to Freiburg.  We have a new Elder and we asked before we left if they had the key to the apartment.  He said, yes, everything is OK.  We drove home and had just changed our clothes and got a call that they had taken the wrong keys and were stranded in Lahr.  No more buses or trains for the night and everyone was gone from the church.  So, we got back in our street clothes and drove the 35 min. back to Lahr to take them the keys.  They are soooo lucky to have us in Freiburg to help them out.  Other missionaries are not that lucky.  And they ask us, what do you do to stay busy?

So, another wonderful week of serving.  We love this festive time of year and sharing it each others traditions.  The time is going so fast - looking forward to what the new week will bring.  We hope each of you are enjoying the Spirit of the Season. Continue to Light The World in Service.  Small acts of service mean so much.  I am so grateful for the few sisters who help me and make my days a little brighter.  We sit in classes and discuss how we can serve others and my sweet Denise sits by me every Sunday and translates for me.  She is truly and angel and goes unnoticed by most.  I was asked to pray in Relief Society today at church.  I prayed half in German and half in English.  They appreciate that I try and then they try to talk to me.  Love makes all the difference.
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's

Dec. 2-8, 2018 Light The World

Rainy, Rainy Winter.  It has rained since Thanksgiving.  There is a World Cup Ski Jump event Dec. 7-9 here and there is NO SNOW.  We drove by the jumps today and they are making snow, but I don't know how they will do it.  It  has been cold, but not snow cold.  Minnesota and Utah need to send some of their snow our way.

District Meeting in Singen.  We made Waffles for lunch today.  We had regular and Ginger bread waffles, the German version of hash browns and sausage.  The Ginger waffles were really good, a new recipe that is a keeper.  Today is our last trip in this car with this wonderful trio of Elder's.  We decided we needed a photo for good times sake.  I told  you about the battery last Wednesday.  We have had no problems - should have taken it to the shop and had it checked while it was working - but you know, if it is not broken you can't fix it.  We drove the 2 hours to Singen and back home today with no problems.  We are asked to keep at least a 1/2 tank of gas in the car and we have also found that gas is the least expensive in the evening hours.  It actually changes about every 30 minutes.  So, after we dropped off the Elder's we stopped at our favorite gas station across the street from our house.  I tried to start the car and it was just click, click, click.  How can you drive for 2 hours, stop for gas and have a dead battery?  So, there was a mechanic shop next door and Russ went and asked if they could jump it.  He brought over his jumping unit and it started right up, but he said it was completely dead and we needed a new battery - 2 days before we get a new car!  We were hoping to keep it going.  So, another Tender Mercy - it was across the street from our apartment and we could walk home and back when it was done.  Most expensive battery I have ever purchased: 225 Euro installed plus the 10 he charged for walking next door and jumping us.  I thought if we bought the battery from him he would take that charge off.  We went to pay and they did not take American credit cards.  It was 25 minutes until he closed.  We told him we would be back as quick as possible.  We walked as fast as we could and took the tram to the bank and got money and then back again.  We knew it was going to rain again, but so far so good.  We were almost running trying to get back before he closed.  We made it and just as we got in the car, it started pouring rain.  Tender Mercy again.

I had just made this Linzer Torte while we were waiting for the car to be fixed and put it in the oven while we ran across the street to pick up the car.  We were not expecting to have to go to the bank and back.  The recipe said 45 - 50 minutes so I thought I was OK.  You make the crust the day before and let it chill overnight in the fridge.  It looked wonderful and had lots of nuts, butter, raspberry jam and other things to make it a little expensive to make.  I was really looking forward to it.
When we returned with 10 minutes to spare, I looked in the oven and the torte was completely black!  I was sick inside.  All of that work and it was black on top.  I took it out of the oven and was not very happy.  I let it cool and sit over night.
I cut the top off and below it was OK.  The bottom and sides were not burned, just the top.  It did not turn out like I expected it to, but it tastes pretty good - not pretty enough to serve anyone else, but we will enjoy it for a few days.

Tuesday was a busy day of preparations for Wednesday Institute Dinner.  My turn to cook this week.  I decided to have soup, bread and dessert.  I made Pasta Fagioli, Leek Soup, bread and a chocolate chip cake.  I thought I was doing something simple and it took me most of the day.
We also had to clean out the car and take it to the car wash for the exchange on Wednesday.  It was pouring rain and hard to vacuum, but we got it done.

Today was also interviews with Pres. Brown.
We always enjoy meeting with him and he loves the Donor (Yufka cafe) down the street from our house.  It has become tradition to eat there after interviews.   He always asks about our family and he gave the most beautiful prayer with a blessing on three of our grandsons specifically for Kelly, Eric and Logan.  It is amazing how sensitive he is to things he hears and then cares enough to ask more.  We are grateful for his leadership and counsel.

Wednesday -  NEW CAR DAY!  We got up early and drove to Karlsruhe (just out of our mission) to make the exchange.  We went and toured a palace that was built back in the 1700's.  It is now a museum.  It is nice with beautiful gardens. 

I don't know much history about it, but the museum was nice.  We then met the man to make the exchange.  We have a new Hyundai i30.  It is a little bigger car than we had with some new features, but we miss some things from our old car as well.  It will take us some time to get used to it, but it is really nice.  It only had 250 kil. on it when we received it. 
The Christmas markets are in most of the major cities and even in a few smaller ones.  They had a really nice one here.  We walked through it - I would like to have spent more time but we did not have very much time to linger.

 These are two of the buildings that had shops.  They were amazing - much nicer than the shops in the market in Freiburg.  These were food booths.  There was also ice skating in the middle of the square that really looked fun.  It was a true winter wonderland - without snow.

This is a sausage and brot vendor cooking all of the meat on this very large round grill over an open fire.  It was amazing how much meat at one time to cook it like this instead of on an electric grill like most places. 
I had done some research and found a few fun places to eat in town.  We looked for the first place and walked and walked and could not find it.  So, we went to the second choice and were not disappointed.  I don't think things happen by chance - we really enjoyed the restaurant called Storchen. 

So, after a nice morning we had to get back to serve dinner for the Institute class.  I was so glad it was all prepared the day before and we just had to heat it up and serve.  It turned out wonderful.  Everyone really like the Leek soup.  They had never had anything like it before.  The soups here are mostly creamy broth - not chunky soups like I am used to making.  I will definately make this soup again.  Leeks are really big here and very inexpensive.  I do like all of the fresh produce that is available and much of it grown in our area.  The bread is always a favorite, just like in Arlington.  Mark Richins - Happy Birthday today - we were thinking of you as we enjoyed the bread.

 We were looking forward to Thursday to try and regroup from the weeks activities.  We got a call late in the day asking if we could take one of our Elder's to Basel Switzerland to the Doctor the next morning.  We have been helping him and I have shared before how the system works.  After finally getting the appointment, finding out he needed blood work, taking care of that and then returning for the results - we were hopeful to go back to the original Doctor and get the needed medication.  In the meantime, this doctor got sick and then decided to close his office until the first of the year for the Christmas Season.  So, a new doctor had to be found so that he could get what he needed.  A doctor was found in Basel and so we were glad to take him.  Road Trip in the new car.  We want to help him, we just had been on the road so much and working so hard we were looking forward to a little rest.  With the new car, we had to go get a permit (sticker) for the car window to be able to drive in Switzerland.  So, we went to town early and purchased the permit so we could make the trip.  We had an amazing experience.  I love how we continue to be blessed as we are willing to serve.  This therapist practices out of her home.  She was booked, but was willing to meet with him over her lunch hour.  We arrived just in time - for the appointment and her family lunch.  We were invited into the kitchen while she took the Elder to her office.  Her husband, son and daughter-in-law were eating lunch.  I think we got the better end of the deal.  Her husband was home for lunch and we were so lucky to get to meet him.  Her son and his wife had just moved back home from Utah.  They recently graduated from BYU and had decided to move to Germany.  His parents had their basement remodeled into a really nice apartment for them.  This is Germany - most people do not have free standing homes and this was an amazing home in a beautiful neighborhood on a mountainside overlooking the Rhine River.  We shared stories and he shared his conversion story to the Church of Jesus Christ when he was 19 and living in Freiburg.  He knew many of the people we know.  He told of his mission to France with his mission President Neal Anderson (currently one of the 12 Apostles in the Church).  He shared how discouraged he was after 3 months in the mission and not able to speak French very well.  He went to an interview and said, "I want to go home."  Pres. Anderson said, "I have failed you.  Will you give me a second chance at being a better mission president?"  He said he transferred him closer to the mission home and he met with him regularly and gave him a companion who would train and teach him better.  It changed his life, his mission and his whole outlook on life. He met a sister missionary who was from Spain and when they finished their missions they corresponded and eventually married.  He was glad he stayed on his mission!   He shared his love for the missionaries and we could see why they were so willing to accommodate us on such short notice.  We are so grateful for what took place that day.  She had the medicine there to give him and we did not have to go figure out that system as well.  We had a wonderful time driving with this Elder and getting to know him better.  It is nice to have just one on one time when you can just talk and not worry about your companions or others. 

We got back just in time to make our appointment with Amira.  She has had a hard week.  Because of being on Prednesone for so long they just found out she has osteoporosis  and it is causing her a lot of pain as the bones are breaking down.  She was in the hospital this morning getting treatments to help with pain.  Oh, how I wish I could relieve some of her pain.  She just says, keep coming and visiting. 

We decided while we were out to stay on the tram and go to town for dinner.  We have wanted to try a Thai restaurant and so we went.

 Sorry for all of the food stories, but that seems to be my life this week.  I had mango chicken with rice.  Russ had Pad Thai and both were soooo good.  So much food and a great atmosphere.  Every table had the glass top with a different scene inside.  This was our table.  I love all of the different cultures here and we have really enjoyed finding these fun places to eat.  I was really glad I did not have to cook after a long day.  We still had Choir practice to go to - I am playing the piano for two numbers.  It is for our Christmas program on Saturday night.

When we walked to the Motor Club this morning to get the car permit, we passed a large, beautiful hotel that we had never been by before.  Inside was a fun Gingerbread display.

 I went inside a took pictures.  It was really nice and made from a lot of chocolate.  We are making ginger bread houses on Monday for Family Home Evening - sharing one of our traditions with them.

Friday we got to sleep a little and then on to a busy day.   Today is baking day for the Ward Program on Saturday.  I made 10 doz. ginger cookies with cream cheese dip.  They are also giving cookies to about 25 families as a gift and asked for donations, so I dipped about 36 of them in chocolate.  They turned out really good.  I also attempted my first try at Christmas Stollen.  It  is the German version of fruit cake.  The biggest challenge is using the German recipe.  I now know why most of the women I have met do not bake and just buy.  All of their recipes are in measurements you have to weigh.  So it does not say, 1 cup flour or 1 cup sugar.  You have to weigh in grams every item .  I weighed everything and then measured it and wrote down the number so the next time I bake it I will not have to weigh. 

 You make the dough and then knead in the fruit and nuts.  Then you make three long logs.  You put two close together and the third on top.  Each log is filled with marzipan.  I have never really liked the ones from the store (Aldi).  There were a little dry.  Most sweets here look really good and then you taste them and they are not sweet.  I was not sure how this would turn out.  WOW!  it did not burn like the torte and it tastes amazing.  It is moist with a wonderful almond flavor from the marzipan.  I was going to take it to the party on Saturday, but I have decided to just take the cookies.

I did not think I would like anything better than my favorite fruit cake recipe I make every Christmas.  I will say, I think this stollen will become a new favorite. 

I took my cookies and cream to the Ward Program Saturday night and it was a hit.  They had never had anything like it.  All of the other cookies were store bought.  As I said, most don't take the time to cook.  When I asked a few weeks ago if I could help they said, do you know how to make our German cookies?  I said, no, but I would like to learn.  So far, I have not been able to find anyone willing to teach me.  As you saw, I did not do too good with the torte (it actually tastes really good with the burned top cut off).  I was worried about taking my ginger cookies and it turned out OK.  Many asked for the recipe.  They ate every one of the cookies.  I took 120 cookies and they are all gone. 


Saturday - Road Trip.  We went to Singen for an austelung (street display) with the other missionaries in our District. 

 We left early in the morning and drove through  a lot of rain and a few snow flurries.  We were a little worried how the roads would be for the return trip.  It was cold, windy and rainy but we  had a great  time.  The city allows groups to set up on the town square on the same Saturday every month.  We set up our table and talked to people for about 3 1/2 hours.  I made granola bars on Friday night and we put them in baggies like I did last week and put a card on each one.  The missionaries were able to pass them out to people who they talked with.  I made 48 bars and we gave all of them out.  One lady asked if she could take a couple of packages to her neighbors. 

Even in the cold and rain, we talked to many people as they were going to the Christmas Market.  The town square was very busy.  We only had one lady who came up to Elder Grimmett and asked him how many wives he had.  He  pointed to me and said I was the only one.  She said she didn't believe him and knew he had other wives.  We laughed and wished her well.  It was a good day and we were cold to the bones.  We went back to the church and I had taken a loaf of bread and some meat and cheese for our lunch.  It was supposed to just be for Elder Grimmett and I, but it turned out to be enough for all of the missionaries - parable of the loaves and fishes - grateful there was enough and more.  On the road again - had to be back for the Ward Christmas Program.  We changed our clothes, grabbed the cookies and were off again. 

Final practice before the performance.  The program went so good.  There are some really talented people in our Ward and it was fun to be a part of this.  Elder Falkena played for one of the singers and did a really nice performance.  They decided to sing several of the songs in English and had the narrator read the song in German before the song was sung.  It turned out really nice.  I played for the Choir and was so relieved it went well.  I have also been asked to play for the Women's Choir at church tomorrow. 

We invited all of the YSA over after the program for Texas Nachos and games.  We had Yowita and Nadja (both investigators) come to the program and Elli, our newest member.  We had 9 come over after and it was a fun evening.  I hurried home and put the nachos together and also made homemade salsa.  It was a real treat for them.  They also were able to be in our home and see where we live. 
We shopped on Friday evening for all of the upcoming events for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  It took us 2 hours of shopping and planning and we spent so much money.  It is Christmas and all for good things.  Maybe it will slow down ?!?!

So, all in all it has been an amazing week.  We received sad news today when we picked up the Elder's to go to Singen.  We have had 3 Elders serving in Freiburg for the past 12 weeks.  This is  not the norm for most missionaries.  It has worked out well with some of the circumstances.  There was a situation in another area that needed an emergency transfer so our President decided to take one of our Elders and move them to that area.  We will be saying good-bye to Elder Falkena this week.  He was expecting a transfer in 3 weeks, after Christmas, but not this week.  He will be going to Switzerland.  We will really miss him.  Always a new adventure. 
Every day is a new challenge for me.  Sometimes I wonder, what am I doing here.  It does not last long as we move onto the next thing and I see or feel the purpose of my service.  I have a greater appreciation for the young missionaries who serve for 18-24 months and can only email or write their families.  They are dedicated and consecrated to the work. 
I am grateful for this Season of Christmas.  Yowita expressed gratitude for being at the program tonight.  She said it is the first time she has thought about Christmas.  She has just completed her mid term exams and it was a really hard two weeks for her.  She also received her rejection letter from Stanford University today and was disappointed.  She said she really enjoyed the program and the message of Jesus Christ and of hope.  She is applying to several other US schools and I know something will work out for her.  I am grateful for the spirit of joy, kindness, happiness, hope and love that is seen and felt as people think about Christmas.  I am glad to be able to share my beliefs with others.  Continue to find ways to Light the World this week.
Viel Liebe
The Grimmett's

November 25-Dec 1, 2018 End of Month 4

This week marks the end of the 4th month of our mission.  Time is going so fast - it seems like I just wrote this about month 3.  Christmas is almost here, I want to slow it down and just savor the spirit of the Christmas Season.  This week however, there will be no slowing down.  We have a very busy week getting ready for Wednesday and the Mission Tour of Elder and Sister Sabin from the Europe Area Presidency of the Church.  The three  Senior Couples will prepare the lunch for 75 missionaries.

 Monday is Shopping Day.  We spent two hours in Metro (German version of Costco) and were worn out when we finished - spending money will do that to you!  We actually enjoyed looking at all of their Christmas and just enjoying the atmosphere.  The snowmen are a reminder of my friend, Maxine Hoff.  Always think of you and the Relief Society ornament exchange that I will be missing.

I love these little moose.  Brian and Emily, thinking of you.

We found a star topper for our Christmas Tree and so it is now complete.  This store is a two story warehouse and it takes a long time just to get through it all.
Buying food for 75 means 20 kilo of potatoes (about 45 pounds), 15 pounds of carrots, corn, 13 packages of chicken schnitzel and all of the paper products.  This was actually the easy part.

Tuesday will be preparation day.  That means NO P-Day (personal preparation day).  I hope we can take it later in the week.
We served chicken schnitzel, potato, carrot, corn and gravy foil dinners.  We had an assembly line and cut all of the foil squares and lined them up.  We cooked the chicken schnitzel and then we sliced 45 pounds of potatoes.  That is about 80 potatoes.  We then cooked the potatoes and made the gravy.  We layered the vegetables on the meat and then sealed them into packets.  This took us about 4 hours to cut, cook and put together.  Before we went to the Church where we had more room to work I made 9 loaves of homemade bread to serve as well.  We always look forward to our Zone Conferences.  We love being with all of the missionaries and especially the other Senior Couples that we serve with.  We have a great time in the kitchen and between all of us, we put on a pretty good lunch every time.  

I made several vegetarian packets with black bean burgers instead of the chicken for those who are vegetarian.  The black bean burger recipe is in Linda's cookbook.  It is one of my favorites - Russ still prefers 100% ground beef but I tell him not to think of it that way - it is not a replacement, just a different kind of meal.
I even did a few gluten free dairy free for a few with special diet needs.
So, the day was going great until the slicing of the potatoes.  I have a new electric slicer and have loved having it.  I started slicing and Russ said, let me do that while you get the other things ready.  On potato two he moved his hand wrong and quickly his thumb became the sliced meat.  I felt so bad and wondered, how did that happen?  What was he doing?   So, it was pretty bad and bleeding a lot.  We found a first aid kit and also had some Melaleuca with us and got it bandaged.  He was out of commission for a little bit trying to get it to stop bleeding.  He does not do very good with the sight of blood and he actually did amazing.  I thought, how are we going to get this done without his help.  I took over the slicing and finished the first lot of 50 potatoes.  We got them cooked and Russ continued cooking the meat.  We found some surgical gloves and he kept right on working.  We finished the first 50 packets and more potatoes were needed so I started on the second bag.  We had a good system down by this time and I was glad we were almost finished.   

With six potatoes left to slice, the potato jammed and my thumb went right into the blade just like Russ'.  The whole time I was slicing those I was thinking we are almost done and I will get him home and take care of his hand and rest before I have to go to Relief Society.  So, now we were both hurting and trying to finish up everything with cut thumbs - quite a pair.  As missionaries we do almost everything together, but this is a little much.
We still had all of the boxing and loading our car and doing all of the dishes.  We finished just in time for me to take him home and unload the car before I had to go back to church to Relief Society.  If I had not been looking forward to going and making a Christmas advent wreath I would have stayed home.  I continue to learn, I can do hard things!

 Tuesday night I made an Advent wreath (Adventskranz)
I have found a new tradition I want to carry on with.  The Germans really know how to celebrate Christmas.  It is a whole month of remembrance and preparation of ones life for the past year.
The advent wreath is used by many families on the living room table the fourth Sunday before Christmas.  The wreaths have four large candles and traditionally, pinecones and berries.  The whole family gathers around the wreath each Sunday before Christmas as a candle will be lit until all four candles are lighting the room.  As one, they spend a quiet, reflective hour together.  Some families sing Christmas carols or enjoy a child perform.  Others watch an afternoon movie.  They have hot chocolate, tea, gluhwein for drinks,

and stollen, cookies, marzipan chocolate, roasted chestnuts (my new favorite) and fruit.  Many families do not put up the tree until Christmas Eve.  The advent wreath provides the heart-warming candlelight and evergreen aroma throughout the month.  This is a perfect Family Home Evening the whole month of December.  I like the significance of the light of Christ in the home and filling the home with this light. Red candles mean love, white represents the Light of Christ and the Catholic Church uses Purple.

 Modern homes use all colors and do not stick with tradition.  It was a nice evening and I made a wreath for our home.

December 5th is a very special night.  Children place a pair of freshly polished shoes or boots in front of their bedroom doors.  The home that St.. Nicholas and his assistant Knecht Reprecht will visit their home.  A little gift is left in the shoe, like chocolate, nuts or fruits, or a bag of gummy bears.  Saint Nikolaus only brings presents to those children who are generally well-behaved throughout the year.  A lump of coal is left in the boot of those who are not.  Saint Nikolaus dresses similar to our Sana Claus but does not drive a sleigh or come down chimneys.  He knows everything and carries around a record of each and every chil's good and bad behavior in his golden book.  His assistant Knecht Reprecht is a menacing figure whose role is to frighten children into good behavior .  Saint Nikolaus is based on an actual person.  He was a popular bishop who lived in modern Turkey during the fourth centruy and became a legend due to his humble and generous nature.  With the Reformation came a movement away from the worship of saints and the tradition of giving and opening gifts was moved to Christmas Ever.  Ever since the tradition is that gifts are thought of as having been brought by the Christkind (Christ Child).  This is how Kris Kringle derived his name - it's an incorrect anglicization of Christkind.  So, when our children say they don't believe in Santa Claus any more or they found out, I have always said, "When you don't believe, the magic of Christmas is no longer there because you don't understand the meaning of giving.
As Traditions go, not all families participate in this activity.  They like their Holidays just like in America and the true meaning of the day is lost to many other activities.  I do appreciate however that when it is a holiday, everything closes down.  No exceptions as far as stores are concerned.  I like that it is a true holiday for everyone.

Brad Wilcox  said: "Christmas is about giving to others, but it is also about receiving, for we received a Savior!  No gift was, is or ever will be more important and meaningful. "

So, late night and up early on Wednesday to drive to Zurich Switzerland.  We were picking the Elder's up at 7:30 AM.  We had the car loaded and new bandages on our thumbs and were ready for the day.  We were out the door right on time.  We have lived here 4 months and never been in the garage when our neighbors have been there.  We all seem to have different schedules and come and go at different times.  This morning, we got in the car and two neighbors came in the garage.  We said Hello and started the car - click, click.  I try again to start the car - click, click, click.  Battery is dead.  What are we going to do.  One of the neighbors came and asked if she could help.  We unloaded the trunk looking for jumper cables.  Russ  went back into the apartment to look for some.  She said she was a mechanic for SMART CAR and that she had a friend who had a shop just down the street and she would go get a jumper.  We could not believe it.  We did not even know this neighbor other than waving hi a few times.  She went and got the machine and checked out a few things on the car and it started right up.  She said the generator was fine and that the 2 hour drive to Zurich would charge the battery.  She said, I am a mechanic and a neighbor and I can't leave until I know you are OK.  TENDER MERCY.  It was the first really cold morning and with the battery almost 3 years old she said that happens.  So, 30 minutes later we were on the road to pick up the Elders.  With morning traffic it took us awhile to get out of the city and we were about 20 minutes late to the meetings, but it could have been much worse.  If she had not been there, we would have had to call a service and that can take hours.  We had most of the food for the lunch in our car and three Elder's  who needed to be at the meetings.  We were so blessed.  It was a very foggy morning and the drive was a little stressful, but we made it.

As I said before, we love Zone Conference.  It is a spiritual feast and with Elder and Sister Sabin it was going to be even more special.  Because we were so late, I had to spend more time than usual in the kitchen and missed some of the meetings.  I really enjoyed what I did get to hear.
Elder Sabin talked about:
Love - members of the church, missionary companion, the work
Gratitude/Attitude - Because of love you can have an attitude of gratitude
Obedience - with a grateful attitude you will want to be obedient
Work - obedience leads to a desire to do the work
Trust - you might not always know why or like all of the rules, but trust and wait and blessings will come.
He said to Simplify our lives.  Don't fear - just live right.

Foil Dinners were warmed in the oven and ready to eat.  We served the lettuce/spinach salad with apples and pomegranets; bread and wonderful apple cake and brownies made by the other Sisters.  It was a feast and easy to serve.  Clean-up was even better and everything was eaten.  

 Today we welcomed a new missionary couple, The Bretzings from Mesa Arizona.  They have been here about 4 weeks and Oh, do I know how they feel.  They are still trying to figure out the garbage and how to use the appliances, etc.  They are wonderful and we look forward to getting to know them better.
We also had to say good-bye to our wonderful friends, The Andreasons from Utah.  They have been our mentors and much needed friend since we arrived.  I feel like I have known them for years and not just 4 months.  We look forward to great reunions in

Utah when we return home.  They will be missed in the mission and especially in the Singen Branch.  The Utah snow is calling Elder Andreason home - he can't wait to use his new snow blower that he didn't get to use before they came on their mission two years ago.  Sis. Andreason is so talented and an amazing women who has lived a full and rich life.  She is an Idaho girl and I think that is why we are kindred spirits.
We did not arrive home until 8:00 pm and we were so glad to call it a great day.

Elder Grimmett was off early on Thursday with Elder Odro to a Doctor appointment.  He has enjoyed the time with him and helping him work through the maze of the medical system.  We are still trying to finalize our VISA and another set-back today.  We will try again Friday morning and hope all will go well.

We visited Amira today and as always, it is a highlight of our week. She received this Advent Calendar from a friend this week and it is really a cute idea.  It hangs from the ceiling on a wreath. She was having a plumbing problem and we looked at it and said we would come back on Friday with the right tools and get it fixed.  We hope it is as simple as that - plumbing is never our friend. Another Tender Mercy - Amira called on Friday and said a brother in the Ward came by on Thursday evening to visit and he was able to fix the plumbing problem so we would not need to come. 

We are finally legal in Germany!  VISA'S were issued today and we also received German ID cards.  There is a relief in knowing you can stay legally and also that no more money will be needed to feed the system.  Now we can work on getting our Driver's License.  We also received a call today that our new car is in and we will pick it up on Wednesday.  We have to drive to Karlsruhe (out of the mission) to pick it up.  Another Road Trip! Pictures will come next week.

 #LightTheWorld Day of Service - Christmas initiative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Saturday all over the World we have been asked to give service.  I made granola bars and packaged them with 2 to a package and put a Light The World Pass along card on each package.  We took them to the City Center and after the Organ Concert at the Munster we walked through the streets and gave them out.  No one turned me down.  Elder Grimmett was not too sure about us doing it, but I had studied and

pondered on what we should do for the service day and I felt good about this.  There are so many musicians, craftsman and homeless on the streets that I knew I could find many people to help.  It was a good experience for me as I was walking and was directed to the people that I should offer them to.  Elder Grimmett at one point said, what are you doing, you look like you are in a daze and don't know what you are doing.  I explained that I was seeking inspiration and he just needed to follow along. 
We then went to the Refugee camp and tried to visit a family and give them some as well.  They were home but would not answer their door.  I was disappointed they would not visit with us as they are members of our Church and we wanted to get to know them better and to see how we could help them. 

The realization came today that The Andreason's are really leaving to go home as I had to plan and shop for District meeting on Monday.  We have done this together and I have really enjoyed the time spent together. 
We went to our favorite Thrift store today after I have looked in many stores for Winter sweaters.  I had not been able to find what I wanted and so we went to the Saturday sale at the Thrift Store.  I found 4 really nice sweaters and Russ found a tie.  Saturdays are normally 30% off and so we try to go on Saturday.  When he totaled up the sale he said, 4.50 - that was 1 Euro per sweater and .50 for the tie.  We can't believe how many times they have done that and given us an amazing deal. 
I have been asked to play the piano for the Relief Society and the Young Women for Christmas programs.  We went to the Church today so that I could practice the music.  The Elder's were there just finishing a teaching appointment.  We visited and then they were asked to help clean the building for Sunday.  They were going to stop by and pick up some mail on their way home.  I was fixing Texas Nachos for dinner with homemade Salsa.  I knew it was getting late and they had not eaten and also had not planned to stay and help clean so I invited them to eat with us when they came by.  They were so grateful.  It was the first time for one of our Elder's from Holland to ever have American Nachos.  He loved them.  They ate two full pans, two bowls of Salsa and lots of dessert.  It is always nice to have them in our home and we enjoyed the time with them today. 

Today is a very special day in Granbury Texas.  I would like to invite all of my Texas friends to go and visit The Nativity Display with Faye Landham.  It will be open Dec. 2 - Dec. 9 at the Langdon Concert Hall, 308 E. Bridge Street, Granbury from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM It is FREE and open to all. 
This is the first year in 25 years that we have not participated and helped with a display.  It has been a wonderful tradition for our family and a wonderful way to begin the Christmas Season.  We are so grateful for the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ to the World.  I am grateful I have been able to share my love for Him through these displays.  I know it has helped many people recognize the importance of putting Christ in Christmas.  I am grateful to be in Germany this year and to see and learn new ways to celebrate and honor His birth.  The Christmas markets are wonderful and it is festive with the lights, smells and things to buy, but it does not compare to the Spirit of Christmas that is seen and felt at The Nativity Display.  I will forever be grateful for the past 24 years.

For those who would like to send a card (I know it is double the cost to send over here, and email works great) here is our address:
Elder & Sister Grimmett
Eschholzstrassa 88
79115  Freiburg im Breisgau
Germany

So, it is Saturday night and it looks like we did not get our P-Day this week.  Next week is already filling up as well.  I guess the cleaning and laundry will just have to wait - it is good Russ is so good at keeping the dishes washed and the bed made.
Wishing everyone a great December - Light The World with Service - Week 1
Light your community - Week 2
Light your family - Week 3
Light your faith - Week 4
for more information you can visit http://mormon.org

Viel Liebe
The Grimmett's