ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS!

In big cities some people earn money on the street. Here are some ways that they do that.

Pretending to be a statue and hoping someone will give them money for getting their picture taken with them.

Playing music on the street and hoping for some tips:

They leave some things on a blanket to sell, hoping that someone will drop some money in their cup.

Sometimes they just leave the cup.

Want to play hide and seek?

Saturday in Cologne!

Bob and I hopped in the car and headed for Cologne, the fourth largest city in Germany. The Rhine River runs through the city. We only had a short window of time, so we spent most of it photographing the huge, huge, huge, ornate Cologne Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. When we walked in we were absolutely dumb-struck with the vastness of the cathedral and the light and color from the spectacular stained glass windows. After visiting the cathedral, we were very hungry and found the largest and most beautiful bakery in all of Germany. Of course, there went the diet again. We each had a delicious sweet pastry. The shopping district there is worth exploring, but we didn't have time. We'll need to go back.

Awesome Entry!

Huge stained glass windows!

Two massive organs! Can you imagine the sound with both playing at once?

This folk art ceiling in one area was such a contrast to the rest of the cathedral. I loved it!

The biggest and best bakery in Germany (or probably the whole world):

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil:

We walked over to an old church in the Alstadt. This is the shell that is left of the building after the bombing in World War II. It's skeleton makes us feel sad for all the magnificent buildings that were destroyed.

Missionary Dinners!

We love our missionaries, and they do not hesitate to call us when they need a party. They called to say that a new friend, Alejandra, had just lost her job, and was needing a bit of cheer. They knew that our baked apples and ice cream would do the trick. So we had a nice party with pasta and salad with her and both the sister missionaries and the elders. It was very fun and, of course, we all fell in love with Alejandra. She is from Peru and will be going home soon for six weeks, so we took her out for Thai food and scheduled a Peruvian cooking party with all of the elders and sisters and other friends who might want to join us in our little apartment. We hope that it has expandable walls! It's always so much fun to be with "our kids" here!

Back to Work! Wetzlar on the Weekend!

With the holidays behind us, we got right back to work. We work hard all week longs so that we can enjoy our P Days on Saturdays. That's when we take off to see the sites in Germany!

Bob had a zillion calls to follow up on and projects to assign and approve. I was asked by the Area Presidency to write the Cape Verde video script, as they are organizing a new stake there. It is located just off the coast of Africa and is composed of ten small islands. The land is poor and drought ridden. It is not an island paradise, but the people are filled with light and embracing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Over a hundred new members are baptized in Cape Verde each month.

P.S. The video script was approved by the Area Presidency, and soon a film crew is going to Cape Verde from Salt Lake to film it! Exciting news!



Wetzlar

We headed with our friends, The Dearings, to Wetzlar that is located by the Lahn River. We parked in the Aldstadt (old town) and started with The Dom that is ornately decorated on the outside. Inside is  a huge organ and beautiful stained glass windows. The Pieta is heart-wrenching. Then we explored the cobble-stoned streets with its timbered houses. Notice the paintings inside the faux shutters. If you look closely, you will see Santa climbing up one building. This is typical in many towns in Germany. We had a delicious lunch of lasagne and salad and enjoyed a bit of window shopping.

The Dear Dearings!