Departing Friends

This has been a month of loss for us as two of our sweet friends have moved away this week. We had parties for both of them. Alejandra and Bob cooked up some delicious Peruvian food, and we invited all of the missionaries over. Alejandra is a college student from Peru, who is studying film and has been coming to Church. She left this week to go back to Peru to see her family for six weeks. We will be happy to see her again when she returns.

Alejandra is the darling girl sitting next to Bob.

We also invited Anja's family over for a going away party, as they are moving to Brussels. Bob cooked his famous fondue, and their girls made Valentines. I will really miss Anja. I gave her a Book of Mormon in German and wrote my testimony in the front:

 To My Sweet Friend, Anja:

 I am so grateful to have you as my friend here in Germany. We have shared many happy times together, and I have learned so much from you. I admire you so very much. You are a wonderful mother and a bright woman who is always looking for ways to make the world a better place.

 As you know, I came into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 20 years old. I want to tell you about my life before then. I often felt depressed and anxious, especially about the world around me. After joining the Church, my life changed. I felt love, peace, joy and direction in my life. I had Heavenly Father’s Spirit to be with me to guide me and to comfort me. I have been happy ever since and grateful that my entire family can be sealed to me, so that we can live in peace together forever.

 You have had an introduction to the Church here in Frankfurt, and I hope that you will seek out opportunities wherever you go to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God and Jesus Christ live. They are watching over each of us individually. I can go to God anytime and pray for my needs and the needs of others, and He will answer my prayers.

  Heavenly Father wants nothing more than for us to be eternally happy and safe from the ways of the world and to return home to Him. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the way to that peace and love. I know what joy the Gospel can bring into your life and the lives of your family. Please read this book that has brought such comfort into my life. Then ask questions and find answers (Moroni 10:3-5).  I love you, Anja, and will miss you and think of you often. Lonnie

 Early the next morning, I received an email back from Anja. She wrote: Thank you very much for the evening and your gift. I read your letter last night and I was touched by your words. I very appreciate your friendship. Love, Anja

 Hers is a friendship that I will cherish forever. The Eckerts have always been so inclusive in inviting us to join their family on outings and for meals in their home. She also facilitated my English teaching position at the elementary school. They have invited us to stay in touch and visit them in Brussels. We have invited them to visit us in Salt Lake. It’s a challenge here, because just as you get close to people, it seems they are gone. As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz: "My! People come and go so quickly here!”

Tutanchamun Exhibit 2-11-12

The Senior Missionaries P Day activity was a cultural event  to visit the exhibit of Tutanchamun. Displayed were replicas of the treasures found in Egypt in King Tut's tomb and information about how each piece had been discovered and documented. Bob went and enjoyed it very much. 


I stayed home to work on the new act of my Grimm Brothers play. Update: My Cape Verde video script is on its way to the islands with the film crew from Salt Lake City who are filming it. I also enjoyed participating in a SKYPE conference as the Salt Lake team interviewed a past mission president from Cape Verde and one of his missionaries. Years later they had gone back together to Cape Verde to find their “lost sheep.” Theirs is an inspiring story that will be in the Church Archives.

 

That afternoon, at 4:00, we had a Raclette party for two of our couples here, the Brandes and The Dearings. Raclette is of Swiss tradition. We happened to be blessed with an electric table-top Raclette grill with small pans for the rack below the grill that was left in our apartment. To serve this meal, we put Raclette cheese in the little pans below the grill to melt. We put small pieces of meat, mushrooms, peppers, etc. on the top of the grill to cook. The melted cheese is poured over boiled potatoes and the meat and vegetables. It is eaten with condiments such as sweet gherkins, baby onions, and buttered bread. Eating Raclette is a social activity similar to a fondue party. We all had an enjoyable time visiting and eating at our early Valentine's Day Party.

The Brandes stopped at a bakery and brought these beautiful treats for dessert! Yum!

 

Bob Flies to Albania

On February 5, Bob made a quick church business trip to Albania. It saddened him that the living conditions for many people were less than ideal. The Sheraton Hotel where he stayed was decorated nicely, but the walls were not constructed to be very soundproof. He attended some meetings as legal counsel and then was back on the plane the next evening. I stayed home and worked on my play. The Dearings had a delicious lasagne dinner waiting for us when Dave Colton safely brought Bob back home from the airport. As Dave was leaving for the U.S. this week, we also had him over for dinner. Everyone takes good care of each other here on our mission, and we are grateful for the love that we feel.  

Mathematikum Museum in Giessen, 2-4-12

Especially for Kids


We enjoyed going to The Mathematikum Museum in Giessen, a very hands-on museum with over 150 exhibits that all of our grandchildren would have loved, so we tried to have as much fun as we could for them. We enjoyed making huge soap bubbles, solving mathematical problems. playing with the air ball, and serving Bob for dinner.  

The town of Giessen was kind of cute, but we didn't stay there long. Just got a couple of shots!

Then we headed to Bad Homberg for lunch.

This sculpture represents children celebrating St. Martin's Day, carrying their lanterns of light.

I love how German cities install fun little play toys on the street  for children to enjoy.

The Kartoffel Kuche

The restaurant that had been suggested to us, the Kartoffel Kuche, was so quaintly decorated in an old fashioned style with antiques. The whole theme of the restaurant was potatoes, served in hundreds of different ways, and the food was delicious. It was just perfect for a cold winter day. Here are a few dishes that we enjoyed with our friends, the Dearings. 

February Fun!

February is flying past. The last couple of days, we have seen a bit of sunshine, but last week it was overcast every day with temperatures never moving above freezing. We have been averaging about 20 degrees F. during the day and about 10 degrees F. at night. It is hard to be outside for any length of time, and I really have to bundle up in my big black recess coat with my fleece scarf covering my face just to walk the few blocks to my schools. I am anxious for spring to bring some warmer weather. The daffodils that we planted in our porch flower boxes are beginning to show their green stems, and we see other bulbs popping up in the neighborhood, so there is hope.

On February 1, I organized our Sisters Night Out around the theme of wellness. We talked about eating right and exercising, using the exercise bands, and doing Pilates. It is so cold here that there is not much opportunity to get outside to exercise. I continue to do my Pilates most days and am continuing to take the stairs in our building rather than the elevator to the 9^th floor. Though lately, when I’m wearing my heavy winter coat, I'm opting for going downstairs more than up.

International Ward's Linger Longer, Sunday, January 29, 2012

We ended the month of January with an enjoyable Sunday Linger Longer after Sacrament Meeting. Our ward is nicknamed The International Ward because we have members here from all around the world. When asked to bring a pot luck meal, as on Sunday, you can only imagine the variety of recipes that come from around the world--chili casserole from Portugal, barbecue beef from South America, French potatoes, Spanish rice, Colombian lentils and veggies, Spanish flan, German kuchen, Portuguese crab casserole, African couscous with raisins, Russian potatoes, German stew, and good old American chocolate chip cookies (because someone was smart enough to pop a bag of chocolate chips into their suitcase before leaving for Germany). The email reminder for the Linger Longer from the R.S. Secretary, who is from Portugal, was so cute. She asked me to “please bring a mean meal.” Of course, what she meant was a “main meal.” The R.S. organized the potluck meal in such an interesting way. If your name began with a-f, bring a main meal. If your name began with g-k, bring a salad, etc. What a feast, and of course, such warm friendship. This is the friendliest ward we have ever been in. Before, between, and after meetings, there is constant visiting and hugging. It goes to show that many cultures can exist in great peace and love.

Quick Update From Lonnie

The weather in Frankfurt is frigidly cold right now, in the low 20's, and the blowing wind really brings the temperature down with the wind chill factor. So I'm sitting inside this morning with my jacket on and a blanket over my legs and thought I'd let you know what we are up to. 

I am still just loving going to the Kindergarten two afternoons a week. The principal and teachers have asked me to stay on until we leave in mid-December. I think that each day when I leave the Kindergarten, that is the happiest I feel all week. Although I cannot speak German very well, my ability to use one or two words at a time allows me to communicate with the children. I love them. When I walk in the door, several children come and hug me. They scuffle over who will get to sit on my lap during story time. They hug me when I leave. One little girl told me she wished I could be her mother. She asked for a kiss when I left. Children are such loving little beings, the same the world around.

I am also loving teaching English on Friday afternoons to the 7-8 year-olds. They are pretty smart kids and are picking English up quickly. I have taught them numbers to 100, colors, face and body parts, and movement words, and this next week, I will teach them fruits and vegetable names. I also taught them the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. They love to act out the characters in the song, and we are still singing it long past the holidays. The German style of teaching is very traditional with kids sitting in chairs and teachers using the lecture method. So the teachers and administrators here are fascinated with my active style of teaching, such as standing in a circle and moving as we sing, "I like to jump, I like to jump, I like to jump, jump, jump" (run, walk, sit, clap, etc.). The children enjoy playing games to learn English, so we play Bingo and Concentration and other games. I usually have a fun activity for them that is hands-on such as making an advent calendar to learn their numbers. I gave them a Chinese New Years party where I made them peanut cookies, taught them about  Chinese customs, and let them make Chinese lanterns and flying fish. We put magnets on the fish and pictures on the back, and they enjoyed "fishing" and reviewing English at the same time.

I have just written a video script for the European Area Presidency that was just approved for shooting. The Church's Salt Lake film crew will travel to Cape Verde to film the script in the spring. It is about Cape Verde, a group of ten volcanic/dessert islands off the coast of Africa. The video is being made to celebrate the organization of the
first stake in Cape Verde. Amazingly, missionaries are baptizing over a hundred people a month there. I am now writing an additional post script for the video that tells the history of the Church on Cape Verde and will include testimonials. So tonight I will participate via Skype with a Salt Lake film director in interviewing one of the
first mission presidents and one of his missionaries. This has been a project that has required a lot of research, thought and prayer to receive the inspiration that I needed to write the script, which I wrote in two days. Elder Teixeira approved it without any changes, so I was thrilled about that.

Bob is up to his ears in legal work here for the whole of Europe. His phone calls and emails are non-stop. I am amazed at how hard he works every day, and he is really serving the Lord in opening doors and solving legal problems here in Europe. He is flying out Sunday to solve a difficult situation in Albania. There is never a dull moment at the office, and he is grateful for his P Days on Saturdays when we try to get away. 
Bob and I are very engaged with missionary work. We have the elders and sister missionaries over often with guests. Tonight we are having four sets of missionaries over with Alejandra from Peru, Natalia from Russia, and maybe Dexter who is from the Philippines. They are investigating the Church. Alejandra is making a Peruvian rice and chicken dish with Bob, as I will be over at the church for the interviews and will come back when the party starts. We are glad that we relate well to young people, having practiced a lot on our dear family. We have invited our sweet German family, the Eckerts, over for fondue next week.


All of the missionaries here work very hard. Going on a mission is truly an act of service, but we are being richly blessed. We see those blessings in our own lives as well as in the lives of our family members. We are excited to see the missionary work going forward here in Europe and elsewhere in the world. One of our investigators, Angela, has chosen to be baptized in two weeks. We continue our journey here with love in our hearts for you.