Still Laying

Just wanted to check in with our mama goose. She is still trying to hatch some plastic eggs. It breaks my heart! After visiting Frankfurt though, and walking through all of the bird $#@!, I know why they can't let them nest here. It is disgusting!!!

Leaves

I was gone for a couple of days and as I went running this morning, my path was different. The leaves have arrived. I am excited for the beauties of spring/summer. The sun has been out a little as well. I hope May is as nice as April has been. (fingers crossed)

Frankfurt for Mission President Seminar

We were able to attend the Europe Area Mission President's Seminar. It started Tuesday evening the 25th for dinner and ended Thursday the 27th at 3 pm. It was held in Frankfurt at the New Century Hotel. Our room was lovely and we really enjoyed our stay! At dinner Tuesday we got to sit at the table with Elder Kearon and his wife Jen. Also, with the Packer's who are serving in the Spain MTC. We haven't seen them since we served together in California. That was such a fun treat for us. 

Wednesday was full of training and I got to meet many of the Presidents and Wives that we send our missionaries to when they leave the MTC. What great people! They would say to me, "Thanks for taking such good care of our missionaries." I have to remind myself that they aren't mine...they are theirs. Oh well, I think it will make it easier to send them off because I know what outstanding people they are headed to.

At the end of our day, we got to walk into the downtown area of Frankfurt along the river Mein. I have never seen so many people out exercising in my life! They were biking, running, walking, canoeing (like the olympics) and who knows what else. It was impressive! I have learned why it is impossible to allow the geese to reproduce on our pond. As we walked along the river, it was a filthy mess from all of the ducks and geese and babies. (gross and nasty!)

These were some of the sights from our walk.

Every town has an old church that is being restored.

The locks again on the bridge.

New downtown area.

Government building in old downtown.

When Jon asked me what I wanted to eat I said, "I want to find some Weiner Schnitzel." I have very fond memories of it from my study abroad days in Baden. So we walked around the downtown area and came upon a pretty small restaurant that was advertising schnitzel that looked like my memories. We decided to go in. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Even Jon liked it! The bread and salad dressing in Germany were very tasty as well. Who would think a person would get so excited about salad dressing? Well, we did!

Thursday we had training until 3 pm. One thing that has stayed with me was said by President Ivory who is serving in Romania. He will be finished in a few weeks and had an opportunity to speak to us. He told of an experience they had at the end of their first year of service. They had an eleven year old son that came with them who had had a very difficult time his first year out. When Elder Bednar came to visit, after his meetings, he went and spent one hour with their son in his hotel room. Elder Bednar later told of the experience in a "Face to Face" that he was doing. He spoke about his service as an apostle, and that it was "one by one". (Elder Bednar had spoken to us about that same idea when we were being trained in the MTC.) He said he was sent to Romania to minister to this twelve year old boy, and oh by the way, preside over the conference where they were. President Ivory said after he had this experience he started writing everyday in his planner one word. WHO? His focus that day would be on who the Lord needed him to minister to. I also have been writing WHO? in my planner. I hope to be more mindful and open to doing what the Lord wants me to do everyday, for those of His children that need it.

The Area Presidency and their Wives bore their testimonies at the close and the Kearon's let us know they are getting a new assignment. They will be leaving Germany. We will miss seeing them on occasion. They are very dear, kind people who have been so good to us and our family. We love them.

We jumped on a bus to the airport at 4 and our flight didn't leave until 10:30 that evening. It was a LONG day. It is sweet to be with all of these good people who are working in the same cause as we are. They understand what our life is like, well maybe not ours since we are in the MTC, but we could totally relate to theirs. It is a blessing to be working with missionaries and their investigators and new converts. Life is good!

Cows

I ran my same path this morning and look who was right on the other side of this small wall. COWS. My spirit animal. :) (I am grateful everyday that I find something that I want to take a picture of, for a little minute to take a breather.) 

MTC Group 19 April 2017

More group photos! In this group we have missionaries going to Greece, Alpine German Speaking, Berlin, Frankfurt, Leeds, London South, London, Temple Square, New Zealand, Birmingham and Atlanta Georgia. They are beautiful and fun and happy and hard working. A couple are having a few struggles. Heaven bless them all!

New Endowments

Because we were going to be in Frankfurt on Temple Tuesday, we decided to take our missionaries who had not been to the temple yet before we left town. It was a very special session to be with them.

Friday morning, Elder Richardson (Jamaica), Sister Cabral (Brazil/companion), 
Sister De France (Trinidad and Tobago) and Elder Kolega (Croatia).

Elder Richardson (Jamaica), Sister Cabral (companion), Sister De France (Trinidad and Tobago) 
and Elder Kolega (Croatia).

Saturday morning Sister Chenna (India) and Sister Chit (Myanmar).

Aren't the flowers so pretty right now? And the sisters?

They are such humble happy people! I love them!

New Running Path

I had a new run today along a canal where there were old locks. I think the locks were to raise and lower boats to help them get through the canal. It is sure pretty around here. I loved this new path!

Locks on the canal.

Forget-me-nots growing everywhere.

In front of the MTC.

An Empty MTC

This morning our MTC emptied out. Once every four months it happens that ALL of the missionaries leave at once. It started at 3:30 am when all of our German speaking missionaries left. Truly the middle of the night.

I will miss every one of them. They come into my office and eat my candy and say hi to me on and off all day long. They are good souls!

Next was Manchester. If President had another daughter, he would be routing for Elder Souza (far left). He is someone special! Elder Omoruyi (originally from Israel but has been living in London for a few years, on the far right) is kind of a gentle giant as well! Our Jordanian Elder went out with the local missionaries today because everyone else is gone. They promised him they would find someone who spoke Arabic today. That got a huge smile out of him! After he left we went to our offices and found two envelopes. One for President and one for me.

Elder Haddad is someone special as well! They ALL ARE! I could tell you something wonderful about each one of them! What a treat to be here with them. I have to remind myself of that when the alarm goes off at 2:40.

Next the missionaries going to Leeds! They are all very sweet! And lastly the two Brazilians going to London and Elder Matwaychuk headed to Birmingham.

Tomorrow we get missionaries from all around the world. The sick stomachs, the sick heads, the happy smiles, the sweet testimonies will start all over. Oh my...

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter World! Today may be one of the few Easter's (for me) that have really been focused on the Savior. It has been a wonderful day. 

For my Sacrament Meeting talk, I shared some of Elder Wirthlin's talk, "Sunday Will Come". I remember hearing it like it was yesterday. It was five days after Matthew passed away, and I was in the laundry room ironing while I listened to him speak. It was like a big, warm, comforting hug from my Heavenly Father.

He spoke very tenderly of his father, mother and sister who had all passed on. And then, he spoke of his dear wife Elisa. She had just recently passed away. You could feel of his undying love for her as he spoke.

"When President Hinckley spoke at Sister Wirthlin’s funeral, he said that it is a devastating, consuming thing to lose someone you love. It gnaws at your soul. He was right. As Elisa was my greatest joy, now her passing is my greatest sorrow."

Then he related what it was like when the Savior gave His life for us.

"I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross. On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.

On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.

I testify to you that the Resurrection is not a fable. We have the personal testimonies of those who saw Him. Thousands in the Old and New Worlds witnessed the risen Savior. They felt the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. They shed tears of unrestrained joy as they embraced Him."

What a blessing it is to know that our Savior lived, atoned, died and was resurrected for us. What a miracle all of those things are! My testimony of the Savior grows everyday. I am far from perfect, but I know because of Him, I may repent and everyday try to become a better version of myself. He is my light and my joy! I love Him!!! May we always remember him.

Temple Tuesday

The tulips are in full bloom on the temple grounds today! Those and the forget me nots are just beautiful. I had to stop and take a picture! Happy Tuesday!

A Visit from Tod!

Tod is our first family visitor! He has come to feel it out for all of our other visitors to follow. We are very excited to have him here!

Can you just imagine how excited he was to have me pointing this camera at him as he walked out of customs? I didn't care! He loves me anyway. :)

We took him to lunch and then he and his dad went golfing. No rest for the weary! He and I took a train to Scotland Saturday morning. This is the William Wallace monument in Stirling, Scotland. We walked from the train station. It took us about three times longer than we expected. :)

Views from the top.

Where the battle took place.

The graveyard at the STIRLING CASTLE.

My boy enjoying the train ride back to Edinburgh.

It was such a pretty, sunny day. You would have thought it was the middle of summer. Everyone was out in tank tops and shorts. Tod and I were a quite chilly.

Edinburgh Castle.

Sunday Tod spent with us in the MTC. He taught the missionaries a couple of times and made a best friend out of our missionary from Jordan, Elder Haddad. Elder Haddad is going to take Tod around his country when Tod comes over to visit!

Monday the boys went golfing again and Tod teased Jon mercilessly about his golf game slipping. It was also the Master's weekend. (A lot of golf for Susan, the boys loved it.)

Dinner at Miller & Carter in Wigan for a yummy steak!

We had a wonderful visit! Thanks for coming over Tod and being a good sport about doing everything even though you were jet lagged. You bring joy to your parents hearts!

Senior Couples and Departures to London and London South

This is Elder and Sister Withington from England. They are heading to Australia to serve with the Parker's. They are wonderful and will be a great help to the mission I am sure!

These are the Gysler's. They are from Switzerland and are headed to do a humanitarian mission in Thailand. This is their second mission. They have just been married for four years. They are very sweet people! It is fun to have senior couples with us in the MTC.

These are the missionaries departing for London and London South. Sister Stephenson has nicknamed me "Mummy Bunker". She was quite the hugger! (front/left) :)