A REVERENT CELEBRATION

We read about the festivities in the U.S. celebrating the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and recognize that we are missing something quite extraordinary. For us here in Bad Homburg, this 4^th of July weekend is like any other summer weekend, except for the request by Church leaders back home that we fast today in thanks for the religious liberty that we enjoy in the U.S. (like in many other countries of the world), with the hope and prayer that the same liberties may be extended to all of God’s children wherever they may live.

By the time I (Russell) return from this mission I will be almost 72 years old.  I will have lived outside the U.S. for over 9 years, an eighth of my life: over 5 years in Europe and almost 4 years in Asia. As a young man having lived in Southeast Asia, I returned home from my first mission with a much greater appreciation for the freedoms, opportunities, and material abundance that I enjoyed simply because of the fact of where I had been born. I came home loving the United States of America! A period of living without the benefits it afforded me made me realize how truly blessed I was. 

When I was working in Belgium 27 years ago, I had a conversation with several other officers of our company regarding the taxation of stock options. They were citizens of several different European countries, all living in Belgium.  I was the only American. I remember them asking me why I didn’t just move to a different country and renounce my citizenship to avoid paying taxes. The thought had never even entered my mind and was repulsive. I remember thinking I would rather be economically broke but with my U.S. passport than a wealthy citizen of any other country. That was one of only several of my closely held beliefs that gave my new colleagues reason to think I was slightly crazy. And I still feel that way today.

What I have noticed change over the years, more so recently, is the attitudes of non-Americans toward me and other U.S. citizens. Just a week ago one of our couples were asked by some men if they were Americans.  When they replied yes, they were subjected to an explicative laced barrage of verbiage that laid bare feelings that most Europeans are too proper to express directly. 

When I was in Belgium over Easter weekend, I met with a former colleague that I have been quite close with over the years.  He asked me if things felt different than when I was here 10 years ago. He proceeded to tell Eileen and I that he could feel a change in how he is viewed by his neighbors and other professional acquaintances because they know he works for a company headquartered in the U.S. Due to my friend’s professional position, he is  required to have a clear understanding of the world around him. He advised me to be aware of the change in attitude and was grateful that we had not had any problems.

               Typically on the 4th of July we go to the Centerville Parade. It is basically a small town parade with a jet flyover. In the evening we watch the fireworks.  It was different not having either of those events to attend this year.  

Elder and Sister Richards recently arrived to take the Johnsons place.  We introduced them to our favorite Italian restaurant on Louisenstrasse with a scoop of gelato afterwards.  

On Saturday we went to a city in Western Germany called Trier.  This city is the oldest city in Germany, founded in 16 BC. This gate is called the Porta Nigra is the best preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps, built around 170 AD.  

Karl Marx was born in Trier in 1818. 

In the main square in Trier. 

The Trier Cathedral, was first built around 326 AD.

The cloisters at the Trier Cathedral. 

Read gold pieces from the Roman times are shown in the archaeological museum. 

This is the Polydus mosaic unearthed from a former Roman villa in Trier. It is from the 3rd century and has been made from  thousands of tiny cut cubes made from stone, marbles and limestone. 

This mosaic was made in the beginning of the 3rd century and discovered during an excavation in 1811. 

The Roman Baths in Trier were built in the early 4th century during the reign of Constantine. The baths consist of 10 acres of subterranean  caverns which remain cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

On of the corridors in the baths.

Eileen got a chance to visit with some guys playing gladiators in the Trier Roman Coliseum/Amphitheater. 

21,000 steps later we stopped for a burger, fresh lemonade and shake. 

                               

The Romerbruke Bridge - The seven stone pillars for the bridge were put in place between 142-152 AD.  The first wooden bridge at this crossing was 17 BC.

Last week we went to a German ward. Normally we go to the International Ward, however since it has no AC and it has been terribly hot, we went to the Friedrichsdorf Ward which has AC.  I got permission from the organist to film his postlude today. I thought he was pretty incredible. 

CELESTIAL HUMILIATION

This week we had the privilege of attending two meetings at which we heard from Elder Ruben V. Alliaud, President of the Europe Central Area and his wife, Sister Fabiana B. Alliaud.  These were perhaps their last talks given prior to Elder Alliaud’s transfer to SLC next month to serve in the Missionary Department.  Their talks on Tuesday were during a devotional for all employees and senior missionaries serving in the Area. It was a chance for them to say goodbye to everyone, many in person and a lot more online.  The second meeting was on Wednesday, a zone conference for the senior missionaries serving in the Frankfurt Area office.  While their talks at both meetings were good, their talks to our zone were more personal in nature, messages prepared for us as senior missionaries.

During Elder and Sister Alliaud’s talks at Zone Conference, I (Russell) noted four specific points that stood out to me.  The first was when Sister Alliaud was talking about their experiences in new Church positions. She referred to them as lessons in “celestial humiliation.”  Opportunities to learn, both perhaps a skill, or knowledge, or wisdom, or some other strength and humility all at the same time.  As I looked around the room, I saw my fellow missionaries, almost all whom had been very successful previously, now filling roles in which humility may be the primary thing we are learning during our service here.

The second point that stood out to me was when Elder Alliaud referred to John 15:13. He said (my paraphrasing) that while we are not called upon to lay down our lives as Christ did for us, we are asked and have responded to giving up years of our lives in His service. While there are many ways to “endure to the end,” serving God, His Church, and His children was the best way.  My thoughts went to The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46).  I need to do a better job of recognizing how and who God would have me serve and then doing so.

Elder Alliaud then referred to Jacob 5:61-63 & 70-72, the Allegory of the Olive Tree. He emphasized two words found there.  First was the repeated use of the word “Last.”  He assured us that we are living in the last days prior to the second coming of our Lord and Saviour, and that we are part of the servants laboring in the vineyard referred to by Jacob. Then Elder Alliaud noted the word “Joy” in verse 71.  He assured us that we will share in that joy in the future because of our efforts today.

The last point that stood out to me was when Elder Alliaud counseled us to always remember that experience outweighs opinion.  He said the world/others will have their opinions about what is right, but each of us has experience, and those experiences give us knowledge. 

Monday evening for FHE we had a farewell party for 5 departing couples.  Three of the couples going home are from the Welfare-Self Reliance dept.   Working with these wonderful senior missionaries has truly been a blessing in our lives.  L-R.  Silvestors (Family Services and our Zone Leaders), Johnsons  and Muellecks (Humanitarian dept).  Muellecks still have about a month left but they were honored at the party anyhow. We will miss these couples so much. 

              We also had a farewell luncheon for the 3 couples with the WSR dept.  

It has been a scorcher this week. Our AC at the office was broken for a few days.  We have no AC at our apartments. One senior missionary was admitted to the hospital with heart issues and they had no AC at the hospital.  CRAZY!

       The WSR department before 3 couples depart. The Richards and the Avillas just joined us this past week to replace the Johnsons and Silvestors.

Sister Muelleck and Sister Peterson wearing matching dresses for the Area Presidency devotional. I (Eileen) play pickleball with them both

                          Elder Alliaud speaking at our Zone Conference.

I was so excited when Sister Sylvester shared one of her last cans of A&W rootbeer from the military commissary.  Rootbeer is not available at the stores in Germany. 

Russell was asked to speak at Zone Conference about a missionary interaction he had while we were traveling.

An infield couple contacted me asking if I would buy Sister Johnson some flowers.  It was 100 degrees the day I purchased them. I hope they will last a few days. 

                       Russell and Elder Southwick kind of look like twins.

ONE CHECK OR TWO?

Last night Eileen and I went out to dinner.  As neither of us had eaten all the food we had ordered we asked our waitress for carryout boxes.  She asked us, “One box?” To which I replied, “Two.”  Since what each of us had ordered was quite different, putting them in the same box would mess with the flavors of our respective leftovers.  When time came for our bill, our waitress asked if we would be paying together or separate checks.  That made Eileen laugh and may have embarrassed the young waitress. Eileen told we have been married almost 48 years.  I guess as neither of us were wearing wedding rings and we had asked for separate boxes, she didn’t want to assume we were married.  While I felt bad that our waitress was a bit embarrassed, it was good to see Eileen smile and hear her laugh.

Four weeks ago, we were in Berlin, attending church with a former missionary to Indonesia I had served with over 50 years ago.  His wife is serving as the Mission Health Advisor (MHA or nurse) for the Berlin mission and is also serving remotely as the MHA for the mission in Poland.  When Eileen told her that she had served in that role during our last two missions, Sister Stephens said maybe they should have Eileen take care of Poland after she leaves in September.  The fanciful thought pleased Eileen, but the improbability of it ever happening caused her to dismiss the thought.

Less than two weeks ago, Eileen was coming into work a little later than I did.  She happened to get a ride to the office with our Area Medical Advisor, Elder Boud and his wife.  During that short car ride, Elder Boud mentioned the great need the Area had for MHAs.  He said we had half a dozen missions which didn’t have one.  Eileen mentioned her brief conversation with Sister Stephens about Poland.  

Since that short drive to the office, one thing has led to another and now Eileen, in addition to her Welfare/Humanitarian role will also be the MHA for the new France Paris South Mission when the MHA in Paris goes home in early September.  Eileen is thrilled!  I will carry most of the load up of our Welfare/Humanitarian duties and Eileen will travel with me when needed.  As she says, she can work remotely from the road as easily as she can work remotely from our office in Frankfurt.  I believe we have found the “reset” we needed, something I mentioned searching for just three short weeks ago.  I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who hears and answers our prayers.

Once it looked like there was a possibility of Eileen becoming an MHA, she told another sister in our group who is also a nurse.  It turns out she had tried a couple of months ago to purse such an arrangement but had abandoned the effort once confronting internal department challenges.  She quickly followed Eileen’s efforts and is now going to be the MHA for the Romania and Hungary missions.  Elder and Sister Sutterfield’s Welfare/Humanitarian assignment countries are Romania. Bulgaria and Greece, so the Romania overlap is beneficial.  With our other two couples doing Welfare/Humanitarian in Frankfurt (Johnsons and Muellecks) going home soon, Elder Sutterfield and I will be the only experienced missionary resources we have in Frankfurt.  It will be busy, but our wives are happy!     

We had Elder and Sister Hoffmeier over for dinner and then Russell did some training. They are our new Welfare-Self Reliance couple in southern Germany. 

 

The battle of the sexes FHE was well attended. 

Elder and Sister Parks did one last FHE on Monday night with a fun game of Battle of the Sexes.  The Elders won by a couple of points.  We will miss them. Sister Parks has been a great friend to me (Eileen).  The Parks have been transferred to the Philippines where they will help with the mental health needs of the missionaries serving there. 

One of our missionaries snapped this photo right outside our apartment.  There were guesses if the planet by the moon was Jupiter or Venus.

Elder and Sister Richards arrived in Frankfurt this past week. They have previously served in Hungary and will be replacing the Johnsons who go home within the next week. 

We had the Richards and Muellecks over for dinner this past week. Russell prepared bruschetta, Caprese and avocado salad, tortellini served with sauce containing fresh herbs from our garden, and Sister Muelleck brought a huge salad and strawberry torte.  We don't typically eat like this, but it was a fabulous dinner. Well done, Russell and Sister Muelleck!

This was not one of the smarter things I have seen. These boys were on the autobahn where cars were going past at freeway speeds. 

We did a quick getaway trip for 24 hours to Rothenberg.  The hotel on the left is where we stayed. It was pretty warm as there is no AC in most of Germany and it was in the mid 90s.  Hitler dined at Hotel Eisenhut on April 16, 1935.  

Rothenberg is a medieval town.  This house is called the Plonein and inspired the house in the movie Pinocchio. The town was enchanting. 

The city wall with towers.

The medieval wall in Rothenberg stretches for 4km around the city and has over 40 towers.  The wall dates back to the year 1142.

A view of the city from the city wall. 

Rothenberg at dusk.  It seems odd to have a ferris wheel in a city know for its medieval architecture.

The night watchman tour is a popular tour around the city where this man describes life in medieval times.  It was very crowded the evening we were there. Four LDS families from the US  approached us and told us they were on a family European vacation and talked with us about our mission. 

One of the towers in the city with a man in armor below.

This cage was used by the "Child Catcher" in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was partially filmed in Rothenberg.

These Schneeball pastries look delicious but taste awful.  They are pastry dough covered with yummy toppings. Russell thought the sign saying Schneeballentraume (trauma) was appropriate. 

I bought this painting of Rothenberg from the man who painted it. He is 86 years old. 

Russell was excited to find this map of Germany. The original was made in 1742. The store owner said this was an etching made between WWI and WWII. 

This was the parking lot for our hotel. I think it is a former stable converted to parking lot.

This great violin player was playing in the park near the castle tower.

We heard organ music and out came the bride. A fairytale wedding, reminds me of the movie The Princess Bride.

PUTTING MY PROBLEMS INTO PERSPECTIVE

Mondays are Eileen’s least favorite day of the week.  It is the day we and the other three humanitarian missionary couples are required to be in town for Welfare Department and Humanitarian Division meetings.  Meeting with the other couples is great, perhaps the best part of our mission.  Since we have three regional (country) managers, while the other couples have just one, it means we can have up to five meetings that day.  In addition to the three regional managers, we have three humanitarian managers that direct our work.  As each of the six managers have their own unique views on our activities, navigating simultaneously their various directions can get complicated.

On Monday night, at FHE for the senior missionaries, President Peter Huber of the Europe Central Turkic and Persian-Speaking Mission (headquartered in Frankfurt), spoke about the growth of the Church in Turkey and among immigrants to German-speaking areas in Europe.   Listening to him caused us to compare the experiences missionaries are having there with what we are currently doing.

On Tuesday, we went to eat lunch at a table in our office.  Sitting there was a man who was finishing up a phone call.  We introduced ourselves and spent a few minutes getting to know Aleksey Tkachenko.  He is the Welfare and Self-Reliance Manager for Ukraine and Moldova.  He was in town to attend the meetings the last two weeks with our Area’s Welfare Department employees.  When I asked if he knew Kai Hintze, a member of our ward in Centerville and former DTA in the old Europe East Area, he lit up and said, “Yes, he hired me for my first position with the Church.”  He then went on to tell us how Kai had challenged him to go back to school and get a college degree.  Aleksey said both he and his wife now have master’s degrees because of Kai’s influence in his life.

Aleksey and his family currently live in the Ukraine.  Eileen started asking him about his life there and problems with the war.  As Aleksey was talking about effects of the war on his family and neighborhood near Kiev, he showed us pictures of war damage.  Suddenly, my problems didn’t seem quite so serious.   I am grateful for my problems and that I don’t need to worry about my family’s safety while living in an active war zone. 

                                      

                             Aleksey Tkachenko is the Welfare Self Reliance Manager in Ukraine. 

These are photos Aleksey shared with me of Kiev and the effects bombing had on his country. This is a photo of a children's clinic which was bombed.  He showed us some photos of pediatric oncology patients out side of a bombed out hospital. Most of the children were bald from their cancer treatments, and were wrapped in space blankets trying to stay warm.  

                             

President and Sister Huber served as humanitarian missionaries in Turkey from 2022-2024  organizing relief efforts after the earthquake. President Huber told of the remarkable efforts taking place in Turkey.  His presentation was informative and uplifting. However it would not be appropriate to share his insights on social media. 

                                                                                      

I didn't know Russell was taking this photo of me.  I have the "corner office" which I like. 

   

I (Eileen) play pickleball on Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings. It means I have to get up at 5:45.  It has been a fun social outlet. Sister Parks (far right) organizes the group as we have to drive 15 min to get to where we play.  She just found out last week she and her husband are being transferred to Manila where they will work with Mental Health for the missionaries.  I will really miss her as she has been a good friend.  

We took the Parks out for lunch on Saturday.  This huge bowl is a Parmigiana cheese wheel which has been hollowed out.  The waiter stirred hot pasta in the cheese wheel and the parmigiana cheese melted into the pasta. It was delicious.

                                       

This past week we had a seminar for all the WSR missionaries throughout the Europe Central Area. We were only invited to one morning session as the rest of the seminar didn't apply to our position.  It was fun seeing all the missionaries together. 

I am not sure why the person who planned catering thought American senior missionaries would eat raw hamburger on a sandwich.  The veggie sandwiches disappeared quickly. 

The infield couples from the different countries  received this booklet which will be shared with priesthood leaders.