HONORING OUR MOTHERS

This past Monday for Family Home Evening the senior missionaries went to Kurpark which is about 20 minutes from our home in Bad Homburg.  I (Eileen) am not sure how we went for a whole year without ever visiting this beautiful park near our home. The park is 40 hectares big and has been cared for over 150 years. The flowers were an array of beautiful colors. There are numerous historic buildings throughout the park.  A bathhouse has been in use since 1890. It is now considered a famous spa.  The spring nearby is 191 meters deep and the water is supposed to be considered medicinal.  I tasted it and thought it was horrible-fizzy and salty. It tasted just like Alka-Seltzer to me. This spring was used by the Romans-drinking bowls and the remains of a Roman bath were discovered close by. Two Thai pavilions are in the park. They were a gift from the Thailand as a token of their gratitude after the King of Siam came to Frankfurt in the early 1900s to be cured of an illness and fell in love with the spa town.  The evening with the senior missionaries was a good opportunity to visit with others and enjoy the beauty of the park.

Pagoda at Kurpark

Bath houses at Kurpark

This bench was made for those 5'3" and under

This bench is made for those 6'3" and up

These are the special waters supposedly to help with digestion

Every Tuesday Sister Engers (a native of Germany) teaches a class on German culture and language. This past Tuesday we visited some greenhouses and were able to buy some flowers for our homes.

Sister Johnson, Sister Engers (our German teacher) and Sister Swenson buying flowers for their apartments. It was just announced that Sister Johnson's husband will be the new Europe Area President starting this summer.

Greenhouses growing flowers at the flower shop

Wednesday night we had two young sister missionaries join us for dinner. Sister Harris is from Nevada and Sister Griffin is from New Zealand.  After dinner we read “The Living Christ, The Testimony of the Apostles” document.  The sister missionaries encouraged us to memorize a portion of the document so that we would be prepared to share it with someone else in the future.

Sister Harris and Sister Griffin

Saturday was a beautiful day here in Frankfurt and we took our bikes out for a long bike-ride. Sister Keyser (Chris) who is our Area Mental Health Advisor joined us.  At one point the chain fell off of my bike. It seemed like an odd thing to happen as I wasn’t changing gears when it happened. Russell joined me to help me fix it while Sister Keyser stood under a nearby tree for the shade. It wasn't long before I saw her talking with a woman. Apparently this American woman (Jennifer) heard Russell and I speaking English to each other and then saw Sister Keyser standing nearby and assumed we were together.  Jennifer asked Chris if we were visiting Germany and Chris told her that we were missionaries serving in Frankfurt. Immediately Jennifer asked if we had a card for our church. We don’t typically carry any kind of pamphlets or business cards with us as we exercise. Jennifer expressed an interest in where our church was and how she could find more about it. She said she had just joined a church a month or so ago, but seemed intrigued with our church. She was given the Internet address of the church and the address in Frankfurt and time of our English speaking meetings. She then determined that maybe she should go catch up with her husband who had continued walking.  Chris, Russell and I all felt like this was more than circumstantial that my chain fell off the bike at the same moment that Jennifer walked by. We hope that Jennifer will be able to look up information about our church and perhaps even come join us someday.  It was unfortunate that none of us had any information to have given Jennifer. We should remember to always carry cards with us, as we never know when we might run into someone who might be interested in learning more about our church.

Russell as a baby with his mother

Today we celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States. Russell and I have been most fortunate to have wonderful mothers.  I didn't know my mother-in-law well as she died just 13 months after our marriage. She was diagnosed with cancer when Russell was about 15 years old.  Much of his teenage years were spent helping with his younger siblings while his mother was in and out of hospital visits. When I met his mother (Joyce), I was impressed with how gregarious and happy she always seemed. She was very enthusiastic about life while being terribly sick.  I wish I could have known her longer. She very much wanted to be able to be a grandmother.  I found out I was pregnant the month after she passed away. Perhaps she was able to meet our children before we did.

Russell as a toddler and his mother

My mother (Elsie) is 89 years old and extremely remarkable.  Her personality is very similar to Joyce's. Both have a love for life, and are outgoing, friendly and fun to be around.   My mother made sure that all 8 of her children had every kind of lesson they could possibly want. I took swimming, violin, piano, judo, horseback riding and ski lessons. In addition to many instructive lessons, Mom made sure that all 8 of the children in our family knew that she had a testimony of the gospel. We prayed morning and night, had family home evening weekly, attended church even while traveling, read scriptures daily and knew of her love for the Lord.  Mom tried very hard to teach us good health principles. She was a health and nutrition enthusiast. She baked bread weekly, having ground the wheat to make the bread. To this day she still goes for walks around the facility where she is living, and exercises at a small gym. I feel very fortunate to have both of my parents still living. They communicate with us on a weekly basis. I appreciate the support they give us on our endeavors. Although I am sure it would be much more convenient for them if we were home to help meet their needs they have never once complained. Instead they always tell Russell and me how much they love us and our proud of us for our missionary service.  I truly have been blessed with goodly parents.

Eileen's family in their younger years

Eileen and parents

Eileen's parents, siblings and spouses

Russell and I have tried to follow our parent’s example in training our children in the way that God would have them live their lives.  We have six children. Three daughters are biological and we also have 3 adopted children. I love my children very much and feel blessed to be a mother. I have also been very fortunate to be a grandmother. I adore my thirteen grandchildren and look forward to being with them again in a few months. 

Eileen, Russell and our children on her parent's 50th anniversary celebration

Russell bought these flowers for me for mother's day.