PALM SUNDAY

Even as full-time missionaries it is easy to get so caught up in our daily activities that we lose sight of what is truly most important.  The last two weeks have definitely had their challenges for us, but those issues shrink to insignificant when I ponder the events that took place almost two millennia ago on this upcoming Easter week.  The opportunity for us to be forgiven of our sins and be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven (should we live worthy), and for all men and women to be resurrected, was all made possible because of the atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ.  

This week, Eileen and I will be focusing our scripture study on the events that took place each day of what many refer to as Holy Week:

Palm Sunday – Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:37-44)

Monday – Christ cleanses the Temple (Matthew 21:12-16)

Tuesday – Christ teaches parables (Matthew 25:1-13 & 35-40)

Wednesday – The anointing at Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:6-8, John 12:1-8)

Thursday – The Last Supper & Garden of Gethsemane (Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 26:36-39, Luke 22:19-20 & 39-46)

Good Friday – The Crucifixion (Psalm 22:16&18, Isaiah 53:7,9&12, Matthew 27:35&57-60, Mark 14:60-61 & 15:27-28, Luke 23:32-46, John 19:16-30 & 20:25-27)

Saturday – Christ ministers to the dead (1 Peter 3:18-20, D&C 138:29-34)

Easter Sunday – Christ is Risen (Isaiah 25:8, Daniel 12:2, Matthew 27:52-53 & 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-6, Luke 24:1-6, John 20:1-18, Corinthians 15:20-22)

We are very grateful for the opportunity to be missionaries representing Jesus Christ and are humbled to be counted among His many disciples.  He is the promised Messiah, our Savior and King!

       One of our senior missionaries purchased some prints of this painting. We will put it in our apartment once we receive it.  It is a good reminder of the miracle of the resurrection. 

Sister Johnson gave the area devotional on Monday.  I love this statement by Elder Maxwell, along with the photo of the beautiful spring flowers. 

We had a very nice visit with the Scallobrinian NGO ASCS.  They focus on helping refugees around the world. Our church has partnered with this organization for several projects caring for refugees. From left to right-Coraline (our manager), Russell, Eileen, Marianna (director of fundraising), Erik (manager over humanitarian), and Father Antonio (Director of the NGO).

We had a farewell party for Elder and Sister Denny. He has been our area mental health advisor.  She is outgoing and loves to have fun. She is the assistant mental health advisor. The Dennys took us out to eat when we first arrived. Sister Denny has  introduced me (Eileen) to a wonderful swim complex in Bad Homburg.

Elder Sutterfield and Russell, keeping their ties clean at the farewell party.

I (Eileen) have been going to play pickleball a few days/week at 6:15 am.  I think these missionaries from the Frankfurt mission were sort of bummed out that we already were using the gym. Several of them quietly studied their scriptures while we were playing. 

AN OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL WEEK

On Friday as Eileen and I were discussing our past week, we both thought that there was nothing to really write about.  Our projects were slow in developing, our interactions with some individuals around us were challenging, and nothing out of the ordinary really occurred.  Life as a missionary is often like this, you can go long periods of laboring with occasional successes that are truly extraordinary and memorable.  In that way, life here is much like life at home, but as a missionary your work activities and interactions with others are just far more focused than they are at home.  But the more I thought about this past week, I realized that there were three things that were meaningful to me and reminders that God was aware of us.

The first involved my personal reading in the scriptures.  I have been for some time now concerned about a few things which I have been unable to find a solution to.  My desire when confronting an issue is to try and fix it.  Unfortunately, I find that my ability to do so is lacking. Early this week I had to stop my scripture reading mid chapter, something I don’t like to do.  The next day as I finished my morning prayers, during which I asked God about the problems that I was concerned about my inability to fix things, I returned to my reading of the scriptures.  There in the first two verses after where I had stopped reading the prior day was an answer to my prayer.  While it didn’t solve my problems, it did let me know that God was listening and wanted to give me comfort.  This incident reminded me of a saying I have heard often at church, that we speak to God through prayer and He speaks to us through the scriptures.

By Friday afternoon Eileen needed a break from our week’s activities.  We had not planned on going anywhere on Saturday.  Many of the other couples who have not lived in Europe before are anxious to go sightseeing and visit other cities almost every weekend.  We decided to invite one of the single senior elders to go with us to see the castle near us.  Unfortunately, that did not work out so we set off to go on our own.  While in the garage we just happened to meet another couple who was leaving at the same time.  After a brief conversation with them we changed our plans and went with them to catch a train into Frankfurt and see the town center area.  It so happened that the sister’s father was the mission president in Independence, Missouri when she was a child.  That connection was the subject of much of our conversation. The afternoon was a good break for all of us. I feel that it was not a coincidence that we both went into the garage at yesterday at the same time.  Sometimes God blesses us by putting others in our path who can help us.

Last night we learned that one of our grandsons received his mission call.  We are still waiting to learn where he is going because he wants to wait and open it with his older siblings later tonight.  We are pleased by his decision to serve God and grateful for the efforts of his parents and all those who have helped teach him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is rewarding to see your posterity living faithful to God’s commands.

The past several weeks Eileen has been having text conversations with a sister who is/was serving in Abu Dhabi.  We have been on several vacations with the couple and they started serving as volunteers, not missionaries, in the UAE last Fall.  On Friday, they got word that their calls had been changed and that they would be evacuated the next day.  They are now back in SLC and serving with President Craven and Elder and Sister Moulton in the Church Headquarters Mission.

                               

The Romerburg in Frankfurt is in the heart of the city.  It has been in use since the 15th century. Although heavily damaged in WWII it has been reconstructed to look as it originally did in Medieval times

St Nicholai church-a protestant church built in the mid 15th century.

Light a candle and pray for those in need

Elder and Sister Boud are serving as the Area Medical Advisor and assistant.  Sister Boud grew up living in the same location that our office was in Missouri. Our office used to be her house.

This violinist was so good that I gave him a donation, plus bought his CD.  Now I just wish I had a way to transfer his music to my phone to listen to it. 

   

Photos from the visit of the apostles  with the General Authorities to Frankfurt a month ago.

Elder Palmer, Elder Causse, Elder Girard, Elder Alliaud, Elder McKonkie, Elder Renlund and the Area Ex Secretary, and DTA Paul Hansen

Russell and Elder Renlund

Eileen and Russell with Elder Causse

A WEEK WITH HERWAYS IN ITALY

 Almost 27 years ago we met Tom and Anita Herway in Belgium.  Tom was the bishop of the international ward and Anita was the seminary teacher for our teenage children.  Nine years ago, we met again at the temple in the Netherlands.  That meeting led to Elder and Sister Herway serving as humanitarian missionaries with us in Europe.  Unknown to us at the time, they started serving again in Italy last Fall.  

This week we had the wonderful experience of traveling to Milan and with them visiting half-a-dozen NGOs and units of the municipal government who serve the poor and needy in Milan.  Both Eileen and I were very impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the individuals we met with.  Those managing the organizations we met with were 80-90% women and aged between 20 and 40 years old.  Only two of the individuals we met with were over the age of 50. While immigrants and refugees are more accepted in Italy than in some other countries, those working with the poor and needy need to be motivated by a strong feeling that what they are doing is not only the right thing to do but of great importance, as public praise and the pay level are certainly not motivating factors.

After working in Milan during the week, it was fun to see where Elder and Sister Herway live in Como and then to spend Saturday with them traveling on a train to St Moritz, Switzerland.  I (Russell) have been impressed at how well Eileen has been doing given the amount of fast walking we have been doing, 15,000 to 19,000 steps per day (Eileen keeps track).  And we have both been healthy during our two months here.  I do believe we are being blessed with good health as we serve as missionaries.  This week’s entry is short as we didn’t get home until 8:30 pm tonight and we are both tired.  Our “work hard play hard” mantra was easier when we were younger! 

                                              

Sister Bluth who is one of our senior missionaries, gave a FHE on Monday night about her experiences in decorating the inside of the temples. She gave a very informative, interesting and spiritual presentation.

Sister Bluth was the project manager decorating the interior of the Draper, Utah Temple. 

This is a photo of a preliminary sketch of a smaller temple President Hinkley drew on a napkin while traveling home after visiting Colonia Juarez in Mexico. He had been reflecting on the need for Saints in rural areas to receive the blessing of temple ordinances.

Our visit to La Rotunda included seeing a sewing room where lower income individuals including refugees can learn sewing skills.  Shown below are some of the baby onesies which have been sewn by beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries' can take bike repair classes which could be a very beneficial skill

Colorful murals are painted on the side of the walls near the TDH headquarters to give the neighborhood a more cheerful vibe

Psychological services are offered at TDH in addition to having a store which operates on a point system based on the size of their family.  Refugees can "shop" in the store free of charge to provide goods for their family members. This photo shows two volunteers, previously refugees, organizing the goods for the store. 

The municipality of Milan operates a Welcome Center for migrants and refugees. They offer services for 1000-1500 people/month.  They have a number of translators available so services can be offered in the refugee's native language. One of our humanitarian projects will fund a garden area with tables and chairs so the refugees can enjoy the outdoors without threat of violence.

This painting was done by one of the refugees who came to the Welcome Center.  Even in the midst of bad weather, beauty can still come forth. 

Center for Unaccompanied Migrant Minors

 Unaccompanied minors are from other countries without adult supervision. Here they are offered psychological services, educational support, language tutoring.  Below is a photo of the professionals involved in their care.

At the Ronald Macdonald House Sister Herway joined me in getting in the snuggly chair which can offer comfort to family members who are stressed while their child is in the hospital. 

We saw this statue in a store window the night we visited the Ronald Macdonald House.  Who would ever buy this?

Due to scheduling challenges, we were only able to see  9 minutes of the Italy vs Japan paralympic hockey game.

We didn't go see this castle, just took a quick photo op on the way to the Metro. Sforza Castle was near our  hotel and was built in the 1300-1400s. 

Quick photo stop in the Galleria

We would have loved to go in the Duomo, another quick photo stop.  Some kind of demonstration was taking place outside. 

Italian gelato is delicious with a variety of flavors.

Healys and Herways on the train to Como. 

We took the Bernina Train to St Moritz Switzerland. We ended up in a blizzard on the way home. 

St Moritz is not inexpensive, but we splurged on lunch over the lake. 

Snow man weather

Hotel in St Mortiz.  There were extremely expensive cars in St Moritz including some in front of this hotel

Gratefully I wasn't decapitated while taking this photo.

We had very long days. Russell used the toilet as a desk to catch up on his work. I told him he better make sure there was a towel underneath the computer. YUCK!

Leaving Switzerland. It was a beautiful drive from Milan to St Moritz, but a long day getting home. 

PERSPECTIVE

On the weeks that we are in town, we try to go to the gym.  The building we work in has a very nice facility.  We have found that it is difficult to go during lunch because we always seem to be too busy.  Going before or after work is complicated by our sharing a car with another couple. On a few days, the elder with whom we share a car has wanted to stay after and go to the gym while his wife got a ride home with other missionaries.  This week we were blessed by two other couples who were traveling and allowed us to use their cars for a few days while they were gone.  This has allowed Elder and Sister Walch, the couple we share a car with and us to each have a car to ourselves this week.  We and several other couples who are carsharing are looking into leasing our own cars during our stay here.  While the cost is at least double the amount that we would be charged by the Church for a car, it would be nice not to have to keep to a set time schedule to start and stop work each day, and to not be without a car every other weekend. 

On Friday Eileen and I both had interesting experiences in the gym.  That day Eileen tried for the first and probably last time to try going at the beginning of the day.  I figured I could cover for us in the office.  It just so happened that we had a fire alarm evacuation while she was working out.  Fortunately, she was on the treadmill at the time, an elder was actually in the shower when the alarm went off.  I should have taken a picture of us all standing in the parking lot.  Eileen was freezing, sweating without a coat.  One of the other couples who had their car keys let Eileen sit in their car until the drill was over.

That evening after work we both went to the gym.  The lockers all have combination locks that you set yourself.  I had heard of others being locked out of their lockers when the locks failed to reopen.  But my experience had always been good until that night.  By the time I realized that my locker would not open, almost everyone had gone home.  Someone had to be called back into the office to reopen my locker.  The employees told us that the locks failing to reopen happens all the time.  Good to now know.  I won’t lock my locker anymore.

Yesterday, Eileen was texting with a Sister living in the UAE.  She and her husband are volunteers there working with Family History.  Eileen started texting her a week ago when we first heard of the air strikes in Iran.  Her description of how they were under their desks, sheltering-in-place while listening to explosions and rockets passing nearby made our problems with carsharing and the gym seem quite insignificant.  I feel very blessed and fortunate to live in a clean and safe place, where my worry is what I will choose to eat and not if I will have anything to eat. Far too often I get caught up in my rather trivial problems while many others of God’s children are suffering truly serious and grave issues.  I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, to work on humanitarian and disaster relief projects.  From the office sometimes I lose site of the suffering those benefiting from the projects are experiencing

This a lego version of Neuschwanstein Castle done by Norbert in the Area Office.  It has 11,000 pieces. 

We were invited over to the Silvestors apartment for FHE and ice cream potatoes. We thought it was a typo, but it wasn't.  Ice cream shaped into a potato.  

We have quite a nice gym at the office.  The Germans are serious about having the office decked out with healthy opportunities.  We have a resting room with 4 massage chairs, a massage room with a massage therapist who comes to offer free massages. (I have yet to get in on that deal).  Fresh fruit and veggies are delivered to the office each Monday and Wednesday.  It is a nice option if you didn't have time to get a lunch

                                     

       

It seems like eating this pizza counteracts any benefit of going to the gym, but it was very good.  Russell and I shared this pizza. Most people were eating one pizza per person.  We thought it was way too big for one person to eat.  

We bought a 3 Euro vase at Woolworths, the roses were 6 Euros. Russell said he will get me fresh flowers each week. 

We saw lots of  people driving convertibles yesterday. The weather has been beautiful.