Oct. 28 - Nov. 3 Month 3 completed

This week marks three months in Germany.  I can't believe how fast time is going.  Every week is a new adventure and we continue to be amazed at the work we are doing.
We started our adventure at 7 AM on Sunday.  We drove to the Park and Ride and met the Bus that would take us to Zurich.  We were not sure really what to expect.  It was a nice two story tour bus and we sat upstairs. 

Wow, what a difference that makes.  We had a whole new view from driving in the car and only seeing trees on the sides of the road.  We could see the rivers and other land features in a whole new light.  It was great.  Everyone was pretty quiet at that time of the morning.  We just enjoyed the quiet and the nice ride.  We attended Stake Conference and saw many missionaries and people we knew.  With it being in Switzerland, they had translators for French and English.  It was so nice to have a headset and just get to listen and not have someone trying to tell me in my ear what is being said.  I think I understood even more than Russ since I got to have it in English.  Sometimes even the interpreter would have to say, I am not sure what they just said.  The Swiss German is a lot different than the German that is spoken in Freiburg.  They gave us an hour to visit afterwards before we had to be at the bus.  That was fun as so many people were seeing friends and family.  The two girls who were baptized last month, Elli and Lina were there and it was wonderful to visit with them.  When we were back on the bus it was Party Time.  Everyone brought lunches and shared and it was so fun.  I took homemade bread with honey butter, granola bars, apples with caramel dip, chips and salsa and sandwiches for us.  The bread and granola bars did not last long.  We have become good friends with Ellie and she sat with us and we got to know her better.  She really wants to return to the US to attend University.  She has about 5 offers from lower division schools to play basketball.  Her parents want her to take the scholarships offered but she really wants to go to BYU Idaho and be with friends from Nampa Idaho where she was an Exchange Student.
The theme for Stake Conference was from D&C 6:36 - "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."  Get to know Jesus Christ. . .Develop faith and hope . . .Do good . . . Let Him into your life.

Thoughts             lead to              Words
Words                     "                    Feelings
Feelings                  "                    Attitudes
Attitudes                 "                    Character
Character                "                     Destiny
Destiny                   "                     Thoughts

In a study done on human thoughts, it was found that a person has 60 thoughts per minute, 61,200 per day.  What kind of thoughts do we have.
3%     Thoughts about helping others
72%    Random thoughts
25%    Negative Thoughts

We need to make room for good thoughts.  We need to allow the Spirit to be with us by inviting and having good thoughts.  We must have the courage to watch our thoughts.  Our positive thoughts can influence others to have positive thoughts.

Monday was a good day to catch up on household chores and plan for the week.  We stayed in most of the day and then in the late afternoon decided to get out and go to the City Center.  There was a lot of activity happening.  We found the Elder's there as well and lots of Police.  We found out there was going to be a large rally (protest) within the hour.  We knew we should not be there.  Family Home Evening was canceled since today started their Fall Break from School for the week and many of the students were out of town.  We invited the Elder's to come for dinner - especially since they were not to be in town during a public rally.  There had been a girl raped by about 8 men the week before and the protest was about immigration on one side saying all immigrants are bad (about 500 people) and the other side (1500 people) were in support of immigrants and to not label all immigrants as criminals.  They closed the rail line to the City during the rally and the Elder's had to walk a little to get back to our home.  I am glad they came.  You never know what can happen at events like that.  I needed my fridge cleaned out of food and the Elder's are always hungry and great at taking care of that.
Russ decided that he wanted to join our Elder's, the Elders from Schwenningen and Elli in a basketball game.  Let's put that in perspective.  He is 48 - 50 years older than they are.  He has not played in several years.  But, boys will be boys.  He was really looking forward to it.  They were going to play in Freiburg at the Church and then they called and said we would need to go to Offinburg about an hour away to play.  Oh, and it was going to be outdoors and it was very cold, windy and possible rain.  We drove the Elder's and met up with the others at the train station.  I was content to stay in the warm car with my book and get some good reading in.  They played for almost two hours in the cold and had a great time.  I should have gotten out of the car and taken pictures because I understand Russ was awesome.  He is still good on the inside and gave them some good play.  He said he was a little frustrated that he could not jump like he used to.  I figure he will need the rest of the week to recover.  Pretty amazing performance!

We stopped in Lahr where the empty apartment is and inspected it and cleaned it a little.  We are having a Mission wide deep clean of all apartments and so we took care of all the things that needed to be removed.  They were having a Fall Festival in Lahr and some fun things happening on the town square.  We then took the Elder's to a Pizza Lunch.  It was a fun P-Day for them and I was glad for my time as well.




HALLOWEEN!  I loved seeing all of our Grandchildren's costumes and others that were posted on FaceBook.  It is just now becoming popular here to celebrate so not everyone participates.  We had Institute so we took candy bars and passed them out to the students.  The Missionaries were told they could not be out after 6 PM but we were at the Church and then we took our Elder's home so they were not out on the streets and riding the trains.  We take good care of our Missionaries.

 November 1 is a National Holiday in Germany.  It is All Saints Day - the day to memorialize their dead.  So, the floral arrangements I have been seeing, thinking they were for Christmas and way early to be in stores, are actually to take to the cemetery for this Holiday.  I was talking to a lady on the Bus Sunday asking about why they had Christmas wreaths out so early and would they really last until Christmas and she thought about it a minute and then laughed and said, "Oh no, they are for November 1 to take to the cemetery.  We went to the Cemetery on Saturday and it is beautiful.  I took pictures but can't seem to get them on my blog today. 

She then told me about many of the Christmas traditions that they have here.  I am really getting excited to experience my first Christmas in Freiburg.  I spent most of Monday reading and studying about the traditions and especially the recipes.  I asked if I could help with the Christmas party.  She said yes, and asked if I knew how to make their special cakes.  I decided I better start learning now so I can make them.
The Advent calendar is very big here.  You would not believe the beautiful scenes and pictures and amazing chocolate in them.  I will share in the next few weeks some of their traditions with advent and what they do.  I think we will be starting some new traditions in our home.

Our favorite Park in full Fall color.  Today is our day to visit Amira and it is always a delight.  Her apartment looks down on this park.
Everything is closed today.  That is one thing I like about Holidays here.  Everything closes.  Only a few gas stations stay open and some restaurants, but everything else is closed.  They take their Holidays very serious.  We had two young married couples over for a game night and dinner.  It was so fun.  We played a card game called THE GAME.  It is a numbers game so language was not a barrier and everyone had fun.  I made homemade Pumpkin soup out of my pumpkins and squash that were decorations for Fall.  It turned out so good.  I also made a new recipe for "Fried Rice" out of cauliflower.  I have to say I like it better than regular fried rice and I love fried rice.  I served it and they said, "what kind of rice did you use.  I told them they would have to wait until they had finished eating it.  Russ even ate a few bowls of it and thought it was some kind of rice.  OK, I will share the recipe:

FRIED RICE
1 med. head cauliflower
1 egg
2 Tbl. oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen carrots (I diced and cooked carrots)
2 Tbl. soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
black pepper
2 green onions
Chop cauliflower to a mince (the size of rice)  Can use food processor, but be careful not to puree as this will make it mushy.  It chops easily with a good knife.
Whisk egg and set aside.
Saute' onion and garlic in oil until soft.  Add cauliflower and saute' until soft
Add peas and carrots and stir to combine
Add egg, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper
Cook until egg coats the cauliflower and cooks.
Salt to taste.  Top with 2 green onions, chopped.
Serve

We received an email this week from our Mission President that a young man had joined the Church in Fort Collins Colorado while he was living there and had returned home to Germany recently.  He only had an address that the Mission President in Colorado had sent him.  He lives about and hour and a half away in the Black Forrest on the French border.  He asked if we would go visit him and invite him to Church.  We decided to ask Elli to go with us as she lives about 30 minutes from him and attends the Branch in Lahr that he would attend.  She was so excited to go with us and was so glad we asked her.  We arranged to pick her up at the train station in Offinburg.  We had crazy traffic and it took us extra time, but we finally arrived.  We drove the 30 minutes to Kehl, just across the river from Strassborg France.  We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  We thought he was in the country, but his home was in the city center.  We were so glad to have Elli with us.  We found their home and rang the bell.  His mother answered the intercom and we asked for her son, Killian.  She was very nice and he came on the speaker.  We told him who we were.  He was confused why missionaries would be there as he was already a member.  His Grandmother came to the door and rang the bell and realized we were talking to her grandson.  She said, come on let's all go up.  So, we followed her up the 5 flights of stairs and were invited in.  It was a beautiful home with an amazing view.  They were still trying to figure out how we knew where to find him and how quickly we were there.  We thought he had been home for 3 months and we had not seen him at Church.  I finally asked him how long he had been home.  He said three days.  He had been baptized 3 months ago and had just arrived home.  His mother could not believe we had come so soon, but she was impressed that we were looking out for him.  He and Elli hit is off and talked about school and being in America.  We told him the Church times and where to go and exchanged contact information.  It was a shot in the dark driving all that way, and it was a true blessing to find him and to be so warmly received.  There just happened to be an Italian Ice Cream store on the corner, so we stopped for a treat. 

We then drove another 30 minutes to visit another girl who joined the church after being a foreign exchange student in the US.  She lives in the Forest.  This is the view from her home.  It is a little village in the mountains.  They were not home, but her home was absolutely beautiful.  We left her a card to let her know that we had come by.  Not a place many people would just drop by.  We loved it.  It was well worth our time and we loved the drive.  We then took Elli home.  She invited us in to meet her mother.  We were hoping we could meet her.  She is still not sure about her daughter joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She was very cordial but guarded when we came in.  There are not a lot of free standing homes in Germany with only one family in the home.  This home was also on a mountain like the picture above and was amazing.  She had a fire in the fireplace and it was so warm and inviting.  It was very large with big windows looking out at the mountains.  We found out that Elli's father had been the Mayor of the City until last year and now spends most of his time in Greece on a political assignment to help their ailing financial situation.  As we talked about their family and about Christmas and traditions, her mother softened and we had a delightful conversation.  We know that there was a reason we invited Elli to go with us today and it was good for her, for us and also for her mother as we are the first members of the Church she has met.  Maybe it will make a difference for Elli in the future.  They told us of a building in their little town that is known in all of Germany.  It becomes a live Advent Calendar in December and every day a new decorated window is lit up. They said we have to come back and see it.  They said their Christmas market is also worth coming to.  I am getting excited for Christmas and all of the festivities. Elli sent us a note today and said "Thank you for coming in and meeting my mother.  My Mom is way different now!!! She has seen how the church has a good impact on me and is not so critical anymore." Another Tender Mercy.

The Store Windows are already starting to display.  This is a large department store window with life size LEGO statues.  The windows are prettier than the pictures.  I don't usually like Christmas to start before Thanksgiving, but because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, they begin now.  December 6 is actually the day Kris Kringle or Saint Nicholas arrives.  Children leave their shoes outside their bedroom door on the night of Dec. 5 and they are filled with candy. Chocolates and gummy candies.  If they are good they get candy and if they have not been good they get coal.
The advent candle begins on the first Sunday in December.  So, they celebrate all month long and start early for the preparations.  

You know it is Christmas time when the Chestnuts are roasting on the open fire.  I hope to get some this week.  They are in the markets now.  They are called Heissa Maroni. 









We had a nice day today attending the Organ Concert at the Munster.  It is a nice Saturday tradition.  We shopped on Monday at a local store that sells all things Germany.  I have been admiring their Nativity sets and clocks every week when we walk by on our way to the Munster.  They were changing their window displays and we decided to go in.  They had moved my favorite Nativity inside to make room for their new displays.  We found some gifts for the Grand kids and made a friend with the sales lady.  We went back today to get some more gifts.  Their windows and store are everything Christmas and it is amazing to see.  The Christmas towers come in every size and from Nativities to Santa and his reindeer.  They start at 100 Euro (about $110 US) and go to about 400.  It is nice to just look. The sales lady remembered us and was very nice.  We told her we would be back to see her. 
As part of the Mission Wide Deep Clean this month we put our old clothes dryer out on the street today to see if someone would take it so we would not have to find a place for it.  It was gone within an hour.  We were so glad.  We hauled empty boxes from the Elder's apartment to help them with their cleaning.  They are a little slow on getting their things cleaned up. 

We were saddened to hear that our dear neighbor Charlene Seal passed away on Wednesday.  She was a kind, caring, and beautiful lady.  She loved Genealogy and knowing about her family and heritage.  I know she is free from the pains of this world and is at peace in Heaven.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Elbert and her family. 

I leave my message this week with a quote from our Prophet Russell M. Nelson.  Our teaching is that after the Reformation there was a need for a Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  That Restoration began in 1830 in upstate New York when a young boy had a question as to what sect he should join.  He read in the Bible, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God..."  He decided to do that and went to a grove beyond his home and prayed to know what to do.  That was the beginning of the Restoration. 


It’s Going to Be Exciting!
“We're witnesses to a process of restoration,” said the
prophet. “If you think the Church has been fully
restored, you're just seeing the beginning. There is
much more to come. ... Wait till next year. And then
the next year. Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It's
going to be exciting.”
Oct 30, 2018 Russell M. Nelson
“I have seen him changing in the last ten months,”
said Sister Nelson. “It is as though he's been
unleashed. He's free to finally do what he came to
earth to do.”

I am so grateful to be a part of this great work.  I am ready for the work and look forward to the coming days.  
It is good you have an extra hour today as you Fall back in time so that you can read this long epistle of the happenings in our life.  We appreciate all of you and especially your prayers.
Viel Liebe
The Grimmett's

Oct. 21 - 27, 2018 We'll Bring The World His Truth

Lina's Baptism in Singen

Sunday was a wonderful day.  We had a new student who just moved to Freiburg attend Church.  She participated in a Service project in Sweden during the summer and was housed with a family who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She was very interested in their family life and enjoyed serving in their community over the summer.  When she returned to her home in Dresden she contacted the Church and started attending and taking the missionary lessons.  She moved to Freiburg to continue her studies and came to church.  We were glad to meet her and look forward to getting to know her better.  I don't stress over the meetings so much and just do what I can.  I play the piano in Relief Society and I enjoy that.  We had the Elder's over for dinner as we were going to take them to another baptism in Singen that afternoon.  They enjoy being in our home and getting to eat home cooked food.  I just made Tortilla soup with all the toppings and bread.  I also made caramel and pumpkin dip with apples - their favorite.  We then went on our road trip - it is about an hour and a half and attended the baptism of Lina.  Her brother joined the Church a year ago and she has been attending Church with him since then.  She is 20 years old and it was wonderful to be there with her.  Her parents and grandmother came and almost all of the members from their Branch. (a Branch is a small group that is less than a Ward)  They had a pot luck dinner afterward and it was really nice to visit with those people.  We met a man from Manchester England and another young man from Italy.  It was nice to share stories of England and Italy.  I took an apple, pomegranate salad to try it out before I serve it on Friday at the Zone Conference.  It turned out great and especially for Fall.
For those who would like to try a new recipe:
APPLE POMEGRANATE LETTUCE SALAD

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 Tbl. lemon juice
2 Tbl. cider vinegar
2 Tbl. oil
4 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
3 apples, thinly sliced
1 pomegranate (seeds only)
1 head lettuce, 1 head romaine, spinach, red leaf and green leaf lettuce (any combination you like) to make about 12 cups

In a large salad bowl, Whisk together first 10 ingredients until blended.  Add apples and pomegranate seeds; toss to coat.
Place lettuce over apple mixture (do not toss)  Refrigerate; toss just before serving.
I made it and took it in the car for the 1 1/2 hr. drive and then tossed it just before serving and it was very good.  I used a salad bowl that was narrow at the bottom and wide at the top so that the apples/pomegranates stayed in the bottom in all of the dressing.

I got a little diverted with details.  Back to the story.  Lina is a beautiful girl.  She is loved by so many and we were so glad to have been there to see and feel the wonderful spirit that was there.

Lina coming out of the water

This is a picture of Lina as she came out of the water in the Baptismal Font.  She was beaming.  She said, "I have waited over a year for this and I know I made the right decision."  After she dressed into her street clothes she went to the podium and bore her testimony of Jesus Christ and the process she went through to be able to be baptized.  She thanked her parents for being there and for their support of her and her brother.
I have shared before how there are all of these beautiful churches here with not very many people attending.  Most of the older people have been through a lot in this country and do not have a belief anymore of God or Jesus Christ.  As a result, most of the young people were not raised going to a church.  Many of them are hungry for answers and truth.  It is a big decision to accept God and Jesus Christ in your life.  You can see the light and joy within her.



I have written about how healthy the people here try to be.  Well,
that is an interesting study of people.  What does it mean to be healthy?  I have a code of health that I follow and each of you probably have your own way.  What seems like a large group - and it is, that choose to be vegetarians - and there are many restaurants that cater to them, there are just as many that do not worry about it at all.  The nature of our area lends itself to many people riding bikes, walking, exercising, but along with that almost all of them drink and smoke.  For me, that is not a very healthy lifestyle.  I would prefer a little cleaner air.  They have started a no smoking ban in many restaurants and indoor areas, but outside it is everywhere.

We have been around a lot of people and going strong the last few weeks and Sunday night we were feeling it.  Russ started to get a cold and was not feeling well.  We took Monday and just stayed home.  He slept most of the day.  I did five loads of laundry - for most of you that is not a big deal, but when it is only 65* outside and you dry most of your clothes outside on a rack, it is very time consuming and takes all day.  It was nice to get some things done at home and prepare for the rest of the week.

Tuesday P-Day!  The Sister's from Singen came to Freiburg today to learn how to make Cinnamon Rolls.  What a fun day.  It went way too fast.  It was a two hour train ride for them one way and then they had to be back home in time for evening appointments so the time together went really fast.  They were quick studies and learned really fast.  We made lemon, Nutella, lingon berry (from IKEA) and regular cinnamon rolls.  We barely finished baking them in time for them to catch their train.  We were hoping to take them to the city center and see the sights of Freiburg, but that will have to be another day.  I sent as many as they could take on the train and will use the others for dessert Wednesday night at Institute.  Nice to accomplish two things at once.  These Sister's are both from Utah and having great missions.  They are working with so many people in their City and they are really good at talking to people about Jesus Christ.  It was nice to have a Sister's day!
It has been an amazing week with no stopping.  I am already looking forward to P-day to get some rest.  Sis. Griffith (above left) has been in Germany for about 9 weeks.  She asked where I bought my Dirndle (German Dress) and said she really wanted to get one.  They are hard to find - at least one you can afford as a missionary.  I told her it is good to check flea markets and second hand stores.  We have been waiting all month to attend a large flea market on Saturday.  It is held indoors at a large arena in Freiburg.  Saturday was a very busy day, but we got up early and went to the market.  It was huge and so many people.  We found some really nice things - good thing I can't buy them - or at least I really don't need them.  Great antiques, World War II memorabilia, lots of collections, clothes and anything else you can think of.  I actually found a great new Winter coat and for only 20 Euro.  The Mission Papers said to plan on about $500. for a Winter coat here.  I think I got a great deal!  I also found another Nativity (yes, I had to buy it)  I am already looking forward to the Christmas markets at the end of November.  Faye Landham, I think of you often and I tell everyone about your beautiful Nativity collection.  We were just leaving the market and the last booth had a Dirndle in just the right size for Sis. Griffith.

I took a picture and sent it to her and asked if she wanted me to buy it for her.  As  you can see, it is new and still has the tags on it.  I asked the vendor how much and she said, 20 Euro.  You do not find them for that price.  I bought it and when we paid the lady asked us where we were from.  She said, "is this dress going to the US?"  We told her yes, it will end up in the US.  She was happy.  We were very happy.  This was truly a tender mercy for Sis. Griffith.  She came to meetings today in Freiburg and I gave it to her.   She was so excited.  She sent me a picture of her in the dress when she arrived home tonight.  She looks wonderful in it and it just fits.  The dress is much prettier on than in the picture.  It is perfect for a young Sister Missionary. 

OK, another cooking story.  I cooked for Wednesday night Institute.  Just Chicken tortilla soup with all of the toppings and homemade bread with honey butter.  It was so fun to see the kids taste honey butter for the first time.  None of the European kids had ever had it.  The few who have served missions in the US were really excited about it.  Oh my goodness, they tasted it and then spread it about 1/2 inch thick on their bread - they were addicted.  Something so simple, and yet it was a big hit.  We served Cinnamon Rolls that we made on Tuesday for dessert.  These kids are getting spoiled.

Wednesday we shopped for the Wednesday night food and also for Friday Zone Conference.  It took us about 3 hours to do all of the shopping and then home to start cooking.
Thursday was a total cook day.  I was in charge of the luncheon on Friday at Zone Conference.  There are three Senior Missionary couples and we all share in the cooking.  It was decided that we would serve Chili.  I made my Vegetarian Chili (in Linda's Cookbook) and the other two made regular Meat Chili.  I cooked rice for 45, made more honey butter, baked 9 loaves of bread, a batch of salsa, seeded 5 pomegranates, and made the dressing for the salad (recipe above).  We visited Amira (our home bound friend) and ended our afternoon at IKEA.  They were having a special on the desserts and I decided to purchase the desserts for the conference instead of doing more baking.  Good decision.  It was a late nite and early up on Friday morning to go to Zurich.  We have a small car and I was hoping I could fit all of the food and 3 young Elder's in the car.  Everything fit in perfectly so it was great.  We had a very inspiring Zone Conference and it is really nice being with 70 other missionaries and our Mission President.  This was the last conference for the other two Senior Missionary couples and our own Elder Silva.  They will all be going home in  the next 3-6 weeks.  We will get new missionaries in their place.  We have grown to love them as we have worked with them and they will be missed.  We will be the "old" ones in the group and we have only been here 3 months.  The lunch went really good.  There were several who said when they heard we were having Chili they were not going to eat because they do not eat red meat.  When they saw that there was vegetarian chili with rice they were so grateful they could eat.  I am grateful again, that I have the recipes that I do to make good food for everyone.  They liked the salad and the honey butter was another hit.  It was the same as Wednesday night with those who were tasting it for the first time.  The First Councilor in the Mission Presidency had never heard of honey butter.  He could not believe how good it was.  I gave him a jar of it to take home.  I saw him at our meetings today and he was so cute.  He said he and his wife had a date night on Friday night when he arrived home and that Honey Butter was the center of their date.....
So, for those of you who have never had honey butter here is the recipe:
3/4 cups butter
1/4 cup honey
 a dash of vanilla
Mix together until creamy
Spread on bread, toast, pancakes, etc.

So, on five  hours of sleep I drove to Zurich, attended meetings, served lunch, sat in more meetings and drove home.  What was Elder Grimmett doing in all of this?  He did a lot of reading - I hope it was a good book.  He was my taster to make sure everything was OK and he enjoyed going to IKEA.  He actually washed and cut up all of the spinach for the salad and that was a big help - he was not very happy when he finished the first bag and I told him there was another one to do.
An hour and 45 minute drive took us over 3 hours to get home on Friday night.  It took us an hour just to get out of Zurich - Friday night traffic.  Just before we arrived home there was an accident and it was another hour delay.  Needless to say, I was very glad to be home to get a few hours of sleep before we would start Saturday and all that we had to do.
 
Today is the start of Winter Time (daylight saving time).   So, I had an extra hour to finish writing!  We have had an awesome day.  I made a batch of bread and granola bars.  We knew lots of missionaries would be coming to town today for Stake Conference and I wanted to be ready to feed any who needed lunch.  We are also going to Zurich on a Bus on Sunday for Conference and I wanted granola bars to take and share.  We went to the Flea Market that I talked about earlier and then we were asked to pick up some Sister's from Zurich at the Train Station.  So we became the shuttle bus for the afternoon and had several over for lunch.  It was really nice to have them in our home.  Those that did not come really missed out.  It was a cold rainy day today so we were out in the rain several times.  Russ drove the Senior Missionaries to our house and the Sister's and I walked.  It is about 1 1/2 miles.  We ate and then Russ took the Seniors back to the church while we cleaned up the dishes and we thought he was coming back to get us.  He came back, but said we were walking as there was no parking.  So we set out in the rain again and went to the meeting.  When the meetings were over - we got to walk home again.  I think I got in my exercise today.
It will be an adventure to take the Bus with all of the other Ward Members from Freiburg on Sunday to Zurich.  We are looking forward to it - I am just glad I do not have to drive again.

When I went to my 10 year High School Reunion 44 years ago, I had recently been called to serve as the Relief Society President in Church.  One of my classmates said, "Oh, that means you bake your own bread every week."  I told her No, that is not one of the requirements.  I have thought of that comment many times (people who expect more of you than what is really expected).  Well, I think I have finally achieved her perception and have become the bread baker.  Just this week I have baked 15 loaves and a batch of Cinnamon Rolls.
Elsie Talmage Brandley (1896-1935)  said in a talk to Young Women Leaders in 1934:  "Who gives himself with his gift feeds three - himself, his hungering neighbor, and me."  I am so grateful to be serving my Father in Heaven in Germany at this time in my life.  I am grateful for the gifts he has blessed me with and that I can share them and also grow closer to Him as I serve.

Glenn Frank, in "The Will to Doubt," says:
The will to believe has given us our great saints; the will to doubt has given us our great scientists.  The goal of the intelligent man is a character in which the will to believe of the saint and the will to doubt of the scientist meet and mingle.  Neither alone makes a whole man.  A merely blind faith gives us a soft saint; a merely blind doubt gives us a hard scientist.  Humanity owes much to the saint and much to the scientist, but humanity would fare badly if the world were peopled solely by saints with a blind faith or by scientists with a blind doubt.  Modern science is modest.  It suspends judgment when it does not know.  In all other fields - religion, politics, and so on - we must learn to do likewise.  We must act in the light of the best we know at any given moment, but we must be willing to hold our beliefs open to revision in the light of new facts.  Thus can we combine saint and scientist.
We must ask in order to find answers; we must analyze and harmonize.  Our very eagerness to do so shows our interest; and we must be converted personally.
James E. Talmage, a former University President, geologist and Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints replied when asked how he received his testimony: "Though I seem to have been born with a testimony, yet in my early adolescence I was led to question whether that testimony was really my own or derived from my parents.  I set about investigating the claims of the church, seeking a way out if its claims should prove to me unsound.  After months of such inquiry . . . I was convinced of its truth once and for all, and this knowledge is so fully an integral part of me that without it I would not be myself."
I too can testify that I have asked questions and searched for answers that have witnessed to me that the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ are true.  This knowledge has shaped who I am and what I am choosing to do at this time in my life.  I am forever grateful that my parents also asked questions and found the answers and instilled in me a love of Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for their testimonies that helped me until I could study and find out for myself.  I invite each of you to do the same as you seek for truth and answers to your questions.

I got a flu shot on Friday as well, and I think I will schedule to be recovering from the effects on Monday and get some much needed rest.  The work is good and we love serving and making a difference in someones life every day.
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's

Oct. 14-20, 2018

The Schwenningen District

Monday was District Meeting in Singen.  It was about a 2 hr. drive in the beautiful mountains and countryside full of Fall color.  We had our meeting and then went over to Elder and Sister Andreasons home for grilled hamburgers.  It was a real treat for the missionaries.  They do not get hamburgers very often.  We ate and the missionaries had fun singing and playing the ukelele.  Listen to the LAVA song on Disney Pixar shorts.  The picture is of them singing along with the video.
We had a long ride home because of a really bad accident on the road.  There is only 1 road through the mountains and when there is an accident all you can do is wait.  We made it home just in time for Family Home Evening.  It was nice to go and have dinner that I did not have to cook.  One of our young married couples cooked tonight.  They made pumpkin ginger soup.  It was really good and the ginger made it spicy hot.

Tuesday P-Day.  We have been looking forward to this adventure for several weeks.  It was a perfect day to be in the mountains.

 A 20 minute bus ride out of the city took us to Schauinslandbahn Freiburg.  It is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of 4,213 ft. above sea level.  It was originally developed for  silver mining.  For over 700 years silver, lead and zinc were mined here.  In the 14th century it was so productive that the mine company was able to donate glass windows to the Freiburg Minster.  The mining tunnels are spread over 22 levels and total about 100 kilometers.  Production ceased in 1954.  Since 1975, the Barbarastollen, a reconstructed part of the mine, has been used by the Federal office for Civil Protection and Emergency Aid as a storage

 facility for Germany's archived materials.  The tunnel is Europe's largest long-term archive.
The schauinslandbahn is Germany's longest cable car.  It ascends a height of 746 m and has a length of 3600 m.  There are 37 car cabins that can transport up to 700 people per hour.  It started it's operation in 1930.  I have to admit I was not feeling very good when I reached the summit.  The altitude took a few minutes to get used to.  Once we started walking and hiking, I started feeling much better.  The views were spectacular. 

 We hiked to the Eugen Keidel Tower.  It was built in 1981 and named after a former mayor.  It has 91 stairs, roughly 20 meters high and a viewing platform at the top.  On a clear day you can see the Swiss Alps and Mount Blanc from the top of the tower.  After  hiking and still getting used to the altitude, We decided we could climb the 91 stairs for the grand view.  It was worth it.  Amazing when you are above all of the trees what a difference the view can be.  We have noticed every tower we have climbed the stairs get very narrow at the top.  Do they think you get thinner as you climb to the top and don't need as much room?  It was easy to get dizzy at the top. 

Russ just catching his breath and taking in the view of the French and Swiss mountains.

 Looking from the tower to the town of Hofsgrund.  It is a very quaint farming community and has been there since 1590's  An original farm house built in 1593 was used until 1966 and in 1972 was turned into a museum.

 Gate house for Cable Cars. We are just starting our accent up the mountain.

 Fun tree carvings.  This tree was alive until the drought in 2013.  It was in Freiburg and when it died it was cut and brought up to the mountain.  Beautiful carvings on the inside as well.

This is the same tree, other side.  I think the expressions fit!

There is a lot of history on this mountain.  The German Military has used the mountain since 1943 and continues to have a solar telescope and an observatory for radio communications and an air measuring station for radiation.
Hitler Youth used one of the monuments on the mountain that was a memorial to a group of English students who died on the mountain when they were caught in a snow storm while hiking.  They used it for propaganda.  After WWII, "Hitler Youth" was replaced with "Youth of Germany" and the swastika and imperial eagle were removed.
We really enjoyed the day.  It was a great day to hike and enjoy nature.  We ended the trip in the little cafe at the top with locally made ice cream.  Russ had chocolate with vanilla raspberry meringue and I had vanilla with fresh raspberries and sweet potato biscuit (cookie) crumbled on top.  It was amazing.  I was not sure what the sweet potato biscuit was going to be and it was wonderful.  Kind of like a snickerdoodle made with sweet potato in it.  The ride down was much more relaxing and my body was much better coming down than going up.

 Interesting Pine trees that are wispy and loaded with pine cones.

BIKES AND MORE BIKES
 School started on Monday for all of the University Students and they are out in force.  This is in front of the library and on the edge of the city center and University.  Bikes are everywhere.  Driving is very interesting as you have to watch for cars, buses, trams, bikes, and people.  Most of the time you are also watching your GPS to know where you are going.  It gets very tricky.  They also have traffic cameras everywhere.  The police do not stop cars for violations.  They just take your picture and send you the bill.  I just got my first speeding ticket in the mail.  They do not tell you where you were speeding, just that you were caught on camera.

It would be nice to know so I will be more careful next time I am in that area.  My GPS warns when I go over the speed limit, but on the highways it is really crazy how they change the speeds frequently and quickly.  All the more reason we like to walk and ride the tram to most places.  We love watching all of the families down to 3 year olds who ride their bikes.  Even the Post man rides a bike with big baskets attached filled with the mail.




So, it is Friday and am I ever feeling the 91 stairs I climbed on Tuesday.  I used muscles in the top of my legs I must not have used for awhile.  We climb 48 stairs at least 6 times a day, so I didn't think stairs would be a problem.  It must be the combination of trail walking and the stairs.

We have had some interesting experiences this week.  We are feeling more comfortable in our surroundings and it is feeling like "home" to us.  We were walking to a meeting at the Church on Thursday night and a lady who was drunk asked us if we were German.  We said "No" and continued walking.  She said, "Who are you?"  and then she threw a can of beer at us.  Luckily, she was drunk and could not throw very good.  It went into the street.  I thought it was good she threw it so she could not drink it.  We kept walking and got stopped at the red light.  She followed us and asked a few more questions that I did not understand.  We were very glad when the light changed and we could keep walking.  She is a regular on the street but this is the first time we have had an encounter with her.
Earlier in the day we were riding the Tram.  We usually sit together or if there are not seats together we stand.  There were two aisle seats next to each other so I sat next to a young college girl and Russ sat across the aisle.  I smiled and sat quiet.  I felt very strongly that I needed to talk to this girl.  She watched me for a few minutes.  Finally I asked her if she spoke English.  She smiled and said yes.  We had a really nice conversation.   She is new in town as a student and I could tell she needed a friend or someone to talk to.  As we left the Tram she asked me what Church I was from.  I told her, she had never heard of us and I told her to have a good day.  Maybe another day I will see her again and will be able to talk to her.
Friday we went shopping for some food.  You usually have to go to more than one store to find everything you are looking for.  We have found the ones we like the most.  Even different locations of the same stores have different things, so we have found the locations we like the best.  We were on the other side of town at a store and I still needed a few things from Aldi.  We decided to go to the one closer to where we were.  I was talking to Russ as we were waiting in line and a man came up to us and said, "you are talking in English and yet your name tag is in German."  We talked to him for a minute and he got in the other line and said we will talk later.  Then the man behind him said, "I would like to talk English with you."  He was in the film industry and had been to New York working on a Superbowl bid for his company.  We had a nice conversation.  When we finished checking out the first man was waiting for us at the door.  He wanted to talk.  He was very interested in our Name badges but did not understand them.  We told him we were with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He said he was not familiar with that.  Russ tried to talk to him in German and he said, No, I want to talk in English.  I asked him if he had ever heard of Mormons and he said, yes, yes.  He said, they baptize at an older age than infants.  We said, yes we baptize at 8 years old.  He then identified himself as a Catholic Monk who lives outside of Venus, Italy in a Monastery.  He said he too was in the film industry and had made a film that was shown in the US.  He asked us several questions.  He said he had never met a Mormon before and was glad to have met us.   We asked if he ever went to Rome.  He said, yes.  We told him about the Temple being built there and that it would be open to the Public in March 2019.  We told him that he should plan to go and see the Temple and the visitor center.  We talked about our son serving a mission in Sicily.  He said, "there are no coincidences in life, you were here for a reason.  He said, even the sweater you bought was not a coincidence."  It was a nice conversation and interesting that English was the means by which we were able to have it.  I am grateful for tender mercies and I too believe that there is a purpose in what we do and the actions we take each day.  He brightened our day and I hope we made a difference for him as well.
                                                                                                                                                               

Freiburg Elders

We have three Elder's in our area now.  The new Elder has grown a little since he arrived and 3 of his pants have split open in the back in the last week.  I told him I would repair them so he would have some pants to wear.  We decided we would also take him and get him some new clothes.  We took him today.  It was fun just being with him and getting to know him better.  It gave him a chance to have some time just with us and he could feel good about himself.  When he came out of the dressing room to show us how the pants fit, we saw that his socks were completely worn out and his toes were showing.  So we added new socks to the list.  Socks are a big thing for our Elder's.  They like them to stand out.  He was cute when Elder Grimmett suggested plain dark socks - he picked the colorful patterned ones.  It was nice to help him have a good day.  We enjoy Saturdays in town.  We went to the Saturday organ recital at the Munster and really enjoyed it today.  Most of the organists have been female and today was a male organist.  We really enjoyed his selections, especially because he started with Bach.  There are so many people out on Saturday's and musicians playing on every street.  It is very festive and is a good place to be.

We hope our Texas friends and family are keeping safe and dry.  We hope our home is still an Island and not part of the river.  We appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers and letters to us.  Congratulations to the Hutchinson/Astorga families on their new grandson.  Beautiful baby!

Viel Liebe

The Grimmett's

Oct. 8-14, 2018

We have had an incredible week.  Time is going so fast, especially when we have been so busy it is hard to keep tract of what day it is.  We have been on the road for part of the week and that makes the days go quickly.  We started the week in Schwenningen for District Meeting.  We had to meet early because it was also the day we had waited 6 weeks for - VISA appointment day.  We had to leave very early Monday and that put us in morning traffic.  It is not too bad, but it makes going up the mountain a little slower.  We had a great discussion about General Conference and we each shared 10 thoughts or quotes that were meaningful to us.  I shared some of mine on last weeks blog.  I did not have time to make lunch this week so I took Cinnamon Rolls instead.  There were no complaints and they ate a lot of cinnamon rolls.  It is a good things, because we DO NOT need them in our home.
We are almost legal to be in Country.  We went to our appointment to finish the paperwork for getting our Visa's.  We had spent some time getting all of the paperwork ready.  We had done most of the work before we left home, but it was all for Austria.  Three days before we left Utah we received a phone call that we had been changed and would be going to Freiburg Germany.  We are so glad to be here, but that meant that we had to come on a tourist Visa and apply for permanent ones when we arrived.  They required some additional paperwork and we had acquired everything.  We felt good about it, but had heard horror stories from other missionaries about the process.  They were very nice and one of the girls in the office thought Elder Grimmett had a cute accent with his German.  They said we would need to come back on the 25th and it should be ready or we might have to pay 30 Euro for a 3 month extension.  She said she was almost certain it would be ready.  We paid our 200 Euro and now we will hope for the best.  Time and money gets you just about anything.

Tuesday was District P-Day.  We drove with the Elders to Schaffhousen Switzerland.  It was a beautiful drive in the mountains and through the countryside.  The Fall colors are absolutely amazing.

THE DISTRICT

 We went to Rheinfall.  This is where the Rhine River comes out of the Bodensee (largest inland lake in Europe) and continues as the main Rhine River.  You ride on these small boats and it takes you right up to the drop of the falls.

Elder & Sister Andreason

 This is on the water as we are nearing the falls.  I have been to two other falls that have boat rides.  Being from Twin Falls Idaho, I wonder why someone has not ever started a boat trip to the bottom of the falls and back under the bridge.  It is a huge tourist business here.

 We were right in the middle of the spray that comes off of the falls.  They are not large like Niagra Falls or Twin Falls, but it is thrilling none the less.  Let's just say you hope the motor on the boat does not go out and that the captain does not hit any of the rock and goes just where he is supposed to go. 

 These are a little blurry from the mist and the rocking of the boat being so close.

It was a fun experience.  We were planning a picnic, but that did not work out.  We normally do not eat in Switzerland because it is so expensive.  The Andreason's told us they had a great place for lunch to get some brots.  We thought we would get the brots and then have a picnic.  Well, the little place for brots was not a take-out and it was crazy prices.  8 Euro for a brot that we pay 2 Euro for in Freiburg.  The missionaries did not want to spend their money on that.  So, we ate and then we started the drive home.  I got out the things I brought for the picnic and fed the Elder's from that.  They were very grateful to have something to eat.  It was nice, but a long way to go for a 20 minute boat ride and an expensive brot!

Wednesday was Transfer day in the mission.  Every 6 weeks there are changes made with leaving and arriving missionaries.  We were not loosing anyone, but we gained a third Elder for our area.  We were asked to go to Bad Sackingen and open the apartment for new Elder's.  This is the apartment that we inspected in August that was a mess and never cleaned when the other missionaries closed the city and moved out.  We went early in the day so that we could visit some castle ruins on the way.

 This site is high on a hill looking out over the city and the Rhine River.  It is just before the Swiss border.  We drove up as far as you can go and then it was a little hike to the top.  It was absolutely beautiful.  A big contrast from the day before.  We love history and we also like to hike.  This is what is left of the outer wall.

 This is the entrance as you walk in almost at the top.  This is where the court was held and if found guilty, you were executed on the spot.

 This is the view just past the gates from above.  It was damaged in an earthquake in the 1500's.  It was repaired and last used in the early 1800's.  It sat vacant with no upkeep for over 200 years and then in 2011 it was opened as a historical site and museum.  It was wonderful to walk around and explore all of the areas.  Because it is a ruin, much of it is gone and you have to imagine how it was.

 This is from the museum.  It was only 2 Euro entrance fee and not a tourist site like our trip to Switzerland on Monday or even to Salzburg.  A group of about 100 volunteers keep it open and running.  They work every Saturday to do maintenance and care. 

 We walked the 60 plus stairs to the top of the tower.  It got more narrow the higher you went.  It was well worth the climb.  It was amazing to look out over the countryside for miles in all directions.  You could truly see how it was a fortification from the enemy and they could see what was coming.
The picture below is a new bridge over where the draw bridge originally was.  It had a mote around it and was literally a city enclosed on a hill.

When we finished the tour they have a little outdoor cafe and biergarten.  It was busy with people and we decided to check it out.  What a difference from Switzerland.  They had wonderful food and for 3 Euro we got enough brotworst and pomm frites (french fries) for both of us to share.  Many people just came from the city to eat lunch and not see the museum.  It was delightful and ice cream to top it off.  We would go back just for lunch if we are in the area again on a beautiful day.  It is worth the walk up the hill.
We continued on our journey to Bad Sackingen and got the apartment ready for the missionaries.  We went to the store and bought them some basics of food and toilet paper.  We opened all of the windows and let the fresh air in.  Then it was time to go to the train station and meet them. We arrived and there were five elders.  The two new Elders that would be moving in to the apartment and our new Elder for Freiburg along with our current Elders.  They each had two bags and a carry on.  We filled our car to the roof and gave them directions to the apartment.  They walked and we drove with all of their luggage and met them at the apartment.  We got them settled and were "On the Road Again", as the song goes.  We had to hurry home as I was cooking for the Institute class.  I made Chicken Enchilada's in the morning and took it to the church so it just needed to go in the oven.  I left cans of corn, chips and salsa, cucumbers and dressing and homemade granola bars.  I am still learning that we do food differently.  When I arrived, just in time to help with final preparations before the class was over, the Sister who helps had taken the cans of corn and mixed it with cut up cucumbers for a cold corn salad.  I keep forgetting that they eat most things cold.  I have also learned, it is usually very good and to not say anything.  I thought, it just might be good.  They loved the chicken enchiladas.  Some had never had them.  The corn salad was a hit and the granola bars were all eaten.  Needless to say, we were exhausted when we arrived home just before 10:00 pm.

We were so glad we did not have any appointments until 2:30 in the afternoon on Thursday.  We needed to shop and to get ready for Saturday.  Shopping is always an adventure.  We needed to go to IKEA to get meatballs and I promised Russ that is all I needed.  When we got there they had put out all of the Christmas items.  I kept my word and only got the meatballs and said we would come back another day and look at Christmas.  I am always up for an IKEA Day!
We had a really nice visit with Amira.  She has been very sick the past two weeks so we have not been able to visit.  We were so glad to see her and to share Pres. Nelson's Sunday Morning Conference Address on the name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We had downloaded it so we could play it for her.  She does not have internet so she was not able to hear any of conference.  I love when technology can bring the world to people - we take so much for granted.  She has to go into the hospital over the weekend for a special antibiotic treatment.  She is amazing as she deals with so many medical problems.
I started cooking on Thursday night for a Baptism we are having on Saturday. I made Hummus, caramel dip and pumpkin dip.  You cannot get canned pumpkin here, but pumpkins are in every store and are a big food item in the Fall here.  So, I bought pumpkins and cooked them and made my own pumpkin.  I like the end result on most of the foods, but they take so much longer because you have to make everything from scratch - even the things you normally think you are cooking from scratch but now you don't just open a can of something and mix it together.  I made pumpkin, banana, chocolate zucchini, pear and lemon breads.  I cooked most of the day Friday. We set up the serving tables and decorated them on Friday night.  I used flowers, cabbage plants, pumpkins, squash, and apples to decorate with.

Where did this week go.  I was just typing last weeks blog and telling about General Conference on Saturday and Sunday.  It is already Saturday again.

 We started the day at a Service project with the Young Adults and the Missionaries.  A family in our Ward built a new home and needed help with the yard and landscaping.  This is our three Elder's looking at the job sight and wondering, "What did we volunteer to do."

Two Elder's helped to work on the pergola.  I should have volunteered for that job.  They just trimmed some boards and looked busy.

 Elder Falkena, Elder Grimmett and myself took the assignment to get the rocks out of the dirt and then fill in the planting areas with the good clean dirt.  We had this large screen that you would shovel the dirt and throw it at the screen and the dirt would go through to the will barrow.  We started with a large mountain of dirt that was made from the dirt taken from the excavation of the house.  We got a great system going and we moved a lot of dirt.  My goal was to level the mountain of dirt. 

 This is our mound of dirt.  We did get it down to the level of the shovel handle.  We moved a lot of dirt and rock.  It was good to work in the dirt again.  They kept saying, Sis. Grimmett, you can go in the house and rest.  I told them I was fine and doing what I really did best.  We made a big difference for them and we will plan to go back and help.  They are trying to get as much done as possible before the cold weather arrives.  It will really help with their Spring planting if we can get it all done in the next few weeks, weather permitting.

We were off to quickly shower and change to get ready for the Baptism.  We finished the food preparation and went to our next assignments.  The Baptism was very special.  Eleni Edelmann was baptized by Elder Silva - he completes his mission in 5 weeks and this was his first baptism of his mission.  He is about 5 ft. tall and maybe 100 pounds from Portugal.  Elli is 6 feet 5 inches and many more pounds, basketball player.  Picture this:

He baptized her and it went great.  Elli just turned 18.  She was an exchange student to Nampa, Idaho last school year.  She lived with a family that were members of The Church of Jesus Christ.  She attended church with them and also read The Book of Mormon.  She returned home to Germany and lives high in the Black Forest.  There are no churches close to her.  She wanted to attend church, but her parents were not happy about it.  When she turned 18 they told her she could do what she wanted.  She would drive 1 hr. each way to be able to attend church.  There were almost 50 people at the Baptism and she was so happy.  Russ was one of the speakers and he gave a really good talk (I can only tell you how I felt because it was in German and I only understood a little, but I know how I felt and the Spirit that was there.)  I played the piano and was glad to be able to participate in a small way.  Elder Silva forgot to bring a second white shirt for after the baptism.  We live close to the church so they asked Russ to go home and get him one and we would sing hymns while we waited.  Long story short, it took about 25 minutes and so we sang a lot of hymns.  I had to just play whatever they picked and I would look at the song and have no idea what hymn it was in German until I started playing.  Luckily, they were hymns I was familiar with.  They have a beautiful Grand piano and it was very nice playing on it.  I know I was blessed.  I was very glad when Elder Grimmett walked through the door and we could move on to his talk and the end of the meeting.

 The food turned out really good.  As I have said before, many people are vegetarian and so I made many foods that they could eat.  The Hummus was well received and the Salsa is always a favorite.  They could not believe I had made all of the food.  Many people asked for the recipes.  Elli was so cute.  She said she had not had Mexican food since she left Idaho.  She said the fruit bread I made tasted like the  Christmas bread she had in Idaho.  She loved it and I was glad to help make her day very special.

These are the missionaries and two girls who are friends with Elli and helped make it all possible.
Great group of Young Adults - they don't get any better than this group.  We love them.

 We were then off to celebrate the 80th Birthday of Bro. Herb.  He and Russ have become friends and they are wonderful people.  This is the family we took dinner to last Wednesday.  She is fighting cancer and just finished radiation treatments.  She is grateful to be here celebrating his birthday.  It was a nice gathering in their home.  Everyone gathered around the piano and sang a fun Birthday song to him and then they sang several hymns.  It was so neat to watch and to feel the love in the room for such wonderful people.  That is fresh homemade apple juice on the table.  It was very delicious.

 

We ended the night going to an Italian Restaurant.  It was in the basement of a very old building and was wonderful.  I had salmon zucchini lasagna.  Russ ordered just  "normal" lasagna - the waiter laughed.  It was fun to try something different and it was very good.  Of course, we ended the night at our favorite gelato stand.  It was a beautiful evening to be walking.  We have been blessed to have such a beautiful Fall.  We hope it lasts a few more weeks.





We attended the Lahr Branch for Church today.  Elli was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.  This is the completion of her baptism where she is given a blessing to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It was really nice to be there with her and with the Elders.
Sundays are usually my hardest days.  I love the people and they are very nice to me.  It is just very difficult not understanding what is said and not being able to contribute to the classes or discussions.  I was feeling a little down today, even though it was a very good day at Church.  I felt the Spirit so strong and even was drawn to tears on a couple of occasions.  Today, Pres. Brown our mission president sent out our monthly letter and it was just what I needed.  I am sharing a brief part of his letter:

There are so many things (wounds) from our past and
current circumstances that make this process of
overcoming the natural man difficult. And as a little
reminder, it is supposed to be difficult. “And if men
come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.
I give unto men weakness that they may be humble;
and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble
themselves before me; for if they humble themselves
before me, and have faith in me, then will I make
weak things become strong unto them.” Ether 12:27
But a little reminder from Elder Neal A. Maxwell can
help.
“But we are not alone! The chilly wind one sometimes feels is more than offset by the warming
reality that each of us has within us: the guiding light of Christ. We can actually distinguish between
good and evil (see 2 Nephi 2:5; Moroni 7:16, 19). We can repent! Further, the gifts of the Holy Ghost
can guide us and reassure us. And those gifts include peace and joy and love..... Such is the precious
and pervading sunshine of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22; James 1:17; Moroni 10:8, 17).”

Wishing each of you a great week.  Life is good.  I love Fall - Jaime sent pictures today of Minnesota with their first snow fall at her house.  I am not ready for that yet.  Still enjoying the beautiful Fall.
Viel Leibe
The Grimmett's