Do we actually do missionary work or just go to cool places?

October 17, 2019

It may seem, based on what you see on the blog, that we are really tourists with missionary name badges. Nothing could be further from the truth, let me explain...

There are currently four Area Mental Health Advisers for the whole Europe Area, about 30+ missions. These missions are divided up amongst the four of us and it is our job to work with each Mission President and their wife to do all we can to support the mental health needs of the missionaries serving in their missions.

Currently, I have been assigned the following missions; Norway, Finland, Belgium/Netherlands, England MTC, Cape Verde, Czech/Slovak, Italy Milan, Italy Rome and Adriatic North. What this means is that when a missionary is struggling with anxiety, depression, companion relationships, anger management, psychosomatic symptoms, high stress, perfectionism and a host of other issues, I may be asked to meet with the missionary.

If I had to travel to each mission and meet with each missionary in person, it would be impossible to manage. All of my sessions are either by telephone or in the best case scenario, using WhatsApp so I can at least see them. So far, all speak English.

My office is the second bedroom of our apartment which is fully outfitted with two computer monitors, desks, file cabinets, a printer, etc. There is a special phone to call Cape Verde which is off the coast of Africa.

To give everyone an idea of what a typical day looks like, I'll share my schedule for today and then tomorrow. Today, I started with a missionary in Norway at 7:30 am followed by another Norway missionary at 8:30. I generate two emails for each appointment. Then I login to the computer and update the medical records for each missionary, which adds another 30 minutes for each appointment.

We met today with a General Authority that is in the Area Presidency for Europe, Elder Kopischke who welcomed us to the mission. Later in the afternoon I had a video conference with the Mission President and his wife from the Finland Mission and an AMA (retired MD) that advises on medical issues for that mission. We spoke for an hour trying to coordinate medical/mental health care for missionaries needing help. Each mission has monthly, Mission Health Councils. Following that meeting, I had a 90-minute conference call with headquarters in Salt Lake City and all the Area Mental Health Advisers throughout the world where we received training.  Following that, we went to dinner with the other mental health advisers and medical doctors and their wives by train.

Tomorrow, I meet with missionaries from Finland, Croatia, two from Italy, two from Norway and one from the England MTC.

Saturday, we will take the day off and have some fun cruising part of the Rhine River Valley to see cool castles from the river and some Fall colors. We are going with another senior missionary couple who knows the area.

So what you'll see mostly in our blog are pictures of a bunch of Saturdays. I hope this helps you understand what the role of a Area Mental Health Adviser is day-to-day.  Occasionally, we work Saturdays and Sundays, but not with as many on the schedule and those are mostly emergencies.

My comments haven't even addressed all the things that Joanne is involved in on top of helping me.  She can tell you more about her work.  She is also quite busy in the Church Communications Department and as editor of the weekly senior newsletter, the Wegweiser.

I share this information not to complain in any way.  We knew what we were signing up for when we volunteered to serve on our mission.  This is precisely what I wanted to do. It is so satisfying for me to work with these marvelous young men and women who have given up 18 months to two years of their lives to move to foreign countries and are asked to adapt to new cultures and learn new languages. This is the hardest thing most of them have ever done in their lives, it certainly was for me when I served as a young man in England 46 years ago.

If I can help them overcome adversity, better manage whatever challenges they face so that they can find the success and joy that comes from serving the Savior of the World, then it is all is worth it to me. As they are engaged in spreading a message of peace, love and redemption, I try to help those that stumble along the way get back up and keep going.

So as a missionary myself, I spend almost all my time helping those on the front lines of the battle, to heal and return to the front. Our callings are different but we all have a role in trying our best to prepare the world for the second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is an honor to serve here and I hope this helps the readers of our blog understand more of what I do, besides being an occasional tourist.

Marburg

Model of Schloss Marburg

This doorway was magnificent. The picture on the right gives detail to the workmanship of the inlaid wood. 

The detail on this beautiful desk was gorgeous. Not just shelves, but a doorway with pillars.

Pieta, ca. 1520, Terracotta

A look into old town Marburg.

Church of St. Elisabeth 

Construction started in 1235, the year Elisabeth was canonized. The church was consecrated in 1283.

However, the towers were not finished until 1340. 

Schloss Neuschwanstein

Although it was a four-hour drive from Salzburg to Scholss (castle) Neuschwanstein with road closures and detours, we did have some beautiful scenery out the window.

We barely got there in time for our tour, literally walked into the gathering area as our tour number was flashing. Whew!

Quoting from a travel book, "This fairy-tale castle was built in 1869-86 for the eccentric 

Bavarian King Ludwig II ... This castle is the archetypal fair-tale castle and has provided 

the inspiration for countless toy models, book illustrations and film sets."

(We weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside.)

We kept looking at the ornate way this castle was constructed and decorated in contrast
 to what was going on in the United States during the same time period, Post Civil War.

From one of terraces, Dave captured this magnificent view of the town below where we started the tour.

Dave and Ward walked up to the overlook to get this view. Gorgeous!

We didn't get home until close to midnight. Dave did most of the driving through construction, holiday traffic and heavy rain and was totally exhausted when we finally stopped.



 View of Neo-Gothic castle of Maximillian II in Hohenschwangau (where we began).

Salzburg - Sound of Music Tour

Mirabell Palace and Gardens

 Karen was trying to get the guys to watch a video clip from the Sound of Music

which showcased some of the places we would visit on the tour. 

Dave looked at it kind of half-heartedly. Then at the end of the tour, when we came 

back to the gardens, he says, ''Look, this was in the movie...''. So funny.

On these very steps, Maria (Julie Andrews) lead the children in the Do-Re-Mi song.

We were so glad that the rain held until today since we were in the bus most of the time.
We felt sorry for the bus load of tourists heading up to the Eagle's Nest 

thinking they probably wouldn't have the beautiful views we had the day before.

The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg in 1964. It was based on Maria Trapp's story written in 1949.
There are a few discrepancies from what actually happened (about 20% isn't accurate.)

Approximately 8.2 million people visit Salzburg each year.
There are over 70 lakes in the Lake and Mountain District, which includes three provinces.
This cool tree really caught my attention.

Salzburg Day 2 / Eagles Nest - Bavaria

We jumped onto a tour bus with our friends, the Andersons, and headed to Adolf Hitler's Bavarian Headquarters high in the mountains. It has become known as the Eagles Nest.  

The city below is called Berchtesgaden.

These "onion-top" church domes are common in Bavaria and Austria. 

This is the view of Hitler's Eagles Nest from the valley floor as we approached on the bus.  

It was quite a windy ride up on a single lane road.

The city in the distance is Salzburg, Austria. but from this vantage point we are Bavaria, Germany.

It was a relatively clear day and the views were stunning.

The Eagles Nest is accessed by this tunnel that was built for the Nazi leader's use which then leads to a big elevator that goes up through the stone mountain to the building above.

Through this tunnel walked Prime Ministers of France and England, and dictators like 

Italy's Mussolini. The most notorious of Hitler's generals were also visitors 

which included the architects of the Holocaust.

The guide told us that Hitler was claustrophobic and they used highly polished brass panels in the elevator to give the illusion of more space.

The elevator takes you right up to the Eagles Nest which deserves its name.

In a large room inside the Eagle's Nest is a huge fireplace with marble mantle.

It was given to Hitler by Mussolini.

In the picture below you can see Adolf Hitler sitting in front of the fireplace with what looks like Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, and an outspoken anti-Semite.

We know that some of the greatest evil known to mankind came from these men 

and many others who visited here at Hitler's invitation.

It was a sobering place to be with the conflicting beauty of the surroundings 

and the evil that built this building.

It seemed fitting to include another picture of the fireplace with American soldiers who

captured Eagles Nest at the end of World War II.

 It seems appropriate here to include another picture of the Stolpersteine.  
Real people whose only crime was being Jewish were singled out and massacred by the Nazi regime.  These three died at the infamous Auschwitz Death Camp.

The vistas were stunning.

A light dusting of snow from the night before can be seen on the mountains in the distance.
This cross sits atop the vista overlooking Eagle's Nest.

It was a fun hike up mountain above the building with beautiful views.

Coming down the trail I had to carefully place my feet to avoid slipping on the slick rocks.  

My size 14 shoe got stuck during my descent and the rocks didn't want to let it go.  

Fortunately, Joanne came to the rescue.

Ward and Karen Anderson were our fellow travelers in the long five-hour drive from 

Frankfurt to Salzburg. We really enjoyed getting to know them. 

They serve with Joanne in the Church Communications Department.