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.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS!

Guess who showed up at the Burg Castle? Harry Potter and his mates!

Inside the castle, there were some really cool models and paper solders:

Solingen, City of Blades

This was definitely a guy trip. We went to the Boker Manufacturing Plant where fine knives and scissors, swords, and razors are made. Solingen is about two hours outside of Frankfurt and is the steel capital of Germany. After visiting the knife store, we went to the Burg Castle, built in the 12th Century and restored in the 18th Century. It was a child's paradise for exploring the museum filled with knight's paraphernalia, its high turrets to climb, and the old city walls for viewing. The homes in this area are covered with slate shingles. Many of the homes here actually have yards with green grass, a real luxury in Germany in the cities. Makes me miss home. Sorry!

Braunfels and Castle Philippstein

On Saturday morning, I got to go to the Flea Market with Brother Dearing before we took off for Braunfels. It was cold and misting again, so I mostly stayed under a tent looking through a table of sweaters. I came home with seven new sweaters for 12 Euro. This has made a significant improvement in my wardrobe. Kate was absolutely right when she said, "Don't take anything but the necessities to Germany. They have everything you need there."

Then we headed off to Braunfels to see Castle Philippstein, built in the late 1300's, that has a fairy tale feel about it. The castle is still owned by the family, who still occupy most of the 400 rooms. Interestingly the property was passed down not to their daughter, but to their daughter's husband. There were only three couples on the tour and so the guide spoke first in German and then in English. We went through twelve rooms and were amazed at the magnificent collection of art work, furnishings, and armor dating through the 13th to the 18th centuries.

The family had their crest laid in cobblestone in the courtyard:

We had lunch in a very quaint tea parlor. We had hot chocolate and French Onion Soup.

Temple Night in Friedrichsdorf

We enjoyed going to the Temple the last Friday of the month in Friedrichsdorf, about 25 minutes away from Frankfurt. The sessions are usually just for the Senior Missionary couples and presented in English. Bob likes to listen to it in German with the headphones. He is such an ardent learner, and I admire him for this. After the Temple, we always all go out to dinner together. We go to a beautiful Chinese restaurant, Me-King, with 175 dishes to chooses from. We often share the fried noodles with vegetables and shrimp and have a cup of soup or a spring roll. The food is very delicious. Or else we go to a very traditional German restaurant, where we begin our meal with a German salad bar with potato salad, cabbage, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. The menu is also very large, and the portions are very large, so we often share a meal of some kind of schnitzel with gravy. These two restaurants have accommodated us by serving us plain tap water. We are so thrilled because in every other restaurant, they want us to buy bottled water. The mix of enjoying a spiritual session and dining with good friends puts the icing on the cake for the month.