Trier

Trier is well over 2,000 years old.  A Celtic tribe called the Treveri first settled this area and were subdued by the Romans around 58 BC. As the largest Roman settlement North of the Alps, it grew to an estimated 80,000 people at its peak.  It is claimed that it is the oldest city in Germany.  

The diorama below shows the size of the city under Roman rule.  The Rhein River borders the city.

One feature of large Roman cities were round amphitheaters and what was called a "circus", the large oval structure shown where chariot races were held.

When the Romans were defeated, eventually this famous gate to the city was transformed into a Christian church with significant structural additions.

White plastic pieces in this model show where structures were added to make this gate into a church.  In 1804, the French Emperor Napoleon ordered the church taken down to reveal the gate.

The Roman arches of this building were graced by a beautiful magnolia tree in bloom.

The size of the Roman Empire was huge as this map shows.  The darker area represents the range of Rome's rule.

Roman statues and ancient Roman tomb markers were very ornate.

The tomb for the fellow below, highlighted his love of hunting.

Where you find former Roman settlements in Europe, you also often find remnants of bath houses with ornate mosaic tiles.  The small pieces of colored rocks were shaped into cubes and then mortared into place.  The attention to detail is remarkable and survived to be appreciated over 1,500 years later.

This ancient grave contained the full skeleton of a warrior, his variety of weapons and something in the jug to sustain him in the after-life.

The Trier Cathedral

These very old and ornate Bibles were on display in a museum within this huge church.  It should be noted that these were dated to be from 1170 AD, almost 400 years before Gutenberg began printing first editions of the Bible.  The general public would have been unable to read scriptures themselves and relied completely on their priest to teach them.  It is so wonderful to have scripture so available these days, even on our mobile phones.

This signage indicated we could view the robe that was supposedly worn by Christ. Once we walked up the stairs, we could peek through a small window to see "something" on display.  Holy relics like this inspire pilgrimages to view them. 

Here is a picture we found on the internet from pre-Covid times where people could view the robe.

Trier suffered much of the over 2,000 years of it's existence by the many wars that have ravaged Europe.  World War II bombing raids by British bombers laid waste to much of the town.  The bomb shown above is similar to those used.  The German people showed much resolve and have rebuilt their cities and economy.

The quiet streets and beautiful architecture gave way to thoughts of days gone by.

Cochem and Saint Goar

We took the scenic route to Cochem through some back roads over hill and dale. Then as we turned the corner to Cochem we were greeted by the castle on the hill. What, another castle?

It seems there is a fountain giving tribute to someone in the center of most towns.

The steep climb was worth the effort as we got closer to the castle overlooking Cochem.

The grounds are covered with vineyards. It must be quite a sight in late summer as the grapes ripen.

What a great place for a cannon overlooking the Mosel river.

We left Cochem and took a windy road up the mountain on our way to St. Goar.

Looking over the Rhine as a barge takes its cargo down river.

Lorelei (or in German Loreley) German legend of a beautiful maiden who threw herself into the Rhine River in despair over a faithless lover and was transformed into a siren who lured fishermen to destruction.

Lohr am Main and Mespelbrunn

We made our second trip to Lohr with the castle and princess attributed to the Snow White fable.  It was a rainy cold day with Elder and Sister Richards but we still had a good time.

What is going to a German town without also visiting their cathedral?  Churches are getting ready for Easter as you can see below.

What often strikes us is how most churches we visit show in art of all kinds, such as the wood carvings shown below, the various depictions of Christ's death and burial.

What is noticeably absent are characterizations of the most important event in the history of mankind.  The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The focus seems to always be on his inhumane suffering and death.

The atonement accomplished in Gethsemane and on the Cross and then Christ breaking the bands of death in the resurrection are monumental and often get little or no mention in the art of great cathedrals.

We spotted this small chapel near the town of Mespelbrunn and took a walk out to it to take a look.

Were were afraid to translate this sign along the path near a pond.

In essence it says: "ATTENTION: There are two of us traveling, take care of each other!".

Felsenmeer 2.0 and Lorsch Abbey

We visited this terrific geological site earlier but Elder and Sister Tidwell hadn't been there and we were their host on a day trip, so off we went.  These rivers of huge granite boulders are amazing.  The park was busy with visitors all wearing their COVID masks, most of the time.

Tomi and Joanne on the boulders looking down at where we parked our cars. We each had to drive separately due to COVID restrictions. 

Jim just about biffed it as he was walking across the boulder field.

In the next two photos you can see the marks of chisels used in cutting this rock into smaller pieces for use in building walls, fortifications and houses.  As mentioned in an earlier post about this site, the Romans employed over 800 people here cutting stone over 1500 years ago.

The bird protection group Lautertal-Reichenbach acquired the transformer house from DESTAG in 1979 and converted it into an owl tower.  Ventilation tiles were installed on the roof for bats.

We later headed to nearby Lorsch Abbey, which is a World Heritage Site and was founded in the year 764.  Over the centuries the Abbey and the surrounding town were pillaged by attacking foreign powers from the Spanish, French and Swedes.  It was made a protestant facility as a result of the 30-year War but was returned to it's Catholic heritage after the war.  Remnants of the Abbey are pictured below.

The town of Lorsch has a unique Rathaus (city hall) that was worthy of a picture.

Many of these German towns have unique fountains or sculptures that depict the people of the area engaged in their trade.  Here a woman is preparing leaves of tobacco for drying as a child plays nearby.

18 months - done!

We were called to serve 18 months in Europe and we have done that!  We took great comfort from our Stake President's blessing in our setting apart as missionaries when we were promised that we would be able to finish our mission.  In August of 2019, in our pre-pandemic world, we thought that promise meant that even though I had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, we would be able to finish our mission from a health perspective. 

Eight months ago we decided to extend our mission another four months to July 2nd.  So, from this scenic overlook in time, I find myself looking back over the last 18 months and pondering what we have experienced so far.  Not only have we finished our original term of service, but we still have enough gas in the tank to make it to July.

What a journey this has been. Even before the pandemic happened, we had experienced so many profound spiritual experiences and miracles.  Then one year ago today, everything changed when almost all of the other senior missionaries were evacuated back to the U.S.A.  For a year now, we have lived in Germany and weathered all the ups and downs of COVID-19.  While not being able to travel freely to other surrounding countries or see Will & Val and the boys in London over Christmas, we have been spiritually, emotionally and physically strengthened by the Lord.

My work as an Area Mental Health Advisor has been very busy for the last 18 months.  When I opened my office file cabinet today, I was struck with the number of missionaries I have met with so far.  Every file represents a missionary.  The files on the right side are the cases that are closed, meaning that the missionary was able to work through their challenges and continue on their mission. (hundreds of missionaries).  On the left side are files of missionaries that needed to end their missions early due to medical or mental health concerns and files of missionaries I am working with actively.  Every day, I interact with multiple mission presidents and their wives about their missionaries and how we can help them succeed.   

Once the pandemic hit and the impact to our 3,000+ missionaries being quarantined became evident, I started doing mission-wide firesides to give them tools to not just survive but thrive.  Using Zoom, I have met with many of the European missions.  In the 31 firesides I have done so far, they often involve a PowerPoint presentation I've prepared and a question and answer session. Each fireside lasts anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours.  Firesides are very energizing as I can see the wonderful, faithful faces of our fine missionaries.  They serve from all over the world, from all continents.  Some of my firesides are translated into the mission language and have an interpreter to translate for me.  My faith grows with each fireside as I see their courage and feel their love of the Savior.  

Joanne and I thank God every night for the privilege it is to be serving our mission.  We believe our children and grandchildren are receiving blessings from our service.  We hope we are examples to them of loving the Lord and wanting to serve His children.  We have felt the power of sustaining prayers of our family and friends and we love and miss them so much. We have a precious four months left in our mission and we look forward to what lies ahead in our journey.