Old Town Frankfurt

As one of the newest senior missionaries to arrive, we were taken on a field trip to help us 

navigate the trains, etc. The Winters and the Davises (our zone leaders) 

have been here for several months and wanted to help us feel more at home.

Here everyone is making sure they have the RMV app for the train. 

Looks like a bunch of teenagers who are glued to their phones.

Gary is giving Dave the low down on which train he might take to the airport.

Susan Winters, Shelley Davis, Debbie Moench and me!

The architecture in Old Town Frankfurt was so cool. 

Our pallets were delighted with the authentic German food at the Paulaner Restaurant. 

I was so happy to be able to have some schnitzel to take home for another meal 

Susan and Gary Winters; Debbie and Lou Moench; Shelley and Clark Davis and ...

 For some reason we feel the need to post pictures us eating. 

More food ... this is what we greeted us as we came up the stairs in the train station near 

the Ziel shopping area. The vendors totally dismantle their display cases each night. 

We may have sampled some pastries ... but we did take some fresh fruit home, too. 

Zone Conference

Zone Conference with Elder Erich W. Kopischke, Second Counselor of the Europe Area Presidency.

What a wonderful group of senior missionaries who we are so honored to serve with. They serve in so many capacities: church communication department, mental health advisers, medical advisers, welfare/ humanitarian specialists, self-reliance specialists, YSA specialists, family history and record preservation, church history specialists, associate legal counsel, technology specialists, LDS family services, and executive secretary to the area presidency. 

Lots of experience rolled up into one huge force for good. 

Helping the work of the Lord move forward.

Idstein

Larry and Teresa Dewey hosted us on our first outing. On our way to Idstein and the Witches Tower, we stopped for a little hike in a beech forest. It was so quiet and and serene. 

There was a fellow who was filling his jugs with water from a spring near this covered bridge.

This was the Dewey's last weekend of their 23 month mission. 

Dave learned a lot under his tutoring as the new Area Mental Health Adviser.

The Crooked House

The history of these old towns is so mind boggling. The town of Idstein dates back to 1102.

The church dates back to the 14th Century. The painted ceiling is amazing.

 

The Witches Tower and it's many points of view.

 

 

A view from the TOP of the Witches Tower to the castle gardens. Lots and lots of stairs! 

Only one of the group decided to take the climb. It was gorgeous!

Now the fun begins ... Dave is in the drivers's seat for the first time since we arrived in Germany.

 He did a little reading up on the road signs, but as you can see from Larry's face, 

he's not too sure about how things will go. Note that Dave's head was basically touching the roof. 

It wasn't until the next day that we figured out how to lower the seat. 

Good news, we made it home safe and sound.

Frankfurt Temple Open House

Two days after we arrived, we were able to tour the beautiful Frankfurt temple with the other senior missionaries for Family Home Evening. After being closed for renovation for four years, the members are so excited to finally have it dedicated and ready for sacred ordinances to be performed. 

Elder Uchtdorf will be here to dedicate the temple on October 20, 2019. 

Pictured are most of the senior missionaries working in the Europe Area; 

some are working directly with the Frankfurt Mission. 

These couples come from so many diverse backgrounds and are willing to 

give their all for the Lord. How blessed we are to be rubbing shoulders 

with these amazing people. We're looking forward the getting to know them better.

Getting Settled

Sunday, September 29, 2019 

So much has happened in the past two weeks since we arrived in Frankfurt Saturday morning, September 14.  After waiting in the passport line for over an hour, we were greeted at the airport by Elder Davis our Zone Leader, and Elder Dewey, the Area Mental Health Adviser (AMHA). Our bags barely fit in the van, but we made it to the apartment in about 30 minutes. Jet lag is real!

Our apartment far exceeded our expectations. We have an end unit with two bedrooms. The second bedroom has bunk beds and a table/desk for Dave and a small desk where I can hang out when I’m home. Dave will be working from the apartment, so it’s set up nicely.

We are on the ninth floor and have a nice view looking toward Frankfurt and the surrounding areas. Our kitchen is small but quite adequate. The small washer/dryer unit is in the kitchen, and we are making the best of things without a dishwasher. With just the two of us, it’s not a problem at all.

When we arrived, we were given a schedule where several couples had signed up to have us for dinner the first week. What a wonderful blessing that was. I sure didn’t feel like cooking, and we were able to get to know some wonderful people in the process. We have now been able to pay it forward to the newest couple, Elder Louis Moench and his wife Debbie, who are the newest AMHA couple.

It’s such a small world in the church. Elder Moench (Lou) has a younger brother Brian, who was best friends with my brother, Mick, in high school. Lou and my brother, John, were classmates at Olympus. He remembered John and Noni well, and Mick, of course.

As Dave was getting oriented by Elder Dewey (Larry), I was trying to figure out where I would land. I was told that I could choose where I would want to serve. Since Dave can have a more flexible schedule and we could travel a bit more, I didn’t want to be too tied down. I had heard of a couple of places that my office skills could be used, so I ended up helping out in the Church Communications Department (CCD), which is in the process of changing its name from the Public Affairs Department.

Then a few days ago, they asked if I would be willing to take on being the editor of the Wegweiser (translation = Signpost) which is the weekly newsletter for the senior missionaries. There is a committee already in place, so I’ll have lots of help. It keeps everyone posted on the couples coming and going, birthdays, places to see near and far and other interesting articles. One of the Area Medical Advisers, Elder Dave Koegler, is doing a Cooking Corner. I guess he’s quite the foodie.

The weather is very similar to home. Summer is definitely in the past as the cooler temperatures are here, along with the wind and the rain. Our apartment building is only about 100 yards away from the Europe Area offices, which is adjacent to the local meeting house. We attend the International Ward (Frankfurt 2^nd), and they meet in the Stake Bldg., which is right next to the Area Offices. I just love hearing all the different accents as we hear them teach us and bear testimony of the Savior.

Our first Sunday, the invocation was in Portuguese. The next Sunday there was a family (husband, wife and son) who had just been baptized and their confirmations were in three different languages: Chinese, German and English.

I have a note from Sunday School where they were teaching from 2 Corinthians. The teacher likened what the Savior has to offer to a cough drop. It helps relieve our sore throat, but doesn’t heal it immediately. I really liked that.

He also suggested we jot down our thoughts during the hard times so we can remember how we have been comforted. It helps to have those things to look back on.

Today the brother who spoke in Sacrament was from Italy. One of the things I took from his talk was:
   Let us learn the Gospel.
   Let us live it.
   Let us share it.

As missionaries, that is exactly what we have been set apart to do. We need to be bold in our actions to live it and to share it. And continuously learn of His Gospel on a daily basis. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve where I can to share the Gospel to all the world.

And from the Bishop: Pray, Invite, Fellowship. So much in those few words.

We are looking forward to General Conference next weekend. We are so blessed to have a living prophet, President Russell M. Nelson to lead and guide this church.

A panoramic view looking Eastward.

Looking north out the kitchen window. We love all the light we get from being up so high.

A panoramic view from the balcony of our living room, looking to the west toward the Area Offices.



Looking west from our living room window on the ninth floor. 
Frankfurt in the distance to the left and the office building in the foreground.

On the left is the Europe Area Office and a short walk to the right is our apartment building.

To the left of the office is the church building. We can't complain about the distance to/from work.

This couch and coffee table will be leaving soon. 

Still getting unpacked. Two twin mattresses make up our king size bed.

Dave has his office in the second bedroom so he has more privacy. Two monitors plus his laptop. 

And when we have company, we're ready with bunk beds!

Galley kitchen with a small washer/dryer combo. Still figuring out how it works!

Frankfurt Here We Come

Friday, September 13, 2019

Today is the day we’ve been working toward for a very long time. From submitting our mission papers last May … our call in June … Eight weeks to prepare … MTC training,
 then medical training in Salt Lake to now. We’re on a plane heading to the mission field.

So many obstacles trying to discourage us, but we are now on the Lord’s errand heading to Frankfurt. We’re not sure what it will be like, but we’re in this together. As I sit next to my forever companion, Elder Perry, I feel confident we can do this together. I know it will be hard and I know I need to submit myself to the Lord and rely on him to get the most out of our 18 months. I need to be a bold disciple of Christ and testify of Him as I help others serve their missions. How blessed we are!

Ready for our long flight ... NYC and then on to Frankfurt.

Training in Salt Lake City

We stayed at the Ramada on 2400 South State St., not the most luxurious of options. 

We were able to connect with Ann and Greg Adams from the Sullivan ward. They moved to Herriman about a year ago where he took a job with Church Education system. 

We had a great time catching up and they treated us to a fabulous Sunday dinner.

Dave's favorite companion from his mission to England is Mike Young.  They served together outside of Liverpool and Mike was Dave's Best Man on our wedding day.  Mike and Karen Young 'fed the missionaries' a wonderful traditional turkey dinner at Little America. 

Mike said: "Elder Perry rides again". Great people!

After some one-on-one meetings with the mental health guys in the Church Office Building, we grabbed some dinner at the cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Since we weren't in any hurry to get back to the Ramada, we found some time to do a little blogging.  

Here we are 46 years ago saying goodbye before Dave left on his first mission to
England Leeds in 1973.  Who knew we'd be going together from the same place 46 years later.  Apparently Heavenly Father did!

Our attempt at recreating the event ... 

A few things have changed, but not our commitment to each other. It has only been solidified.

      

           

MTC Day 2-5

Being in the Mission Training Center was a very positive experience even though we were there for less than a week. The devotional, the large group training and the training we received in our District was spiritually moving. 

I drank chocolate milk every day in the cafeteria and still lost weight! What?

How they feed 2,000 missionaries every day is amazing to see.

Our District became close and we enjoyed our time together.  
Joanne and I learned a lot from their faith and testimonies.

Our District consisted of four couples being sent all over the world.  
From left to right our district included the Ed and Vickie Austin going to Serbia, Joanne and I going to Frankfurt, Germany, one of our capable MTC instructors, Sister Monroe, Randy and Sharon Hansen going to Kirtland, Ohio and Russ and Diane Walton going to Berlin, Germany.

In my journal I made a note about why we teach the doctrine...
- It's the Iron Rod
- The Foundation
- Keeps us on HIS path

The Book or Mormon outlines the plan of Salvation where the Bible doesn't.

I really enjoyed learning from our young MTC teachers. All three were sisters who had recently returned from their missions and they were so confident and very knowledgeable in the doctrine.

Alma 5:7 "Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he
awakened them out of a deep sleep,
and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the 
midst of darkness; 
nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word..."

Jacob 2:8  "And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, 

yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul."

We now have name tags and represent Christ. How would I answer these questions?

 What do I want to become as a missionary?
What do you want to say you have done as a missionary?
What difference would you want others to notice in you?

We were privileged to get to know Elder and Sister Penrose. We worked with them as we learned how to reach out to others on our mission. "Which part of the doctrines of Christ stand out to you?"

It's just so hard to put into words how wonderful "This Past Week" in the MTC has been for both of us. We learned how to be bold and to 
enthusiastically declare that we are missionaries for the 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

With His strength we can do the things we would never have been able to do on our own. What a wonderful beginning to our mission experience. 

This stone was displayed in the lobby of our dorm. Growing up, David O. McKay was the prophet of the Church and I always loved this story. Later, on my mission to England, it took on more meaning and inspired me to work hard. The full story is explained below.

An experience that occurred during young David O. McKay’s mission to Scotland left an impression that impacted his entire life. At a time when he was homesick and discouraged, he and his companion went to see Stirling Castle. On their way back to their apartment they passed a building with an inscription carved in stone. The quotation, thought to be from Shakespeare, read, “What-E’er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part.” President McKay recorded his feelings in his journal:

I said to myself, or the Spirit within me whispered, “You are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More than that, you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. You accepted the responsibility as a representative of the Church.” Then I thought [about] what we had done that morning. We had been sightseeing. We had gained historical instruction and information, it is true, and I was thrilled with it. . . . However, that was not missionary work. . . .

. . . I accepted the message given to me on that stone, and from that moment we tried to do our part as missionaries in Scotland.

The stone’s message had a profound impact on then Elder McKay. Each individual is important no matter how small or how large his part. When one neglects his duties, the equation changes and the outcome is different. This experience not only changed David O. McKay’s perspective as a missionary but also reminded him throughout his life to act in each responsibility the best that he was able.

Our room at the MTC was quite adequate but was by no means a luxury suite. We looked forward to being in a hotel for the next week with a King sized bed during our training in Salt Lake.

Friday night we had a great dinner with Will and Val. Our week was really packed, so it was nice to relax and enjoy being with them and Z and Sebs. 

Saturday morning we took a shuttle to the Ramada where we 
will stay during our training.